August 2014

[David M]

I expect to see a few Brown Hairstreaks on here!

[millerd]

Second brood Adonis Blue seen today at both Box Hill (Dukes) and Denbies.

Adonis Blue at Denbies

Dave

[David M]

Great start!!

[Testudo Man]

Dropped in on my local "reptile patch" yesterday(1/8/14) and was surprised to see my 1st Wall Brown of the year! its also the 1st time i have sighted a Wall Brown at this location, in the 4 years that i have been observing there.
Other butterflies of note were- large numbers of both Meadow Brown and Gatekeepers, Brimstone, Peacock, Comma, just the one SWF, Common Blue, Speckled Wood.

Location- Kent.

A couple of photos, cheers Paul.

[Alexc]

Just returned from a week in Pembrokeshire with the fammo and during that time saw a few interesting butterflies. Couldn't find the post again on here that I read a while back, but think it was Willrow's post re silver-studded blues near Stackpole/Bosherston. For interest and just to add to that info for the area, I had at least 5 or 6 silver-studded blues (males and females) in the space of minutes amongst the sand dune area of Barafundle Beach, on the other side of Stackpole Head to the original report. No time to look further, as running up and down the sand dunes with the kids was what i had promised and what was prioritised (out of my hands), however an obvious potential for many more of this species at this site.

Also a few graylings noticed at Strumble Head (anyone who wants to see harbour porpoise should visit this site, I've never missed them here) and plenty of small coppers and magpie moths, as well as a few wall browns noticed along the length of the coast.

[Mark Tutton]

Having seen the weather forecast today I set my stall to see Brown Hairstreak with two sites in mind - Shipton Bellinger and Noar Hill. I set off for SB at about 9am and immediately encountered a very heavy shower though fortunately it was short lived. On arriving there were already half a dozen people on the western boundary and they had spotted a couple of males high up which I had a brief glimpse of - but I set off to find a quieter area. I soon found a male in reasonable condition on bramble so got a few shots, and during the course of the morning I probably located seven different males in various areas. Also spotted were good numbers of Brimstone and refreshingly Small Tortoiseshell, a pristine Painted Lady and a Clouded Yellow that didn't stop.
After eating my sandwiches I set off across country to Noar Hill where I was not quite as hopeful of meeting my target. On parking in the lane I met a chap who told me about the second brood Duke of Burgundy he had seen so I set off up the track hopeful of seeing a most unlikely double. I headed for one of the pits that is the most popular with Dukes in ‘normal’ season and within minutes I spotted a Duke battling with a Small Skipper and Brown Argus a most unusual sight! I scoured the site hoping to find an elusive BH to complete what would probably be a unique double for one site but despite looking for probably two hours I could neither relocate the Duke nor find a Brown Hairstreak. Altogether a great day seeing 23 different species and both of Hampshires early and late rarities on one day - most peculiar.

[Rosalyn]

Otmoor 03.08.14
A good start to the day. I didn't have to get up until 7.30 I didn't want to disappoint David M so here are our Brown Hairstreaks . First male came down about 10.30 followed by a female at 11.00 who posed for pics for about half an hour

I think in total Philib and I saw 5 or 6 females and 4 males.

We left shortly after 2pm

[cyprio42]

Fantastic pics of the Brown Hairstreak.

[Matsukaze]

Silver-washed Fritillaries still out in reasonable numbers in Wytham Wood near Oxford (permit-only, but well worth obtaining if you are regularly in the area). The majority were females (and included a valezina); they seemed most interested in flying around our legs. At least another 14 species present including Purple Hairstreak, Brown Argus and, very late in the year, Large Skipper.

[Butterflymax]

Technically this is a July sighting, as I took the photo on July 30th, but I thought you might like to see this photo of a Peacock considering an alternative method of transport to reach the centre of town! Location: Ashlawn Cutting, Rugby.

Second photo is a Marbled White from June at the same location. It wasn't flying very far at a time and stayed close to the ground. Given the state of its wings, I wonder if it was a freshly hatched example?

Thirdly, my first ever photo of male and female Brimstones on the same plant, in the same photo! Again at Ashlawn Cutting.

Fourthly, my best Holly Blue photo for a few years, taken again at Ashlawn Cutting on 30th July.

Sorry for the photos being a bit late, but time is a bit thin on the ground at the moment!

[nomad]

Thank you Phil for the info on the Brown Hairstreak in Oxon. In the end I opted for Sutton Bellinger, but today I am off to Bernwood and perhaps Otmoor if I have time. Yesterday at the Hants site I saw a several Male Brown Hairstreaks nectaring on Bramble and Creeping Thistle, although nearly all were appearing worn. My guess is after only a day or two on the wing they would show wear due to their feeding habitats and erratic flight . I only found one female with ragged blackened wing edges. My guess she was hit by the heavy rain the day before? There were lots of other butterflies. At one puddle lots of Common Blue males were drinking. There was a nice very fresh male Painted Lady.
Regards Peter.

A male on Creeping Thistle

A male rests after feeding.

Painted Lady.

[PhiliB]

Brown Hairstreaks at Otmoor, again.

Today was much a quieter day for Hairstreaks than yesterday, possibly due to the cooler & cloudier weather conditions.
My tally of 'low down' sightings consisted of 2 aged males and a solitary female with a damaged antenna.

