I am not so despondent about the numbers of Common Blue now within the Essex sites I have been visiting. They seem just to have been on the wing later than previous years and/or I missed them with impatience. 30+ today, including at least 5 females, within the significant field margins running along the southern and western woodland edges of Hockley Woods.
![2024.08.15 Common Bluee Hockley Woods 002.jpg (1.83 MiB) Viewed 316 times Common Blue male x 2<br />Hockley Woods 15/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_ef2a1b9c08ad82a4331a0ac418562379)
- Common Blue male x 2
Hockley Woods 15/08/2024
There were also sightings of a couple of Brown Argus, a solitary Small Copper - which was good to see - 7 Small Heath and a very tatty male Wall Brown:
![2024.08.15 Small Heath Hockley Woods.jpg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 316 times Small Heath<br />Hockley Woods 15/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_041e30b25243910ff057d2e8441d4334)
- Small Heath
Hockley Woods 15/08/2024
![2024.08.15 Wall Brown Hockley Woods.jpg (1.45 MiB) Viewed 316 times Wall Brown<br />HHockley Woods 15/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_e206c2dd5a7fa910e08b6c357259e17b)
- Wall Brown
HHockley Woods 15/08/2024
I think the significance of this find is great and leads me to believe they have a sustainable community within the woodland edges of Hockley Woods as I also saw Wall Brown here earlier in the year. This is an inland location in South Essex.
Why I am a little happier is because I was at One Tree Hill, near Basildon in South Essex, a couple of days ago where I also saw 30+ Common Blue within the 3 meadows of Johnson's Meadow West, Hawksbury Bush & Martinhole Wood.
![2024.08.13 Common Blue One Tree Hill.jpg (707.6 KiB) Viewed 316 times Common Blue female<br />One Tree Hill - Johynson's Meadow West 13/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_5e961b4077582a5ff655f46eba7ee017)
- Common Blue female
One Tree Hill - Johynson's Meadow West 13/08/2024
along with a female Brown Argus
![2024.08.13 Brown Argus One Tree Hill.jpg (1.1 MiB) Viewed 316 times Brown Argus female<br />One Tree Hill - Johnson's Meadow West 13/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_4675dc41303c4b1f6ff0797abae2016c)
- Brown Argus female
One Tree Hill - Johnson's Meadow West 13/08/2024
and just like today, a very tatty male Wall Brown:
![2024.08.13 Wall Brown One Tree Hill.jpg (1.12 MiB) Viewed 316 times Wall Brown male<br />One Tree Hill 13/08/2024](./files/thumb_22825_656f3b09e26edf49a3db3b73bca028bc)
- Wall Brown male
One Tree Hill 13/08/2024
Significantly, just like at Hockley Woods today, this was one of 5+ with the same amount seen earlier this year but quite a distance apart. So for me, the local distribution is expanding and there is also a sustainable inland community here at One Tree Hill, Basildon.
Actually, it was a pretty good day on Tuesday as numbers were good and there was a fair bit of activity:
Meadow Brown 200+
Gatekeeper 75+
Small Heath 50+
Marbled White 3 making it into the second week of August
Speckled Wood 12
Common Blue 30+
Brown Argus 4
Holly Blue 1
Brimstone 2
Small White 1
Large White 1
Green-veined white 15
A Small Skipper that could have been accepted as an Essex Skipper
A female Purple Hairstreak with open wings but escaped my iPhone disappointingly
A couple of Red Admiral & a Comma
17 species and a total of 417 over the course of a 6 hour survey.
Today's 17 mile 9 hour day at all of the South Essex Woods for the last time this year turned up 14 species with a total of 170 butterfly sightings.
At One Tree Hill, there was also a Jersey Tiger, a Six-spot Burnet both of which have rarely been recorded in the area, and numerous Gypsy Moth - all 3 venturing further east and inland. I wonder how the change in Lepidoptera profile will affect the ecosystems.
I finish on a sad note - ever hopeful - I took a look round to see if by chance a second brood of Grizzled Skipper had emerged - no such luck - which means the 5 seen earlier the year remain the only 5 Grizzled Skipper seen within the County of Essex in 2024
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)