David M

[David M]

Saturday 26th May - If at first you don't succeed....

I was determined to revisit Sand Point in Somerset before the weekend was out after my trip there on Thursday was ruined by persistent sea mist. With a healthy wind blowing first thing, I knew there would be no repeat, and thus it proved upon my arrival at 8.40am - the skies were clear and the temperature perfect.

The area by the stile is considered a hotspot and it was here I saw my first Glanville of the morning:

Plenty more followed, although the warmth of the air even at 9am was sufficient for them to be very active, meaning underside shots were very difficult to obtain:

[David M]

Monday 4th June - Overcast and downcast...

Hard to believe that anywhere in the Midlands could be 9.5c at midday on 4th June but that was the situation when I arrived at Haugh Wood today. It had been 12c and partly sunny in Abergavenny, but as I drove north the temperature seemed to drop by half a degree every 5 miles!

The cloud overhead was that stubborn stuff that never seems to move, and I wasn't surprised that no butterflies were active. Eventually though, I spotted a Speckled Wood in a sheltered spot and soon afterwards, when the sun briefly made an appearance, I found two Wood Whites along the southern ride.

The first one was roosting:

The second one was fairly active:

In spite of the low temperatures, those biting flies that took chunks out of my legs last year here were at it again (though thankfully, this time I was wearing jeans - shorts weather seems a long way off right now).

[David M]

Saturday 7th July - Dodging the showers...

Although this unprecedented bad spell of weather shows no sign of ending, eventually one has to take a chance and just get out. The forecast offered little in the way of promise, but west Wales seemed to be the favoured spot, so I set off for Cors Caron, a raised peat bog near Tregaron in west Wales, which is notable because it is the furthest south that Large Heaths can be found on the British mainland.

I arrived at 10am, but the sun didn't come out till almost midday, although in the meantime I was treated to the spectacle of several Red Kites hovering around looking for a meal.

The butterfly return was meagre: 5 Large Skippers, 1 Peacock and 1 Small Tortoiseshell, but I did at least get to see 3 Large Heaths in addition to those species, 2 of which were found in this area:

This is the polydama form, less boldly marked and slightly paler in colour than the davus form, which is found in numbers at Whixhall Moss in Shropshire.

This was the only individual I was able to photograph; the bog was absolutely sodden with all the recent rainfall, and had it not been for the boardwalk that runs through the middle of this site then access would have been impossible.

I was hoping that the cloudy weather might make photographing this species rather easier than usual, but this was the best image I could get:

[David M]

Sunday 8th July - sunshine at last!

I'd forgotten what it's like to wake up to clear blue skies and sunshine, but this was the scenario at 7.30 this morning and less than 2 hours later I was at the Alun Valley site near Ewenny in Glamorgan to see whether there were any High Browns about.

The constant wet weather has made much of this site very difficult - I had to take a stick to help me keep my footing. Once down at the meadow, it seems that the reappearance of the stream has led to the vegetation changing somewhat. Large umbellifers have grown out of control in some areas, strangling the marsh thistles that Dark Greens and High Browns like so much. Even the bracken seems more robust than last year:

There were a fair few fritillaries on the wing, though Dark Greens seemed in the ascendancy. Still, I saw 8 High Browns, the first one being this fresh looking specimen:

Of the others I saw, this one was particularly interesting, as it was far more heavily suffused with black than is normal with this species:

Apart from Meadow Browns and Ringlets, the only other species about today were Small Tortoiseshell (5) and Large Skipper (2). It kind of breaks your heart when you see so few butterflies on such a lovely morning at a site that is as close to ideal for so many species. This really is a BAD year for our winged friends.

[David M]

Sunday 15th July - Strange day, but rewarding nonetheless...

With this first reasonable forecast of the month coinciding with what ought to be the peak time for Purple Emperors, I drove to Bernwood Forest, near Oxford, arriving just before 10am.

There were already several big game hunters assembled along the main ride, athough none had been sighted thus far that morning. One local guy told me he'd seen three so far in the last week so I hung around admiring the Silver Washed Fritillaries that were flying along the rides:

Eventually, at 10.45am, near the first large clearing along the main ride, one decided to descend:

Once settled, He was remarkably approachable as he drank from some nasty looking fluid that was thankfully hidden under the vegetation, repeatedly opening and closing His wings depending on the presence/absence of the sun:

He seemed oblivious to the presence of we onlookers (numbering 6 at one point) and carried on nonchalantly for a full 20 minutes before disappearing back into the canopy.

