Good to hear that you're keeping busy Goldie
My wife is trying to get me to buy some paint so that "I've got something to do" shuld we go into another Lockdown
Wilton Garden Centre and Godshill 11-07-2020
It was a weird morning as it was almost as if nothing was wrong? We parked in the Wilton Shopping Villages’ car park and then walked to the garden centre though the dappled shade of the early morning sun. The reason for our early bird antics was so we would be first the queue as other shopper would have to park before lining up to be let in. As we waited I checked out the Buddleia near the exit gate and I was delighted to see 2 Red Admirals and a Peacock up high. Getting shots of them both proved difficult as they both fed on the large spray of Buddleia and so getting both in focus was very tricky and made even harder as they kept moving around. As is often the way the fresher and so more attractive Admiral was the most awkward. After a bit they seemed to have their fill and split apart to find different basking places. The slightly worn individual landed even closer on one of the signs attached to the gate whereas the ’looker’ was off sitting at the top of the entrance to the centre all the way over on the other side of the car park.
As we wandered in our slightly befuddled and confused manner; can’t get used to this ‘going to normal shops malarkey’, we were accompanied by a few more Admirals with three in the outdoor aisles with a fourth inside above the gloves and hats along with a Peacock. Once we left I had to pass the Buddleia again and now it played host to a Meadow Brown within range, a Comma much further back and only obtainable by a little, light trespass as well as a Peacock still up high and a Red Admiral down low…near and far, high and low, I’m sure there’s a song in there somewhere? There were a few more on the short walk back to the car but to be honest I wasn’t paying attention as I contemplated a morning in.
After lunch Little L surprised me by asking if we could go out somewhere for a walk and it seemed to be the perfect day for Grayling so we set off to Godshill. We cut across the Cricket pitch and navigated our way through the wall of Gorse with Little L loving the soft, springy sandy track, the Ponies and Cows in the distance and the view itself down the valley from the top of the track before it spilt down the hill taking us with it in ever lengthening strides as gravity took over. Once down safely we wandered along various trackways, talking as we walked all the while keeping our eyes peeled for our target. We cover the ground to the apex of the triangle and then mooch around in the further fields of heather steering clear of the Ponies and Cows and while we manage to find both a male and female Silver Stud, a brace of Small Coppers, numerous Meadow Browns and Hedgies we draw a blank with the Grayling. A Peacock and Dark Green Fritillary do fly-bys, a few Small Heath appear now and again; their orange colour making them really stand out against the browns and greys of the heath. More and more Meadow Browns are flying and every Gorse seems to hold at least a couple of Hedgies as we wander onwards but the only thing which I train my lens at is an odd looking Meadow Brown – odd in that it seemed to have gotten into a bit of a muddle when closing its wings as one is bent back against the other.
When our meanderings had brought us back to the ‘Hotspot’ track a Grayling finally flies by but it was going so quickly and so erratically that I couldn’t follow it as it glided up and over the ever encroaching Bracken. Still at least it was on the yearly Tally and so under Little L’s instructions we followed the track back and set up a little camp for her in the shade under a stand of tall Gorse. As she settled down to read I scampered off across the dry Heather, the scritch and scratch sound of it against my jeans as I passed as familiar as an old friend. I get right to the top of the hill were the mess of mud and clay indicate the birth of the spring and now with muddy boots I zig-zag my way back down; partly trying to cover as much ground as possible and partly because I was following a Small Copper that was trying to take evasive manoeuvres. While I was stalking the Copper another Silver-stud passed by but I tried to stick with my quarry but it didn’t end as I’d hoped and so I got back to seeking Grayling.
I was almost at the bottom of the hill when my second Grayling pops up from a spot that I’d previously scrutinised and I follow it all the way back up the hill where it precedes to jink round a bush and disappear. Finally on the next descent a third Grayling plays ball…eventually. It went up at first and each subsequent flight got shorter and shorter until eventually it was only a few steps away. It’s in a cracking position for a lovely shot…and then another flies in and they off they both go so no decent shots, just records. This was getting a bit silly now, it must have been too hot so they were charging about all over the place so dejectedly I decide to cut my losses, collect Lottie and lead home. This was when a Grayling popped up and behaved really well. It felt like I’d gone form the frustrating to the sublime and then to the ridiculous as this one sits out in the pen and then perches on my jeans. Once I’ve ‘de-Graylinged’ myself and its sitting down on the deck I call Little L over and it behaves so nicely that she managed to get a few shots on my iPod, with the camera only an inch away from the butterfly!
- So that’s where they disappear too!
As we go start to make a move it circles us and lands on Little L’s leg, then her arm where it samples a bit of sweat and after its filled up on salts it flies back and this time lands on her shoe. We want to head home but the butterfly won’t leave us and after 5 steps it still clinging onto Little L’s shoe. When it does lose its purchase it starts to follow, flying ahead and landing on the deck for us to walk past it before flying ahead again, I was thinking that at this rate we might have adopted a new pet. Luckily it gets the message and after one last quick circle round us it disappears amid the greys and browns of the heather.
On the walk back we turned out attention to various other bits and bobs. There were the ponies which Little L was pretty enamoured with, all the usual butterfly suspects flew about us; amid the Gorse it was mainly Hedgies and in amongst the Heather it was Meadow Browns but a Peacock livened things up. On the way down we’d noticed a congregation of small holes burrowed into the sand so on the way up we stopped for a sort while to watch and wait and see whether we could spot what had made them. In a very short time something landed and I think it’s a Digger Wasp (Cerceris rybyensis). The something really brightened up the day, a tiny jewel wasp glittered as the sun struck it. The minute I saw it I realised that I’d not encountered this species before as it divided up into bands of metallic green and red – a beautiful little fella, Hedychrum aureicolle – cracking! Nearer the top of the hill anther spring broke free from its geological confines collecting in the peat/hummus and trapped by clay and it seemed that even the plants wanted to get it on the spectacular stakes; Sundew and Bog Asphodel looked eerily alien and striking respectively.
By the time we got back to the car Little L was tired from the hill climbing but had been wowed by the stunning gems of the natural world – a brilliant afternoon!
A dusty heathland
Holds a cryptic character
The sneaky Grayling
Have a goodun and stay safe
Wurzel
Martin Down is such a great spot, and definitely not one to visit when you have time constraints. I had my first ever trip there on my way down to Somerset to see a friend and managed to arrive at my final destination two hours later than expected... 
envious of your constant DGF shots,
My photo might well end up on the side of a milk carton 
I'm working on the posts - but work keeps getting in the way - hopefully the post in question will be out in 2020... 
