Wurzel

[millerd]

Come on, Wurzel, get a grip - you're only six weeks behind. You're starting to catch up!

A great selection of early spring butterflies, and once again I have to offer a or two for all those Small Tortoiseshells. It looks like you've had good numbers of Commas making it through this last winter too - which at least is the same round my way.

Cheers,

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Great reports recently Wurzel. It looks like your numbers for the early spring species have been similar to mine.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I know I need to slow down, being only this far behind feels a little freaky A few more Commas today
Cheers Neil It seems to have been (anecdotally) a decent spring round this way

Middle Street 27-03-2022

After finding my first Specklies at Five Rivers the day before I wondered if they were also out at Middle Street. There was only one way to find out and so off I trotted through the park, across the wooden bridge, along the Town Path and round past the Mill…When I stepped on site I immediately headed down the back path which is quickly becoming impassable but on the tops of the more erect flowers I spotted first a Peacock and then a Small Tort. At the Scallop/Wood Pile there was a second Small Tort so things were going well…a couple of butterflies means that I have another post to write up.

I carried on round to the Hotspot where a Comma was sitting down in the dried-up pond playing hard to get. It would wait for me to get within focusing distance before taking to the air and flying away from my before veering sharply back and flying straight at me. Whilst I was trying to turn my head round quickly enough to keep it within view it would pull a sneaky twist and veer and momentarily disappear. After a moment or two it would reappear and settle back down an equidistance away from me. Only to then repeat the whole performance ad infinitum I expect if I’d let it! Instead I climbed back out and notched up another two Small Torts as they did strafing runs across the small field at the Hotspot.

After this I followed the River Path around adding a further 2 or 3 Small Torts before making my way into a surprisingly quiet Dip 1 which only had a Small Tort and that was right on the far side and dangerously close to being in Dip 2’s jurisdiction. Finding the Small Tort had brought me to the river side of Dip 1 and so as I entered Dip 2 the river was behind me which confused the local residents. The brace of Peacocks that seem to have set up camp here were very put out by my change in schedule/routine and huffed and puffed about in the Dip making photography difficult. Dip 3 was bare and at the End there were two Peacocks and a Small Tort all squabbling over the little hollow where two tracks intersected.

I now made my way back to both retrace my steps and recount the butterflies but not before admiring a few of the Beeflies along the way. The recount started with a Small Tort and then I relocated the two Peacocks and the Small Tort still arguing over sunbathing spots in the little hollow. It seemed that the second Peacock had nipped off with the first Peacocks towel and while it was throwing it in the pool the Small Tort had nipped in and nicked its spot! Just over the intersecting path I found another 2 Small Torts which I don’t think I’d encountered earlier; I’d missed them by entering Dip 2 by the back door. This had obviously upset the resident Peacocks more than I’d realised as when re-entered they were nowhere to be seen, instead they’d been replaced by a Small Tort and a Comma. A Brimstone appeared from across the river and was soon joined by a second but all I could do was watch them tease me; flying more and more slowly and then circling a particular spot, sensing my anticipation and then nipping off to another mass of flowers. In Dip 1 there were three of the little blighters all tormenting me in a similar vain and even the two Small Torts started misbehaving, egged on by the Brimstones I presume. The final part of my check saw me back at the dried-up pond where the Comma (I assume it was the same one) was still holding court to no-one in the middle.

I was just about to walk through the gate and start for home when I found my feet steering me right instead of left so I walked down the road towards the corner of Upper and Middle Street. As I strolled alongside the stream which would eventually feed into the river down at the Old Mill I cast my eyes over the vegetation cascading down the bank and a ginger something popped out from amid the green. As I trailed one leg gingerly down the steep side of the bank so that I could lean in closer I saw that there were in fact two Comma, sitting peacefully about 15cm apart. After successfully getting my shots and without falling in I carried on and a Brimstone shot past – I don’t know when I’ll actually be able to get a shot of this species this year – they really are playing hard to get. When I first arrived there were a pair of Peacocks and another fly-by Brimstone. The Peacocks were spooked by some passers-by so I walked a little way down the track that leads into the woods and Old Meadows Walk and there were three Small Torts playing in the sun. I could have stayed a lot longer just watching their antics but now is not the time to tarry, now is the time to get back early and so accrue the Brownie Points. Hence I started back. As I was in ‘head down and get home’ mode there wasn’t much barring a Peacock in one of the gardens at Harcourt and before that a grab shot (so the best for the year so far) of a Brimstone in the Border Garden. So in answer to the original question to myself – no the Specklies weren’t out at yet Middle Street but after a great afternoon this really didn’t matter.

