Maximus

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Mike, I particularly like the Southern White Admiral with all the Blue colour which reminds me of the Emperor BF
Goldie

[Maximus]

Thanks, Wurzel and yes I agree with you that next time is too far away

Glad you enjoyed the Pyrenean reports, David, the trip was a real eye-opener for me!

Thanks, Goldie, it's a shame the SW Admirals weren't more common




7th Sept.


Dave’s (millerd) recent report of his trip to Dawneys Hill prompted me to pay a visit to this site today. I spent a very pleasant couple of hours there on a sunny afternoon in the company of some lovely butterflies. It didn’t take long to find a Grayling but it was very tatty, so I moved on and soon found another and in much better condition.

They’re so good at camouflaging themselves against the background.

In all I found in the region of 12 to 15 showing various states of wear and tear. I’m not sure how long they’ve been out here but it must be a fair while. But at least they’re hanging on in there!



In the past I’ve seen the occasional Small Copper here, but today I saw at least eight different individuals. Most were in very good condition, showing good variation in their markings, and several really stood out.

This female wasn't interested in the males advances.

But he eventually gave up and she moved away.

So he resorted to basking.

These two were the pick of the bunch.

Stunning blue badge club member.

This Copper had the most amazing iridescent colours and had the appearance of being freshly emerged.

There was plenty of Sorrel growing there, but I didn't find any eggs.

The site is recovering from the 2016, restoration work, but we've not seen an Adder here since 2015!

March 2016

September 2018

Small Copper numbers appear to be good in many parts of the country at the moment, as reported in other PD’s.
Although I did keep a look out for possible SSB’s, I saw none.

[Wurzel]

Great to hear that the Grayling are still going...well not exactly strong but still going Mike Great game of spot the Grayling as well and the Coppers look fantastic

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

At the time of my visit to Dawneys it looked like your 2016 image.
I'm pleased to see that the site has recovered.

Trevor.

[David M]

More Small Coppers!! What is happening with this species this autumn?

Thanks for posting the before/after pics, Mike. I always like to see the contrast between the austere pre-season look and the green landscape when summer has had a chance to impose itself.

[Goldie M]

Love the Grayling shots Max, I always find them very hard to take photos of, there usually the same colour has the rocks Goldie

[Maximus]

Thanks, Wurzel, I know what you mean glad you enjoyed STG the Coppers 'were' stunning

Yes it's recovered quite well, thank goodness, Trevor

Small Coppers appear to be ubiquitous at the present time, David. Glad you like the comparison shots.

Thanks, Goldie, Grayling blend in well (with their surroundings) and you normally have to get down low for shots of them on the ground.




This post is also from a visit to Dawneys Hill, but this particular visit was in the middle of June. I didn’t get round to posting it then as we were in the middle of organising our trip to the Pyrenees.

This seems to be a later site for SSB and we had only seen a couple of males on a previous visit a week or so before. This time however our timing was spot on and we soon found plenty of Silver-studded Blue males, and a sprinkling of females, which had emerged since we were last here.



The males.

This male was a very small.

A pale individual.

And some females.

[millerd]

Just caught your Dawney's Hill report, Mike (and now the flashback to June with those lovely SSB shots). Looks like the Graylings will hang around a little longer, but those Coppers are splendid butterflies. I wonder how many more will appear?

Incidentally, I saw the first Graylings there on 27th June, which means a season so far of around ten weeks at this site. Not bad at all.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Stunning set of Silver-studs Mike The third female is a real cracker in particular; the wing margins look scalloped slightly like a Chequered Blue or is that just my wishful thinking running away with me

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Those are beautiful SSBs, Mike. Suddenly, I feel as though I've been transported back to the Alps!

[Goldie M]

I've not seen the SSB's for a couple of years now Mike, your shots or fantastic and make me sure to go and find them next year Goldie

[essexbuzzard]

Great report from the Pyrenees a couple of posts back. I’ve been there a couple of times, and your excellent images bring back happy memories of Gavarnie Blues, Purple-edged Coppers, Black-veined Whites and Apollo’s!

