June 2019

[Testudo Man]

Yesterday (Sunday) 2 locations visited in Kent, both Queensdown Warren an Bredhurst.
The weather wasnt the best, an as the day progressed, the situation/weather deteriorated!
As i opened my front door, a fresh looking Red Admiral was nectaring in my garden, several other Red Amdirals were seen on the day.
Also, Common Blue, Adonis Blue(3 females) as well as a few males. Grizzled Skipper, 6+ Small Heath, Brimstone, Brown Argus, Cinnabar Moths(4+).

At my 2nd location (Bredhurst) serious clouds were overhead, an very light rain in the wind, but i still carried on looking for something to see/photograph. About 6 male Common Blues were semi-active, 1 Brown Argus, an a stunning fresh female Common Blue was found.
She was found nectaring on an Ox Eye Daisy...poor light, but i captured several nice images of her...then my time was up, an i had to go collect my youngest son from his work (a 30 mile drive from this site).

This Bredhurst site, is absolutely covered in these Ox Eye Daisies! I just wish the weather/light etc would have been better...next time perhaps.

Several images of this fresh female Common Blue. No images are cropped.
Cheers Paul.

[Andrew555]

Lovely Common Blue, great shots Paul.

One of the Ditchling Common Black Hairstreaks, seen on Sunday. A male I believe.

[Rosalyn]

Good day for Black Hairstreak in Cambs Yesterday 09.06.19 Rarely seen top shot

[Pauline]

Great shots of Black Hairstreak Rosalyn and Andrew. I don't know about Cambs but I know how difficult they were at Ditchling so great image Andrew. Well done to both

[David M]

Good day for Black Hairstreak in Cambs Yesterday 09.06.19 Rarely seen top shot...

That is indeed rarely seen, Rosalyn, and well done for capturing it!

[Rosalyn]

Thank you Pauline and David. I'm lucky to have them on our doorstep. At least this year if the visitors aren't seeing them because they have too early or they can't hang around long I've been able to show them the pupa. They seem quite happy to have at least seen something BH

[NickMorgan]

I went down to the Berwickshire coast near Burnmouth on Wednesday 5th June to look for Small Blues. Luckily the weather was kind and we managed to see almost 100 of them. We were also thrilled to witness the start of an invasion of Red Admirals, seeing about 25 of them coming in off the sea and feeding greedily on the flowers on the coastal slope.
Two days later we had a mass invasion of Painted Ladies. Yesterday I saw 35 on my transect and I have received reports of 25 or 30 in people's gardens.
There was also a report of a Clouded Yellow at the weekend, so we have a good number of foreign visitors around just now.

[tomlantaff]

Can report that this invasion of Painted Ladies and Red Admirals is also well underway in Essex. 5 of the former seen on my walk this morning, another very neat example on my Red Valerian this afternoon along with another very fresh Red Admiral.

Only recently did I start paying attention to what I always called 'Small Skippers'. The one I found this morning at Hadleigh Country Park I believe is my first Essex Skipper of the year:

Also, exactly a week earlier than last year, saw my first White-letter Hairstreaks along their usual rides nectaring on Bramble. Their finer colours when fresh really are quite superb:

They say the collective noun for caterpillars is an "army''; I find this somewhat inappropriate, preferring to use the scientific term "bundle", particularly in the case of these Peacocks. At least 20 plants in this vicinity were rammo:

Next stop - hoping to get over to Daneway Banks Monday or Tuesday for some Large Blues...

[David M]

The one I found this morning at Hadleigh Country Park I believe is my first Essex Skipper of the year..

Yup. Looks like Essex to me, Tom.

Also, exactly a week earlier than last year, saw my first White-letter Hairstreaks along their usual rides nectaring on Bramble. Their finer colours when fresh really are quite superb..

Wow! Given how much cooler late May/early June have been compared to last year, I wasn't expecting this.

[Rivoldini]

Hard work getting this blighter and his siblings at Irton Fell yesterday.

[David M]

Hard work getting this blighter and his siblings at Irton Fell yesterday.

I'll bet it was, Rivoldini! I'm sure they're wishing they'd remained in their pupae with all this rain and cold.

[Neil Freeman]

Hard work getting this blighter and his siblings at Irton Fell yesterday.

Hi Rivoldini,

I assume by when you posted this that 'yesterday' was Monday 10th. I was on Irton Fell myself on Monday morning between approx 10.30 to 12.30 and may well have spoken to you if you were there then.

I agree, the Mountain Ringlets were hard work, or rather easy enough to see when the sun was out but difficult to get a half decent photo without grass stems everywhere.