Back at Middle Street
The Vanessids still hold sway
Specklies not welcome?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 28-03-2022

As the Small Torts were starting to wan I decided to check out paths less well trodden and so instead of turning off left through the gate to continue onwards staring into gardens in the estate I clung to the school boundary making for the back path. All had been quiet as I walked and reached about half way the hedge/fence when all of a sudden a tiny, vivid blue butterfly took off from ahead of me and flew rapidly towards me. It was my first Holly blue of the year and totally unexpected here. I watched and whispered the mantra “land…land…land” it as it flew weakly against the breeze. It appeared that somehow I’d gained the ‘ken o’ the mysterious Millerd’ for the butterfly gave up battling the bluster and plopped down. I started dancing the ‘click-step’ until I was within range and the butterfly was even better behaved as it started to open up. I left it on the branch and as I walked on down the fence/hedge I wondered if it would end up in the large Holly trees that were dotted along the top of the field?

As I approached the far corner of the field a Small Tort put in an appearance and then I dove down the Back path which was very quiet. In fact I didn’t see another butterfly until I’d reached the PPP. I felt like I was being taught how to countdown as there were 3 Small Torts, then 2 and finally at the end there was a singleton. Gone were the heady days of double digit counts but I pressed on and recounted on the trip back. Starting with the one at the end there were another 2 near the PPP and a brace in one of the neighbouring gardens. And with that it all went quiet despite looking into every garden on the return leg.

The odd couple...

So endeth this particular transect for this season. After a short hiatus because of Mocks and the official exam season it’ll be back to checking the Pits and the far hedge for golden skippers and the various Browns…I can’t wait!
Next to no Small Torts
So ends the back path vigils
Only ‘til next year…
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Middle Street 02-04-2022

So it was another day and another trip over to Middle Street. I ‘d debated about making the visit as the forecast hadn’t been great and the small patches of sunshine had become fewer and farther between but I felt the need to get out and figuring that Specklies often hang around even during dull days I bit the bullet, grabbed my camera and made my way over…

All was quiet on the journey over and so it continued as I wandered down the Back Path. I took the sightings of a Tawny Mining Bee and various Dotted Beeflies (them with the dark bottoms and obvious white stripe) as a good omen and so carried on with slightly more of a spring in my step. The sun was fleeting and the cloud was short lived and so to go along with the spring in my step I also felt a slight sense of urgency. The Hotspot was quiet, so quiet I briefly considered a name change to the ‘cool spot’ and I wandered around the corner to stare out across the reeds to the river. A Small Tort popped and did its best to fly along the bottom of the reeds in dull.

Keeping to the Bank Path I followed it to the Dips where a second Small Tort was holding court in the middle of the little hollow on the corner. It was slightly warmer down there, shielded as it was on two sides by the banked paths and a huge Bramble on the others. Once I’d acquainted myself I climbed out and after a few steps along the Bank climbed back down into Dip 1 proper. I was glad I had my jumper and slightly regretful that I’d not brought my coat but even in the chill and drear I still managed to find a brace of Small Torts. Previous visits had brought 4 or five different species good numbers too yet today it was proving hard work and there was only the single species on the tally; it felt like I’d gone back in time to February. At the End another lone Small Tort sat waiting for the sun to come out again – it was getting a little monotonous…

Once I’d reached the end I started back to see if I could pick up anything else when the occasional patch of sun shone. I managed to relocate the End Small Tort and then walked back along the entire length of the Bank Path, scanning down into the Dips and across the field as I went but not seeing anything as the cloud had swallowed the cloud most successfully. The dullness was starting to get to me, I could feel my serotonin dropping drastically with each passing minute and looking up at the heavens I reckoned that things weren’t going to get any better so I cut my losses, turned around and made for home. As I was passing the corner of Dip 1 the Small Tort was still sitting in its place and this cheered me up enough to give Dip 1 a final once over.

I found only one Small Tort in Dip 1 and followed it as it flew weakly under the ever darkening sky before plopping down in the odd bare spot or where the grass was shorter. In the chill I offered it my finger and it eagerly accepted absorbing some warmth which must have given it enough energy to find a more suitable little grass tent to shelter in as after a few moments it opened and closed its wings a few times and then fluttered off disappearing from sight deep in the vegetation.

As I meandered homewards I was left hoping that the sudden chill wouldn’t knock things back too much? This trip out confirmed two things I already knew; first that if you’re in doubt just go out as there will always be something to see and second Small Torts should definitely be considered in the running for the ‘Hardest Butterfly’ butterfly award (which will of course be awarded by Arnie himself in full Swallowtail outfit – now there’s a cheerful thought).
With only Small Torts
Had I travelled back in time?
Just a cold April
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Five Rivers 09-04-2022

