millerd

[Willrow]

What a great variety of species Dave and your images support your summary perfectly...much enjoyed

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[millerd]

Neil - good to see you too (it's been a while...). I've been following your further adventures at Fermyn with great envy from behind a desk!

David - yes, I like the Essex Skipper, and having such a compact and reliable colony (albeit in a precarious position) is a real bonus.

Wurzel - you'll have some more good weekends soon, I'm sure. Some of your outings have been amazing.

Mike - I had no idea you used to tramp the lanes around here! It is surprisingly good, with 25 species seen within two miles of my house over the last two years.

Bill - I am so pleased you enjoyed the variety and the commentary too!

...and thanks to all of you for the kind comments about the photos. You all produce much better stuff than I do, you know.

I've been out locally twice this week, my horizons limited on a really warm and sunny week by that perennial bugbear known as working for a living.
Wednesday 2nd July: I ventured forth in the morning, and discovered that my local Ringlets were more widespread and numerous than I realised. Over the last five years, I had only seen two altogether, but today I came perhaps a dozen which is most encouraging.

I also saw plenty of Meadow Browns, increasing numbers of Gatekeepers, Large and Essex Skippers, Small Heaths, Large and GV Whites (no identified Small Whites at all), six or seven Small Tortoiseshells, three Red Admirals and a solitary Comma. Commas have definitely not been as abundant as usual in the summer emergence (yet).

On the way back, I was on a piece of concrete road usually occupied by minicabs on breaks between their Heathrow clients, so not looking out for anything at all. Consequently I nearly stepped on a second brood male Holly Blue, which was frantically fluttering at ground level, pausing every so often on various unsavoury patches on the road, including a piece of poo in classic Imperial fashion. I have seen the males of this brood do this before - no doubt it is for the usual reasons of reproductive advantage.

Before getting home I saw another Holly Blue, but in the more conventional setting of a riverside hedgerow.

Friday 4th July: Out after work today at around half four. The main difference from two days ago was the sudden arrival of the Comma contingent. I counted around ten in a variety of places on the circuit, mostly territorial and chasing everything, but a couple were skulking in the shadows and behaving quite differently. I assume these were females.

The combative males were a different story, and I witnessed several scraps, including a high-spiralling one involving two Commas, a Speckled Wood, a Red Admiral and an unsuspecting Green-veined White which got carried aloft quite inadvertently. The roster was generally as it had been earlier in the week, though the afternoon heat kept many darker butterflies in the shade. I came across a patch of pathside verge that had been mown once earlier in the year, but now supported a flourishing growth of young nettles. There was also a nest of young Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars.

Going back past the same spot later, I saw a pair of courting Small Tortoiseshells preparing to create a few more caterpillars and another couple of the same came down to investigate while I watched.

The unfortunate thing is that this nettle patch and others like it along this path will almost certainly be mown again before too long. I wonder how many nettle-eating larvae are lost to unnecessary mowing in this way?
At one point I was buzzed by a very fast-moving black butterfly, which then circled and landed high up on a buddleia. I could just make out (and get a record shot of) a new season Peacock, the first I'd seen.

Towards the end of my walk, I came across a female Essex Skipper, a long way from either of the other two colonies I know of, and in a place I had not seen one before. Curiously, it was being constantly hassled by a male Large Skipper which clearly had poor eyesight.

I in turn was then hassled by an aggressive Red Admiral which clearly objected to me stopping on his bit of path to look at the Skippers.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Excellent four spot Hedge Brown Dave And you've managed another Holly Blue - they seem to be rarer than Dukes this year!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I'm hoping the summer crop of Holly Blues will be better, Wurzel... fingers crossed. I'm eagerly awaiting you joining the fray with those Hedge Browns too! I was also brought up with the old name for them.

A few more seen today on a trip to Ryton Country Park:

Saturday 5th July. One of my regular visits up to Rugby, and luckily the rain stopped as we arrived so it was worth a trundle down the road to Ryton Pools Country Park. Unfortunately the path into the woods from the Park is shut until 14th July to allow the various tracks to dry out and recover after the winter rain, so there was little chance of seeing (except by luck) any of the woodland butterflies today. However, we were treated to the sight of plenty of meadow and grassland species, flying in considerable numbers under overcast skies. The lack of sun did not deter Ringlets (in their hundreds), Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites, Small Skippers and Large Skippers, nor the first of the Gatekeepers/Hedge Browns. When the sun did come through, they rose up in even greater numbers. Points of particular interest:

A mating pair of Ringlets...

A newly emerged male Meadow Brown with a bit of the "bleached" effect on one upper hindwing...

