Sunday 25.5.2014 Rain, Deja Vu & Marsh Fritillaries
On Friday I took the day off in advance hoping to spend the whole day butterfly watching in good weather. I had the same plan almost exactly a year ago and again, as last year, the weather was against me
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
I wondered, as I set off down the motorway in driving rain, whether I was turning into some obsessed nutcase
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
My day out on Friday consisted of a couple of hours in the New Forest with an umbrella in continuous rain looking for Pearl Bordered and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, needless to say I found none. I gave up and returned home with my enthusiasm dampened. Sunday looked to be a better day, but I did not really fancy driving to the heart of the New Forest on the bank holiday weekend. I fear I may now have missed my chance this year of seeing these two species
Having never seen Marsh Fritillary before, this species was near the top of my 'must see', list for this season. Being keen to keep to my home county meant that opportunities for seeing Marsh Fritillary were somewhat limited
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
I set off on Sunday morning with these two thoughts in mind, but the weather was a little disappointing to start with. I arrived on site to very cloudy, windy and cool conditions and it was at least half an hour before I saw any butterflies at all.
![DSCN9654 - Copy.JPG (265.22 KiB) Viewed 611 times First butterfly of the day a Dingy Skipper](./files/thumb_11661_11e43662c5fce7aa46e2ed5ac962ee59)
- First butterfly of the day a Dingy Skipper
![DSCN9656 - Copy.JPG (260.22 KiB) Viewed 611 times Common Blue](./files/thumb_11661_bf3ff3b3444cf5e1da8ad2952de8ea87)
- Common Blue
The first sightings of the day was a Dingy Skipper which briefly flew up into the wind and then settled on a flower disturbing a Small Blue in the process, This was very encouraging as this was my first ever Small Blue
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
and a very fresh one as well. For the next half an hour I searched but the sun hardly showed. Another Dingy Skipper a couple of Common Blues and a very worn Green Hairstreak was all that showed. This site is covers quite a large area and this was the first time I had visited so I was starting from scratch without any prior knowledge of the site. This is quite an open and exposed site as a whole but has some very sheltered dips and hollows. I pressed on and came across a sheltered area at the intersection of several tracks.
![DSCN9665 - Copy.JPG (263.06 KiB) Viewed 611 times Roosting Green Hairstreak](./files/thumb_11661_e439e7b6d553ce089bc3713bc1ccca37)
- Roosting Green Hairstreak
![DSCN9667 - Copy.JPG (234.92 KiB) Viewed 611 times If had not been for this Small Blue I may not have stopped long enough in this spot and may never have seen Marsh Fritillaries](./files/thumb_11661_fe8d694f1669d1e8e53af0b32ed7317f)
- If had not been for this Small Blue I may not have stopped long enough in this spot and may never have seen Marsh Fritillaries
I spotted a single Grizzled Skipper and another Green Hairstreak both in roosting pose with antennae positively drooping. I then spotted another Small Blue roosting on Kidney Vetch. I knelt down to take some pictures and soon the sun appeared and it opened its wings for a while before fluttering off. As I stood up and turned round all of a sudden in this small sheltered area there seemed to be lots of butterflies suddenly come to life
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
One of these butterflies was, to my amazement, my first ever Marsh Fritillary
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
and then there was 2 and then 3. They were all dividing their time between basking, feeding and chasing each other around. There were also several Adonis Blues
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
and Small Blues
![DSCN9681 - Copy.JPG (309.95 KiB) Viewed 611 times Marsh Fritillary](./files/thumb_11661_0dccc69ec64c839409dbb419ca86ddb0)
- Marsh Fritillary
![DSCN9720 - Copy.JPG (262.12 KiB) Viewed 611 times Adonis Blue I think?](./files/thumb_11661_aff6f98d530117325b52d51422a364eb)
- Adonis Blue I think?
I have seen Adonis Blues before but this was the first time I have seen them in Hampshire. I then became slightly concerned that I may not actually be in Hampshire as I was very close to the county border
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
It was then that a couple appeared who turned out to be the wardens for the site doing their transect. I spent a while chatting to them and they confirmed that I had found one of the best spots on the reserve and that I was indeed still in Hampshire. Whilst chatting we also spotted a mating pair of Marsh Fritillary which made my day
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I was amazed at the size of the females abdomen (the butterfly not the warden
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
) I would be surprised if she could actually fly very far with a body that large, full of eggs.
![DSCN9694 - Copy.JPG (288.53 KiB) Viewed 611 times Mating pair of Marsh Fritillaries](./files/thumb_11661_00173113e355e9337c0909b2925f52f6)
- Mating pair of Marsh Fritillaries
![DSCN9705 - Copy.JPG (307.47 KiB) Viewed 611 times The females massive abdomen is very visible in these photos](./files/thumb_11661_9051a31d8e3ebd56707ffc152bc2baa5)
- The females massive abdomen is very visible in these photos
I had already had the dreaded call from my wife to say she needed the car
![Mad :x](./images/smilies/icon_mad.gif)
so my time with the Marsh Fritillaries would not last much longer. On the way back to the car I saw my first Small Heaths of the year and also a single Small Copper. Although I did not get my full day of butterfly watching, I was very pleased with my Hampshire Marsh Fritillaries, Small Blues and Adonis Blues
This brings my total species for the year to 21
Total Count for the day:
Marsh Fritillary 6 (incl mating pair)
Grizzled Skipper 1
Dingy Skipper 8
Small Blue 6
Green Hairstreak 2
Brimstone 5 (4 male &1 female)
Adonis Blue 6 (5 male & 1 female)
Small Heath 3
Small Copper 1
Common Blue 3 (2 male & 1 female)