Pauline

[Neil Freeman]

Thank you Wurzel. I fear I'm going to seem a bit stupid here but you're going to have to enlighten me. Who or what is Julia? (I should have asked someone privately today instead of exposing my ignorance in public ).

Glad you asked Pauline, I was wondering as well

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Phew! Glad I wasn't the only one Neil . Thanks for that Wurzel. The butterfly was so fresh and such a strange shape I was wondering if the wings perhaps hadn't yet fully 'pumped up'.

More details from yesterday .......

I arrived at Browndown at 5.00pm but the sun was still hot and strong:

Having gotten lost twice on the way there and ending up in a different car park to last time, I gingerly made my way towards the Grayling colony trying to steer clear of the nudist colony. Typically, the area where Grayling are found looks like this:

I have always admired this butterfly not least because it is a master of camouflage. The first butterfly I spotted was well hidden on the bark of a tree. I have not cropped or altered these shots in order to illustrate the context and environment of the Grayling and its amazing capacity to blend into its surroundings.

It was even more difficult to spot the butterflies on the multi-coloured pebbles. The way in which the butterfly positions itself in relation to the sun makes it very difficult to see and it casts no shadow, as in this shot where only the shadow of the front legs can be seen:

Even when nectaring amongst the heather the butterfly blends in amazingly well and the way it twists and turns sometimes renders it near invisible:

Although the Grayling is a most attractive butterfly it also successfully camouflages its true beauty given that it rarely opens its wings. Furthermore, when it feels at all threatened it will close the fore wings down, concealing the eyes, to become almost invisible. However, if it is approached closely when in this position by another insect they will flick the wings up to expose the 'eyes' which I assume is a defence mechanism to divert any potential predator to the back end of the butterfly:

I was surprised to notice that several of these butterflies were already damaged although I thought their emergence was fairly recent.

The Grayling were nectaring on a variety of flowers despite a good supply of Heather. I have not seen them on this before (not sure what it is called)

before I left the Grayling for another year I took a last shot at the beautiful views looking very hazy in the evening sunshine:

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline, lovely Grayling photos, the trip to the coast certainly paid off well, after all that frustration!

Mike

[MikeOxon]

yes, nice Grayling pics. I can only assume that the sloping horizon in your last pic is the result of an unexpected encounter with the nudist beach

Mike

[Pauline]

Thanks Mike, lovely to see Cathy and yourself again. Looking forward to seeing your next post.

Well Mike, I can't blame the G&T as I was driving so looks like you've got me sussed Didn't know which way to point the camera

Whilst I was waiting for PE (doing a lot of that just recently ) I can't resist snapping anything that comes into view so a couple of shots below:

[Pauline]

In view of the impending thunderstorms which have been forecast for today (?) I thought it would be prudent to nip down to Chalton and get a few record shots of the Chalkhills before they get flooded out! Despite it being early evening when I arrived there was a lot of butterfly activity including DGF, a fair number of Marbled White, lots of Skippers, Browns, a few Commas etc. I didn't see any female Chalkhills but the males were easy to locate. Several shots below:

Just before I left I took a photo of this butterfly-rich downland and now I notice there is a bird in the background, just above the grass below the central bush, which I didn't even spot when I took the shot - a Kestrel perhaps, hovering? Just for the record I have now seen a Red Kite 3 times at the Straits, which isn't far from Bentley where I saw them previously and Wrecclesham before that. If they keep moving south it won't be long before I have another bird 'tick' for my garden

[Neil Freeman]

Lovely Chalkhill Blue photos there Pauline

My turn to be , no butterfly rich downlands in the midlands for me
If I want to see any Blues other than Common or Holly I have to plan a day out somewhere or try and fit them around family breaks.

All the best,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Thank you Neil - I'm glad you like them. It is so easy to take the local beauties for granted whilst hankering after those species less easily available and much further afield, which somehow become more desirable. I'm sure the economists would remind me of the Laws of Supply and Demand but we must protect the treasures on our doorstep as 'you don't know what you've got til it's gone!!!' (showing my age again there ).

