Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Fantastic stuff Bugboy - 17 in a day will take some beating It's interesting to see multiples feeding in close proximity as that seems to be the way at Shipton as well with little spots along the hedge holding five or six together. Not only did you have a bombardment but you also had some bombproof individuals They can get quite engrossed when they're feeding, butterflies after my own heart

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel. A difficult total to beat in an average year perhaps but if memory serves, I believe Millerd beat it the very next day! They were nearly all Bombproof, particularly those on Hogweed. You can poke them and they don’t bat an eyelid, or at the very least just flutter to another part of the flowerhead .


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August 2023

Monday 7th. After nearly overdosing on the bombardment of Brown Hairstreaks it was back to the reality of work. A white Buddleja was doing its job

Whilst in the greenhouse our pet Red Admiral whom we saw being laid by its mum was now a half grown cat, here it is felling a leaf for its newest tent.

A few days before I’d also watched a Painted Lady laying on some Thistle so I took the opportunity today to get some pics of it. (unfortunately this area was weeded a few days later so this particular egg came to nothing).

A couple of days later I went out again at lunch and found amongst others a Brimstone and Green-veined White.

[trevor]

I've just seen your 3up nectaring Brown Hairstreaks!
Great report and shots. Most of our Hairstreaks seem to have done well this year.

[David M]

..Back at the main hotspot I added another seven, seventeen in one day is by a long way my best day with this species...

That is indeed a spectacular total in a single day for this species, Paul. Even better that so many were within (reasonable) camera range.

[bugboy]

Thanks Trevor. They certainly did and I still have some Brown Hairstreak action waiting in the wings .
Thanks David, I consider myself fortunate to have a site close to me where them coming down and behaving themselves seems to be pretty much normal these days.


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August 2023

Friday 11th. With Brown Hairstreaks seemingly out at records numbers it was easy to forget about some other species. The Grayling being one, so I set aside today to go to Chobham Common, my usual hunting ground for them. It wasn’t the sunniest day but it was plenty warm enough and they turned up in all the usual places, the males like staking out territories along the paths, invariably popping up under your foot and bouncing off down the path or circling you in seeming annoyance at your presence.

As well as the paths, tree trunks are readily used here, Silver Birch and Scots Pine being the most common victims.

and a couple of pictures that fall under the 'spot the grayling' banner!

Looking at the literature, most Grayling abs concern the upperside, so unless you’re an avid collector (a dying breed thankfully) they’re a rare and lucky sighting. The underside I noticed today though does also vary a fair bit, not only in the ground colour but also in the white band on the hindwing… when it exists at all.

Also represented today were all three of the golden Skippers found here, a solitary Holly Blue and a rather nice Small Copper.

Finally, trundling along the path, I found a Goat Moth caterpillar, a huge beastie that spends its life eating the wood of a variety of tree species, slowly chewing its way through branches and tree trunks. The nutritionally poor diet means it’s a very slow growing and can take up to five years before its fully grown, I suspect this one is about that age and was looking for somewhere to spend its last winter. Their common name comes from the fact that both the larvae and adults have a goat like smell (I didn’t give him a sniff so cannot personally verify this detail)

[Wurzel]

Cracking Grayling shots Bugboy I'm glad I'm not the only one to marvel at their variability I think I found my best one this year - the white of the pupils was blue you should be able to view it around 2025 at my current rate of posting
I don't blame you for verifying the naming of the moth larva - they can have quite a unique odour

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Nice find with the Goat Moth larva Paul. I know they are supposed to bit a bit 'pungent' and I don't know how true it is but i have read of people finding them by their odour, even when still inside trees
I suppose they can be a bit like people...some smell more than others

Cheers,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel. That sounds like an interesting Grayling, look forward to seeing it next year
Thanks Neil, I have to say I didn’t pick up any discernible odour so perhaps this one remembered to wash before going for a stroll that morning!


