Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

... Red Admirals have been a bit sparse this year for me to, I've only seen 4 all year...

I have still never seen a Red Admiral around my patch before June, although there does seem to be a few more early sightings around the midlands over the past couple of years.

...That's a splendid Small Tortoiseshell, Wurzel. Not only is it really fresh with the blue marginal spots really striking, but the two black forewing spots are very small indeed - nearly ab. ichnusoides (I think it's called)...Dave

Agreed, that's a nice individual. I saw one with these small spots totally missing a couple of years back. I noticed at the time there was something different about it but didn't realise what until it was pointed out on here

Cheers,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Lovely Butterflies Wurzel, hope fully this week-end I might see some thing if the family get me out and about Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave To be honest I hadn't noticed the fact that those spots were so I was so dazzled by the blue borders contrasting with the swarthy appearence

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil Yep I only see one or two Red Admirals at the start of the season - they're more of a summer/Autumn butterfly for me I too hadn't noticed the very small spots too close to the image I suppose fresh sets of eyes often see further

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Fingers and toes crossed that you get out and about this week, if you do I'm sure that you'll get something - just choose lots of Grizzle friendly sites to visit

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Middle Street 07-04-2019

I don’t know why I did but I checked the weather on the BBC App and it told me that in Salisbury we were due sunny intervals ending at 11am and then it would be cloudy for the rest of the day. So itching to get out and make the most of the holiday I headed over to Middle Street. On arrival it was still cloudy, even more so than when I’d set off hmmmm. Over the next hour I experienced the trifacto of perfect butterfly weather but unfortunately only ever having 2 out of three which in this case wasn’t better than none. If the sun poked out of the cloud then the temperature was still too low and the breeze stiffened and picked up. Should the temperature start to rise the wind would maintain and the sun was swallowed by cloud etc. It was almost but never quite right. I carried on walking round becoming less hopeful of it ‘turning out nice’ particularly as the magic 11am approached when the cloud was due to settle in for the rest of the day.

My wanderings had taken along each and every path and right round the reserve at least twice. Each and every smattering of white among the foliage was nothing but leaves, fallen catkins or bird droppings and so in the end I decided to sit tight at the hotspot and enjoy a Mr Tom. I reasoned that this was where I saw my first OTs the previous weekend and so I might find them here should the 2 or the three weather conditions align themselves in my favour as it was on their ‘patrol’ route. After about 10 minutes, Mr Tom (other nut based snacks are available – but aren’t anywhere near as good) well and truly masticated the wind dropped, the sun came out and the temperature noticeably increased. Right on cue a small thing fluttered about in a less than feather like fashion. My pulse quickened and I followed it with my eyes willing it and whispering at it to go down. And down in did. I used the tried and tested ‘click, step’ routine and then it was there filling the viewfinder a cracking male OT all glowing orangey gorgeousness! An hour worth of work for 20 seconds of reward but it was definitely worth it; the orange emblazoned on my retina.

He fluttered about after this and settled again this time in the hotspot so I got an extra 15 seconds with him before he was off again to do some proper patrolling. As I headed back home it was like a switch had been flicked – there was my first Large White in a neighbouring garden, a Small Tort to wave me goodbye and a Specklie that crossed the road with me.

Later, as the sunny and warm weather had held we took our ‘Christmas walk’ and I saw 2 Peacocks a Brimstone and Small White as Harnham Bridge and another OT and Peacock in the shadow of the Cathedral. So the morale of this tale is threefold; never give up, relish what you get and finally don’t believe the BBC Weather App!

I hope weather gets better soon…it doesn’t look like it though.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Great to hear that the first Marshie has been seen, and Tilshead should be performing by now.
I hope to be arriving in Wilts on the 26th. The place should be buzzing by then.

Keep up the good work,
Trevor.