As in most years as Spring rolls ever on until its collision with summer I find that my visits and trips generally get earlier and earlier as the butterflies start to become more and more active with the longer days and rising temperatures. Hence on this Saturday morning I found myself strolling towards Five Rivers at around 10ish. I don’t think that the butterflies had got the memo detailing the change up in schedule though as when I wandered through the Glades my peeled eyes detected nothing in the way of lepidoptera. It wasn’t until I reached the corner at the start of the Banks that I was able to make my first entry in my notebook when a Small White drifted like an overlarge piece of blossom along the path towards me. Something slightly smaller and browner nipped up from the undergrowth to make sure it kept proceeding (possibly a Specklie?) before the White dropped down and took some nectar. The subsequent trawl along the Banks saw me picking up only two Small Torts, one each on either side of the demarking line of trees. It again led credence to the Small Tort being the hardest butterfly in the garden but also made me wonder if I’d shifted the schedule a little too much or whether the thick layer of cloud that had bubbled up was keeping the butterflies tucked up in their beds?

As the cloud cover kept things under-wraps I wandered back along the Banks and on along the river track to the Glades to await the re-emergence of the sun. As I took the final footsteps before entering the Glades out it popped and with it came the butterflies in this previously vacant spot. Two Specklies proved quite frustrating as they kept winding each other up. One would sit on the deck or a piece of low-lying vegetation trying to get a moments peace when the other would fly in and dive bomb the first one. A flurry of blows would be exchanged, there would be some harried chasing and then they would spiral up and up before breaking apart. They would then fly to opposite ends of the tiny clearing before repeating the whole things again and again. The only way to get any shots it seemed was to pounce the moment one or the other hit the deck after breaking from the death spiral. Much easier was a Comma that was fussing around the nettle patch. As I got in closer I thought it had been attacked and part of its abdomen had been nipped off. Then I realised that it was a female and the reason it was lacking an abdomen was because she was laying single eggs and so curving it around under the leaf. One of the Specklies – or possibly a new one stuck about for a while the sun was hiding once more behind the cloud. The sudden drop in temperature had pacified it to the extent that when I offered it my finger it didn’t even flinch but just crawled on. I hung around a bit longer hoping that the sunny interlude would bring out my first Orange-tip but I wasn’t that fortuitous.

Upon making my way back over to The Banks all was still quiet and when I reached the end and looked across to the back path I spotted a Small White which I managed to follow all the way along to the far end of the reserve and back with no shots taken although I did find a Small Tort here which wasn’t one of the ‘usual lot’. There was nothing else for it but to make my way back along the Banks but luckily things had picked up ever so slightly as the sun was making another of its fleeting appearances. Its warmth had brought a Small Tort, a Brimstone and a brace of Small Whites out of the wood work (quite literally one assumes) on the first part of the walk back from the end corner to the line of trees.

The walk along the second half of the Banks turned up the Small Tort from earlier and on the end a very dark Specklie flew up from the vegetation teasingly. I wondered if this was what had attacked my first Small White of the day (?) and then the sun went in again and the Specklie went down and sat stubbornly with its wings closed. As I sat and waited for the return of the sun I watched the Specklie with eagle eyes, ready for when it would open up again. After about five minutes or so I was still there waiting and watching the sun as it clawed its way across the Banks, in front all was still in shadow and behind the line the colours shone out; it was a little like looking at the Hex Wall. Things were starting to look good and then a group of walkers appeared and with them a dog off the lead. It bounded up and started sniffing around me so I have to put my foot and leg around the Specklie in the hope that the butterfly wasn’t spooked. One of the owners asked me what I was doing and when I explained that I’d waited and watched for the best part of 10 minutes for the sun to come out he laughingly says “and the last thing you’ll want is a dog scaring it away before you get the photograph’. Oh the hilarity… “Well yes you twonk and so if your dog does that both you and it will be having a dip in the river” I didn’t reply.

Once I’d got the shots that I’d waited for I set off again and once again the sun disappeared so I was stopped by a different, lone walker…this one was much more understanding because as I was talking the sun emerged and a small tangerine dream shot by – my first OT of the year! Calling out my apologies I set off after it as it was in full on patrol mode. Around the corner and along the bank at Comma Corner, up again and across the field it went leading me on a wild dance. At one point I thought that I’d lost it think in the copse but it reappeared and then half way across the field it stops for some nectar. Forcing my protesting thighs on and ignoring the burning in my calves I forced myself to still so I could grab a few shots before it was away again. It headed back and swept up the rise to the Bank path, flew down to check out Bank 1 and then on and into Bank 2. Here it paused again momentarily so I again nipped in and forced myself to still so I could get a grab shot – not the best but better than some of my first shots from other years.

