millerd

[trevor]

HI Dave,

As your last post demonstrates, the ' June gap ' didn't really happen last year.
From memory it was one of the busier months.
I hadn't realised that you visited two Black Hairstreak sites in 2018.
At least we can see them without doing battle with the M25/M40 now.

A great review,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Lovely to look back at your Butterflies Dave, you've got a few in there I'd love to see again, maybe this year Goldie

[Andrew555]

Great review Dave, some real beauties in there.

[Neil Freeman]

...As your last post demonstrates, the ' June gap ' didn't really happen last year...Trevor.

Although around my local patch here in the middle of the country there was a definite lull before the summer species got going. I remember going out a couple of times in early June when there were more day flying moths than butterflies to be seen at my immediate local sites..

Another great review Dave with some lovely photos of a good selection of species

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Some really great memories there Dave, it's got me itching to get out there - if only the weather wasn't so pants and we were four months in the future Some really cracking female blues in the mix - especially the almost silver blue and I too saw some of the 'blue' Silver-studs for the first time this year - I wonder if the weather had a part to play in that?
The star of this report though has to be the Black Hairstreak - teasingly showing the open hind hing margin

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Some beautiful butterflies in that last sequence, Dave, but am I alone in being particularly appreciative of that mint-fresh Small Heath?

They seem to be becoming less commonplace by the year.

[millerd]

Thank you all for the appreciative comments. It really was a congested time of year, and continued to be so for a few weeks. It is interesting to see how the varied aspects appeal differently to different people.

MID-JUNE

As midsummer approached, the excellent weather continued with barely a hiccup over the next ten days. I set off for Somerset on 11th June, with Collard Hill and Large Blues the target. No disappointment here, other than the fact that it was far TOO sunny, and upperside views were very much at a premium.

A less good day on 12th saw only a local wander, but I did find a curious-looking Meadow Brown, which looked at first glance to have a "blind" eyespot.

The 13th was better, and the exciting news had now broken that there were Black Hairstreaks in Sussex. On arrival at Ditchling Common, it was like a UKB Convention, with lots of familiar faces and quite a few new ones too. Better still, the hairstreaks were most amenable, with good views of several individuals.

All in all a great day out at a site that also looked good for the summer trio of White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary and Purple Emperor to appear within a couple of weeks. None of these were seen, but I spotted my first Ringlet of the year. On the way home, I diverted slightly to call in on Box Hill at the end of the afternoon, hoping that the first Dark Green Fritillaries would be flying at my favourite time of day for them. I had timed it right, and half a dozen or so brand new butterflies were enjoying the late sunshine.

I half-expected there to be Marbled Whites too, but there weren't...yet.
On 14th, a change of scene: the shorter drive to Dawneys Hill and sandy heath with heather and gorse. Silver-studded Blues abounded, both males...

...and iridescent new females with rainbow hues overlaying the brown ground colour.

I also spotted a mating pair, nicely posed for a context shot.

All change again on 15th June, with one of my circular Surrey tours. I started down at Chiddingfold, to concentrate on White Admirals as a curtain raiser before the Emperor season which could not be far away. There were good numbers around, but all very active in the sunshine and mostly on the ground constantly a few metres ahead of me.

There were also new Ringlets and a number of Large Skippers.

The next stop was Denbies, where a few Marbled Whites and DGF were now flying alongside the remaining Adonis Blues.

It was windy at Denbies as it most often is, so I carried on to Box Hill again where there were more new Marbled Whites mixing with an increasing number of DGF.

16th June was quite cool and cloudy (a shock to the system) but I went down to Chobham Common anyway (and managed to miss Bugboy who was somewhere nearby I believe). A few SSB made an appearance, but little else.

It was warmer on 17th, but I stayed local: the first Ringlets on this patch were flying...

...but the highlight of the day were the first of the hutchinsoni Commas, a true sign of midsummer.

18th June dawned brilliantly sunny, and I was headed down to Somerset to stay with a friend in Taunton. Stopping at Collard Hill again was essential, and as luck would have it, the sunshine gave way to bright overcast about ten miles short of the Polden Hills. Conditions were as ideal as they could be for Large Blues, and they were opening up readily all over the hillside, both males and females. There were good numbers of new-looking butterflies too.

Brilliant - certainly my best day ever with the species. The following day, a trip to Haddon Hill on the fringes of Exmoor drew a blank on the Heath Fritillary front, probably because of the drizzle and cool wind blowing up there on the day: this day was probably my least successful butterfly trip of the year in fact. On 20th, I returned home again, but via the Dorset coast and Durlston Country Park. I found a handful of Lulworth Skippers in rather windy conditions, managing to hunker down in a bit of shelter down along the path above the cliffs.

