ernie f

[trevor]

Lovely Buttercup Ernie, I've certainly never seen on of those.
Presumably it's a field buttercup rather that the creeping sort.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[ernie f]

Trevor - I was very lucky. I wouldn't have noticed them myself I must admit, but a group of people were crouched down over it taking pics so i just had to ask what they were doing didn't I?

[ernie f]

9th June 2021 – Magdalen Hill, 1015-11.45, 17-21 degrees, Full Sunday

Yesterday at Noar Hill I found 34 Small Blues which was my best ever daily tally for this species. Added to the number of Small Blues at the same location but from different parts of the reserve a couple of days before brought me up to a total of 63, which was my record for any location at any time.

Today I set about boosting the annual total by going to Magdalen Hill which was my previous favoured location for them. Up on the top of the hill is a chalk pit and they like it there. They seem to congregate between 10 and 11 am on a sunny day and so it was today. I found 7 in this pit and a further 3 close by.

So I have now got 73 under my belt and this is an annual record for me.

They also like it right down at the bottom of the hill in a sheltered location but I just did not have the energy to do that bit of the walk today. Maybe another time.

One of them in the pit had a bent hind wing. I don’t know if it was damaged, a mutation or just had not unfurled fully yet.

Nevertheless it could fly OK and was an able wing-roller. I got a sequence of wing-roll pics which I shall post in the usual place on the General Forum. With the bent wing – this action looks even odder than it normally does.



Also today

1 Sp Wood, 8 C Blue, 9 S Heath, 1 Peacock, 1 Gstreak, 3 Brimstone, 2 Dingy Skip, and 1 Mother Shipton.

[trevor]

Another well behaved Mother Shipton, Ernie, a rare event.
The one I saw the other day was a total surprise.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

I don't think that I've seen such a well behaved Mother Shipton before Ernie I reckon that Small Blue's dodgy wing was caused by it not unfurling properly as it looks like if it was unfolded it would be the right size and shape and I can't see any tears

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Are Mother Shiptons being drugged this year? They seem to be regularly posing in remarkably docile fashion which is much out of character.

Nice to see you've recorded so many Small Blues, ernie. Always a positive when a scarce butterfly turns up in numbers.

[Neil Freeman]

Are Mother Shiptons being drugged this year? They seem to be regularly posing in remarkably docile fashion which is much out of character.

Hah! not round my patch they aren't. I've only seen a few so far and they have been typically hyperactive.

Nice Small Blues Ernie, they seem to be having a good year from what I have seen reported.

Cheers,

Neil.

[ernie f]

Well, I had no idea Mother Shipton's were so "whizzy" as a rule. This is only one of a whole bunch of pics I took of this one and it was pretty lethargic. Looking back through my past pics, it does seem I have very few of this species - so I guess they are difficult but I just didn't realize it.

[ernie f]

12th June 2021, Magdalen Hill - bottom bit, 10-10.30am, 19 degrees, mostly sunny

This is the bit I missed before, so I did it today. I managed to get 3 further Small Blues bringing my annual total to 76.

It is definitely Summer now. Hot sunny days, lots of early summer flowers, etc, etc - but this little enclave still had a bit of Spring left in it.

A Grizzly on 12th June? I didn't expect that. Thought at first it was another Mother Shipton.

And not one but two Greenstreaks.

Plus 4 BArgs and 2 Brims.

But summer it definitely is for the 5 C Blues, 2 S Heaths and 1 Burnet Companion.

For a mere 30 minutes and no further than about 100 paces from the car - not too shabby a haul.

[ernie f]

Some stuff from the last few days...

9th June, 7.30 PM, Front Porch

A Lesser Stag Beetle.

14th June, 10-11 AM, Noar Hill

2 Green Hairstreak – the latest I have ever seen this species in flight.
7 Cinnabar and I have seen this species in lots of places in good numbers over the last few days.

Decided to visit parts of the reserve I had never seen Small Blues in before and also parts of the reserve that were inaccessible until recent maintenance work – all on the lower slopes. Didn’t really expect to see any at all, but came away with a further 14!

That now makes Noar Hill a site record of 77 for me and my annual record for this species now stands at 90 individuals.

Red Kites are now more common around here than Buzzards and from time to time I take pics of them but mostly they are a blur. This one came out OK though.

15th June, 10-11 AM, Broxhead

Broxhead is finally “out of the gates” with this year’s Silver Studded Blues. I saw a singleton today. He had the lek and its surroundings all to himself and he made use of it too by flying over the whole area – not something this species tends to do when a few more start flying around.

Also heard my first Cuckoo of the year – better late than never, and did in fact catch a glimpse of it in flight too.

Plus a nice Grass Wave moth.