Elated that I’d found my OT I made my way back along the main Bank path finding a Peacock on the way and then I made my way back towards the Glades. As I was strolling down the sloping path adjacent to Comma Corner another official first for the year showed up in the form of a Green-veined White. It plopped down just long enough for me to get close enough and fire off a couple of shots before it twigged that it was the object of my attention and so off it went. It didn’t go too far though stopping here on a patch of Bramble and there down on the deck. The sun was now glaring down and so any shots would be pretty bleached so I left it and made my way through the dappled shade and into the Glades. As per the certain Law now that I’d left the Green-veined White behind the cloud covered the sun and so I waited around in the Glades for its return. It was quite handy really as I’d not had time to eat my lunch so I was able to have a leisurely repast; it made a nice change to savour the flavour of the hot pickle. As the sun slowly but surely slipped out from under the covers a Specklie was there to greet it and then a second Green-veined White – this one was slightly better behaved but again the strong sun that had brought it forth made photography difficult.

On the way home I made a final little stop to check out the little clearing just off the Town Path before Waitrose. As I stared around a small brownish butterfly took off from a section of path I could have sworn that I’d just trodden on – it swiftly resolved into a Specklie, which I thought made a fitting end to the trip out.

Ring out the changes
Because the whites are coming
Oh Tangerine Dream!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

I totally agree about ' that law ' and the weather when after OT's and GVW.
Talking of the weather I'm in the hands of the Wilts weather gods tomorrow ( Sunday )
for my visit to Cotley Hill, via Tilshead on the way. Fingers crossed.

Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, love your Small Tort shots, if your any thing like me you'll be on the look out for the Large one

Not having any luck persuading my Daughter to go look for the Grizzles, in fact i've had to stay mainly local, disappointing, but that's life She thinks with me having had the ear infection that's made my balance unsteady longer journeys are out.

Being has I'm staying with them until the end of June I'll go with the flow, after that I'll be on my own Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor Looks like the weather played nicely for your trip - looking forward to the full posting You can tell it's been a good day/trip when it takes you several hours to sort through the photos
Cheers Goldie I've always got my eye out for a Large Tort - no luck yet

Five Rivers 13-04-2022

I was trying to get into the habit of visiting sites earlier but unfortunately life gets in the way and chores take precedence…In the end I managed to make a quick visit to Five Rivers. The walk over was pretty uneventful and I made good time reaching the Glades almost before I’d realised and woken myself from my internal reverie. After a quick walk around the little scallops, bays and bushes I’d relocated the two territorial Specklies and found that the Comma had been replaced by a Peacock. From here I moved on to the Banks where a Brimstone and Green-veined White seemed to be waiting for me as I started out along the narrow and winding paths. These were swiftly met by any one of the three Specklies which held territories here that they happened to pass. The encounters were rapid but violent with the smaller butterfly ripping right into the larger one a la Brown Argus. Normally I find my way easily along the track but today I kept stumbling as my eyes seemed to be permanently locked onto this butterfly or that. A brace of Peacocks hung around the Hawthorn that had collapsed away from the line of trees and beyond that I spotted a Small White and then a big blindingly white White – my first Large White of the year. As I further progressed I added two each of Small Tort and Peacock and a Small White between the half way point and the end.

Once I reached the end I turned round after a quick scan across the end section and started back the way I’d come to try and confirm the numbers. I managed to relocate the Vanessids and the second Small Tort was laying eggs on fresh Nettle growth. I knelt down and got a few shots and it looked like she’d finished and she was just having a breather before moving on elsewhere or retiring from the Procreation game. Once she was safely away I had a closer look at her charges. It was interesting to see the different strategies that the different butterflies take. The Small Tort unlike the Comma I’d seen the week before definitely didn’t believe in not keeping all your eggs in one basket. Once I’d finished admiring the egg mass I continued on to the end of the Banks re-finding 2 of the 3 Specklies and the Green-veined White as well as notching up a Peacock and a Comma.

Back in the Glades a Peacock was still holding onto its territory and the Green-veined White that I found feed for a while so I could actually approach it. Then it was time for a second pass along the Banks which was completed in the dull under a thick covering of cloud. No surprises then that I didn’t find a single butterfly as I walked the length of the Banks and so once I’d reached the End I waited and watched the skies. In the distance I could see the edge of the shadow cast by the block of cloud and it was moving slowly but surely towards me…

As the line of light started climbing the bank at the end I turned and started back, the sun consistently warming my back as the cloud had been vanquished. With the coming of the sun so came the butterflies and now they were quite active in the growing warmth. I picked up 2 Commas and then a third just before the mid-way point. Once I’d worked around the collapsed bush the butterflies jumped out at me with the 2 Specklies still in residence, 2 Peacocks and then second Green-veined, swiftly followed by a third. The Glades were still quiet-ish with only a Comma and a Peacock but I’m sure that they will soon come into their own again. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit here again as we approach the time of year when venturing further afield becomes necessary to bolster the diversity of the yearly tally…

Five Rivers again?
With the usual cast and crew
Time to move elsewhere

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I'd a good laugh at that comment Wurzel Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I can laugh about it now, at the time I was deadly serious