Another hectic few days, with a new site for Black Hairstreaks (and for me), several new species for the year, and the best ever day for Large Blues. Towards the end of the month, the heat would build, and every day would be full of butterflies...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Another cracking read Dave and pretty envy inducing at the same time I have still to see a Black Hairstreak as I'm usually trapped at work when they're flying so definitely a few there. As you said the open wing Large Blues were definitely at a premium this year, in fact when I went a Large Blue sitting still for more than 3 seconds was at a premium so another helping of Throw the Marbs, Lulworths and Silver-studs into the mix and well...the wait for the season start is even more unbearable now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That’s a pretty comprehensive post, Dave. Plenty of interest to see, especially those beautiful Black Hairstreaks.

However, your Large Blue images stand out, particularly given how their flight period coincided with weather conditions more akin to those in southern Europe, which made open wing shots far trickier than usual.

[trevor]

That's probably your best retrospective report yet.
Especially well done with those Large Blues, and a for the open wing shots.
Like your first Collard visit, I tried in vain for an open wing shot in 2017, but did find
two mating pairs. I also missed the Dark Greens last year, so good to see yours.
Your report also backs up what I said earlier, that June was a very busy month.

Not too long now.
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Love the Butterflies Dave, Some in there I've yet to see Goldie

[millerd]

Thanks again, everyone. Those few days were outstanding, but overall I think the Large Blues edged to the top of my favourites.

LATE JUNE: part one

Into the end of June now, and for once the weather really matched the idea of midsummer, with long hours of sunshine and high temperatures every day. In fact, by the end of the month it was so warm at night in my neck of the woods that sleeping was quite a problem. However during the day, there was lots to see.

On 21st I started out at home, and was rewarded with a whole series of "firsts". The first Small and Essex Skippers were out - very unusual here to see them both debut on the same day - and so were the Gatekeepers. The pairing Essex Skippers by the T4 roundabout was another first for me.

This species seems, despite its close similarity, to have the edge on the Small Skipper in terms of cuteness.

Other new arrivals were all second broods: Small and Green-veined Whites, plus a welcome Small Tortoiseshell.

No fewer than 16 species were seen on my local patch today.

Later the same day (that sounds like a stage direction! ), I drove the handful of miles to Black Park near Pinewood Studios. I visit at this time every year, ever hopeful of seeing a Purple Emperor in the Strawberry Wood area, but there was no success this year either. However, White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries made up for it, though the latter was just a distant singleton (another first for the year).

Purple Hairstreaks were seen up in the many oak trees, but none deigned to come lower, and the many Ringlets proved surprisingly difficult to pin down in the strong sunshine.

22nd June - more perfect weather and the start of the pilgrimage down to Chiddingfold for a series of audiences with the Purple Emperor. More White Admirals greeted me, and after a couple of close shots on the ground, I met up once more with Trevor.

Before many minutes had elapsed, the first of at least half a dozen Emperors appeared, and we were able to get a few decent images from lots of angles.

Another look round my local patch later in the afternoon produced the first Purple Hairstreaks here for the year, a few more Small Tortoiseshells, and some more summer Commas (amongst a dozen species altogether).

On 23rd June, I headed east for a change - around the M25 to Leigh-on-Sea and the reliable and quite prolific colony of White-Letter Hairstreaks between the station and Hadleigh Country Park. In hazy but very warm and muggy conditions, they didn't disappoint to any degree...

a female - longer tails, though one has been neatly clipped by a bird

a head-on view

drinking honeydew or spilt nectar from the leaf surface

a male - shorter tails

another female

Elsewhere in the Park were numerous Essex Skippers, Marbled Whites, Ringlets, surprisingly fresh first brood Holly Blues, and a handful of other species.

24th was a purely stay-at-home day, but my local patch provided 16 species again (though not precisely the same ones as on 21st). Having thoroughly got my eye in for the species, I did manage to spot a first for the whole site - a brief encounter with a definite White-letter Hairstreak. There are several patches of hedgerow elm, some quite tall, but this is the first WLH I've been able to track down here. No photos, sadly. However, this tinge of disappointment was soon forgotten by dint of an encounter with a Small Heath that has to rank as a real highpoint of the year. I spotted a new-looking butterfly that was flicking its wings every time it settled. With some camera-fiddling and a large helping of luck, I ended up with some decent open wing shots of an almost pristine Small Heath. It's a real shame we generally don't get to see this - the wings are a glorious golden colour, and a meadow full of these would look stunning.

Amongst the other species flying were dozens of both Small and Essex Skippers, already peaking in numbers.

Small

Essex

Altogether, I counted over two hundred different butterflies on my local patch today.

