Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Perham 23-07-2024

Summer was fast approaching but I’d gotten further and further behind and also family commitments had been building so I had to try and make the most of any available time and maybe even engineer some free time out of nowhere…hence an after work visit. I was hoping for Chalkhills and DGFs although the former was being a little slow off the mark and the latter had been out for a while. As for Silver-spotted Skipper? It still seemed too early for them even though I’d seen them at the end of July before. With the targets set I raced through Bus Duty, chucked my gear in the car and made my way straight to Tidworth and from there on to Perham.

I pulled up and was greeted immediately by a Red Admiral. I hadn’t even gotten out of the car let alone had time to get my boots on before it was flapping around the windscreen. It continued to pester me as I got my boots on at one point landing on my boot itself whilst I tried to tie my laces. Eventually it left me alone and I wandered across the field and up the track with Meadow Browns, Skippers and Hedgies flying all around. The former lazily flapping, the Skippers zipping here there and everywhere and the Hedgies launching themselves from the hedge as I passed by. A Large White doesn’t sit still on the corner and then I broached onto the foot of the Down. Silver-spotted Skipper! Well that’s what the loosely lime coloured blur had been. I managed to pick it up again and sure enough it was one. After this shock it was no surprise that I lost it again; however what was surprising was that a few more steps onto the down and I found three more! Even better still two were paired up whilst the third was sitting next to them and trying to force his way in; three all in one shot. After I got a few record shots the would-be usurper must have sensed my presence and so ‘did one’ leaving me to focus on the pair in cop.

After this cracking start I carried on walking up to the old hotspot hoping to find a few Chalkhills but it’s all Browns and no Blues on the small field that normally hosts the Chalkhills. At the old hotspot a Peacock bombs past and it all goes a bit quiet. I press on hoping to find my quarry so it’s up and over the top looking for ghostly blue Chalkhills and ginger DGFs. Still the only butterflies flying are the Browns so I just keep walking up hill and then over to the other slope/side of the hill which falls more gently down into agricultural land. On one of the clumps of Bramble along the way a Red Admiral passes and a Peacock sits for a few photos. I recall finding DGFs here in the past so I mooch about following various animal tracks through the longer grass. As I take a call from my wife I tense slightly as she has an unerring ability to phone just as I’ve gotten onto something good…Sure enough we’re three sentences into the conversation when a DGF shoots past. This has happened so many times now that I’m starting to believe that it’s anything but a coincidence .

As I finished the call I looked about and realized that I’d reached the end section. Historically this used to be the first part that I’d visit but I’ve reversed the route as the new starting point is much easier to work. The hill slopes down reasonably gently for a while and then gets noticeably steeper. I worked along this gentler section walking forward and back on the path and the small trackways after some very flighty DGFs which had turned up once my phone was back in my pocket. There were about 5 or 6 of them, some were tired and faded, the margins torn and worn but there were a couple of females that looked much fresher and more sultry looking. As well as the DGFs there were also Meadow Browns, Hedgies, Smessex and a few Marbled Whites still lingering on. Both Small White and Large White out in an appearance but the DGFs were what I spent most of my time on. They didn’t play fair you see; flying up the hill and over the rise and so out of view or when you tried to watch them you’d lose sight of them in the contrast from the grass and the white of the sky. I took one or two chances and a few grab shots but I had a feeling that this was the time to just enjoy the hunt as it were and hope that something good would miraculously turn up on the memory card when it was checked later.

The promised sun didn’t arrive and in fact it seemed that the Weather Gamblers had gotten it back to front again; instead of cloud on arrival clearing to full sun the sun that had been there to greet me had disappeared to be replaced with a blanket of light grey cloud. I still felt warm and bright enough for the butterflies to fly but this was misleading and so I wandered back relatively butterfly-less. It seemed that I’d have to wait a bit for my first Chalkhill, still I’d gotten one target and also a nice surprise so it was definitely worth the chronological engineering.
Off to Perham Down
Too early for Silver-spots?
Apparently not!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Great shots of the mating Silver Spots, and a for the female Dark Green Frits.
Only had fleeting glimpses of both of these this year.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I was a bit shocked to see the Silver-spots out so early, especially the females DGFs fell into the 'blink and you've missed them' group this year, for me anyways:?

