Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Andrew There's a few more still to come but as you'll see the butterflies generally will start to show signs of their age Apart from some of the French species, there are a few more stunners left in the tank there
Cheers Peter There was a lot going on in August as I was on holiday so I could get out and about like all the retirees/part timers on UKB hence there are are quite few posts to come

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

That's a good Meadow Brown shot Wurzel, I usually ended up chasing them through the grass this year Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I can never work out how best to capture Meadow Browns on film - either you end up chasing fresh and vigorous ones around early in their flight which is tiring and often you end up with only a handful of distant or blurred images OR you wait until the tail end of the season when they're less prone to fly but they're looking a bit torn and tired I probably end up doing both and taking as many shots as possible and cut away huge swathes of chaff from the wheat

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Great to read of your visit to Southbourne, it will be interesting to see
how it compares to Southwick. It is reputed that Cloudies can survive
our Winter at Southbourne, I have a hunch that this could also be true
of Southwick.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I only saw the one but I was there from 9 until 10:30 and the temperature had only just gotten to about 9 degrees and I'd only just regained the feeling in my thawing finger-tips I reckon an afternoon visit would be preferable

Laverstock 09-08-2018

These Tutor holiday classes are a great substitute for the Monday afternoon sessions. Especially when there are two in one day; but not today. During the morning it was cool and cloudy. Luckily it brightened up by the afternoon session and so I was away up the Down.

I headed straight up the old track and then worked my way along the other Bramble lined path reaching the foot of the Down. On the way there were Hedgies and Meadow Browns a few Blues, Brimstone and many Whites. As I reached the foot of the Down a female Adonis appeared and about half way up it was joined by a second brood Dingy. It was a delight to see because the leading edges of the wings appeared to glow a peachy copper colour when they caught the light. I carried on and walked across the Down heading towards the Gully trying for a few in flight shots of Small Heaths on the way.

Down in the Gully there were a multitude of the 5 species of blue flying; 3 Adonis, 4 Chalkhills, 3 Brown Argus, too many Common Blues to count and a single Small Copper. I had a busy old time following them around and trying to get them in a reasonably composed position. So much so that I almost ran out of time and had to do a bit of Fell Running (can you do that on Downland?) to be back in time to collect Little L.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel nice shots of the Dingy, that's another species I find hard to get shots of, this year my good lens packed in so I'd to use the smaller one and not being very versatile couldn't get as close has I wanted Nice shot of that Female Adonis too, I took a shot of what I thought was a Female Adonis at Temple Ewell, still not convinced it wasn't ( wishful thinking)!!! Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Hope you can get a lens sorted for ready for Dingies next season

Laverstock and on to Shipton… 10-08-018

I just bloody knew it! After days of insane temperatures with almost constant blue sky today was when it all changed and it was also the day when Philzoid and I had arranged to meet up for the annual pilgrimage to Shipton. As I walked down the path from the Tutor’s house and started across the field there was only a Hornet Hoverfly and a single Blue. I carried on diagonally across the Down making my way towards the Gully. I saw all the Blues and Browns that I’m now used to seeing here but it’s still really hard going being cloudy, blustery and cool. As I’m trying my luck on the slopes and generally making my way back I bump into the Tutor’s daughters and we head back together a different way. There’s lots of Blackthorn on this route and I’m left wondering if this could be a potential Brostreak site?

After this I rush back and out again to meet up with Philzoid and as we catch up and race over to Shipton the weather gets a bit worse…When we arrive we head straight out and check the main hedge. It feels like we need about 30 minutes of sun but if doesn’t look like we’re going to get it. Along the main hedge there are Meadow and Hedge Browns but not much else, not even a Holly Blue up high or a Common Blue down low. I make a quick check in on the girls and then we move on up the main track up the hill to the area I’d visited previously. As we carry on the weather improves somewhat drying up and the odd sunny patch with it’s accompanying spike in temperature.

Walking our way through the clearings we find little groups of Specklies but never the individuals I’m used to seeing but generally 4 or 5 packed on one bush or Bramble. There were loads of Meadow Browns, most looking very small, almost Hedge Brown in size and only a few of the latter species. This was quite good as they’re very capable of flying by, catching your eye and allowing you to mistake them for a Brostreak; they’re the original False Hairstreak! In the more open clearings and on the exposed side of the hedge there were plenty of Blues with Small Heath and Brown Argus intermingled. But despite plenty of hedge gazing, neck crunching and intense scrutiny not one single Brostreak revealed itself. I thought that we were going to have a Bugboy and our spirits dampened even more and also quite literally as the heavens opened after a particularly prolonged sunny and warm period when we were just 25 m away from the main Hedge! The sky fell on our heads!