Vernditch 15-04-2022

The weather was due to remain changeable – so much so in fact that the weather App was flip-flopping every hour between it being a grey rainy day and one of sunny intervals. In the end I just turned it off and we went out anyway. I had hoped to catch up with a Greenstreak and a maybe a Grizzlie having found both at Vernditch the previous year…but in the end it turned into more of a catch-up…

On the drive over a couple of there were a couple of Brimstones and a Comma flying along the verges and as we pulled into car park two more Brimstones were fluttering about at the edge of the car park. As the car drew to a standstill a Holly Blue took from an unseen spot in front of the car so I grabbed my gear and while the girls were pulling on wellies and loading up the rucsacs I followed it back along Hogger road until it settled on some mud. It was a bit precarious as despite lots of muddy woodland rides and other suitable habitat to choose from the Holly Blue had plumped for a muddy strip on the roadside so I had to time my shots so as not to become roadkill.

I joined the girls and we set off proper up the hill/track where a female Brimstone flew in the dappled light in the distance and another Holly Blue was fluttering about low to the ground but at the same time covering a lot of ground very quickly. Further on a few more Brimstones played in the sun streaming through the ever thickening canopy and at one of the cross-tracks a Peacock flew by. All very nice but not an awful lot on the memory card. This continued during lunch as I watched a male Orange-tip and two male Brimstones interacting with each other in one of the hollows as I lazily munched and warmed myself in the sun. A female drifted by up high presumably flying at altitude meant that she wold be safe from the unwanted advances of the two males that were patrolling closer to the ground? There was nowt in the valleys either apart form a solitary Small Tort that was busy flying away down one of the adjacent paths. When I caught up with the girls I checked the Gorse fastidiously but despite my best efforts all I could come up with was a Peacock. It seemed that the butterflies were about but they were very camera shy. As we rounded another corner there was another Peacock which shot off at the end a female Brimstone which was actually sitting down on the deck – it was something of a shock after every other butterfly had played hardball so I almost forgot to get some shots…almost.

Normally we’d complete the loop and walk back along the track that we’d come along but today L was feeling adventurous and so we went through a gate and along the edge of a field by a path that ran parallel to the Blandford Road. As we moved down a Peacock tried to play the ‘chase me’ game that they seem to love but I wasn’t in the mood as my memory card was so empty and so I did my best to ignore it and not get dragged in. About 2/3’s of the way along the field L found a track that led back into Vernditch woods and as we entered the breeze dropped, held back by the trees, and the despite the increasing shade the air felt slightly warmer. As we wound our way along the narrow tracks amid the early Bluebells and white and yellow Celandines and Anemones I spotted a more butterflies – the odd Orange-tip and many Brimstones - one of which actually let me get up close enough for some shots. Just before the car park there was a Specklie but that was it so we loaded up and made for home…

Once back at home I dropped off all the gear except my camera and walked over to Five Rivers…trying somewhere new hadn’t produced the intended results and so I returned to the tried and tested. As I turned the corner at the start of the reserve I was almost bowled over by a warring pair of Specklies that we locked into a death spiral which wasn’t just travelling upwards but was also moving horizontally forward and backwards along the path. They didn’t care who or what got in their way so consumed with hatred as they were. At the edge of the Glades by the bench a Peacock hung about, a Green-veined White stopped momentarily, teasing me and two Small Whites patrolled, occasionally bumping into each other and squabbling. The Green-veined White looked noticeably smaller and square cut compared to the Smalls as it passed by. I pressed on into the Glades proper noting a brace of Specklies and then paused by the patch of Red Nettles willing an Orange-tip into existence. One did indeed appear flying swiftly by as part of a veritable feast of Whites…First came a Small White, then the aforementioned Orange-tip for starters. Next up was a pairing of Brimstones, female first lazily inspecting nectar sources and then much more hurriedly once the male appeared and started harassing her and also a brace of Small Whites and a single Green-veined White; the main course. For dessert I followed an Orange-tip around and about the clumps and patches of vegetation but it was a disappointing end to the meal as the OT didn’t pause once. All was not lost however as in my chasing I found two more Specklies, one of which sat nicely for me.

I then set out for the Banks picking up yet another brace of Specklies and a single Comma on the way before I’d reached the start of the Banks at what was the original Comma Corner. As I strolled along I kept counting trying my best to stick to the narrow paths and not go haring off after some butterfly or other and tallying up as I went; Small White, Orange-tip, two Specklies, two Peacocks, a single Small White and an Orange-tip. It felt great to be seeing so many butterflies all active and all flying at once. I followed a Large White hopefully past the May bush that demarks the first and second half of the Banks but it was too quick for me, but on the other side there was a Comma and two Green-veined Whites waiting for me. I kept going and two Peacocks spiralled upwards and near the cut back Bramble there were two Small Torts, one on either side. At the end on the corner of the Banks there was a final Peacock and a Holly Blue skulking around up high.

