Neil Hulme

[Neil Hulme]

More Dukes And Pearls

Yesterday (27th April) I spent another day counting Duke of Burgundy and Pearl-bordered Fritillary. I was particularly pleased to see PBFs flying alongside the Dukes on the Norfolk Estate, as this is the first year that the Pearls have become established in this area. Seeing the two species together has been an ambition of mine for some years now. Of course they don't cohabit peacefully..... and in a dogfight the Dukes always win . In one particular clearing I recorded Dukes, PBF, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak. This is the best reward possible for the volunteers that have worked so hard here for the last few years; this particular patch supported only Speckled Woods prior to 2008.

I again bumped into a very distinctive aberrant female Duke of Burgundy (last seen 24th April), out on an egg-laying run. I tracked her for quite a distance, starting from a point about 300 metres from my previous sighting. I also watched a freshly emerged male taking mineral salts from mud, in a manner similar to Purple Emperor. I've only observed this once before, when I came across a group of 5 'salting' Dukes, all fresh out of the shell.

[Neil Hulme]

Marsh Fritillaries Start To Swarm

Yesterday (28th April) I packed my passport and headed to Dorset. I don't know much about the population of Marsh Fritillary at Hod Hill, but if numbers continue to build as quickly as they clearly are doing, then there's going to be a lot here very soon now. There had clearly been a large emergence throughout the day. Despite the elevation of this very impressive hill-fort, there are plenty of ramparts and ditches to give shelter from the wind. There were stacks of butterflies here and were it not for the fact that I was focused firmly on the Marsh Fritillary, I could have spent ages photographing the beautiful Brown Argus and Small Copper in particular. There are plenty of fresh specimens of both species here. My total list for the day reads: Marsh Fritillary (loads), Dingy Skipper (lots), Grizzled Skipper (good number), Small Copper (good number), Brown Argus (good number), Small Blue, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green Hairstreak, Orange Tip, Brimstone, Large White, Green-veined White, Peacock, Small Heath and Speckled Wood. Visit soon - highly recommended!

[Neil Hulme]

For those with an interest in moths - I forgot to add a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth to my list of Hod Hill sightings (in the ditch at the top of the access path).

[Neil Hulme]

2011 UKB Photography Workshop

Many thanks to Pete, Gary, Lisa and all the contributors/speakers for making it another great event. I'm afraid I'm a lost cause with my reliance upon the 'P (numpty) setting' on my camera, but it's the social 'get together' and chance to visit terra nova that keeps me coming back for more.

A few shots from the field session on MHD and a later visit on the way home: Brown Argus, Grizzled Skipper, Brown Argus, Small Heath and Common Blue.

[Neil Hulme]

Favourite Meadow

A small meadow high on the Downs near Amberley has been a favourite venue of mine for many years. The meadow and associated roadbanks might total less than an acre, but I've recorded 38 species of butterfly here in the past. The site seemed to suffer particularly badly after the 2008/2009 summers, but it's back on form now. On Sunday (1st May) I recorded 17 species, which isn't bad for this time of year! Duke of Burgundy, Small Blue, Green Hairstreak, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Small Copper, Small Heath, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Large White, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Peacock and Speckled Wood were all present. I was particularly pleased with the image I took of a Common Blue - a species I've always found hard to do justice to.

[Neil Hulme]

Season Of Plenty

2011 is not just an 'early' season - survey data is already indicating that some of our spring rarities are really 'making hay while the sun shines'. On Wednesday (4th May) I joined Dr Dan Hoare, the BC SE Regional Officer, to spend the day looking at Duke of Burgundy and Pearl-bordered Fritillary. We started off by giving a talk to a large group of Royal Forestry Society members at a meeting hosted by the Norfolk Estate in Rewell Wood. This was an ideal venue to demonstrate how commercial forestry operations can be conducted in a manner which is highly beneficial to wildlife, including our precious butterflies and moths. As we talked we were constantly surrounded by butterflies and I found myself in the surreal position of commentating, microphone in hand, on a dogfight between Dukes, Pearls and Grizzled Skippers, while standing in a woodland glade. If I add up my maximum daily counts for PBF on the various sweet chestnut coppice blocks here, I get a total approaching 400. The butterfly has spread to several suitable areas of habitat within a 3 mile radius - and is no doubt now in other areas we don't yet know about. Elsewhere in Sussex the hard work of people like Mike Mullis and Stuart Sutton (FC) has led to a population explosion of PBF ..... they counted 628 in a day at a re-introduction site!

