millerd

[millerd]

She was rather splendid, wasn't she? And she was certainly prepared to show off a bit too in the end.

With a favourable forecast (for the morning at least), I decided to embark on another trip out on Friday 7th May. With sunshine all the way, I headed for Rewell Wood, arriving at the Fairmile Bottom parking spot on the A29 at around 1000. I headed through this bit of chalk downland (which looked as barren at the moment as the bits up at Dunstable Downs, and was bereft of butterflies) and then up to the top of the scarp and along the bridleway through the bluebell-carpeted woodland to the areas where the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries are. One or two hardy souls were already there (apparently at 0700 it was still frosty, and the Pearls weren't active until 0900). Looking along the main public bridleway, with no need for detours, there were good numbers of Fritillaries flying, and the cool air (but strong sunshine) meant some decent basking behaviour as well as frequent nectaring on the abundant bugle flowers. There were a few other butterflies: a Red Admiral appeared on cue during a discussion about their recent influx down there; a couple of Grizzled Skippers darted in amongst the Pearls. I also came across a sheltered area in the lee of one of the logpiles which contained a number of Small Coppers: a pair of these spiralled down in front of me and within seconds became a mating pair.

However, The Pearls were the main attraction.

I had planned to join Bugboy over at Mill Hill afterwards, but ran out of time (especially after taking a wrong turn on the way back down to the car and prolonging the bluebell walk somewhat...). Never mind - it was a terrific morning.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of Pearls Dave but for me the star of the show would have been the Small Coppers in cop - still need to add them to my 'at it collection'

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cracking set of Pearls Dave I would have give you a if I hadn't finally caught up with some myself yesterday

A good spot with the pair of Small Coppers, you get a couple of for those (and your earlier ones) as I have not seen any around here yet.

Cheers,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Looks like we had equally good days in Sussex last friday

[millerd]

Cheers all of you! That pair of Coppers was an excellent bonus on top of all the Pearls. Not something I've seen often before, though curiously the first time was at Bentley Wood - also while there for PBF. Last Friday was definitely a good day.

Saturday 8th May wasn't so good. The uncannily accurate forecast promised rain, and down it came. It did ease off later on, but all I could find on a local walk was the usual roosting Orange Tip, on cuckoo flower this time.

Even on the worst days at this time of year it is possible to find at least one to brighten the day - even if it's a bit soggy as this one seems to be.

Dave

[Wurzel]

"Even on the worst days at this time of year it is possible to find at least one to brighten the day " that is definitely the sentiment that I need now Dave! I had a similar experience on Monday evening when a brace of OTs roosting made what would have been a pointless walk into something to remember

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Roosting Orange Tips can really turn a grey and dismal day round, Wurzel. As with every year, I shall miss them when they're gone...

Sunday 9th May was forecast to be warm and possibly even sunny too. Amazingly, the morning at least was both for a while on my local patch. I managed to see nearly 50 butterflies of eight species, not something I've managed since 26th April. Orange Tips predominated, and even came up with a pairing...

...and there were strong showings from Small and Green-veined Whites.

dappled shade created the pattern on this male butterfly

Even Holly Blues mustered five individuals...

...as did Peacocks (which have been hiding lately).

remarkably fresh-looking

There was just the one Small Copper...

...and the first Small Heath made an appearance too, but was unfortunately camera-shy.

I then headed south for the afternoon...

Dave

[millerd]

Though the sunshine had become a bit hazy later on 9th May, as I was headed south anyway to drop my son off at Chessington World of Adventures I decided to carry on down to Mill Hill (especially as Bugboy had such a good day there on Friday). It remained quite warm, but the sun wasn't trying very hard by the time I got there, and I didn't see anything like as many butterflies. Dingy Skippers were the most frequently seen...

...with Grizzlies not far behind.

A few shining new male Common Blues added variety...

...as did a single Green Hairstreak...

...and a couple of Small Heaths.

This Grizzled Skipper was my favourite of the day, as it prepared to roost in a typical spot.

a more closely cropped version of the shot above

Dave

[Benjamin]

Super selection of late Dave, but that Dingy is the pick for me - really enjoyed them this year. Must have just missed you at Rewell but no doubt we’ll cross paths soon.....

[ernie f]

Mating Coppers and mating Orange Tips - great shots. I have seen both of these species in-cop only once in my life and in different years - to get shots of both so close in time together is (for me at least) astonishing.

Plus I love your "string of Pearls".

[millerd]

Cheers, Ben - I don't know how we missed each other at Rewell, but I suppose it's a big place! Dingies seem to be doing pretty well wherever I've seen them, and there have been some really nice examples showing off how variable they are in colour and subtle patterning.

