Neil Hulme

[Ian Pratt]

Many congratulations from a father of 4 adult children who are a great delight if not an expensive "luxury" at times!
My wife Sally and I visited Fermyn Wood on Saturday 25 June en route to the Peak District and saw no sign of the purple emperors, just a couple of white admirals! Must consult you Neil before I go again.
Great photos - well done.

[Susie]

A warning for Kipper, right now she might be content with a beautifully knitted hat but before you know it she'll be grown up and wanting a prom dress and saving for uni fees just like my biggest baby before making her way in the big wide world in a few years!

[Hatfullofsky]

Congratulations Neil, I knew there had to be a reason I hadn't seen you in Southwater Woods chasing Purple Emperors - turns out you have an iris of your own! I have to admit usually I find babies kind of ugly but she looks pretty cute. Also...I like the hat, are they available to order? Seriously though, major congratulations and best wishes to all three of you
Sherie

[Neil Freeman]

Congratulations from me too from a father of two grown up lads and a daughter.
It seems only yesterday that they born and here I am spending all day today helping my little girl move into a flat with her own little lad.

Another Neil.

[Jack Harrison]

Neil and Hannah.

I don't need any cheering up; I'm currently on holiday in The Burren area of western Ireland with my new love Stella. But your splendid news has made me even more cheerful.

Congratulations to both of you.

Jack

[Zonda]

A butterfly man,,,, and a stud. A rare man indeed. LOL. Many congrats.

[Wurzel]

This feels really wierd as I've never met you, but I feel that I kind of know you so...

Congratulations Neil and Hannah!
I'm sure that you'll get loads of advice - so here's my 2pennies worth - listen to all the advice that everyone gives you, and then do what the hell you want!

Have a goodun (nights sleep that is)

Wurzel

[Susie]

This feels really wierd as I've never met you, but I feel that I kind of know you so...

Congratulations Neil and Hannah!
I'm sure that you'll get loads of advice - so here's my 2pennies worth - listen to all the advice that everyone gives you, and then do what the hell you want!

Have a goodun (nights sleep that is)

Wurzel

That's the best advice anyone can give!

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks From Us

Many thanks to all those who have sent such kind messages to the three of us, either via this thread, PM or email. I've passed them all on to Hannah and they are much appreciated, especially while she's still recovering. Happy days.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Back To Butterflies

After gazing at Sussex Nipper for a week it was time to catch up with a few butterflies yesterday (9th July). There can be few better sights than a flower-filled meadow on a warm summer evening when the Marbled Whites and freshly emerged Chalkhill Blues go to roost.

Male Chalkhill

Female Chalkhill

[ChrisC]

sussex nipper . . . . excellent

[Neil Hulme]

Empress Impress

The disappointment of such a poor Purple Emperor season in Sussex was temporarily relieved this afternoon (10th July) when I had two good sightings of different females 'striking' sallows (the traditional term for entering the canopy to lay eggs). These were my first Sussex femmes of the year. Both were observed on high ground in a newly investigated wood near Billingshurst. These girls must do their duty - I need to see more Emperors next year. While waiting for some iris action I was happy to snap freshly emerged Peacock and Gatekeeper.

[Neil Hulme]

Double Drop

Today (13th July) at Madgeland Wood (Southwater) I watched an Empress busy around the crown of a tall sallow near the Trout Lane Master Trees. At 14.45 hrs she strayed too close, immediately catching the attention of the single male on station here. A classic avoidance tumble (as first described by Ken Willmott) failed to shake Him off and they spiralled down to land side-by-side in a pile of brash; so she climbed approximately 10 metres and repeated the process. This time it worked and she made a speedy, low level exit, leaving him to return to his oak perch with a deflated ego. Emperor numbers are so low here this year that I suspect she might have been fertilised by this same male. Prior to this brief outbreak of spectacular activity I had spent more than an hour patiently stalking Gatekeepers with the camera - they can be remarkably tricky!

[Neil Hulme]

Deja Vu

Waiting for Purple Emperors ..... photographing Gatekeepers (14th July).

[Neil Hulme]

Big Butterfly Count

On Friday (15th July) I joined BC Sussex committee members Dr Dan Danahar (creator of the fabulous Dorothy Stringer School Butterfly Haven mentioned earlier in my diary), Caroline Clarke and Bob Foreman, together with Brighton & Hove City Council ecologists, park rangers and other personnel, to help launch the Big Butterfly Count (16th – 31st July) on our patch. This now national event was spawned in Sussex a few years back and has continued to grow annually.

We were accompanied by TV naturalist and Vice-President of BC, Nick Baker, who turned out to be as thoroughly nice a chap as reputed. Under clear blue skies and warm sun we toured several sites within the Brighton & Hove city limits. We met a party of bug-hunting school children and a local ‘friends’ group in one of the city’s many well-managed green spaces. The first image shows Nick sitting in the canopy of one of The Preston Twins, the world’s oldest known English Elm trees, as he was hoisted aloft to look for White-letter Hairstreaks. He’s holding the new ‘Butterflies of Brighton & Hove’ poster designed for the event by Dan and Bob.