I moved on to the large meadow at about 11.15, but getting there was a real trial - the ground was like a morass! Even large parts of the meadow itself were flooded.

I had hoped to check out the area where Willrow and Michaeljf had seen decent numbers of Purple Hairstreaks last year, but I gave up as much of the meadow was simply impassable. There were numerous Meadow Browns and Ringlets here though, along with Small Skippers and Marbled Whites.

I had hoped to see White Admirals and Purple Hairstreaks, but apart from one White Admiral seen flying into the canopy, my intentions were stymied, largely by the weather, which suddenly became very overcast and temperatures dropped markedly. Even Ringlets eventually went missing, and at that point I decided to call it a day as the ambient temperature was by now little more than 12c meaning that it was just too cool for flight.

So, frustrating in the main part, but compensated for somewhat by a single obliging Emperor.

[David M]

Saturday 21st July - mission finally accomplished...

When I first moved to Swansea two years ago, one of the first things I did was to check the UK Butterfly Monitoring site to get a handle on the species distribution in the wider area.

One of the most intriguing things was the presence of Silver Studded Blue colonies on the Pembrokeshire coast, near Bosherton. These are situated on the army firing ranges, which perhaps explains why they have survived unmolested.

The weather is unpredictable here, so getting a calm and sunny day is quite rare. In addition, the eastern firing ranges are only open to the public at weekends, so that narrows down the choice of days still further.

Anyway, we finally had a promising forecast coinciding with a weekend within the SSB flight period, so off I went to Pembrokeshire and what a delightful few hours I spent there.

This area is not a world heritage site for nothing. Some of the coastal views are breathtaking:

The view in the opposite direction was equally stunning:

Butterfly numbers were very encouraging given the atrocious summer we've had thus far, particularly in view of the fact that the exposed Pembrokeshire coast is hardly a hotspot. Meadow Browns positively abounded, whilst Dark Green Fritillaries were flying in sizeable numbers, certainly at least two dozen seen:

Wherever there were rocky outcrops you would find Graylings. This mating pair were particularly approachable (the female is even showing part of her upperwing):

Silver Studded Blues were hard work to find, but I eventually saw 4 males and 1 female:

There were quite a few other species seen in low numbers. Large, Small and Green Veined Whites seem to be reappearing, whilst I saw my first Common Blues for several weeks as well as a Red Admiral.

Perhaps most significantly, today was the first day this year that I have noticed reasonable numbers of butterflies flying around the roadside as I've been driving along. Obviously Whites re-emerging contributed to this as they are the most visible, but I also saw quite a few Meadow Browns/Ringlets, as well as a handful of Fritillaries.

Maybe things are starting to get better at last

[David M]

Friday 27th July - Part 1, Bad light stops play....almost!

Although this week's lovely weather has been most welcome (and long overdue), it was rather frustrating to see that temperatures were set to drop markedly just in time for the weekend.

Knowing this could easily be the last proper hot spell of the 'summer', I bagged Friday off and thought I'd make an entire day of it. I decided to go first to Lulworth Cove which is a place I haven't visited since I was a teenager. I was hoping to see Chalkhill Blues as well as, maybe, a late Lulworth Skipper or two. Unfortunately, despite a promising weather forecast, by the time I arrived at 9am it was decidedly dull and quite windy too.

I climbed up Bindon Hill but saw no butterflies at all till 10am, whereupon the sun started to burn back the cloud a little to the point where a hazy glow started to develop. Marbled Whites began to show themselves along with a couple of Meadow Browns, but they weren't comfortable flying and I feared Chalkhill Blues would remain hunkered down in the long grass.

Thankfully, in the most sheltered part near the gate leading back down to the village, I disturbed five different individuals.

All were males, and every one flew for as short a time as it was able before dropping back to the ground in the cool, overcast conditions.

