Wurzel

[bugboy]

"Cometh the hour cometh the cloud! And as I stepped out of the building and started across the field to the Pits sure enough the cloud took off the brakes and rolled across the sky." Oh that does sound very familiar this year, I've only been able to fit in about half of my transects at work so far this year due to exactly that situation, all very frustrating although to be fair, there's barely a butterfly around when the sun is shining at work at the moment, I might be getting close to 30 butterflies so far this year!

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugby And now that we've got the sun and the warm weather and the butterflies I'll be trapped at work and if I do get out there's a blessed gusty wind to contend with

Martin Down 29-04-2023

I set off hopefully as by now the Grizzlies and Greenstreaks should be starting to make Martin Down their own. Things were looking good as I drove down Sillen’s Lane with a Peacock, Brimstone and 2 UFWs along the way so when I set off there was a slight spring in my step. Things felt right for a Greenstreak – sunny, warm and a gentle breeze and along the main track a few Brimstones flew as well as a second Peacock. However I faltered slightly at the sight that beheld when I reached the Tunnel Track. The hedge on the reserve side of the ‘tunnel’ had been tidied up. It was a lovely job, with arcs of stakes wrapped around and over the other foliage which had been laid into a cylindrical shape. However I was left questioning the impact it would have on the butterflies as now the wind was free to roar down the hill and smash into the other, now exposed side of the hedge. Before there had been the perfect wind break here and it had acted like a little sun trap – now it was noticeably breezier and cooler. As I walked along it there was another Peacock, 6 Brimstones (5 males and a female) and a Specklie right at the other end but it was a far cry from the past when there were Holly Blues, Greenstreaks, Grizzlies, Small Blues and most memorably a Badger using the sheltered track as a thoroughfare.

Leaving the Ex Tunnel Track I worked my up and round the side of the old hillfort to the mass of Gorse which bedecked the slight rise. I followed a Holly Blue to the break in the impenetrable forest of Gorse and as the gap a startled Peacock flew off whilst a stalwart Specklie stood guard at the entrance to the break in the furze. I followed the cleared track down the other side of the rise and reached the track to the Hollow Hotspot. Instead of following the path I walked parallel to it and checked out each of the stands of Gorse along the way but unfortunately there was no sign of the Green-one. When I reached the usual spot a Brimstone shot past me and I returned my gaze to the thin stripling of Gorse there was what I’d hoped to find – a Greenstreak occupying a familiar territory.

After I’d caught up with my nemesis of old I picked my way up the narrow path and round the back towards the Hollow Hotspot. On the way I spotted some lovely looking Early Purple Orchids but there wasn’t anything else flying even in the suntrap that is the hollow. I worked my way back to the thin stripling of Furze and the Greenstreak was back holding its territory and angling itself to make the most of the strengthening (but still weak) sun. I found this habit a little frustrating as I was hoping for a classic side on shot profile shot. However the minute the butterfly would land it would shuffle around a bit before tilting its wings to maximise the absorbent surface of the wings. By the time I’d spotted it, got into roughly the right position and was considering focusing on the butterfly it had generally ’tipped’ so only the front half would be in focus. Never mind it was still great to catch up with this species.

At one point a female Orange-tip passed over and a Specklie patrolled the narrow gap leading towards the Orchid but I only had eyes for the Greenstreak. As I was watching it a second showed up and there was a flurry of activity as the one I was watching set off to intercept the interloper. When they met they immediately started spiralling upwards before disappearing over the tops of the trees. I waited and sure enough one of them returned only for the second to arrive back and the whole sequence was repeated. I left them to periodically tear chunks out of each other and wove my way round the various other clumps of Gorse to hopefully find a few more Greenstreaks. This worked out well for a couple of bushes into my search I found a brace of Greenstreaks. They too were scrapping intermittently and so I’d have to wait for the dust to settle before moving in. In between bouts they seemed to prefer opposite ends of the same bush but after a few moments one would sense the presence of the other and take to the air to seek out its rival. There were also a brace of Peacocks here but again they got scant investment from me so enamoured with the Greenstreaks as I was.

Eventually I’d had my fill of their shenanigans and so I set off to see what else the reserve had to offer butterfly wise. First stop was the Island but with only a Brimstone and a Peacock I only stayed in its’ confines long enough for a quick coffee and my sandwich. Clambering out and back to the path (so much harder than actually getting into the little clearing) I wondered if the butterflies might be ‘Hill topping’ and so to answer my question I quickly cut across to get onto the main diagonal track which led all the way up to the bench almost at the top of the Dyke. Once I'd reached the bench and all was still quiet I decided to carry on right to the top. As I was walking the final section of the Dyke before it got swallowed up in knee high vegetation giving it the appearance of being level ground something small and grey buzzed past. My initial thought was ‘Moff’ but there was something about the direct flight followed by drastic veering that set my mind racing. I did my best to track it as it flew which was no mean feat but in the end there was my first Grizzlie of the year. Like almost everything this season it was very flighty and so I only managed a few passable shots before it was off and this time disappeared for good. Still another first for the year!