We then moved on to one of my favourite places..... Heyshott Escarpment (run by the excellent Murray Downland Trust). Dan and I spent an hour combing the old chalk workings for Duke of Burgundy. There were stacks of other beautiful butterflies around but we were on a serious 'timed count' mission and remained focused as the ticks mounted up. Despite starting quite late in the day (male Dukes are lazy and start thinking about bed by 3pm) we totalled an incredible 115. I was delighted with a count of 51 here last year - on a site where the population struggled along in '2s and 3s' for many, many years, so this further increase made me very happy . It just goes to show - give 'em what they want, and with the help of some good weather, we can make a real difference to the fortunes of these species.

[Jack Harrison]

Neil.

Don't get big headed, but with crowds that big hanging on your every word, you can feel justly proud of your conservation efforts.

Was your friend Eddie the Duke among the crowd?

Jack

[Lee Hurrell]

We then moved on to one of my favourite places..... Heyshott Escarpment (run by the excellent Murray Downland Trust). Dan and I spent an hour combing the old chalk workings for Duke of Burgundy. There were stacks of other beautiful butterflies around but we were on a serious 'timed count' mission and remained focused as the ticks mounted up. We totalled an incredible 115. I was delighted with a count of 51 here last year - on a site where the population struggled along in '2s and 3s' for many, many years, so this further increase made me very happy

That's an amazing figure Neil, you must be well chuffed. Well done to all involved!

I can vouch for Heyshott, it really is a lovely place.

Cheers

Lee

[Neil Hulme]

Father's Day

For various reasons it's been quite some while since I've been able to get an entire day out 'butterflying' with my father. However, on Friday (6th May) an opportunity arose and we headed off to an isolated woodland clearing in Wiltshire to look at Marsh Fritillary. It turned out to be one of those magical days when everything goes to plan, and it was certainly one of those days that will define the summer of 2011 for me.

As we arrived the numerous Pearl-bordered Fritillary were already beginning to stir. A particularly brightly-coloured individual caught my eye and its slightly wobbly flight pattern confirmed it was a very freshly emerged Small Pearl-bordered; our first of the year.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

It wasn't just beautiful butterflies that kept us entertained until well into the afternoon. We soon started to see Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoths buzzing around at high speed, nine or ten in all, occasionally stopping to sip nectar from a bluebell. But it was already too late in the morning for them to linger long enough for a photo. A female Argent & Sable also appeared, looking very smart in her black and white livery.

Kipper Senior trying to photograph Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoths

Argent & Sable

Butterfly numbers increased rapidly throughout the morning and the next rarity to show was a Duke of Burgundy. Grizzled Skippers were common and even Brown Argus put in an appearance. But the stars of the show were the Marsh Fritillaries, which were emerging in good numbers that day. Several times I watched freshly-emerged butterflies ejecting red meconium fluid before taking their first tentative flight. Most of them were males, although a couple of pristine females with huge, bulging abdomens full of eggs sat around in the grass and on low scrub.

Marsh Fritillary

Eventually it came time to head home, and we did so reluctantly, leaving the glade to the butterflies, moths, nightingales and cuckoos. Days don't come much better than this one.

[Neil Hulme]

Dorothy Stringer High School Butterfly Haven

On Saturday (7th May) I went into the city of Brighton & Hove; but rather than go shopping I was there to survey and photograph the Small Blue. The BC Sussex Biodiversity Officer, Dr Dan Danahar, teaches this subject at the Dorothy Stringer High School and has extended his classroom in the most unusual and spectacular way imagineable. In 2007 he created the DSHS Butterfly Haven on an under-used sloping section of the Surrenden Campus, an area of playing fields shared by six other educational institutions. The organic-rich turf and upper soil layers were stripped away and a series of banks and gullies were created in the chalky subsoil and bedrock. All of the pupils were given the opportunity to plant their own, personal downland flower and the site was fenced and subsequently grazed by sheep. Bonkers but brilliant!