Shipton 24th July

It was the last day of term and so we finished early and after the ‘goodbyes’, some of them final, we were free to and so with an extra hour to spare before my usual arrival time at home I decided to call in on Shipton on the way home. My expectations were well and truly in check as the sun kept slipping behind the cloud and there is a bit of a breeze, plus everything this season seemed to be keeping to its own timetable so as I locked the car and set off I told myself that it was just a recce for later in the week; a chance to monitor progress and find the likely looking spots…

As I’d parked off the Bulford Road I made my way to the triangular Nettle Bed first of all as this is often the best spot what with plenty of Creeping Thistle, sheltered from the breeze on all sides and also relatively easy access. Through the small enclosure on my way there were the usual Meadow Browns and Hedgies and a Red Admiral drew me onwards. As I worked along the first and more open track at the Nettle Bed a H.Comma took off from the path and did a few passes before disappearing upwards and over the tallest of the trees. There was a good showing of Creeping thistle sticking out above the nettles and lining the tracks but the hypotenuse was impassable due to the massive growth in wild parsnip which towered over me and made the path seem non-existent, the nettles were also at head height and the sneaky Brambles intertwined themselves across the passage at around waist height! Despite making my way a short way in to investigate the various stands of Creeping Thistle no Hairstreak presented itself. “No worries it’s still a little early” I told myself and then walked round to try from the other side. Again it was impenetrable and after a few metres, which only took me to the first little ‘alcove’ in the tree-line I gave up. There were three Red Admirals and a Peacock but nothing else to show for all the scratches, stings but hopefully no WP sap.

From here I walked over to the main hedge and slowly walked up it. The odd Brimstone flew by and examined the huge Thistle heads or sat, hidden under leaves while the cloud covered the sun. There were also plenty of Hedgies and Meadow Browns and a single Peacock. When I reached the end I was greeted by a head shoulder to head height wall of WP. The welcome sight of Bramble flowers and creeping thistle showed on the far side of the yellow peril. After scanning across the tops for a little triangle and drawing a blank I realized there was only one thing for it. Girding my loins and rolling my sleeves DOWN I did my best to shimmy in and out or duck under the WP to actually get to the main hedge. On the other side I shook myself off and as I scanned up a cleft in the Bramble I spotted a familiar beige/almost ginger shark fin sticking out from the top of a dark green Bramble leaf. It was only a male Brostreak, well bugger me! I fired off a few shots and stood back to watch it as it bumbled about for a bit. A Meadow Brown eventually got a little too close and so it had to chase it off and as it flew deeper into the hedge I decided leave it in peace in the hope that it would continue to perform over the next couple of days.

Having extricated myself, hopefully without any sap, I wondered if the Walls or Chalkhills were out here as well? In normal years I generally find the pattern of sightings runs DGFs, Chalkhills, Brostreaks, Walls and Silver-spots. Having seen the first, middle and last of these I was hoping for the other two. To this end I followed the main track along the last couple of metres of the hedge and then crossed over the cross-tracks and up to the top of the rise when to wander between the various scallops/clearings of the ribbon of wood that the main hedge expands into. There were plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies about but I couldn’t find a more ginger looking, partially gliding Brown that would be a Wall. There was also a deficit of Blues with not a Common Blue let alone a Chalkhill and the fact that I couldn’t find a Brown Argus either made me wonder if it was still a bit early for the summer blues? I did spot a few Marbled Whites and a Small Heath appeared out of nowhere along with a Smessex at the largest of the clearings. But with the lack of the other two ‘hopeful targets’ I started back down the rise with a DGF waving me off.

My return route took me back along the Main Hedge so I again slipped through the head high Parsnips but the main hedge was bereft of a Brostreak, no wonder as was past 3pm and so they’d all have climbed the wooden ladder and tucked themselves up in bed. I made my way homewards to chill out and enjoy a much needed break, slightly elated from a very fruitful recce.
A last day triumph
From a quick stop at Shipton
Season first - Brostreak

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Lovely double Brimstone shot and pristine Brostreak

[Wurzel]

Cheers Katrina I was chuffed with the Mr and Mrs almost as much as the surprise Brostreak

Shipton Bellinger 26th July

As I had a free day it was off to Shipton Bellinger in the search for Brostreaks! I arrived at 10:30 and started searching the main hedge from the bottom up. Things vegetation wise had gone as crazy here as elsewhere and the Wild Parsnip in particular had shot up from its usual waist height to towering above me. A Brown Argus was the first butterfly that I spotted and then there were Meadow Browns and Hedgies everywhere along with plenty of Brismtones although these were staying down reasonably low. There were fly-pasts from Holly Blue, Peacock and Red Admiral and a little further on a Marbled White flew lazily along the margin of the long grass in the field, its wing tips occasionally brushing the seed heads. About half way along I bumped into Sheila and Denise who were investigating some Smessex Skippers. After a quick catch-up we started checking out the antennae closely, peering round to the undersides. And on candidate was very clearly an Essex. The spot where I saw the Brostreak before didn’t bear fruit and so Jenny and I started back down along the hedge to try the triangle picking Philzoid up along the way.

The Hypotenuse which runs at ninety degrees to the road was our first port of call, approaching from the far side. The Wild Parsnip here had gone even crazier and we had to edge our way along the track; Wild Parsnips on one side and neck high nettles on the other. We only managed to get in a few metres before it became impenetrable due to the sneaky Brambles that laced the two sides of the path together, generally at about knee or groin height. Still we’d managed to reach the first little scallop but despite finding 3 Red Admirals and a Peacock there were no Brostreaks so we edged back out and tried the other side. There were a few Hedgies and Meadow Browns but again no Brostreaks sitting on any of the soft/Creeping Thistles. Round at the little enclave a few Brimstone added some variety but then it was back up to the main hedge.

