Wurzel

[Pauline]

Just spotted your Hairstreak shot Wurzel Reckon I might be headed that way sometime this week. Nice shot of the slow worm too

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It wasn't a bad swan song really and to be fair it had wracked up some considerable mileage - definitely got my money's worth
Cheers Pauline Up until that day I'd only heard reports of two singletons but they should be emerging nicely now the weathers gotten a bit warmer and drier Mind you after your success at Noar Hill you might not need to visit Shipton as there are plenty on your doorstep

Vernditch 20-05-2020

So that was quick – two days and I’m back out with my camera…well a camera. All it took was asking my wife if I could borrow her camera body in the interim and when I got back from the ill-fated trip all the research had been done, comparison tables, contact numbers and a name and phone number of someone that had a perfect looking camera! Next day delivery and I was away! So with neck strap attached and battery newly charged we drove over to Vernditch for our daily walk. I had high hopes and for the visit – all the usual species but hopefully I’d be able to pick up a Common Blue or even an errant Marshie that had lost its way and flown over the Blandford Road.

It started well enough spotting a few Orange-tips and Green-veined Whites on out walk up the hill from the car park. One of the OTs paused to take nectar from some (what I think is…) Herb Robert and so I leant in and fired off a few shots before we carried on. So I’d taken my first butterfly shots with my camera. I looked eagerly at the images on the screen and whilst they seemed very bright, possibly brighter than those from the old D60, I didn’t like the lack of sharpness nor the focus. We carried on walking while I fiddled with the Autofocus settings which I was only able to do as the wood was so quiet – only a few Specklies in the usual places.

Having broken out of the shade and into the sun at Kitt’s Grave we settled down for a spot of lunch and while we were munching we were joined by a Dingy and a Grizzlie. Whilst none too shy the flew around us but there seemed to be an no-fly zone a metre out from the picnic blanket as they’d fly towards us and a the same point veer away to right or left.

With lunch done I left the girls to let their dinner go down and walked to the end and back. I saw plenty but most of it was very flighty and just wouldn’t sit still long enough to train my new lens on it. I ticked off Small Heath, Dingy Skippers, the hoped for Common Blue, Brown Argus but unfortunately not a sniff of a Marshie and not one shot on the memory card. The return leg wasn’t much better even though I caught up with (possibly) the same individuals. Eventually some of the butterflies took pity on me and paused for a few photos. One of a couple of Grizzlies stopped for a snack and so I clicked away and in the final little ‘valley’ a pair of Brimstones were a courting.

The walk back was surprisingly quick – possibly because it was quite quiet with again only Specklies in their usual spots? However the real reason was probably because I was preoccupied with thoughts about the new camera. It still didn’t seem to be producing as good results as the old D60 despite having 4million more Pixels? I reasoned that it was the slightly smaller sensor that could explain the lack of definition but I resolved to give it a few more trips before deciding what to do next.

Vernditch was quiet
New camera is it as good?
Preoccupied me

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel, sorry to hear about your camera woes but glad to see you are all sorted now.
Although I am now using the Nikon setup, I usually carry my old FZ200 as a backup just in case. You know what they say, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

A great selection from Cotley Hill. I saw a lot of photos from there on twitter and facebook this year, seems to becoming a popular place.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Lulworth Cove 21-05-2020

With the restrictions still easing we decided to take our exercise at Lulworth Cove as the walk over Bindon Hill would certainly blow away the cobwebs and it would be a great opportunity to show Little L various coastal erosion features that she’d been learning about. We’d checked ahead and the main car park was still closed but I know of a few other places in and around the village where there are spaces to park and so we loaded up and headed off back to sunny Dorset. The drive there was glorious as the sun shone and there were still so few cars on the road and very quickly we were traipsing the tarmac heading towards Bindon Hill walking the reverse route to our previous visit here the day before Lockdown began.

