Sites near Bicester

[cjs]

I am from Lancashire and spending a few days near Bicester during the second week of July it would be a real treat if I could see a Black Hairstreak
Purple Hairstreak or Purple Emperor would also be nice but if I only see the sun I wont complain . Any advice tips or sites would be much appreciated.
Charlie.

[David M]

Well, your first two ports of call ought to be Whitecross Green Wood and Bernwood Forest (both within 3 miles of one another).

Purple Emperors reside at Bernwood along with White Admirals and Silver Washed Fritillaries. You should see Purple Hairstreaks there too.

There's a meadow at Bernwood surrounded by blackthorn. I believe Black Hairstreaks have been regularly recorded there, although from what I've read Whitecross is better for this species.

[millerd]

Whitecross Green Wood is better for Black Hairstreak, certainly. In addition to this spot and Bernwood, Finemere Wood is also not far from Bicester and all your target species have been seen there along with White Admirals and Silver-Washed Fritillaries.

On the UK Butterflies homepage, go into "species", then "sites" and go for the correct square on the grid (SP). There are numerous sites in the area.

Dave

[Paul Wetton]

Bernwood Forest is a fantastic site and Purple Emperor, and Silver Washed Frit can be seen along the main gravelled ride from the car park.
When walking along the main ride where the path goes up hill check the oak Trees for Purple Hairstreak as many as 30 have been seen by myself in a single tree on a good day.

Where the first path turns right ofr the main ride towards the meadow area I've seen Brown Hairstreak on Creeping Thistle. These can also be found in the hedge round the meadow. May be too early for them though.

I agree with the others that Whitecross Green is the better spot for Black Hairstreak.

Good luck.

[Jack Harrison]

I agree with the others that Whitecross Green is the better spot for Black Hairstreak.

Agreed also. But it is quite a difficult place to find, especially the car park as you need to open and close some gates - this isn't obvious (may have changed though since my last visit in 2010) Map Ref of car park: SP599149. Reach via track opposite a lovely old cottage at: SP599150.

Jack

[Paul Wetton]

Good point Jack. I missed it completely the first time I attempted to visit. The track goes between two fields normally with horses in them and there are two gates to be opened.

[MikeOxon]

I agree with all the above - just to add that the cottage opposite Whitecross Green Wood entrance is called Panshill Cottage.

There are two main 'hotspots' in the wood for BH - (i) follow the main ride Southwards from the car park and then either continue to the far end and look there or (ii) turn left at an obvious junction of rides and continue to an area of high blackthorns, with a small side path to the left leading to a small pond and clearing surrounded by blackthorn.

An additional site is a little further along the same road past Whitecross to a turning South at SP597151. The road leads through a farmyard, where the gate may be closed but not locked, and then continues to a small car park at Asham Meads reserve. This also has BH and, later on, the track leading to Otmoor is a good place for Brown Hairstreak.

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

Just by the car park before you walk through a gate into the wood is a nice little clearing with brambles, good a little later in the season for the common species.

There used to be Wood Whites in Whitecross Green Wood but I believe they have gone now. Not too far away from Bicester are some very productive Wood White localities near Silverstone but maybe best avoided this weekend: I understand some highly paid young men will be playing with their expensive toys idolised by wealthy spectators, minimum entry price apparently £145. Sshh – I might watch them on telly! The commentator for that event, Martin Brundle, is the fourth most famous person to have been born in Norfolk, the third was Princess Diana, the second most famous Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Jack

[cjs]

Made a mistake when trying to add a picture and lost all of my replies after the best part an hour so these acknowledgements will be fairly short.
Thanks to each of you for all the help.
David M well your sites have been reinforced by everyone thank you.
Dave (millerd) Thanks for the guide to the sites grid square, I will use Finemere Wood as a back up too.
Paul your description of the paths and butterflies has made me all the more eager to get there.
Jack are you THE Jack Harrison from Norfolk I would most certainly not have found the car park without your info. Very hesitant to go through gates I dont know about. The grid ref's will be invaluable cheers.
Mike Thanks for the directions of the 'hotspots' and the site further on. The cottage name will be very handy too.
I will print out all the advice and take it with me ... how can I lose.
I went to Sand Point the first four days of this month to see the Glanville Fririllary. Never found it till the last day when I saw three. I thought I was there in the peak flight time, but maybe the poor spring had something to do with that.
I'm certainly no challenge to anyone who takes pics but would like to share this record shot of it the only one I got.
Charlie.