I decided to push my luck and check the very top bit of the path as in previous years I’d found Dingies here and so I girded my loins and set off up the steepest bit of the hill. There were a few Brimstones on the way; this species seems to have had a pretty good year and often they’ve almost had sites to themselves; but not much else. As I strolled along the ditch (not really deep enough to be classed as a dyke) at the top I spotted a courting pair of Brimstone. Well the male was courting the female on the other hand wasn’t any of it and sat there on the grass with her wings half closed and her abdomen half raised. Perhaps she was in two minds which was why her abdomen wasn’t fully raised in the gesture affectionately known as ‘the bird’? The male continued to press her and when the sun peeked out from behind a cloud he got his answer. It was a resounding no and then she was gone one way, flying up high and he was left fluttering slowly in the other down closer to the ground. After this the sun started hiding more and more and so I made my way homewards taking the larger diagonal track down. On the way there were of course the ubiquitous Brimstones but also a Cuckoo (the shots of which were a little ‘it’s the grey blob’ like) and also a Hare for me to point my lens at and which I had a 300mm lens. Still at least I’d gotten a Greenstreak and with a bonus Grizzlie to boot – none too shabby a day in the end.

Back to Martin Down
Things are starting to pick up
Greenstreaks and Grizzlies
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

The second Green Hairstreak on gorse shot is spectacular!

[Neil Freeman]

The second Green Hairstreak on gorse shot is spectacular!

Agreed . I seem to remember that you got a similar shot last year and I was equally impressed then.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Good to see the Green Hairstreaks Wurzel - I've seen very few indeed this season

[bugboy]

Green Hairstreak on Gorze, still on my shots to get list
I've seen a few Brimstone 'courtships' this spring, I think that's as far as she can raise her abdomen!

A suggestion for this winters favourite photos thread 'favourite unauthorised release pic'

[trevor]

10+ points for your penultimate Green Hairstreak shot
A real beaut I wish I had taken. What could be better than a pose on gorse.
I reckon that was one of your most fulfilling days out!

[millerd]

Yes, definitely some for the green ones, Wurzel. I found one on gorse today, but not in the same league as yours by a long way.

Cheers,

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I went to East Blean woods today and I saw just one Heath Fritillary, how lucky can you get It looks like another week and they could be out in force, just thought I'd let you know.

Lovely Green Hair Streaks by the way not seen any here so far Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Katrina They seem to stand out quite well on Gorse/Furze - it must be the prickles spiking their tarsi
Cheers Neil I promise that it's a different shot, I'm not recycling them
Cheers Pauline They did seem to be about in fewer numbers this year, but then other things, like BAs seem to have had a great season
Cheers Bugboy I feel like I'm a rubbish wingman as every time I see a courtship it doesn't end well "'favourite unauthorised release pic'" I think that's a must
Cheers Trevor It was a great day and that was when my season started to take a turn for the better
Cheers Dave It's possibly because Greenstreaks can't speak Holly Blue On the flip-side I'm still picking gorse splinters out of my legs now
Cheers Goldie Thanks for the update, I need to get planning then

Garston Wood 01-05-2023

It was one of those days when the weather report looked less than ideal but we decided to risk it and go anyway. Luckily it was also one of those rare days when the forecasters of various ilk that are normally so accurate at predicting dire weather actually got it wrong and the threatened showers never arrived, the cloud dissipated more than expected and the sun when it shone felt stronger and so warmer than they reckoned. The Bluebells had been pushing their heads above the parapets for a while and so I reasoned that this would be the week to go to witness the carpet of blue at Garston Wood. As we walked the narrow paths Celandines, Anemones, Ransoms and the occasional Primrose broke up the blue and green and the calls of the birds rang and reverberated richly. My hunch had proved roughly correct for round at the old log where we usually picnic the Blue Bells produced a sea of deep blue-violet.

Once we’d enjoyed the scent and sight of this spectacular display we carried on with our walk. As we strode down the path an Orange-tip appeared and flew ahead of us down the ride. At one point he veered off into the vegetation on the side and then two butterflies went up; the Orange-tip behind harrying the purer white, square cut butterfly. I moved ahead of the group and watched intently as it went down and then within a couple of strides I had my first Green-veined White of the year, at last. It flew ahead and then posed for some more photos a few times before the Orange-tip arrived back on the scene and chased it off.