[NickMorgan]

It is interesting to catch up on your summary of how each species did last year. I get the impression that 2018 wasn't that much better than 2017 for you. Here, we had a dreadful 2016 and 2017 with hardly a day of sunshine for two years. Last year the novelty of a blue sky didn't wear off and thankfully it allowed butterfly numbers to pick back up. Now I am hoping these cold north easterly winds would stop so that we can build on last year!
I also note that you have seven more species than we have. I would love Gatekeepers, Marbled Whites and Brimstones to make their way up here.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I told a mate on Insta about the Marshie and he saw his first at Bentley Wood on the same day a few hours after mine so they're definitely on the way though I expect the cooler.wetter weather we're due over the next few days might knock them back a bit
Cheers Nick I'm hoping that 2019 will be a good season after the favourable summer of 2018, it certainly looks like it could be judging by recent sightings, fingers crossed it continues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, lovely shots of the OT's especially the one on the Blue bell Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I was chuffed with that one as if was taken at quite a distance. It was in The Close (the poshest bit of Salisbury) so I couldn't walk up the path and pretend that I was going to call on the property owner in order to get any closer not that I've ever done that of course

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

The magic date for Marshies seems to be 20th May.
So hopefully there will be plenty around by the 26th ( weather permitting! ).

TO THE HILLS, YOUNG MAN!.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor IF...and that is quite a big IF judging by the Met BBC Weather forecasters recent level of accuracy...we get the spell of good weather then they might even be in good numbers by next weekend What with them turning up in Bentley now I'm torn between to the Hills or to the Wood - a nice dilemma to have

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Five Rivers 08-04-2019

After the inaccurate weather forecasts of the last couple of days today I gave up checking and instead looked out of the window. After lunch I noticed that it had brightened up considerably and there were even a few tiny blue patches between the cloud cover. So I went for it and headed to Five Rivers to see how things were progressing.

As I strolled along the first stretch of path that winds alongside the river I spied an OT bombing towards me. I watched it fly round and then it cut across the path and veered upwards through the trees. A few moments later it reappeared back where I’d initially seen it as it had doubled back along the river. Again it patrolled around the small glade I was in and the best I could managed were a few distant in flight shots. On the fourth such patrol the sun slipped momentarily behind the cloud and the butterfly went down enabling me to make a quick stalk up to it and get a few shots.
Chuffed I made for the Banks and soon was on the familiar path past Comma Corner. As I carried on along the path I reached the part where it narrows between the bushes and trees that line the half way line of the Bank and where a small stand of trees grow at right angles to the main ‘hedge’. It was a good job that I was slowed by this as when I stared ahead I could make out a Specklie, slightly further on the silhouette of a Peacock and slightly further on than that a Comma. I didn’t know which to go for first so Specklie it was as it was closest. I don’t know whether over the last season I forgot but at the moment the Specklies seem very twitchy and take to the wing even if you breathe a little too heavily and so it was here. Not only did it go up but then it spied the Peacock and so started on the butterfly that was almost twice the size of it! Oh well at least I was left with the Comma. As I made to move towards it the Peacock landed again and so I helped myself to a few shots of this prior to my meeting with the Comma.

This sudden surplus of butterflies happened again as I reached the bench. An OT flew towards me, a Brimstone approached from behind, a Peacock was seemingly waiting for me at the bench and a Holly Blue fluttered by up high trying to distract me. Again I didn’t know what to do and where to turn the lens first. As I ran through the list of options it felt a bit like the part of Terminator where you see things from its point of view; a bullet point list of the butterflies ran down before my eyes and I crossed off each option. In the end it didn’t matter as during my decision making process all four butterflies had disappeared from view luckily they were replaced by a Small White which landed quite close.

After this I carried on round towards the other side of the reserve to complete the loop and things got back to normal with individual butterflies popping up now and again rather than confusing groups all arriving at once. First there was a Peacock and one with slight wing damage so I know it was different one, along the back another Brimstone and OT before getting onto several Small Torts. All along the bank one would occasionally pop up, land nearby and pose just long enough for me to see that “yep you are a different individual”. As I was enjoying Tort-fest I had another one of those “all the butterflies at once” moments. A passing OT put up a mobbing Specklie which set off a Comma. The Specklie then turned his aggressive attentions to the Comma while the OT bumbled away but the battling brown jobs put up a Small White which proceeded to lead me on a bit of a merry dance as it constantly looked like it was just about to settle but never did. Worn out from all this activity I made my way across the site coming down the little path next to the bench before setting out back along the Bank.