Up on the hill it was already very warm despite only just being past 10am and as I scouted round I only flushed one Small Heath. I’d read that Lulworths were out at Corfe Castle car park which is usually the first site but I was hoping that they may have merged here spurred into action by the warm weather so one Small Heath after being on site for 10 minutes or so was quite worrying. Slightly further round the hill I spotted a fast moving Dingy and a surprisingly fast moving Small Heath, an improvement but only slightly. By this point we’d reached the junction where the path dove down into the wood – part of the old route which due to a cliff slide is no more. Another Dingy zipped by and I went to follow it using the various rabbit runs and tracks as a stairway as I clambered up the side of the hill after it. Alas I didn’t have much success with it and as I turned to retrace my steps to catch up with the others a smaller browny mustard Skipper grabbed my attention. It too was really active jinking about and doing the Craw step manoeuvre that Skippers do whereby they can break the laws of Physics and bend time and space. Luckily the first time it had paused it did so just long enough for a few shots and to allow confirmation that it was a Lulworth. After that it became a guessing game as it where it would land and take nectar but I was quite chuffed that I managed to successfully guess and so be in the right place for a few more shots.

I realised that by now the rest of the family were well ahead of me and so I hotfooted to catch them but even though I was travelling at great speed I was aware that now there were plenty of butterflies about. When I caught up and caught my breath we continued along the clifftop and the Lulworths seemed to be everywhere but now they were joined by the rest of the supporting cast. A few Adonis Blues (mainly males although there was one luscious female) added a bit of bling to the mixture of browns and browny oranges produced by the Lulworths, Small Heath, Dingies and Large Skippers which were dominating the scene (from largest in number to smallest). The occasional Greenstreak didn’t add as much colour as expected as all were old and tired looking, in the later stages of their lives but the only Brown Argus that I saw did. The Lulworths aside the main highlight of this stretch was a Wall which stopped in the middle of the path. It too was as aged as the Greenstreaks with nicks in and massive chunks missing from its wings but it was still a delight to see, especially as it comically blocked our further progress along the path:
“Stay back, don’t come any closer” it seemed to be intimating…we’d take a few more steps and it would take off only to land slightly further along the path.
“I really, really mean it don’t come any closer!”…again we’d take a few more steps and it would take off, fly a short way and land ahead of us on the path.
“Right that’s it! You’re in big trouble now! One more step and I’ll...I’ll…Well you’ll be sorry!”
Eventually it worked out that if it flew in an arc it could double back and land behind us and so would avoid any more disturbance!

At the end of the path we went through the gate and paused at the edge looking down and across into the Cove. We could see the bands of rock, the folds and tortured twists in the strata and what most impressed Little L on the other side caves, a stump and a raised beach – we were only missing the arch and stack from the complete set of coastal erosion features that she’d looked at the day before. Then we set off down the impossibly steep steps destination – the beach accompanied on the way by yet more Lulworths that were scrabbling around the cliff edges each time I looked away from my feet. On one of the flatter areas, like a little terrace, a few Adonis took advantage of the nectar sources. Well they tried to but a Brown Argus was having none of it and bullied Adonis and Lulworth alike.

Eventually the precipitous journey came to an end we were safely sitting on the strand. Yet even here whilst enjoying my sandwich the Lulworths kept informing me of their presence as one flew by between bites! So whilst the rest of the family had a paddle and looked about for more Isopods I skipped mountain goat like back up the hill seeking out the little flatter grassy patches and little crescent moons within the tussocks. I spend a fantastic 20 minutes up near the top, getting shots, clinging to the side of the cliff as other walkers pass by one the stairs and just enjoying watching the funny little blurs of yellow ochre at they went about their business – feeding, flying and fighting. Unfortunately I didn’t witness any activity of the fourth ‘f’ kind but that wasn’t through any lack of effort on the part of the male Lulworths that I saw. Eventually the call of ‘not wanting to get into strife’ became louder than that of the joyous little butterflies and so I descended the hill and walked once more across the ever decreasing stones to the strand line.

As all were now refreshed, watered and fed we carried on the walk round suddenly remembering how hard going it can be because of the constantly shifting and uneven ground. We paused about half way round as the girls had found a perfect paddling spot, a large flat boulder of chalk, polished smooth by the passing of the grit that edged it made a perfect platform into the sea. Whilst the girls paddled I had a quick look around the cliff slip, the fertile clay covered in pinks and purples, greens and yellows was also alive with butterflies; a brace of Common Blues – both males, a passing white, a couple of Dingies and at least 6 Lulworths all in a patch no bigger than two dining tables.

As the sun beat down ever stronger and the temperature rocketed we came to the end of our trudge round the cove and stepping once more onto target it was as if a weight had been lifted, I near on floated up the high now that I was on a fixed and even surface. I was let off the leash a second time and so quickly covered the ground to my Hotspot area – the little ‘path’ on the far side of the Cove. However it didn’t live up to it’s reputation with only two Lulworths here, one at the top and one at the bottom, and nothing else butterfly wise. Still it was worth a check and pleased with the additional brace of Lulworths I re-joined the girls and we made for home.

