Priddy Mineries

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:07 pm

I'd never been to this site before but was well rewarded. After an hour's walking around the place I spotted a fritillary. There were only around four or five at this one little spot, and I chased around for another half hour and finally caught one at rest. I *think* it's a small pearl bordered fritillary, and it's the first one I've ever seen yet alone snapped:

I heard the place was good for green hairstreak but found none. What I did find instead was a very obliging marsh fritillary, so not to be outdone by Mark's recent successes....

For those who want to visit the site, the SPBF was located near the lower of the two large pools at grid ST54470, BNG 50834. (ST544508 on landranger maps). The MF didn't seem to be centred anywhere and I only saw three or four immediately to the north of the lower pool.

The upper pool has several four spot chaser dragonflies around and there have been reports today of downy emerald dragonflies.

At the same place as the SPBF I saw this moth. In flight it looked superficially like a rather scraggy blue butterfly but at rest it appeared green. Can anyone identify it?

Trev Sawyer · Post by **Trev Sawyer** » Tue May 22, 2007 8:04 pm

Hi Eccles,
The moth is a Forester (Adscita statices).

Trev

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:45 pm

Thanks Trev.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 6:05 pm

I got the name of the site wrong, so I've now corrected the title of this thread. It's Priddy, not Piller. Dunno where I got that one from.

Anyway, I visited again today, spending about five hours walking around the reserve. The Waldegrave Pool was sporting several rare downy emerald dragonflies, plus emperors, four spot chasers, and dozens of damselflies. Out on the downs were wood tiger moth, small pearl bordered fritillary, common blue, and I finally found a colony of about half a dozen green hairstreak. One of my snaps of this elusive little butterfly has been entered in the June competition. I also spotted a grass snake disappearing into the long grass ahead of where I was about to tread.

I met a guy who came down from Coventry just to visit the reserve. He'd already snapped marsh fritillary there that morning but I didn't see any.

Matsukaze · Post by **Matsukaze** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:31 pm

Good to know the fritillaries are still about. I was there as well today, but actually later than the time you made your post, so no butterflies to be seen.

Found a new site for Green Hairstreak today, though, between Radstock and Frome.

markatbath · Post by **markatbath** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:41 pm

Hi
I went to the mineries today, we saw about 30 SPBF along the path which leads to the smaller pools. There are now southern marsh orchids in flower and we photographed forrester moth and also chimney sweeper.i saw my first cuckoo of the year !
regards
mark