millerd

[millerd]

Tuesday 3rd August promised some morning sunshine again, so tucking a healthy degree of scepticism about the forecast in my back pocket I set off for Bookham again knowing that Bugboy was already down there seeking out Brown Hairstreaks. (I see you've anticipated this post! )

On arrival he texted me to say he had already located the first male so I scurried off to find him. ("Scurried" is perhaps the wrong word, indicating an element of youthful exuberance that sadly no longer fits. Substitute "walked a bit faster than usual"... )

By the time I reached him, the original male had departed, but Bugboy had found another not far away, but not very accessible for my short-range abilities. Nevertheless, it was a first sighting - though I have to admit to disturbing the butterfly in my vain attempts to get a decent shot of it. At this point, Bugboy had to dash off (though I believe he found further Hairstreaks on the way to the station I'm pleased to say... ), so I continued the quest with just one pair of eyes.

Over the course of the morning I ended up finding perhaps six individual males, all down nectaring. The majority somehow managed to sit themselves with the light behind them, so some of the shots were initially a bit dark.

I'm still not entirely sure that the last one above was not actually a female, because of the brighter colour, but no glimpse of the upperside was forthcoming and no obvious flash of orange when it finally departed from the thistle.

Male Brown Hairstreaks seem quite happy to nectar on the hogweed in bright rather than sunny conditions, and have a knack of sneaking down to do so while your attention is elsewhere so you can turn to find one right behind you that wasn't there a moment before. They are also not easily disturbed once engrossed, and will readily return to the same spot (or one nearby) if something does interrupt their concentration. However, it takes a bit of sunshine to persuade them to open their wings, and sometimes they will forego their lunch to bask for a while. I was pleased to have one do just that today.

All in all, a very successful start to the Brown Hairstreak season.

Dave

[bugboy]

a few for that male upperside, gutted to have missed that. I didn't actually see any more after I left you but I did see a third (or rather first) up in the master tree before those two along the path. My version of the day might be ready for reading sometime near Christmas

[trevor]

An outpouring of mrgreens for your open wing male Brownie, Dave.
I like to obtain images of both sexes, and the male BH just won't oblige by opening up.

Still, its an objective that will send me out again in 2022 ( Plus a male PH showing full purple ).

Great shots and report.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant Brostreaks Dave I had a few of that type of male this year too - they seemed to work out where the sun was shining and then orientate themselves in just the right way so as to be in shadow I didn't get anywhere near as good an open winged male as your one

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers all of you - it was a very encouraging first encounter with Brown Hairstreaks for the year, and I was particularly pleased to achieve the open-winged shot. As you say, Trevor, there always has to be something still on the "to-do" list for next year, and like you I am still looking for a fresh male Purple Hairstreak with wings wide at a convenient height... Not too much to ask, surely!

I had a look at my local patch on 3rd August as well - it always manages to conjure something of interest and rarely disappoints.

First of all, another couple of fresh female Common Blues to add to the album of infinite variety...

...a relatively new Small Copper...

...a Painted Lady...

...and a very new Peacock.

There were a couple of Jersey Tigers, one of which provided an unusual view from underneath.

And of course, even without that selection, there would always be the Holly Blues.

The next day would take me rather further away...

Dave

[millerd]

Over the first few days of August I had been keeping an eye on various reports from Portland relating to newly emerged Large Tortoiseshells. I have never seen one of this splendid species, so trusting that the weather forecast for the south coast would be reasonably accurate, on Wednesday 4th August I set off reasonably early down the M3 and beyond. I had also worried a little about potential traffic, having spent lengthy periods in queues on the A31 in particular at this time of year, but magically there were no holdups at all (other than the last tedious bit negotiating the way round and through Weymouth to the island).

I drove straight to the car park at Tout Quarry (where there had been sightings just the day before as well as earlier in the week) and after an initial bit of cloud over Portland had dissipated, there were continuous blue skies for the next five hours or so. It was warm, but a gentle westerly breeze from the sea kept it from being hot - a godsend really as I spent the whole time out in the open looking at the terrific variety of butterflies this site had to offer. In fact, the constant sunshine kept everything mobile, and I came away with relatively few photos in the end.

Did I see a Large Tortoiseshell? The answer has to be "almost certainly", though without any photographic evidence to back up my suspected sightings, I will never be 100% sure. Mark Tutton, who (armed with binoculars) had definitely seen some the day before, described his experiences to me and they matched my own. I luckily had the chance to discuss this with him in person the following week at Shipton Bellinger, and thereafter became more confident that I had seen at least a couple of Large Tortoiseshells. The way things are going, the chances of seeing them again somewhere are increasing, and with luck, I'll get a photo or two - one of those unattained targets Trevor mentioned.

