millerd

[Pete Eeles]

Great photos, Dave! The foodplant looks like Meadow Vetchling.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave, you say it felt like hard work but you've got some great shots hard work or not you've captured their delicateness to perfection Goldie

[millerd]

Thank you, Pete! The foodplant you refer to was abundant alongside the path and fingers crossed there will be a healthy second brood (as there usually is). In 2018 it was particularly good with many dozens of butterflies flying.

Many thanks, Goldie - they are indeed really delicate little things, but somehow they manage not to tear their wings at all.

On Sunday 17th May, more warm sunshine drew me out and this time it was for my irst visit of 2020 to Denbies Hillside. In "normal" years I'd have been here at least a couple of times from early April onwards, and with the early season this year as well I wondered what stage things would be at.

The hillside looked very dry, with no great amount of grass growth to conceal the large amounts of horseshoe vetch. There was a good variety of chalk downland species, with Dingy Skippers, Small Heaths and Adonis Blues the most numerous, and Common Blues, Green Hairstreaks, Small Coppers and Grizzled Skippers (and even Holly Blues) in far smaller numbers. Of the Green Hairstreaks seen, all were females flying low over the grass looking for spots to lay.

The Common Blues were soon easy to distinguish from the Adonis by their more rapid and jinkier flight. I tracked down one female...

...and then found an absolutely tiny male, about the size of a Small Blue at best.

The familiar sight of a Holly Blue wandered along the bottom of the field with the Common Blues, but took an interest in the dogwood bushes - which they ignored.

There were a couple of Small Coppers, including this bright new one in the usual spot next to the western border hedge of Steers Field.

Some of the few Grizzlies seen were still quite fresh.

Dingy Skippers were numerous, but difficult to approach and many were rather worn.

However, this one stood out.

Amongst all the Small Heath, a fellow enthusiast had singled out one that he thought looked a bit pale and thought it might be just wear though possibly an ab. However once it flew, in flight it was almost white and once caught up with you could see that though a bit worn, this did not account for its ghostly appearance.

Both Neil H. and Guy P. have confirmed this to be an example of the rare ab. alba. Thank you both for this expert ID.

That just leaves the Adonis Blues - which I will post separately as it became evident that there were just as many (if not more) females around as there were males, and there is of course more variety to be seen amongst them.

Dave

[millerd]

May 17th - Denbies Hillside (continued) - Adonis Blues

There were nice fresh examples of both male and female butterflies across the hillside, with (once your eye was in) it likely that the latter were actually more numerous though far less conspicuous of course. First, the males:

Secondly a selection of females, none with a great deal of blue scaling:

I was surprised at how amenable they were when settled.

Finally, (surprisingly considering how many there were around, this was the only example I saw) a mating pair. Down on the ground their camouflage was excellent.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Brilliant stuff Dave - that ab is a stunnner - it should be called the Ghost Heath That tiny Common Blue is a bit of a cracker as well - another ab possibly? Is there such a thing as a ab. minima?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[kevling]

Dave, great Adonis Blues. The colour of the males is so striking. Interesting to see your tiny Common Blue. I saw an Orange Tip only half it’s normal size recently and it got me thinking why this occurs.
Regards Kev

[trevor]

Congrats. for your recent Wood White and Adonis shots.
I will miss the Spring brood Wood Whites, but will go to Chiddingfold for the Summer brood.
I dare say I will see you there before then though!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Cheers Wurzel and Kev! I've occasionally seen undersized Common Blues before, but it's usually been in the context of a dry summer with them appearing in the second brood. There were quite a few seen in 2018 that fitted this scenario. Dwarfism like this therefore seems to stem from a lack of food, which leads to undersized caterpillars - however, they still manage to complete their life cycle. I suppose this is a species survival mechanism as the trait probably doesn't have genetic implications - their subsequent offspring would be normal, all environmental factors being equal.

Thank you, Trevor - I hope to see you there! Most years the PE season overlaps one or other brood of Wood White - and sometimes both - so you may find you hit both targets in one go. Everything is likely to be early this year, with the sunny warm conditions forecast to continue well into June, so I'd anticipate White Admirals before all that long down there too.

Monday 18th May. Time now for a major expedition, and luckily one that is established as an annual event becoming possible just in time. In bright but chilly sunshine I set off for a certain Wiltshire hillside. I probably arrived a bit early, failing to remember that I currently needn't allow an extra 20 minutes or so for the M25 at the start of my journey. The cool wind across the hillside kept things quiet for the best part of an hour (aside from a trio of very noisy ravens), until Wurzel appeared, and then a bit later Philzoid. I would say that the area was past its peak for number of species this year - certainly the Marsh Fritillaries (which were the main attraction) were far from pristine. That said, there was a fair selection, and the fritillaries were still good to see. There were also my first Large Skippers of the year.

