July 2011

[MikeOxon]

This is just a 'thread starter' to remind everyone we're into a new month!

I found it very useful to see June sightings under a single thread and hope we can continue in a similar way for July.

Hopefully, the weather is improving and I'm looking forward to trips for all those gorgeous high-summer butterflies!

Mike

[Gibster]

Made the most of a rare day off of work - shot across to Howell Hill where I met up with my first Marbled Whites, Gatekeepers and Essex Skippers of the year along with a couple of smart-looking Small Blues. Then picked Sami up from her workplace and trotted across to Jubilee Woods (which is possibly the place she hates most in the whole world after dipping WLH about 19 times so far!) Happily the curse was broken, a fine White-letter Hairstreak nectaring on Creeping Thistle allowed Sam to close to within four feet - her first one ever!!! Happy days all round

Cheers,

Gibster.

PS - Piers, you've gone from Toxic to Archaic. What gives matey?

[Zonda]

Its all buzzing at Alners Gorse now.

[A_T]

Locally there have been Small Tortoiseshells in abundance for the last week or so - been looking closely for a Painted Lady and sure enough one turned up today the first of the year for me. Last year I only saw one all year. Also today the first Red Admiral since early Spring.

[MikeOxon]

Superb MW pic, Zonda!

[Susie]

A silver washed fritillary was battering against an estate agents' window on the high street in cranleigh, surrey, this afternoon

[millerd]

My trip this morning was to Black Park, right next to Pinewood Studios in south Bucks.

In the Strawberry Wood area, there were reasonable numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries, White Admirals, Commas, Ringlets and the ubiquitous and abundant Large Skippers.
I failed in my quest to see a Purple Emperor here, but I spoke to a chap who said he had seen both a male and a female on the ground in different spots during the morning. Both of us had also hoped to see early morning Purple Hairstreaks down at eye level, but here we both were unsuccessful.
Sadly, most of the White Admirals were damaged or worn in some way - how do the SWF, with whom they share habitat and habits, manage to stay looking so neat and tidy in comparison? One white Admiral spent most of the time skulking in the undergrowth, and settling briefly on honeysuckle vines - could this have been a female checking out spots to lay?

Dave

PS. Why do SWF always pose upside-down for photos?

[selbypaul]

Great day in Fermyn Woods today. Perfect conditions, and lots of other people were there too. Got some stunning photo's of His Imperial Majesty, the Purple Emperor. Also got my first ever photo's of White Letter Hairstreak after an hour of patient waiting paid off when one flew down and settled briefly on some brambles.

A final highlight of the day was a variant (not so white) White Admiral.

[Lawts]

Made the most of a rare day off of work - shot across to Howell Hill where I met up with my first Marbled Whites, Gatekeepers and Essex Skippers of the year along with a couple of smart-looking Small Blues. Then picked Sami up from her workplace and trotted across to Jubilee Woods (which is possibly the place she hates most in the whole world after dipping WLH about 19 times so far!) Happily the curse was broken, a fine White-letter Hairstreak nectaring on Creeping Thistle allowed Sam to close to within four feet - her first one ever!!! Happy days all round

Cheers,

Gibster.

PS - Piers, you've gone from Toxic to Archaic. What gives matey?

Gibster it's interesting you mention dipping butterflies. I've always been a birder and am used to my fair share of dips over the years. I've always had an interest in butterflies but decided to see and photograph all the British regulars a few years back. A birding mate of mine who has seen all the butterflies said to me "you think birding's hard - wait until you try and see the butterflies - specific sites, weather dependant etc.
Well I have to say, with only four needed, it's been a doddle. There are some tricky ones in the four (Chequered, Lulworth, and Silver-spotted Skipper, and Mountain Ringlet) and there may be pain ahead, but thus far I've only ever dipped twice when butterflying - I went too early this year for Grizzled Skipper, and more recently I dipped the High Brown Fritillary. Both of these, I cleaned up on just the second visit. All the others, White-letter, Purple, Black, Brown Hairstreak, Purple Emperor, Clouded Yellow, Swallowtail etc. all seen at the first attempt.

I know by typing this I've sealed my fate and it's going to take three drives to Scotland and Dorset, and thirteen walks in the Lakes, but seriously have I been very lucky up to now? When I compare with for example how many times I tried before finally seeing Quail, the butterflies have so far given themselves up.

[Dave McCormick]

July started of good for me. I went out with my dog Jack along a large wild flower area planted about 8 years ago for wildlife along the edge of two barley fields near my house which are bordering woodland. 18C and sunny. The first area was along the bottom of the field that has a large area of wild raspberry with hundreds of raspberries on them. It was a great spot, lots of wildflowers such as buttercups, rosebay willowherb and even an old dog rose and bramble. It was quite sunny and the most abundant butterflies were meadow browns (14) and Ringlet (20), in fact, besides the two there was no other butterflies here. Also saw a snout and a Large Yellow Underwing. They were hard to photograph because they rested in long grass and made them hard to photo through that.