I returned along the Banks seeing a lot of the same things with the odd thing standing out; the Large White reappeared, there were several Green-veined Whites and a Peacock which was holding its wings in such a way as to suggest that it was ‘partially sighted’ lacking the eyes on the hind wing. There was plenty more action from the Whites with representatives of four species although nothing was stopping in the warm sunshine. Back towards the corner I did discover a different Comma and then a ambled back to the Glades ruminating on how different the effects of the sun are on butterflies and humans; they go loony toons, flying frenetically fast all over the place whereas I feel relaxed and lazy.

The Glades soon has me waking up and becoming much more alert as the butterflies were bombing about all over. I racked up a Comma, Green-veined White and Small White within a few steps of entry and then I set to trying to follow a male Orange-tip. It flies into the disputed airspace of the two Specklies and both take off from their respective perches to see it off before falling on each other once the common enemy had been taken car of. Another Holly Blue Skulked around the tree tops and even came down a few times but rather than landing it would soon return to loftier heights, it’s jinking flight looking like it was being jerked upwards like a puppet on a string. Another foolhardy or Kamikaze Orange-tip flew into the disputed Specklie airspace but it confused its erstwhile attackers by dropping down onto a Dandelion. I then spent the next twenty minutes of so following the OT from flower to flower. It looked like it had reached the end of the working day, what with it being after 3, and so had packed up patrolling and was enjoying an afternoon tipple and so end of the day drinkies! I wonder if other whites showed this behaviour or indeed whether other OTs act in a similar fashion?

The Specklies bade me farewell and then my final sighting of an extraordinary afternoon was of a Holly Blue flying amid some Ivy in the estate cut through. It was great to see so many butterflies for once!

Poor start at Vernditch
But Five Rivers saves that day
The Whites abounding

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Love the Orange Tip shots Wurzel, especially the on on the Daisy Goldie

[trevor]

I think you experienced more stationary OT''s than I did this year.
Your OT on dandelion is a shot I would have liked to obtain, orange and lemon.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie From now on I'm going to try at around 3pm; it was like a switch had been thrown and it suddenly stopped patrolling and started visiting flowers
Cheers Trevor 'Oranges and Lemons' will forthwith be the name of that shot I couldn't believe how many different plants the OT was visiting, it was like it was 'completing the top shelf' minus the hang over the next day of course

Apologies in advance to any Indianna Jones's/Ophidiophobes...

Martin Down 16-04-2022

On the drive over the sun shone which belied the fact that there was still a coolness in the air. As I drove down Sillens’s Lane I turned down Maiden and opened the window so as to get a proper prospective of the temperature. In flooded birdsong and a Specklie and then an Orange-tip patrolled along the ditch at the side of the track. All was good and it looked like it wasn’t too cool for the butterflies…

I parked up tight up to the hedge and I’d only taken a few steps when my notebook was out of my back pocket and my first entry proper was made. It started with a Peacock and as I progressed along the track my notebook was out twice more, each time for a Peacock. It seems like they were coming into their own now – they like a good lie-in they do. I turned off right at the fork in the tracks and then stepped off the main path to wander along the length of the ‘Tunnel’ Track’. An Orange-tip was there to greet me but that was it until I’d crossed the half way mark when a second Orange-tip roused a Brimstone form it’s slumbers by giving it what looked like a Glasgow Kiss. Again the activity ceased until the very end when a Peacock was waiting to wave me off to other areas of the site and as I looked back along the track a Ring Ousel flew from one side to the other – only my third sighting ever!

I cut across the site now, taking the diagonal path to the Halfway Point but the small section of avenue like path only held a Comma and after some initial excitement what turned out to be a Common Heath Moth. So I pressed on alternatively walking at the bottom of the Dyke where possible and walking on the side of the bank, gripping with the sides of my feet, when the Dyke was impassable due the occasional impenetrable bush of Briar. On my journey I was kept amused by a brace of Peacocks. One would be sitting down in the bottom of the Dyke and as I approached up it would go, then it would fly towards me, turn and then fly off along the Dyke to land ahead of me so that in a minute or two the whole process would have to be repeated. I know there were two Peacocks taking part in this silliness because occasionally one would spook the other and what was odd was that the one that had been furthest away, the ‘spooked’ would then land closer than the ‘spooker’.

Eventually after many trips and scrapes from the trailing tendrils of briar I arrived at the Hollow Hotspot. As I did so another Orange-tip sailed by effortlessly maintaining an aggressive cruising speed but that appeared to be it. The wildflowers were only just appearing and so I could clearly see that there were no butterflies by scanning the flower heads themselves. Instead of lepidoptera I entertained myself with a pair of Adders. As I was reentering the Dyke the pair of them slithered off from their basking spot into the scrub around the base of a standalone Hawthorn. Once in the relative safety they assumed that they were hidden but I could just make them out as they coiled around each other intimately. The female was much larger and as seems to be the way at Martin Down she was a lovely terracotta colour whilst the male was almost black and white. They mist have become aware of my presence for as I sat in the shade and watched them the male would occasionally pop his head up through a gap in the vegetation and give me an unblinking and slightly argumentative stare.