On my return along the Bank the original Comma was still in the same place resting up, a Brimstone and OT did a fly-by in opposite directions again but the Specklie had doubled and the two of them were constantly antagonising each other. In between staring up into the canopy whilst waiting for the Specklie to decide to come down I caught up with a third Comma and the/another Small White. I gave up on the Specklies as again they were far too twitchy and much more interested in smashing the living be-jesus out of anything else which flew anywhere near their vicinity.
The final butterflies of the day were an OT back where I’d seen the first at the start of my outing and a slightly lost looking Small Tort that was having an entire bed of nettles to itself from the look of things. Chuffed but exhausted I made for home. What a spectacular but breathless hour out.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

The Devenish 10-04-2019

I sat and watched out of the window most of the morning hoping for the cloud to break and finally it started showing signs that the sun was trying to burn through the cloud so after lunch when the sun had finally broken through and the temperatures had risen I set off to The Devenish to see what the state f play was over there. To get there I went the back way mainly so that I could sweep down the zig zag bends but also so that I could stop in at my old Orange-tip site.

It was a bit of a disappointment to be honest as the swathes of Cuckoo Flower were no longer present instead there were one or two sparse patches and the odd individual flower and nothing like the former glory that was here in the past. I don’t know if there are enough flowers to hold the attention of a wandering female OT so I’ll have to make a pint to try and stop in at t’Vera next week. As I was wondering back to the car disconsolately a Peacock flew along one of the smaller water courses before settling just within view. It held it’s forewings in such a way as to appear ‘blind’ which had me going for a bit but when it shifted slightly I could see that it wasn’t optically challenged.

I carried on my way through the Woodfords without seeing a single butterfly which is strange as I’m used to catching glimpses of white, yellow and orange as I flow past the hedges – perhaps things are still getting going as it has been a little start-stop so far this year?

At The Devenish I made my way through the small woodland path rather than hopping over the gates and cutting through the paddocks but when I got there the Orchid Meadow was still being grazed and there were only the occasional Coltsfoot flowers offering nectar. Unsurprisingly I didn’t see anything here and so I moved up onto the Down. About half way up a small cloud covered the just as I was watching two dark butterflies flying towards me. They both went down and then really close to me so I was able to get some shots. They were both Peacocks and the larger one which I’m guessing was a female stayed still with its/her wings tightly closed. Whilst this was happening the smaller one took up position directly behind the other and I could see its wings trembling and shaking. It repeatedly flashed its wings open quivering all the while. I don’t know whether the sudden drop in the temperature as the sun was swallowed by cloud had grounded them and the quivering was an attempt to raise/maintain their core temperatures or possibly more likely this was courtship behaviour. As the larger one wasn’t wing quivering and as they stayed in the same place for a good 5 minutes once the sun came back out again I’m tempted to plump for the later explanation. Unfortunately if it was courtship it was a failed one and the larger one took off first leaving the smaller trailing after it pleadingly.

I carried on and reached the far side of the reserve where I was hoping to catch a few Specklies though this didn’t happen and instead I nearly had a heart attack when a male Pheasant erupted from in front of me! It was swiftly followed, with only slightly less shock factor by a female and then with no shock value but 10 out of 10 for frustration was a grounded Holly Blue. After this I checked out various other parts but only managed to add one or possibly two OTs and another Peacock to the tally. So I headed home a little disappointed and hoping that that grazing won’t have had too much of a detrimental impact on the Meadow.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

A nice sequence with those Peacocks, Wurzel, and I also like the Orange Tip on the daisy. I suppose that since they started early this year, we won't have many more weeks of them - best make the most of them!

