Thanks Pauline
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
no intention to tease
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
, the blue spots just seem to turn up reliably around here. I don't even own Photoshop, just a free download called PhotoScape which I use for resizing, cropping and very limited tweaking. Probably a good job really as I might be tempted to fiddle with my photos too much and when I do that I nearly always make them worse
Tuesday 29th July – Aston Rowant part 1.
For the past few years I have taken a trip down the M40 to Aston Rowant to see Silver-spotted skippers and Chalkhill Blues, this being the closest site for me to see these two species. With me being off work this week it was time to make the trip again and with one eye on the weather forecast I had chosen Tuesday for the trip.
I wanted to be there before 09.00 before things warmed up too much in order to try for some photos and after a good run down I was on the slopes by 08.45am.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 298 resize.JPG (623.71 KiB) Viewed 1570 times The view across the reserve - this shot taken mid-morning](./files/thumb_10101_ebc6d1ebbdc414f5469264a79bf3d466)
- The view across the reserve - this shot taken mid-morning
Things were already getting going with Meadow Browns, Chalkhill blues and Small /Essex and Silver-spotted Skippers along with some Gatekeepers, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Brimstones all active, but not yet too active.
After a bit of searching I found a Silver-spotted Skipper nicely perched on a Scabious flower and took a few photos.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 017 resize.JPG (539.84 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Silver-spotted Skipper - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_55da5684194832066c5b9994b91fb40a)
- Silver-spotted Skipper - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
Once I had got my eye in it was apparent that there were good numbers of Silver-spotted Skippers about although perhaps not so many as I have seen here in previous years.
As it warmed up, more and more Chalkhill Blues were seen, especially on the slopes further from the entrance where there must have been hundreds fluttering about. They were not too obvious at first as they were mostly flying low down, just inches above the ground, but again once I got my eye in they were everywhere, including many nectaring on the clumps of wild marjoram.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 132 resize.JPG (636.76 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_f309944ea166eced4d3a8ee8cd8d76ed)
- Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 140 resize.JPG (635.15 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_0b93b9c6fe9fe73d3ffa414c397ede09)
- Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 206 resize.JPG (601.35 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_145d497af33a8c387d62748086bf8c5b)
- Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 211 resize.JPG (649.91 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_ab6c0ab623e2f0d5f602a4c8e961bafa)
- Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 219 resize.JPG (617.46 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_60ecf9369c86f2e63ec742b7b9cdc54e)
- Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 223 resize.JPG (538.65 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_79b2feb1ae964f4a87200ec4a24cf01f)
- Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 216 resize.JPG (660.37 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_cdae4a40dc8d9aed6c1935a7f45ebf49)
- Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
Amongst the many female Chalkhills I found a couple that stood out, one with a fair amount of blue scales…
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 169 resize.JPG (601.41 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_5a96796b0c8c35b622877823c9857d4c)
- Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 162 resize.JPG (607.92 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_ec27f60cee432b43e80bcb57a822e553)
- Chalkhill Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
…and this lovely looking female with almost completely blue hindwings which was my highlight of the morning
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
and which I feel sure must be a named aberration,
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 101 resize.JPG (539.17 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female ab? - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_0cfd09a6601993dce8ed5177d76f86ef)
- Chalkhill Blue female ab? - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 084 resize.JPG (601.09 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Chalkhill Blue female ab? - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_f5717a1f37b83d41b7d505b763207a10)
- Chalkhill Blue female ab? - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
Common Blues and Brown Argus were also about, at least a dozen or more of each species, mostly fresh looking males,
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 307 resize.JPG (533.69 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_124802349fca2230521bd47e29434a19)
- Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 244 resize.JPG (573.06 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014](./files/thumb_10101_ff1e86aec5cd4510cf22369280859132)
- Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2014
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 255 resize.JPG (573.47 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Common Blue - Aston Rowant](./files/thumb_10101_3cafbf04e99ae1975e33b858e91891b4)
- Common Blue - Aston Rowant
One notable absentee was Small Copper with none being seen today, in previous years I have usually seen at least a few here at this time.
By about 11.00 it was getting quite hot and the butterflies were getting correspondingly more active and difficult to approach so I took fewer photos and just enjoyed the experience, although I couldn’t resist trying for an open wing Brimstone shot as they took off from nectaring. Not entirely successful, my best attempt is below but one to practice I think,
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2014 314 resize.JPG (553.12 KiB) Viewed 1570 times Brimstone on take off...](./files/thumb_10101_45db6f82bccb04863a3737c93a5b5f18)
- Brimstone on take off...
Before driving down I had realised that although I have been coming here for a number of years now, I had only ever come to the side of the reserve to the north side of the M40 and never visited the south side. With the rest of the day free I decided to remedy this and move on to the other side for a look around...
Bye for now,
Neil