Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Nice shots of the Lulworth Wurzel, that's another one I've yet to see Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie They're one of the easier species to see as they hang around in very large numbers...it's just getting to the Dorset coast that's the tricky part...I'm lucky in that being a Dorsetian I don't need a visa
Cheers Dave ON a good day it's actually harder NOT to see a Lulworth

Lulworth 17-06-2024 Part 2

At the end I went through the gate very tentatively and then went down the steps even more so as there were lots of signs warning about cliff collapse. A few Lulworths played alongside the track but a little too far off it and on the side of the cliff for my liking so I just had to watch and hope that occasionally they would venture a little closer. One or two did and the odd Small Heath also turned up, mainly when I was trying to photograph a Lulworth so it looks like they’ve remembered their raison d’etre. There was also a Burnett Moth sits on a Pyramidal Orchid. This was nice but I’d rather have found a Lulworth on one wink. About ¾ of the way down I looked round the curve of the Cove and there is the rock slide, slap bang in what was at one time a very productive spot. Still in a few years once the wildflowers have colonized the rock it could be even better, a scaleable cliff face where Lulworths and DGFs play within camera range again.

I started back up stopping for the odd Lulworth on the way. At one point a Brown Argus flitted ahead of me up the steps and a there was a fly-by Adonis, a species which really wasn’t behaving so far on the trip. At little higher up and I was granted my wish from earlier as there was a Lulworth feeding on a Pyramidal Orchid. This would make a great addition to growing ‘Butterflies on Orchids’ collection and so I clicked away. Timing was everything as I hoped to catch it in just the right position just as the wind entered into a lull. A quick check of the shots didn’t reveal whether I’d got my timing correct but I was denied the opportunity to try for any more as a Small Heath barrelled into the Lulworth displacing it from the Orchid and so then it flew on before disappearing over the edge of the cliff.

At the top I took a moment to catch my breath and let the burn from the lactic acid pass before I set off on the home leg. Again the Lulworths flew along the path and across the thin turf in spite of the breeze. I was watching a Lulworth when another skipper hove into view. From a distance I could see that it was larger than the Lulworths but not large enough for a Large Skipper. It’s colour was also different from the Lulworths; more orange and less olive. I managed to get in close enough to examine all of the salient points; size = larger, ground colour = orange and not olive, margins = white and not buff, sex brand = long and crooked. Yep it was my first Small Skipper of the year and a more than welcome sight as I realized that I missed them.

I carried on along the lower track adding a Holly Blue, a then a little further along, a Specklie to the list as well as a few more Meadow Browns. The couple of Adonis Blues played really hard to get as did the Meadow Browns. In fact pretty much all of the butterflies barring the Lulworths were nigh on impossible to approach so I gave up and instead focused all my attention on the Lulworths. To this end I found myself making very slow progress as I’d stop and examine every stand of Viper Bugloss. It paid off as almost every flower spike held at least one Lulworth, sometimes several. Then it was just a case of waiting for the butterfly to orientate itself in a pleasing fashion before clicking away and racking up the shots on the memory card. I filled my boots and before long I realized that I’d bagged all manner of shots through the day from close-ups to failed courtships, fresh and worn males and females and every state of wear and tear between.

A mighty fine proboscis!

With boots well and truly filled I made one last check on the Orchids and the slope that I’d started at before leaving through the gate and making my way back to the car to meet the others. What a fantastic morning!

Sea of pale turquoise
With slides and slips and skippers
Tumbledown Lulworth

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Higher Hyde Heath 17-06-2024

On the way home we called in at Higher Hyde Heath. I though it was supposed to be a lowland heath so expected to be wandering along sandy and stony paths as dried heather scritch-scratched against my boots. But no I found myself walking through a lush woodland past a bird hide, carrying on round a large, reed filled pond and then up and over a bank where a man hole ring had been dug into the bank so that (I presume) kids could get through without having to climb over. Finally the trees thinned and the path broke out at the top of a hill with the heather clad slopes flowing away into the middle distance to be replaced first by Bracken and then pasture. I passed a rectangular cutting in the bog on the way with sun dew on the sides, cotton grass showing and a single Bog Asphodel standing out like a yellow hot poker - a bit like a sparkler on Guy Fawkes Night being held vertically. Up ahead I could make out three other people, who from their behaviour (wandering around, stooped and staring at the floor with camera held out before them) I guessed were other butterfly enthusiasts.

