millerd

[millerd]

I'm glad that brightened your day, Wurzel! Definitely one of those lucky accidents discovered when going through all the images and deciding which to post - not a shot you could seek out to achieve... Almost worthy of a caption competition.

Tuesday May 12th was less chilly with reasonable amounts of sun, and I managed to count over 50 butterflies on my local patch. Small Heaths in particular were popping out of the grass everywhere and I saw at least 14.

The dry weather has prompted a few butterflies to look for ground moisture, and this female Green-veined White was an example.

Unusually, she was joined by a male Orange Tip - not something you see this species doing very often.

There seemed to be a small increase in GVW numbers today in fact, illustrating the variability in markings.

Brown Argus were also showing well, though none in amusing poses today.

Finally, another good performance from the Holly Blue contingent.

I managed to catch an example of female rejection behaviour - the rapid wing fluttering exhibited by this and a few other species (I've seen Silver-studded Blues do this, and also Small Coppers).

The photos also show a distinct colour difference between the male and female. I think the female is the one in the first HB shot above, and is definitely a more grey-blue shade. The male is the next one down, and is distinctly bluer. Something else to add to my building dossier on the species!

Dave

[David M]

Interesting to note the difference in shade of the male and female Holly Blues, Dave. If anything, I'd have expected the female to be slightly darker, given that she has good-sized black forewing margins.

Great to see you finally stumbled upon mating pairs too - good things come to those who wait.

[millerd]

There's always something new to discover, David - it's what makes the hobby interesting and not at all repetitive.

Wednesday 13th May was very disappointing. Distinctly chilly again, breezy and with not a great deal of sunshine either. I only saw two butterflies, both of them tucked up tightly against the weather.

Dave

[Wurzel]

That BA on your finger is one of those shots I wish I'd taken Dave I could do with that species in my 'In the Hand' collection Interesting to see the different hues of the male and female though I'd be at a loss trying to describe which colour blue they are

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

There's always something new to discover, David - it's what makes the hobby interesting and not at all repetitive.

Absolutely, Dave. Every year I see new things and many of them are quite a surprise. Even when you go out in marginal conditions you can turn up something novel. It's always worth the effort, perhaps now more than ever given what we're going through.

[Neil Freeman]

More cracking Holly Blue photos Dave, especially the pair, but I rather like that shot of the Orange-tip and Green-veined White on the ground

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

It's surprising how many different species can be persuaded onto a finger, Wurzel - I've had Small Blues and Swallowtails - and most things in between as well. Yes, the Holly Blue contrast is intriguing - another chapter for my book ("Holly Blues Wot I Have Seen")

Cheers, Neil. I rather liked that GVW/OT combination too - I have a penchant for different species sitting close together like that, and it's surprising how rare it is and how they are often much further apart than you think when you come to take a photo. These two were unusually close.

Thursday 14th May was an improvement. A bit warmer and more sunshine, and notable for the emergence of quite a few Common Blues on my local patch. I saw at least ten today and they appeared in a variety of spots.

There was one female amongst all the males - a traditional mostly brown one.

Brown Argus were also in good numbers (perhaps fifteen seen).

There are still new white butterflies appearing - here's a nice GVW...

...and a Small White too.

Finally, there was the first Speckled Wood I've seen for a while - a nice new female, really brightly marked.

Dave

[millerd]

Later on 14th May, I popped down to Staines Moor once again, and found that Common Blues were out here too, joining the throng of Small Coppers and sprinkling of Brown Argus. The late afternoon sun brings out the Coppers' colours particularly well.

However, one particular Common Blue stole the show.

