Bugboys mission

[bugboy]

Box Hill/Headley Heath 15/4/15 part 2

Like I said yesterday, there was a bit of a theme developing. Brimstones kept leaping out at me, males patroling and females searching for Buckthorn. I can honestly say I have never seen so many in one day, easily outnumbered any other species, yes even Peacocks which is a first for me this year! With the lack of anything else flying around I started pointing my camera that any that past by, snapping randomly and hoping some came out in focus:

Getting to Headley Heath shortly after 12 the first butterfly I saw was.....

A couple of Peacocks later a little silvery blue flash darted in front of me and settled on a dried cow pat on the path allowing me to take a short break from yellow and pale lime!

He buggered off after just a few snaps and so off I went.

The reason for the Headley Heath visit was to check out the potential for Dukes but on that front it would seem fruitless, seems we can write that of as a Duke site now sadly. Nevertheless it is a very pleasent site and does seem to have an extremely healthy population of Brimstones! Came across a fair few females searching out Buckthorn which enabled me to stand and point the camera at them, in the end I had taken about 150 pics of them. The exposure and focus is rather hit and miss and after binning most of them and tweaking the remaining I now possess more photo's of Brimstones in 2015 than all previous years combined. One female was particularly accomidating in being obsessed with a twig that must have tasted a bit like Buckthorn....but not quite:

I'm sure you're all bored of Brimstones now

As I said I was initially after Dukes and I did have a momentary fleeting excuse to get very excited when a smallish orangy brown thing fluttered by. I followed it but quickly decided it's fluttery flight was not how I have read dukes fly and when it landed I saw that it was actually a moth, an Orange Underwing Archiearis parthenias. Got just one picture but he took of just as I hit the shutter:

Back to Box Hill and yet more Brimstones. I noticed that the males were now spending quite a bit of time nosing around high up in Ivy, I thought initially looking for roosting spots but as it was still bright and very warm and they were still patroling I wondered whether females roost earlier in the day and they were searching for them?

I came tantilisingly close to getting my first Orange Tip picture but he didn't sit quite long enough. There are vast swathes of Cuckoo Flower there so if you want an Orange Tip encounter it's certainly the place to be in a couple of weeks!

So another long day butterflying with a minimum of 20 Brimstones seen, 2 Orange Tip males, 12 Peacocks, 5 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Holly Blue and 2 Green Veined Whites in total.

[Goldie M]

I've only seen two Brimstones so far bugboy so your having a great time down there Goldie

[bugboy]

I'll post a few up to you Goldie

Hutchinsons Bank/Frith Wood 16th April

Although I booked this week off specifically to get some butterflying in I never actually intended to go out every single day but this weather was just too good to waste and with reports of Green Hairstreaks about I spent a couple of hours searching for them. I pulled a blank for the Hairsteaks but again it was a nice walk. Hutchinsons Bank is a nice slab of chalk scrubland with a promising amount of habitat regeneration going on. Lots of the scrub being cleared and sheep being used to keep it as such.

All thats missing here were some little orange and brown butterflies!

Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells were in abundance a couple of Commas and I at last managed my first Orange Tip picture of the year!

A couple of male Speckled Woods were patroling and being camera shy

and there were a couple of Brimstones flitting around.

It was quite sunny when I arrived, there was a bit of a breeze but the site is quite sheltered so that didn't have much effect on the inhabitants. After a couple of hours it started to cloud over so with half an hour spare before having to set off I popped over the road to have a look at Frith Wood, just to see what the habitat was like. Lots of Dog Violet along the sides of the path, thick swathes of Bluebells just waiting to burst into bloom but the main thing that caught my eye was the huge amounts of Honeysuckle everywhere. With Padfields White Admiral hibernaculum thread still fresh in my mind I decided to have a go looking for one. Even though it was all now quite well advanced in leaf I figured since they are so well attached I might find something.

