essex buzzard

[Pauline]

Simply stunning!

[David M]

What a sight!

You certainly know where the best wild flower displays are, Mark.

[Neil Freeman]

Loving the anemone woods Mark. I see clumps of anemones in some of the woods here but I am not aware of anything like that

Cheers,

Neil.

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Pauline, David and Neil. Essex certainly has its treasures!

Speaking of which...

In mid April, it was time to visit one of the Essex oxlip woods. This lovely member of the primrose family has a very restricted range, being found only in a small area of East Anglia. Many of the plants fail to set seed, as the increasing numbers of deer love to nibble the flowers off. Thankfully the plants are fairly long lived, so the population persists.

Nearby, is the picture postcard village of Thaxted.

[David M]

Beautiful, Mark. Have to say they look extremely robust too. April is such a lovely time of year with all these spectacular flowers.

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks David. They do looks in fine condition, don’t they? I suspect they may have benefited from last years wet summer.

I’m Essex, the bluebells this year peaked in the last week of April and the first week of May.

Here are some of the woods I visit, starting with Ongar.

Danbury Woods.

And woods near Colchester.

[essexbuzzard]

Some glorious spring scenes there. Meanwhile, I had been seeing a few Orange Tips since my first on the 8th April. However, it took me until the last day in the month to be in the right place at the right time to get a picture.

Later that day, we headed to Trosley Country Park in Kent. Home to Grizzled Skippers and Dingy Skippers!

Here is a Grizzled. I love these tiny little beauties!

Dingy Skipper.

[trevor]

Some lovely Spring scenes recently Mark.
I always look forward to your Oxlip images, a plant not seen around here,
although I do occasionally see the Primrose/Cowslip hybrid which look similar.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

[David M]

Picture postcard stuff, Mark.

Always a shame when the bluebells begin their demise but they sure give us a show for 2-3 weeks or so.

Nice Grizzly and Dingy, and you had plenty of patience to wait 3 weeks to get that Orange Tip image.

[Goldie M]

Hi! essex, love your shot of the Grizzled Skipper I've tried to hitch a ride to get to see them but so far no luck

Still I'm down here now so I've got more chances Goldie

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I was sorry to say goodbye to April,fantastic flowers, a change of scenery mid month, and warm, sunny weather had made it a fantastic month. But then comes May, the most beautiful month of the year. The countryside is at its most beautiful in May, with bluebells in the Woods, May blossom in the hedges and road verges, along which fly Orange Tips. In the parks, the horse chestnuts are covered in glorious white spikes of flowers. The days are now very long, as we are just weeks from the longest day.

For me, the month started with more bluebells, and a visit to the Ashbridge estate in neighbouring Hertfordshire.

[essexbuzzard]

Next up, it was a trip out to Whipsnade Downs on the 9th. This is home to probably my nearest Duke of Burgundy colony, being just over an hour from home. The Bison Hill carpark seems to have permanently closed (apparently there were strange going’s on here at night ), but there is a there is just room for a couple of cars down the road, or one can walk from the main Dunstable Downs car park.

Anyway, I was pleased to find Dukes in good numbers. A few had clearly been out for a while, but most were in good condition, and I reckon I caught them at or near their peak.

[Neil Hulme]

I always knew that you'd come good with some stunning Bluebell images, Mark. Your 'Padfield School' Duke of Burgundy shot really captures the essence of that season, which has sadly slipped away again for another year.
BWs, Neil

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Neil. I always think of Guy when I take those kind of images. And I see I’m not the only one...

Glad to hear your Duke colonies in Sussex are, mostly, doing well. I didn’t make it to Storrington this year, so thanks for the update, as it’s an excellent site.

[Wurzel]

Great set of Duke shots Essex,especially the final one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Wurzel. Yes, I like that one, too.

Greens seem to be having a good year at Whipsnade, as they usually do there. Plenty were seen, some fresh, some less so. One small hawthorn had three males on it, and I spent some enjoyable time, watching them chasing each other around.

[kevling]

Hi Essex, great photos from Bison Hill. Especially the Duke framed by the rapeseed field. We missed each other by a day. I paid my first visit to the site the day before and what a treat. I too found Green Hairstreaks to be plentiful, seeing c20 on the day (my biggest single haul by a country mile).

Kind Regards
Kev Ling

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Kev. It’s a great place, isn’t it? Glad you enjoyed your visit. I’m used to seeing just a handful of adults at most of my Green Hairstreak sites, so it’s nice to see so many.

Plenty of Dingy Skippers were present here, but Grizzled Skippers less so, with just a couple seen. I didn’t see many Grizzled at all this year, but this one was a cracker.

[Wurzel]

Certainly is a cracker Essex In right good nick that one is, I don't think they live up to their name until they're a bit more past it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to know you've caught up with a few desirable spring species, Mark.

Hope your summer is equally productive.