Wurzel

[millerd]

MORE Marsh Frits, Wurzel?! You're right though, you cannot have too many. Lovely shots, too. And the elusive Wall as well - I didn't manage to see any on my trip to that Wiltshire hill, and I often miss out on them altogether.

Dave

[David M]

You've done well to see so many Marsh Frits in your part of the world, Wurzel.

I reckon you're ahead of me, in spite of me having them close by.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike Those abs were the icing on a fantastic cake
Cheers Willrow Just following your advice/maxim
Cheers Philzoid They like a big girl in Wiltshire I reckon we have a look at that Blue again later in the year when we have more time there was something different about it for sure
Cheers Nick I was really lucky latching onto the existence of this site last year, it's brill
Cheers Dave There are a few more still to come, as for the Wall I've described where abouts they are below so if you visit again hopefully you'll find them
Cheer David This was only from two visits to the same site, it's just such a great site

Marshie Site Part 3 (the last part) 25-05-2014

After our lunch we tried to avoid the hollow for a third time – cutting up across the down proper with all manner of things to keep us interested and Marshies everywhere. If one flew off that didn’t matter as four more would be around to take it’s place! Also around in good numbers were 5 Spot Burnett Moths including an aberrant with all of the spots linked together into single large blobs on each wing. After enjoying this we both remarked on how many Green Hairstreaks were about and also how they were keeping low to the ground. As if to prove the point a couple of Greenstreaks did a few fly-bys and one landed and started rotating around the foliage. I’ve seen this behaviour before and so we watched it intently and once it was finished and had flown away there, left behind was a tiny green blob which I think is an egg?

We headed across and down the side of the Down to the lower slopes and eventually the path which runs parallel to the farmers’ field. Here the side of the down has slipped and exposed bare soil and chalk which has made a prime habitat for Walls it would seem – I say this as on my previous two visits and also on this one Wall Browns were found here. They seem to like hanging on to the side of the slips or basking on the exposed chalk and flint. There were at least three here and I followed one as it zipped along the bottom of the Down every now and again veering of sharply at right angles and cutting through the hedge or up the side of the Down. Eventually it settled and I was able to make a very cautious approach, but not very close at they are probably one of the most skittish species in the UK. An inconsiderate Mashie floated by and it was gone, a Tangerine blur!

As well as Walls and the ubiquitous Marshies there was also the odd Dingy and Grizzlie as well as Common Blue floating about and then a sudden golden blur caught my eye – the third Large Skipper of the day. We hung around here for a while walking forward and backward along the bottom of the Down and it paid off with at least a couple more Wall Brown sightings and eventually one landed and started basking allowing us to get close enough for some proper shots.

Alas time was up so we made our way back to the car, doing our best to not get too distracted on the walk back. But this is a site which mesmerizes you, it’s the site that just keeps on giving and so almost back at the car something caught my attention and there was my third Holly Blue of the year. Even better we managed to grab a few shots – they’re having such bad fortunes that this probably has greater value than the Marshie aberrant!

What a site! This is now a confirmed annual visit in my book and combined with Bentley the day total for me was 19 – bettered by Philzoid who stopped in at Bentley again on the way back and added a ‘Woodland Duke’ to the day list!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

BA 5, HB 1, RA 1, SmW 1, GVW 1, GS 4,DS 11, MF 50+, CB 3, AB 1, SB 6, 12 GH, SH 4, LS 3, WB 4, B 4

[Pete Eeles]

As if to prove the point a couple of Greenstreaks did a few fly-bys and one landed and started rotating around the foliage. I’ve seen this behaviour before and so we watched it intently and once it was finished and had flown away there, left behind was a tiny green blob which I think is an egg?

Nice job! Yes, that's an egg alright - and looks like it's been laid on Common Rock-rose.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Freeman]

...this we both remarked on how many Green Hairstreaks were about and also how they were keeping low to the ground. As if to prove the point a couple of Greenstreaks did a few fly-bys and one landed and started rotating around the foliage. I’ve seen this behaviour before and so we watched it intently and once it was finished and had flown away there, left behind was a tiny green blob which I think is an egg?

I have watched female Green Hairstreaks doing this before, seems to be typical behaviour looking for a suitable foodplant and testing it before laying.

Great reports and photos again Wurzel, I almost feel as if I am there with you

Cheers,

Neil.

[Willrow]

Agree with Neil, I too have watched GH doing this, they seem rather choosy.

Well observed and captured Wurz, quite a site you have there...enjoy

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the confirmation Pete I'm glad I hadn't photographed a random blob
Cheers Neil and Willrow They are very balletic when choosing where to lay and then once they've decided it's the total opposite as they don't stand on ceremony

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

The Bentley Area 27-05-2014

This was making the most of the hand that I’d been dealt as I was supposed to be over Philzoids way looking for Glanvilles at H Bank or Wood White in Chiddingfold. However the previous few days of family activities had worn my wife out and she suffers terribly from tiredness so I needed to be on hand to help out. In between various bits of house work I managed to duck out for an hour or two. The weather forecast for the morning wasn’t great – with drizzle and thick cloud but the temperatures looked okay so I made a very short trip out to do some investigation into different areas of Bentley.