When I reached the ridge there were a series of tracks all meeting up there are the three other enthusiasts as I drew near and I posed the all important question “much about?” the older one points out a few Silver-studs. I recognized them but it took me a moment or three to recollect from where during which time I started getting a few shots in. Then it came to me they were ‘Zonda’ (Frank) from a UKB a few years back. I grabbed a few more record shots while we chatted and caught up and then he pointed out a mating pair.

The difference a little...

...light can make.

This little area at the top of the ridge seemed to be the hotspot so I took to wandering around the tiny trackways trying for this and that. One or two sat closed wings which was nice, a few other males displayed their fantastic contrasting margins with their wings held out open wide. There was also the smallest female that I’d ever seen, so small that it would have given a Small blue a run for tis money in the deminuative stakes. But whilst these were all very nice there were two stand-out stars of the Heather. The first was a male which landed down on the deck, the ground colour of the topside contrasting nicely with the white pebbles of the path. It didn’t take on the usual blue hue but instead seemed to be a more steel grey colour and so was very eye-catching. However it was pipped to pole position by a deliciously fresh female. She was immaculate and when the light caught here wings there was the oily sheen running from green through to blue and out to an orange colour whilst looking at the main part of the wing was like looking into a liquid. What a beauty.

Again, the difference...

...that a little...

...light can make

At one point my wanderings after Silver-studs took me into an old bomb crater and a brown and black bird, a little like a snub-nosed hawk erupted from the heather. It was a Nightjar and the white flashes on the wings and edge of the tail allowed me to sex it as a male. Almost shocked by this sudden sighting I worked back out of the crater and got back to looking for the Silver-studs. There were plenty about and at one point a Large Skipper shot by. It was then that I realized that I’d only seen one species of butterfly up to the point from the whole time I been on site. In that way it was quite similar to Slop Bog but in all other respects it was wildly different, literally wildly!

Sadly I said my goodbyes and made my way back to the car and then homewards, not even adding a Specklie en route back to the car through the wood. A very productive day – three year ticks, plenty of shots, a catch-up with old acquaintances and a visit to a new spot.
To Higher Hyde heath
Pastel blue over heather
Job done third year tick!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Lulworth 22-06-2024

As I couldn’t park up the side street near the village stores I had to risk some critical damage to my wallet by shelling out for parking in the main car park. The upside of this was that while the rest of the family partook of the ‘facilities’ I could have a brief wander around the surrounding environs. The education field held three species of Corvid so I got some shots of all, my favourite being the Rook, despite it’s partially naked head it is still mighty fine looking. However there were no butterflies of any shape or form and so I was eager to get down to the cove.

Once we’d negotiated the street full of Grockles and gotten down to the Cove we started walking eastwards only to be stopped around half way round by a combination of the rock slip and high tide making the final stretch impassable. Instead we retraced steps round to the west and then up the little path towards Stairhole. This little part was my original ‘hotspot’, a place where a sample of the local butterflies cling to the cliff allowing shots whilst still being near enough to the beach and within earshot my picnic-ing family. In recent visits it’s been a little bare possibly as I’ve gotten used to the multitudes of butterflies over on Bindon Hill and the other side of the Cove but it had picked up this time. There were several Lulworths about all of which had been triggered by a flappy Meadow Brown. Slightly further the track almost where it was steepest a brace of Common Blues flitted about. I managed to get a few shots of the former while we slowly ascended the track and then at the top we continued onto Stairhole.

After admiring the view of the Lulworth Crumple with its concordant and warped strata we followed the only remaining path down towards the ‘beach’. We’d only taken a few steps when I spotted the first butterfly here which was a slight surprise as it was a Silver-studded Blue. I’ve known about these being here for a while but it’s still nice to finally see one even if it looked a little out of place with not a scrap of heather insight. While my wife and L had a sit down and did a bit more view admiration I had a little mooch about across the slope. It was actually quite gently sloped here, easier going than Cotley yet in front of the girls it dropped down a little like a wall. On my travels I spotted a Small Heath, 3 or 4 Meadow Browns and plenty of my quarry, which really due to their location should be known as The Stairhole Skipper. They’re in a range of attire; some still in nicely pressed Sunday best others in old overalls at the end of a working week and nearing retirement.

