millerd

[Wurzel]

Great sets of DGFs and Marbled Whites Dave Also interesting to see the heavily marked Essex - I too saw a few of those this year - they must have gotten a little bit too cooked in the chrysalis Looking forward to the the next installment as I'm sure a Whitter or two might feature

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Having said earlier that I saw no one in the woods that day, Trevor, I did of course see the gentleman you mention when I first arrived and passed the time of day with him. He always recognises the "regulars" of the Purple season! A very pleasant fellow, and as much a part of the scenery as the Emperors themselves...

Cheers, Wurzel - here are some of what you unerringly predicted!

I will start with the excuses: though the White-letter Hairstreaks here come down readily to the bramble flowers, they are little so-and-sos for nectaring in the shade, under the flowers and awkwardly angled to the sun. If you are quick, you can grab a quick shot when one manouevres a bit or has just landed. The upside is that they tend to be almost completely oblivious of anyone right next to them, and will often land just a few centimetres away (usually in your blind spot). Some of these shots have been tweaked, either by initial camera adjustments or in the computer, to avoid a sequence of dark silhouetted triangles on bright white flowers.

In the end, the silhouette against the light does have its own charm, and is certainly evocative of the day with this quirky little butterfly.

Before returning home, I took a fifteen-minute drive north to Pound Wood, where I hoped I would find the other target species for the day.

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

Ahh, Hadleigh castle. I thought that might feature in your diary. Been there a few times. Just a few! But not this year, sadly...

[bugboy]

You did better than I did this year , most of my pictures as you day dark silhouettes, I unfortunately chose a very hot afternoon!

[Wurzel]

"they are little so-and-sos for nectaring in the shade, under the flowers and awkwardly angled to the sun." I'm glad it's not just me that's experienced this then They are right pains, apart from when they're aged and tatty and then they sit there good as gold, perfectly posed Great set of shots despite their best efforts At least you didn't have them sitting half in and half out of the shade like they did for me

Havea goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, everyone - as this is such a reliable spot for WLH they are worth trekking over for, however annoying they may actually be when you get there. It does make the hard-won half-decent shots that much more satisfying!

Now a complete contrast - one of the most docile and amenable butterflies you are ever likely to come across (in my experience anyway). As I reached the pull-in by the entrance to Pound Wood, I was aware that there was much more cloud now, but not to worry. I headed along the path towards the rotationally coppiced areas that Essex Wildlife Trust seem to be managing very successfully.

When I reached the open area, this was the sight that greeted me: the whole of the ground was covered in a carpet of cow wheat. A promising sign!

At first, all seemed quiet, but then I spotted a dark shape against the lighter background. Basking under the UV coming through the clouds was a Heath Fritillary.

As I wandered around in rather dim conditions, I found one or two others.

However, every now and again the sun would break through, and when it did Heath Fritillaries would appear like magic from their hiding places and flutter around the clearings. They are so much more active in sunshine, chasing each other around in groups of four or five and seeking out the brambles for nectar.

One or two also posed rather appropriately on the larval foodplant.

I also managed to find one or two perched with their wings shut, allowing for some underside shots - unfortunately a bit darker than I would have liked.

All in all, it was a very pleasant interlude before the drive back around the top half of the M25.

Dave

[Katrina]

Good collection of photos. I have only been once to see them and they were very amenable. I particularly like your habitat shots

[Wurzel]

Cracking collection their Dave It's been a few years since I saw my last Heaths so have This species must have been a collectors/lepidopterists dream as every single one looks different

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you, Katrina - it's useful that I can take in almost guaranteed WLH and Heath Fritillary on the same trip. It's a pity the Heaths aren't more widespread in the UK as they appear to be in Europe. I always like to take few habitat shots, as a reminder of the day if nothing else. Otherwise the butterflies could be anywhere!

...This species must have been a collectors/lepidopterists dream as every single one looks different...
Wurzel

Yes, no two are alike Wurzel, and it's a good thing there aren't any related species anywhere nearby with which they could be confused! I often wonder what would happen if you presented an expert with a varied selection of photos without saying where they were from, and asked for them to be ID'd...

27th June was not as warm (down to 23 degrees), and not particularly sunny. However, the first part of the morning was the brightest part of the day and after a three day gap it was time to venture out locally again and see how things had moved on.

I found over 350 butterflies of 16 species (the highest so far on both counts) - though the overall numbers are skewed by the Meadow Browns which were too numerous to count exactly (at least 250).

The tally looked like this:

Meadow Brown 250+
Small Skipper 25+
Essex Skipper 25+
Small White 15
Common Blue 5
Small Heath 5
Red Admiral 5
Large Skipper 4
Comma 4
Small Tortoiseshell 3
GVW 3
Gatekeeper 3
Large White 2
Brown Argus 2
Speckled Wood 1
Marbled White 1

I identified as many Skippers as I could, and numbers seemed about even between Small and Essex. I did the same with the Whites, but aside from a few they were nearly all Small. I took a large number of photos, especially of the Skippers. Both species were new, both were largely occupying the same areas, and the lack of bright sunshine meant they were relatively lethargic and posed often. I think I shall leave them for a separate post.