We carried on down and then round the path that follows the edge of the reserve and back up again into the Butterfly Enclosure (sadly now dismantled as the hoped for Pearls never materialised here) and on and out of the reserve. On the way there was, what I at first thought was a Large White but turned out to be a female Brimstone that had bleached out in the sun as well as sightings of various whites including a male OT. At the top of the reserve we cut out across the farmers field and then turned left taking the track down towards the farm itself. During a brief pitstop to distribute toffees a watched a Holly Blue fluttering about on the other side of the field and a couple of whites flew amongst the piglets and Guinea Fowl on the corner of the farm itself. The path then led down towards Deanland and the high hedge on the way with its young trees must have been enough to pass as a ‘Wood’ or at least a spinney as a Speckled Wood stopped in front of me and allowed itself to be photographed.

Normally we’d carry on through Deanland, into the woods there and out and around the surrounding hills in a massive loop but today as we hadn’t carried our lunch with us so instead we took the shorter way back across the fields eventually meeting up with the initial track from when we could dive back down into Garston. A Brimstone sent us on our way at the start of the path and when we’d almost rejoined the original trackway that we’d walked earlier a Green-veined White and Small Tort both put in an appearance. We then made it back to the car park and grabbing the lunch we headed back to the old log to enjoy our lunch surrounded by blue. While we ate I kept my eyes open but all there was to see butterfly wise was a single Holly Blue and that was on the walk back.

When we arrived home the sun was still out and it had warmed up considerably. So in order to make the most of the clement weather I made my way over to Five Rivers. As I strode along the riverside path I chanced a glance upwards thinking that it would be all blue sky and sun. What I hadn’t reckoned on was that the sun was in danger of being swallowed up by a large body of cloud which had sprung up unawares. As the cloud bore down on me the effects started to be noticeable for as the light intensity dropped the number of visible butterflies started to dwindle. As I walked throught eh Glades and across to Comma Corner the best I could come up with was a Specklie and two distant Small Whites. I spent the next 40 minutes wandering forward and back along the Banks and for all my efforts the best I could come up with was a brace of Small Whites on the side of the hill at the far end of the Banks. I spotted a Small White fluttering weakly from one Blue Bell to another and just as I’d worked my way into position it spooked a second and they both hared off in opposite directions down the side of the hill to disappear into the damp copse below.

I strolled back to Comma Corner with a view to making a retreat but as I looked back along the Banks the way that I’d come there was a slither of hope. In the distance there was some blue sky visible through a selection of tears in the blanket of cloud. So I waited for the sun to come to me and when it eventually started to near the butterflies became active again in the form of two Small Whites – one on the large Bramble patch and the other further round and slightly behind the copse. I ambled up one side of the Bank and down the other and round to Specklie Intersection ready for when the sun came out proper. When it finally did and we were bathed in its warmth it was as if a switch had been thrown and there were butterflies where previously there had been none. The little area around the Intersection was particularly productive with a Specklie holding its territory and a Comma doing its best to reclaim what it viewed as its birthright. A brace of Small Whites patrolled forward and backward along the bank occasionally breaking off from their duties to have a bit of a scrap with one another or one of the two male Orange-tips that were also ceaselessly patrolling.

After I’d taken in all the action I set about trying for some shots. One of the OT’s dropped down momentarily confused it seemed so I got a few grab shots whilst he sat there bemused. The Comma and Specklie were slightly harder work as they were quite flighty and as for the other OT and the whites they were long gone while I’d been getting into photography mode. Or so I thought for as I looked along the Banks I spied the OT flying towards me, racing a band of shadow. We’d reached the other side of the hole in the cloud and this particular sunny interval was coming to an end. As the cloud overtook the OT it kept n flying as best it could but eventually it succumbed to the cooler temperatures and it dropped down onto the unfurled fronds of a Bracken. Finally I found the cloud over useful and I clicked away.

