David M

[David M]

..but if I were to head your way when would you imagine the peak to be? About now I guess?

Thanks, Ben. Yes, around now is the peak, but the flight season is quite long and I expect a few to make it to August this year.

If you need any information just let me know nearer the time.

Saturday 26th June – Welcome cloud cover….

It was warm and humid today thanks to this damp air we’ve got from the low pressure over northern France, and the weather forecast was for mainly cloudy skies all day.

I didn’t want to travel far in case there was a deluge, but I thought I’d use the cloud cover to my advantage to try and get close to Marbled Whites on Whiteford Dunes.

Prior to entering the dunes, I saw my first Small Skipper of the year near the woodland edge at this site:

About 15 minutes later, I saw my first Marbled White flying in one of the grassy craters. He was quite flighty considering how cloudy it was but he eventually came down:

Not long after, I saw a second one in this stretch:

He was content to settle for extended periods too, allowing a close approach:

At all times he was keeping his wings open, although I did manage an underside when he alighted on some bedstraw:

Lots of Small Heaths about, and a fair few Meadow Browns. There were also Large Skippers, Common Blues, a couple of Speckled Woods, a Dark Green Fritillary and a Large White.

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, you've got some lovely shots of the Marbled White and Small Skipper, it was murky here first thing yesterday but when the Sun came out it was really warm, I found the Small Skipper hard to shoot, it never seemed to stop very long before it was off again Goldie

[David M]

Thanks, Goldie. Yes, Small Skippers are almost constantly on the move, unlike Large Skippers which seem to prefer perching for long periods.

Sunday 27th June – Utter incompetence….

I had no choice regarding where to go today. Almost all the southern half of the UK was forecast cloudy and wet, but at 7.30am the BBC was showing the south west of Wales as full sun from 9 till 10, then sunny intervals from 10am till midday, whereupon it would cloud over for the afternoon.

I duly arrived at St Govan’s Head in Pembroke at 9.30am only to find this:

There was hardly any wind so little chance of the murk overhead shifting, so I resolved to walk around and see if I could ‘flush’ any butterflies from their temporary roosts, in between admiring the coastal scenery:

In the first hour I disturbed 6: 3 Common Blues, 2 Small Heaths and a Large Skipper. Thankfully, the seventh was the one I had come for – Silver Studded Blue:

Some while later I came across another:

I stood and watched this torpid butterfly for nearly half an hour, praying for a break in the clouds, but none came. He only moved when a gust of wind caught him and he ended up clinging on to the wire fence:

It was almost noon by now, but I noticed that the clouds were actually thinning, which was contrary to the forecast. As the first glimpses of the sun arrived, so too did a third male SSB. This was the first properly active butterfly I’d seen all morning:

I decided I’d return to the sheltered valley that leads to a small bay at this site:

I was glad I climbed part way up the hill to take that image, as a butterfly suddenly took flight that I couldn’t identify for a few seconds. When it settled I got a bit of a surprise – a Grayling:

The sun then came out for a few minutes and I was aware that there were quite a few of them flying around this slope; certainly at least 15:

I’m more used to seeing this species in mid to late July, but clearly they emerge early at this coastal site. It feels a bit odd seeing them in numbers when Meadow Browns are still so thin on the ground. Other species seen were Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Dark Green Fritillary.

On the way back home, it was sunny and warm, so I stopped off at Glanymor Park in Loughor to see if any White Letter Hairstreaks were about. There were none, but I did find my first summer brood Comma of the year:

[David M]

Wednesday 30th June – Hairstreak hunt…..

I had been tipped off about a location near Tongwynlais for White Letter Hairstreak so I duly drove down the M4 to Junction 32 and found the elm trees in question quite easily:

This Ringlet kept me company for a little while:

There were several WLHs flying around the canopy, but in the two hours I spent patiently surveying these elms, none ever descended below the upper branches, which meant that once again I had to rely on firing off images on zoom and hoping that I would be able to see the butterflies after uploading them to my PC. These were the best I managed:

Several years ago, there was a colony in Long Wood Nature Reserve, which is just on the other side of the motorway junction. I thought it wouldn’t do any harm to check in for an hour, although the elm the former colony was centred on died around 2014.

To enter the reserve, you first need to pass over this bridge:

There are several elms growing here, but they are almost completely in shade. However, whilst crossing, a small butterfly caught my eye and when it settled I took a quick image through the foliage:

I was astounded that a White Letter Hairstreak would be pottering around this cool, shaded area, but I was able to slowly pull the branch down to get a little closer, although the light wasn’t conducive to photography:

Butterflying is full of surprises, and this was a particularly pleasant one!