As I reached the girls, my wandering having taken me round the slopes in a large loop, there are a few mining bees about and then I started on another loop around, a pre-lunch amble. Again there were several Meadow Browns, also a brace of Common Blues and a Dingy Skipper. I got a single shot of a Mother Shipton moth and after watching its frenetic behaviour I settled back into the groove; watching and photographing the Lulworths. They seemed to fly about for far longer than their appearance would suggest they were able to. When they finally did land I hoped that it was on something other than Bird’s Foot Trefoil as they only seemed to stay on this for the briefest of moments, just long enough to make the approach and only occasionally actually get something.

As lunch time was fast approaching we wandered back to the visitor centre to wash our hands before once ore walking down to the Cove for lunch. After we’d eaten and packed away I once again set off up the narrow bit of track. Again there was the odd Meadow Brown, and the number of Common Blues had risen to three now up to three now, two of which were quite close to each other. One was busy feeding whilst the other roosting, possibly having an after dinner nap instead of laying in such a way as to make a little ‘flag’ it was laying horizontal on its side. As he sun shone more strongly it started to open up but the breeze made getting shots tricky as it was rocked forward and back. Leaving it clinging on for dear life I reverted my focus onto the Lulworths and filled my boots when they let me. I generally get to the Cove once a year but twice in quick succession isn’t an opportunity to be missed, even if the family ties pulled me back sooner than I’d have wished for...

Battered Silver-stud
Clings to a heather-less cliff
A Stairhole surprise
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Great shots of the Lulworth Kippers Wurzel, I'm looking forward to your September Calendar Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie The tricky thing with Lulworth Skippers is trying to concentrate on one individual as there is usually a plethora of them Speaking of Calendars...

September 2024

This is always a bittersweet month as the start of Autumn can be great but the end is still in sight...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

I know what time of year it is without a calendar.
Tesco had a shelf of chocolate Santas last week.

That was a great session with the Silver Studs ,lovely shots too.

[millerd]

Some excellent Silver-studs, Wurzel - a fresh female takes a lot of beating. And all those Lulworths too... They certainly can appear in numbers when they have a mind to!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor The worse one I've had is returning home on the penultimate day of term in July and I saw an advert for 'Back to school' They could at least have let me have an hour of my holiday
Cheers Dave Lulworths seem to be one of the easiest species...you just need to go to the right place

Garston Wood 30-06-2024

It was getting to that time of the year and after the brilliant weather and plenty of Emperor sightings already littering the Evil Book of Face I was lucky enough to get out and try my luck over at Garston Wood. After the recent success and also armed with the knowledge that things were great at Bentley Wood this seemed like the best option. I was also hoping that my disdainful approach that I’d utilized the year before would prove successful again…

From the car park I set off up the hill on the main track. The sun was doing its best to break though the cloud so the conditions weren’t exactly ideal for Emperors so I only kept half an eye heavenward and focused the remaining eye and a half nearer to the ground, scanning the deep verges on either side of the stony track. They were much more lush and verdant than I could ever recall and so it wasn’t too long before I started spotting the odd Brown – mainly Ringlets and Meadow Browns. The Ringlets were very fresh and when they sat with their wings open trying their bets to absorb some radiant heat their wings looked like a grey brown, almost plum coloured crushed velvet. A Large Skipper stopped in and slightly further on up the track a Specklie dropped down onto the path.

When I reached the top and the staggered cross tracks I bore right and went through the gate into the old Plantation. As I strolled along what, in the past had been open woodland rides I was shocked to see how overgrown and tangled it was. The clearings and scallops all looked much smaller as the coppice had started to encroach and the claustrophobic feeling was further exacerbated by the tall grasses and scrub that carpeted them like the deepest shag pile ever, the tall grasses spilling over onto the paths making them even narrower. The Browns were back to their Harry Potter-esque ways of taking to the wing vertically like the puffs of Deatheater smoke. They were mainly Meadow Browns, a fact revealed by glimpses and flashes of orange but occasionally there would be an all-black Ringlet as well. As I worked round the final stretch of track which looped back onto the main track I entered the a miniature clearing and sitting right at the top of a crazy tall Thistle sat a Silver-washed, a female too. She looked brilliant in the glare of the sun light which was only able to reach her due to her lofty altitude. Back at the car park a Red Admiral tricked me into watching it, possibly as a decoy for the Emperors? Indeed when I finally looked up something vaguely Emperor like did go over, it did seem a little too big and chubby to be a White Admiral but it was such a fleeting look I’ll never be able to count it as anything by ‘stringy’.