I got briefly excited on the way back to the car park when I spotted a Skipper, but it turned out to be a Small Skipper. I also saw a solitary Wall Brown, two Small Whites and about 20 Hedge Browns. I toyed with the idea of staying longer as by 11am conditions were starting to improve significantly, but I needed to move onto my main destination so I satisfied myself with a few photographs of this beautiful coastal site, which I will return to next year hopefully.

[David M]

Friday 27th July - Part 2, "Hairstreak Neck"...

After leaving Lulworth at 11am, I headed up to Alner's Gorse which is, if anyone needs to know, about a 45 minute drive away.

The further inland I got the bluer the sky became and well before I reached King's Stag conditions were almost perfect: 24c, only 20% cloud cover and light to moderate winds.

This is only the second time I've visited this site, but I genuinely think that the view down the tree-lined ride from the entrance is one of the most alluring sights in the UK from a butterfly enthusiast's perspective - it simply EXUDES anticipation laced with excitement.

Knowing that Brown Hairstreaks had already been recorded here this year, I had hoped on the off chance that I might do the almost unthinkable, i.e. see Brown, Purple and White Letter at the same site on the SAME DAY!!

Once I'd arrived at the ride where the planted elms are, there were several people already there with SLRs that made my camera look amateurish in comparison. However, top quality equipment means that identification is more easily achieved, and one of the photographers there immediately pointed to the elm canopy and informed me that there were plenty of White Letters up there. Almost straight away, there was a dogfight between two WLHs although they were so far away that the only reliable means of ID was the fact that they were engaging each other in the elm canopy, rather than the oak or ash.

Turning in the opposite direction to an isolated mature oak, a familiar silvery coloured insect fluttered around before settling about 8m up. My first Purple Hairstreak of the day:

I went through the gate to the densest part of the site and spotted a beautiful Valezina SWF:

Without doubt today saw the greatest number of butterflies I've seen in the UK in 2012. Meadow Browns/Ringlets/Hedge Browns/Marbled Whites/Small Skippers were at almost plague proportions. A time-out spent looking into the oak canopy at any stage would reveal a handful of Purple Hairstreaks, and a walk down one of the more open rides even turned up a White Admiral, which is, according to what I was told, a very infrequent sight here.

I returned to the elm ride at about 2pm and witnessed lots of activity amongst the treetops from White Letters, but none were nectaring or even settling at low altitude:

I saw several settle high up, but they were too far away to locate in my camera's viewfinder, so I simply took 'pot luck' and took a few shots of the canopy from afar. When loading the images onto my PC, I could see three WLHs, the best of which is the one below which, whilst taken from a distance and at full zoom, is of fairly poor quality but at least proves that the butterflies active here were White Letter Hairstreaks beyond doubt:

Sadly, I didn't see any Brown Hairstreaks here today, so I will have to invest all my energy in the West Williamston site in Pembrokeshire during the latter half of August (which, given a pleasant day, is one of the highlights of the entire year). Almost impossible to count the butterflies today, but here are the estimates:

1. Meadow Brown 250+
2. Hedge Brown 150+
3. Ringlet 150+
4. Small Skipper 100+
5. Marbled White 50-100
6. Purple Hairstreak 15-20
7. White Letter Hairstreak 10-15
8. Silver Washed Fritillary 10-15
9. Large Skipper 8-12
10. Large White 4
11. Small White 2
12. Green Veined White 2
13. Speckled Wood 2
14. Red Admiral 1
15. White Admiral 1

[David M]

Thursday 2nd August - always pays to check....

Had to attend a wedding in Oxford on 2nd August, but whilst sitting outside the Victoria pub I noticed an attractive meadow nearby. I must have looked a right idiot wading through knee high grass in my finery (God knows how many grass seeds ended up lodged in the rims of my shoes) but I was glad I did, for as well as seeing Meadow Browns, Hedge Browns, Marbled Whites, Small Skippers and a Dark Green Fritillary, I spotted a handful of Essex Skippers, a species I had effectively given up on this year.

Sadly, I only had my friend's cheap digital camera with me but it was sufficient for a record shot:

[David M]

Friday 10th August - cathartic butterflying experience...

On Saturday 4th August, I travelled to the Isle of Man to visit my mother to celebrate her 80th birthday which fell the following day. I'd booked us into the Sefton Hotel for the Sunday champagne carvery, but sadly we never made it as my mum had a heart attack on the morning of her birthday and passed away two days later.