For the next two days (25th and 26th June) I was down at Chiddingfold again, enjoying the company of Trevor and several other UKBers - including Pauline on 25th. There were many Emperors to see (though I missed Trevor's ab... ) but the heat did make them a bit tricky to photograph as they meandered through speckled sun and shade. They also noticeably stood on tiptoe when on the sun-hot newly-laid gravel of the paths, and I also found one wandering in the shade of the grassy verge - which I initially took to be a small animal from its movement.

I shall break here - this is such a concentrated period of activity that only six days has already taken up a lot of space. More shortly!

Dave

[Wurzel]

Only 6 days worth That must be one of the greatest things about being retired Cracking shots especially the Small Heath, they've teased me before but it looks like they finally put out for you Was there some whispering involved I wonder?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

A nice reminder of how fabulous late June was for butterflies in 2018, Dave.

Normally, I'd be concentrating on the White Letter Hairstreaks & Purple Emperors, but as I mentioned on another thread, those open wing shots of Small Heath have such rarity value that they take 1st prize by a distance!

[trevor]

I remember that hectic month well, Dave. Particularly the number of Purple Emperors
at Chiddingfold, normally three or four on the ground is good going. I also recall how
tricky they were in the heat, rarely opening up and skittish.
I have recently seen some images taken using burst shooting, particularly useful for
species that never open up when at rest. Your Small Heath proves that luck can sometimes
win over expensive, heavy DSLR's. Absolutely brilliant!.

Not too long now,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Cheers, all. Yes, the Small Heath does stand out, and there was no small amount of luck involved in achieving those shots!

LATE JUNE (part two) + EARLY JULY

On 26th June after Chiddingfold, I popped into Box Hill again, but it was really too hot to closely approach the DGF and Marbled Whites that were flying.

The following day I had another visit to Dawneys Hill where the first Graylings of the season were just starting. All males at this point, and as ever attracted to my jeans as soon as I stopped moving.

There were still good numbers of reasonably fresh Silver-studded Blues flying as well, a big contrast in size and behaviour to the larger species.

On both 28th and 29th June, it was the turn of Bookham Commons. I met up with Bugboy on both days, and we were treated to unusually large numbers of Purple Hairstreaks during the early part of both mornings. They were frequently to be seen down low, and at last I managed a halfway decent shot of an open-winged female.

Undersides were easier to come by.

There were also numbers of increasingly worn White Admirals and lovely fresh Silver-washed Fritillaries...

...but we struggled to see any Purple Emperors at all. New brood Brimstones and Holly Blues were now on the wing though.

Right at the halfway point of 2018, I set off on a long circuitous trip with the intention of adding a couple of new species to my all-time list. However, I had to include a stopoff on 30th with friends in Stamford which neatly allowed me to include a look at Bedford Purlieus, an area of woodland near Peterborough I hadn't visited for a number of years. There is one ride in particular here that is good for both variety and numbers, and on another hot and sunny day it didn't disappoint. An area where the grass had been rather trampled next to a stand of brambles underneath some elms cried out "White-letter Hairstreak!" and there they were.

However, at one point I realised that the rather ragged individual I had just singled out was actually a Black Hairstreak rather than a WLH.

As I had already seen Purple Hairstreaks in the trees, this became my first triple-Hairstreak day. It was also the third different site at which I had seen Black Hairstreaks this year, at pretty well the extremes of their distribution in the UK.

On 1st July, I headed northwestwards to the hotel I had booked in Lancaster, within easy reach of Arnside Knott. It was now very hot, and fires were breaking out on the northern moors with smoke blowing across the M61 as I drove along - the smell was quite noticeable in the car. I decided to make a late survey of the Knott after I had checked into the hotel, hoping that it might be cooler by this time. It wasn't: even up on the normally airy and cool slopes, the low sun was still scorching and the butterflies were still very active. That said, I did see my first ever Northern Brown Argus, though photos of this auspicious occasion were frustratingly impossible to achieve. However, there was some recompense in the form of a completely unexpected sighting - another White-letter Hairstreak.

I also spotted a mating pair of Graylings...

...and a nice fresh Small Tortoiseshell.

I resolved that I would be up early on 2nd, and try and at least start the day in relatively cool conditions. A forlorn hope: the temperature was well over 25 degrees even at around eight am, and the Knott was just as hot as the day before. This time I managed to go one better and actually achieve a shot of an NBA - though barely more than "one for the record".

A pity, as the butterflies (including this one) appeared in good condition. It became a three-fritillary day - worn Small Pearls were flying along with a handful of female DGF...

..but the stand-out moment was finding a reasonably fresh male High Brown Fritillary.

There were lots of butterflies overall, with 21 species seen over the two days I was at Arnside - an amazing place.