From here I make my way up the main track still umming and ahhing over the PE/WA? Again I’m beset on all sides by Meadow Browns with the occasional Ringlet and a single Large Skipper. This time instead of right I head left at the staggered cross tracks and saunter down the hill making for the large Bramble verges. On the way a Green-vined White pops up as does James LeRouge and his partner. The butterflies still remain mainly of the Brown variety although I started seeing more and more Ringlets. They started sitting with their wings closed now that they were warmed up and as they were so fresh they appeared a chestnut brown and the eyes starred out at you vacantly from the shade. In the butterfly enclosure itself I watch as a male Large White sticks out like a sore thumb as it glades over the tops of the dark green fronds of Bracken. On the return journey I finally spot the familiar silhouette as it cuts and slices it’s way effortlessly through the air. It was a White Admiral and it cut short its aerial display to refuel. I watched with baited as it started flying in ever decreasing circles as it selected its pitstop site. Unfortunately for me it chose a spot right in the middle of the Bramble, in a little ‘bowl’ which meant the only way I could get anything, even just a distant record shot was to aim my lens in roughly the right direction and hope that the autofocus would find a way through or a gap in the undergrowth.

After this I took another turn round through the Plantation stopping at the staggered cross tracks as a Hawker was quartering the tops of the ferns. It would lazily glide over the top and then suddenly veer off at an alarming speed before completing a loop before dropping back down to dawdle over the tops of the ferns. In the Plantation itself, once again amid the predominantly Brown offering, the Silver-washed was still hanging out on the crazy tall Thistles. She seemed more restless than previously and so I backed off and waited for her to either settle or depart. Unfortunately she chose the later and seemed to defy gravity as she literally drifted upwards to disappear into the foliage. I competed the circuit by walking and then waiting for a bit in the car park and chatting with the other Emperor hopefuls.

Despite our vigil things didn’t appear to be happening today and to ease my itchy feet I made my way for the umpteenth time into the Plnatation but to shake it up a little I started at the bottom entrance from the car park and worked my way slowly up the hill. At the start of my procession was a Green-veined White which actually sat still and looked lovely with the bold black markings contrasting with the pale lemon and white ground colours. Further up I checked out on of the lower scallops and found a rather nicely behaved Large Skipper. Finally in the middle section I saw a definite Gatekeeper looking slightly out of place compared to the duller and darker Meadow Browns and Ringlets right up to the point when it closed its wings and then it conformed becoming another ‘Brown’.

After this I realized that my time was almost up and so I packed up and made for home. As I drove I tried to work out what was going on this year as hardly anything was playing by the rule book? Things are either early or late emerging and so things were emerging in the ‘wrong order’; most species seem to be in much lower numbers than previous years with one or two exceptions which seem to be having a whale of a time and finally almost everything is fidgety and trickier to approach. Hopefully things will sort themselves out and we’ll have a more usual ‘normal’ next year…
Off to Garston Wood
A sea of Brown butterflies
Fleeting Emperor?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

That first SWF shot is terriific, Wurzel - I love the way that some of the purple of the thistle is actually reflecting off the underside of the butterfly giving it a pinkish tinge.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave That was one of those lucky shots that came out of nowhere

Alners Gorse 06-07-2024

I arrived a little early in the hope that the Purps would come down early here like they seem to elsewhere and I was also hoped that the sun would come out for some sensible stretches. After wandering down the hedge I kept wandering but this time along the hedge up towards the first gate. There wasn’t an awful lot around although I did start seeing a few Meadow Browns and the odd Skipper which I put down as Smalls in most cases.

When I reached the Banks at the back of the site I stood back to take in the view. There were a couple of Silver-washed about whilst in the field Marbled Whites and the odd Ringlet fluttered by. I bumped into Mark from Shipton and before that Priddy Mineries and as we both scanned into the Bramble a Silver-washed deigned to come just low enough for a few record shots. He didn’t open up at all, just sat there gazing down at us imperiously; more a sort of ginger Vader than Emperor Palpatine. A much, much smaller silver looking butterfly drifted across up high from one Oak to another; all of which data led me to believe that it was a Purple Hairstreak. I took to wandering back and with the odd Hedgie amongst the Meadow Browns.