So ended a cracking morning’s exercise and we drove home slightly sunburnt but happy none the less.

Turquoise sea below
Lulworths cling to the cliff side
Crescent moons glitter

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Glad you managed to get down there, Wurzel. After being stuck close to home all that time, what a great way to get some proper exercise-and get some special butterflies in as well. It’s win-win!

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil Sorry I forgot to reply earlier The camera situation is all sorted now I’m also thinking, like you, about a back up so I might by another D90 body just in case
Cheers Essex I was slightly odd being effectively told to stay in Wiltshire when I still consider Dorset home If only I had the camera body I’ve got now

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

A great selection of Lulworths there, Wurzel, flying around in their "home". It somehow seems right to be seeing them in and around Lulworth itself. Looks like it was a good time to go, with glorious weather and before the crowds descended. With so many folk not going abroad this summer, I imagine it will be tricky to get near this bit of coast before mid-September.

Cheers,

Dave

[Katrina]

Wonderful report and I love you poem!

[bugboy]

Definately need to catch up with Lulworth's next year after last years abortive attempt and now this year, lovely olive green tinge to those tiny fuzzy hoggs

[kevling]

Wurzel,

Cracking photos of the Lulworth Skippers at Bindon Hill. Love your account of pursuing the Wall Brown. I can relate to that with several species
I know it's been a year for early appearances for many species, but is 21st May normal for Lulworth's to be on the wing?

Keep em coming,

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It was perfectly timed as they closed the Lulworth car park but being a local I know a few of the secret parking spots plus the masses descended on Durdle Door
Cheers Katrina I was inspired by James May of all people
Cheers Bugboy I'm lucky in living relatively close and also that my family love the place so we can go on a family outing and "I'll just happen to have my camera with me"
Cheers Kev The Lulworths have been creeping earlier and earlier and this is a 'middle' site for them - they're normally out first at the Corfe Castle Car Park. Luckily they've got a protracted emergence so they could be flying at the end of August

August 2020

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurel

[ernie f]

Lulworth is one of my favorite places - ever since I did a geology field-trip down there while at school in East London. What a contrast! But I haven't been down there since I started getting interested in butterflies. One day I shall need to rectify that to get the Lulworth Skipper.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie Let me know when you get round to organising it and I might be able to meet up and get you past all the Grockles

Bentley Wood 23-05-2020

It was forecast to be ‘changeable’ with the distinct possibility of some showers but Philzoid and I still went ahead with our planned Socially Distanced Meet-up. We reasoned that after previous visits when everything was bombing around as if their arse-ends were ablaze the cooler temperatures and passing cloud would calm everything down a little. This was the hope anyway and at Bentley it’s always worth a punt. My chief concern was more that my new camera wasn’t living up to expectations and this could be its final outing…

We strolled down the main ride and made it into the main section of the Eastern Clearing where it was all very quiet. It seemed like we’d need to find the butterflies and then watch and wait for the sun to break through the cloud to get the decent shots. After trawling most of the middle section we finally turned up a Grizzlie near the central ditch and a female Common Blue – not exactly the Bentley specialities that we’d come for but still welcome all the same. I didn’t stop for these butterflies though as I’d spotted a ghostly looking Pearl in the little square cleared area on the other side of the ditch (and that bloody fence). Looking at it now I can’t work out whether it’s as pale as it is because it’s worn or because it’s an aberrant? On the side of ‘worn’ the fringes were gone and there was a chunk missing from one of the hind wings. On the side of it being an aberrant I’ve not encountered a worn individual that was this pale before and also the dark markings near the inner side don’t appear faded? Oh well…Once we’d gotten a few shots it was back round to try and relocate the female Blue.

We took another wander round and our meanderings took us from the main section of the Clearing, though to the other side, the new cleared area and back around into what I think of as ‘the Marshie Field’. There were no Marshies here and we had to duck under the cover of some of the trees in the copse by the Notice Board to escape a sharp and heavy shower. It was one of those showers that came out of nowhere, pelted it down and then was gone just as swiftly. Once it was over the sun came back out and apart from the yet to evaporate droplets you’d have been hard pressed to have though it had just been raining. In the middle of the field trying to dry out after the shower a Pearl sat out in the open looking like it had been caught out by the swiftness of the showers entrance.

