Neil Hulme

[Neil Hulme]

Nice shots Leigh. It's such a shame about that beautiful Brown Hairstreak's wing. I was a little disappointed when she first opened up; I do expect them to be flawless during the first few days of the season!
BWs, Neil

[Matsukaze]

It gives them character though. In a way I quite like seeing the battered ones; they usually seem to be living a full and energetic butterfly life as if they were freshly emerged.

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Silver Spots Neil Are they out and about during cloudy weather as most if the books talk about temperatures over 20 and sun?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Wurzel. Like most grassland species, they don't go far in cloudy weather or when roosting, only burying down into the grass in really foul conditions. Photographing this species (well) when they are active in sunshine is nigh on impossible, but in overcast conditions or from 6pm onwards, get down low and scan the scabious and miniature thistle flowers for resting butterflies. Once you get your eye in it's surprisingly easy to find them. As long as you approach with care they're sitting ducks!
BWs, Neil

[Wurzel]

Brill! Cheers for the insider information

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Hairstreaks, Skippers And Elephants

First stop this morning (8th August) was the Knepp Castle Estate, where I worked along a blackthorn-rich field margin which produced a lot of Brown Hairstreak eggs during a survey last winter. I soon located two females nectaring on ragwort and thistle. In retrospect my late morning move to Steyning Rifle Range was unwise, as I only managed to locate a single female high in an ash tree. I then headed for Cissbury Ring to look for the Silver-spotted Skippers I discovered here recently, particularly as a friend was having difficulty finding them. It wasn't easy, but I eventually found two. On the way up towards the ramparts I spotted a beautifully marked Small Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar.

[Neil Freeman]

More SSSk

This afternoon (7th August) I needed to relieve the boredom of the office and paperwork so......

Oh how I wish I could do that...

Great images Neil, every one a stunner

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Neil Hulme]

Migrant Alert

Thanks Neil (nfreem). No office and no paperwork today, so I spent the entire day on the Downs!

Although I'm seldom seeing more than a couple at a time, lovely Clouded Yellows are appearing almost everywhere I go at the moment, alongside plenty of Painted Ladies. I'm still waiting for the rare migrant I hope might be just around the corner; anticipation is building as more of these seem to be turning up by the day. I'm aware of two Long-tailed Blues and a Swallowtail in Sussex in just the last 48 hours!

Silver-spotted Skippers are still emerging on my local site, with an increase in the number of females seen.

SSSk female

[Neil Hulme]

Skippers On The Move

Since discovering the Silver-spotted Skipper on Cissbury Ring (3rd August) I've spent many hours searching for the species across other potential sites in the area, without much success. I had already drawn a blank at Washington Pits (4th August), so I was doubly pleased when determination paid dividends during a return visit on 11th August. I only found a couple of specimens, but one was a male, which suggests to me that the butterflies emerged here this August. I'm fairly sure these are the progeny of a pioneering female which visited the site in 2012; I suspect that it's only the females which head off in search of pastures new, unlike for instance the Chalkhill Blue (why do the males do that?). This location (TQ128119) is 4 Km from the nearest known established colony at Chantry Hill, and almost precisely the same distance from the Cissbury Ring find.

[Neil Hulme]

Dorset (Part 1)

On Monday (12th August) I headed off to join the family at a holiday site near Warmwell in Dorset. Looking at the map I realised this was an ideal opportunity to visit Shipton Bellinger en route, with only a slight deviation . I soon caught up with PhiliB, who I had arranged to meet for a guided tour, this being a new site for me. We had an interesting morning to early afternoon session during which we saw 4 female and nearly a dozen male Brown Hairstreak. It was a day of 'almosts' as males repeatedly descended from their lofty perches, but only momentarily touched down before looping back up into the canopy. A couple of females proved equally awkward. Although none of the specimens were particularly worn, it soon became quite clear from their condition (some individuals) that this site is quite 'early' compared to my local Steyning site. One big difference is that males seem far more willing to come down low here.

Male

Female

On the morning of my first full day in Dorset (13th August) I headed out onto Portland to explore the BC reserve at Broadcroft Quarry. This place is well worth a visit and I'm keen to return during the Silver-studded Blue flight season in the future. I was a little disappointed not to find the two species I was hoping for (Grayling and Lulworth Skipper are listed for the site), but there was plenty on offer including Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Brimstone, Small Skipper, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Holly Blue, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Dark Green Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Wall (plenty), Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

[Matsukaze]

Skippers On The Move

...I'm fairly sure these are the progeny of a pioneering female which visited the site in 2012; I suspect that it's only the females which head off in search of pastures new, unlike for instance the Chalkhill Blue (why do the males do that?)...