As the next break in the cloud arrived I found that I didn’t need to look up to become aware of its arrival. The butterflies seemed to sense its’ coming and became more active before the sun actually arrived on the scene. The OT started to show more orange and I thought that I’d get to see it opening up but no, instead it sprang away almost as soon as the first sunbeam fell from the sky. Still slightly smarting from its rude departure I pressed on back to the Glades where I found a Specklie and a male Holly Blue. But they were playing hard to get so I turned my attentions back to the OTs. And ended up following one all the way to Specklie Intersection and back but it didn’t stop once. Back in the Glades I gave up on it and the found that in the interim both the Specklie and Holly Blue had duplicated themselves. The Specklies were having far too much fun tearing chunks out of each other to deign coming down to my level but the Holly Blue was much more respectful. Pleased I looked up and watched a male Orange-tip making steady progress in my direction. It eventually passed me by and then this little sunny interval ceased and with it the OTs patrolling. I looked up and saw that the cloud was now looking like a mass of ribbons so the sunny and cloudy intervals would be much shorter in duration. With this in mind I fired off plenty of shots and then waited for the creaking door moment as the OT started to incrementally open up. This time the OT followed the rule book and I left the Glades with the glare of orange still stimulating my retinal cones.

On the return to the car I spotted a Specklie and then a female Brimstone hanging about near the entrance to the Glades and there was another Brimstone just beyond the Red Admiral cruising spot, where the tree was uprooted. I was just considering whether I’d enough time left to try for a few shots when an OT flew in and scared the Brimstone away. I wondered if he’d settle and as I did so the tiniest wisp of cloud passed over the sun. It was enough to slow and eventually halt the OT. With all the appropriate perchs accessible I was a little surprised and extremely delighted when he chose to alight on a Dandelion clock. I think I made my most cautious approach to date and used the click-step to make sure that I didn’t spook him and also that I actually had some shots but I needn’t of worried as even the wispiest bit of cloud was effectively grounding the butterfly. I clicked away and moved in and round so as to get to a better angle and then as the sun shrugged off the flimsy cloud he started to open up in increments until he was there, wings akimbo. What a way to finish the outing, a proper grand finale! I then somehow found my way back to the car with my eyes mostly closed so as not to ruin the narrative with any further sightings WINK.

First the Green-veined one
Then Orange-tip on the clock
What a cracking day
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Great you had some Ideal OT weather. Not good for the physique, but good for photography.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I know what you mean about the weather/physique - to be fair I'd done my fair share of OT running this year my calves are still burning slightly

Work 03-05-2023

Another lunchtime and another trip out…at least this is what I’d be writing in a normal year. So far 2023 has not been like previous years and trips out have been few and far between and often with a poor return for the input of effort. However today had a feeling of ‘just like old times’ to it and so I took the opportunity for some lunchtime exercise. I was rewarded for my efforts mightily quickly as a Small Tort flew up and over the large Bramble at the Pits. From here I wandered past the corner, still with no Specklie on guard, and on down the boundary hedge. As I wandered I watched a Brimstone as it flew diagonally out across the pitch and then the Meadow before it became a pin speck and eventually disappeared from view.

Further on another couple of Brimstones were fluttering in the unmown Meadow and one put up a smaller white. There was something about the silhouette that suggested ‘Green-veined’, possibly a squarer cut or angular outline, so I made off amongst the tussocks and hillocks after it. It played really hard to get, only pausing at each Dandelion long enough for me to catch-up with it and get glimpses of shading and streaks (which confirmed my suspicions) before flying once again the minutes I was in a decent position. Eventually I ‘legged it’ towards it and fired off a few rapid record shots before it finally finished feeding and was off again. I watched it go down a couple more times before it too flew off into the distance and disappeared from view over into the neighbouring gardens.

By this stage I’d almost reached the far corner of the field but before I set off down the back path along my usual transect route I had a brief look into the strip of nettles and cooch grasses. Almost shining out from the deep greens as a second Small Tort which I took plenty of photos off despite an errant blade of grass that did its best to obscure one of the forewings. There’s always one isn’t there? Hopefully come Father’s Day they won’t be a problem anymore as I’ll have my pair of long-nosed secateurs and I’ll be able to do a little light Topiary! I then followed the usual route and back with only a single Brimstone for my troubles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After work I found that I’d arrived a little over 10 minutes too early to pick L up from school. Usually I’d sit out the rain or drear and continue listening to Radio 4 but this afternoon the sun was shining and the car park is the same that I use when visiting Five Rivers so I grabbed my camera and set off down the riverside path towards the Glades. Once I got there I immediately saw a Peacock but it insisted on feeding on the blossom far too high for the reach of my lens. As I was bemoaning this fact a really fresh looking Red Admiral revealed itself. I had a moment to admire the black appearance of the ground colour (as opposed to a dark brown of more ancient Admirals) as it contrasted with the vivid red and white flashes and spots. It too did one before I could get a shot off. In fact this was pretty much how my time passed…

When I reached Specklie Intersection I stood on the path and looked along the bank to the Banks. I watched first a Small White go about it’s business and then a brace of Holly Blues drifted down from separate trees before meeting and then spiraling upwards locked in fierce fighting. Observed but not photographed. A Speckled Wood flew across the path to another vantage point closer to the river, a Brimstone fluttered by seemingly aimlessly whilst an Orange-tip patrolled past purposefully. Again observed but not photographed. Finally the duck was broken when a Green-veined White arrived. It flew along the tops of the whites flowers seemingly investigating each and every one before passing me by. It then did a U-turn and plopped down mid-way up the bank allowing me to finally get a photo memento of the trip.