We carried on chatting and wandering, our minds engaged on the talk but our eyes on scanning the flower tops and Bracken and we managed to turn up a brace of Dingies and a thrice of Pearls…if that is actually a thing. However I still couldn’t seem to get the camera to function as well as the old D60, the shots just didn’t appear as sharp as before? We ended up in the bottom part which the Dukes had favoured in previous years but our shuffled quartering didn’t yield any this time. Things did perk up though as the sun broke clearing the clouds before it and finally bringing out the butterflies. A Large Skipper was first on the scene, occupying the Dukes historical territory. Then we were treated to a Small followed by a (Standard) Pearl. The Small Pearl stopped a couple of times, warming up in the recently returned sun and so we were both able to get a few shots.

Pleased that we’d finally found what we were looking for we made it back to the main section while the sun still shone to see if the infra-red had brought out a few more butterflies. It seems that the dowsing in radiation had worked as a Pearl and a second Small Pearls flew around in the very middle of the Clearing, using the tiny tracks as their roadways and so avoiding clipping their wings on the thorns and spikes of grass. However their dose was a little too high as they only stopped long enough for identification and by the time you’d pointed your lens at them they would be away again. It was all a bit frustrating but a tired old Marshie awakening after a long lie-in cheered us up and made up for the unsporting behaviour of its cousins.

After this the sun retired again and so we trudged back to the car and decided to split up – me to head home and accrue some Brownie points and Philzoid to try the other side of the wood. I think I did slightly better out of this…as I drove towards Winterslow and home the heavens opened in a vicious shower that made the earlier one look like a bit of drizzle; drops the size of two pence pieces! When I got home and looked through despite having many shots only a few stood out…normally I’d be having trouble deciding which of the multitude to keep whereas now I was having trouble finding anything decent…back to the drawing board for the camera me thinks…

Pearl sits out the rain
Sharp showers dampen spirits
Still got three Frits though!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I've been surprised this year at the lack of Painted Ladies, I've seen none and the Small Heath the same, even when I was down South, not one, have you noted this
That's certainly a pale Pearl, the SPBF I saw that day back in 2012 was Whiteish I hope your's is an ab Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie It has been a very quiet year for Painted Ladies although that does seem to be the way with them - after the feast the famine as it were I'm still not sure about that pale Pearl - I'll have to post the pic on the new Facebook Group I've joined - see what they say and let them argue over it

Grovely Wood 24-05-2020

After yesterday’s atrocious weather forecast which went from sunny and warm to heavy showers and cloudy with only a few sunny spells I woke to find that it looked like they’d gotten it right. However as the morning wore on it became increasingly obvious that the weather so inaccurately predicted yesterday was in fact occurring today. So we packed a small picnic and headed out to Grovely, the increasing sun brightening not just the sky but also my mood which has been on the down side since my stalwart D60 bust a week hence. Still I was trialling my wife’s D90 body and with its bigger sensor I was hopeful that I might have found a replacement.

As we set off up the steep hill into the middle of the wood the odd Specklie flew on the sunny side of the track and at one point a Red Admiral did a few passes and then flew low to the ground investigating various plants which suggested that it was a She and was looking for a suitable place to lay. Unfortunately for me none of the nearby plants were suitable and she moved up further into the wood away from the path. We followed the same route as on our last (and first) visit and after the Witch Trees took the trackway off to the left that took us perpendicular to the main track. Along the way here Specklies played in the dappled light that by now streaming down from above but they rarely settled and if they did it wasn’t for very long as another Specklie would pop up and they pair would spiral upwards and out of sight.
At the junction we turned left and a little way along here we stopped for our picnic. While we ate a spied a Large White in the distance back along the path from where we’d just come and there were also at least 6 different Specklies all jostling each other and scraping untidily in the sunlit spots. I managed a few shots before we packed up and headed on ensuring that we left only a few depressions in the grass.

