millerd

[Neil Freeman]

Great shots from Aston Rowant Dave

It will be another week or so before I get a chance to get down there myself, this year seems to be whizzing past far too quickly...

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Thanks, Wurzel - yes, not much more to actually come out, but plenty of interest to come: I have several targets still to achieve this year

Thanks to you too, Neil - I plan several more trips to Aston Rowant if I can, hopefully when it's a bit less hot! It seemed very odd with not a single Brown Argus to be seen!

On 18th July, I had to drive past Aston Rowant (which looks unremarkable from the M40) on my way to Cherwell Valley services to pick up no.2 son William. The meadow are round the back has met with mixed fortunes in the last fortnight, with the portion to the right next to the big radio mast being mown flat. The portion to the left remains untouched so far, and remains full of butterfly life: both Small and Essex Skippers, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Small Tortoiseshells, Small and Green-veined Whites and one or two Marbled Whites hanging on.

Small Skipper (I think!)

19th July: It was still raining a little when I set off with all the boys down to Box Hill, but the temperature was nudging 25 degrees. Down there it was bright, with a bit of sun pushing through, which made the butterflies at least a little sluggish. The first thing we saw along the path from the visitor centre was a Holly Blue taking salts from the path - I have seen this a lot lately.

On the viewpoint slopes, we saw Small/Essex Skippers, Chalkhill Blues, Gatekeepers, a couple of Dark Green Fritillaries (very pale and probably females), and around a dozen Silver-spotted Skippers.

Essex Skipper (definitely!)

Silver-spotted Skipper

The sun came out properly and it became almost pointless trying to follow anything. We wandered round to Burford Spur, encountering a few Speckled Woods, Red Admirals and even a Ringlet in the shady parts. Emerging into the sun again, I spotted both male and female Large Skippers, dozens of Small and Essex Skippers, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and quite a few Marbled Whites.

Male Large Skipper

Female Large Skipper

Small Skipper (I think!)

Several more Dark Green Fritillaries were active across the slopes - again very pale and worn.

As part of a plan to avoid the M25 for the return trip, we popped into Denbies, indulging in the obligatory ice cream of course. Once again there were a lot of Skippers about, but I only glimpsed one Silver-spotted whirring past. There were still reasonable numbers of Marbled Whites, and the Chalkhills are building up nicely. It was by now really hot again, so it was time for drinks and the roundabout way home.

lunch for a crab spider

unsavoury lunch for three Chalkhills

I had to have a quick look at my local patch at the end of the afternoon - lots of Commas, Red Admirals, Speckled Woods and Gatekeepers, assorted Whites, and several Common Blues.

In amongst the latter group was a single silvery blur, which stopped just long enough to identify as a Brown Argus. This one, however (which was a suspect briefly) is a female Common Blue.

Female Common Blue

Dave

[Wurzel]

Fantastic stuff Dave, pretty envious of your Silver Spotted Skipper I had the option to go for them today but Graylings won out in the end

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

More Silver-spots to come shortly, Wurzel...

20th July: Unable to persuade any of the boys to venture forth into the heat, I had a lunchtime walk around my local patch. As much of what I saw was similar to other recent days, I'll try and concentrate on the interesting bits! First off was a Small Tortoiseshell on a bit of wild Buddleia - more of a common sight again, I'm pleased to say.

There were several Red Admirals, but one in particular was behaving very differently - it was fluttering close to the ground, even flying in and out of the brambles at low level and stopping briefly every now and again. I watched it pause on the tiniest of nettle plants, growing in a crack in the tarmac path and destined to dry out or be squished at any time. Looking closely, I saw the tiny green egg. Not a very well chosen spot!

Red Admiral egg

The lady responsible for the egg above

Nearby, I saw another low-flying butterfly, this time a Holly Blue. Instead of settling on the ground as it looked as if it would, instead it sought out a bramble flower and settled there to nectar.

I progressed into the extensive meadow area north of the A3113, and went left instead of right, finding myself in the bit very close to the M25 itself. Here were thistles and various other flowers, and amongst the many Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Skippers were several new Common Blues and two freshly hatched Brown Argus. The deep chocolate colour of a new Brown Argus is just amazing: I had to take a few photos!

Incoming! Brown Argus about to disturb a Gatekeeper

The walk back was unfortunately marred by the irresponsible owner of a growling terrier who told me to "get over it" when I objected to my heels being nipped at.

Later the same day... After dropping the two large boys off with their mum at Cherwell Valley, on the way back down the M40 the traffic ground to a standstill close to J6. What a pity - there was nothing for it but to turn off and wait out the jam up at Aston Rowant. It was late, but still very warm and the sun still quite strong. I found the Chalkhill Blues all going to roost at the far end of the slopes, with both sexes basking for a while first.

Skippers (both Small and Essex) were congregating in large groups in the grass, but were not joined by their Silver-spotted cousins which were still whizzing energetically about. One or two stopped to nectar, but most rested on the ground between flights.

I saw a few females in amongst the males this evening, looking very dark in comparison to the other Skipper species there.

