Arnside Knott (Part 2)
I was back on The Knott by 7am on the second day, simply because I wanted to enjoy the place before I became focused on the butterflies. Initially I had the hill to myself and I stopped a while at the top of the first stage of the climb to drink in the views and listen to the curlews bubbling away down on the estuary below. I lost all track of time, but at some point the first butterflyer of the day turned up to photograph the Scotch Argus as they warmed up for the day ahead.
It's always nice to share those magic moments when the unexpected and spectacular occurs, and the other enthusiast lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time that morning was Graham Camage from Newark. As we wandered around chatting about butterflies I noticed a small grey triangle sitting on the fresh green bracken, which caused me to 'double take' as it seemed so incongruous up here. It took a while for the penny to drop that the calendar for Purple Hairstreaks would be significantly behind that down South, where they had been on the wing for well over a month and were all tattered, torn and faded by now. I had given up trying to photograph the species this year. Of course early morning fern-sitting is often performed by recently-emerged hairstreaks and as I took a closer look it became obvious that this was freshly minted, and I suspected female. It seemed such an unlikely event that I started to think 'what if?', recalling Pete's memorable experience and fantastic photos taken back in June.
After we both got shots of the underside I suggested I try to shade it, in an attempt to encourage it to open its wings. It worked, and as the wings flattened we were treated to flashes of rich electric-blue that could match any Emperor. There was just enough time for Graham and I to take turns in shooting from the best angle before she was up and away into an ash tree.... the only Purple Hairstreak I saw during my visit to Arnside Knott! We have both been around long enough to appreciate how seldom such opportunities come along, and I think we both floated around in a trance for the rest of the day.
I was still sitting on The Knott long after the butterflies had gone to bed, and I felt a tinge of sadness that it was time to leave a place that had been so generous to me. Only a tinge though, as I know I'll be back.