Wurzel

[trevor]

HI Wurzel,
Excellent OT.images, they don't usually stop long enough for shots like that !.

All the best,
TREVOR.

[bugboy]

Really nice shots Wurzel. That OT is a stunner, and I notice your reports are very nearly into May now

[Willrow]

I never get open-winged shot's of Orange-tip like that Wurz...you must know a trick...

Bill

"When in doubt - venture out"

[Goldie M]

Love the Orange Tip photos Wurzel, your after the Dukes and I'm looking for the PBF Lets hope we both get what we want shortly.

[trevor]

HI Wurzel,

Thanks for the comment, she was also nice and fresh. ( finished that wall yet ? ! ).

All the best,
TREVOR.

PS. Any news from Cotley Hill yet ?.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor Those shots were a long time coming
Cheers Buggy When I read your comment I thought I ought to slow down a little The main problem is my browser seems to be infected with a Pup called Delta Homes which is making it ridiculously slow
Cheers Willrow The trick it to visit the same place again and again until the OT gives up and plays ball in the hope that you'll $*¥get off and give it some peace
Cheers Goldie Fingers crossed for your Pearls and my Dukes

Larkhill Stop-off 29-04-2015

I risked another quick stop-off on the way home on the basis that I’m getting in the habit of cleaning up and re-dressing my living room as soon as I get home. I walked down the Westbound path all the way to the little hollow where the path is more sparse of grass. It was pretty desolate and with the precious seconds ticking past I turned and started to head back up the hill to the car. As I did some small, light gray micro-moths caught my attention along the side of the path. As I turned to watch them something larger and gray flurried pass. At first I took it to be just another moth but for some reason I followed it with my eyes until it landed and then when it did I could clearly see the chequer board fringe, the purple ground colour and white markings. My first Grizzled Skipper of the year and my first payment from the various stomps around Larkhill.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

You're right, Wurzel - patience pays off with Orange Tips, and you were rewarded royally. Great shots. I like the Grizzlie, too - interesting you said purple for the ground colour... They vary from this to charcoal grey to chocolate brown to black - and sometimes all at once.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, Great photo of the Grizzled Skipper, that's one Butterfly we don't get round here worse luck and one I'd love to get but it would take quite a journey to see it so it's one for the future I'm afraid Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave Patience and me are only fleeting friends
Cheers Goldie I'm surrised Grizzlies aren't up there as they seem so well wraped up in fur I thought they'd do well in the colder climes

First Meet-up of 2015 – 03-05-2015

Part 1 – Bentley Wood

K and I set off from Salisbury with fingers crossed. We were heading towards Bentley hoping for our first Pearls of the year and the rain had stopped and the cloud was clearing. Yesterday the Weather men had been wrong so instead of the rain and wind it was a reasonable day which meant that they’d projected all the doom and gloom onto today. Hopefully though they were just being overly pessimistic with today’s forecast. It was looking good as the cloud continued to clear and once at West Tytherley with Philzoid hand his girls arrived the sun actually seemed to be peeping out.

We went straight to the Eastern Clearing and split up to cover more ground. Recent reports had been of 4, then 2 most recently and ‘The Book’ had 12 but we suspected that we wouldn’t just fall over them but rather we’d have to actively hunt them down. Philzoid called out and there was the first Pearl. In actual fact the weather was almost perfect for Pearl photography – dry, warmish (easily above 12°) and the cloud cover kept the Pearls fairly static allowing us to get the full range of shots. However once the sun did come out it didn’t take the Pearl long to get up to speed and it was gone.

After a continued mooch around which took in the main, established part of the EC and didn’t produce a single butterfly we headed back to the track along the back of the clearing along-side the major cleared area. The sun was in again but we scanned the bracken as we’ve found Pearls emerging here in previous years. As I scanned one patch something didn’t seem right so I looked back and there was a Painted Lady – no screw heads in sight I promise! We spent some time with it on the Bracken and as more and more of the sun started to show it got more and more fidgety until it shot off like a rocket across the cleared land, dropping swiftly like a stone the minute the sun went back in.

After this definite psychological pick-me-up we decided to make way back to first sighting area when second flew by and down along the track and then a third. I managed to follow this one as it didn’t seem to want to fly too far between each landing. When I got a decent look at it I thought that it looked like a female as the wing margins were white rather than muted ginger that the males seem to show? I could be wrong of course as it seems so long ago since I last encountered a Pearl.

After this we started making our way back to the car park via the main part of the EC. On the way a tiny Pearl flopped about (no 4) and seemed to be struggling to fly. Once it landed in a small Birch sapling it was looked pristine so perhaps it was so freshly emerged it was just working out how to use its wings?

On the continued trek back to the car park we were joined by a couple more as the sun came out and with it a Brimstone and two Small Whites.
Next we decided to head North along the border to my Duke site for lunch and well, Dukes...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

That's a beautiful shot of the fresh closed winged Pearl Wurzel (no.267). Very crisp with complementary background. I love it

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots of the Pearl's Wurzel, I thought they didn't fly in the gloom, Sat may be a good day to go back to Gait Barrow and look, it's got to be warmer but slightly cloudy up there, I'll have to keep my eye on the weather. Good hunting for the Dukes, Goldie

[kevling]

Wurzel; I love the Pearls, especially on the sapling. Great stuff

Regards Kev

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel,

More great reports and photos, particularly the undersides of the nice fresh PBF

Keep 'em coming.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Lovely Pearls, Wurzel - you found them beautifully new, and proved that less than brilliant sunshine is best! Definitely worth awarding a couple of for that...

Dave

[trevor]

Hi Wurzel,
Thanks for the info. Those closed wing Pearls on Birch are something else,the leaves of which
contrast with the Butterfly. Top class photography.