There is a thick undergrowth of Bramble so I looked for the closest patch that didn't require severe lower limp laceration to reach and had a quick scan. There he was, literally on the first shoot I looked at, I couldn't quite believe it!

My very first White Admiral at any stage

Due to the light levels and the light breeze I resorted to flash for closeups

So with Green hairstreaks completely forgotton about I left with a very big grin on my face!

Just to finish off heres some pictures for the Bee Fly Appreciation Society!

[kevling]

Buggy,

Nice images of the White Ad larvae. I have found a couple of hibernaculam in my local wood and you have reminded me that I must go and get a progress report.

Regards Kev

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Buggy,

Congratulations on finding your first White admiral 2nd instar larva, and a lovely first photo depicting the little caterpillar in it's habitat.

All the best, Nick.

[Padfield]

Great white admiral cat shots, Bugboy! They're tiny little things at this time of year, aren't they!! And because they're often in the shade it can be tricky getting pictures.

Guy

[bugboy]

Thanks for the comments, that little caterpillar really is my highlight of the year so far

A couple of days away so still catching up on everyones diaries, and getting jealous at all the species out and about that are still on my 'lifetime list to see'.

Had a work related trip to Slimbridge WWT yesterday so stayed with a work mate Friday night to get an early start Saturday morning. A beautiful cloudless sky, slightly spoilt by a rather bracing wind but lots of the sites inhabitants were certainly in the mood for springtime shenanigans:

Greater Flamingos displaying

Greater Flamingos 'flagging'

Friday 17th April

Friday afternoon I managed to cram in a couple of hours on my local patch. I bit chilly and a breezy so wasn't expecting too much: A couple of speckled Woods busy getting bufferted but managed a couple of nice shots in a brief lul from the wind:

There were a few whites flitting around and two which I thought looked different, wasn't sure but was thinking perhaps large Whites. This happens every spring, always end up second guessing myself with the first few Large Whites, especially when seen at A distance. One landed briefly and managed a distant record shot:

I zoomed in on the picture on my camera as it flew off over the hedge and was definately leaning towards a Large white when a male small White fluttered nonchalantly past, helping me to finally confirm my suspicions, species 11 for the year.

A male Orange Tip was doing his thing plus one Comma feeding on a flowering Cherry. A bit further on, checking out a sheltered spot another white flew towards me, it settled and saw it was a pristene male GV White. Couldn't get close but he wasn't in any hurry to go far so I followed him for a bit when he stumbled across something he liked the smell off:

She did play hard to get for a little while

but he was a persistant little bugger and she relented after only a minute or two

He struggled to fly with her attached and crash landed in the grass (I'm pretty sure every time i've seen mating whites in flight before it's always been the female that does all the work)

Anyway they were now very approachable:

the occasional bit of fluttering around (still the male struggling) giving me the chance to get a nice range of shots:

But when they landed on the Cherry Blossom I couldn't have asked for a better photogenic position (although they were now in the breeze so that was challenging!)

Well after getting lost in time with such an accomidating pair I realised I had to shoot off so I left them to get on with it in private. It was only a short walk and didn't cover the whole site but total was 2 Large White, 1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 2 Small White, 2 Speckled Wood, 2 GV White, 1 or 2 Orange Tips, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 male Holly Blue wasn't too bad

[bugboy]

Half day at work today and after 2 days of no butterflying I was having withdrawl symptoms. I went to Tottenaham Marshes and got there about 4 with the sun still quite high in the sky. Speckled Woods are at last starting to become commonplace, not knowingly seen a female yet though. A few aged Tortoiseshells and Peacocks still basking in hot spots and in one particularly sheltered suntrap 3 Commas were having a full on fight. The same suntrap was also attracting a fair few other butterflies as well. 4 GV Whites, 3 Orange Tips including my first sighting of a female this year and a male Holly Blue that didn't settle for a second. Not much settled long enough for more than a few distant shots but had a few goes at capturing flying butterflies again, which is how I managed to I'D most of the Whites:

I decided to wander off for a bit and come back a little later to see if they were less active. It was a good plan on paper, in practice it failed, a young couple had decided to have some 'private time' when I returned so I quickly did an about turn and went home The perils of butterflying, wandering around secluded spots of the countryside with camera in hand trying not to look like a peeping tom!