So, what did I see? The whole site was teeming with Chalkhill Blues - perhaps not in quite the density encountered at Denbies Hillside, but everywhere nonetheless. The second most frequent species was the Grayling. I have never seen so many anywhere, and the impressively-sized females were definitely a possible confusion species for potential Large Tortoiseshells until I got my eye attuned to them. Other heart-stoppers on this score were a number of Painted Ladies, a couple of faded female Dark Green Fritillaries and one or two female Wall Browns. Other species seen included Common Blues, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Small Heaths, Red Admirals, Peacocks, Small Skippers and Lulworth Skippers. The last of these also figured on my target for the day, and I found several worn males, though no females. I also found a very faded butterfly that I am pretty sure was a Silver-studded Blue.

I shall post the butterfly photos separately, but as a taster here is one of the amazing views from this spot on what was a glorious summer's day.

Dave

[trevor]

Your day at Portland mirrors mine ( two years ago ) in some respects.
Basically, a long journey, and nothing in the camera to show for it.
I don't doubt that you had a sighting, and your expectations were raised.

Imagine my emotions when a ginger coloured butterfly landed on a distant
fence at Church Ope cove, and the deflation when it turned out to be a Comma.

The amount of time you spend ' out in the field ', increases your chances of just
stumbling upon a Large Tort, and maybe close to home!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant shot of the the Tombolo Dave That's somewhere I've never been for butterflies true it's given me plenty of great sightings when out birding; a Booted Warbler and a Melodious Warbler three feet away, Pomarine Skuas and a Chris Packham heading back from a sea-watch at the Bill and the best by far a Rosy Starling with my wife Rosie ; but nowt on the butterfly front. Maybe next year a joint trip could be made?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

In the end, despite a certain degree of disappointment, it didn't feel like a day wasted - though the camera was not put to as much use as I had hoped. You're right, Trevor - one may turn up unexpectedly somewhere as you have discovered yourself!

Definitely worth an outing, Wurzel - put a reminder in the diary, maybe for discussion at the Winter Social?

Here is a selection of what I did manage to see in the quarry. It is an impressive place, with the paths running between limestone walls where huge chunks of stone have been removed. There are wide open areas and narrow gullies affording shelter from the wind off the nearby sea. Bramble and buddleia abound, plus wildflowers typical of limestone/chalk, thus providing nectar for the wide variety of species present.

most of the Chalkhills seen were fresh males

only a few females in comparison

several Chalkhill pairs seen

a few Common Blues here and there

what looks to me to be an elderly male Silver-studded Blue - they do occur here

several males, living up to their names and mostly settling on vertical rock faces

this large female in particular provided some excitement before stopping and revealing its true identity...

this species also provided one or two heart-stopping moments

not this one though - there were quite a few on the gully buddleia bushes

a fresh Small Skipper found high up in a shrub - most were at ground level and much more worn

The Graylings were very difficult to approach in the bright sunshine despite their abundance, and like the Walls, preferred to settle on the exposed rock faces with occasional nectar stops on inaccessible bits of buddleia.

I therefore amused myself trying to capture them in flight, aided a bit by the constant chases going on as the relatively dull males pursued bright females. Some of the females were very large and very bright in flight, once again leading to a double-take or two.

Finally, there was the other target species of the day, the Lulworth Skipper. I found this butterfly exclusively in the narrow gullies running westwards towards the sea, and their presence was given away by their constant scrapping with Small Skippers. They were all males in both cases, near enough equally worn, but the Lulworths were easy to distinguish by their dark olive-brown colour and in some cases the faint pattern of golden spots on the forewings was just about discernable.

so old and worn that it almost looks as if grass has started to grow on its body...

you can just make out the forewing pattern on this one

A very enjoyable day overall (and the traffic was equally kind for the return trip too - that must be a first!).

Dave

[millerd]

After that glorious day in the sunshine, Thursday 5th August heralded a return to the generally cloudy conditions that have characterised summer 2021 in the south of England. Nevertheless, it remained bright and certainly not cold so I headed off to catch up with Denbies once again.

The numbers of Chalkhill Blues appeared undiminished, and they have certainly attracted the notice of casual walkers this year. I did my best not to be sidetracked by them (to start with at any rate...), and as I passed the top of the set of steps where Green Hairstreaks can readily be found in the spring, my eye was drawn to some hogweed flowers, probably because a couple of days earlier the ones at Bookham were home to male Brown Hairstreaks. Lo and behold, sitting on one of these flowers was exactly that - not at all what I expected. I'd never come across this species at Denbies (though it is known to occur here) and was very pleased to see it. The butterfly was very fresh, but in its short existence had attracted the attention of a bird - which had neatly removed the tails from its wings and demonstrating their evolutionary value to the species in the process. The butterfly posed nicely, even opening its wings briefly.