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

I'll second Dave's post above, so nearly a mating pair as well.
I note that a well known gentleman from your area has posted images of Marshies,
from where exactly, he doesn't say. At this rate they'll be worn by the time I get over there.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I'm trying to make the most of the OTs but they don't make it easy do they
Cheers Trevor I saw my first one at Martin Down last week on the same day as the first one was officially recorded in Wiltshire ( mine was at 10:30 am so might actually have been the first ). Each year the first Marshies in the area come form Battlesbury Hill which is further East and then the Marshies emerge subsequently westwards along the vale. So far the most I've seen recorded is 6 with none from The Hill so there should be plenty out there by next weekend and they should carry on emerging over the next 2-3 weeks. I've visited on the second week of June before and there were still some in good nick and none too greasy so you should be fine for some Marshies I could always hold a couple back for you

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Middle Street - The Day of Doubles 11-04-2019

Typical the day when the weather app showed full sun was the day I’d booked for my wife and I to have a Spa session. Double typical it was the first time in oh I can’t remember, when it actually got the forecast reasonably correct (it was actually warmer than predicted)! Still I had about an hour free after lunch before we needed to set off for the Spa so I grabbed my camera and made towards Middle Street. I called in at one of the little roads at Fisherton Island first, well tried to. It’s been a few years since I’ve wandered down the little dead end road and in the meantime they’ve put up a white painted fence bedecked in large “PRIVATE” signs. So I stood on the legal side of the road and watched as a Holly Blue busied itself on the other side of the river.

I carried on actually on my way to Middle Street across the Town Path but despite there being one or two stands of Cuckoo Flower in the surrounding fields and the fat that it was almost warm enough to take my Hoodie off I didn’t see a single butterfly. That was until I reached the middle and the footpath ran over the weir. I watched a male OT fly across the body of water and flutter about in the only green bit of the hedge and then it went down. So I legged it in that direction and then slowed up putting the old ‘click-step’ technique into action. Chuffed after I’d gotten a few I carried on round towards Middle Street. I’d like to have gotten a few more but a, I mustn’t be greedy and b, a couple of kids on BMXs flashed past me spooking it.

Passing the Old Mill pub I scanned the gardens and hanging baskets and as I rounded the corner onto Middle Street itself a second Holly Blue fluttered about but this time instead of a river between me and my quarry it was too high so all I could do was stand back and enjoy watching it bimble around.

I roused myself and carried on realising that I’d used up 15 minutes of my time and as I walked through the opening to the reserve the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Because of this I decided to check out the hotspot first as it’s almost entirely sheltered with only openings in the wind break of buildings and Spinneys where the path cuts through it. This was a good call because I’d only just turned right to make my way to the hotspot when I saw a white butterfly flying towards me. It seemed more rounded than a GVW or Small White I was wondering and hoping that it was a female OT. It dropped down and I cautiously stalked towards it and it was indeed a female OT.

I carried on finding both a Peacock and Small Tort feeding from Dandelions on the path. They were less than a metre apart form each other which would normally have meant a spiralling battle to the death but not today. A small dog off a lead bombed by growling at me and spooking the butterflies so after checking to see of its owner was nearby and growling back at it to “Bugger off” I set to finding where the 2 butterflies had gone down. They were both on the other side of the field and again feeding from Dandelions and this time only about 30cm away from each other.

I checked my brick/phone and realised that I only had 15 minutes to get back home so I set off stopping twice on the way back. The first for a Small Tort and the second for a second Peacock which wasn’t playing ball. However I didn’t stop for the Small White which flew past me as I went through the exit of the reserve as that would have spoilt my Doubles theme! How very inconsiderate of it to mess up the narrative…

On the walk to the Spa I tried to avoid seeing anything but an OT decided to follow me and have a little spar with a passing Brimstone. When we took the short cut along the river path I spied a Holly Blue and two further Brimstones – luckily all of these would have been out of reach of my lens else I might have felt slightly frustrated. In previous times I’ve mentioned when I think I’ve had the easiest butterfly sighting or the most incongruous but today had the most relaxing; having had a 45 minute massage, spent 15 minutes each on the hot beds, steam room and sauna I was lazing in the Hot Tub without a care in the world and so relaxed I was almost half asleep watching a Holly Blue fluttering about in the Ivy bedecked tree above me – bliss.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[kevling]

Wurzel,

What a chill out day that was. I must get me some of that.
Love the Orange Tips. I haven't managed to get one to settle for me this spring yet, so you have done well.
That Small Tort has lasted the winter well too, very colourful.

Kind Regards
Kev