ernie f

[David M]

...David - By the time I write this you have probably already seen your first Dingy this year.

Not so, ernie, and it might be a few days yet given the weather forecast.

In the meantime, I'll just have to visit your PD to get my fix.

[ernie f]

David - The weather has taken a downturn here too - so no more Dingies for me either - at least for a week.

Wurzel - Nice to hear you got Small Heaths up on Sidbury Hill. Also, did you know this bit of interesting info about Sidbury Hill? It is the highest hill on the horizon from Stonehenge and the solstice line through the centre of Stonehenge passes right across the top of Sidbury Hill! Plus - re Metal. I went from Purple and Sabbath when I was a kid straight to Dream Theater and Tool as an ageing adult, missing the late 70's and all the 80's altogther. Did I miss something?

[Wurzel]

"re Metal. I went from Purple and Sabbath when I was a kid straight to Dream Theater and Tool as an ageing adult, missing the late 70's and all the 80's altogther. Did I miss something? " Only one or two bands Ernie If you get a chance try and listen to Freelance Fiend by Leafhound, make sure that it's turned up to 11 when you do, it's not exactly heavy but the guitar sound tears the air to shreds

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Thanks, Wurzel - I'll check 'em out.

[ernie f]

25th April 2019, Kingsley, 12noon - 1pm, 80 percent cloud cover, keen breeze, 14 degrees in sun, 13 in shade

I was not sure if I would find much under these conditions but I got five species. OTip, H Blue, Sp Wd, Peacock and Greenstreak. None flew for long because the breeze and shade kept them down, but when the sun came out they all had a go. The Peacock for example kept trying to find sheltered spots - on one occasion settling in a small hole in the ground. I stood right beside a roosting male OTip without at first knowing it while I was looking for the Greenstreak that had just zipped past. When I had finished with the Greenstreak I looked round and found the OTip on a Bluebell. While the cloud was overhead it held its wings closed but as the sun fleetingly made an appearance it slowly opened its wings. I grabbed a shot before it flew off.

[Goldie M]

Orange Tips always look great on Blue Bells ernie, lovely shot, Goldie

[ernie f]

I agree, Goldie. The very essence of spring.

[ernie f]

26th April 2019, Noar Hill, 12.30 - 1.30 pm, 80% cloud, keen breeze, 15 degree in sun, 14 in shade

Like yesterday, given the conditions I was lucky to see 5 species. This time Brim, OTip, Peacock, L White and Duke.

But today the flowers were the thing. Firstly the Early Purple orchids are out. Then in the valley between Noar Hill and Empshott Green, the Garlic Ramsons were almost at peak.

Then along the open section of the bridlepath inside the Noar Hill reserve, a flower I have only ever seen once in my life before, the False Oxlip. This is a natural hybrid of the Cowslip and Primrose.

[Wurzel]

Interesting to read about the False Oxlip. I seem to recall seeing something similar mentioned in a GCSE Biology question based on Genetics which mentioned that the hydrid showed polyploidy (a doubling of chromosomes) is that the case with this hybrid do you know? I tried googling it and read some very interesting abstracts/scanned some papers but they didn't actually answer this question? Still it was an interesting 30 minutes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[kevling]

Ernie, Great photo of the Orange Tip on bluebell. This is the one shot I haven't managed yet (they seem made for each other)

Kind Regards
Kev

[Allan.W.]

Hello Ernie ,
Just seen your False Oxlips ,we found two clumps at our local Duke site, in mid-Kent (no Dukes as yet !) amongst a mass of Primroses ,we generally find them at this site in most years ,also curiously one single red flowered primrose ,obviously with some garden escape influence ,
I posted a shot of the Oxlips (false ) in April sightings .
Regards Allan.W.

[David M]

That wild garlic image is intoxicating, ernie. Fortunately, we've plenty around here and I love the gentle aroma it gives off as you walk beside it.

[ernie f]

Kev - I was lucky with the OTip shot but I was able to do the same last year at this location too. Its a sheltered spot in a churchyard given over to the wildlife and it seems to be working wonders.

Wurzel - I have no clue at all regarding polyploidy of false oxlips. In fact until you told me about the possibility I had never heard of it. Its staggering how much I don't know about stuff!

Allan - I looked up hybridisation of this family of plants and it appears there are all sorts of rare crosses occurring naturally in the wild. I default them all to False Oxlip as its easier but in fact they may not all be. For example - I saw this example below a few years ago in Chappett's Copse, a woodland near me known for its rare plants.

The one I saw yesterday was in open grassland surrounded by Cowslips. This one was in woodland surrounded by Primroses. They are clearly different in look and habitat. I am sure an expert (not me) would be able to tell which hybrids they actually were.

[ernie f]

David - I actually have a fair size patch of Ramsons growing in the woodland right next to my house and the "gentle aroma" as you put it so well, likes to waft through the open windows of our house when it gets a chance!

[David M]

David - I actually have a fair size patch of Ramsons growing in the woodland right next to my house and the "gentle aroma" as you put it so well, likes to waft through the open windows of our house when it gets a chance!

It's one of my favourite spring aromas, ernie, and you're lucky to have it so close to your windows!

[ernie f]

28th April 2019, Royal Wood,1.30-2.30 pm, Overcast, 13 degrees

Gloria was doing a garden centre trip so I dropped her off and spent a while at this common - part woodland, part scrub, part heath. Not a lot was happening but I did see a bunch of day-flying micro-moths buzzing around a few gorse bushes.

I am usually hopeless at identifying micro-moths but got lucky scouring a moth website. I found this species was called Grapholita internana, and these were males.

[ernie f]

29th April 2019, Noar Hill, 10.30-12 noon, 50 percent cloud, 14 degrees

Mother Shipton, Cinnabar, Adela Reaumurella (another group)
> 10 Dukes, 2 Dingies, >10 OTip, 2 Small Tort, 1 Brim, 3 H Blue, 1 Sp Wd, poss 1 Small White but it just would not stop for positive ID (or pic).

Where shall we three meet again?
On Noar Hill, at half-past ten!

I did a quick google of this moth and it suggests the eggs are laid in the flowers of its host plant, usually low down - but this one appears to be in an egg-laying pose high up. Problem is - I can't even tell if its a female, let alone whether it is really egg-laying or not. See what you think.

[ernie f]

Same day, Kingsley Old Church, 3.45-4.45 pm, 80% cloud, 15 degrees

Two H Blue, 1 Greenstreak and 1 Comma were all on the same Lilac at the same time, even though they all moved onto other things like Yews and Bluebells and even a Gatepost, etc at certain times. Also Sp Wd, OTip.

And what has happened to the scales of this Holly Blue?

[David M]

You're doing pretty well to see these butterflies in the weather conditions you describe, ernie. Like you, I'm puzzled by the 'speckled' appearance of your final Holly Blue. I presume it must have come into contact with some liquid that had later dried.

[ernie f]

David - That's an interesting idea re the Holly Blue scales. Adjacent to this churchyard (but obscured by the lilac and other shrubs) there is a sand and gravel extraction works. I wonder if they have any processes that involve liquids that may have affected this butterfly? I guess we shall never know for sure.