Over the last couple of years there have been a series of natural colonisations by butterflies, ranging from the 'expected' to the 'remarkable'. 21 species have now managed to thread their way across a couple of kilometres of urban landscape to find this small butterfly paradise in the middle of the city. We probably still underestimate the sensory powers built into the design of a butterfly. Small Blue, Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Common Blue, Green Hairstreak, Brown Argus, Marbled White and Small Copper all live here. A couple of days back a Large Skipper emerged on site! This project is important on many levels - not least because youngsters that don't have the opportunity to visit the open grasslands of the Downs can come here and get a little taster of what's out there. Dr Dan and Dorothy Stringer are doing a great job.

[Rogerdodge]

Neil
What a wondeful and heart warming tale.
Thanks
(Oh - an your photos aren't bad either!)

[Jack Harrison]

Roger about Neil's efforts:

...your photos aren't bad either!

Shows what a Box Brownie in capable hands can achieve.

1 hand = 4 old inches which equates to 10 cms. So maybe I should have said: "....Box Brownie in capable 10 centimetres".
Sorry for the wind up Roger but I just couldn't resist

Jack

[Lee Hurrell]

Dr Dan was telling me about this the other week when we were out with Dukes and Pearls. There's also a splendid section on it on the 2010 Sussex report (get your copy now!).

Apart from the sheer audacity / genius of the plan and subsequent success, what really warms my heart is the thought of all those school children / older learners (6 educational establishments!) that have this wonderful habitat on their lunchtime door mat. If some develop an interest and carry this though to adult life, there's your next generation of conservationists right there.

PS - cracking photos Neil

Cheers

Lee

[Ian Pratt]

Great to read your blog as always and particularly encouraging. Large skipper seen at Afton chalkpit this afternoon!

[Neil Hulme]

"Thanks" to Roger, Jack, Lee and Ian for such positive comments. The Butterfly Haven school project certainly deserves to get some coverage!
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Last Week

With so much going on at this time of the year it's sometimes difficult to keep the diary up-to-date. Here's a few highlights from last week.

On Monday (9th May) I met up with Reg Trench for a day's butterflying. I don't know anyone more enthusiastic about his butterflies than Reg. He's seen a fair few in his 90 years, but he enthused about the freshly emerged female Duke of Burgundy we found as if it was his first. Sadly, this was the last mint condition specimen that I'll see this year, as the Duke's flight season is fading fast. I hope that Reg's health is good enough to allow a return visit to the woods next spring - he's great company and his mind and eyes are as sharp as ever.

On Tuesday (10th May) I met up with Fiona Scully of the National Trust to have a preliminary look at the Duke of Burgundy habitat at Harting Down, prior to a more official meeting the following day. I'm pleased to say that the scrub management and grazing has improved things considerably here and we saw 30 in a coombe where only a handful have occurred in the past. I photographed this handsome Broad-bodied Chaser at the base of the slope.

The following day we were joined by other National Trust people, including Matthew Oates. As we approached the summit of Beacon Hill we came across half a dozen Painted Ladies, suggesting a recent influx from mainland Europe. Over the previous few days I had also seen an increasing number of Red Admirals, including a dozen along the Downs at Storrington.

On Thursday (12th May) I joined Dr Dan Danahar at the Dorothy Stringer School Butterfly Haven, who was showing the project to Guardian journalist and author Patrick Barkham. Afterwards Patrick and I headed for Mill Hill, to see if any of the Adonis Blues were suffering the same fate as those at Denbies. All seemed to be OK with the butterflies here.

Finally, on Friday (13th May) I went looking for 'new' Duke of Burgundy colonies on the Downs. I failed to discover any Dukes, but did uncover a population of at least 100 Small Blues at Duncton.