As I carried on across the slopes, I spotted a Clouded Yellow careering along near the bottom, and then another. These two continued wide circuits of the hillside, occasionally encountering each other but rarely stopping unless it became a bit cloudier. Both individuals passed close to me at one point or another, and I could see that both were males and that one was fresher and brighter than the other. As luck would have it, when I was finally able to track one to a roosting spot when the sun disappeared, it was the more worn one. Never mind, Cloudies have been few and far between this year and close approaches even more so.

Clouded Yellows are very adept at finding yellowing foliage to roost on, and searching for them in cloudy weather even when you know they must be present is no easy task.

Other interest included another egg-laying female DGF down in the grass...

...a bright new Red Admiral soaking up what limited rays there were...

...and among the many Meadow Browns was an example of one where the orange colour was virtually absent - possibly ab. alba.

Which just leaves the Chalkhill Blues. On the subject of possible abs, there was one with diminished underside spotting.

There were still plenty of fresh males...

...and the usual groups on dubious substances.

There were also increasing numbers of females.

They seem on this early showing to lack the variety seen up at Aston Rowant.

All in all a very varied outing, with a few surprises thrown in - no day ever seems to lack something unexpected!

Dave

[trevor]

Your open wing Grayling shots were great compensation for the lack of LT''s Dave.
I saw that behaviour once, but was too slow with the camera!.
Good to see your Clouded Yellow, they have not been at all frequent so far this season.

Still a few weeks left, stay well,

Trevor,

[millerd]

Thank you, Trevor - going for the open-wing shots does make Grayling studies more interesting than trying to locate extraordinarily well-camouflaged butterflies on the ground! I'm still hoping for some more Cloudies before the end of the season, and your report from Southwick provides a bit of encouragement on that score...

Friday 6th August was a better day, and with another trip north planned for the following day I headed out locally as it might well be a week before I could see it again - a lot can change in a week!

I managed to count a total of around 150 butterflies made up from 15 species, which seems to be the highest species count I've reached on any one day this year. Top of the leader board today was the Holly Blue - clearly the second brood is emerging all at once - followed closely by the Common Blue. These two, plus Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers (close behind in numbers), made up two-thirds of that 150 total.

I came across a pair of Common Blues where the male was pressing his intentions persistently on an unwilling female. They made a particularly colourful sight, as both were fresh and she was a stunning example of a blue female.

There was another very new female in the mix as well, but of a completely different type.

The female Holly Blues were behaving as per the books today, carefully laying on the ivy buds and basking in between bouts, much as Brown Hairstreaks do on the blackthorn.

A nice new female Brown Argus was flying among the Common Blues...

...and I was also pleased to find a Small Tortoiseshell. I had pretty well given up hope of seeing any more of these here until next spring.

Speckled Woods have had a very poor year so far so I am hoping the sighting today is the first of a better late summer brood.

Finally, the four Painted Ladies seen must be the beginning of a local-grown generation - fitting well with the small migrant influx back in May and early June.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Briliant set of reports Dave - those in flight Grayling are cracking - good call on the Silver-stud too I reckon Still not seen a Cloudy The Social will be here before we know it

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wuzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel! There seem to be a few more Cloudies around along the coast this week - you may have to arrange a trip to the seaside...

On Saturday 7th August, I headed north again. For various reasons, my route took me along the Southam Bypass and I stopped briefly to see if any second brood Small Blues were flying. (I did see a second brood here a few years back, so it was worth a look.) All I found was a single Common Blue, and in the end that was the only butterfly I saw that day.

I spent the next few days at my sister's in Wilberfoss near York. The weather could have been a bit better, but there was a bit of sunshine on most days, and her butterfly-friendly garden tempted a few things in. I'll post an amagamation of sightings after a couple of more specific outings in the area.

On Monday 9th August, it was reasonably warm and bright, with a bit of actual sunshine. I called in first at Calley Heath, expecting that it might well be between Small Copper broods at this reliable site for them. I think I was right - I only managed to find two or three, and the only fresh one evaded the camera.

There was a good selection of other common species, of which the Peacocks were most numerous...

...that is apart from the Brown Argus. There is a dependable colony here, and I found half or dozen or so.

The non-butterfly bonus here was this rather fine toad, encountered when I was failing to photograph the fresh Small Copper - the distraction being partly why I lost track of the butterfly!

Dave

[millerd]

It actually looked a bit sunnier towards the east, so after Calley Heath I continued just past Market Weighton to Kiplingcotes on the chalk. There were far fewer butterflies than on my last visit here at the start of July, but amazingly a few tired examples of Marbled Whites were still (just about) flying.