[Pauline]

I could do with a few surprises like that David . D'you think perhaps she was looking for somewhere to egg-lay? I haven't managed to see any females yet In fact, imo, many species are not just late, their numbers are also well down.

[jenks]

Fantastic David. I recognise the rock face in that first photo, its 5 minutes from where I live ! I`ve never thought to look there for WLH but I certainly will do so now. And regards the meadow, the last time I found WLH here was 29 June 2017, the afternoon after the funeral of much missed Will Jones (Willrow) who posted on this site. Time to check that out again !
I went to Old Castle Down, Ewenny, on Friday morning and had c20 large Fritillaries, 2 of which I managed to track down nectaring on Bramble blossom and photograph, identifying them as definitely High Browns. Loads of Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath, 5 Large Skipper and 1 very fresh-looking Comma also seen. The Elm tree near the gun club which used to be home to WLH is now completely dead and I didn`t see any WLH thereabouts or on the adjacent Bramble patch but whilst scanning this a White Admiral flew past, the first I`ve seen at this site. In the afternoon I went over to Slade Wood, Caldicot, and had another White Admiral there, 6-7 feet up, resting in an Ash tree (looking to lay eggs perhaps ?). I was concerned when I parked at the end of the track by the green forestry gate to find 2 parked cars and 2 men who appeared to be carrying out some "transaction". I hid my bins and small camera and hurried off along the path. The two men quickly drove away and it was about 100 yards along the path that I saw the WA. The only drug I need is fresh air.

Jenks.

[David M]

...D'you think perhaps she was looking for somewhere to egg-lay?

Struggling to see any other plausible explanation, Pauline. Having said that, the images I took showed the proboscis dabbing against the elm leaf, and it was a fairly hot day.

[David M]

...The Elm tree near the gun club which used to be home to WLH is now completely dead and I didn`t see any WLH thereabouts or on the adjacent Bramble patch but whilst scanning this a White Admiral flew past, the first I`ve seen at this site.

Gareth, that is a very significant sighting and I hope you have reported it.

Strangely enough, I was only commenting to Stevieb during his visit on 1st July about how ideal the site was for White Admiral. It would be wonderful if they colonised it. There's plenty of honeysuckle and shaded woodland which is what they need.

[David M]

Friday 2nd July – Woodland adventure….

I saw my first Silver Washed Fritillary the previous day at the High Brown site near Bridgend. However, I fancied getting close to some fresh specimens and the best place I know to do that is at Lower Woods, near Wickwar in Gloucestershire.

There were plenty of them about; certainly over 30, but getting images of them proved trickier than I had anticipated, with the males constantly zooming around in search of females and barely nectaring at all.

I managed to locate a fresh female myself and this gave me my first opportunity:

With so many males around, it was inevitable that a handful would be seen settled:

Another species I was hoping to see was White Admiral. The Wildlife Trust official at the entrance didn’t fill me with hope when he told me he didn’t think any had been seen yet, but I eventually came across one in a shady ride:

This Comma was irresistible perched on an elm leaf:

Other species seen were huge numbers of Meadow Browns, dozens of Ringlets, Large & Small Skippers, a handful of Red Admirals, two Marbled Whites and a nice, fresh Small Tortoiseshell:

[Katrina]

Great SWF and White Admiral undersides - I find them both tricky so brilliant you got 2 in one day!

[Matsukaze]

My wife tells me there were plenty of golden skippers on Fairwood Common earlier this week - last month we caught up with Marsh Fritillary there but not SPBF - the weather was repeatedly unhelpful. I though there have to be WLH in the valley at Parkmill, which looks perfect for them, but as always finding the spot to look for them would be the problem.

[David M]

Great SWF and White Admiral undersides - I find them both tricky so brilliant you got 2 in one day!

Thanks, Katrina. Yes, they are tricky early in the flight season, but these two species get tatty very quickly as you will know, so it's always nice to pin a few down prior to that happening.

My wife tells me there were plenty of golden skippers on Fairwood Common earlier this week - last month we caught up with Marsh Fritillary there but not SPBF - the weather was repeatedly unhelpful. I though there have to be WLH in the valley at Parkmill, which looks perfect for them, but as always finding the spot to look for them would be the problem.

Shame you missed out on SPBF, Chris. They are often to be found in the slightly drier areas of the Common. As for WLHs, I keep surveying the local elms, and although I’ve seen tell-tale feeding damage on many of the leaves, I’ve yet to see any adults.

