18/08/12 The day of our holiday.
Ordinarily I would be pleased to go on holiday but with good weather on the cards I had mixed feelings knowing I would have little chance of any further Brown Hairstreak sorties to Bookham
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
. On return I'd be back at work and then the following weekend (1st - 2nd of September) woud have me entertaining my parents who are visiting from Sunderland
![Neutral :|](./images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif)
.
Not for the first time our holiday co-incided with the start of the V-Festival, so a 05:00a.m.departure was necessary to avoid getting caught up in an inevitable A12 snarl up nr Chelmsford that occurs on such days
![Mad :x](./images/smilies/icon_mad.gif)
. The early start gave us an easy run and we turned up at our destination at 07:30 where a rather surprised tenant answered the door in his dressing gown and slippers
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
. After apologising for the intrusion we left him to pack his bags and headed off to Southwold. Later on we met the landlord and landlady whose house adjoined our cottage and who allowed us to have access to their large garden and importantly for me the buddliea bush which like all other buddlieas was at last attracting the butterflies .... Comma; Peacock Large White and Small Tortoiseshell (no Red Admirals ... but a white flowering buddliea in Southwold was covered in them
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
).
![I 2012.08.19 IMG_7611 Large White, Sibton.jpg (262.38 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Plenty of Lage Whites in Suffolk](./files/thumb_10062_36704eab639fa6f83747283d11c7c499)
- Plenty of Lage Whites in Suffolk
![J 2012.08.20 IMG_7749 Comma, Sibton.jpg (261.66 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Hutchinsoni](./files/thumb_10062_30f80786a3eb64dfff29c49ed7760485)
- Hutchinsoni
![2012.08.23 IMG_8258, Small Tortoiseshell, Sibton trim.jpg (196.18 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Small Torts at last](./files/thumb_10062_f7cd50da91c7b5fb2bc510b603914c90)
- Small Torts at last
Knowing my daytimeforays would be limited I brought my moth trap light along with net and net cage to keep the evenings interesting. For those interested in moths, new species (i.e those that have not turned up in my garden yet) were Square-spot Rustic; Rosy Rustic; Orange Swift and Dusky Brocade.
21/08/12. A visit to Shawsgate Vineyard Nr. Framlingham gave me further chance for butterfly spotting. As we walked around the vines and took in some of the names (e.g Bacchus; Muller & Reichensteiner) we encountered quite a few Meadow Browns whose flight suggested they'd been sampling some of the vineyard's produce
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
. Later a Green-veined White presented a photo opportunity
![K 2012.08.21 IMG_7812 Green-veined White.jpg (271.27 KiB) Viewed 1080 times GVW with some hind-wing damage (showing blood clot?)](./files/thumb_10062_a1d799aae9ec738982a401491978079c)
- GVW with some hind-wing damage (showing blood clot?)
After a visit to Framlingham Castle we drove onto Dunwich Marshes. Last time in Sepetmber 2010 I got to see a single Grayling on the shingle. This time I my hopes were very much more rewarded with Graylings and Common Blue in good numbers and a first-time sighting of a Yellow Belle moth.
![M 2012.08.21 IMG_7942 Yellow Belle, Dunwich Marshes.jpg (265.72 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Yellow Belle](./files/thumb_10062_c868d4457024c5f366e7e88da021edc0)
- Yellow Belle
![L 2012.08.21 IMG_7965 Common Blue (male), Dunwich Marshes.jpg (179.77 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Nice fresh Common Blue](./files/thumb_10062_89651451d4beedb449b609aca15a3b69)
- Nice fresh Common Blue
![N 2012.08.21 IMG_7950 Graylings (courting), Dunwich Marshes.jpg (264.75 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Courting Grayling (excuse poor quality of pics, butteflies moving about making photography difficult with my close focussing hand held DSLR)](./files/thumb_10062_e531f9ac56600c86b49d181bead9ffcb)
- Courting Grayling (excuse poor quality of pics, butteflies moving about making photography difficult with my close focussing hand held DSLR)
Having whetted my appetite I decided now was my opportunity to go to the Broads to try and get a first ever sighting of a Swallowtail (second brood long shot). As the rest of the family are not amenable to daddy's butterfly trips I decided to ease 'the pain' by putting in a visit first to Potter Heigham nr Hickling broad for an hours motor boat hire and cruise. BTW if anyone is ever planning to go to the broads via Suffolk, avoid heading on the A12 to Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. The ring roads don't and the traffic is horrendous
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
. Go to Beccles and follow the country roads through Loddon; Reedham to Acle and take it from there.
After our expensive messing about on the water boat amble it was time to cash in for my part of the bargain. I decided to go onto Strumphaw Fen. However having not done my homework I hadn't realised it was essentially a bird reserve run by the RSPB and more to the point cost money
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
. The girls broke out into a bought of huffing and moaning showing as much enthusiam for a walk around the reedbeds as they would for a 5 mile walk on a rainy day in January, so my chance was scuppered
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
. A visit to the Dr's Garden (outside the reserve) was all I was allowed
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
. No Swallowtails there but I was lucky enough to get to see this one
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
.
![IMG_8023 Swallowtail.jpg (295.46 KiB) Viewed 1080 times Swallowtail](./files/thumb_10062_698972e1b71ab4babaddda80c3cf2a43)
- Swallowtail
Hanging on a wall; 2nd floor Horsey Mill
So endeth the holiday. One last picture of a butterfly which is rarely seen in Surrey