If this was a breakfast prospect, then the lizard went hungry...

Small Heath in a Green Hairstreak pose

Most photos were of the Marshies in all their variety.

Unfortunately, Wurzel suffered a camera malfunction, but the fortuitous arrival of Philzoid with a spare mitigated the problem somewhat. Around lunchtime we decided to leave, chatting briefly first with another enthusiast who turns out to have been Medard (who has already posted from his day on the Hill). Wurzel then headed for home, Philzoid for Bentley Wood, and myself on to Martin Down...

Dave

[millerd]

Martin Down later on 18th May was very warm and sunny, and the butterflies (of which there were many) were very mobile. As I've noticed at this time of year before, there are always plenty of Brimstones flying, even when they have all but disappeared at home. They spend a lot of time in abortive courtship attempts, spiralling in pairs high into the sky. I can never get the camera to focus on this fast-moving target!

I walked along the edge of that prominent feature, Bockerley Ditch, and saw all the following: Small, Common and Adonis Blues;

Brown Argus; Small Coppers; Green Hairstreaks;

Small Heath; Dingy and Grizzled Skippers; Peacocks; Small Whites.

Of course, once again the star of the show was the Marsh Fritillary population all along the Ditch (though the Small Blues were definitely more numerous).

I found there was still time to pop into Bentley Wood on the way back home...

Dave

[millerd]

As I pulled into the car park at Bentley Wood late afternoon on 18th May, I found Philzoid again, just taking a break from his wanderings in the woodland. We made our way down to the Eastern Clearing and it wasn't long before Fritillaries appeared. But which ones were they? In fact, the first couple seen, and the ones that proved easiest to approach, were more Marshies.

They had found a particular small area to nectar in, which was also frequented by a gaggle (no better word!) of three Dingy Skippers which spent the whole time arguing amongst themselves and bouncing the Marshies from perching points.

Also flying were a number of paler-looking orange butterflies which rarely stopped at all and when they did they tended to do so by nectaring on bugle in semi-shade.They were all very worn.

Typical Pearl-bordered Fritillary behaviour! As the afternoon wore on they did bask a bit more openly, and one or two females were wandering around on the leaf litter depositing eggs.

Philzoid decided to leave, as he had already spent some time here earlier. We had at one point spotted a much deeper orange butterfly, flying a bit higher and more strongly, but had completely lost track of it. Only a few minutes after Philzoid's departure from the clearing, I sighted it again (or possibly another) across the little bridge into the adjacent cleared area. It went down to nectar, and before it was away again I managed some distance shots - enough to positively identify it as a fresh Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

A three-Frit day! In fact a three-Frit site in Bentley Wood.

It had been a very full day, with some sociable chat as far as you can from the vertices of an equilateral triangle with two metres to a side... and four new species for the year for me.

Dave

[Wurzel]

That was a 3 to the power of 3 day for you Dave - three butterfliers, three sites and three Frits Great set of shots and I'm glad the later visits paid off I think I've got my camera woes sorted now - fingers crossed

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - yes, triples all round for that day! Good to see you and Phil, and a few butterflies besides... Glad to hear you're fixed for future photos now too.

Tuesday 19th May - back to base and a local trip, out in the customary warm sunshine (close to hot at 26 degrees today). Common Blues dominated (I counted over 30) but were really active.

Their fortunes do seem to have revived this year. By contrast, the Brown Argus population is not quite as strong as in 2019 and the Blues outnumber them.

Small Heaths seem to be about the same.

Newer-looking Small Coppers continue to appear...

...but the old-stager was still going strong too.

As has become the norm recently I found a Holly Blue laying on goats' rue in the middle of a field.

However, today's surprise was something a bit different. Around noon, I came across a male Brimstone - not so unusual you'd think, but this one was repeatedly going from dandelion to dandelion, frantically nectaring in the manner of a summer emergee feeding up before hibernation. It also ignored all other butterflies, even the white ones that flew close by, and was extremely approachable. It also did appear very new. Considering the early season, it is just about possible for this to have been what it certainly appeared to be - a newly-hatched summer specimen. I took a lot of photos, taking advantage of its reluctance to fly any distance before nectaring again and trying to establish just how fresh it was. This included attempts to get the upperside - with a bit of success.

I have to say it looks pretty new to me. Any thoughts, anyone?