Dave

[trevor]

That's a nicely marked female Specklie in your penultimate post Dave.
Good to see your local patch thriving, especially concerning those Small Coppers.
They seem to be quite scarce around here.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Pauline]

Love that sequence with the Holly Blues Dave but here's the thing - that colour difference is quite marked but is it just on that one individual or is that always the case? You know what you're going to have to do, don't ya??? For most folk it would be asking a lot for a repeat performance but I reckon you're up to it

[millerd]

Cheers, Trevor - yes, that was a lovely Specklie! The Small Coppers are doing pretty well considering their numbers are usually lowest in the first of the three broods they usually fit in here. It also helps having discovered a large area of prime habitat just 15 minutes walk away!

Thank you Pauline - yes, I know, I have set myself a task here! The problem (as you no doubt realise) is that I do have an awful lot of Holly Blue photos to sift through. Hardly any of them though have the male and female side by side, so proper comparisons may be tricky to achieve taking into account lighting differences, camera settings and photographer incompetence. We'll see...

Friday 15th May. With a decent day of sunshine forecast once more, I decided that now it was allowable again I would venture further afield and visit a few spots within a reasonable distance. I headed northwards, and set myself a route including three Chiltern destinations.

The first of these was up at Aston Rowant (north side), somewhere I would probably have been to two or three times already in a normal year. The first thing that struck me was how dry it was for the time of year. The lack of any worthwhile rain since the early March deluge has left its mark. However, before long I had stirred up a Green Hairstreak or two, though both were worn and clearly the species was well into its flight season.

Also looking rather tired were the Dingy Skippers (reasonable numbers) and Grizzled Skippers (just one or two). Brown Argus popped up universally as they always do, but were too energetic in the sunshine to be worth chasing on the steep hillside. I found a couple of Small Coppers, this one being quite a bright fresh one.

There were Small Heaths and Common Blues, but the latter were actually slightly outnumbered by the stars of the visit, the Adonis Blues.

Once I had my eye in, I started to realise there were quite a few females around as well.

It appeared to be a decent showing from the Adonis, as they never usually seem very numerous here in the first brood. Maybe they were having a good day!

Dave

[millerd]

The next stop of the day on 15th May was at Pitstone (the old chalk quarry ). Almost my first sighting here was of Wolfson, who I had last seen in exactly the same spot in May 2019. Good to catch up with you again! The main target here was the healthy Small Blue population - which though not as numerous as last year were still around in good numbers. Also seen: Common Blues, Small Heath, Dingy Skippers and one or two Brown Argus and Grizzled Skippers. We both remembered seeing Green Hairstreaks last time, but neither of us found any at all today.

First up, a couple of courting Dingy Skippers, with the old worn and faded male trying his luck with a very new bright female. He was unsuccessful in the end.

However, the Small Blues were having more joy in that department - here are two of several pairings seen.

As happened last year, I found that staying still in certain spots near to a favourite basking point caused the butterflies to come and settle on me. This one almost became a nuisance, repeatedly transferring to my camera hand.

They are such endearing little things it is hard to stop taking photos of them...

Dave

[trevor]

Cracking good Small Blue shots Dave. A species I rarely catch up with,
all in pristine condition, and a mating pair!. Jam on it !.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

[millerd]

They seem to be very cooperative in this particular spot, Trevor. Well worth seeking out - there must be some in your neck of the woods somewhere...

The third stop on 15th May was a only another 15 minutes further on, up at Ivinghoe Beacon. There were quite a few people around, but none seemed interested in the particular gully I visited looking for any Dukes that might remain. I found several - a few somewhat worn and slightly faded males...

...plus this beautifully marked female nectaring on a hawthorn in the semi-shade.

I think this may be another example of ab. gracilens. The subtle pale brown ground colour always puts me in mind of Caramac chocolate bars...

Aside from the Dukes, there were both Dingy...

...and Grizzled Skippers...

...plus a few Green Hairstreaks and Brown Argus.

This rounded off what was a really full day, making up for a bit of lost time and catching up with some delightful spring species.