A fresh Small Tortoiseshell...

A new Comma feasting in Imperial style...

A very tatty Common Blue - the new brood are not out just yet.

And a selection of the rest:

This last Ringlet epitomises the day...The grass was very wet!

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave,

I haven't been to Ryton for a couple of months now, must pay a visit soon. I usually enter the wood from the other side to the country park and walk through to the meadows, not sure what the condition of the paths are like on that side but they are used far less.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Willrow]

Most of us seem to sometimes overlook the beauty of our more common species of butterfly Dave the images from your Ryton walk seem proof that we should all take far more note...lovely stuff

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[millerd]

Neil - you must let me know the location of the other way(s) into the woods, and where to park. The Country Park has always been the easy option (and is not a bad location in itself).

Bill - you are very kind. And you are absolutely right about the commoner species. There's lots of interest in their behaviour and variety, and for attractiveness it's hard to beat a Marbled White, a Comma or a Tortoiseshell.

Sunday 6th July: only time today for the briefest of forays locally. I started with the nearest large oak tree, looking for the Purple Hairstreaks that inhabit it in low numbers. I reckon I caught a glimpse of one, maybe two, towards the top - but didn't have time for a longer study or examination of any of the other oaks on my patch. The short walk turned up a couple of Commas, a Meadow Brown or two, several Gatekeepers/Hedge Browns (still no females out yet), three energetic Small Tortoiseshells, a few Large Whites, and rather more Green-veined Whites.

I paused to take a shot of female GVW, and she rudely elevated her abdomen at me. It turned out to be nothing personal, as the male I'd been unaware of swooped down to investigate and her rejection behaviour was meant for him.

The final bit of interest before returning to base was this shiny green beetle, which I believe Susie told me last year is a Rose Chafer.

Dave

[millerd]

Not much to report since I've been stuck at work and the weather has been a bit mixed over the last couple of days. Driving home this evening I did notice that, much as predicted, the local council have mown one of the nests of Small Tortoiseshells I'd been watching. It's not as if the nettles had grown enough to encroach on the path (they were barely a foot high). No, it's all for the sake of artificial neatness. To be honest, I don't think the airport minicab/taxi drivers who park along the road at this spot give a tuppenny damn (there, wasn't that restrained!) what the grass looks like. Not judging by the amount of litter they leave, anyway.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Well held Dave, well held Those shots of the Green Veined Whites are great The weather has been a right pain so far this week. It seems to be okay during the day and just as I'm loading the car up and doing my run to The Devenish to check for Chalk Hills the heavens open.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Willrow]

Thoroughly enjoyed latest report Dave you really do justice to the subject matter covered...cheers

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave,
I feel your pain at the mowing of the verge, the same thing happens around here. There doesn't seem to be any thought behind where they do the cutting back either, verges are left by road junctions where you would think they would be cut back for 'safety' reasons and cut back where it is not necessary. It is almost as it the council just send their workers out with their strimmers at random just to give them something to do.

Rant over,

Neil

[millerd]

Thanks once again for the comments, chaps

A bit of catch-up is needed...

Saturday 12th July: my birthday, and for something rather different I went to the Hampton Court Flower Show. I'm glad the tickets had been a bit of largesse from someone unable to go, as I was a bit disappointed to be honest. Very few genuine exhibits, very large numbers of trade stands and refreshment tents all eager to relieve you of as much money as possible. The day was hot, however, and I did end up splashing out on perhaps more Pimms than necessary...
But enough of that, this is a butterfly forum! Waiting for the ferry from the station side of the bridge to the show, quite a few people watched a Red Admiral land conspicuously on the rear end of a goose. The goose was not happy with the arrangement, and before I could line up the camera, had managed with some difficulty to shake off the butterfly. It promptly landed on the same region of another goose. This one reacted much more energetically, setting off several of its fellows. All the commotion appeared to enrage the Red Admiral, which started attacking the birds at random, flying at and around them with enormous energy before finally settling down some way away. I really don't think the geese could work out what was happening, and it did cause a fair bit of amusement. (Remember, this was before the Pimms...)
The Flower Show must be set up on a large grassy field. This can be the only explanation for the fact that the whole site was full of Small and Essex Skippers. There were hundreds of them everywhere, and they had almost universally succumbed to the lure of so much nectar - that's all they were doing. They were inside and out, getting trapped in the greenhouses, trying every conceivable type of bloom. I heard lots of folk remark on them.

Essex Skipper

Essex Skipper

Essex Skipper

Small Skipper lost in the alliums

Aside from the skippers, there wasn't much else: a few Commas, Meadow Browns, Whites; another Red Admiral and one Holly Blue.