With butterfly counting and biodiversity on the menu there was plenty of fun in store as we attempted to see as many species as possible – within a city. Just the sort of challenge I enjoy! With an optimistic target of 22 in mind I was delighted to find a female Dark Green Fritillary on a site where we knew we would clock up Marbled White, Small and Chalkhill Blue. A dash across a golf course in the Council’s 4x4 to find Purple Hairstreak came good and Nick found a battered, faded but very welcome Small Heath. But the biggest slice of jam was yet to come. As we entered Hollingbury Park to hunt (successfully) for low-level White-letter Hairstreaks (see image 2) I could scarcely believe my eyes as I saw a Clouded Yellow coming towards us at 30mph, seemingly straight in off the sea. We ended the day with 25 species of butterfly, never having left Brighton & Hove!

Nick In Preston Twin

Nick And Dan Photographing White-letter Hairstreak

White-letter Hairstreak

Brown Argus - Another Valuable 'Tick'

[Neil Hulme]

In Praise Of BA

No .... not that lot that used to regularly lose my hold baggage between Heathrow and Aberdeen ..... I mean Brown Argus. Summer brood numbers are building rapidly on the Downs and a fleeting visit to Cissbury Ring this morning (19th July) revealed several dozen in isolated, sheltered pockets. I subsequently found a few more at Kithurst Hill.

Brown Argus is probably a 'butterflyers butterfly'; Patrick Barkham's 'little brown job' is easily over-looked by the casual observer. But of course a fresh specimen viewed up close is an exceptionally pretty thing.

[Neil Hulme]

Arnside Knott (Part 1)

I have recently returned from a couple of wonderful days (23rd & 24th July) on Arnside Knott. Like many others before me, I fell in love with this butterfly Mecca during my first visit to the site. In fact, over the course of a couple of days, I spent just short of 24 hours on the hill, totally entranced by the panoramic views and changes in light from early morning to dusk; the butterflies weren't bad either! Many thanks to Vince for the information he provided before I set off.

Early Morning On Arnside Knott

Over the two days it was a pleasure to share the experience with a number of other UKBers, including GOLDENORFE, LCPete and friend, PhiliB, Rosalyn and (Mr & Mrs) hosebirder. One word of caution for those intending to visit soon.... tics! I’m no wuss when it comes to these things; I had the disease in 2007 and have had to remove numerous tics after the majority of outings on the West Sussex Downs (an infection ‘black spot’) over many years - but Hannah and I spent over an hour removing 30+ on my return home. Admittedly most of these were very small, but that’s the most I’ve ever played host to at one sitting. I had flicked about two dozen off my skin throughout the day. To add to this, I had ditched my insect repellant after getting an allergic reaction, so became a sitting duck for the mozzies on the last evening. Hannah reckoned she could count over 50 bites, some of which turned quite nasty. After two days taking Piriton and using antihistamine cream things are a little better... but please go better prepared than I did! Wading through the ferns is probably the best way to attract these critters.

Early Afternoon On Arnside Knott

Now back to the butterflies. Over the two days the following species put in an appearance: Scotch Argus, High Brown Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Grayling, Northern Brown Argus, Purple Hairstreak, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Peacock, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Brimstone, Green-veined White, Large White, Large Skipper, Small Skipper. Twenty species this far North is good going. Some of the female HBF, DGF and Grayling were still quite fresh – but insufficiently so for fussy photographers such as myself.

Scotch Argus is a species I haven’t seen for 20 years, since my days living in exile in Aberdeen.... and it was good to see them again. The weather during my stay was glorious; far too good to suit this species. Sunday dawned clear and sunny and it wasn’t long before the temperature rose sufficiently to suppress Scotch Argus activity. Many buried themselves deep in the longer grass or scrub to prevent their chocolate-brown bodies from over-heating. This colouration allows Scotch Argus and Mountain Ringlet to absorb heat very quickly, and operate in typically duller, cooler conditions; but it also counts against them in temperatures sufficiently high to send me back down into Arnside for an ice-cream.

My first day on the hill, Saturday, had started overcast and cooler, so turned out to be far the better for photography, despite becoming sunny and warm after midday. Mid evening was the best time, as the previously fidgety males finally started to sunbathe on ferns or seek nectar from bramble, clover, ragwort and the beautiful, fiery orange-coloured fox-and-cubs (Hieracium aurantiacum). On Sunday evening the photographic opportunities were much rarer, as most of the butterflies never re-emerged from their refuges. The previous day it had been easy to count 30-40 Scotch Argus, but they now appeared to be in significantly lower numbers.

By the time I came off The Knott on Saturday night I was already judging the trip a success, but I could never have predicted the large slice of Lady Luck which was waiting for me the following morning.

Mid Evening on Arnside Knott

[Neil Freeman]

Nice report and photos, always a joy to read.

And another cliffhanger at the end

Cheers,

Neil.

[Rogerdodge]

but I could never have predicted the large slice of Lady Luck which was waiting for me the following morning.

Come on Neil - don't keep us in suspense.....

p.s. That first SA is lovely.

[Gibster]

it wasn’t long before the temperature rose sufficiently to suppress Scotch Argus activity. Many buried themselves deep in the longer grass or scrub to prevent their chocolate-brown bodies from over-heating.

An astute (and rather worrying) observation, and something I bet most folks (me included) would overlook. You have to worry about what the future holds for our northern and montane bird, plant and invert species.

Cheers,

Gibster.