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August 2023

Tuesday 15th. My next day out was one of my all-day events so I’ll split it up a bit. I’d arranged to meet up with Neil H to find a few seasonal specialities, but I got down to Sussex with plenty of time to fit in an extra site first, Mill Hill. I found the bottom slope to be very overgrown, much of it swamped with course grasses and the bottom corner where much of the action can be found later in the season is at serious risk of becoming overgrown with Buddleja. Consequently, there wasn’t much flying down there. I did however see only my second ever Adder, which looked like a rather gravid female, and managed a handful of shots as she slithered into the grass.

Even on the more butterfly friendly steeper slope there wasn’t a great deal about, a few Chalkhills and a solitary Adonis were all that piqued my interest.

I spent most of the time on the rough patch of grassland behind the top car park where Common Blues and Walls kept me entertained.

One particular Wall behaved most oddly and not only allowed me to creep up on him to with a couple of inches, he even remained totally motionless as I moved around him, through long grass, to get a selection of images from various angles.

Most of them were a little on the worn side but the freshest of the bunch did also allow me to get reasonably close as he flitted between Knapweed
flowers.

Anyway, a quick look at my watch told me I had to scarper down to the station to catch the train along to Worthing where hopefully I’d find Neil awaiting for the next part of the days adventures, a good starter though even if Mill Hill does seem to have lost it's mojo of recent.

[trevor]

That's a new one ! A docile male Wall, a nice fresh one too.
You made the most of the opportunity.

[bugboy]

Thanks Trevor, it was a strange, if very welcome experience!


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August 2023

Tuesday 15th part 2. The next couple of hours were spent at Steyning, a place I’ve only visited a couple of times in the past and not recently. Obviously, there’s only one reason to visit in August, Brown Hairstreaks and joining us as Neil parked the car was Benjamin. Once on site it didn’t take long for three pairs of eyes to spy the target. Unfortunately, she was sat in the middle of the undergrowth on the other side of the fence. A brave volunteer was found in the form of Neil who hopped over and tried to get closer to her, but the maze of interconnecting stems made any movement impossible to conceal from her and Neil (bloody amateur) sent her fluttering up into a nearby Hazel.

Whilst waiting for others to show up I found a mating pair of Common Blue.

The next sighting was frustratingly brief, I put up a female who had discreetly secreted herself in the scrubby Blackthorn (bloody amateur). Last I saw of her was fluttering in the general direction of Neil but no amount of searching could relocate her.

I found another one a short while later, who sat for a few shots

And then I found another one who sat for longer

In-between Hairstreaks I did spend a bit of time with other butterflies, some fresh Meadow Browns with extra eye’s and pupils.

Neil and I bid the others farewell around half one but it wasn’t quite over, another female delayed our departure to the final site as she searched for suitable egg laying spots along the path out of the site.

[Wurzel]

Great to see the Adder Bugboy I'm used to seeing them in the spring and generally the black and white ones are males whilst the females are more brown. That one certainly looks like she's a bit egg bound - either that or she's just had an exceedingly large lunch - possibly a small, careless child?
Lovely set of Brostreaks - I found the females a bit more troublesome at the tart of their flight this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, egg bound or possibly in the process of hatching her babies, it would be the right time of year!


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August 2023

Tuesday 15th part 3. The final stop was over at Lancing Ring where the Long-tailed Blues were about to start causing a bit of a stir. It was absolutely no surprise to find Lyndsay Morris already there along with another of Sussex’s regular butterflyers, Patrick Moore. All four of us were stood next to the dew pond where the first few males had been holding territories. Today though the wind was making this spot a bit breezy and non were seen. On the other side of the pond I spied what looked like a more suitable spot, much more sheltered but still getting plenty of sun. My suspicions were spot on, as I approached I saw the distinctive shape of a male assessing the perimeter of his territory. He wasn’t mint fresh but hadn’t yet become a ghostly shadow of his former self.

He was sharing his territory (begrudgingly) with a Brown Argus.

He was an active chap and wasn’t keen on my presence so despite spending a bit of time with him I only ended up with a handful of shots. He was soon forgotten though when a call went up for a mating pair at another lekking spot. An old bruiser, missing half his face, had found himself a nice fresh female.