A male on an unusual food source

A male on a more typical nectar source

A female taking a lunchtime break from egg laying

[nomad]

Hi all- I went to Bernwood Forest in Oxon today to search for Brown Hairstreaks, having seen Phil's lovely images I should have really have gone to Otmoor. I have a long association with both places. When I was a boy, my father used to take me to Otmoor to listen to the Grasshopper Warblers, with my hearing I probably could not hear them today. All I remember then of Otmoor was long grass, brambles and sedges. In the 1970's I used to visit the lane leading to Hell's Coppice of Bernwood in September and remember seeing egg-laying female Brown Hairstreaks. Hence E.B Ford noting that most people look for them too early. In Bernwood Forest I visited the M40 Compensation area , but only saw my sought after butterfly high up in the Ashes and couple flying fast over the tops of the Sloe bushes. I did see a herd of Fallow deer, a Roe and a Muntjac and their droppings all over the place. All round the site the Sloe bushes were nearly all stripped of their foliage between three to five feet from the ground. Many of the young Sloe seemed dead from the attentions of the many deer. There is a deer fence around the site, but the animals have pushed under where there are banks and when I arrived the gate was wide open. I wonder if all this damage impacts on the Brown Hairstreak population. It certainly will in the future. Probably my biggest surprise was finding a Chalkhill Blue male in the M40 Compensation meadows. Later I visited Bernwood meadows nature reserve, but again no luck except for two females? speeding along the tops of the Sloe hedges. Here I found the smallest Common Blue I have ever seen, about the size of a male Small Blue. I wondered has anybody ever photographed Brown Hairstreaks at Bernwood?
Regards Peter

Male Chalkhill Blue M40 compensation grassland.

Miniature Common Blue with Green bottle Bernwood Nature reserve

Stripped young sloe bushes at the M40 compensation area Bernwood

Deer damage M40 compensation area

[Willrow]

Visited Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire yesterday to spend the day with the 'blues'...Chalkhill & Adonis Blue that is The former were in countless hundreds on Swellshill Bank and in healthy numbers elsewhere throughout the common, the latter however were in very short supply - I saw perhaps just half a dozen during the entire day

Chalkhill Blue put my seasons species list onto 50 and I think that is it for the season now, I'm happy to see so many species but sad that all the British species have now appeared the season has just whizzed along having said that there is still much to be enjoyed with the remaining species still 'out and about' its just the thought that there are no other species to look forward too

The blues brothers on the much favoured Carline Thistle

One of the many fresh male chalkies encountered

Knockout colours of Adonis Blue

There was lots of mating activity on Swellshill and I had several opportunities to record some photographs, I must however warn the more prudish viewer that the image below of 'in-cop' chalkies is rather 'graphic' so don't look

The generation game...didn't they do well!!!

Among the other blues were good numbers of Brown Argus and Common Blue the former species usually appeared nice and fresh looking, just as we like em' for a snapshots eh

Male Brown Argus probably - I've got it wrong before now lol

Yesterday I saw more Small Copper than the rest of the year in total with at least a dozen seen, the species has done poorly this year, lets hope this lovely little butterfly does much better next year.

Small Copper has fared poorly in 2014...

A bonus during my visit came in the form of a hyper fast fly-by Clouded Yellow which if memory serves is only the second I've seen this year, as I attempted pursuit it fooled me by doubling back (sneaky b*gg*r ) and almost hit me in the head before soaring over the near trees and away ...so there was no record photograph obtained again this year

In total 20 species seen and I'm usually quite pleased to see a third of the British species list in one day ...everyone should be...don't you think?

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Stampy98]

Lower Woods, Gloucestershire

Whilst searching for Violet helleborines at Lower Woods I was also entertained by a good variety of butterflies.

30+ silver washed fritillary were present in varying condition. How some could fly with so little wings was mind boggling. Also present was one Valezina form but unfortunately it was one of the tatty ones. An interesting sighting was watching a silver washed fritillary coming to hemp agrimony to nectar when a hornet flew in and attacked it. It flew to the nearest tree to lick its wounds which on close inspection in did indeed have. The hornet had taken a chuck out of its forewing.

Also present were small copper (haven't seen many this year), peacock, gatekeepers and purple hairstreak.

[Neil Freeman]

.... I wondered has anybody ever photographed Brown Hairstreaks at Bernwood?
Regards Peter

Just the once for me, a female in 2011 at Bernwood Meadows, the first year that I stopped off there on my way home from Aston Rowant. If I remember correctly that is the only time I have been there when the meadows had not yet been cut.

Scroll down for a couple of photos in my diary below,

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5424&start=20

Cheers,

Neil.

[nomad]

Hi Neil - Super shots of a pristine female. Your luck was in that day at Bernwood Meadows. It is very pleasant to take a late summer stroll around the Blackthorn hedges at Bernwood, even though all the meadows have now been cut for hay.

Regards Peter.

[Ian Pratt]

A magical moment today when I was looking for butterflies at Mill Copse Yarmouth IOW. I was looking at some bramble and suddenly something was flitting around me like a will o' the wisp and landed on my hand enabling me to photograph it. It reminded me of Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. I believe it is a female ruddy darter but possibly a female common darter.
Ian

[Matsukaze]

Looks like Ruddy Darter to me Ian.

[Mark Tutton]

That reminds me of one time when I was fishing a number of years ago when a Common Darter landed on my knee having caught it's lunch. Over the course of fifteen minutes or so it held me transfixed as It proceeded to dismember an unfortunate fly to consume the fleshy bits and for it to eventually fly off leaving me with an assortment of legs and wings on my jeans!
Kind regards
Mark