millerd

[millerd]

24th July was even worse than 22nd had been, to the extent that it wasn't really worth going out. 25th July was an improvement, and the same roster of butterflies appeared locally as I'd seen on 23rd, though in smaller numbers. A different Small Copper appeared (though I did later see the dusky one as well)...

...and more dark-coloured new Brown Argus. One had curious marks on its wings that were probably water damage from the rain on 24th.

There were more puddling Holly Blues - why they sometime cluster so tightly I don't know.

Peacocks do sometimes strike good poses, and here are a couple. The underside shot is unusual, being for once more than just a dark triangle and showing the subtlety of the markings.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Just catching up after getting back from Wet...I mean West Wales and visting the Outlaws. That bilateral gynandromorph is a bit of a stunner, what a find that is

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - yes, quite a butterfly (and as I said, just imagine what it looked like freshly emerged ).

From what I remember, and looking at some of the photos I had to delete, 26th July was rather windy, despite some warmish sunshine. I headed for Aston Rowant again, stepping up the search for the first Silver-spotted Skippers - which again proved to be in vain. As some of the Essex Skippers still seemed quite fresh, maybe the skipper season was delayed.

There was no shortage of butterflies, that's for certain, with Brown Argus and Chalkhill Blues predominating - the first in sheer numbers...

...and the second in eyecatchingness.

Both species, plus a Common Blue, joined in this festive lunch party.

Luckily the number of butterflies present concealed what exactly they were lunching on...

In fact, it was Common Blues today that provided the majority of the interest. There were several females in varying plumage...

...mating pairs...

...and then the males.

I watched two males apparently scuffling down on the grass. However, I realised that the older more worn one was attempting to have his way with the shiny new one. It is possible in a couple of these shots to make out his abdomen curving round in an attempt to join - and the other male levitating his own rear end as far out of the way as possible.

I have seen similar behaviour in blue butterflies before, and have since read that the pheromones released as a butterfly (of whichever sex) emerges can excite passing males.

After that bit of drama, there was a wide variety of other species to be seen...

I particularly liked this fresh Green-veined White, which for some reason looked more exotic than it really is. Maybe it's the black lines along the hindwing veins...

Dave

[David M]

23rd July...

Red Admiral 78
Peacock 68
Holly Blue 52...

Astonishing statistics for those three!

[millerd]

They certainly were impressive, David, though in fact six days earlier (on 17th) the numbers for those three were 118, 113 and 42. The second half of July may have had changeable weather, but numbers for some species were encouragingly high.

Very mixed weather on 27th July too: warm, but mostly cloudy and a bit of rain. Fewer butterflies on my local patch, but there's always something worth a shot or two.

Painted Ladies have not been around in any great number, but have been seen regularly all through July.

All the other usual Nymphalids were present today as well, but no Tortoiseshells.

I visited the reserved uncut areas of grassland, which remained little oases of butterfly life. All the next few shots were taken within one of these (the tape marking it to ward off the mower can be seen here).

This female Common Blue was one of the brownest I've seen anywhere, but even without the underside view, it is clearly not like a female Brown Argus. One or two blue scales are just visible close to the body.

There were four Common Blues and four Brown Argus today, all sharing this small space (as well as that Essex Skipper and several Gatekeepers).

Holly Blues have been unaffected by the cut to the meadow areas, and though not as numerous as a few days before, still notched up 30+ individuals.

Dave

[millerd]

I popped down to Denbies again on 28th July, mainly to seek out Silver-spots here, having failed at Aston Rowant. I was no more successful, and the wind made getting anything to stay still fairly tricky. The fresh Chalkhills did their best.

I also finally managed to get a shot of the late summer honorary butterfly, the Jersey Tiger moth.

I'd been seeing two or three of these on most local walks recently and also at Bookham, but this was a first for me at Denbies.