After Arnside, I headed over to York to stay with my sister for a couple of nights. The plan for 3rd July was to drive up onto the North York Moors and visit Fen Bog, noted for Large Heath amongst other species - another that I had not yet seen. It was blissfully cool up there, and the sun took a while to break through. However, when it did, I found more SPBF (fresher than those I had seen at Arnside)...

...and lots of fresh DGF (mostly males) before I even moved to the main event.

Down on the bog itself (which was unusually dry), I went on to find my first Large Heaths. Though anecdotally difficult to approach, I had some success with getting close and found them no more difficult than Wall Browns and only slightly more nervy than their their near relative the Small Heath.

Another very successful day at a particularly attractive location - at least when the sun is shining!

High Summer was here, with only a handful of species left to emerge; the weather stayed fine though and the days continued to provide interest and new things to see...

Dave

[Wurzel]

A fantastic selection of species there Dave - including three lifers for me Interesting to read about the Large Heaths not being as nervous as expected - that's one of the things that's put me off going for them - the possibility of failure after such a long journey Mind you what with being a gentleman of leisure you don't have that concern

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Impressive stuff, Dave. It can't be often when one is standing on Arnside Knott that late in the day in such sultry conditions!

I'm pleased you caught up with your target species. Certainly, you did well with your Large Heaths, and the habitat looks far more attractive than the sites where I have seen them (Whixhall Moss and Cors Caron).

[millerd]

Cheers Wurzel and David.

The Fen Bog day was a real highpoint of the year - a new site, a new species, and two other fritillaries as well! Not to mention sunny (but comfortable) weather and passing steam trains. What more could you ask. The only downside was this...

This was taken from some distance away and I was unable to enquire what was actually happening before the individual concerned left the site. I didn't mention this at the time: as we know there are legitimate reasons for using nets.

INTO JULY...

The next few days were spent with my friend in Holmfirth. I saw more butterflies here than I have ever done before, but nothing unusual. Ringlets were the most common, followed by Gatekeepers. The most interesting sighting was a bird on a wire - this Little Owl.

I returned south on 7th July, dropping briefly into Aston Rowant where the first Chalkhills were out. The heat and strong sunshine kept them largely tightly shut, but one half-obliged.

Back home, and 8th July was simply too hot to go out comfortably. In fact, staying in was uncomfortable too with temperatures not dipping much below 30 degrees at night inside. However, on 9th I set off round my local patch for the first time for ten days. The second broods of several species were well underway now, with high counts of Brown Argus, Common Blue and Holly Blue.

Gatekeepers were now at their peak, and several mating pairs were seen; there were also pairs of GVW.

One new Brimstone put in an appearance, and remarkably turned out to be the only one seen here all summer - the last of 2018.

However, they do hide in hot weather. Peacocks were feeding prior to their long hibernation as well.

It also appeared to be between Small Heath emergences as none were seen today at all. 15 species seen today, though and over 200 individual butterflies.

On 10th July I took in both Denbies and Box Hill. At Denbies, the Marbled Whites were already looking worn, but the male Chalkhills were now in full flow, with some lovely examples.

Female DGFs had now replaced the males and were regularly disturbed from egg-laying activity down in the grass: occasionally they diverted to nectar on the marjoram.

Also seen: Brown Argus, Common Blues and some fresh Small Coppers.

Box Hill proved more interesting. At Denbies I had spoken to a couple who had come across a WLH along the fence line at the bottom of the slope. I failed to find it, but shortly after arriving at Box Hill I walked down to the old fort en route to Burford Spur and there on a stand of brambles (hiding behind a Comma which I had accidentally disturbed to reveal it) was another White-letter Hairstreak.

There is a large elm near the NT members car park which Mr Sp0ck had assured me held a colony, but this was the first I had ever seen here. I then had a general look around the various slopes at Box Hill, finding more female DGF, a few Chalkhills and an assortment of other things, before returning to the brambles with the WLH.

I think there were at least three or four WLH there altogether, but I was then surprised by the arrival of a much larger butterfly... A White Admiral appeared out of the trees and set about nectaring, completely oblivious to my presence and allowing very close approaches. I believe it was a female.

Unfortunately, I could not persuade this otherwise amenable insect to sit next to any of the WLH for an unusual combination shot.

Once again the motto has to be: expect the unexpected. The following day was another trip to Aston Rowant which proved that point over again.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Is there someone you could pass that photo onto Dave so that they could reassure you that the net was being used for legitimate reasons?
Another great review it was certainly a busy time of the year this year what with a distinct June Gap missing from the calendar You did really well to get some of those shots - most of the butterflies I found at this time were either wings tightly shut to try and keep cool(Chalkhills) or they were bombing around like their back ends were on fire (WAs)!

Have a goodun

Wurzel