Best wishes,
TREVOR.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Pauline for you kind comment - most of the work was done by the butterfly
Cheers Goldie Good luck with your Pearls, I'm going to try for my Dukes one more time...or maybe two...maybe more
Cheers Kev for your kind comment
Cheers Neil I'll try and keep em coming but work is getting in the way somewhat
Cheers Dave You're too kind with your comments
No worries Trevor and cheers for your kind comment

First Meet-up of 2015 – 03-05-2015

Part 2 – Duke Site

As we drove out of car park there was male OT along the road and there were plenty of other whites on the way from Bentley to my Duke site. The drive was frustrating as there was someone at the front of a queue of cars who was driving at least 10 miles below the speed limit. Also the sun was out but started disappearing almost as soon as we hit the tank tracks.

Once parked we all set out straight across the old tank tracks towards the track where I’ve encountered them 2 years before. There was a Grizzlie on the way and then a second but no Dukes as well as a reminder that we were just visitors to the site and whilst we were here for pleasure, others had work to do.

The Cypress tree area at the top held another Grizzlie as well as a few Greenstreaks my first for the year. As is mostly the way when seeing the first of the year I just fired away, anxious to make sure that it didn’t escape the reach of my lens. We then headed back to the track and set the girls up so that we could use them as a base from which to check all the microhabitats on offer. The track again didn’t have any Dukes but a Small Copper dropped in, another first for the year and a Blue Badger too. Once back at the Cypress there were a couple more Greenstreaks to add to the tally, another Grizzlie, a second Blue Badge Small Copper and finally to wrap up this foray the fifth first of the day – a Dingy Skipper.

We then headed back to the check the girls before setting out on another foray, this time further up to the Beech wood, then to the mossy slope before coming back down across the glade and back to the path. In the wood the Birds Nest Orchids haven’t appeared but there an interesting fungus which I think is called a ‘Jews Ear’? The little mossy field is a real gem as the trees and other vegetation all around shelter it from the wind and the mossy ground hugging vegetation itself acts as a sun trap as well as making kneeling and crouching for photography very comfortable! Up here there were a few more Greenstreaks and a couple of Dingies making a nuisance of themselves but I think it was about a week to early for the Brown Argus and Common Blues. As we pushed through the trees into the glade below we were greeted by three Dinghies scrapping and an OT flying overhead.

Another final foray back near the Cypress and a few more (or more of the same) Greenstreaks along with another Grizllie a Silver-Y and as a finale 2 Small Coppers battling each other back near the girls.

Finally we gave in as the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds and the wind had picked up and it was really blowy at some points lowering the temperatures. So no Dukes from my Duke site, mind you none had been reported in the book at Bentley at the time and none had been reported elsewhere in Wiltshire either so perhaps they hadn’t emerged – things seem to be about a week to two behind this year on last year. And over the course of the day I’d notched up 5 firsts for the year which has to make this a great day.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, sorry about the Dukes but you got some nice firsts, love the Coppers and the Dingy photos, One I've not got the SC, hope fully if the weather improves this weekend I'll get a chance, don't think I'll be looking for Pearls though the Bank Holiday's are crazy round here, every one goes to the Lake's, we may try Southport.

With luck you may get them this weekend Sat day is ok weather wise I believe Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I did get my Duke this weekend but I'm so far behind with my posts this is from three weeks ago when I hadn't

Duke Site 09-05-2015

Afternoon off as I had finally finished the wall prep – well almost...and where else would I head? No competition really as I was desperate to see my Duke. Once on site I checked the path to no avail so concentrated instead on the area around the Cypress trees as I was after more Greensteaks. I thought perhaps I had left it too late after my first couple last week were a bit worn and battle scarred but I managed to find some really fresh ones amongst the older, more ragged individuals. They seemed to have got a little confused as they were all perching in the grass or on Bramble leaves rather than the textbook head height in a Hawthorn. Also here were a few Grizzlies and Dinghies as well as my first ever Green Carpet.

From this area I made my way up the further path to the Beech Wood and the spongy mossy grass. On the journey a battered Peacock collapsed onto the path and I felt surrounded by plenty of Dinghies and the odd Grizzlie – but alas no Dukes still.

The area at the top of the filed threw up the best looking Greenstreak that I’ve ever seen – it was quite simply stunning and my photos just don’t do it justice. It was actually on Hawthorn which for the site is actually quite unusual. It was busy leaning to catch the sun and throwing some interesting shapes as a consequence

Leaving the Greenstreak sunning itself I cut across the field and something flew up into the Hawthorn. I thought it was a Greenstreak at first another that was behaving as it was supposed to but it turned out to be a Dingy behaving slightly oddly. Also present at the edge of the glade was a Small Copper looking lovely and fresh.

I thought about trying further afield but it was actually quite quiet over the rest of the site. There were plenty of Cowslips so I was hopeful but still no Duke. Instead I did find my first Brown Argus of the year making busy and feeding frenetically. I was struggling to follow the silver streak as it blurred by. So instead I sat by a patch of flowers and waited. Somehow this paid off and I managed a couple of shots before it moved off again.

I headed back to the main track and hung around here for some time. There were plenty of Grizillies and Dinghies, the odd Small Copper as well as my first ever Ruby Tiger moth but yep, you’ve guessed it, an absence of His Grace.

So still no Dukes...I’ll have to try again in a week or two’s time. They will turn up!

Have a goodun

Wurzel
The very next weekend a friend of mine visited and saw 4 Dukes in exactly the same areas that I had been searching...that is the Law of Sod!

[David M]

That Green Carpet is a lovely critter, Wurzel. Don't think I've ever seen one myself.

[millerd]

Indeed - a lovely moth, and well spotted in the grass, Wurzel. Better camouflaged than those showy old Green Hairstreaks!

Dave