Time had eked away from me and so I started back. I’d just left the Glades and was crossing the grass ‘lawn’ when I spotted another White ahead of me. This one too settled long enough for an approach, identification (Green-veined) and also a few shots a fair bit closer than the previous ones. Chuffed I completed the walk back just in time to greet L and load the car up.

Green-veined like buses?
Nil for an absolute age
Then three in a day

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Bentley Wood 07-05-2023

Upon checking the weather app I saw that Salisbury experiencing sunny intervals. I looked out of the window and this was patently untrue, a solid block of light grey cloud stood firmly overhead. It was still there half an hour later and the weather app was still informing me of ‘sunny intervals’. This continued throughout all of the time that I was preparing for the day and on into the morning once I was on site; the weather app joyously and optimistically announcing blue skies with just a hint of cloud and the reality seriously failing to meet these expectations. However Philzoid and I wandered the pathways and tracks of the Eastern Clearing regardless and looking out for anything to direct our lens towards. We’d covered the back path, the newly cleared area near Cowley’s Copse and the main body of the Clearing itself. During that time we’d seen and heard Tree Pipits and Garden Warbler as well as newly arrived Willow Warblers with their lilting descending scale. There had been a few insects about including some aggressive Tiger Beetles, the odd Broad-bodied Chaser, plenty of Speckled Yellows and a first for me in the form of a Minotaur Beetle.

Finally after much traipsing and lots of discussion (the world had been put to rights several times over in fact) the sun finally started to eat its way through and there were an increasing number of sunny spells – oddly enough when the app was forecasting it to become more cloudy! This was what we’d been looking forward to as the sun drove off the dew and the temperatures rose and hopefully with it the butterflies would arise too. So it came to pass. We were half way along the back track at the far edge of the clearing when I spotted a Pearl sitting atop a Blue Bell. It didn’t hang around for long and was soon flying through the valleys of dead Bracken and then over the other side of the wire fence (I still don’t see the point of this?). We both managed to get over without losing a limb or damaging our clothing and after a quick sweep there it was again. As we were moving in for some more shots a second appeared and so Philzoid and I divided them up. We spent the next 10 minutes or so keeping a close eye on our Pearls occasionally swapping them and at one point a Brimstone made a pass as did a female OT on the other side of the fence. In the final moments of Pearl photography a male OT dropped in and distracted us. It flew away just as we were lining up the shot so we reverted our attentions back to the Pearls.

Satisfied that we’d gotten what we’d come for we decided to have a final walk around before ending up at the car park and trying a new spot in the wood. So we set off, first crossing the large cleared field and then making back to the Clearing proper hoping that the sun would have brought out the butterflies here too. On the way our suppositions were supported by a few Brimstones that had suddenly ‘bloomed’ from the foliage. In the end little section we caught up with a Large White (albeit a distant one) and a lovely looking Red Admiral before adding a few more Brimstones on the return leg and watching a herd of deer cross the track. Once in the car park we ate lunch serenaded by a Cuckoo and, what I now know to be, a Firecrest. It had turned into one of those memorable spring days and as we ate we recollected that this is often the way here at this time of year; a slow start but we get there in the end.

Record shot only

As the first Pearls from Bentley had come from a different part of the wood a few days prior to our visit I reasoned that there might be a few more there now so we packed up and did some rally driving over to the Farley side of the Wood with a brief pause at the rail crossing. Soon we were driving up a wider ride and pulling into a bijou car park. The main track we walked down was very reminiscent of the one from the Switchback to Donkey Copse with ribbon of verge on either side. A few Oil Beetles were crossing the path and then I spotted first a Green-veined and then something a little different. It was a peachy colour and as it flashed past I realised that it was a Painted Lady. After a few record shots it was away leaving feeling quite chuffed – for that was the third ‘Year Tick’ of the day and not one that I’d expected this early in the season and definitely not expected in the middle of a mature woodland.