Thank you Ernie! Some species you come across pairing relatively often (Meadow Browns spring to mind) but some not often at all, so finding those in quick succession was certainly a bonus. "String of Pearls" - I like that; they were a splendid sight in the sunshine.

Monday 10th May was what the Met Office like to call "showery". Once again it was cool and breezy, but there were spells of sunshine between showers, and I decided somewhere woody might afford a bit of shelter, so I tried my luck at Chiddingfold. I was hopeful that some Wood Whites might at least be hiding in the rideside vegetation if they weren't actually flying, but I failed to find a single one. I see Trevor had better luck a few days later, so another trip is in order. I thought I wasn't going to see anything else either, when a pinkish blur swooped past me at speed and made for a patch of bluebells. A Painted Lady, but disdaining the gusty wind it flitted between flowers and then made off along the ride at top speed before I could do any more than point the camera and hope it might be somewhere in the frame.

The day didn't really improve weatherwise, and a wander round my local patch later didn't reveal a great deal either. A GVW thinking about roosting...

...an Orange Tip that had already done so...

...and a female Holly Blue in two minds about the idea.

Dave

[David M]

Sure is tough going at the moment, Dave, but as your last few posts prove, if you are determined then you can use what little sunshine comes along to your advantage. Your comment regarding nearly 50 butterflies of 8 species from 9th May wouldn't ordinarily be anything spectacular at this time of year, but given conditions lately, it's probably at the upper limit of what anyone could reasonably expect.

Nice to see fresh Common Blues. I hope they'll be out round my way any time now.

[millerd]

You're right, David - it does feel a bit of a struggle at present, and like you say you need to take advantage of any sunshine that does appear.

Tuesday 11th May was actually sunnier and warmer (it might even have reached 16 degrees locally!). My local patch came up with nearly 50 butterflies of 11 species (the highest number of species here this year so far), though some were just singletons. New here today were Painted Ladies - it didn't take them long to make it up here from the south coast. The list:

Orange Tip 11
GVW 9
Small White 7
Holly Blue 4
Peacock 4
Painted Lady 4
Brimstone 2
Large White 2
Speckled Wood 1
Small Copper 1
Small Heath 1

Star among the Orange Tips was this female.

The Painted Ladies were very energetic and it took some effort to get shots of them at all. The four were seen in completely different places on my route, and there might well have been more around.

A few of the other species...

...and the chance of a tasteful shot of a white butterfly on a bluebell turned into something more macabre as it turned out the Large White male had ended up in the clutches of a crab spider.

For almost the first time this year I was able to give pride of place to a Holly Blue. This did mean that, having found the butterfly resting during a cloudy spell, I had to wait 20 minutes halfway into a bramble patch for the sun to wake it up again.

The change from slight to full sunshine really changes the colour. Worth the uncomfortable wait, though!

Dave

[millerd]

A quick visit to Staines Moor later on 11th May provided a routine fix of Small Coppers, with six seen. Nothing else, however, except for a couple of Orange Tips.

Dave

[trevor]

What a superb, fresh male Holly Blue you have there Dave.
It really is a magic moment when one opens up like that, as most of the time they don't,
especially when we are hovering over them with the camera!.

Great stuff!, stay well,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

for that Holly Blue, still seen just 2 fleeting glances of them!

[Pauline]

Lovely images of the Holly Blue Dave and quite envious of your Painted Lady as I haven't come across one yet.

[Wurzel]

Woah Dave where to begin? Cracking shot of the Small Heath teasing you with the upper wing glimpse, lush OT's and Mrs OT, Painted Lady and then to top it all the stunning Holly Blue shot - what a stunner!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

ps - checked out Martin Down - no Marshies but there was only about 20 minutes of sun and I only covered a little of the Dyke but it's looking good!

[millerd]

Thank you all for the appreciation of the Holly Blue. They've been so few and far between round here this year that having found one sitting at a sensible height it was worth standing in the brambles and waiting for the sun to come out. A hint of sun earlier had made it twitch its wings open a wee bit, so I counted on a full burst of rays doing the trick before it gained enough energy to fly off. One advantage of lower air temperatures is that they take a little longer to warm up - usually this only works first thing in the morning!

I haven't seen any Painted Ladies since this, Pauline - maybe it was just a quick burst while the wind was blowing strongly from the south. Hopefully they will have some offspring.

The forecast for 12th May looked fairly encouraging, especially down towards the south coast, so I planned another expedition.

Dave

[Chris L]

To echo what has been written, lovely Holly Blue photos Dave. Your patience paid off there. I could do with a bit more patience. I tend to worry about missing out on something somewhere else if I wait around.