As anyone who has been in this situation will know, the next few days see you taken completely out of your natural comfort zone as you have to set grief aside in order to concentrate on the logistical realities of the funeral arrangements et al.

Wednesday and Thursday were simply awful, so when I awoke early on the Friday to find blue skies and warm temperatures, I felt obliged to take a little time out in an attempt to assuage the depression that had descended upon me.

I drove up to the Point of Ayre nature reserve, and with it being a weekday I pretty much had the whole place to myself. What's more, conditions were abnormally good, as not only was it unusually warm for the Isle of Man (20c at its peak), there was a virtual absence of wind even when standing on the exposed coast.

I believe it was a French naturalist who was once quoted as saying that "butterflies provide solace for the pain of living", and I suspect I will never again empathise quite so profoundly with those sentiments. For a glorious couple of hours, I simply cast aside the burdens accrued over the previous few days and was cheered up no end by the simple pleasure of being surrounded by butterflies in a wonderful setting on a particularly beautiful morning.

Now, the Isle of Man isn't renowned for its depth of species, yet in spite of that there were several notable things to report.

The main newsworthy point was the sheer numbers of Common Blues flying around this site. I wouldn't want to swear on oath but my gut instinct is that I have never seen so many of this species in a single place ever before in my life. I was on the heathland for about two hours and I walked a fair distance without retracing my steps, and I reckon I saw over 200. At any point, if you stopped and just looked around you would see them at all points of the compass. Of course, this kind of site is ideal for them, but given that there are many excellent habitats on the mainland that have suffered a paucity of numbers of this butterfly in 2012, it fair warmed my heart to see them in such glorious abundance on this often exposed island headland. The females were particularly interesting; most were predominantly brown but some were very blue indeed, and this one caught my eye not just because of it's 'blueness', but also due to its strange brown pattern on the upperwings along with a curious white-ish spot on each upper hindwing:

This is an overview of the habitat that attracts them in such numbers, and at this time of year it is a joy to behold as the heather is a deep purple colour which contrasts beautifully with the green landscape and the copious yellow blooms that flower during August:

The Isle of Man is just 26 miles from Cumbria, and on a clear day you can see the mountains of the Lake District very clearly. Generally, this tends to happen in winter, but today the hills were distinctly visible in a summer environment, and they looked quite ethereal when seen from ground level, looking across the northern Manx plain beyond the Point of Ayre lighthouse:

Common Blues weren't the only species flying. There were a handful of Whites, 50-100 Meadow Browns, a Small Tortoiseshell, a single Wall Brown, a couple of dozen Small Heaths and even a Holly Blue in the scrubby area at the southern end of the site. However, there was one other butterfly seen in three figure numbers - Grayling.

I'd estimate I saw about 120, mainly in the dune area near to the shore. As ever with this species, the size and the markings were far from uniform. Manx Graylings seem to be bigger than mainland ones, and they have quite bold undersides. I photographed a few of them, but when I spotted a courting pair I followed them for a while as I knew that occasionally they can present open winged shots. I was delighted to capture the following image, not only because it gives a rarely seen look at the forewings, but also because it seems to show that the male (on the right, who is the one indulging in the 'wing-flicking') is intentionally coercing the female to come into contact with his androconial scales. This image shows quite clearly the female's antenna positioned directly above the male's sex brands, which one presumes is an intentional part of the pairing process:

Whilst butterflies don't make headlines here, birds certainly DO. The Ayres reserve is renowned for hosting breeding Arctic Terns, whilst many other infrequently seen species use the northern tip of this island as a staging post. I'm by no means an expert when it comes to ornithology, but even I could tell that the large seabirds flying low over the ocean weren't gulls. I took a few photos and my original suspicions were confirmed - gannets....and lots of them.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi David,

Wishing you much peace and happiness during this difficult time.

Kindest regards. Mark

[Padfield]

My deepest sympathies and condolences, David. My heart goes out to you.

Guy

[Neil Freeman]

My sincere condolences David.