Wr ran and dove back into the car and sat it out steaming ever so slightly. Due to where we were parked and the wind direction I could check the mirror and see what weather was heading our way. There looked to be a break and a slither of blue sky so out we tumbled and were ready and waiting at the hedge when the cloud cracked. But the blue sky came and went before the butterflies had a chance to come out and as a heavier, more persistent rain set in we once again took refuge in the car.

We still had time, approximately another 3 hours in the Golden Zone and so we made to sit out the rain and had lunch. It gave Philzoid a chance to show off his holiday snaps; possible Moorland Cloudy , Large Wall , Mazarine Blue – I couldn’t wait to get out of the car Once lunch was done and we chatted about this and that I checked the mirror again and I could see a bigger, lighter patch on the horizon and heading our way. We were out and waiting at the hedge when it hit. This time the girls accompanied us so we had an extra 4 eyes for scanning. We started at the spot which has been so good this year and a Painted Lady dropped in. As it flew off we started seeing more activity on the Brambles with Meadow Browns and Holly Blues seemingly coming out of the woodwork. Then, as if just popping spontaneously into existence, there was a male Brostreak. Having found it we have to watch as it flies off! A Sliver-washed bundles into view trying to distract us and the Brostreak has gone.

We carry along the hedge a short way and manage to relocate it. It seems to like one patch in particular, returning when hassled by a Meadow Brown, he just does a slow circle round an adjacent bush and then plops back down two branches away from where it started. He outs on a little show for us; taking moisture from the leaves left by the showers and generally bimbling about amongst the blackberries. He even opens up for a bit basking, or at least attempting to bask, in what little sun is showing.

We carry on to the end of the Hedge which always looks promising for females with the thorn whippings and various things turn up; Holly Blues, Common Blues etc. but no more Brostreaks. On our return the male is still in the same place so after a little re-acquainting we leave him in peace and call it a day. None too soon as the cloud layers up and the temperature starts to drop. As the rain starts again we’re already driving down the track homewards. Everyone’s happy, Philzoid and I got the Brostreak and the girls got lunchboxes filled to brimming with Blackberries!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Philzoid]

Great report Wurzel and that male Brostreak behaviour summed up perfectly ... I got some great shots of him
Despite all the cloud watching Shipton was just the tonic to beat the after holiday blues .

Talking of blues I dropped into Stockbridge Down on the way home and picked up some Chalkhills The site was 'obliterated' by grazing but I managed to find a little sheltered pocket up the hill where they were hanging out along with a few Common Blues too .

Phil

[bugboy]

Oooh I'm an adjective now, should I be flattered

[Wurzel]

Cheers Philzoid For me it was the opposite - as I was soon heading off to the Dordogne You do wonder sometimes about which species they're trying to encourage when they introduce a specific grazing regime
Cheers Bugboy This was written back when you the Brostreaks weren't playing ball for you But it all came good soon enough

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Interesting report from Shipton again - I didn't make it down there again this year, and missed male Brown Hairstreaks as a consequence. There is obviously more to see as well, even if the weather is a bit iffy.

Cheers,

Dave

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Wurzel
Just catching up with your diary. I have been out of touch for a few weeks so only just seen your post from Shipton Bellinger 26th July . What a memorable day that was. I think your shots turned out much better than mine . I will get round to posting mine at some point, at the moment it looks like I am further behind with my diary than you for a change.
Plenty of other highlights as always .

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, sadly last Tuesday I lost my Husband to an illness he had for quite some time but always he wanted to be out in the Sun with me looking for the Butterflies. Your posts brought back some of those days, THANKS! Goldie.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave What Shipton lack in numbers it makes up for in spectacle, it's a very good site for males coming own low
Cheers Paul I look forward to your post so that I can compare, it's always interesting to see shots from the same time but from a different angle
Goldie I'm glad my posts may have helped in some small way...

