Due to personal reasons, it has been a year since my last activity on UK Butterflies and oh have I missed you all. Glad to be back with some posts at last.
Smardale Gill - Cumbria (2nd August 2021)
A much needed family holiday was spend in the Yorkshire Dales this summer and I took the opportunity to venture across the boundary into Cumbria for a trip to the beautiful Smardale Gill Nature Reserve near Kirkby Stephen. The target being Scotch Argus, a species I had not yet seen in the UK.
I had seen reports that a handful of adults had emerged, but the morning we chose was very warm and sunny and we hoped that our visit might coincide with the mass emergence. We were not to be disappointed.
As we pulled into the car park, we were treated to the sighting of Red Squirrel (another first for us). As we set off along the mile long footpath to the viaduct, another Red Squirrel was seen too. As we progressed, the tree cover gave way to sunny banks full of wildflowers and the fresh Scotch Argus appeared in good numbers, pirouetting up the grass stems after drying their wings. In the few hundred yards to the viaduct there must have been 200+ and they were mostly photogenic. We could have wandered much further, but we got caught up enjoying the mass numbers of butterflies. A number of other species were seen including Dark Green Fritillary. There was a report of a single Northern Brown Argus, but sadly I did not see it.
This has to be one of the nicest places in the UK I have visited for butterflies and would recommend it to anyone.
Kind Regards Kev