After a very short walk, only about 5 minutes or so, the trees on the right stopped abruptly and ahead the track curved to the right at ninety degrees. Between the end of the trees and the track was a triangular area of dead Bracken and tussocks of grass with lots of Bugle and the odd Blue Bell poking up between the brown and green. Things suddenly went a little manic as there seemed to be Pearls everywhere. I’d watch where one would land only for a second to fly in and spook it before a third passed by in the opposite direction and then a fourth distracted me. Sometimes they’d sit on the side of the drainage ditch along the track but they were increasingly sitting atop the flowers and nectaring which allowed for a few more closed wings shots. In the end I managed to count a minimum of 6. There were probably more because often when they would fly they would head off into the woods on the other side of the track.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

That is a terrific selection of Pearls, Wurzel. It's very good to see them doing so well at Bentley and the environs even if their close cousins the SPBF have apparently failed to make it through. Maybe the area is just no longer damp enough for them (I just hope the heavy and perhaps careless footfall of those who come to see the Pearls in April hasn't been a deciding factor by affecting SPBF pupae hiding in the ground litter).

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It is a real shame about the Small Pearls at Bentley, whether it was trampling or a drying out of the habitat I don't know but (if true)taking some of them as feed stock for another population wouldn't have helped any As for the Pearls here are a few more

Bentley Wood 07-05-2023 Part 2

Intermingled with the Pearls a few other butterflies showed up including a Green-veined White and a Comma but the main attractions were obviously the Pearls. We thought that we’d have a look a little further along the path to see if there were any other similar cleared spots. Round the next bend we saw a slightly wider verge which had a female Large White fluttering about. She perched for a short time and we were able to get a few shots before a passing Brimstone shooed her away. As he did so something else flew up from deeper in the vegetation onto the trunk of one of the trees at the edge of the wood. It was a female Red Admiral looking resplendent in the golden afternoon light. Slightly further on a Pearl flew away into the distance which prompted me to head back and make the most of the Pearls at the woodland edge; they were what we’d come for after all.

Back at the Pearly Patch they were still going pedal to the metal, zipping about and upsetting the very Pearl that you were trying to photograph. Again we were visited by a larger, peachy coloured butterfly; a second Painted Lady, this one looked in much better nick than the first, much brighter. My time was almost up and so we made our way back to the car park. What a cracking little find, what a cracking day! Brilliant; “If only…” I thought “the weather would hold for another day?” But one visit/day is all we seem to be allowed at the moment!

Off to Bentley Wood
At last the sun eats the clouds
Then out come the Pearls
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Some more great reports and photos recently Wurzel.

...It is a real shame about the Small Pearls at Bentley, whether it was trampling or a drying out of the habitat I don't know but (if true)taking some of them as feed stock for another population wouldn't have helped any...

Such a shame about the Small Pearls at Bentley. From what I am hearing, some popular sites are becoming a bit too popular these days with trampling happening far too often. Not helped by increasing numbers of twitcher types that just seem to follow each other around the well known sites 'ticking' each species off in turn.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil It's a double edged sword isn't it? We need more people to 'get into wildlife' so there will be a bigger voice when it comes to protecting the environment but at the same time habitats suffer from the increased footfall of these new supporters At least round my way there are plenty of sites where trampling isn't a concern, especially when compared to the effects of tank tracks

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Fovant 12-05-2023

So on Friday I checked the weather app (well to be honest I checked it several times for several days) and it assured me that from 8-12 would be full sun with sunny intervals following on from this. Oh and the temperature would get up to a balmy 17 by 11am…As I stood outside the medical centre awaiting for a drop in appointment the morning after there wasn’t the slightest glimpse of the sun and even in a fleece it was cold, so cold I wish I’d worn gloves. From here the walk through town to the bakery was also sunless and cold and the faintest of blue streaks in the sky were actually figments of my over optimistic mind. As I got a few household jobs done still the sun remained hidden despite the weather app now assuring me that outside my window it was full blaring sunshine . In the end I just went, figuring that if you don’t go out you definitely won’t see anything and on the way things did seem to brighten up a little.

Once I’d pulled into the lay-by I paused for a moment to work out the plan of attack. Staring across the road I could see that the track that I’d usually take directly to the hollow and the bank path beyond it was completely overgrown with Docks and Nettles up to just below waist height. Because of this I decided to try my luck in the old Quarry first as this was where the reports that I’d read earlier in the week had come from. Within less than a minute I was over the fence and walking around the edge of the bowl at the bottom of the hill. There had obviously been something here to photograph as there were a few trodden tracks criss-crossing the hollow as well as a few circular flattened spots possibly where someone had knelt down to get some shots. As I worked round I didn’t encounter any small browny-orange butterflies but I did spot an odd looking Cowslip. As I craned my neck forward I could see that it was because there was a Large White sitting out the cool and awaiting the sun.