Dave

[millerd]

Wednesday 20th May. Very warm (28 degrees) and very sunny (14 hours today). Consequently my walks were a bit shorter, and the butterflies were not very cooperative, though in number terms Common Blues, Small Heath and Brown Argus accounted for nearly all of around 70 seen altogether. It does mean today's selection is not particularly spectacular. Still, you can't have excitement every day...

they are still out there laying

one of 18 seen - the highest this year so far

they particuarly like the grass vetchling

also looking for a likely spot to lay

a bit ragged

this one looks familiar...

a new one, but hiding in the shade most of the time

Dave

[trevor]

It's a job to keep up with your recent expeditions, Dave!.
A mrgreen your three in a day Frits, especially the trip to Marshie central.
Where did you see most Marsh Frits this year, in the dip or through the trees
to the right of main path?.
Also congrats for capturing those sharp, open wing Brimstone images, not easy to do.

We seem to have an early ' June gap ' around here, not much around at all.

Stay well, not long now!!.
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

May not have been 'exciting Dave' but still nice to catch up with the regulars Your ragged Red Admiral was a nice find they've been a bit scarce round our way this year - I can count the number I've seen this year on less than two hands I know what you mean about the warm weather, it looks great and then when you get out there everything is bombing by at 90 mph

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you, Trevor - on the Hill, they were up that path through the trees again for the most part, though we saw some others on the "traditional" part of the slope as well. They were probably easier at Martin Down in the end, though with the day's heat, nothing was particularly easy (exactly as you say, Wurzel, in fact... ).

I've done OK for Red Admirals so far - I tend to see one, maybe two, bombing around in the morning right up high, or the occasional female skulking around in the shade looking for scruffy nettles to lay on. Then around four in the afternoon, the males start appearing in regular sunlit bits of the path - always the same spots, but frequently not the same butterflies in the same locations. There's been a real mix of fairly new and ripped to bits, and there is a lot of joisting in the air. It's a reliable bit of entertainment.

Thursday 21st May. More sunshine, and time for another expedition... I headed north this time, back to the Chilterns and two more sites I usually visit. First, I went to Totternhoe, having discovered I was too early in the day to park up at Dunstable Downs. Following my usual route to the old chalk pits and gullies which generally harbour Dukes, I expected to see Small Blues in what has been a very reliable spot in the past. However, I saw not a single one, and noticed that their favoured basking points on the wild clematis had been badly scorched by frost (there were a couple of very chilly nights recently, and this is a susceptible spot). As I continued, I started disturbing Dingy Skippers along the way, and on entering the first little gully another one put up a second butterfly - the first Duke of the morning. There were at least three in this spot, and carrying on to the larger dip further on I found several more.

I was pleased to find this particular area did produce a few Small Blues too - plus a Green Hairstreak which appeared to be lacking most of its legs.

By the time I returned to the car, a few Common Blues were flying, plus one or two Brimstones, so not exactly an overwhelming display aside from the Dukes.

Back now to Dunstable Downs, where the car park had opened.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Brilliant Dukes and Small Blues Dave - the deep almost black colour of the SBs is lush Looking forward to seeing what Dunstable Downs has to offer - I'm guessing something to do with good looking Greek?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Catching up with your post is breath taking Dave so many species of Butterfly and I'm still stuck with the Whites Goldie

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - when a fresh Small Blue catches the light just right, they become almost midnight blue-black. With a sprinkle of tiny stars... Hmm - still thinking about the Greek (you'll have to see whether your prophecy is fulfilled shortly...).

Thank you Goldie - I'm lucky to have some good spots within 20-30 minutes drive, and some of them are really near each other too. Interestingly, White butterflies have temporarily disappeared round here now, including (very sadly ) all the Orange Tips, both male and female. It's good to see you still have them.

Dave

[millerd]

It was late morning on 21st May when I reached the car park at the top of Dunstable Downs. Unfortunately, the cafe was still shut of course so no refreshing National Trust tea today, just my own supply of increasingly luke-warm water. I headed carefully between the kite-flyers and straight down to the bottom of the slope in order to walk westwards along to the point where the most interesting gully angles back up the hill at a more gentle gradient. The path at the foot of the slope was alive with frequent Dingy Skippers and a few Brimstones, and I also came across a fresh-looking Small Copper...

...and a well-preserved Peacock.

Plodding gently up the narrow sheltered gully, there were more Dingies and a few Green Hairstreaks, and then the first Dukes appeared. Overall I saw at least a dozen sporting a variety of degrees of wear.

One particularly fresh male was worth looking at more closely.

He took an interest in one particular spot, and I became aware that sitting close by was a fresh female.

He must have been an unusually shy chap, as he made no approaches to the female and soon departed. She, however, came out from her hiding place to reveal that she was pretty new too.

A bit later, I caught up with another fresh male.

Arriving towards the top of the gully, the Dukes disappeared, but there were numerous Brown Argus...

...and a couple of Grizzled Skippers which I failed to get close to at all.

It was good to see the Dukes doing well on both the sites I visited today, and good to find fresh examples on the Downs.

Dave