There were highlights among the other species. Notably, a female Marbled White appeared, a relatively uncommon sight here though they are numerous not far to the north. A handful make their way down here every year however.

It was good to see a few Small Tortoiseshells, though numbers have been down again this year after a bit of a revival in 2022.

There haven't been many Large Whites either, so this male was a welcome sight (albeit awkwardly positioned!).

The GVWs were new, with their subtle lemony markings underneath.

Gatekeepers are also attractively marked on the underside, especially when fresh...

...and I actually managed a shot of one of the many Meadow Browns.

Other fresh butterflies included a Comma...

...a Red Admiral...

...and a few Small Heaths.

The final sighting was not a butterfly at all. While following a skipper attempting to work out which one it was, I was surprised by what appeared to be a small helicopter or drone taking off from the grass. I watched it apparently collide with a tree, and upon investigation I realised what it was - one of the stag beetles, I'm guessing the lesser variety?

It's been a while since I'd seen one, and it was a very impressive insect.

Next will be a post full of assorted (and hopefully correctly sorted... ) Skippers.

Dave

[millerd]

As promised, a local Skipper extravaganza from 27th June...

First, a couple of rather world-weary Large Skippers.

However, it was mostly a day for Small Skippers...

...and for Essex Skippers.

I still think Essex Skippers win in the cuteness stakes...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking collection of Skippers Dave I'd agree with you about the Essex winning in the cuteness competition against the other two BUT I'd put Lulworths above Essex and Silver-spots would top the list

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - I'll grant you Silver-spots probably come top, but I still reckon Essex beat Lulworths...

After a day of Skippers, 28th June was more one for the newly emerging hutchinsoni Commas. The day was overcast almost all day, though it became very warm and muggy; butterfly numbers were down overall though. Though it was relatively dull, the UV component must have been high - causing the fresh Commas to appear to glow in almost unreal fashion.

I spotted one female skulking around some nettles...

After she had departed, scrutiny of the plant she'd been on revealed an egg.

Comma egg3 280623.JPG (120.08 KiB) Viewed 2622 times

Other sightings included several skippers, of which this is a Small sample...

...and this is a Large.

New Red Admirals were beginning to appear...

...and there was just the one Gatekeeper, a bright new male.

A lot of orange and brown today!

Dave

[millerd]

Looking back, I see that I also visited Staines Moor on 28th June. Despite a month of relatively dry weather, the path down to this bit of flat moorland by the River Colne was still very muddy and tricky to negotiate, and the short walk down took rather longer than expected. One curiosity of this site compared to my more local patch is that however hard I look, I have yet to find any Essex Skippers in amongst the Smalls. The situation persisted today as far as I could tell, as there were a lot around to check.

The other point of interest is that there are always a few Ringlets here, whereas nearer home I'm lucky to see any at all.

It is of course also reliable for Small Coppers, and a couple of newish individuals popped up today.

Aside from the skippers, the most frequently encountered species are Small Heath and Meadow Brown - both of which supplied a representative toay.

More orange and brown...

Dave

[millerd]

29th June: Time for another extended multi-site day out, avoiding the M25 at least in one direction!

I headed first for Dawney's Hill to see if any more Graylings had appeared to add to the one I'd spotted a few days before. Well, there was just the one again, and it took its time appearing as well.

To be fair, it was largely cloudy, and there wasn't much of anything flying: I found a couple of Large Skippers...

...and a few tired -looking Silver-studded Blues.

In fact, the most interesting sighting was a very handsome Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

I was surprised to get this close to it, as I find them far trickier than butterflies and my lepidoptera stealth mode fails nine times out of ten.

I now headed cross-country via the edge of Guildford over to Denbies - a far pleasanter way of getting there.

Dave

[millerd]

Down at Denbies I wondered if any Chalkhill Blues might have emerged, as I've seen them before the end of June once or twice in the past. However, I didn't spot one: all the pale shapes flying around the hillside were Marbled Whites.

There were no other downland specialists either, just a few of the same species I'd seen near home over the last couple of days.

I wandered along a bit further to the lone elm tree in which I'd seen a White-letter Hairstreak a couple of years ago, but it had (as expected) succumbed to DED. There are a few other elms sprouting in the hedge along here, looking healthy at present, but I didn't see any hairstreaks. However, there was a Comma flitting around them...

...and I managed to track down an egg it had laid on an elm leaf.

There were several Commas along this bit of path, and one of them had found something to its liking.

I suppose the remains of a bird carcass makes a change from other noxious sources of minerals...

Not far away was this rather splendid Roman Snail...

...the type that forms the basis of stereotypical French gastronomy. Their shells can often be found at Denbies, but this is the first inhabited one I've seen for a while.

That was about it - I did see a few Dark Green Fritillaries, but none was stopping for a second. I decided to carry on over to Box Hill where they might be better behaved, and also where it looked to be a bit sunnier.