After a couple of turns around the edge of the hollow I decided to try my luck on the other side of the road and so girding my loins and wishing that my jeans were thicker I strode along the track getting stung to bu££ery through my old denim. Sill I hoped it would be worth it but despite a few deer in the hollow and a Red Admiral about half way up the hill track it was crazy quiet, the blanket of cloud dulling all sounds even further and exacerbating the feeling of faunal absence. So I made my way back to the road and the Old Quarry on the other side adding even more stings to the stings for my troubles. Once there I again took to walking round edge of the bowl – the Large White was still there and then there was a flash of brown (if that’s indeed possible?). Gingerly I raised myself onto my toes and lent forward as far as I dared without spooking it. Brilliant! There was my first Duke of the year. I spent a fair bit of time with it trying for all kinds of shots or any shots that it would allow mainly because it was the only thing about but also just in case the sun failed to show itself properly and this was the only one I’d find.

With plenty to look through, coffee drunk and Extra hot Lime-chilli pickle consumed I gave the Duke a bit of peace and took a quick walk up the diagonal path that eventually leads to a vista of the regimental ‘Badges’. There was nowt about but this did let me complete a ‘sun’ check and there in the distance was an indisputable block of blue, I could see the wall of light working its way across the fields, the Oilseed Rape alighting as it reached the petals advancing in a line. I decided to be ready to make the most of it and so when it reached me I was in the Quarry eyes peeled ready. It took a few moments once the sun finally clawed its way into the Quarry before the butterflies appeared. All of a sudden there was a chequered Duke sitting on the grass in one of the flattened spots, then another and another. I’d gone from 1 to 3 in very short time. There was also something else which due to its tiny stature I thought at first was a ‘moff’. When I’d worked my way round I could see that it was the smallest Dingy that I’d ever encountered. I then spent my time wandering round the edge of the hollow and peering into the depths of the foliage. I needn’t have tried this as the Dukes all seemed to prefer the little circles of flattened grass left behind either by sleeping deer or previous visitors. As I scanned across the lek the 3 became four Dukes then 5 and to add a little variety the Painted Lady dropped in.

Time with the Dukes was obviously well spent but I was left wondering where everything else was, after all I’d spent a few hours here and only seen 5 species. Hoping to rectify this I climbed out of the hollow of the quarry and took the diagonal path up the side of the Down again. This time the sun was out and by walking down in the ditch along the side of the banked path the breeze was blocked out. Despite the Kidney Vetch bedecking this sheltered side of the bank I didn’t find any Small Blues but did encounter 2 more Dingies – normal sized these ones and another Duke.

The sun was staying out for longer and longer now and so I wondered if this might have brought out some other species over at Martin Down. So I decided that I’d head over there but first I took a final look around the old Quarry. As I made my way across the little track across the centre I saw something flick in the long grass. It was all coiled up and at first I thought that it was a snake. However when I looked a little closer I saw that it was actually a lizard with its tail wrapped around and so mimicking a snake – whether this was a conscious behavior to avoid predation or merely coincidence I wasn’t sure but it was still interesting to observe. As for the butterflies – the Painted Lady was still grounded and I could look across from a slightly higher vantage point and pick out all five Dukes. Brilliant!

As I was packing up my gear another enthusiast pulled into the lay-by so I told him where to go to find the Dukes. “I think I told you that a couple of years ago?”…he had indeed. That’s the odd thing about Instagram and the internet in general. You can get to know someone, share lots of site and sightings info, admire their butterfly shots but not have an inkling about who they are! It was great to meet in the flesh as it were and soon we were chatting away merrily. If I hadn’t have had some time constraints I’d love to have stayed and gone Duke hunting again but I needed to press on so I left him with the Dukes and set my mode to ‘Rally Driver’…Martin Down ho!
The app lied again
But finally the sun comes
And then there were Dukes
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

You've had a cracking time with the Pearls and Dukes this year, with some great results.
Talking of results, I'm looking forward to the report of your Epsom adventure.
You deserve a decent result after your Ditchling visit when the BH played hard to get.

Great stuff!
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor That was just the start of the Dukes - over at Fovant they had a really good season - more of that to come. The Epsom report might take a little longer - I'm savouring the images

And now for something completely different...Back in April I took a family holiday to Corfu and I've started sorting out the photos and writing up the trip so here's the first installment...