[Neil Hulme]

Farewell To The Duke

The BC trip I led on Heyshott Escarpment this morning (21st May) was probably my last outing for the Duke of Burgundy this year. The warm spring and very early emergence dates have made being in the right place at the right time very difficult and our target species was all-but-over. However, our tally of 9 albeit faded Dukes would have been cause for celebration only a couple of years ago, prior to the population explosion here. Similarly the Green Hairstreak, Grizzled and Dingy Skipper, Small Copper and Brown Argus were thin-on-the-ground and looking tired – we are firmly in the ‘June Gap’. But there is more to Heyshott than the butterflies and we enjoyed a fine selection of orchids including Fly, Greater Butterfly and White Helleborine. And then there are the views across Sussex, which are second to none on a sunny morning. Most importantly, I would like to think that those who attended enjoyed the walk as much as I did. It might be time to say farewell to the Duke, but as I returned to the car I was happy in the knowledge that it’s been another very good year for the species on my patch.

Fly Orchid

[Susie]

Thank you for leading yet another fabulous walk. I am sure I speak for all atendees when I say we had another educational and enjoyable walk

[Neil Hulme]

Rowland Update

It's not long now (4th June) before Michael Blencowe leads two walks (11am & 2pm) for BC members around the recently acquired Rowland Wood Reserve. A formal ceremony will take place later in the month, but this is an ideal opportunity for BC members from near and far to come and have a look at what has already been achieved here. I visited with my father on Tuesday (24th May) and it looked stunning. The many hours spent over the winter by our trusty volunteers have already transformed large areas of a dark and unpromising woodland into a paradise for butterflies. In a couple of seasons this will be seriously good - the clock will have been turned back and a significant part of the Vert Wood complex will once again become a Mecca for lepidopterists.

We were there primarily to count Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary on the adjacent Park Corner Heath Reserve (15, plus 4 in a private ride nearby and 2 on the way there), but once done it was time for a sneak preview of Rowland. The best news was that we found 2 freshly emerged male SPBFs which were still rather unsteady on the wing. Without a doubt, a pioneering female had been in here last spring, suggesting that the species will feel very much at home in its extended accommodation.

We also found a couple of very smart-looking Cream Spot Tigers, a fresh Large Skipper, and watched a dragonfly catch a male Brimstone in flight. Those SPBF need to keep their heads down for a while!

[Neil Hulme]

Spring Giving Way To Summer

Yesterday (25th May) I visited my favourite stretch of downland between Amberley and Storrington. It soon became evident that spring is all-but-done and only the last, faded Grizzled and Dingy Skippers, Brown Argus and Green Hairstreak were left on guard. The ‘new kid on the block’ was undoubtedly the Large Skipper, with 5 freshly emerged males shooting around the meadow like orange Exocets. I later found half a dozen more further along the escarpment.

What surprised me most was a newly-emerged female Duke of Burgundy, still drying her wings. I fear she has arrived too late to the party, and will live out her life as a virgin queen. There are still tattered and torn remnants on some well-populated Duke sites, but here the leks have been empty for some while now.

The sheltered hollow in which I found her was later occupied by a large roost (50+) of Small Blue; a species which is having its best season for many years here – possibly its best ever. Earlier in the month I had seen a male Duke in the hollows and, on two occasions, egg-laying females. These events are particularly gratifying ....... only three years ago these hollows were filled with impenetrable scrub. South Downs Joint Committee volunteers and Hulme Snr. spent a couple of cold, winter Fridays transforming them into what is now one of the very best parts of the site.

Further along the Downs it was a similar story – faded spring butterflies on the wane. But here there were half a dozen Red Admirals at play. I tucked myself into a warm, sheltered embayment between young ash trees on a sleep slope and after 15 minutes had become part of a male Admiral’s fiercely defended territory. Eventually he started to use my shoulder or head as a perch from which to launch attacks on anything that moved. When he alighted on either the bramble or hawthorn within arm’s reach, a nice photographic composition was easy to achieve.