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots of the mating couple Buggy, the GVW's that is I'll try and PM on Thursday.

Have a godun
Wurzel

[bugboy]

Haha, cheers Wurzel, on both counts

[bugboy]

Box Hill/Denbies 22/4/15

Well yesterday I had a clear mission. First was to get some decent closeups of Orange-tips and second was to try and get some lifetime firsts over at Denbies.

Getting the OT's meant another early start to catch them snoozing. I got to Box Hill around 9 where most of the Cuckoo Flower was still in the shade of the Hill. I spent some time searching but only managed to come across one sleeping male. To make things interesting he had chosen a spindly flower stalk growing out of the bank of the River Mole. The shade and constant movement in the light breeze forced me to use a rather narrow DoF but I managed a few nice underside closeups:

Now to try and find one awake but not active......Found one

I chased him around the sunny glade for about half an hour, he let me take a couple of pics every now and again and very happy with the results I was too :

Part one of the days mission complete!

So after some more wandering around the east side of Box Hill I left for Denbies at around 11, walking along the North Downs Way. It's a particularly lovely walk at this time of year and had to stop a few times just to admire the countryside I was walking through, the Bluebell woods making me go all arty with my camera!

I also found a gorgeous individual of the Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata doing an impressive impression of a bird dropping (thanks for the ID bailey1409)

An hour later I arrived at Denbies and following Millerds excellant directions, I made my way down the slope to sort out my next part of the days mission.
Right on queue and prescisly where I was told I might find one, a little green and brown thing fluttered down and landed on a daisy right on front of me, so here I present to you the first Green Hairstreak I have ever seen

and here I present the second one I have ever seen!

They really are little buggers to follow and photograph aren't they!

Anyway I spent a bit of time following them and attempting pictures until they vanished so I followed the directions down the bank to the bottom hedge. The wind was really picking up now, the valley was acting a bit like a wind tunnel so wasn't sure I would see much but then I saw the distinctive flight of a skipper. A black and white blur which landing a little way in front of me, so here I present my very first Grizzled Skipper:

He whizzed off after only a couple of pics so I walked a bit further along the hedge. Nothing else was seen for about 10 minutes and I was beginning to think the wind was going to ruin my hatrick when a brownish skipper flew into sight, my first ever Dingy Skipper:

The Dingys started appearing all over the place after this initial one and by the time I left a couple of hours later I'm pretty sure I was into double figures. The Cherry on the cake though was when a I caught sight of a mating pair struggling heroically in the wind and crash landing in the grass

The wind made pictures challenging and in the end coaxed them onto my finger and moved them to a more sheltered position. They soon settled down and allowed me to take pictures from pretty much every conceivable angle.

I took some with flash and created a rainbow one his head!

While I was taking these a nice lady walked past and asked what I had found, turns out she was doing a butterfly transect but sadly she couldn't include this pair as they were just outside it. We didn't exchange names but I would presume some people on here would know her.

Well after a third Hairstreak,

and another Grizzly encounter,

it was time to go. Easily the best days butterlying of the year. Huge thanks to Millerd for his spot on directions at Denbies

hope I'm not boring you lot out there, my entries seem to be getting longer and longer

[David M]

Far from boring, Bugboy.....I've never seen mating Dingies so you've provided me with a first!!

[millerd]

I'm really pleased it all worked for you, Buggy! You saw more than I did in the same spots twenty-four hours earlier!

Dave

[Nick Broomer]

Well done Buggy, i'm really pleased for you, that you have achieved your goals for the trip to Denbies.