Laverstock 23-08-2018

This was going to be a weird one – the first trip out after holiday outings generally are. You’re walking along in habitat you’ve become unaccustomed to, feeling cooler than you’ve become used to and looking for species that you’ve gotten used to seeing which aren’t actually there. So it was this time and as I set out to walk Laverstock there was a strong breeze whipping along the path, the sky wasn’t entirely blue and there wasn’t a Fritillary in sight!
A Specklie waited for me on the corner but looked cold in its chocolate and cream livery rather than the more Marmalade appearance of the continental form. Then I had to wait until I was across the field and way up the down before I saw my next butterfly, a brace of male Adonis which took off from my footfall.

As I carried on round the butterflies started coming. There were still Meadow Browns hanging about, some looking fresh, reasonable numbers of common Blue and slightly more Adonis. The most numerous butterfly by far was the Small Heath which was great news after worrying about their decline over the last few years. Almost at the Gully I was able to add a zipping Brown Argus as well as Chalkhill to the daily tally.

After this I looked in on the thistle area but whilst I could come up with a faded Common Blue I couldn’t relocate any DIngies. I carried on zig-zagging across this lower side of the Gully not following any particular search pattern but all the little cut through had grown over so the area has now become a Labyrinth. Saying that it did hold a couple of Specklies and the odd Blue as well the ubiquitous Small Heath.

As I carried on round to the Gully proper the number of Adonis started to pick up and then I found what I was looking for. A Sapphire gleaming amid the grasses; a fresh male Adonis basking with wings open wide and settled in a rabbit scraping; its own personal sun deck. It was nice seeing such a vibrant looking butterfly and the colour was really brought out by the contrast with the chalky background.

After this the autumnal chill got to me and so I made my way back to try and warm up. I’m not used to this 20 degree cold anymore WINK. I stopped here and there on the way but didn’t lift my camera again until a found a pair of Meadow Browns enjoying a bit of ‘how’s yer father?’

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Art Frames]

You have put very well that 'hollow' feeling after the holiday. In many ways that makes me wonder about the whole holiday thing. Whether it is really sensible to travel to wonderful, sunny and bright butterfly sanctuaries with dozens of different and exciting new species, staggering numbers - sometimes of species we consider to be exotic or rare ....only to return after a fortnight to a damp, depressing sameness.

But each year I quickly realise that the sunlit uplands only look like that as a consequence of the dark foothills we live in. But a fortnight isn't enough - so I may try two trips in 2019 to check out the theory.

And having had a sneaky peak at your website and some of your French pictures to come I am looking forward to going to virtual France again soon.

[trevor]

You must take a full 10 points for that Southern White Admiral underside
shot in your blog, anyone would have a job to better that !.
I can say I've seen one, and it was very close by in a roadside tree, obscured by a leaf.
Unfortunately, there was a sheer drop between tree and road !.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Peter I'm still plugging away with writing it up and sorting photos but work keeps getting in the way Two holidays in a year sounds like a plan - even better would be to travel for about five weeks across Europe stopping here and there and wherever looks good Unfortunately I haven't been able to sell that idea to my wife...yet
Cheers Trevor That find was one of my favourites of the trip and it was much better behaved than it's northern cousin

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Five weeks travelling across Europe stopping wherever it looks good, sounds positively idyllic, Wurzel I don't think I'd have to do much selling to my wife

Mike

[Art Frames]

Two holidays in a year sounds like a plan - even better would be to travel for about five weeks across Europe stopping here and there and wherever looks good

I agree with Mike's comment . Thank you, that's a great idea and I will start the discussions going. Unfortunately, it won't be until we both retire but it sounds good.

Don't worry about the time it takes to work on your story. It will be a pleasure to come, whenever you get some free time. I think one of the problems for me with self publishing on the internet, together with so many people looking on mobile devices which present everything in a linear fashion, that everything gets focussed on updates and the last thing that was uploaded. The systems all perpetuate that.

That puts too much pressure on making 'new' stuff when to be honest I could happily look at the existing material (just like books). It would still give me great pleasure. Unfortunately you have to work in the way that the system didn't intend.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike Unfortunately I'd have the girls with me and with it an endless barrage of "are we nearly there yet?" or "I'm bored" This is why I can't sell it too my wife
Cheers Peter It's my retirement plan too, that is if I make it - by the time I get to retire they'll have probably raised the age to 79 Hopefully have the next French post for Friday...as for now here's a Blue Peter job