It is times like this that put a lot of things into perspective

Best Wishes,

Neil F.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi David,
I'm so sorry to hear your sad news, but glad that you found some comfort amongst the butterflies.
Best Wishes, Neil

[Pete Eeles]

Very sorry to hear about your loss David. My thoughts are with you.

Cheers,

- Pete

[David M]

Thank you, Pete.

Saturday 18th August - window of opportunity....

I travelled on the ferry from Douglas at 8.30 this morning, arriving at Heysham at 12 noon.

Heysham port must be one of the ugliest places in the UK; filthy seawater surrounding you plus a monstrous carbuncle in the shape of the huge power station adjacent to the quay.

Still, every cloud has a silver lining and a look at the map shows that Arnside Knott is a mere 45 minute drive away, so that is where I went and I was at the car park just after 1pm.

It was fairly overcast when I arrived, though things improved markedly and by 2.30pm the clouds had all but dispersed.

Obviously, Scotch Argus was the target species, but the first butterflies I saw were Meadow and Hedge Browns, along with a Grayling or two and the odd Speckled Wood. Gradually, as conditions improved, I located my first Scotch Argus, though it was decidedly battered. Thankfully, a little while later I discovered two more, one of which was just about photograph standard:

Clearly, this species is at the end of its flight period up here, and despite much searching, I didn't find any remotely fresh-looking. This specimen was easily the most 'pristine':

I saw 14 in total, most of which were spotted in the sheltered dip just beyond the first peak you come to after walking up the hill from the car park.

The overall count was:

Hedge Brown 30-40
Meadow Brown 30-40
Scotch Argus 14
Speckled Wood 8
Grayling 5
Common Blue 5
Small White 2
Small Skipper 2
Large White 1
Dark Green/High Brown Fritillary 1 (didn't get near enough for a definitive ID)

[David M]

Sunday 26th August - Patience is a virtue....

A second visit in 4 days to the lovely coastal site at West Williamston in Pembrokeshire provided more than I had expected.

It's rare that the forecast for this exposed part of Wales is calm, sunny and mild so I simply couldn't resist, and sure enough upon my arrival at 10.30am it was as bright as it was tranquil.

I spotted several species on my way to the 'butterfly glade' (more of that later), but I finally managed to nail down a Brown Hairstreak here after patiently sitting in the prime egg-laying amphitheatre for an hour or so.

At first, I thought the movement in the undergrowth was due to a Hedge Brown, but when the insect didn't immediately surface I investigated more closely and discovered this little jewel:

As ever, the reward for perseverence is a very intimate audience with the butterfly, and I watched her go about her business for a good 20 minutes as she alternated between basking and looking for egg-laying spots:

At one point she seemed to get entangled in scrubby bramble undergrowth, so I offered her my finger and, unsurprisingly given how tame this species usually is, she accepted it and happily rested on my hand for a couple of minutes before wandering off towards the blackthorn:

Although she probed around the shrubs bending her abdomen, she didn't actually lay an egg, and once again I failed to find any in spite of a fairly thorough search of the young suckers growing in the glade.

There were plenty of other species on the wing. I saw 4 Silver Washed Fritillaries, including 2 females. There were several Large Whites pottering about, as well as a handful of Small and Green Veined. Speckled Woods kept popping up along with Hedge Browns, and I even spotted a Holly Blue. However, this was the first day in (I think) three years when I managed to see all 5 Vanessids at a single site on the same day. Small Tortoiseshells were particularly numerous, Peacocks were prominent too. Three Commas were seen and a couple of Red Admirals checked in.

A Painted Lady spent most (possibly all) of the day flying around the thistles near the entrance to the site:

No Meadow Browns today though, nor were there any Common Blues. Still, 13 species is a decent return at this time of year and hopefully Brown Hairstreak numbers will pick up over the next week or two as this site is a little behind those in England.

[David M]

Saturday 22nd September - Hairstreak Heaven.....

With storms forecast for the next couple of days, today presented a final opportunity to do a site visit with a reasonable expectation of seeing a fair selection of species. Sadly, with temperatures in south Wales forecast to peak at just 14c, I didn't expect very much though I was determined to locate my first Brown Hairstreak eggs of the year after drawing two blanks at the Pembrokeshire site last month.

Well, I'm delighted to say that not only did I find 25 eggs (which is the most I've ever seen), I also had the pleasure of seeing 4 adult female Brown Hairstreaks along with decent numbers of other species.

