Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

I reckon you can guess which is my favourite shot from the delightful collection Bugboy I know what you mean about the site at Wrecclesham. I found that this time apart from a few Blues and some Greenstreaks there wasn't much else, it used to be much better - with large areas of open grassland and a large pond with all the attendant wildlife

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I can tell by how much you're falling behind just how busy you've been lately, BB.

Great result with the Glanvilles. It's good that there are thriving colonies of them inland. With warming temperatures I would expect them to feel ever more at home in the south of England at least.

[ernie f]

Glad you had a successful time at Wrecclesham, Bugboy. Not a place that is easy to find and on seeing it for the first time most people would wonder what the fuss was all about.

[millerd]

Just catching up with all your trips out, Buggy.... not sure where to start, with brilliant Swallowtails, plus both Heath and Glanville Fritillaries looking beautifully fresh. The Glanville underside has to be the most striking of of all the Fritillaries in the UK - great shots.

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, Yes, I have a fair idea what picture caught your eye
Thanks Ernie, I did see some Common Blue and Brown Argus there but little else tbh, but yes, a very easy place to wander past without realising it's even there.
Thanks Dave, I agree about the Glanville underside, I was glad of the persistent cloud cover that day

15th June
Believe it or not David I do also hold down a full time job! So now we fast forward 10 days and a trip up to find some Black Hairstreak at Monks Wood. I'd arranged to meet Rosalyn at Huntingdon station and then catch up with PhiliB at the wood. The signs were good as we parked, one or two welcoming us here before we even entered the wood as the sun tried to peek out from the clouds. The sunny spells kept the air warm enough for some fresh Speckled Wood to be active as we wandered into the wood, arriving at one of the rides that has proved quite productive this year by all accounts. Rosalyn searched out and found one of the pupae that she and Phil had found earlier in the season, now just an empty shell, the occupant presumably flitting around somewhere above our heads.

We were joined by a few other avid Hairstreak hunters and one female was located who willingly posed for her small gathering of admires.

Rosalyn, Phil and I moved on to the regular hotspot and watched bouts of activity whenever the cloud thinned enough for them.

Sunny spells were becoming a thing of the past and this seemed to put an end to most of our fellow Hairstreak hunters day. The Hairstreaks themselves however didn’t let a bit of cloud to put them off, they seem as comfortable in cloudy weather as a Meadow Brown, and over the course of the next few hours enough settled low down to make the day more than worthwhile. It was only the prospect of rain that finally put an end to my day.

A mugshot parade shows that (including the first one of the day along the first ride) I managed to get six individuals

Apart from the Hairstreaks and Speckled Wood other butterflies included my first Painted Lady of the year and a VERY old Comma (I think this is the latest I’ve ever seen a post hibernator)

A Cinnabar also stopped by and flashed us a bit of red hindwing.

[Wurzel]

Blooming fantastic shots of the Blackstreaks Bugboy I keep chickening out with this species as i can't justify the travelling for a 'no show', maybe next year...cluck

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Believe it or not David I do also hold down a full time job!

I believe it, BB.

It's a bummer, isn't it? I'm looking forward to retirement because my work is often getting in the way of my butterflying, like it is with you.

Great Black Hairstreak sequence. This species is getting far more coverage than it used to. Long may it continue.

[Neil Freeman]

Believe it or not David I do also hold down a full time job!

I believe it, BB.

It's a bummer, isn't it? I'm looking forward to retirement because my work is often getting in the way of my butterflying, like it is with you...

Oh! I hear that.

Some great Heaths and Glanville Fritillaries there Bugboy

Well done on checking out some other spots in the area too, it is always good to see stuff from places other than the well known sites.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Maximus]

Some lovely images in your diary recently, Bugboy From the UK Swallowtails, through the Heath Fritillaries, 'mainland' Glanvilles and those stunning Black Hairstreaks

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, that's not the end of my Black Hairstreak adventures this year, but more of that in a later post. When you finally get round to it I advise choosing a less than perfect day to get them. You'll get much better returns on a day with a fair bit of cloud and varying light levels, cooler temperatures and a bit of occasional drizzle won't do any harm either
Thanks David although it is a double edged sword, we shouldn't be wishing our lives away to reach retirement age,whenever that will be when I reach that age range
Thanks Neil, I will probably do another trip in better conditions when the June gap has finished to see what else is there
Thanks Max, lots more to come, still several posts behind and with two weeks off coming up soon, I think I'm heading into Wurzel territory!