Usually with this species you can set your watch by their mating habits, one hour max and since we knew when this pair got together, we kept a close eye on them as the hour came to an end in the hope of getting a view of the females upperside. With enough eyes it gave us time to periodically go for a short wander. A nice female Common Blue (who from a distance did look like something else) was all that caught my attention.

Against tradition for the species though, the LTB’s just stayed attached. Another hour went by and still they refused to go their separate ways. In the end it was just Neil and I keeping an eye but as the sun was getting lower, taking the air temperature with it, it looked very much like they were making a night of it.

Neil had work so with great pain he too had to leave although it was so late in the day now it was very unlikely they were going to separate. I left at 5.30, over three hours after they got together leaving them still firmly attached to each other. A fresh female Green-veined White finished a long but enjoyable day.

[Wurzel]

That was indeed a hell of a day Bugboy Cracking shots of the LTBs especially the pair in cop - I dearly love to add this species to my 'in cop' collection

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That sure was a marathon day, Paul, but worth it in every sense with those Walls, Brown Hairstreaks & Long Tailed Blues (plus supporting cast).

[bugboy]

Thanks guys, it was indeed a long day, hence a slightly shorter trip the following day, although no less satisfying .


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August 2023

Wednesday 16th. After the previous epic adventure, I took things a little easier the following day, just a morning at Bookham. My first stop off was to have a look for White Admiral larvae. Numbers were dwindling, as expected, I managed four.

It was now time to switch to the main target, which of course was Hairstreaks, specifically females. They were playing hard to find but I finally came up trumps around half ten, although this freshly emerged one was still playing hard to get by staying put in the heart of a bramble thicket. An aged Purple variety was kind enough to show her how it should be down by popping up under my nose.

Perusing all this year’s best spots the males were once again out in force (god knows when they’ve found time to do their duties up in the Ash trees), but they were now somewhat looking their age. In amongst these, and being totally ignored, was a female laying eggs.

So that was a perfect female playing hide and seek and a slightly raggedy one posing but as time wore on, it was looking like finding a perfect one posing was going to have to wait for another day. Other butterflies included Whites, Brimstones, SWF, Small Coppers and a very old Large Skipper.

As proof that ‘one last look’ is always worth it, I hit the jackpot seconds before deciding to call it a day, perfectly fresh and happy to potter around from flower to flower in my company.

What a glorious insect!

[millerd]

What a glorious insect!

A great shot of a lovely butterfly. And actually nectaring on fleabane for once like they do in the books...

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of shots Bugboy A lot of butterflies seem to hang around and wait until you're just about to leave I've adopted this as one of my ploys - I tell myself that I have to leave half an hour before I actually do which gives me plenty of time for the ones that show up right at the last minute . And if they don't I get home earlier than expected and so accrue some Brucie Bonus Brownie points

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That last image is about as good as it gets, Paul. Superbly fresh female. She's almost glowing.

[trevor]

That last image is about as good as it gets, Paul. Superbly fresh female. She's almost glowing.

Yes she's as fresh as they come. Lovely shot!

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave, indeed she did sample the Fleabane but didn’t seem too taken by its flavour of nectar. It was just a quick casual slurp, not the hypnotic like gorging we see when they’re on Hogweed or Thistles.
Thanks Wurzel, they normally appear in front of me when I pull out lunch!
Thanks David & Trevor, she was a peach of a butterfly wasn’t she


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August 2023

Saturday 19th. I took a break from chasing Hairstreaks to catch up with some other late summer specialities, spending the day walking around Box Hill looking for Adonis and Silver-spots. To mix things up a bit though I headed for the south facing slopes rather than the spine and the slopes bisected by Zigzag Road.

There was quite a breeze blowing and it was a muggy, cloudy start to the day but a sheltered corner had a bit of activity, which, as the cloud began to break, increased accordingly and both targets were ticked off.

It warmed up nicely over the course of the day and the Skippers popped up regularly in good numbers as I wandered pastures new. Adonis were much more sporadic and only popped up here and there.

Other species were either in between broods or starting to wain but enough remained to distract me.