All but gone too were the dozens of Small Tortoiseshells - this faded relic had not been joined yet by any new brood examples like those I had just seen a few miles further west.

There were still quite a few Small Skippers, though these were also looking worn now.

A new Peacock had somehow managed to go through the mill in its short life - I don't think its chances of a successful hibernation will be high, though you never know...

White butterflies predominated overall, with examples of all three - though GVW were by far the commonest here and included a couple of pairings..

I came across a noticeaby fresh female Gatekeeper amongst several worn examples.

Finally, there were a handful of reasonably new-looking male Common Blues.

Dave

[millerd]

As mentioned, my sister's garden in Wilberfoss is full of nectar sources, and good numbers of common species of butterflies come to visit. During my few days there, the sun was a bit hit and miss, but I managed to see Small, Large and GV Whites, Red Admirals, Peacocks, Commas, Small Tortoiseshells, Holly Blues, Speckled Woods, a Meadow Brown, a Gatekeeper and a Brimstone. There was also one other I'd not seen in the garden before: I spotted something moving around inside the shady interior of a large hollyhock flower, which when it found its way back out turned out to be a Brown Argus. Presumably the nectar gets smeared on the inside of the petals by other pollinating insects as that's where the butterfly's interest appeared to be concentrated.

One of the Small Tortoiseshells also found these flowers to its liking.

Various other flowers attracted other species...

Brimstones seem unable to resist these crocosmia flowers

...but as you might expect, a traditional pink buddleia was the centre of most attention.

None of the Holly Blues visited the flowers, but one female came and basked a bit from time to time...

...as did the Whites.

Small White male and GVW female

The Peacocks were probably the most numerous at this time (though I've been told that Small Tortoiseshells appeared in numbers a couple of weeks later), and certainly were the most prone to posing in the sunshine.

I was fascinated by the circular shadow cast by the butterfly...

Enjoying this garden in August is one of the highlights of my year.

Dave

[Wurzel]

"Cheers, Wurzel! There seem to be a few more Cloudies around along the coast this week - you may have to arrange a trip to the seaside... " Not this weekend unfortunately

Your sisters garden looks like my idea of a perfect butterfly spot - plenty of butterflies, a nice range of species and all within easy reach of a cuppa

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

A shame you couldn't manage a few hours with the sea air doing you good, Wurzel, and maybe yellow butterflies drifting past... I doubt it will help to mention I spotted one on my local patch today (not that it stopped of course ).

Yes, my sister's garden is great for variety in the summer. The climate in that area east of York is warmer and sunnier than you might imagine for the latitude. and the Wolds often seem to keep the pernicious North Sea fog and low cloud away.

Dave

[millerd]

I had been eyeing the forecast for these days in northern climes for some days and it had become apparent that Tuesday 10th August might perhaps be the best of a rather average job for driving over to Cumbria and Smardale Gill. By all accounts the Scotch Argus had been out since the start of the month at least, and were flying in good numbers. The drive took exactly two hours (including a coffee stop at Leeming Bar), and it was reasonably warm with a bit of sunshine when I arrived.

As I made my way from the car park to the start of the path along the old railway track, I was brought to a halt by a small group of camera-wielding folk taking an interest in something clearly not a butterfly. In fact, all these good people had, like me, come to this spot for the Scotch Argus but there was a good reason to be side-tracked. A little way ahead, sitting on a feeder clearly put there for the purpose, was a Red Squirrel.

I had never seen one in the UK before, and I was happy enough to postpone butterfly-hunting for a while. We all kept our distance - if we approached too close, the little chap made as if to leave, but the temptation of the free nut-feast always proved too much and back he came for "just one more".

Eventually, he did decide to go, but not before chittering loudly at us all.

What a splendidly worthwhile diversion before the butterflies!

Dave

[PhilM]

What a splendid individual that red squirrel is millerd. I'm lucky enough to live just a few miles from Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset. A while back I used to go there quite often and, as long as the weather wasn't chucking it down, get to see red squirrels on most trips in one of their few natural strongholds in the UK. They are easy to spot, quite skittish though and very fast. There are no greys on the island at all so it makes for a decent habitat for the reds. There is also a large bird sanctuary on the island jointly managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust and The National Trust. It's a haven for waders and recently white tailed eagles have been seen flying above, the ones (or their offspring) that were originally re-introduced on the Isle of Wight. It's well worth a visit to Brownsea, especially if people fancy a change from butterflies, you can get a passenger ferry from Poole Quay or Sandbanks on most days of the year (check first). Nothing especially exciting from from the Lepidoptera world though, not that I've managed to see anyway.

Here is a link to the Brownsea Island website. Autumn is a fantastic time to see the red squirrels there as they are very active then.
https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/brownsea-island

Cheers,
Phil.