Back at the main hedge a few more people arrived including Zonda/Frank and his mate. A we craned our necks upwards a Whitters went over and a Purp landed up almost at the top of the same tree as the Whitters. We all waited for them to come down but the Whitters, despite reappearing, remained at its lofty perch and did its best to hide behind a selection of leaves. With the sun dipping in and out of the cloud, the wind buffeting the tree tops and the rain from the previous night having washed the honeydew away all our hopes of a Whitters were pinned on one not finding the altitude suitable and so venturing much lower in the canopy. However I got itchy feet so set off for another bit of a wander. I followed the hedge one over from the edge of the site and found a mating pair of Small Skippers near the start of my foray. On slightly further and just around the corner of the hedge there was a nice Large Skipper. However the Mulberry or Wayfarer Tree (or whatever it is) didn’t have any Purps and the best I could do was find a Silver-washed which eventually sat still and settled. There were also some lovely fresh Ringlets around displaying their crushed velvet topsides.

My travels took me back to the ‘newly cleared’ enclosure by the shed. As I strolled through I spotted a couple of familiar faces from previous trips to Bentley Wood, John and Kate, who very kindly put me onto some White Admirals that were regularly visiting a large island of Bramble roughly in the middle of the clearing. As we chatted away various butterflies would stop by, have their photos taken and then move on whereupon we’d pick up the conversation from where we’d left off. I picked up a Silver-washed and a nice Small Skipper as well as a Marbled White in between various White Admirals. Some were quite infuriating, landing for just long enough for us to clock them and try and approach them. Others were just plain shy, perching overhead on the small trees that edged the Bramble bush where sometimes the only view of them was a shadow cast through a leaf. Perseverance paid off and one or two eventually found a decent sup of nectar and so hung around for a reasonable time; however once they’d fed the flight time between pitstops increased exponentially. I ended up with what I hoped were one or two cracking views which would hopefully materialize into some fairly decent images so I said my thanks once again to John and Kate and slowly made my was back to the main hedge skirting round the site and arriving back though the little field through the gate.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Superb White Admiral closed wing shot. As seen on farcebook earlier.

[millerd]

Agreed - the sky-blue at the base of the wings is stunning on this perfect White Admiral. A great shot of a beautiful insect, Wurzel.

Cheers,

Dave

[Katrina]

Like the others I love the White Admiral shot . Also the pair of skippers.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor This was one of those trips fortune favoured me and my usual 'point, click and hope' paid dividends
Cheers Dave The underside certainly makes a nice contrast with the two tone topside
Cheers Katrina I was quite enamoured by those Skippers as well...until the White Admiral showed up and usurped them

As I walked through the gate and reverted to scanning the hedge Frank beckoned me over. There was a Whitter down low and what a cracker too! Jokingly berating Frank for not calling it out I stepped into shot range and reeled off some record shots before it nipped off as it had been there for some considerable time. After this we took turns to fire away shots as when a Whitter as amenable as this turns up you make sure that you fill your memory card!

After a short while Frank and his mate moved off leaving Mark and myself to keep vigil. The Whitter then set about looking for somewhere to lay. It took off, fly round the branch for a little bit and then landed again whereupon it flipped round and walked upside down along a twig, dragging its abdomen behind it until it reached a node. After this it heaved itself back up and round to the topside and wandered back into the sun where it sat for a while. Quite similar behaviour to a Brostreak actually minus the opening of the wings during the basking. Instead to maximise its warming it up it would tilt and angle its closed wings to catch the most rays. It did this a few times and then after one final flurry of shots it flew round and then up and up and up out of sight.

Shortly after this, while Mark and I waited for the Whitter to return, John and Kate arrived. While the others stood, craning necks I wandered back though the gate into the little field. While I was watching a few Hedgies a slightly smaller, much darker and much more jittery butterfly detached itself from somewhere deeper in the hedge and jinked its way to the edge of the hedge on my left. I gave out the shout and luckily it stayed long enough for the others to arrive and at least get a view. I reckon John got the best shots as it moved slightly so it was directly in his sight. This one didn’t hang for anywhere near as long and once it was off I took that as my cue to head off too so with ‘goodbyes’ said I wandered back up the hill. Another cracking day at Alners, what a site it never disappoints.