Corfu 2023

Finally able to get abroad again; it had been a while! However this was no trip in the glorious summer when the butterflies were about in huge numbers. Instead it was almost a ‘preseason’ visit to Corfu so as to fit in with A-Levels and Camp America. Normally I’d have a sneaky peek to work out what I might see but this time I didn’t risk it…for fear of disappointment. So with Dave, Philzoid and Bugboy all reckoning that there should be some good stuff about and clocking the early spring from Guy’s posts (both Alps and Spain) I set off in hope!

Sunday 2nd April
Things started well with a quick trip to Bristol, Speedy boarding paid for and a nice coffee once through customs. However then the French kicked off which meant a 3 hour delay. When we finally boarded we almost missed our take off window as a stroppy Welsh woman bemoaned that “someone had taken her cabin locker space”. Then when we arrived the hire car company charged us for keeping them open, gave us a car with one seat belt that didn’t work, it was dark and L had a panic attack when Satnav took us to a dead-end up the mountain and expected us to be able to drive up 20 metres of steps. The road to our villa in the little village in the North East of the isalnd was a nightmare, narrow, winding with steep to shear drops on one side and solid walls on the other. Finally at 2:30 local time I fell into bed. Not the most auspicious start…

Monday 3rd April
The first day didn’t pass too well either as we had nay food for breakfast, no-one wanted to get in the car and brave the precipitous track back down the hill and it was a cool and wet day. Eventually we braved the track come road and got onto the main coastal road as quickly as possible. We’d plumbed for a local beach resort and found an AB supermarket which had a surprising selection of vegan options and from the tills you could gaze across the Ionian Sea to Albania or mainland Greece. Once back and fed I reverted to birding and notched up Crested Tit and a falcon of some description. So ended Monday hopefully Tuesday wold turn out better…

Tuesday 4th April
After the tales of woe and as this is a butterfly website I’ll cut straight to the chase; today I broke the duck and finally started seeing butterflies. The morning was pretty overcast so we eventually ended up back at the beach resort in one of the few cafes that was actually open enjoying a fantastic vegan burger. Once the rain had cleared we promenaded and still in birding mood I found some Red-rumped Swallows in among the House Martins, spotted Yellow-legged Gulls and White Wagtails on the beach and a Raven and then Black Kite passed over the building further back away from the beach. I even saw a White flutter past in one of the gardens. On the drive back, with the sun coming our more the butterflies picked up; a Brimstone, a few Whites a Cloudy and what I was sure was a Cleopatra.

Needless to say once the car was parked and unloaded it was down with the bins and up with the camera, further up the hill/mountain that is. Around the next bend I found a patch of accessible Olive terrace and so I climbed down and I had a look around. At first my heart stopped for a second but alas it was only a Brimstone, there was no orange showing through the forewings. A Wall erupted from my feet and then a definite Cleopatra flew past. It was blindingly obvious what is was, the orange showing clearly as it darted forward and back. It finally stopped and tried to look like a dead leaf, a trick that might have worked had it not landed on a carpet of beige/brown dead leaves. With this lifer in the bag I climbed back up the hill and turned my attention to the other butterflies along the terrace. Theses came in the form of a female Wall and a Geranium Bronze.

A couple of Whites appeared. The first was a Small White. Or so I thought at first but looking at the way the black tips ran down the Termen to be in line with the discal spot, which was concave, I think it was a Southern Small White. The other on the other side of the Geranium Bronze was a Large White.

Pleased with this little spot (which I dubbed the Terrace) I pressed on and so climbed out onto the road and carried on winding my way up the hill. After the next twist round the road ran straight for about 30metres before turning ninety degrees to the right. On the nearest corner a Cleopatra fed whilst being slightly harassed by a Wall.

On the opposite side of the bend a little cutting (only 5 or 6 strides long) ran up the slope away from the road and to the Olive Groves clinging to the side of the slope. I was filled with wildflowers and as it was so promising I reasoned that it would be worth checking out on the return leg. I kept on walking up the hill with a Large White (a female this time) and several Walls keeping me amused. Not wanting to leave the family for too long I turned around and retraced my steps but at the little cutting something made me pause and investigate a little closer. A massive lizard shot off up the wall and a Wall proper bombed past me and down the hill. A bright yellow butterfly appeared which despite having such bold yellow and orange colours, was not a Cleopatra as it was far too small. It landed and there was next lifer, an Eastern Orange-tip. It was stunning and was swiftly joined by a second. My camera couldn’t quite capture the yellow on the upper side to it’s full effect, giving it a more lemon hue rather than the actual mustard yellow. The underside however really showed up well and I clicked away enthralled somehow remembering to stop every now and again and just take in the view.

The second landed on the other side of the same plant as the first so by turning slightly I was able to photograph first one and then the other. After a while of trying for all manner of shots I made my way back…
Have a goodun

Wurzel