As I wrote my diary yesterday morning I could hear what I thought was the low, distant rumble of thunder but as it quickly ceased and the sky was bright I thought perhaps it had been some aircraft. Having an early afternoon appointment meant I just had time for a quick walk along the Straits after the animal chores. For once there was not a soul in sight but no PE either until I reached the watch tower. I was immediately buzzed by a flash of blue which then settled further along the path - but not for long. There was an almighty crack of thunder directly overhead which was a bit scary and whether it was the noise, vibration or something else, the Emperor took flight. Another crash quickly followed although it was still dry. What surprised me most was the behaviour of the various butterflies which began to, well, I can only describe as 'swarm'. They became incredibly active, almost manic, and I wondered if it was anything to do with the air pressure. The White Admirals were noticeable by their absence at this point. I have watched butterflies in some quite inclement weather but never in the middle of a thunderstorm. The rain fell suddenly and heavily and with the first large drops the 'swarm' of SWF were the first to retire to the trees. There must have been over a dozen in one bush but six is the best I could manage:

The 'swarm' of Whites were the next to retire to the trees. They reminded me of one of those flocks of Starlings - I tried to count them but because of the constant movement can only say there were in excess of 16. Again, I tried to capture this but failed dismally:

At some point all the Skippers had disappeared but the Browns, Commas, Red Admiral and of course PE continued to fly for quite some time. The last to retire were the Emperor and Red Admirals:

It was nice to see that Bernie, the RA, was guarding his post and flying round it every few minutes to inspect it

During this intense and violent storm (which didn't last long), 2 Emperors continued to fly, landing periodically on top of the watch tower and taking moisture (the rain?) from up there. I could only get a distant view:

As the rain ceased and the sun appeared, the butterfly behaviour returned to normal and the PE circled me again and began to fly low along the path. It was time for me to go. It is not the first time I have had to walk away from a PE. In Tugley Wood I once had to take 2 PE's off me and place them on bracken because my time was up. It would be sooo easy to allow this passion to turn into an obsession but like everyone else I have other commitments and priorities so with regret I had to leave.

[Pauline]

It is not often I post without a photo but I know someone out there will know how I'm feeling right now. The foxes are moulting heavily so I had just brushed vast quantities of hair from Saffron and was carrying it across the lawn for disposal. The garden has lots of butterflies in it today including SWF, Comma, Large and Small White, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper so when I nearly stood on a butterfly and it flew up from the lawn into a small Acer I thought it was the latter. I took a quick look anyway and was delighted to see it was a fresh Purple Hairstreak, sitting only about 4' up. I dropped the hair and raced indoors for the camera which didn't take very many seconds but when I got back it had disappeared! I have searched surrounding bushes and trees but I suspect it has now gone up into the oaks . (If you're reading this Mark, don't you think I've been punished enough now? ).

[MikeOxon]

Aaaaarghhh!! It's no consolation, I know, but I suspect most of us have been there! If not that, then it's the flat battery or missing memory card

[Wurzel]

I know the feeling Pauline which is why my camera goes everywhere with me from early March until mid November When I had a garden I used to take my camera with me to water the greenhouse just in case It paid off numerous times. Lovely Chalkhills by the way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

The tale of thunderstorm behaviour was fascinating, Pauline. Not commonly observed! I wonder if it was the changes in electrical potential in the atmosphere that they could sense and found disturbing or as you suggested, changes in atmospheric pressure. Both occur in and around thunderstorms.

Dave

[Mark Tutton]

Hi Pauline
I agree you have been thoroughly 'purpled' this year both hairstreaks and his highness driving you to distraction. Your time will come - probably when you are least suspecting it
I witnessed several thunderstorms at straits last year - you will remember me emerging from the bushes at abbotts in my camoflage waterproof after a particularly savage - if brief - storm? SWF in particular seem to rest in numbers on the hazel with wings open in these hot storms - just like your shot - and emperors can become very active after a summer shower especially after a long hot spell.
Good luck Mark

[Pauline]