[David M]

Friday 23rd July - Playing catch-up…..

A degree or two cooler today, with a fairly light but refreshing breeze. I had primed my neighbour for a splendid butterfly excursion to escape the monotony of hiding in the house all this week whilst the sauna outdoors played out.

We arrived at Savernake Forest just before 830am; a place that had been recommended to me by a local guy I had met at White Sheet Hill in Wilts at the beginning of June. Fellow forum member Stevieb had also confirmed that Purple Emperors could regularly be seen around the monument at the southern end of this vast forest so I thought I’d give it a go.

The early arrival was rewarded by a different kind of purple, as there were a handful of Purple Hairstreaks pottering around the brambles and the scrub, occasionally alighting to rest and take fluids. I didn’t waste the rare opportunity to actually crouch to photograph this species:

There were hundreds of butterflies in the long, cleared corridor behind the monument. Especially numerous were golden skippers although there were multi-dozens of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Marbled Whites too. I also saw a couple of Hedge Browns, my first of the year.

After a little while soaking all this up, it was time to concentrate on the monument:

It wasn’t long before an Emperor appeared, flying around the top of the structure, prior to descending to bask and take salts from the pillar:

The lower surround by the railings had been baited, and after half an hour or so where, for a brief couple of minutes, a second Emperor had been circling, the original male came down:

After 15 minutes or so, he decided to fly back onto the monument, head facing downwards, teasing the assembled audience. However, one member of this gathering commented that she had seen a couple on the track about quarter of a mile away. I figured there was nothing to lose by walking down there, and was surprised to find three different grounded individuals, along with a fourth on the way back (although that could easily have been one of the earlier ones seen).

Two of these looked as though they’d been out for several days, carrying scratches and nicks, but the third one was very fresh looking:

We decided to leave just after midday, having enjoyed an unexpectedly good morning.

[trevor]

A great adventure at Savernake David, and you arrived at the right time
to catch Purple Hairstreaks low down. On a warm morning I recon 7.30 to 8.30
is the ideal time.
I've heard about the monument there being a regular haunt of the Emperor.
As my Daughter lives not too far from Savernake maybe I'll give it a try next year.

Interesting report and images,
Trevor.

[Benjamin]

Brilliant morning by the sounds of it David. By all accounts Savernake has been particularly good this year. The Sussex sites have been relatively poor as expected (a poor year for knepp still delivers lots of butterflies), probably due to the drought conditions that led to many trees dropping lower leaves hosting larvae last August. Sallows are in unusually excellent condition though, and the weather (up until last night) has been good for the egg lay, so reason to be positive.

[Katrina]

Wonderful to see both the Purples up close.

[David M]

A great adventure at Savernake David, and you arrived at the right time
to catch Purple Hairstreaks low down. On a warm morning I recon 7.30 to 8.30 is the ideal time.
I've heard about the monument there being a regular haunt of the Emperor.
As my Daughter lives not too far from Savernake maybe I'll give it a try next year.

Yes, Trevor. By 9.15am the Hairstreaks had disappeared so clearly they had done what they needed to do by then.

I didn't know Emperors could be regularly seen grounded at Savernake; I'd have been happy to observe a few flying around the monument in all honesty, but given what happened in the late morning, I'd recommend a visit along the track as well as by the monument because this is a possibly a location that goes under the radar....and also doesn't see the crowds that other known sites do.

Wonderful to see both the Purples up close.

Thanks, Katrina. That was the first time I’ve ever been able to move right in on BOTH these species on the same day. Was very satisfying.

[Maximus]

A fantastic audience with HIM (and others), at Savernake, David. Great posts and photos all the way through Am also enjoying you Spanish visit reports, some great species there

[David M]

Brilliant morning by the sounds of it David. By all accounts Savernake has been particularly good this year. The Sussex sites have been relatively poor as expected (a poor year for knepp still delivers lots of butterflies), probably due to the drought conditions that led to many trees dropping lower leaves hosting larvae last August. Sallows are in unusually excellent condition though, and the weather (up until last night) has been good for the egg lay, so reason to be positive.

Many thanks for this, Ben. I had wondered why some of the south eastern sites were less productive than usual this summer. Your comments regarding the condition of last year's sallows explain things very plausibly.

[David M]

A fantastic audience with HIM (and others), at Savernake, David. Great posts and photos all the way through Am also enjoying you Spanish visit reports, some great species there

Thanks, Mike. I'd still have traded those Emperors for a Large Tortoiseshell on my buddleia!