I also came across a female Common Blue, noticeably small compared to the Chalkhills, and a single Brown Argus: the first of many here, no doubt.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Fantastic stuff Dave My envy has increased even more as the weather isn't looking good for Friday which is when I was planning my outing for Silver Spots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

21st July: The car had to go for a service, but I took the courtesy car down to Denbies for the morning. It was a day almost exclusively devoted to Chalkhill Blues, of which there were many. Perhaps not as many as the last couple of years (yet?), but really good numbers. I saw lots of courtship and mating pairs, and a wide variety of colour and spotting.

Female unfortunately in the clutches of a crab spider

Aberrant male

Aberrant female

Their attraction to smelly things is undiminished, and there were several accumulations which flew up in pale blue clouds if you got too close.

Aside from the Chalkhills, One female Dark Green Fritillary was down in the grass, repeatedly flying up and then disappearing quite deeply into the tussocks.

There are lots of violets across these slopes in spring, before the grass gets long, so I can guess what she was doing.
As well as one crab spider tucking into the female blue of a mating pair (shown above), I found another that appeared to have give up on camouflage altogether.

Maybe when the Chalkhills are out, you just can't fail...
Here are a selection.

Female with a fair bit of blue

ab. suavis (orange dots on the upperside)

Later on, another foray locally.

After finding an obliging Green-veined White, yet another Holly Blue put in an appearance. It was behaving most oddly, fluttering back and forth close to a piece of hop entwined around a metal gate. It alighted once or twice, and backlit for a moment, it revealed itself to be a female. Then it settled again, paused, and opened its wings. The light reflected off the shiny pale blue made the photo tricky - but whatever was it doing? I had watched it for several minutes before it settled.

A little later, I found a very fresh male Common Blue - they look like this for such a short time, more's the pity.

Dave

[David M]

Hi Dave,

Your images just serve as a reminder of how this time of year is the absolute peak for seeing as wide a variety of species as is possible in the UK.

We all ought to enjoy the next fortnight, as 'pickings' will grow ever more rare as August progresses.

[Wurzel]

Another great report Dave - finally got my Chalk Hills but loving your Suave Chalk Hill ab

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

You're not wrong, David, and we may (fingers crossed) be blessed with good weather for the next couple of weeks as well. I shall make the most of it if I can.

I was pleased with that one too, Wurzel. There were so many fresh Chalkhills, I just snapped away merrily and hoped for interesting variations amongst them. I did pursue a really pale one, but it made its escape - there is another very pale one at the front of the group photo above, but not such a pleasant context. Despite the lovely Chalkhills, that female Holly Blue was the most exciting bit of the day - and quite unexpected.

23rd July: Elliot and I visited Butterfly World, near St. Albans. The rather ambitious schemes for this attraction have tripped up rather on the stony ground of a lack of funds, but the various themed gardens are interesting and the artificial chalk ridges covered in flowers are worth investigation. There is also the tropical butterfly house, though today there was no contrast at all between inside and out - which seemed odd. There are vast numbers of buddleia bushes, and though not exactly covered in butterflies, there were a lot of Peacocks around enjoying them, and a few Small Tortoiseshells too.

I watched one of the latter nectar for a while and then settle on a wall where it proceeded to violently clean its proboscis with its front legs. How it managed this, bearing in mind it only has four legs to stand on, I really don't know.

There were the next generation on some of the nettles as well.

Along the chalk ridges, there were plenty of Common Blues, Small Skippers, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns.

There is abundant kidney vetch, and in the dip between the ridges, I spotted about half a dozen second brood Small Blues darting around. None came near enough for a photo, though. After a spell in the tropical house with the Blue Morphos and others, we wandered back through the themed gardens, and as well as more Peacocks, we saw a Red Admiral and last of all a very fresh-looking Painted Lady - only the second I've seen this year.

After returning home, I noticed that the rather "natural" looking front garden of a house around the corner was now home to Common Blues - I suppose the big patch of BFT in the middle of the lawn had something to do with that.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Dave I remember seeing about Butterfly World on a BBC program about butterflies a few years back but hadn't heard anything much since - was the aim to produce habitats for all species of UK Butterfly or just the local species?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I think the original aim was to have a really large enclosed habitat featuring a big variety of British species, as well as creating favourable conditions in the open. You can see where this dome is supposed to go, but there is no money to take it beyond foundations. However, the "artificial" chalk ridges have done well in attracting Small Blues in particular, which must have come some way to colonise the area. With the nymphalids on the buddleias last week, it did go some way to looking the part.

I've been up in Yorkshire for the last few days, with fine warm weather as well - a bit of relief from the hot down here, which was pleasant. On the way up on Saturday 26th, we made the customary detour via Arnside (yes, a fairly big detour...). It was decidedly warm (around 26 degrees) and mostly cloudy, which discouraged many butterflies from flying apart from the numerous Gatekeepers.