I left them in peace and as I was crossing the main track with the intention of checking out the Greenstreak field something small and grey went up from underfoot. At first I thought it was some form of moff but something set some rusty neurons to firing and I realized that I’d found my first Grizzlie of 2022. It didn’t hang around for too long as some Beeflies a little further up the track seemed to be getting a bit big for their boots so off it went to sort them out. I lost it just after that as it set upon an errant Comma that had inadvertently drifted into the Grizzlies airspace.

Chuffed with this I then traipsed my way along the quiet paths and up the side of the gently sloping part of the Down to the little island of Hawthorn with 2 female Brimstones pottering about along the way. Once I’d reached the Island I strolled along the path through the edge of it and then dove into the middle emerging into the secret little clearing at the heart of the Island. This was a regular little sun trap and the surrounding thicket kept the wind at bay allowing the temperatures to creep even higher. It was also a good little spot to sit back and have lunch while the butterflies amused themselves. As I drank coffee and chowed down on Hot Pickle sandwiches 2 Brimstones, a Peacock and a Red Admiral all dropped in but then repast over, unsurprisingly it all went quiet. I was about to give up and claw my way back out and onto the main path when I was waylaid by the sudden appearance of a stunning looking little Grizzlie. It hung around sitting on this perch and that, occasionally closing up when the sun would briefly hide behind the clouds and at one point even treated me to a ‘trousering’.

Old hairy knees...

It was great to spend some time with such a well-behaved butterfly but time was ticking on and so I did claw my way out and from the track retraced my earlier steps to check out the Greenstreak field for the eponymously named tract of land. As I didn’t find any in the usual places I tracked across the field of Gorse and Hawthorn in my search. Along the way I bumped into another enthusiast that was also looking for the ‘Green Ones’ but we lost each other in the huge jungle of Gorse on the side of the Hillfort and I ended up working my way all the way round and back to Greenstreak field. Once there I just kept on going walking all the way up the Down following the Dyke as I went and scanning up and down its length. The only butterflies showing were a few Brimstones and Peacocks. Once at the bench where it levels off almost at the top I with this lack of success I decided it would be wise to cut my losses and head back down and possibly try the other side of the reserve from the main car park. As I started back down I spotted another Adder in the distance sunning itself at the bottom of the Dyke. As I got nearer still I could see that there were at least 2 Adders – the terracotta female well hidden by her camouflage under the boldly marked black and white male. Even closer still and I saw that it was a largish male, even bigger female and two smaller Adders doing their best to usurp the first male. The smallest of the males shot off down the Dyke (so I made a mental note to get out as soon as possible) whilst the female set off up the side of the Down with the next smallest males entwining itself around her while the larger male who was still attached to the female was dragged unceremoniously along behind by his phallus. At one point the serpentile procession paused and I got a shot of the said genitalia but it was a distant shot as I didn’t want to get too close to the headend of the male.

Mrs...

Mr...

The journey back down the Dyke was very uneventful after this and so I got back to car and drove around to the other car park off of the Blandford Road. I walked around the first large clump of scrub and found a Brimstone and round by the old log yet another Adder but this one was obviously warmed up and it slid silently through the vegetation in the shade. After this I wondered what to do but in the end I thought it best to cut and run whilst there were still some Brownie Points that could be refunded at a later date and so made light work of the walk back with Maiden once more on the stereo I headed homewards.
Careful where you tread
Venomous Adders are out
Oh and Grizzlies too!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

That was quite the serpentine meandering, Wurzel! That's more Adders than I think I've seen in 60+ years...I had no idea Martin Down (and especially that Dyke) were so full of them. Some nice early Grizzlie shots as well (and the Orange Tips from the earlier post too).

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

Grizzlies and Adders an odd combination. A for the Grizzled Skipper shots,
I've only photographed one this year, and only seen several all together.

You've only got about four weeks to accrue a fine set of brownie points !.