Returned home today and will post a report in my PD in due course once I have sorted my photos out.

Cheers,

Neil.

[sonomoha]

This Bredhurst site, is absolutely covered in these Ox Eye Daisies! I just wish the weather/light etc would have been better...next time perhaps.

Several images of this fresh female Common Blue. No images are cropped.
Cheers Paul.

Great shots Paul,
Wish you h'd have better weather for more snaps on your next walks.
I too happened with that form of C blue on june 6th, in Arnos Vale (BS$) but the weather has been on whim for nearly 10 days now that it is safe to assume there no longer will be an opportunity to make shots at all

[sonomoha]

Good day for Black Hairstreak in Cambs Yesterday 09.06.19 Rarely seen top shot
Black Hairstreak 0111.jpg
Black hairstreak 0112.jpg
Black Hairstreak 190609 092.jpg

Really great catch with those hairstreaks All very unlikely to appear anywhere near my very urban patches. Only common blues around

June has been really not so much fun for butterflies and moths. Today marks my first sighting of Marbled white. Will attempt to get some photos if more appear. On the same patch, also had a male damselfly, dozens of assassin flies and finally a roosting meadow brown.

[Allan.W.]

Amongst the handful of Heath Fritillaries ,in a partly flooded East Blean wood ,this morning was this one which I believe
is AB;Obsoleta. Also seen a few Red Admirals and 2 Norfolk Hawkers . Regards Allan.W.

[Pauline]

Very nice find Allan Have you thought about starting a diary?

[Allan.W.]

Thanks Pauline ,yes I have been thinking about a diary . This morning I was out early and started at East Blean Wood (Kent )
the weather was very changeable ,and the Heath Fritillaries were reluctant to take to the wing ,that said I still managed to find 6 ,including
the AB; Already posted . there were also several Red Admirals about and 2 Norfolk Hawker Dragonflies .
Moved on to Westbere lakes with a Dragonfly in mind ,a species that I haven,t seen before Scarce Chaser( inspired to get out and have a look after
seeing Kevlings ,recent post ) ,I was amazed to see probably 25 + on the wing ,probably the most numerous Dragonfly of the morning ,strange that they seem restricted to just one or two sites in Kent amongst all the males I only spotted the one female ( ? could be a juvenile !)

Regards Allan.W.

[Matsukaze]

Really great catch with those hairstreaks All very unlikely to appear anywhere near my very urban patches. Only common blues around

Black Hairstreak is too much to hope for, but White-letter flies in Leigh Woods and doubtless elsewhere within the city - elms often turn up in an urban context and where there are little clusters of the tree there is a good chance of finding the butterfly. Purple Hairstreak will probably be out there somewhere as well.

Photographing them, though...

[sonomoha]

Black Hairstreak is too much to hope for, but White-letter flies in Leigh Woods and doubtless elsewhere within the city - elms often turn up in an urban context and where there are little clusters of the tree there is a good chance of finding the butterfly. Purple Hairstreak will probably be out there somewhere as well.

Photographing them, though...

It would nice if I could get to see them at all. Thanks for confirming, will try in other occasions.
Here for my first marbled white, seen on June 13th.

[Testudo Man]

Lovely Common Blue, great shots Paul.

One of the Ditchling Common Black Hairstreaks, seen on Sunday. A male I believe.

BLK_HS_2.jpg

Cheers for that Andrew, likewise, your Black Hairstreak image is very nice...a species ive yet to see myself.

Yesterday (Saturday) was interesting!...as usual, the wind played a part in the days outcome...because of the strong wind, i went to a new area(at the Bredhurst site). I hadnt been in this area before, but because of the wind(an lack of butterflies seen) i needed to try to find a "less windy" area.
Glad i made the effort, because i found a nice large meadow/hills, with long grasses, which was home to a number of species.

Ive never seen so many Small Heaths together! there had to be an easy 20+! others were Meadow Bowns, Ringlet, Large Skipper, Large White, my 1st Marbled White for the year! Painted lady, Red Admiral, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Adonis Blue, a late Green Hairstreak! Grizzled Skipper. A Small Blue(which might be a 1st for this area/site?) its the 1st Small Blue ive seen at Bredhurst.
Apart from the large numbers of Small Heath, all the others were low numbers or single sightings.

Location - Bredhurst, Kent (6 hours spent out in the field). The wind blew all day, then the rain came at approx 6.00pm!

Several images on the day. None of these images are cropped. Cheers Paul.

I know very little of Orchids, but this one caught my eye...i had to do a search for it, an i think it might be a Butterfly Orchid?