Dave

[bugboy]

I've seen a Jersey Tiger Moth nearly everyday in recent weeks whilst out, and regularly see one or two a day at work now!

[Matsukaze]

The tigers are new to the garden here this year, but have been fairly regular visitors the last week or so.

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of Chalkhill shots Dave but that final Green-veined White from the post before those black 'veins/lines' definitely make you do a double take

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I think I've seen more Jersey Tigers locally this year than before - as well as at new sites. They appear to be on the increase.

Cheers, Wurzel - I was quite taken with that GVW, but it was very difficult to get a decent shot of, as it was constantly on the move.

Another windy day on 29th July, and quite cool up on the Chilterns as I discovered trying once again to find Silver-spotted Skippers at Aston Rowant. There was enough sunshine to entice the butterflies out, but sheltered nooks were essential. The tracks across the hillside, well-incised by sheep in the winter, seemed to be ideal. There were lots of Brown Argus tucked down here and as I walked slowly along looking for the SSS, little groups of them would fly up along with the odd Chalkhill or Common Blue.

The Marbled Whites had disappeared now, but I was surprised to find a quite fresh-looking female Dark Green Fritillary keeping low out of the wind and nectaring on the creeping thistles...

...and down along the old trackway, other large butterflies were nectaring on the marjoram.

Tending to ignore the breeze and therefore very tricky to get shots of were a selection of Small Coppers.

Finally, back on one of the sheep tracks, I spotted the unmistakable browny-olive-green shape of my first Silver-spotted Skipper of 2023.

Success! Eventually I saw three individuals in different parts of the hill, but only managed photos of that first one.

Dave

[millerd]

30th July was the start of the period when summer wasn't playing the game properly at all. Sunshine was at a premium, it was often wet for part of the day and temperatures were subdued. Nevertheless, on that particular day I saw a few things on my local walk.

Once again I saw Jersey Tigers - they frequently appear under cloud with a bright flash of orange before disappearing again. I had a go at catching the in-flight colouring as one flew past...

...but it was easier to settle for the upperside when it rested.

Dave

[millerd]

More cloud and wet conditions, plus only 20 degrees scraped as a maximum, hampered butterfly activity on 31st July. It was possible to find a few hopefuls here and there, plus some roosting individuals just sitting it out. In retrospect, this day seems to have been the trigger for the large numbers of Peacocks around in mid-July to seek their hibernation spots deep in the brambles and elsewhere, as from now on only very low numbers would be seen.

A selection of dimly-lit butterflies from 31st, sitting on the damp foliage.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Some great shots in your posts Dave , love the ones of the SSS Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Silver-spotted Skipper Dave - did we agree that this is the cutest of the skippers? That final shot of the Holly Blue is a nicely different one as well, from that angle it seems that they're Newcastle fans

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you, Goldie - I had to get down very low to get those skipper shots, but it was worth the effort!

Yes, They are definitely the cutest of the bunch, Wurzel, though I suspect we will have to agree to differ on no. 2... That Holly Blue was very stripy - though their local dialect around here definitely lacks any hints of Geordie (or I wouldn't be able to do the whispering... )

August actually kicked off on the 1st with a pretty decent day - a sunny morning and some summery warmth. I made an early start and headed down to Bookham, and in due course met up with Paul (Bugboy) and quite a few others of similar mind, with Brown Hairstreaks the goal for the day.

The path along next to Banks Common didn't offer any sightings of this particular species, but there were a few worn remnants of their Purple relatives...

...and large numbers of their mimic (at least when your eyes are looking for brown/orange combos ).

There were a couple of quite fresh Meadow Browns as well, opening up in the early sunshine. It seems they can be tempted by a blackberry or two - like most species really.

At pretty well the same moment that Bugboy texted me with his whereabouts in the wood, a small brownish butterfly buzzed me and plonked itself down at around head height on some nearby foliage. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the Speckled Wood I expected to see, but instead was a male Brown Hairstreak. It wasn't well-placed though, and I only managed a couple of shots from not all that close before it disappeared upwards. With no input from me other than holding it above my head and pointing it, the camera decided all by itself to focus on the butterfly.