With White Admirals
And then Whites and Silver-washed
Whitters are apt end
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Beautiful Whitter shots, very sharp . I have not seen any for a couple of years

[Wurzel]

Cheers Katrina Alners Gorse seems to be a good spot for them - I've been there four years and seen and photographed them every time

Babysitting 14-07-2024

An evening of babysitting was on the cards but first we had to pick my niece up from her drama club before we could head over to Sixpenny Handley for the evening. Luckily her drama club was over at Castle Hill Country Park which I visited for the first time in 2023 when it yielded a surprise Brostreak. It was still a bit too early for this species so I crossed that off my ‘expectation list’ and instead hoped for a few Golden Blurs or Smessex Skippers…

While we waited for the session to end I took a 10 minute stroll up onto the rough ground around the local playpark and saw a few Meadow Browns flapping about across the low growing vegetation. Then there was a fast moving orange blur and when I tracked it down it looked it took on a more sandy hue than orange – could it be an Essex? I couldn’t spot a sex brand and the abdomen appeared large and bulbous so it was a female. I ran though the other markers; sandy colour, dark and club shaped antennae before I knelt down, craned my neck through ninety degrees and then was able to confirm that it was an Essex – either that or it had just been ‘nabbed and dabbed’ by the local constabulary.

After more than a few shots I started back towards the car where there were 7 or 8 more Skippers. I could confirm 2 as definitely Essex having been able to contort my neck so as to get a view of the underside of their antennae. As for all the others I was fairly confident from their comparative colour and freshness that they were also Essex but nonetheless Smessex they remained.

It was then time to revert to babysitting….

The next morning we took a quick stroll up at Martin Down, from the main Car Park down to the half way point. All the usual suspects were flying Meadow Browns, Hedgies, Marbled Whites and a few Smessex too but due to a combination of the wind and their flighty natures I think I came away with only a couple of butterfly shots although I did find a double headed Spotted orchid and a nice comparative shot of the sizes of a Cinnabar Moth larvae instars.

Off babysitting
Get a year tick on the way
A David Skipper
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Godshill 21-07-2024

I waited in all morning for the sun, occasionally looking up from my book muttering about weather apps and inaccuracies but by mid morning it started to get a little brighter (so I had to eat my words, a healthy mid-morning snack ) and luckily I’d packed my bag the evening before so off I went. Recently I’d missed out because of the weather and family commitments so I had some catching up to do, a little reacquainting with some annual favourites. As I walked to the car I weighed up my two choices. I could go to Martin Down in a bid to find DGFs and Chalkhills or Godshill for Graylings? As Graylings are one of my favourite species the choice was obvious.

As I strolled across the Cricket pitch and then on down the hill Hedgies started flying amid the fronds of Bracken that hung over the edges of the track. About half way down I turned left along a smaller track that ran along the side of the hill and as it widened into a small clearing amid the Gorse and Bracken I watched a Small Copper nip off. I tried to follow it but it was too fast and I lost the metallic orange little beauty as it disappeared off across the purple topped heather. A little look around yielded a Smessex in amongst a few Meadow Browns and the many Hedgies. I followed the line of Bracken down the hill and crossed the ford at the bottom of the slope and then set about searching along the edge of the main track in the 'field’. A few Meadow Browns and Hedgies flew here and then a slightly larger butterfly took off from an unseen perch and flew across the heath. It was swiftly followed by a second butterfly of the same species. I managed to follow the second to ground so I was able to get a few shots but the first benefited from me being a year out of practice. Despite this was confident in my identification due to the ‘jizz’; the rapid wing beats followed by a short glide and then twists and turns before it drops down to vanish before your eyes.