After this we took the track to the right which wended its way down the hill and occasionally one side of the treeline opened up letting more light in. When it did Whites flew catching the sun and leaving me almost blinded by the light. I was able to pick out a female Brimstone and a couple of Small Whites and I’m guessing that the others were also this species but they were a little too far away for a positive identification. As we neared the field of little cleared strips which yielded my first Large Skipper a week ago another of the same species appeared and fed in the verge. Whilst the others went on I had 5 minutes in these little strips. I saw a grey buzz of a Grizzlie and there were two male Common Blues. But I got slightly annoyed with one of them as it spooked the second just as I was lining up a shot. Luckily a Brown Argus took pity on me and fed merrily on Spurge so I was able to at least get some shots of a smaller butterfly to try out the lens properly. It was a beauty even if it was a little frayed around the fringes.

I caught up with the others and we made the final trek down the hill with a few Specklies on the way and the resplendent bird calls surrounding us and wrapping us up in a sonic blanket. I enjoyed the final part of the walk as I felt like a weight had been lifted; I was happy with the images I was seeing on the view screen, so I just strolled along. At one point I found what I think is an Ent?

Camera trial
Lovely looking Brown Argus
Can I see an Ent?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Secret Squirrel Site – Wiltshire 25-05-2020

With Lockdown still rumbling on and restrictions on travelling for exercise meaning that my ‘Big Trips’ were on hold for this year I was wondering, how I could get to see certain species this year? One of those for me that is often on my Yearly Tally is Glanville Fritillary and after last years’ confirmation that they are still going strong at Wrecclesham I would have really loved to have made the day trip again this year but it didn’t seem possible and so I was sure that there would be a Glannie shaped hole on my 2020 Tally…Then my Instagram mate, he who had provided such accurate location information that enabled me to get onto some mighty fine Dukes, furnished me with yet another set of directions and a map, this time for Glanville Fritillaries in Wiltshire! They were just over 30 minutes away and so I could reconcile the trip with my conscious on both environmental and Co-vid 19 grounds. Also this would mean that I could be there and back in the time taken for lunch, break and free lesson plus I could do a bit of extra work over the weekend to bridge the gaps as it were.

So come Monday I grabbed my wife’s camera body, clicked my lens on it, bundled the girls into the back of the car and we were away, blue skies above and good tunes on the iPod. It was good going until the last little bit of the journey when the road became more and more like a track, winding uphill and when I pulled into the car park I was glad that I hadn’t met another car on the way up because if I had I might still be there now! We climbed over the stile and took about four steps along the path and then the down swopped down more like a cliff face than a hill and like cautious mountain goats we carefully picked our way to the bottom of the slope and started having a look around. It was still early and the butterflies barely seemed to have woken up but even so they managed to accelerate away rapidly, they certainly weren’t sluggish going from torpid to full throttle in the time taken to lift my camera to my eye. Still we saw a few Small Heaths and a gorgeous fresh Small Tort which was sitting in a bowl like depression at the foot of the hill. Something larger and darker than the obvious Small Heaths fluttered by and it became my first Meadow Brown of 2020 – so the trip had already paid dividends even if slight

We carried on working our way along the bottom of the hill scanning both ahead and up the hill as we went. There were a couple of Greenstreaks flying and lots and lots of Small Heath but we didn’t see much else from here until we was about half way round the curve of the base of the hill. At this point the slope became much more gradual and there was a small flattish field of lush grass. Nestled in this sea of green was a Common Blue shimmering in the early morning sun like a little sapphire. Something larger and frit like flew in the longer grass but it wasn’t a Glannie, it was too dark by comparison; much less marmalade than the hoped for species and when I got a little closer in my suspicions were confirmed, it was a Marshie. Even though it wasn’t in the best of nick and looked tired its behaviour didn’t in anyway reflect this and I had a hell of a job following with my eyes let alone on foot!

The girls had found a little hollow and had set up camp, snacks at hand and books open so I left them to read and had a bit more of an explore. I carried on walking away from our start point and then started to work back but zig zagging up and down the slope as I went so as to cover as much ground as possible. On the way I encounter the odd Brimstone a few Common Blues and a ton of Small Heath. At one point a Small White drifts down the hill past me like a discarded handkerchief caught on the breeze and eventually I end up right at the top of the hill, precipitous slope on my left and a series of hollows and banks, the remains of an Iron Age Hillfort on my right. I have a bit of a mooch about with the usual suspects again appearing but still no Glannies! Checking the instructions again my mate reckoned that he found them at about 9:30 so I carry on along the top until I reach the start point and then start the second lap of the circuit again. It’s now 9:30, according to the map the first bit of the site was where my mate had seen them and as I start off and scan up the slope there is a medium sized, marmalade butterfly gliding gracefully from flower top to flower top. It’s now 9:30sih so once again my mate can’t be faulted for his accuracy! I spend a bit of time scrabbling about trying not to lose my footing as it continues to feed and sometimes I’m above and sometimes below the butterfly with each different angle giving a slightly different colour it seems. It’s gorgeous and I find myself really glad with however introduced this species here and I’m kinda hopeful that it will remain.