It was a mere 10.5c when I pulled into the small car park at West Williamston Reserve, but my spirits were raised by a Red Admiral fluttering over the ivy nearby along with two warring Speckled Wood males:

Before I'd reached the foreshore, I'd already racked up 7 Speckled Woods, and after 50 yards of walking along the tidal path that number was eclipsed by double figure numbers of Small Tortoiseshells nectaring on the hawksbeard-type plants.

This one was particularly attractive. Am I imagining things or does it have abnormally wide blue fringes?

I saw 3 Commas in total - this one was the best behaved:

I was surprised to see 2 Small Whites and 3 Green Veined Whites. I thought they'd have packed up for the year by now. This female GVW was irresistible:

I'd already found 9 Brown Hairstreak eggs, but this one little sucker had a staggering EIGHT on it, taking my total immediately to 17:

Then, just after midday, I spotted my first Hairstreak fluttering along the shrub line on the foreshore:

I followed her for over 20 minutes as she pottered about, but most of the time she kept coming to rest on the grasses. This was in a very exposed area just by the water and I was quite surprised by her durability as though it was sunny the temperature was 13c at best.

It was whilst I was tracking her that I disturbed ANOTHER female BH amongst the grasses. I tried to follow her but she flew up over the shrub fringe. Luckily, the original one was still on the hawthorn where I'd last seen her:

She DID poke about in the blackthorn a little, but I only saw her lay one egg:

I then took a detour into the 'glade', and within a couple of minutes I spotted another female BH, though this one was in a far tattier state. She was resting quite high up on some dead bracken, and as I was taking photos of her another Brown Hairstreak fluttered past my face. Sadly, it didn't settle but I was delighted to track the other one down onto the blackthorn where she laid two eggs taking my total past 20. I found a handful more before bumping into two people I'd seen a couple of hours earlier who were on their way back to their car. They'd come specially to see this species for the first time and had also managed to spot 4 (though they'd trumped me as they'd also seen an osprey whereas the best I could counter with was my single curlew).

So, I several lessons learned today:

Brown Hairstreaks will fly and lay eggs in temperatures between 12c and 14c. They will also spend time flying in open, exposed places settling on grasses in much the same way as Skippers do. There are also fair numbers of them about in late September.

Overall, a very worthwhile trip!

[Mark Colvin]

Hi David,

Glad to see you had success and interesting to note your comments.

Brown Hairstreaks will fly and lay eggs in temperatures between 12c and 14c. They will also spend time flying in open, exposed places settling on grasses in much the same way as Skippers do. There are also fair numbers of them about in late September.

I've spent the last two days in the north of Wales; around Menai and Anglesey ... and the sun was shining! Although I was not butterflying I did see Red Admiral, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[David M]

Sunday 21st October - still enough warmth in the air.....

Cloudless and mild all day today. Temperatures peaked at 15.5c so it was inevitable that butterflies would still be on the wing.

I thought I'd check out Pembrey Country Park near Llanelli, as it is inhabited by Grizzled Skippers in spring and I wanted to have a poke about to get my bearings before visiting next year.

Before I'd arrived, I'd already seen a Small Tortoiseshell at a roundabout in Llanelli, and two Red Admirals also flew near enough to my car for a positive ID.

There were a fair few people on the beach which gives an indication of how pleasant it was. Here's a view of the Gower from across the bay to the north:

The surprise of the afternoon was seeing a male Green Veined White fluttering amongst the evening primrose-type plants (he was in remarkably good nick too). I've never seen a White this late in the year before.

I spotted three more Red Admirals and also got a decent look at a fox from one of the bird hides. It was 2.45pm when I arrived back near home, and the sun was still warm so I checked out my favourite little 'hotspot' down near the river at the end of Cwm Clydach. I saw three Speckled Woods in total but all were across the river and I needed full zoom and crop:

SWCwmClyd.jpg (53.74 KiB) Viewed 263267 times

As I made my way back to the car, there on the ivy growth alonside the railings was a lone Small Tortoiseshell:

Seems like we're in for a mild week to take us up to November, so there's still a chance of spotting a few more individuals before the cold weather closes in.