Dave

[millerd]

It's just a short drive across to Box Hill from Denbies, but it was definitely sunnier there when I arrived (not for the first time, either - a quirk of local geography perhaps?). Here's the view back across the Mole valley towards Denbies vineyard (the butterfly slopes are further round to the west, out of sight from here).

I headed towards Burford Spur, but had walked no further than what used to be the members' car park before I encountered a Dark Green Fritillary. This one had clearly been reading the Purple Emperor manual, as it was almost glued to the gravel surface, sucking up minerals, and was virtually undisturbable.

Given the butterfly's behaviour, I decided to employ the same tactics as I had used with the Emperors at Chiddingfold: rub a finger in the damp surface of the ground and offer it to the Fritillary. That seemed to work...

Exactly as with the Emperors, once enjoying the treats smeared on my finger, the butterfly became difficult to dislodge. I took advantage by trying a variety of different shots from close up.

Eventually, I had to gently lower the butterfly to the grass, but after flying around the car park a couple of times it returned to the ground again.

I continued out onto Burford Spur where hundreds of Marbled Whites were flying and sitting on the knapweed flowers,

The grass concealed many more, and they formed little fluttery clouds if disturbed by something (a phenomenon noticed by several folk walking the path at the top of the ridge - people sometimes do actually notice the butterflies!).

There were also several more Dark Green Fritillaries, behaving more conventionally than the one seen earlier, dashing up and down the slope and then hiding in the grass or nectaring briefly if the Marbled Whites actually vacated a flower head. It was very tricky to get anywhere near this lot at all...

Having enjoyed the sight of these two species, something I look forward to every year, I returned to the car via the old fort. On the way I spotted a rather good crop of wild raspberries, and braved the nettles and brambles to pick a generous handful.

They were delicious.

At the old fort itself, there were several Red Admirals and Commas enjoying the late sunshine and the bramble flowers.

Looking back, I realise that this was the first sign of the impending explosion of Red Admiral numbers - there were quite a few around.

A terrific end to the day after the rest had been rather less interesting... Especially that first DGF

Dave

[trevor]

This page of your diary contains some desirable exotics, Dave.
What with the White Letters, Heath Frits, and Dark greens. Superb stuff!

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

"but I still reckon Essex beat Lulworths..."that'll be the Metropolitan bias then
Cracking set of reports and interesting to see the 'butterfly on the hand trick' work with DGFs , cracking close-ups

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Strange you should suggest a bias there, Wurzel - I had considered one might exist the other way from a Dorset perspective... I was surprised to have that DGF eating out of my hand (so to speak) as normally getting anywhere near one at all is a real feat!

Thank you, Trevor - Heath Fritillaries in particular do seem a bit exotic, especially as most of the images of them and their close relatives on these forums are from more exotic locations than the UK. It was worth the trip over to Essex to see them.

On June 30th it was back to the even less exotic, even by UK standards, of my local patch abutting Heathrow. The weather had tuurned cool and cloudy (a harbinger for most of the month to come), but there was still a surprising amount to see, with fresh individuals from several species.

Small and Essex Skippers were both around, in similar numbers now. The Smalls seem more approachable, so are easier to photograph...

...but persevering with the Essex pays off.

Small...

...and Green-veined Whites were appearing again.

The latter in particular had been largely absent for almost all of June.

Another species just starting its summer run was the Gatekeeper. Fresh males are actually quite striking, something that gets forgotten in early August when their worn forms are performing distracting (but not very good) Brown Hairstreak impressions in the Surrey woods.

One pleasant surprise was to find three fresh Small Tortoiseshells. Numbers are very low, but they hang on in there...

...whereas other nettle-feeders are doing rather better: Commas, for example. The summer hutchinsoni form was well underway now, and some lovely examples were flying.

From the underside of this one, I wonder if there is a named variation known as var. G-album...

Last but not least was one of several fairly new Red Admirals, just a taster of what the next week or so would bring.

I counted 160 butterflies of ten species - not bad for a cloudy and coolish sort of day.

Dave

[millerd]

On 2nd July, I felt it was worth another look at Denbies for the first new Chalkhill Blues. Once again I was disappointed, and as yet the slopes seemed pretty quiet for a fairly sunny and warm summer's day. As well as the ubiquitous Marbled Whites...

...there were a few Ringlets...

...and Gatekeepers.

One of the latter snuck into the background when I was attending to a new Large White which had paused for a cloud to pass over.

I saw one or two DGF females, and thought I had managed to close in on one, despite a lot of intervening brambles. It was only after later scrutiny that I realised this was actually a female Silver-Washed which had strayed onto the hillside from the adjacent woodland. Not a good shot, but enough to ID the butterfly.

Also mimicking the DGFs were a Comma or two, including this bright female.

Finally, one species often overlooked here, but actually pretty numerous today - the Small Skipper.

Maybe after a few more days, there will be a Chalkhill or two, and hopefully after that, a lot more.

Dave