Chuffed and now with my eye in I carry on zig-zagging up and down until reach the girls. On the way a Grizzlie pops up and I start seeing a few Peacocks which in the bright sunlight appear absolutely huge. In fact most things on this morning appear bigger – due to the clear skies and bright sunshine? I reach the girls and regale them with tales of the Glannie, a bit of ripping yarn if I do say so myself whilst waiting for my coffee to cool and a second Meadow Brown and Red Admiral pop by while we’re taking a break.

We then start to meander our way back – spread out across the hillside so as to cover more ground and hopefully turn up another or even the Glannie again. On the way the Small Heaths put in a really good showing which was great to see after a few years of worrying about this species, a Brown Argus made it onto the days Tally and so did an Adonis Blue as it flashed by like a streak of horizontal lightning. When were almost back to where we’d started at the foot of the hill the girls sat down in the shade for a bit and relaxed whilst I went for a final look-see. The end bit beyond the hollow was much more gently sloping with a thicker coverage of grass and in the tangles of the green sward were another Meadow Brown and surprise, surprise, many more Small Heaths. I worked back to the steep slopes and spotted another couple scouring the hill. It turned out to be another person I knew – usually round and about in Salisbury where he would be on the Wiltshire Wildlife stall; it was good to see him out enjoying himself in the wilds. Again we split up and then there was another flash of marmalade and a/the Glannie was back. After a few attempts and a few more shots the girls decided that it was time to go; it was getting really hot even in the shade by now and they’d ran out of water plus I was getting dangerously close to “almost taking the mick/skiving” so I said my goodbyes and wished them luck and we made our final ascent and loaded up; wagons roll!

It was only on the drive home that I suddenly remembered; today was the start of half term so I needn’t have left! Oh well…On the plus side once again my mate had been spot on and it was a pleasure to see the butterfly so close to home so fingers crossed that they ‘take’ to the site and remain a permanent fixture.

Glanville Fritillary!
How come they are in Wiltshire?
Great news if they stay…

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Glanvilles in Wilts? I look forward to reading in your next years diary that they are still there.

[Goldie M]

Love your shots of the Heath Fritt Wurzel, it looks a great place to visit, I was a bit late going to East Blean but so pleased to find one or two still flying
I'm busy here getting valuations, I'm determined to move I just got the holiday in on time before lock down here again, still going out though, the weathers not been too hot for the Butterflies here they've loved it Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Interesting report with the Glanville Fritillary Wurzel. I saw some Glanville photos on twitter earlier in the year taken in an 'undisclosed location' in Wiltshire.
I assume this is another unauthorised release.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie Hopefully, fingers crossed It's great seeing them at the Surrey sites but a bit too many miles
Cheers Goldie Good to hear the ball is rolling -you'll soon be up to your armpits in Grizzlies
Cheers Neil Yes but they've been seen here for several years on the trot so it might be a fledgling colony now

Duke Site 27-05-2020

My older daughter had planned to visit one of her school friends and they’d cooked up a Socially Distanced Birthday treat for her involving separate picnic blankets, my daughter had taken her own snacks, a cake cooked whilst wearing gloves and a face masks and lots of loud chat. Whilst she was enjoying the ‘new normal’ I had almost 2 hours to ‘kill’. It seemed pointless to drop her and return only to do the same thing an hour later but luckily the village her friend lived in was en route for Tidworth and my Duke Site. So K dropped off I put pedal to the metal, pumped up ‘Maiden and made tracks.

As I pulled up I was engulfed in a cloud of dust of my own making as the surrounding tank tracks are desiccated – I hate to say it but we could do with a few drops of rain. The turf is still springy here but instead of the softening of your footsteps it now adds a scratchy motif to the dull clumps of your boots. The fresh tanks tracks gouged into the turf provide evidence to explain the difference between it and the surrounding ‘fields’; its regularly ripped up and torn by parking and turning tanks. Still the butterflies don’t seem to be minding much at the moment and I quickly tick off Small Heath, Meadow Browns, a par of Common Blue racing about and chasing/being chased by the brighter Adonis Blues who were obviously trying to show up the carpet dull Dingies. Down in the longer tussocks at the edge of the spinney I also found a slightly worn Small Blue. When I’d last been here 3 weeks previously there wasn’t a sniff of them but I must have missed them by a week as this one wasn’t fresh with the margins all roughed up and the white underside looking like some f the paint had peeled off.