I made my way in the direction of the station, and a large area of suitable blackthorn. Approaching the target area, I spotted another male Brown Hairstreak on a thistle, nicely posed.

After a while with this very amenable butterfly, a heard voices from the other side of the hedge - it appeared that the main Hairstreak event was just out of sight. A surprisingly long detour, and I met up with all the other folk, including Bugboy.

There were more Brown Hairstreaks here, including a ragged male that appeared to be a fixture as it had apparently been there all morning.

This particular area was cleared of dense overgrowth a couple of years ago, but carefully leaving small blackthorn suckers - which are favoured by the hairstreaks. This became apparent when I spotted a perfect new female sitting low down seemingly drying her wings. I alerted Bugboy, but before either of us could capture her image, she was off up into the hedge somewhere. The one that got away... But there would be others, though open-winged females would have to wait a few days.

This seems like a good point to split what will otherwise be a rather extended post...

Dave

[millerd]

Bookham, 1st August (continued)...

There was now a Small Copper interlude. Bookham is always good for the species and today provided a varied selection of largely fresh examples.

There was also a rather nice ne Small Heath, a species that has been hard to come by this summer, even in its usual haunts.

After that it was back to the Brown Hairstreaks. Bugboy and I approached a patch of thistles which he told me had been very productive a day or two before, and lo and behold there were three or four males unobtrusively nectaring. Their sandy undersides and dull brown uppers, plus their general lack of movement makes them easy to overlook. It is easy to focus attention on one and find another under your nose - they are not readily spooked either, or return in a few moments to the same flower.

A cracking start to the Brown Hairstreak season!

Dave

[bugboy]

Twas a particularly good day with a good standard of supporting cast to run alongside the main target. I've just flicked through my images of that day, I did actually manage to get a couple of underside shots of that first female before she left us.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Dave and you even managed a False Hairstreak ab.excessa Your report offers a great description of Brostreak hunting, particularly when you talk about finding one and then there being a second under your nose

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

You did well to get shots of that female, Paul - she was off too quickly for my camera fiddling to achieve anything more than an orange blur.

Cheers, Wurzel - it was a typical Brown Hairstreak day really!

2nd August was a day back at home, one that almost typified the high summer period this year. Just three hours of sunshine, a high of only 21 degrees, and over an inch of rain. I still managed to find some butterflies on a short walk when it wasn't raining...

There were a handful of Commas, one or two of them quite fresh hutchinsoni individuals.

In common with most days here in July, a couple of Painted Ladies put in an August appearance. I imagine they were locally hatched examples at this stage of the year, but it's not easy to tell.

Red Admiral numbers had really dropped after the extraordinary heights of July, but there were still some new ones around.

The blackberry crop this year has been extremely good (it beats me that supermarkets have the nerve to try and sell English blackberries in July... ), but recent rain had tended to accelerate the fermented berry and squishiness factor. This, however, suits the butterflies and this Speckled Wood was firmly engrossed in a lengthy slurp.

Not many Whites were flying, but GVW proved easiest to find and approach. Their choice of places to stop and rest/nectar always seem to be more accessible than the ones selected by Small Whites.

Finally (of course) were the Holly Blues. I counted 16 today, with fresh males still taking advantage of puddles, wet ground, and any bird droppings they encountered. They are definitely attracted to any white patches on foliage, making detours to investigate, and to things like scraps of paper or feathers.

Dave

[trevor]

I've seen many posts on facebook of BH from Bookham Common and it
would seem you hit the jackpot on your visits, some great shots too.
Easier searching than Shipton B ?.
I went over to Steyning in late July ( twice ) to look for male BH on
creeping thistle, in the very area where females are found, but nothing at all.

Well done, great stuff!