As I worked back towards the main track and spotted two more that had a bit of a kerfuffle. I was hoping for a courtship display but I think these must have been males as they scrapped away rather than fluttering their wings at each other. Doubling back to where I’d found the first I found another which actually sat still for long enough for a few shots and a Silver-stud also drifted past. There was yet another at the top of the rise after a fruitless climb so things were starting to look up especially as it was now noticeably brighter and there were a few shards of blue revealed through the cracks in the cloud. I followed a green, grass lined channel back down the hill, the slight dip offered some shelter from the breeze that had picked up just as the sun had appeared. As the ditch petered out, leveling itself with the surrounding ground there was a large Gorse growing at the terminus. Around this I found 2 male SSBs – one very aged the other younger looking although the veteran seemed to have the upper hand in the several bouts that I witnessed. There was also a female here but the males seemed to be unaware/unconcerned with her and more with smashing seven bells out of each other. There were also a few Hedgies around the Gorse, a Small Heath passed by and a female Large Skipper popped up. She was in a fine state of dress for this stage of the season, possibly a late emerged.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Your White Letters have me gritting my teeth as I press the button. Have few more .
They are the trickiest to find of our five Hairstreaks around here, and further afield.
If I had been at Godshill with you I would have hung around the heather a bit longer. Nothing like a Grayling on
heather especially if they pose with the forewing up. Great shots .

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor Next year we'll need to arrange a trip to Alners Gorse - if you time it right you can get White Admirals, Valesina and three Hairtreaks Speaking of Graylings on Heather ...

Godshill Part 2

Near the bottom I found a few more Graylings and then I climbed the rise once more, broached the brow and walked down the triangle path hotspot from yesteryear. On I went over the brook and from the closely cropped turf I waded back into Heath proper ending up in a little field, enclosed on three sides by walls of gorse turning it into the natural equivalent of a walled garden. There were several SSBs here; at least 3 females and four different males. On the other side I ran into a brace of Graylings and then I left the heather at the second, more wooded ford. This was something of a dragonfly magnet with Brown passing over, Golden-ringed, a Large Red in a copulation wheel, and Scarce, Keeled and Common Darter all perching and then making forays out over the slow flowing brook. There was also a type of Emerald Moth and I used this to move my attention back from Odonata to Lepidoptera.

On the return to the original ‘field’ there were numerous Hedgies, the odd Small Heath and Meadow Brown and a single Peacock. Back at the main field there were Graylings all over the place and a summer Brimstone flew past. I chatted with another couple of enthusiasts and watched their closely controlled dog keenly. Unfortunately it didn’t put up any Grayling and so I had to revert to wandering along the edge of the Heather on the closely cropped and more exposed turf. I saw several different Grayling in various hues ranging from chestnut brown to charcoal. One reminded me of the livery of a particular species of moth as it was salt and pepper with just a hint of yellow in the mix and an almost invisible white band whilst another appeared almost two tone dark rich chocolate brown and a blinding white band. While I watched various Grayling and joined in their games of ‘hide and seek’ I noticed that the lighter coloured Grayling and those with much less obvious bands would more often alight on the more open areas and on the piles of horse dungs which were sitting out in the open. The darker and more obviously banded however would tend to stick to the thicker growths of heather, flying along the small channels between the sprawling plants and touching down in the tiniest of clearings or on the heather itself. This could just have been a coincidence but then again it would make sense to take advantage of the most appropriate background considering the nature of your cryptic colouring? My tracking of various Grayling eventually brought me to one of the main tracks across the heath and so I took to it and cross back over the ford to start for home.

On the walk up the Hill I stopped for a little while to watch the wasps. There were a few mining bees on the lower part of the slope. Slightly further up, with bigger entrance holes were what I think were Bee Wolfs. Occasionally one would turn up laden with the food for its larva caged underneath its body by its legs. They seemed to perceive me as a threat as they would fly round and wait for me to take a few steps back before they’d enter their burrows. Then when they did I could watch their heads peeking out at me while they waited for me to back off again before they left their burrows. If I got a little close they would disappear back into the darkness further down the tunnel. It was great watching this behaviour but what I was really hoping for was the return of the Jewel Wasp (Hedychrum niemelai) which was the first species I’d seen when I’d arrived at Apis Avenue. Sadly it didn’t and so I pressed on up the hill. At the top I worked my round the cricket pitch through the final stands of Gorse finding another Golden Ringed Dragon as I did. It was struggling finding something to perch on, the gorse being too spiky and the single, tall grass stem available was far too unsubstantial. Somehow it managed to find a single spike of Gorse that stuck out at just the right amount and it took a welcome breather…only to be sent packing by a Common Darter that buzzed it. By now the sun was out in force and so I beat a hasty retreat to the welcome shade of home.

Over to Godshill
Many games of Hide-and–seek
Graylings 10, me nil

Have a goodun

Wurzel