On the way up a Marbled White (the same as before?) passed by on our left whilst on our right every Hedgie was scrutinized just in case and there were also a few Smessex flying. As we approached the rectangle of Wild Parsnips I spotted a familiar looking shark-fin shape protruding from the surface of the sea of yellow flowertops. As I call out it took off and moved up into the hedge sitting about 2 metres up. But with a bit of manual zoom I managed a few shots. As well as Denise and Sheila I also put Mr Mantle onto it. Well at first it was a gent that I recognized and then as I was looking at his shots to confirm Silver-spots I twigged who that they were the parent of one of my old pupils.

Leaving everyone to await the deigning of a closer audience Philzoid and I worked our way up the hill. The little field and scallops on the way up held the Browns and Skippers including a pair of Essex in cop. When we reached the top and the ground had levelled out we found the usual fare with the added bonus of a Wall maintaining a territory on the intersection of various paths. We tried our luck a little further along but the various little tunnels into the hidden clearings were closed and choked with Brambles and the ever present danger of sap burns never left us as the Wild Parsnip seemed to take up every inch of ground.

Luckily the main track along the down top was still as passable as ever and so we walked along here investigating the little scallops carved into the line of vegetation as we went. The first of these had some white flowered umbellifers and sitting proud atop one was another male Brostreak. It didn’t hang around for too long as they often don’t in the afternoon/warmer weather. We pressed on round checking all of the usual spots at the ‘top’ part of the site. Well we tried to check but the Triffid like growth curtailed most of our investigation and so we completed a much shorter and quicker circuit round. Back at the initial scallop the Brostreak had returned. This time it was in a much better position but was still just as flighty. Still a few shots were managed and then we worked our way back down the hill and along the hedge (which was now empty of butterfliers as it was that time of day). As I still had a couple of hours allowance it was over to Perham to see if I could finally bag a Chalkhill.

With Brostreaks again
It was just another day
At good old Shipton

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Some lovely shots Wurzel from July we don't seem to get has many Butterfly species here ( Brown Hair Streaks for instance) it's been a poor year for Butterflies according to the news ,has we know, thank goodness the Heath in the woods were doing okay. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Numbers did seem down for some species and it was hard work but others seemed to fare better. I just hope next year is more 'usual'

Perham Down 26th July

After a reasonably successful trip to Shipton the walk up to the foot of the Down was reasonably chilled. There was the odd Meadow Brown and Hedgie on the way but the Blues weren’t falling over themselves to greet us as in previous years. However things picked up almost immediately we stepped foot onto the down as a Silver-spot appeared and was swiftly followed by a Chalkhill. At last they’re out!

After spending a bit of time with these two we started slowly working up the gentlest of slopes seeking more of our quarry. About half way up we bumped into Denise and Sheila again as well as finding a few more Silver-spots. Whilst following one we were led away from the foot of the down and around the ankle onto the main track, peppered with chalk that runs up to the steeper slopes and on to Warren Hill. As we wandered Philzoid calls out just in time for me to catch sight of my first definite Painted Lady for 2024. The black and white wing tips visible against the peach coloured as it passed by. We halted our progress at the real foot of the down when the slope suddenly alters it’s inclination from about 5degrees to 40 in the hope that the Chalkhills would also be playing here. But it wasn’t to be and there were only Meadow Browns and Brimstones flying so we started retracing our steps back. However a couple of Silver-spots had other ideas and we ended up following them off of the path and down into the thicker scrubby area.

Once we’d ticked these off we got back to the main site and started quartering it in a bid to find a few more Silver-spots. It seemed that the trick was to walk slowly in a straight line then watch the blur for as long as possible, then when it disappeared slowly, ever so slowly, walk to the last place it was observed. Most of the time it was within a metre of so left of right of this spot. Another trick was to scan the various flower heads that protruded through the thin, springy turf. If a Skipper was spotted then a brief ‘Click-step’ usually did the trick and if not then you could always hang around at the next available clump of the same flower as the Skippers it seemed developed a taste for a particular nectar.

Once we’d had our fill of the cutest butterfly in the UK we decided to make a move home. When we reached the corner however the Chalkhills suddenly reappeared and made our move off tricky. They loved the little triangle of scrub in the bottom corner; flying along the various trackways and resting temporarily on the path. As it was still relatively early in their season they were all males and there were three in this little spot with a second brood interloper – a male Common Blue. Eventually we tore ourselves away and somehow made it back to the cars.

Could this be the final episode in the ‘Philzoid and Wurzel’ show? I seriously hope not!

Part 2 of the trip
Finally get a Chalkhill
Now need plenty more
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Sound like you saw plenty of SSS, species I didn’t photograph this year. Possibly saw some being blown rapidly bu strong gusts so a from me.

[bugboy]

You might have more pictures of SSS in those posts than I saw in the flesh this year, they had a disastrous showing at the sites I visit!