16th June
Another trip into Essex, this time the main target was the White-letter Hairstreak. I knew they were out but with an iffy day’s weather I wasn’t sure just how successful the day would be. The forecast was insisting some breaks in the cloud would appear at some point but I wasn’t convinced by the grey sky that greeted at Leigh-on-sea. Rain was also in the offing. I was quite early too so I was pleasantly surprised to find a few WLH active in the cool gloomy conditions. Some Holly Blues were also here, being much more Hairstreaky than the actual Hairstreaks!

I went for a wander, hoping things would brighten up, finding a caterpillar, not sure what he is.

Things didn’t brighten up much, occasional chinks in the cloud cover were nullified by occasional light drizzle but this didn’t seem to bother the Hairstreaks, more had awoken.

Whilst watching them move around on the Bramble blossom, I couldn’t help noticing how the white tips of the tails shone out like beacons, and when combined with the red spot underneath them they really do draw the eye, a perfect false head to distract a hungry bird.

I also managed to sneak up on a Holly Blue!

After half an hour I wandered off again. I planned to go to one of the Heath Fritillary woods again, more in hope than expectation since it would only be the second time I’ve been to this particular wood and I had no idea where they were. I didn’t get very far though, I got a bit waylaid by another season first, a Marbled White.

Whilst getting up close to him I noticed him doing something with his palps, opening and closing them (doing a pretty good impression of The Predator from the films). I presumed this was something to do with being freshly emerged, perhaps making sure everything was all tickety-boo and in full working order?

I managed to drag myself away and got to the wood, where if anything the weather had deteriorated to the point where my raincoat was needed. Still I was here now so I might as well have a look around again. The last time I was here I was looking for Heath Fritillary larvae. I failed to find any but I did find a patch of what looked to be suitable habitat, which is the spot I went looking for today. The trouble was things grow a lot in the spring and the place looked completely different! I ended up walking around aimlessly, completely losing my bearings and finally, accidentally stumbled on the clearing. It was still rather gloomy but to my surprise I found a small gang of Heath Fritillaries loitering around.

As I looked around I saw more….. and more. This colony, by all accounts, isn’t doing as well as the ones over at Hockley but on the basis of the 50-60 I saw they seem safe for another year as long as the habitat doesn’t deteriorate. During the course of my time with them there were sunny spells and more showers, I really wasn’t expecting to get such good returns on what was a pretty dreary day. Interestingly the drizzle didn’t put many of them off and plenty stayed with their wings wide open in the rain.

The female of this mating pair looked rather pale, reduced marking near the body perhaps making her a slight ab.?

I spent about an hour with these friendly guys before making my way back to Hadleigh Country Park. Obviously I got lost in the wood again.

tbc

[bugboy]

16th June (part 2)
Back at Hadleigh the weather had taken a surprising turn for the better, the gloom had moved on and the Hairstreaks were out in numbers enjoying the sun (Hairstreaks, they’re just so addictive !)

Joining them were the Holly Blues and some Large Skippers and another wander gave me another season debut, a Ringlet and my first hutchinsoni Comma of the year.

Further afield more Marbled White had woken up, there had been a mass emergence of some Meadow Brown including my first female of the year, already firmly attached to a male, a few Common Blue and in a small corner of a field I found another season debut, it was alive with Small Skippers (as well as some Large). Oddly no Essex were seen (and I did look closely at everyone I could), which were the only Thymelicus seen by Millerd the following day. I can also add the Small Skipper to my ‘in cop’ collection.

I really wasn’t expecting the day to turn out so good !