I'm sure that as little as five years ago, these were a rare sight this far north, but they were by far the commonest butterfly on the Knott today. However, we saw plenty of Scotch Argus (one of the targets for the day), plus a few Grayling, Small Skippers, Meadow Browns, Peacocks, and a couple of worn Fritillaries.

Dark Green?

A freshly emerged female

Down in the meadow south of the Knott were a few more Scotch Argus, Common Blues and a couple more Fritillaries, one of which was approachable as it nectared on thistles. My immediate thought (and hope) was that it was a High Brown, but from the photos I'm not so sure.

High Brown?

High Brown? (same individual)

It steadfastly refused to close its wings and settle the argument in my head!

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave,

Nice Scotch Argus shots from the Knott

Is it really a year since I met you up there, where has that gone ?

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great Scotch Argus Dave As for the HBF/DGF dilemma that's one of the few times I'm kinda glad they don't both fly round my neck of the woods

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

I'm confident you've labelled the dark green and high brown correctly, Dave.

Guy

[millerd]

Thanks for the ID confirmation, Guy. I was fairly sure at the time, but looking at the photos without the butterfly actually there sows the seeds of doubt.

Yes, Neil, a whole year has passed since we bumped into each other. Time just vanishes That HBF was on a thistle a yard or two from the very spot!

All Dark Green down here for me too, Wurzel, which does make life easy - HBF is a rare treat.

27th-30th July: We stayed with my sister in Wilberfoss, just off the York-Hull road. Her splendid semi-wild garden provided (as it did last year) dozens and dozens of Peacocks, plus Small Tortoiseshells, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Speckled Woods, all three varieties of White, Commas and single examples of Holly Blue and Painted Lady.

Comma on rotting plum

Small White

GVW: camouflage comes into its own

There were a few points of interest: Large and Small Whites laying eggs on the nasturtiums, and Peacocks heading in through opened doors of the sheds and outhouses - one at least appeared to have settled down to hibernate.

Large White laying: the eggs can be made out under the leaf

Hibernating(?) Peacock in the shed

Here is a selection of Peacocks to finish off with: this beautiful insect should never be taken for granted.

As we were about to leave, this little chap appeared for a few moments.

Dave

[millerd]

1st August, part one: Another warm and sunny day not to be wasted. I had been going to comment on how few Small Coppers I'd seen this year (one in fact), but having seen one at each location I visited today, I don't think I'll bother!
First off, I had a wander around Box Hill, concentrating on Dukes, the slopes to the east of the viewpoint. There were not many Chalkhills today, but they were supplemented by numerous Common Blues, plus a Brown Argus, a second brood Adonis male and the first of the day's Small Coppers.

Brown Argus (m)

Common Blue (f)

There were good numbers of Silver-spotted Skippers, and three aged Dark Green Fritillaries wafting around at the foot of the slope.

Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were ubiquitous and Speckled Woods patrolled the hedge line. I walked on round to Burford Spur, where a few Small Skippers remained and more Common Blues, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns were flying. In addition, I was pleased to find further Silver-spotted Skippers, at least half a dozen, as I've not seen them on this part of the hill before.

Dave

[millerd]

1st August part two: It's hard to visit Box Hill without also calling in at Denbies. It was clouding up a bit and getting windy by now, so even the Chalkhills were relatively hard to see. However, every time the sun came through, they would be up and about and nectaring on the marjoram. Fresh ones are probably still emerging in small numbers.

Various CHB abs with deficient underside spotting are quite common here, but I saw an unusually pale example where the underside of the forewings was almost white. The upperside was normal.

There were Silver-spotted Skippers around too, but well-spread out across the slopes and usually discovered when they flew up to intercept something else. Their ability to dart behind you at top speed even against the wind is just uncanny.

Along the lower part of the slopes, there was a degree of shelter and this area proved more productive - here I found the second Small Copper of the day, Common Blues, and Brown Argus.

There was also the first of five or six second brood Adonis Blue males. Curiously, it was being pestered on the ground by a male Chalkhill.

The others were well separated across the hillside and I hope were the vanguard of many more to come.

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

Great report and images from Box Hill and Denbies,Dave. That last Adonis is a stunner,and the Chalkhills are pretty good,too

[Wurzel]

I agree with Essex that last Adonis is stunning Is it just me or are the second brood Adonis more showy than the first?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

1st August part three: Another summer Friday late afternoon with the M25 best avoided. Consequently I drove home the back way via Woking and a short stop-off at Dawney's Hill. The first butterfly I saw was my third Small Copper of the day, far tattier than the other two and much more energetic. Walking on to the far end of the heath, I started disturbing Graylings from the bare patches of ground. The wind whisked them away before they would plummet back again, completely disappearing. However, I did manage to track down a couple, and inevitably while scanning a patch of sandy scrub for a vanished butterfly, one landed on my leg.

Spot the butterfly

As the sun went down, I noticed that instead of dropping back to the ground, the butterflies were heading for the line of gorse and trees at the western edge of the heath, where I assume they roost for the night. Facing east, no doubt it's an ideal spot to be woken by the first of the next morning's sun.

Dave