After a tip-off of an egg laying Brown Hairstreak at Bookham Commons I decided to switch my plans for going to Denbies for Silver Spots (it probably too late anyway
) Previous years I'd paid quite a few visits to (local) Bookham but this was to be my first this year. I had my daughters to look after and although they couldn't remember having been there before (in actuality, three times 
) they were quite ameanable to the idea ... especially as I said we would follow-up with a fruit picking session at a pick your own in Esher.The morning started quite bright and I was full of optimism for a Brostreak sighting. However shortly after arriving it clouded over and cooled somewhat
. The butterflies that braved the cold were Speckled Woods perching on vantage points along the paths and taking off to check-out any intruders to their territories.
- Slightly scuffed (brown) female Common Blue
- bits missing from this one
- Male Ruddy Darter
- Male Migrant Hawker
. This all happened in the space of 3 - 4 seconds. The Dragonfly made off to the nearest tall bush to dispatch its prey. This is the first time I'd ever seen a Dragonfly take a butterfly and I suppose the Meadow Brown who's relatively weak flight is compromised by the cool represents easy prey. This all reminded me of a similar event a couple of years ago not 30 yards away from this particular spot. On that occasion the predator was a hornet and the prey another Meadow Brown because I identified the chomped off wings which came wafting down from a tree where the hornet had taken it.
I returned to the same area which was just like it was two years ago with trampled paths through a flower rich area of mint and fleabane, frequented by butterflies ..... and hornets. By comparison to the Dragonflies the hornets were cumbersome as the went from flower to flower trying to pick-off some unsuspecting insect, Then I spotted a Meadow Brown take off some 2 ft ahead of a searching hornet and the hornet was on it like an exocet missile .... straight in
. The pair fell into the undegrowth and I could see the butterfly struggle before the hornet managed to drag itself and it's unfortunate victim away to higher ground.- Fake Hornet Volucella zonaria
- ...and the real deal
- The Hornet with Meadow Brown
.After checking the blackthorn at Nightingale corner still in the hope of seeing Brown Hairstreak, I returned to the flower area and was very surprised to spot a male Silver-Washed Fritillary
. Although a bit tatty, I was quite impressed with its condition for the time of year.- Male Silver-washed Frit ... in good nick
and was able to side-step their almost 'half-hearted' attacks. The impression I got from my observations is that the butterflies are fully aware of the predator's presence and for most of the time are able to avoid being taken by them.Still not giving up on Brown Hairstreak I searched another area and came across another male Silver-washed Fritillary. This one looked par for the course. Wurzel's "Stumpy" sprung to mind but my daughter Isabella decided to give name with a Scottish twist, "Tatty MacTaggart"
- Tatty Mactaggart, still going strong
Following our packed lunch I kept my promise and we went fruit picking .. and the sun blazed from then on in
. Thankfully I had seen Brown Hairstreak at Shipton for this season 
.Phil
Great shots too