[Maximus]

Thanks, David, I’m more than happy to oblige.

Thanks, Goldie, I really hope that you get to see them next year.

Thanks, Mark, you’re lucky to have been to the the Pyrenees twice, as it’s a stunning part of the world with some lovely butterfly species. Glad my report brings back some fond memories for you. It’s interesting that you have seen Garvarnie Blues there too, our experience was that they took a bit of finding.





During my June visit to Dawneys Hill I was lucky enough to find four mating pairs of Silver-studded Blues. It's interesting to see quite a bit of variation between individuals here. While some have no silver studs at all, others have a full house!

This female had no silver studs.

whereas this female had almost a full set.

This female kept her wings open while in cop.

And something I've not seen before, this female in cop was certainly well tended by ants.

I also found this bee which had fallen victim to this female Heather crab spider, (Thomisus onustus). The females are able to change their body colour to match that of the flower they are using as an ambush point.

This shot shows how well she blends in with the Bell Heather.

The previous year I found a male Silver-studded Blue which had met the same fate.

[trevor]

Absolutely first rate images of the mating Silver Studded Blues, Mike.
I completely missed them this year.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant and interesting images Mike I'm not sure whats going on their with the female Silver-stud and Ant attendee - she looks a little too worn for them to still be tending to her? I've seen ants attacking Silver-studs before so was that what was happening here?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Great observations, Mike, tempered with a little apprehension over the crab spider.

[Maximus]

Thanks, Trevor, it's a long wait until next June

Thanks, Wurzel, you may well be right regarding the ants as the male didn't seem to be very settled

Thanks, David, I appreciate that spiders aren't everyone's cup of tea



Returning through France after our week in the Pyrenees we decided to stop for a couple of days in the Dordogne. We stayed near the town of Lalinde which is right on the Dordogne river.

Due to our late arrival the previous evening we were not out early the next morning. Not knowing exactly where to head for, we set off driving east along the lanes parallel to the river. Soon the road became steeper and after a bit of a climb we finally emerged onto a plateau high above the Dordogne river. We parked next to an old water tower as there seemed to be some good looking habitat nearby. It wasn’t long before we saw our first butterflies, Scarce Swallowtails, soaring around the hilltop. They’re so gracefull, just like paper darts gliding around, with hardly a wingbeat. We watched as several Common Swallowtails hove into view and the inevitable battle commenced. Two pairs locked together, spiralled high above us in combat before finally separating and swooping rapidly earthward. This is where I saw my chance of a photo as one of the Scarce Swallowtails swooped down and landed on a small shrub twenty metres down the hillside. Fortunately it was well settled and I managed to reach the spot without mishap and was rewarded with several shots.

High point above the Dordogne River.

Scarce Swallowtail.

The Common Swallowtails tended to land quite high up.

Common Swallowtail.

Near where we were parked was a small lane which we followed for a while. The heat was a searing 30 degrees plus, but we spotted a couple of Dryads, a new species for us. One of them took a liking to me and landed on my leg. I persuaded it to climb onto my finger where I got a shot, before relocating it onto a twig.

Dryad.

Dryad.

We also found this Woodland Grayling sitting on a tree trunk.

Woodland Grayling

And this amazing looking Cricket which I have not been able to ID.

Unknown Cricket.

Back at the car for a much needed drink, I noticed a grey-blue butterfly in the small roadside meadow. On closer inspection I found it to be a Large Blue and managed a couple of shots.

The roadside meadow

Large Blue.

There was also a Clouded Yellow which was stopping to nectar on clover flowers. My first thoughts were helice, but remembering where I was, realised that this was a female Berger's Clouded Yellow.

Berger's Clouded Yellow female.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant stuff Mike - I was starting to feel a little homesick but then I realised that wasn't correct, I was feeling 'holiday-sick' I didn't see any Large Blues during my trip to the Dordogne, nor a Berger's

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Oh, you're teasing me now with that glorious French scenery, Mike....even more so with your Dryad, which is a species that continues to elude me.

[ernie f]

Great Scarce Swallowtail and Woodland Grayling, Mike and I love that weird looking cricket.