Trevor

[trevor]

Cheers Dave. With the weather today I had no trouble finding butterflies!

At Abbot's Wood this morning there had been a heavy overnight dew, so with moisture
in the Oaks the Purple Hairstreaks would have little reason to come down low.
But two did venture within reach, but unfortunately the best opportunity was spoilt
when a male landed in clear view, but obscured by an Oak leaf in the view finder.

Gate Keeper numbers have built including a few new females. It was also good to see a
fresh Peacock, Silver Washed Fritillary and Large Whites. There were still many fresh
Red Admirals around.

I spent the afternoon at a totally different type of habitat.

[Neil Freeman]

...With the weather today I had no trouble finding butterflies!

You certainly had it better down there than we did Trevor. We were supposed to have a decent morning followed by rain this afternoon but from about 09.30 we were under a thick layer of dark grey clouds which made for a dismal day all told. It was quite windy too.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow which so far has a similar forecast for what we were supposed to have today, lets see how it turns out.

Cheers,

Neil.

[trevor]

Sorry to read of your weather woes Neil. We also missed most of the
thunderstorms that headed your way in recent weeks. Rain for us tomorrow!

From woodland to grassland this afternoon at Horseshoe Plantation.
The main reason for my visit was to search the healthy Elms for White Letter Hairstreaks.
It has always been a hit or miss site for them, today it was a miss.
However compensation came in the form of a fresh, male Chalkhill Blue, male Common Blue,
and on another part of the site some Dark Green Fritillaries, including a very beautiful female.
Large numbers of Marbled Whites were also present.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Lovely to see the Chalkhills starting to come in Trevor - you can't beat the fresh ones at the start of the season I'd just about caught up as well so now it looks like there's another one to look out for this weekend

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely to see fresh Chalkhill Blues on the scene, Trevor. The Dark Green Fritillaries are a welcome presence too.

[trevor]

Thanks Wurzel & David. The first Chalkhill is an indicator of late Summer.
I picked a ripe blackberry the other day!

Just one butterfly today, a very fresh and beautifully marked Painted Lady.
Given the strong wind today and the forecast of stronger to come I hope it finds refuge.

[Katrina]

Mint condition - good work Trevor!

[trevor]

Thanks Katrina. That Painted Lady was absolutely pristine.
If you click on the open wing shot, enjoy the subtle colours!

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

That mint condish Painted Lady is a cracking find Trevor, I love he underwing of this species, sublime
I hope this low pressure system loop we're struck in doesn't hamper the Brostreaks
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Cheers Wurzel. That Painted Lady was also a victim of the gusty wind,
dividing it's time between nectaring and hunkering down out of the wind,
hence it was an easy target for the camera!

I have been sorting some Marbled White shots from my visits to Chiddingfold Forest
back in late June, all taken on different days. They were all fresh and provided some
entertainment while waiting for His (awkward) Majesty to appear.
Amazingly, for this flighty species, one specimen was perched on top of a thistle
for over two hours one morning.

[Katrina]

Glorious Marbled Whites. 2 hours does seem like a long time.

[Wurzel]

Cracking Marbled Whites Trevor All the Browns show some degree of variation in their markings but the Marbled Whites take it to a whole new level - almost every single one is an individual

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Thanks Katrina & Wurzel. It was good to see those Marbled Whites on
something other than swaying grass stems.

Another shot from Chiddingfold, this time a Brimstone moth ( 30/6/2023 ).

[David M]

Love the Marbled Whites, Trevor. That one glued to the thistle reminds me of a (normally flighty) Western Marbled White that wouldn't budge from a scabious flower in the French Pyrenees for the entire time we were eating lunch, even though some of us were sat right next to it!

Nice to see the Brimstone moth too, especially in such an attractive pose.

[trevor]

Thanks David. Working down from the top , the first four images of the Marbled Whites
are all of the same specimen. Once it had found the thistle it just remained there
for over two hours. We were amazed how a normally flighty species was so torpid.
It was apparently healthy.

[trevor]

Find a patch of bramble and thistle on a day like today and the butterflies find you.
I was pleased to find two Holly Blues, one of which was fresh, and a mating pair of Meadow Browns.

[Wurzel]

Great set of shots Trevor That pair in cop look like a mismatched pair one looks fresh out of the box and the other looks about ready to pop it's clogs(a touch of Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah there ) I think the weather hold back the Brostreaks this year - I'll try to do a recce at the end of the week weather permitting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Cheers Wurzel. I note BH have been seen already, including Sussex.
This weekend looks like a write off, but maybe the following one ?.

Early this afternoon I drove up to High and Over for Wall Browns.
The main path is heavily overgrown, as is the meadow near the fence line.
I soon located a male Wall with problems. It had white markings on it's left hand
side and deformed LH forewing and on top of this only one antennae.
Neither of which hindered it from making several quick escapes before I caught up with him.
Undergrowth is also encroaching on the well known steps, restricting suitable bare earth
for the Wall's to bask on. Near the steps, in the undergrowth I found a female Wall, well away
from several patrolling males.
Also seen today a tiny 'blue' female Common Blue, and a fresh Speckled Wood.

Trevor.

[David M]

..Early this afternoon I drove up to High and Over for Wall Browns...

That's early for second brood Walls, Trevor. Well done! I still haven't seen this species in the UK in 2023 yet, but I doubt our local second brood will be about prior to August.

[bugboy]

Interesting to see those bleached Walls, I see that on other Satyrids quite routinely (Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers) but never on a Wall.