Happily I strolled onwards down the track that skirts the spinney and then backup hill slightly. The vegetation changes here from short and mossy to a thick carpet of long stemmed grasses that comes from being allowed to become established. There are many more blues here as well as Small Heath which seem to be back on track number wise after a few worrying years of relative scarcity. The blues here seem to be playing a very complex game of Hide and seek amid the grass stems. Complex in that if you find a Blue butterfly it wasn’t actually the one that you were seeking. In the end I give up trying for any shots here as I can feel time slipping through my fingers and all the shots I’m lining up have the recurring theme of ‘blade of grass with butterfly behind’, getting a clear unobstructed shot is next to impossible. At the corner of what used to be the main Duke track a Marshie pops up and on my continued progress up the track it is swiftly joined by a second along with a Brimstone making its debut on the daily tally plus the odd Dingy and Grizzlie. It’s difficult to get a precise number for these as they are far to intent on ripping chunks out of each other or any hapless and passing Small Heath to be as civilised as to sit still for me.

At the top of the track a Green Hairstreak surprises me by flying low over the dust and gets itself into a spot of bother as it enters a Grizzlie patrolled no-fly zone. Still chuckling about this behaviour I turn right and when standing in front of the Cypress trees I scan back into the field that I’ve just walked alongside. I can see three Marshies straight off and they keep bundling into each other. One sits there quietly trying to catch some rays and one of its mates dives on it so up they go which sets off the third one. A Brown Argus joins in at one point, looking ridiculously small against its cousins but easily holding its own!

I carry on upwards with the sun beating down so strong that I’m starting to cook in my Metallica T-shirt so I stick to the shady side of the path for a bit of respite. This means that I don’t get to look over the top field but I’m guessing that the small track ways hold host to Large Skippers and Brown Argus as they do most years. A Greenstreak draws me temporarily out of the shade and once I’m out I stay out as a Mother Shipton leads me on a bit of a dance in amongst the tussocks. I cut across to the Duke Hotspot on the way spotting a Common and Small Blue. But the Common races on by and after a couple of shots the Small Blue makes off and no matter how hard I strained my eyes I just couldn’t follow the diminutive blue. Once in the corner a Dingy passing causes me a moment of exultation as I think it’s a Duke and as I’m recovering from my disappointment the real McCoy pops up. While I’m lining up my shot I realise that this is a different individual for those seen on my last visit so they seem to be doing better here than hoped for!

As I cut through the line of trees at the back of the Hotspot I stopped momentarily as there was a Bird’s Nest Orchid – looking a bit more open then on previous visits. After this brief sojourn in the shade I broke free from the trees and worked my way along the bank of springy turf. All the usual suspects were here and all were behaving as expected. The Grizzlies and Dingies bickered like long separated family who’d been brought back together at a Wedding only for someone to mention “what our Jane said about our Susan…” The Common Blue darted backwards and forwards in desperate need for attention; positively screaming “Look at me!” and the two Brown Argus attacked all and sundry should anything, be it bird or butterfly, enter their airspace. An unsuspecting Treble Bar made the near fatal mistake of wandering too far into the BA Seclusion Zone and almost instantly regretted not staying true to its usual form of skulking around on the underside of large leaves.

I carried on up the steep slope to the top and the cross tracks were the Walls hang out and then turned left and made towards the rings. I paused by the gate and realised that I was close to needing to turn round and make my way back so after watching a Small Heath, 2 Large Skippers and a Common Blue for a few moments I made to go. That’s when the Wall turned up although it didn’t stop – like most of the butterflies by now the heady mix of sun and it’s warmth had got them moving as if all turbos were engaged. As I crossed the final little section of field to get back to the car a Marshie waved me goodbye, the final little flourish of the trip. But no that came as I was changing boots and stowing away my gear when a Small Blue carried by the breeze landed on the footplate!

Running short of time
Small Blue but the big highlight
Quite usurped the Duke

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel