Plenty Of Acteon (with apologies!)
Yesterday (9th June) I headed off early for a trip down Memory Lane. Only twice since our weekend family butterfly outings in the 1970s have I revisited the beautiful Lulworth Cove and adjacent coastline. Once was on a geology field trip in 1978 and on the other occasion, just a few years back, it rained so hard I never left the hotel. This time I was free from the educational tour and blessed with good weather.
It wasn't long before the early morning warmth started to stir my target species, the Lulworth Skipper, and they were soon zipping around at high speed, often fearlessly disappearing over the cliff edges in the stiff breeze. Although individually unspectacular, they made a fine sight jostling for position on almost every stem of Viper's Bugloss, sometimes more than half a dozen at a time. I suppose I saw about 150 individuals in all. We are clearly well into the flight season as the vast majority were quite worn, although the recent weather will have taken its toll on their condition. However, with such a protracted flight period there are still both male and female butterfies emerging, and more will come throughout June. As always they showed considerable variation in colouring and size, ranging from tiny, plain-looking, dusky males, to golden males with a hint of the 'sunshine' pattern on the forewings. The females varied from being almost unmarked in this way, to very strongly marked.
Other species seen around the area included Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Wall, Dingy Skipper, Small Heath and Red Admiral in modest numbers, together with about 20 Large Skippers. But it was a day with the 'little brown job' I was interested in, and it was quite nostalgic picnicking amongst the butterflies, with the sound of families enjoying themselves drifting up from the beach below.
I later moved on to a site near Corfe Castle. I couldn't locate the Lulworth Skippers here but the visit was far from wasted as the display of Bee Orchids was nothing short of spectacular. It turned out to be a memorable day and a very welcome respite from the relentless poor weather.
Being Dorset born and bred I've probably seen this species hundreds of times but I didn't know what I was looking at 
They are on of my target species for this year so hopefully they'll be around for a few more weeks. Does your photo looking across from Stair Hole to the cove represent where you were finding them as Newlands recommends the opposite side of the cove( Bindon I think?)? If they are around in good numbers on the eastern side that would be ace as I could then incorporate a walk to my favourite place ever - Durdle Door 