[ernie f]

June 16th, 9.30-11 AM, St Catherine’s Hill, 17-22 degrees, mixed mist/sun/cloud

I don’t think I have ever seen Small Blues at this location before but I tried anyway and failed dismally. Not a single one. It’s amazing really because Magdalen Hill has them and it is a neighboring hill to St Cat’s. Never mind – it was a fine morning once the mist had cleared, and it cleared within minutes of my arrival.

So that’s what I didn’t see today. It wouldn’t be much of a nature diary if I only noted down what I didn’t see, would it?

So, quit the rambling – what did I see?

14 Common Blues, 5 BArgs, 17 S Heaths, 1 Silver-Y, 3 Yellow Shells, my first Meadow Brown of the year and another Grizzled Skipper. The latter was my latest ever seen and it was still in pretty good condition.

And one of the Yellow Shells was very obliging, letting me photograph above and below.

But the flowers were a sight to behold. The Common Spotted orchids were coming into full bloom.

The Hounds-tongue was out. It may be considered one of our rarer weeds but it has a pretty bloom nonetheless.

But the real note-worthy thing for me today was the Bee Orchids. Seeing as I couldn’t count Small Blues to increase my annual total of them, I decided instead to count the Bee Orchids. I got the idea when I saw my first cluster of them in a location I had never seen them before. They seem to prefer the lower slope of the hill that faces the river (north I think). From the path I counted 78 – so I guess there must have been more than this out of my view. But 78 is my daily record, my location record and my annual record for this orchid. Indeed looking back – if I were able to count all the Bee Orchids I had ever seen in my life before, they would probably not total the number I saw in 30 minutes at St Cats today.

Not only that but there was a single instance of the var. belgarum.

And while the book I have on orchids tells me they are self-pollinating and may on occasion be pollinated by bees – one I saw today was covered with ants which must have been doing a similar job I would suggest.

Pictures of things I didn't see will be in a future post.

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of reports Ernie Love the stained glass Grizzlie and the Silver-studs Also like the shorthand for the Brown Argus; I often use BA as in Bad Attitude Baracus from one of my favourite kids TV programs but yours of Barg fit in nicely as it suggests Argy Bargy to me - apt considering the boisterous and belligerent nature of the butterfly

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

June 16th...and another Grizzled Skipper. The latter was my latest ever seen and it was still in pretty good condition.

Amazing how they've held out so long this year. The first ones in south Wales were recorded on 15th April (probably earlier elsewhere) and two months later they are still flying.

That's also an epic number of bee orchids, ernie. If I see half a dozen during late spring/early summer I feel I've done well.

[millerd]

That's a great late Grizzlie, Ernie. They are having a very extended season presumably because of the late spring, which seems to show what an adaptable little species they are. That hounds-tongue is an interesting-looking flower - is it a type of wild hollyhock/mallow? It's a lovely deep colour.

Cheers,

Dave

[ernie f]

Wurzel - Glad you like my term BArg. I've liked the way people abbreviate their butterflies, ever since I saw someone coining the term "Greenstreak" some years ago on this forum.
David - Yes the Bee Orchids were something else. I was a bit miffed about not being able to find the location that someone had a few years back when they said they saw some hundreds of them on a nearby roundabout! I don't think it was ever repeated.
Dave - I'm pretty sure the hounds-tongue isn't a hollyhock or mallow. The flowers are very small compared to the overall size of the plant. It resembles more of a Green Alkanet but looking it up on the internet, Comfrey is mentioned.

[jenks]

Great report and photos Ernie.

Per Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland by Marjorie Blamey, Richard and Alastair Fitter, published by Domino Guides, Bloomsbury, Houndstongue or Cynoglossum officinale, is a member of the Borage family. As are Alkanet, Comfrey and Forget me nots. Certainly a striking looking plant.

Jenks.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie I think that might have been me; I also use Whitters (White Hairstreak), PBF, SPBF, DGF, HGF, Glannie, Brostreak (Brown Hairstreak), Purp (Purple Hairstreak) and Smessex (for an unidentifiable golden skipper)) - it's a bad habit picked up from my birding days when we had Black-wit and Bar-wits (Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits) and Willow-Chiffs (too quick to identify as either Willow Warbler or Chiff- Chaff)

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely photos of the wild flowers ernie, love the shot of the Hounds -tongue, the colour is lovely, I wonder where the name came from, it doesn't suit the flower. Goldie

[ernie f]

Goldie

I'm not an expert so don't quote me but I think the Hounds-tongue name comes from the shape and texture of the seeds!

Ern

[ernie f]

23rd June 2021, Broxhead, 11.45-12.45, 18 degrees 50/50 sun/cloud

I dropped my wife off at the garden centre and sneaked off to Broxhead which is just down the road.

Thus my annual survey of the Silver-studded Blues continues. Today I counted 9 males and no females.

Also 1 Meadow Brown, 1 Grass Wave and 1 Clouded Buff - otherwise very quiet.

I then went back to the garden centre to collect my wife and when I found her she happened to be beside a plant that was being visited by a lovely Painted Lady.