All the best Nick.

[Maximus]

Nice one Bugboy, three 'lifers' as I believe they're refered to, and mating Dingies too, excellent

[trevor]

HI Bugboy,

An excellent range of species for one days work! . I always enjoy the added satisfaction obtained when
I come home with a bag full of species, especially when its those i hadn't expected to find.

All the best,
TREVOR.

[CJB]

Hi Bugboy.

That was an epic day for you! Always amazing to get lifers, but 3!!?

I have only ever seen one GHS and find locating any HS tough!

I look forward to reading your next report.

On another note, I trialled my moth trap and lured in 6 species which I will post at some point, as everyone likes an id question on UKB!

Flutter on!

CJB

[bugboy]

Thanks for all the comments guys. It really was a good day all round even with a strong wind doing it's best to ruin things for me. Here's a few more pics from the day.

Just coming up to Denbies a couple of Peacocks were feeding and being battered by the wind but managed to get a few shots. One good thing about the wind (the only good thing where macro photography is concerned) is that I think it masks your movements as you approach the butterfly:

On my return to Box Hill I quickly checked for more Orange Tips but just a few males patroling when I noticed one literally fall from the sky just as a cloud blotted out the sun. He landed on a very spindly Poplar shoot and when I got close enough for pictures he was getting blown all over the place. Also he was tiny, barely larger than a Chalkhill Blue. He obviously didn't get much to eat as a cat! Not one to turn down the opportunity I did sit down and take loads more pics though. A couple of times he nearly got completely blown away

Clinging on by 2 toes!

Clicking away I managed to get a fair few in focus in between the gusts though:

I wanted to get some open wing shots so I kept a close eye on the cloud cover. As I saw the sun about to come out I guessed the exposure, knowing I'd be lucky to have time to get more than one or two pics and snapped as he opened his wings. I had time for one picture and he took flight just as another gust came!

Like I've said a few times, you can never have enough Orange-tip pictures

[bugboy]

Well another day off, another day searching for lifers. I went to a sheltered patch and I hoped it would be a few degrees warmer than the 13 predicted, it was, felt very warm when the sun was out. I got there late morning and it was mostly sunny with a few clouds but as the day drew on cloud cover increased so not too much out but what I saw was nice. 3 or 4 Dingy Skippers and a solitary Grizzled, none of whom stayed still long enough for piccies. I did get another Orange-tip fix though, a couple of males showed up and one stopped off for a bit of feeding in front of me:

Well it would've been rude not to take a few snaps!

A Male brimstone fluttered into it's roost as I watched a few feet away, demonstating his amazing camouflage, so I was able to get a fair few snaps of him:

and I at last found a female Speckled Wood!

A few whites fluttered around, probably GV but no positive ID's.

Pick of the day though was Glanville Fritillary larvae I bumped into a fellow butterflyer who kindly pointed them out for me and pointed out the various spots where adults would most likely be found in a few weeks time whilst giving me a guided tour of the site . I had no Idea that there were Glanvilles here, somehow missed them on the monthly updates on here, so that was an added bonus I wasn't expecting when I left this morning!

I'll hopefully see them when they've grown their wings next month if they manage not to get squished, they do have a habit of basking on the paths!

Few other bits and pieces:

A rather handsome Hoverfly Xanthogramma citrofasciatum waiting for the sun to appear:

Birch Shieldbug, sitting on Ash.

and lots of baby Bush Crickets of some kind feeding on pollen, this one got photo bombed!

So yet another very good day out butterflying

[Goldie M]

Oh! bugboy are you lucky lately I'm just catching up on postings and I love your mating Dingy Skippers , it takes me all my time when I see them to get a decent shot so seeing your picks was great ( of course I'm jealous) and what about your Glanville Larvae fantastic I just wish I lived nearer to some of these places, I've yet to see the Grizzled Skipper and the Glanville B there on my to get list. Lucky you Goldie