Thank you all for your sympathy and empathy. I hope you are right Mark. I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday as the Purple Hairstreak incident was the most recent in a number of 'near misses'. I have found 2 grounded Purple Emperors this week which I duly pointed out to others, only to have them spooked by photographers who were too keen before I could even get a shot. With hindsight, it is just as well it was me who spooked the Hairstreak - if it had been any of the poultry the outcome would most certainly have been very different. I am sure the pain will ease with time

The butterfly behaviour immediately before the storm was certainly markedly different Dave, with activity bordering on frenetic, before gathering together within their own species which is something I have never seen before. Is it negative ions which charge the air during a thunderstorm? I can't really remember but some aspect of the atmosphere was influencing their behaviour. I am not sure why I should be surprised at this as other animals can be similarly affected and are able to detect impending severe weather.

I had another brief look at the Chalkhills and although I haven't yet managed a decent open-winged shot, here come the girls ....

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Pauline,
That first image is fantastic ... perhaps your best since that superb Green-veined White earlier in the year.
BWs, Neil

[Pauline]

Well thank you Neil; I'm pleased you think so. I have tried not to agonise too much about my photographs this year (at least not publicly) and just keep practicing and learning, mainly by listening. 'Behind the scenes' however, I am just as indecisive about which is the best background, the best crop, the best angle etc. It would help if I could tell the difference between a good photo and a really great photo .

It would seem that Mark was spot on and I have indeed got my 2 blue winged PE when I least expected it :

The photo is courtesy of Mike who has taken my original one blue-winged shot and 'photoshopped' it. Not quite as satisfying as the real thing perhaps but it cheered me up none the less. The DGF is also much improved by the removal of the bee:

I am amazed at what can be achieved with this package. Having bought the manual I never seem to have time to read it or 'play' with it so a big thank you Mike.

[Debbie]

Just catching up with your diary whilst i have a late lunch at work. Great pictures - it is hard been chained to my desk.

Debbie

[Pauline]

Thank you Debbie, I appreciate that. Hang on in there - it's nearly the weekend .

I needed a change of scene and a change of focus so yesterday afternoon I decided to see if there were any Silver Spotted Skippers on Oxenbourne. I wasn't very hopeful as I have never seen them there this early and in recent years numbers have definitely been dwindling. Last year I saw only a maximum of 4, 3 M, 1 F. After 90 minutes of searching proved fruitless it would be fair to say I was dismayed but it was no more than I expected really.

However, the other species certainly made up for this loss. 21 species in 90 minutes is about the best I have had in one area. Some were so fresh and so vibrant they were a joy to behold - Peacocks (which were so perfect they looked like a rich claret-coloured velvet), Red Admiral, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Heath, Small Copper for example, whilst others were quite worn - Meadow Brown, Small White, DGF (although a few of these were still quite fresh which made me wonder why I traveled all the way to Winchester to see them ). I don't usually list all the species but as it was an exceptional number I shall complete the list: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Large White, Green-veined White, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Chalkhill Blues in the hundreds, Brimstone, Ringlet and a beautifully marked Common Blue. I was quite surprised to see her as there didn't appear to be any males around. Several pairs of mating Chalkhills were seen and the Small Skippers appeared to be egg-laying all over the place which is something I have never witnessed before. And then ..... just as I was leaving, a Silver-spotted Skipper landed a few feet away. I was not going to risk a close up shot but by the time I had unscrewed the lens he was gone! Still, it made my day. A variety of shots today, in no particular order, to reflect the large number of species seen. Sadly, I was unable to get the vibrant and very active Small Tortoiseshells but it was lovely to see them.

I think that's enough for now

[Pauline]

I've just found these eggs about an hour ago on one of my hanging baskets. I am assuming they are Large White eggs although I didn't see them laid. My question concerns what the critter is next to them and does it pose a threat? As I watched it moved from the middle of the leaf to show an (unhealthy?) interest in the eggs. I guess I shall find out sooner or later. The best shot I could manage to get:

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Pauline, it certainly sounds like a cracking afternoon yesterday, it is great to see so many butterflies about this past week or so

Sorry, I can't help with your little critter by the eggs.

All the best,

Neil F.