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Duke Site 05-05-2014
Almost a fortnight ago I was still basking in the afterglow of finding some cracking Pearls and my first Duke of the year at Bentley Wood the day before on a cracking meet up with Philzoid. As I had done all the chores and was up together with work my wife turned to me and suggested that I might like to take a visit out to make the most of the weather. In three seconds I was pulling away and heading to my Duke site!
I was racing the clouds and also the clock and so it wasn’t surprising when I got stuck behind one of my nemesis – the driver that insists on going 11 miles below the speed limit. After much gnashing of teeth, below breath curing and the occasional exasperated “Oh come on” I pulled off the road and onto the tank trails. I headed straight to the path where there had been so many of them last year and found a Dingy and the 3 Dukes – just like that – I’d been on site for about three minutes. By now I’d reached the top of the path and so I made my way over to the Cyprus tree and there was a Greenstreak doing what I think was egg laying? No matter how I tried I couldn’t get onto the other side of it. I would try to approach it from it would turn around pirouetting on the leaf. Still I smiled to myself as it was going to be one of those afternoons where butterflies just landed in your lap. I carried on up to the spongy grass before there was the odd dingy and Grizzlie on the way fluttering off the path but up on the spongy turf proper there seemed to be Dinghies everywhere! Some looked a bit torn or chipped and others seemed quite pale though amongst them were some lovely fresh ones. Also here was another small group of Greenstreaks and a very aged Grizzlie. Slightly further up the hill the same groups of butterflies were also present but something tangerine cream shot by, dipping and ducking as it cut its way through the air across the hillside – a possible Wall Brown? I didn’t count it as it was such a fleeting view but since then I've seen them at another site and this one showed an almost identical flight pattern. The afternoon was rolling on so I made my way back to the starting path to spend some time with the Dukes. I re-found the three from earlier and located a fourth and so settled down to enjoy these delightful little insects. Somehow I managed to tear myself away from watching their antics and had another quick mooch around to see what else was a round here – a few more Dinghies and the odd Grizzlie and my second Small Copper of the year which looked slightly unusual. Something silvery and a similar size to the Dukes shot by, another fleeting glimpse which to me said Brown Argus but I again didn’t count it though I know that they’re found here. All too soon my time was up and I was back in the car heading home but what a cracking couple of trips.
Have a goodun
Wurzel