[David M]

I went to Sand Point the first four days of this month to see the Glanville Fririllary. Never found it till the last day when I saw three. I thought I was there in the peak flight time, but maybe the poor spring had something to do with that.
I'm certainly no challenge to anyone who takes pics but would like to share this record shot of it the only one I got.
Charlie.

Well, Charlie, you may well be the last person to ever see this species at that site.

Well done.

Bill (Willrow) and I spent approximately 5 hours between us looking for them in ideal conditions. Sadly, we drew a blank, so at best this butterfly emerged in minuscule numbers and at worst, it will not be seen there again.

[Jack Harrison]

Charlie

Jack are you THE Jack Harrison from Norfolk

[cjs]

David, That would be a sad loss if this colony failed, not least for the Glanville but also for the many who find the challenge of travelling to the IOW a bit daunting. It would be interesting to know how long ago that colony was introduced and wether or not worth rebuilding it and what the problem is. The only difference I can see is that all of the ribwort (plantain) is well established as opposed to any young fresh growth that is suggested by JT.
Isnt there a colony reintroduced in Hampshire somewhere?
Jack,
Charlie.

[Matsukaze]

Released in the early 1980s and died out round about 2000, being reintroduced a couple of years later. To my mind the slopes where the butterfly flies do not look right for the species, with regrowth being a bit rapid compared with the rate of erosion, although possibly it may breed on plantain on the cliffs itself where I have no intention of going to look for it.

[Padfield]

There used to be Wood Whites in Whitecross Green Wood but I believe they have gone now.

I knew Whitecross Green back in the 80s and there were certainly wood whites then. The last time I visited was 2006, when I photographed this one:



Something has gone wrong if they have since disappeared.

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

I knew Whitecross Green back in the 80s and there were certainly wood whites then. Something has gone wrong if they have since disappeared.

I completely agree - it had a very good population in the mid-2000s. Some theories are here: http://upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/R ... odell.html, but I'm not sure that any of them explain such a rapid decline.

Cheers,

- Pete

[RobS]

Ill be at Whitecross Green wood tomorrow (sunday) to try to find my first Black Hairstreak.Then off to Bernwood to see what i can see there too.
Maybe ill see some of you there (i usually bump into someone from the site).

cheers
rob

[cjs]

Hi Matsukaze, Sorry for the late reply, Thanks for the information.

[MikeOxon]

I'm not sure that any of them explain such a rapid decline.

indeed ... they sound more like wild guesses than theories, to me. Since the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen, I can only assume the writer actually means NOx but why Whitecross should be especially affected, I have no idea

When I first used to visit, and see plenty of Wood Whites, the rides were mown but then BBOWT changed the regime and there was just a narrow path up the centre of an unmown ride, and the Wood Whites soon disappeared

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

There were some issues about the ride cutting regime in Whitecross Green Wood.

Circa 2010, I met an American (maybe Canadian) woman who was involved in the management of the wood. She was furious that the verges had been mown very short.

A year or so before, I had met a man (as I recall, he was an Air Traffic Controller so we had spoken professionally in the past) who was adamant that nobody should step off the mown centre of the rides to avoid trampling of the long vegetation at the edges! A pristine Brown Hairstreak remained un-photographed.

It could well be that an uncoordinated management regime didn’t help the fortunes of the Wood White.

Jack

[millerd]

A year or so before, I had met a man (as I recall, he was an Air Traffic Controller so we had spoken professionally in the past) who was adamant that nobody should step off the mown centre of the rides to avoid trampling of the long vegetation at the edges!

Jack

On my very first visit to Whitecross in June 2009, I was similarly reprimanded for carelessly putting a foot down off the mown stripe...

Dave