Dave

[millerd]

Sunday 13th July: I drove the short journey down to Dawney's Hill, near Pirbright, this afternoon to see if I could see any Graylings. It was largely cloudy, with a stiff breeze and I found just the one, and wouldn't have seen that if it hadn't been drawn into flight by a very energetic Peacock. Tracking it down wasn't easy, and twice I nearly stood on it before I finally managed to spot it first. The camera had just as much trouble seeing it, and neither of these shots are quite in focus.

Spot the butterfly

As well as the Grayling, I counted well over a dozen Silver-studded Blues, mostly pretty worn, and the majority females.

Other species seen included Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, including a very large female of the latter sort doing passable Grayling impressions with bursts of random floppy flight into the air followed by a sharp plummet to lie sideways on the sand. Interesting.

On the way home, I popped into Chobham Common to see if any Grayling were out there. I drew a blank, but came across a couple more Silver-studded Blues, some surprisingly fresh Large Skippers, Small and Essex Skippers, Small Heaths, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Dave I was at a loss as to where the Grayling was in the first shot but then glanced a way and it magically appeared out of the corner of my eye...that is if I'm not seeing things that is I hope to catch up with them too soon.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

13th July (continued): After the trip out to see Graylings, I did fit in a short tour of my local patch. Notable was the large emergence of Peacocks, which were in every nook and cranny, on the ground, nectaring on thistles and Buddleia or just soaring around for the hell of it. Female Gatekeepers had also appeared since last time, more retiring than the males. I encountered another Holly Blue down low on a path, looking for minerals to suck up, though the path was across a grassy meadow some way from any hedges or trees. Easy to mistake for a Common Blue, but it certainly wasn't. After failing to take The HB's picture, I immediately caught sight of a largish white butterfly being blown across the grass. I very nearly took no further interest, but instead tried to get a bit closer. I approached it closely enough to identify it as a Marbled White. This is the first one I have seen here in eight years of looking (though they do occur a couple of miles to the north), making a total of 25 different species for the site, all of which have been seen over the last two seasons. I was very pleased with this, though I failed to record the moment for posterity.

14th July: Another trip locally, again late in the day. More of the same, really, with Peacocks and Red Admirals dominating the scene. The Essex Skipper colony is booming too, and well spread out now. I also recorded a first for the year - tussling Purple Hairstreaks in their usual place next to the M25 J14 roundabout. I also saw my first new brood Brimstone (a male).

15th July: The same again, though I extended the walk a bit to the north. This revealed that Common Blues are now out again, with a goodly number of fresh individuals over a large patch of BFT. Amongst the many nectaring Peacocks, it was apparent that one or two were behaving territorially, and also indulging in courtship behaviour. One diminutive male was harassing every female he could find - there were no takers. With the warm weather continuing, it is possible that there may be a second brood this summer. With abundant Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Skippers, there really were a lot of butterflies about.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great read and shots Dave, great reports - you've been pretty busy recently. I'm struggling to work out which shots are my faves - but I'd have to go for the Hedge Browns of course

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Very nice reports and lovely photos Dave, I particularly like the flower show Skippers The council have been busy strimming around here too, unnecessary tidying up! Earlier in the year we managed to rescue twenty Orange-tip larvae from a footpath which was being strimmed, but just how many were lost

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave, some great reports and photos from your local spots recently

...and a belated Happy Birthday for last Saturday.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Thank you for the kind comments, chaps! Every year my local patch surprises me in some way or another - it's very difficult to predict what will appear next. There's sometimes more on the doorstep than you'd think.

17th July: Straight from work up to Aston Rowant, though the traffic made it not quite as easy as that sounds. Nevertheless I was on a very hot hillside by half five. The heat was keeping the butterflies relatively inactive, but I was soon aware of an exception. There were little orange blurs whizzing around, which turned out to be Silver-spotted Skippers. I managed to track one or two to ground or onto scabious flowers, but they really were mobile today.

Much easier to find on a day with sunny intervals and the temperature around 21, rather than 30. As the heat eased, Chalkhill Blues began to appear, and it also became evident that there were dozens of smaller Skippers around along the whole of the hillside, both Small and Essex.

Add to this a few Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, Small Heaths and Small Tortoiseshells, plus a super-charged female Dark Green Fritillary, and there was in the end quite a bit about.

Not many Chalkhills yet, perhaps, but already good numbers of (mostly male) Silver-spotted Skippers.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking Silver Spotted Skippers Dave I just can't keep up it's all happening so quickly

Have a goodun

Wurzel