Shipton Bellinger – The Final Visit 25-08-2018

For my last trip to Shipton for the year I was hoping for a last ‘Hurrah’! However things didn’t start well, things didn’t really go to plan. The BBC weather people reckoned that the sun would shine uninterrupted right up until about 2pm before it would cloud over. However as I left the house there was no sign of the sun and there was a reasonable breeze. Then when I arrived I found the dog sled meet was in full swing, I thought that they had already been and gone but no there were the tape barricades and caravans drawn right up against the hedge. Muttering various curses and hexes under my breath I gave the Hotspot Hedge a miss and made my way up the hill towards the various little clearings as I hoped that I might escape the whining and barking and howling. On the way a Comma momentarily distracted me from my inner moaning. Something about it struck me as odd and then I realised what it was; it was it had little silver-grey ‘studs’ along the margins of the wings.

I carried on up the hill and upon reaching the first of the little clearings I settled down to wait for the sun to break through the cloud. A couple of coffees later and I realised that the sun had been a long time coming. When it finally did break through it didn’t hang around long and so I moved from one clearing onto the next and repeated the procedure (minus coffee). Each time the sun came out a little more quickly and lasted a little longer but despite this it never really got strong enough to encourage any Brostreaks to come out from their hidey-holes. To keep me company there were Specklies a plenty some looking really fresh as well a smattering of other various representatives of the Browns, a few blues and a lovely looking Brown Argus.

From here I moved on to check out the old hedges and after a bit of a walk I bump into two other enthusiasts and we chat and bemoan the Dog Sled meet before I carry on my way eyes peeled over the full range from the trees tops to down on the deck. It’s still cloudy at times and I manage to walk the entire length of the double hedge seeing only three butterflies. On the return journey there are Specklies everywhere making it appear as if there had been a mass emergence though they showed all stages of wear and tear.

On my journey back I’m stopped by a couple of locals out walking with their families. Seeing me staring into the bushes they ask me what I’m looking for and so I say ‘Brown Hairstreak butterflies’. Normally people only really hear the butterfly part but round Shipton word has spread about the Brown Hairstreak and so I’m quizzed about all kind of aspects of the Brostreaks lifecycle. They wish me luck in the quest and I start on my way back to the Hotspot Hedge. As I’m almost there, having avoided several sets of Huskies on route along with the stares from various owners I spy the same pair of enthusiasts from earlier. They’re standing looking up into a small tree and as I stroll up and ask “Any joy?” I’m already pretty sure that I’ll get an affirmative. So is the case and there at the top of the sapling is a female Brostreak (one of two that the others have seen) staring down at us. I stretched my arms out to try for a shot and was happy with what I got even if she wasn’t exactly pristine.

After this we spend the next 15 minutes or so chatting in between getting photos of various female Brostreaks that seem to have suddenly appeared. At one point we three were all photographing different individuals only a metre or so away from each other. This little triangle has proved good for Brstreaks before and seemed to be so popular as there were still a good selection of nectar sources around as well as lots of the Blackthorn whippings that the females like to lay on. Occasionally one of the Brostreaks we were photographing individually or en masse would take off, flutter round in a few circles and would then land somewhere else. It was hard work following them with their zippy, jinking flight and I got the impression that they knew when we were watching them as their flight became even more erratic. Sometimes they would disappear from view but then another would appear and off we would go again.

One of the gents (I need to take a note book specifically for names as I’m so useless at remembering them) headed for home but we, the remaining two, carried on. The Hotspot Hedge was calling me and so we both braved the braying Huskies and evil glares and stepped over the barricades so that we could examine the Hedge. Well when I say barricades I really mean the thin strip of red and white tape hat was strung at less than knee height between a few sticks…Our audacity paid off almost immediately as there was a female sitting nicely on a Bramble leaf. She moved about a far bit and was very restless but we didn’t mind as it gave us the opportunity to get a greater range of shots. These culminated with the reason for her fidgeting, she was looking for an appropriate place to lay. Job done she came back out into the sun and had a little tidy up of her antennae before flying up high and out of sight.

Looking near to where I’d seen my first Brostreak of the season I spotted another female (smaller chunks taken from her hind wing) and this one was eventually more inclined to bask opening up her forewings and trying to orientate her to capture the maximum amount of sun. I love the contrast between the chocolate ground colour and the bright orange markings.

So it seems that the luck wished to me earlier in my visit came to fruition and I said my goodbyes and headed back homewards happy that what had started as going wrong had eventually turned out nice again.

Have a goodun

Wurzel