[trevor]

You've been in Hairstreak Heaven recently, Paul. Lovely shots of the Black variety.
A birdie told me the other day that you have a rather sickening image of a Purple Hairstreak.
Can't wait to see it!.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic Hairstreak action again Bugboy - your might need to change your name to Hairstreak Harry or some such Cheers for the info - stored away for when I can get the cojones to go for them It says something when the Heaths almost get forgotten

Have a goodun
Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to see both White Letters and Black Hairstreaks, BB.

Bring on the Purple ones now!

[bugboy]

I do love a Hairstreak (who doesn't) Trevor, I can't think who that little birdie is who's giving away my secrets is though....
Thanks Wurzel, here's some more
There might be some purple in the coming weeks David.... maybe

17th June
Another day and more Hairstreaks to chase. I wanted to go and see the Sussex Black Hairstreaks but wanted to wait until after the weekend tours in the hope of having a nice quiet day with them, but it seemed that half of Sussex had the same thought! Thankfully us butterfliers are a friendly, good natured bunch. I was one of the first to arrive, bumping into Gary N and Neil Hulme. In the end there were probably 20 or so enthusiasts staring longingly up into the blackthorn. Other familiar faces amongst the throng included Trevor, Mark Colvin, Benjamin and James (B'rex) making it a bit of an impromptu UKB gathering. Several others had travelled a fair old distance to see these little butterflies. I missed the first few that appeared, I think they were females, but as the day warmed, activity increased. If anything the weather was too good, too warm and sunny given the Hairstreaks little need to come down low to find pockets of warm air. Nevertheless a few males did come down, more than enough to keep me happy. These ones were very well behaved and sat patiently while every photographer waited in a very British queue system, I'm pretty sure no one went home disappointed.

By the afternoon it became clear that the best of the activity had happened, it was just too hot, indeed the Hairstreaks were showing signs of overheating and seeking shade.

I attempted to make a move but got slightly side-tracked when I found another footpath on the other side of the road that seemed worth exploring. At first, I found nothing, probably just a case of June gap since the habitat looked fine, but flitting around a bramble patch I found a couple of Small Tortoiseshell. A female busy feeding and ignoring a lovesick male using every chat up move in his repertoire (mostly head butting ). She did manage to lose him once but since neither moved from this patch of bramble she couldn't stay hidden for long. Anyway, here's some action shots:

"Don't go!"

"Wait for me, wait for me"

[Wurzel]

Cracking Blackstreaks Bugboy I've been in one of those butterflier queues before (for a Brostreak) and they are very orderly and civilised Not like Twitchers
Love the "Don't go!" shot - brilliant that you can still see the undercarriage before it's been raised

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, as so often with those type of shots, 99% luck, well for me anyway

18th June
I had two days left before returning to work but the weather was going to beat me too it, a few hours this morning was all it was allowing me, just enough time to meet up with millerd to find some Silver-studded Blue at fairmile common. Dave had already managed a Small Tortoiseshell by the time I made it. I found a Common Blue when I arrived but other than that it was all SSB on the butterfly front.

The sky was already turning milky and clouding over, a precursor to the predicted rain that was due to arrive late morning. The Blues were mostly taking things easy and made easy targets, the varying light levels and cloud cover making for some nice variations in the tones of blue, some almost steely. I never found any females but most of the males we saw was rather fresh so the majority of the females were most likely still waiting to emerge.

A few other bits and pieces that caught my eye were this spider, who as I went in for a closer look, got himself a couple of meals as I inadvertently disturbed a couple of grasshoppers

And these beetles who were stripping much of the St. John’s Wort that was trying to grow here. I think they are Chrysolina hypericin, the apply named St. John’s Wort Leaf Beatle

[Wurzel]

"hanks Wurzel, as so often with those type of shots, 99% luck, well for me anyway " However you get them they're still cracking shots That is always the way for me when I look for Silver-studs - when I went on Tuesday I saw only three species of butterfly - 1 Meadow Brown, 2 Large Skipper and at least 150 Silver-studs And as you say your shots show a fantastic spectrum of blue

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I can't keep up with all this, BB! Breathless.

I dread to think what you've been doing since midsummer's day!

[Goldie M]

Some lovely shots Bugboy love the Blues Goldie