The first area that I visited yielded not a single butterfly although the habitat looked very good and I can imagine Pearls, Small Pearls, Marshies and Dukes all fly here so it will be worth checking back here in more favourable conditions. To keep me occupied there were plenty of moths (Mother Shipton, Brown Silver Lines, Yellow Shell, Speckled Yellow etc) including a very striking micro which Philzoid very kindly identified as Olethreutes arcuella – he’s my ‘go to Moth man’ .

From there I headed into Bentley Wood proper and headed to another area of the wood hoping to see some Pearls and Small Pearls outside of the EC. In hindsight this was a mistake as at exactly the same time Pauline was in the Eastern clearing with a fantastically posed Small Pearl, but I wasn’t to know this at the time . So I pressed on amongst the damp and gloom, my trousers sucking up water from the ground and grasses by capillary action so by the time I reached the clearing I was aiming for I felt a couple of stone heavier! Never mind at least here there were butterflies as the sun had started to make very brief glimpses through the cloud. After about 20 minutes I had found a whole pair of Specklies! ‘Oh well’ I thought and trudged on. I started checking the Bracken and a few bushes checked I found Pearl roosting and not looking too shabby either.

Chuffed I made my way back towards the car with one of the Specklies for company.

Later that same day the girls were due to attend a play date at my sister in-laws and so I dutifully dropped all three of them off and stated to drive back home – with more housework awaiting me. Some sort of reflex action occurred probably because I was heading home and it was the afternoon and somehow I ended up parked at The Devenish “Why should stop-offs on the way home only happen when travelling form work?” I reasoned and so decided to have the usual 10 minutes, although as this was the holiday it turned into a bit longer.

I started off in the lower meadow and a nice looking Common Blue met me. After a few shots I carried on, over the stile and up the Down hoping that today would see the first Adonis here. It wasn’t looking hopeful as again the cloud covered the sun and it felt cooler than of late. Realising this I set myself to looking for roosting butterflies and so set out looking for little flags flapping in the breeze. First up was a Grizzlie and then I found a Brown Argus, both clinging grimly on and sitting out the weather.

Things were on the move across the side of the Down but unfortunately they were of the moth variety. There was the odd larger Yellow Shell amongst the micros and every now and again a Mother Shipton would land and then promptly fly again just as I’d focus on it. In the end I stood still and watched it land before making a rapid approach and clicking away as I got nearer. I think this confused it as it then sat still for quite a time!

I then checked the Down on the other side of the fence and that also had one each of Brown Argus and Grizzlie but the BA on this side was much feistier and wasn’t stopping for photos. The Grizzlie however seemed content on its grass head.

A quick wander around the far side of the meadow yielded a lot more of the same moth wise as well as a few Banded Demioselles and a Common Carpet but I needed to make a move as laundry waits for no man! So I beat a hasty retreat from The Devenish – I just wish the Adonis would arrive here...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Philzoid]

I’m a bit late to your diary but nice shot of the of the Marshie and Large Skip on the bramble . There was a lot more bramble flower at that site yesterday and the Marshies were taking to it along with lots of fresh Small Tortoiseshell . I didn’t get to see any wall nor Green Hairstreak but plenty of pukka Adonis Blues. Getting an underside Wall shot like you got is a real challenge, something for me to aim for in the future.

BTW your I reckon your number of species in a day count should be 20, if like me you counted the Small Tort larvae

After some more Marshie site magic me and Izzy headed to Bentley’s eastern clearing. Our arrival we’d barely got out of the car park when two gunshots went off somewhere in the clearing . After steadying ourselves we made our way in but saw no-one about . Worse still we saw no fritillaries either: Pearls or Small Pearls . Surprising bearing in mind how fresh that Pearl of yours is taken on the 27th .

Phil

[Mike Robinson]

You have some very impressive pictures &c.

[Katrina]

Beautiful photos esp the Brown Argus.

[Neil Freeman]

Smashing report Wurzel and some great photos, hard to say which I like best but that micro is a little stunner

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Philzoid I'd not counted the Small Tort larvae, so I'll add that to the count Glad you both got back safely
Cheers Mike for your kind comment
Cheers Katrina, I was dead chuffed with the BAs
Cheers Neil It was some consolation for not seeing a single butterfly and getting soaking wet

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Duke Site 31-05-2014

Part 1

With my sister and brother in-law looking after the girls for the day I handed them over once they’d had their swimming lesson and disappeared camera and flask in the boot of the car, lucky hat on the passenger seat and cheese and extra hot Lime pickle sandwiches corroding my lunchbox. I’d decided to try my Duke site as there might be some late Duke action as well as a few Adonis and Small Blues – maybe even a Marshie or two...