Meadow and my dog running about:

Meadow

Raspberries (May go back tomorrow and collect a lot of the raspberries)

Rasberry Bushes

Raspberries

Also found a mating pair of ringlets which I did manage to photograph (not the best as they were in an awkward place:

Ringlets Mating

Also saw common spotted Orchids which I have never seen here before (maybe just flowered this year):

Common Spotted orchids

I then turned a corner of the field and walked along the edge of woodland. Here I saw 4 spotted chaser Dragonfly but it was a bit far away to get a photo. Along this area there was just Meadow Brown and Ringlets again with 7 Ringlets and 11 Meadow brown (one mating pair).

Got to the top of this area and there is a wet meadow and it was abundant with ringlets (19) and meadow browns (30) so by this stage I wondered if I would ever see anything else and then a small tortoiseshell flew by. Grasshoppers everywhere. I tried for ages to photograph meadow browns and ringlets, but gave up at this stage as a bad job. So got this grasshopper instead:

Grasshopper

Crossed over to the wildflower edge of the other barley field and saw 11 Meadow Brown and 16 Ringlet and a common hawker dragonfly was really close to hitting me in the face as it flew by, made me jump. Next went past a huge area that has always had nettles in it everywhere and nothing to be seen, no peacocks that are usually common here. Walked along the edge of a wall with ancient oak and beech trees, nothing here at all. Finally saw a small white at the edge of here and another common hawker dragonfly which breed in a river drain that runs along the edge of woodland here.

Saw 24 Meadow Brown here, along with this mating pair:

Mating meadow brown

On the way back, I passed an area that my dad had planted over ten years ago with oak, ash, hazel, scots pine and willows and they were growing nicley. This area I saw 10 small tortoiseshell, most I have seen at once all year.

Small Tortoiseshell

All in all, 4 species of butterflies were fine but surprised there was no holly blues, common blues, small coppers, peacocks, red admirals or speckled woods though.

[JohnR]

Lifetime firsts are always good and for me it was a Marbled White on the knapweed in my field at 6pm this evening. I have lived here for 17 years and never seen one; I shouldn't really be surprised to see one for they are in Oaken Wood but it somehow a bit special when one turns up to visit.

[P.J.Underwood]

John,
There are loads in the fields on the side of the approach into Oaken Wood.The fresh ones are amazing,almost a cream.
P.J.U.

[millerd]

A long day with a Purple beginning and a Dark Green end, but for now, here's the Blue bit in the middle, as they are new for the year. A Chalkhill Blue, one of three seen this afternoon at Denbies.

Dave

[ChrisC]

usual fare plus a 2nd brood brimstone. always nice to see.
Chris

[millerd]

After seeing that first sparkling Chalkhill, I trudged back up the hill to the car park. Steers Field was alive with activity, with countless Marbled Whites, Ringlets, Skippers Large and Small and Meadow Browns. I spotted a couple of Small Coppers, new and shiny. However, still the most impressive to my mind, were the Dark Green Fritillaries swooping across the meadow at top speed. I tracked down a new female, absolutely beautiful, but she would not stay put for picture. However, shortly afterwards, a male of her own species had much more success, chasing her down into the grass and within a minute or two had her at his mercy. I managed to catch up with them and intruded briefly on their tryst. She clearly went for the older male, as he was a little on the worn side.

Dave

[millerd]

Working backwards to the start of the day, I went to Botany Bay this morning, where I discovered Lee Hurrell (very good to meet you, Lee!) and a number of other like-minded folk hoping to see Purple Emperors. We were not disappointed: I managed to see two, and other sightings from the complex of woods were reported. They obligingly sat on the ground for lengthy periods and entertained us thoroughly. Around midday, I set off back to the car, and encountered a new second brood Wood White by the car park. It was tiny, and such a contrast to its distant Majestic relatives down the track.

Dave

[Susie]

Wow, Dave, cracking shots. I sooooooooooooooooo wanna go to Denbies. Fingers crossed for Monday!

[dilettante]

15 species in total seen today, a quarter of the British list in one day
All at Fermyn woods - see my diary page for full report..

- Ringlet
- Meadow Brown
- Speckled Wood
- Small Skipper
- Large Skipper
- Comma
- Red Admiral
- Small Tortoiseshell
- White Admiral
- Silver Washed Fritillary
- Purple Emperor
- Purple Hairstreak
- White-letter Hairstreak (half! - only saw the tip of its wing on a high-up elm leaf)
- Small White, and probable GVWhite (many)

[A_T]

Went to Sontley Marsh near Wrexham - saw a couple of Commas, a lot of Ringlets and a White-letter Hairstreak - not all that common in this neck of the woods.

Back home saw the first Red Admiral since the early Spring. Lovely underside so different from the upper but equally interesting.

[Philzoid]

Went to the Straits Enclosure of Alice Holt this morning and got great views of Purple Emperors on the ground. On one view I had Purple Emperor; Red Admiral and Comma all within a square foot of area. When the butterflies were occasionally spooked back into the trees they'd be spiralling back down again after 3 or 4 minutes. This continued for over an hour and a half from 10:00, untill they 'called it a day'. Straits seems to have had a bit of a 'bad press' this year (hardly anyone there compared to previous years) but I would rate it high on this showing.