Take care,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave The Adders are alright- just make sure you wear heavy boots
Cheers Trevor Brownie points accrued - I booked tickets for a meet and greet with Dr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours - the things I do for butterflies TBH I think I'm more excited than Mrs Wurzel

June 2022

Here we go, it's really going now!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down 18-04-2022

Today was the day to conduct a little experiment and see what difference a few days could make…

The last time I’d visited Martin Down things had been very quiet, with few butterflies about and most of the action coming in Reptilian form. But today I was back, parked at the Sillen’s Lane end and on my way to the Hollow. I strode along the long and dusty road but despite much scanning nothing butterfly like fell under my gaze. When I reached the Hollow all was quiet and so I continued on to the Half Way Point with again nothing showing, not even a blip on my radar. It seemed that the answer to my initial question was “bu££er all difference”…

Then finally something appeared, flying along the Dyke when I was almost at The Butts – a single Orange-tip that brightened my day momentarily right up to the point when I realized that it wouldn’t stop and so I would only have the memory to show for it. I consoled myself that at least it was a start and so pressed hoping to catch the butterflies as they crawled out of their beds cursing their alarm clocks. Having checked unsuccessfully around the Butts I started the track back and worked my way along the top of the Dyke; not because I thought I’d see any butterflies but because that was the direction my car lay in. Then things started happening, the temperature rose a smidgen and must have reached the threshold because where there had been none, now there were butterflies. On the Dead Rabbit a Peacock sat making a brilliant juxtaposition; the beautiful and animated against the ugly and rancid. A Grizzlie popped up on the closely cropped bank and a Brimstone shot by. The butterflies kept coming slowly but surely as I carried on down in the Dyke to avoid the slight breeze alternating between walking right at the bottom or clinging to the slope with the sides of my feet. By the time I reached the Hollow I’d racked up 4 or 5 more Grizzlies which wasn’t exactly great but wasn’t too poor a showing either.

As things seemed to be flying now I walked across the terraces and the back track and then down into Greenstreak field wondering as I went if it would it live up to its name this year? I did think that I might have had to rename it ‘White Field’ as a Brimstone flew about as did a Small White and an OT plopped down just as the sun went in (usually they can keep going for a little bit). I tried for a few shots of the OT and as I was getting back up off my knees a small dark almost blue butterfly appeared, landed and then flattened itself out amid the Gorse spikes. My first Greenstreak of the year. This was followed by another 2 sparring, fighting over the best perching spots from which to survey for any passing females; hence the field remains ‘Greenstreak Field’. I love this species (now) as they possibly the easiest Hairstreak to watch and photograph, they choose the best perches which always seem to flatter their colour palette and if disturbed you only have to wait a few moments before they’re back in the general vicinity.

As the Greenstreaks were out and playing I took a stroll around the rest of the Gorse Bushes to see if I could catch up with any others. It felt like every other bush had their own private supply of Greenstreaks. The odd Peacock and Brimstone punctuated the green wash this part of the visit was becoming. The last bush I checked out held two males. One would get fidgety and fly round the bush which would send the second one up. There would be a brief fight and then they’d break apart and return to their respective corners/perching spots/sides of the bush. A few minutes later there would be a similar outbreak of violence, and so on and so on. Tearing myself away I strolled back to the initial bush this time trying to keep a count of the Greenstreaks that I saw as I was less bewildered. I only counted 4 more but there must have been many more.

I now set to walking, what with my main target having been met. In previous years my first Dingies have come from this site, right at the top of the hill and so I reaching the Hollow I entered the Dyke again and set off up the slope. Luckily I saw plenty of butterflies which meant that I could have a brief pause in the ascent to both note sightings down in my notebook and also catch my breath. Oddly I only saw one butterfly at a time; in other years a flighty Grizzlie may have put me onto several other butterflies but today a lot of my time was spent watching the lone butterfly disappearing from view. It started off with a Grizzlie, next came a female Brimstone, then a Grizzlie and a Green-veined White. A pattern seemed to be emerging and as the next butterfly was a Grizzlie I was half expecting an OT or a Small White but the grizzlies, always mischievous shattered the trend and a second Grizzlie followed the first. The final entry before I climbed out by the bench was a pair of Peacocks. After this there was another slope to combat and at the very top a Brimstone and a Peacock however my hoped for reward didn’t materialize and there was no carpet coloured Skipper to tick off the tally.

I made for home down the diagonal track accompanied by several Peacocks and the odd Brimstone and then dove down through the Tunnel Track. As I entered I could see some other enthusiasts further along the track. They were onto something so I held back and waited for them to finish getting their shots. Once they had done we called out greetings and they put me onto the Comma they’d been watching, a Peacock was also bombing about and just up from this activity a Specklie flew aggressively up and down a small section of the path, viciously guarding territory. The Tunnel came to an end and the walk back to the car was pretty uneventful so I packed everything away and pulled away…only to have to stop suddenly. I grabbed my camera and nipped out just quick enough to grab a few shots of an Adder that was basking across the width of the road. It slithered off as approached leaving me glad in a way as now I didn’t have to worry about running it over!

Back to Martin Down
What difference 2 days makes?
At the start? Not much…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Max Anderson]

Stunning set of shots there Wurzel, great stuff. Particularly liked the green hairstreak on the gorse.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Max There is something aesthetically pleasing about the green against the yellow

Have a goodun

Wurzel