Is it just that the male Chalkhill is so much more conspicuous? I noticed mention a few days ago of a few females dispersing into woodland on the Sussex Branch sightings page (the best sightings page of any branch, I think). It seems to have got missed among the more immediately exciting things going on in your part of the world!

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Matsukaze,
The males are certainly more noticeable, but that's not really the point I was trying to make. Chalkhill Blue females certainly disperse, but it's quite unusual, outside a couple of lycaenid species (including CHB) for males to do so with intention and regularity. At first sight this would seem a pointless exercise. It is easy to explain dispersal in gravid female insects, as they just need to locate suitable new habitat patches to further the aims of their species. It's more difficult to explain this behaviour in male insects.
BWs, Neil

[Jack Harrison]

It's more difficult to explain this behaviour in male insects.

Perhaps the same as human males - hoping for new conquests in a new area. Male Chalkhill Blues won't know when they wander off that that it's a waste of time as there are no discos in that direction.

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Jack,

Firstly, I should clarify that I'm referring to colonial species, as male butterflies of the wider countryside (non habitat specialists) such as Orange Tip and Brimstone will of course wander many miles in search of a mate.

"Male Chalkhill Blues won't know when they wander off that it's a waste of time as there are no discos in that direction." Therein lies the risk for a pioneering male (in a colonial species), as there is a good chance he'll never find another colony, disco, house of ill repute or, more to the point, a virgin female. Passing on his genes is his raison d'etre, so this does seem like a high risk strategy. Perhaps only males (in colonial species) which have already mated do this? I would love to know how this works!

BWs, Neil

[Jack Harrison]

Passing on his genes is his raison d'etre

That is the received wisdom but I do have to wonder. Do human males really think along those line? Surely not! They know that they will enjoy the experience and passing on their genes is probably the last thing on their minds at that moment - except perhaps Royalty who of course HAVE to produce heirs

Don't they say that a "man's brain is in his xxxx"?

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

"Don't they say that a "man's brain is in his xxxx"?" My point entirely!
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Dorset (Part 2) - Confused Of Lulworth

On the afternoon of 13th August I headed east to Durlston Country Park, primarily to find the Lulworth Skipper, but always with an eye open for possible migrants. I found plenty of skippers and was pleasantly surprised at the freshly emerged appearance of one or two female butterflies. That said, the vast majority were very worn and faded. Although the weather was warm and sunny there was a strong wind blowing, so I didn't really do them justice with the camera. I also spotted a few Clouded Yellows and a Grayling before leaving this wonderful site.

Lulworth Skipper (Female), Durlston Country Park

Durlston Country Park

On Wednesday morning (14th August) there was only a short weather window available, so I headed to the nearer location of Lulworth Cove. Bearing in mind that this site is earlier for Lulworth Skipper than Durlston, I thought I had little chance of finding any decent specimens. However, nothing is predictable about this species at the moment, and I spent some time discussing its changing phenology with Pete last year. Even given its currently protracted emergence period, I was surprised and delighted to find a very pretty female in mint condition.

Lulworth Skipper (female), Lulworth Cove

The average first appearance date for this species during the earliest part of the 21st Century was mid June, before the giant leap forward seen in many species due to the hot spring of 2007. Whereas most species returned to their recent calendars, the Lulworth Skipper seemed to get stuck, first appearing anywhere within the broad late April - late May period. While most species emerged 2.5 - 3 weeks later in 2013 than in 2012, the Lulworth was more than a month later, holding back until the start of July! Last year I photographed a freshly emerged female on 9th June, so to do the same on 14th August this year seems quite remarkable.

[Pauline]

Those are great photos of Lulworth Skipper Neil, even the worn one as you have got the composition spot on, complementing the worn butterfly with the dead flower head - nice. Durlston has to be one of my favourite places which I can't get to as often as I'd like to great to see the photo.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Pauline. I was very pleased with the image of the female, particularly as this was at least a month later than I would have targeted the species for photography!
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Worthing Downlanders

This afternoon (17th August) I led a walk on Cissbury Ring for the Worthing Downlanders, an organisation "dedicated to supporting and defending the ownership and control of all Worthing Council's existing downland estate, and supporting the management of this downland estate for public purposes, free of built development", see http://www.worthingdownlanders.org.uk. Fourteen of us braved the dull, windy and ultimately wet conditions in an attempt to see a few butterflies. When faced with such a negative weather forecast I always do my best to prepare in advance, which entails spending an hour or two looking for roosting butterflies and marking their position. Undoubtedly the best find was a Silver-spotted Skipper, a species which has only just colonised the site. The fact that this specimen appeared to be a freshly emerged female augers well for the establishment of a population here.