Once I’d navigated the tank tracks I parked up and started scanning for suitable habitat. Also immediately I saw a female Adonis Blue on some Kidney Vetch amongst the really short turf. So I headed over and there was a Grizzlie, a Greenstreak and another couple of Adonis including some showy males. I was equally impressed with the females as they were gloriously bedecked with glittering blue flecks showing off the slate blue of the ground colour to nice effect. Others were more tired and wore the standard “brown” blue female attire. It was obviously easier to count the males and a scan around produced 14 males.

Pleased with the haul I decided to head up the main track which is the hotspot for Dukes. As I started up a Dingy and Duke had a little spar. The Duke seemed a little tired looking but I was pleased to see it none the less and so I carried on up the hill as I remembered that the top part was better for Dukes. And so it turned out with another very pale individual, the orange replaced cream. A Large Skipper made an nice addition to the day list and then I was almost stunned as a small orange butterfly landed on the path. At first I thought it was a Small Heath, then when it opened it’s wings I thought it could have been a Burnet Companion Moth. But it was neither it was the most orange Duke (actually a Duchess) that I have ever seen. Stunning!

From there I wandered in a bit of a daze over to the area cleared area which was now a sea of Forget Me Nots. There were lots of Cistus Foresters and the odd Greenstreak around as well a Small Copper. The Forget me Nots looked enticing so I made a mental note to come back and ‘have a paddle’ once I’d reached my main objective. This was actually getting to the top of the hill to explore the other side. The springy turf area had more of the Cinnabars and Foresters but the Dinghies had now been replaced by Blues with a few Brown Argus two rouge male Common Blues and a pair in cop. Further up the hill I was into uncharted territory and there standing proud were a couple of Greater Butterfly Orchids.

Upon reaching the top of the hill I was looking forward to finding what was on the other side, Marshies, Wall Browns more Dukes? So as I started making the descent I looked across the Plain and there making the ascent were a collection of butterfly enthusiasts - I’d gate crashed a county walk

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Willrow]

Lovely lively report Wurz the butterflies are all looking as fresh as our countryside right now and your images capture that...nice!!!

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Wurzel]

Cheers Willrow I particularly pleased with the Duke as all the rest were pretty past it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Your photo's are always some thing special Wurzal, I love the Adonis photo's, they will have gone I think by the time we get down there, I'll have to wait and see if we can get a way again in August Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Hopefully you'll be able to make another visit

Duke Site 31-05-2014

Part 2

So having bumped into the county group we swapped sightings; County Group Wall Brown and 2 Marshies vs Wurzel 3 Dukes, Adonis Blues and Butterfly Orchids. I think I won on goal difference so I offered to show them the Duke hotspot and I made my way back the way I’d come, vowing to come back next year and actually complete the circuit. The Orchids went down well, as did the spongy turf area and then one of the group showed me a Birds Nest Orchid in the shade of the wood. A strange looking thing I missed it at first and when it was pointed out to me I almost asked “what behind that dead plant?”, not realising that that was actually it.

Next on the agenda was the Forget Me Not sea which held Small and Common Blues, Brown Argus, Greenstreaks, a Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, a Peacock, a few whites fluttering by and a few pink Forget Me Nots. It was well worth a paddle but you couldn’t get very far as every step something would go up and then land. But as you’d lean in for a photo something else would fly up and then you’d follow that. In the end I slung the camera over my shoulder and just enjoyed seeing so many butterflies, it was a spectacle to savour.

Once back at the path a blue spot Small Copper greeted us and then we settled down to search for Dukes. There was one with a chunk missing from its hind wing and then a fresher but still not mint individual. Another Large Skipper shot by followed by a more faded orangey Duke. Next was a blue spot Small Copper and then it all went a bit crazy with everything flying up and down the path. At one point two Dukes were mobbing a Dingy when a Small Heath got in the way and the Dukes split, each chasing their ‘foe’ away successfully before coming back to the path to continue their personal scrap! Despite the wear it was still great to see so many Dukes and all three of the individuals I’d seen were different from the three I’d seen earlier meaning a total of six for the day.

Job done and having successfully guided the group to some Dukes I checked the time and I realised that I wouldn’t have enough time to get back round the hill so I bade them farewell and headed back towards the car to sue my remaining time to look at some more Adonis. At the bottom of the track I bumped into the same first Duke of the day and then I was back and surrounded by Adonis. There were turquoise flags scattered through the long grass and rather than finding them the hard part was deciding which to photograph first.

Have a goodun

Wurzel
LS 2, DS 6, GS 12, B 2, SB 3, GH 52, SC 3, CB 7, BA 12, ST 1, P 1, SW 2, AB 19, SH 12, DB 6

[Pauline]

Lovely female Adonis Wurzel - certainly very fresh. I haven't seen a female this year yet.

[millerd]

Agreed - the female Adonis are splendid. I rarely seem to encounter the very blue ones. That sounds altogether like a wonderful site to visit.

Dave