Dave

[millerd]

Saturday 16th May. Much warmer, with lots of sun up till lunchtime, but a bit of cloud building in the afternoon. I returned to my local patch for the morning walk, and the change in species to those of later spring was noticeable - Common Blues, Brown Argus and Small Heath made up the majority of the numbers, all in double figures now. The Common Blues were all beautifully new, as yet unscarred by battle and vegetation.

I managed to spot a single female hiding near the ground.

The Brown Argus have been out a week or so longer, but there are still fresh ones emerging.

Small Heaths were as ever tricky to approach, but some were prepared to perch.

There were a couple of Small Coppers, one of which realise has become a regular guest on this diary, popping up in exactly the same spot each time I go out.

Though numbers have dropped sharply recently, there are still Holly Blues. These are mostly females, often engaged in egg-laying bouts on various plants. I encountered this one basking between forays, and and also taking a bit of moisture/honeydew from the bramble leaves.

She was notable by having very much reduced black marginal hindwing spots, and being somewhat less strongly marked all round.

There surely can't be that many more fresh ones still to emerge in this initial brood.

Dave

[Janet Turnbull]

Love that shot of the male brown argus! Do you think he was struggling to remove some goose-grass cleavers?
Janet

[Wurzel]

Crikey Dave - there I was thinking that I've got a hard task catching up with my own PD and then (because of camera issues) I have a few days off UKB and catching up with your PD is almost as massive a task I would find myself repeating a lot of comments - generally superlatives and "Wow that is a lovely..." so here are the highlights:
Awesome fresh Common Blues - I love it when they have the fringes intact like those and the blue along the margins looks almost white
Beautiful Small Blues - the fine blue dusting on the wings - brilliantly caught
Dukes - cracking and I'd go with Gracilens for that ab
That female Holly Blue - you've surpassed even yourself with that one

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Just catching up on your posts Dave and what a selection you've seen fantastic shots I have to go with Wurzels comments, I can't better them. Goldie

[millerd]

I suspect you're right, Janet. However, I wouldn't put anything past a Brown Argus. I remember finding a couple of males a few years back indulging in what can only be described as a bout of fisticuffs. I've never seen two butterflies go for each other so closely and so aggressively. They certainly get charged up on something!

Thank you for all that appreciation, Wurzel - the catch-up process has been pretty good so far. It seems the local Holly Blues are determined not to be outshone by anything, and keep trying to surpass themselves. And every time I think they've reached their peak, another one comes along and poses in front of me. They were at it again today (22nd) - but it'll be a few days before those ladies make it onto the UKB catwalk...

Thank you too, Goldie. It's been a great few days and with the weather being so good, there's more to come...

Dave

[millerd]

For the afternoon of 16th May, I decided to go further afield again, and headed down to Chiddingfold to see how the Wood Whites were faring. By now, there was more of a mix of sunshine and cloud which at least would mean the butterflies would settle at least occasionally.

I came across the first Wood White only a few metres down from the Botany Bay entrance, and I saw one or two more along the path into the wood. However, as is usual, after crossing the bridge at the bottom of the dip Wood Whites appeared on both sides of the path, and in good numbers. Though finding pairs of this butterfly indulging in their enigmatic face-to-face ritual is not uncommon, I don't think I've seen quite so many doing it as I did today. Here are a couple of these.

There were plenty of individuals to choose from as well, but the fast-changing variations in the light made things hard work.

Things began to get interesting when some of the pairs attracted the attentions of additional butterflies, with at one point four extra individuals attempting to join in. Capturing this on camera proved very difficult, but I think I managed shots including at most four butterflies altogether.

All this activity does allow for the opportunity to try for a few open-wing shots, and I managed one or two with variable success.

There was a fair bit of egg-laying activity, and I managed to track down one of these eggs.

Were there any other butterflies? Several Brimstones were flying, taking exception to any Wood White that came near, and there were also a few Green-veined Whites that were largely indifferent. A number of Speckled Yellow moths diverted the eye from the almost constant diet of white.

Almost an honorary butterfly.

Dave