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I used to live near there (Winchcombe) and would be a very convenient stop off on my way back from Haugh Wood Herefordshire where I am going for PB Frts.Prestbury Hill
The four I saw, Jack, were spread across the entire site. They're territorial butterflies though, so if you follow the pathway which runs towards the south of the site and then over the bridleway that is signposted 'Cotswold Way', I feel you'll have a good chance of meeting up with one (I saw 2 along this path). Three of the four Green Hairstreaks I saw were also patrolling this pathway, which is mainly gorse but with shrubby trees like Hawthorn.Jack Harrison wrote:David M:I used to live near there (Winchcombe) and would be a very convenient stop off on my way back from Haugh Wood Herefordshire where I am going for PB Frts.Prestbury Hill
It would be very nice to revisit Prestbury and see how is is some 30 years since my last visit. Can you give some pointers for the best spots to look for Dukes?
Dukes also used to occur along the old railway between Andoversford and Bourton-on-the-Water but I think that is now horribly overgrown.
Jack
... the Grizzlies were certainly buzzing around at a rate of knots here - it isn't often that they get so hot that they have to close their wings to prevent themselves bursting into flames, 
but that's what they were doing (closing their wings that is - not the bursting into flames bit!).
David, when would you expect the Wood Whites to be at their max numbers at Haugh Wood, given the warmer weather we've been having?David M wrote:The four I saw, Jack, were spread across the entire site. They're territorial butterflies though, so if you follow the pathway which runs towards the south of the site and then over the bridleway that is signposted 'Cotswold Way', I feel you'll have a good chance of meeting up with one (I saw 2 along this path). Three of the four Green Hairstreaks I saw were also patrolling this pathway, which is mainly gorse but with shrubby trees like Hawthorn.Jack Harrison wrote:David M:I used to live near there (Winchcombe) and would be a very convenient stop off on my way back from Haugh Wood Herefordshire where I am going for PB Frts.Prestbury Hill
It would be very nice to revisit Prestbury and see how is is some 30 years since my last visit. Can you give some pointers for the best spots to look for Dukes?
Dukes also used to occur along the old railway between Andoversford and Bourton-on-the-Water but I think that is now horribly overgrown.
Jack
PS: If you ARE going to Haugh Wood, may I recommend that you wear long trousers. At the moment, my lower legs are swollen and painful due to the sustained assault suffered as a result of the huge numbers of flies in the wood right now. If you want to wear shorts, crush a couple of garlic cloves and spread the juice on your legs before departing (which I sincerely wish I'd done yesterday morning).
Follow the south butterfly trail from the signposted car park and look out for information board 6, which features Pearl Bordered Fritillary (1.5 - 2 mile walk, but not too steep). As you are standing before this board, there's a track which goes right. Follow this track and you'll see the woodland open out somewhat into scrubby banks with bluebells growing on them. This is the best part of the wood. You should find Wood Whites and the odd PBF. Just after this, where the track veers right then immediately left, there's a gully on your right with dandelions and bugle growing near the path which is in direct sunlight. This is the hotspot. Stay tight and just look up the banking and you'll see sizeable numbers (I'll be posting my pics tomorrow with a shot of the area where they can be found).
Hi Marmari,marmari wrote:Can anyone tell me the name of the moth,please.
JOKE!! 
Seriously though, I don't know how you do it!
Simple - get up early. Very early in some cases, just as the critters are warming up and taking their first flight of the day when they're more likely to settle and feed!55bloke wrote:Had THE most frustrating day today! Visited Creswell Craggs, and the place was alive with butterflies. Speckled Woods, Peacocks, Orange Tips, Holly Blues, and more Brimstones than I've ever seen in my life. But, the damn things would NOT settle long enough to get anything other than the briefest glimpse - not a hope of getting any photographs. Am in complete awe of the photography skills of many people on here, how do you do it? I suspect some skullduggery! Do photographers catch their subjects and subdue them with chloroform to photograph them as they come round?
Pete's reply about going early was spot on, but I have found that coolish days with intermittent cloud - not that we've had many of those lately - provide some good chances. Orange Tips for example often settle withing a minute or so of the sun going in. Wait by your target and when the sun comes out, it will open its wings and you have a few seconds before it's on it's off again....But, the damn things would NOT settle long enough to get anything other than the briefest glimpse - not a hope of getting any photographs. Am in complete awe of the photography skills of many people on here, how do you do it? ...
Twas not I who asked that. But the answer is next Wednesday when I WILL BE THERE!Jack Harrison wrote:David, when would you expect the Wood Whites to be at their max numbers at Haugh Wood, given the warmer weather we've been having?
I got good views yesterday SATURDAY (!) of a Cuckoo calling as it flew over the Ouse Washes near Mepal.On a slight tangent...
