Collard Hill

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:05 pm

Hello everyone,

Can anyone down Glastonbury way confirm whether any large blues have made an emergence yet at the Collard Hill site?
have a couple of days off just now, thinking about doing the trek down there...

Cheers, Aron

Post by **Pete Eeles** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:31 pm

I've been informed that 15 were seen at Collard Hill yesterday in the space of 2 hours.

Cheers,

- Pete

Rogerdodge · Post by **Rogerdodge** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:46 pm

I've been informed that 15 were seen at Collard Hill yesterday in the space of 2 hours.

Well - I know where I am calling in to on Friday afternoon, on my way to Norfolk!

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:59 pm

" 15 were seen at Collard Hill yesterday in the space of 2 hours."

Cheers for that Pete,

Aron

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 6:47 pm

Great news, I was the first to record Large blue(s) at Collard Hill today, first 2-3 specimens of 2009.

Was given false information that the LB's were well on the wing, numbers increasing. Got there early am, nothing other than common blues, small heaths and occasional brimstones, speckled woods, etc.

Spoke to wardens (3) - they said rumours were just that, but 'good luck', as no LB butterflies been recorded for 2009 yet.

At 10:30am, my luck finally changed saw rogue male, being harrassed by 2 common blue males. Very rarely landing, never w/ wings open either!! Managed 1-2 photos, including feeding on sometging other than thyme (very little of it in flower)

Saw 1-2 more at top of hill, and amazingly a single male Cupido minimus at the base of the hill, feeding on trefoils!

Expect the numbers to increase dramatically over next 2wks!!

Aron

Denise · Post by **Denise** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:04 pm

It was nice to meet you Aron.

Xmilehigh, Eccles and I also took note of (quote) I've been informed that 15 were seen at Collard Hill yesterday in the space of 2 hours, and headed off to Collard Hill.
While wiccaman9 had photo's of a Large Blue underside, they eluded me. Mike and Jerry are going to ask questions later about some strange blue butterflies that we did see, like (large) common blue uppers and Large Blue unders. (They have photo's, I don't)
However after three hours of searching up and down that hill, we found a pristine male Large Blue and we ALL have photo's.

Great day guys, thanks.
Denise

Post by **Pete Eeles** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:15 pm

wiccaman9 wrote:I was the first to record Large blue(s) at Collard Hill today, first 2-3 specimens of 2009.

I've emailed the chap who contacted me - since he sent me photos of the Large Blues he photographed - some of the "15"!!!

Cheers,

- Pete

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:33 pm

Pete, check out the sightings thread as I suspect at least some of the "15" may have been the odd undersize ones that all of us saw today. I reckon I saw 8+ of these. Do you reckon the game is up and the ants are kicking them out early for eating the kids?

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:07 am

Hey Denise,

It was good to meet you. Your friends kept questioning the relevance of the size of the "unusual blues" they'd experienced, I saw their 'unusual blues' and undoubtedly they are Large blues, albeit small forms...the undersides give them away, no demi-lunes of orange/orange-yellow and prominent black marks, almost like a 'cat paw print' of black on a pale grey background with suffusion of blue scales at base of the wings....Large blues! (like a small blue on steroids (from the undersides)

!!

Like your photos, would love to see the ovipositing female photo taken last year???

Aron

Denise · Post by **Denise** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:48 am

Just for you Aron. Two different females ovipositing from last year.

Denise

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 7:59 pm

"Just for you Aron. Two different females ovipositing from last year"

-Beautiful pics Denise!, Thanks.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:03 pm

Hi Aron. Yes, the small forms had me rather bemused but I don't doubt that you're right about them being LB. This was the third year I'd been down to Collard Hill for the LB emergence and these were the first dwarf individuals that I'd seen. As Denise says, we did see a single normal LB male after you'd left:

AmandaUK · Post by **AmandaUK** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:09 pm

wiccaman9 wrote:Hello everyone,

Can anyone down Glastonbury way confirm whether any large blues have made an emergence yet at the Collard Hill site?
have a couple of days off just now, thinking about doing the trek down there...

Cheers, Aron

hello,

whereabouts is this please??

popping over there on Friday...

Denise · Post by **Denise** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:19 pm

Here's a map.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=34 ... 88340&st=5

Denise

AmandaUK · Post by **AmandaUK** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:29 pm

Thank you,
Orriginally from Glastonbury.... it wasn't called Collard Hill back in those days

will pop over Friday or saturday depending on the weather

amanda

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:39 pm

With the weather situation seemingly changing by the hour, and Friday now looking decidedly worse, Jerry (Xmilehigh) and I visited again today and despite a brisk wind the weather was kind. We found around 16 individuals but we had to work a bit to find them. At the main slope below the fenced off blackthorns we saw only three, and these were being pounced on by several people at once, frequently sending the harassed insect off again. Fortunately, the NT rep there suggested that Jerry and I looked further afield, and taking this advice was well rewarded.

So, if the main slope is too busy or doesn't come up trumps, head back west along the top footpath by the fence towards the main gate at the junction between the B3151 and Reynalds Way. When you reach the last but one blue marker post before reaching the gate, head south down the slope. Stop about half way and trawl this area heading back east parallel to the path. We saw around a dozen LBs in this patch including several ovipositing females, so watch where you put your feet - the wild thyme is often in very small pockets here edging along cattle trails.
Also present were lots of meadow brown and one or two marbled white. On a bank of thistle were (inevitably) painted lady and small tortoiseshell.

AmandaUK · Post by **AmandaUK** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:06 pm

I went on Saturday.. it was very hot and a bit of wind.. we did see lots of butterflies, but they wouldnt pose...

I did take a photo of a blue butterfly but its not in focus...

Matsukaze · Post by **Matsukaze** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:32 pm

Some interesting arion behaviour over the weekend at Collard Hill. I watched a female flying slowly over the slope, closely followed by two males which remained in close company as if tied by invisible elastic - the three butterflies fluttered and tumbled around a small area of the slope for five minutes or so, before two of them settled down to mate. The second male was not going to disappear so easily, however, and made most persistent attempts to break up the mating pair:

wiccaman9 · Post by **wiccaman9** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:13 am

Hey all,

Tok a last look trip to Collard hill expecting to see dribs and drabs left over from the 'population explosion' forcast, based on No's of larvae and eggs recorded last year.....not so!

Even now the numbers are not high, 10-12 on the wing, in spite of awful cloudy, windy weather in the morning, but much hotter and less windy in pm.

Saw a few females ovipositing which was nice.

Cheers, Aron

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:38 am

I made my first visit to this site earlier this week and had a great time.
Plenty of LB's about and a few pictures.
Also plently of orchids.

There was plently of Pryamid Orchids to photograph and a solitary but very nice Butterfly Orchid on the right facing the reserve from the road crossing. Has anyone else seen this orchid? and does anyone know if it is a Greater or a Lesser Butterfly Orchid? I could guess but would no doubt get it wrong......
Any comments welcome.

I drove back up the M5 yesterday and it was crazy due to traffic queuing on the motorway to go to Glastonbury camp site yesterday, so please bear this in mind if in the area at the mo.

Cheers
Nigel
http://www.nigelspencer.co.uk

Collard Hill

Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill

Re: Collard Hill