www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks Wurzel, I rather liked that ST myself

Saturday 12th July,

Last Saturday afternoon saw me nipping around to my local spot at Bickenhill, mainly to see if I could find any Essex skippers there. This is the first year that I have been visiting this particular spot and I was hoping to add it to the list of local sites for this species.

I soon found good numbers of Small Skippers and, after doing the usual contortions of trying to get the head on shot, managed some confirmation shots of some Essex Skippers
I have no idea how many individuals of each species were present all told as counting them is nigh on impossible when they are zipping about all over the place, but there were something like 50-60 in total with at least 10 Essex confirmed, probably a lot more.
This meant that, over the past couple of years, I have now confirmed Essex skippers at six of my local spots, all within a couple of miles of Solihull

Meadow Browns and Ringlets were flying again in good numbers, although down a bit from the hordes of these two species that I saw here a couple of weeks back and with a lot of them looking worn and faded now. There were also a few Gatekeepers around with about half a dozen seen, all males.

Small Tortoiseshells seem to be continuing their comeback with a couple of dozen here, all very active in the warm afternoon sun, as were a couple of fresh Peacocks.

There were also a few Commas, one of which was a bit more obliging than the Peacocks or STs as it kept returning to perches where I could get a couple of shots.
I have seen increasing numbers of Whites during the past week and there were a fair few here, mostly flying past without stopping. I was only sure of the ID of a few of these, most seemed to be Large or Green-veined but there were at least a couple of Small amongst them.

Bye for now,

Neil.

That second shot is just brill But are you sure that it's an Essex Lovely H Comma later too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great reports and photos in recent posts Neil lovely Skipper shots. Also great Dorset reports and photos and brilliant finding the SS Blues on Bindon Hill. I recognise the Lulworth steps as we were there recently, pretty gruelling they were too

Mike

Cheers Wurzel, yep, something about that skipper just made me think Essex

Hi Mike, yeah, those steps can be hard work on a hot day. Mind you I stopped quite a few times to watch all the skippers on the way up

Sunday 13th July

With the weather shaping up into another warm afternoon with some high clouds and plenty of sun, I made a bit of a last minute decision to go to Snitterfield Bushes, a half an hour or so drive down towards Stratford-upon-Avon from my house.

This is usually a reliable site for Silver-washed Fritillaries and as soon as I arrived at the car park I was greeted by one swooping low over the bonnet. Wandering off down one of the tracks I soon spotted half a dozen more, both males and females, along with hordes of Ringlets and Meadow Browns, a few Gatekeepers and Commas and a couple of nice fresh Peacocks.
My attention was drawn towards what at first looked like a huge Ringlet fluttering about in a partially shaded clearing which on a closer look proved to be a nice valesina female SWF.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get a clear shot from the other side to show the beautiful underside at its best, but never mind, I was chuffed enough just to see her

I had co-incidentally received my copy of the latest revision of Thomas & Lewington a couple of days previously and had noticed that the SWF description still states that this form is restricted to the central south of the country with an abrupt cut-off outside of this range. Well, this form has been turning up in Warwickshire woods for a number of years now; I have seen examples, both here and at Oversley Wood during the past four years and I know they have also been recorded in Ryton Wood.
One for the next revision perhaps

This site is split into two parts with a road going through the middle and crossing into the other part I saw more of the same species plus half a dozen White Admirals flitting and gliding above the paths.
One large bramble patch was particularly popular, with half a dozen SWFs, a couple each of Commas, Peacocks and White Admirals and a worn Red Admiral all sharing it.
The White Admirals in particular were showing the signs of a hard life amongst the brambles with all those that I saw being well past their best.
I didn’t notice at the time but when going through the photos one of the Commas looks like it probably qualifies as ab. o-album,
I also managed to get good views of the SWF courtship flight with a female flying straight down the track with a male spiralling around her. I have seen this before but never so close and so clearly as today when it happened right in front of me a couple of times and I watched as they flew a hundred yards or more down the path before disappearing through a gap in the trees.

My original plan for today was to do a bit of pottering around the house and garden and then just chill out for bit…glad I changed my mind

Bye for now,

Neil.

What a gorgeous Valesina Neil. Your photos certainly do her justice. Fabulous! I have never seen one before but if I could get a few shots like that I would be thrilled. Well done too for spotting that Comma - great find. What a day!

Thanks Pauline, it was a great afternoon, so much the better for being spur of the moment

I have just edited the photo order and moved the Comma up which places the normal SWF female closer to the valesina which shows the difference better.

Cheers,

Neil.

Hi Neil,

Great reporting as usual, with lovely photos. I especially like your two in a bush photos and, you have certainly cracked it with your pictures of the Valesina, what a beauty. Also loved the closed wing shot of the Comma, nailed it.

All the best, Nick.

Neil,you are not allowed Essex Skippers up there,they are not for sharing! Yours are all Small Skippers!

That SWF Valezina is a cracker,congratulations.

Brilliant shots of the lovely SWF valesina Neil

Mike

Cracking shots of the valesina Neil

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thank all for the great comments, very much appreciated as always

essexbuzzard wrote:Neil,you are not allowed Essex Skippers up there,they are not for sharing! Yours are all Small Skippers!

Sorry Mark, I am afraid they have found their way past me , there are Essex sightings from Prees Heath and Ludlow, well into Shropshire now and seem to be doing very well this year .

Friday 18th July

A spectacular thunderstorm during the early hours of this morning left it feeling uncomfortably warm and humid at work today. By the time I finished at mid-day as usual on a Friday and did my usual errands and domestic stuff, it was turning into a very hot afternoon.
I decided to nip round to Shadowbrook Meadows, thinking that by late afternoon it might start to cool down a bit...well, I was wrong. The bits of cloud that had been around earlier in the afternoon gave way to a clear blue sky with the sun beating down mercilessly and if anything it just seemed to get hotter and hotter

Needless to say, the butterflies, of which there were loads, were extremely active and whilst many of them were stopping at flowers it was only for the briefest moment and usually with wings clamped firmly shut.

Species seen were Meadow Browns and Small Skippers, both all over the place in large numbers, Gatekeepers and Ringlets in smaller numbers, half a dozen fresh Peacocks, a couple each of Common Blue and Brown Argus plus a single Small Copper.
By about 5.30pm I was wilting in the heat so called it a day and went back home.

Bye for now,

Neil

Some evocative pictures there Neil for this "English ex-pat ". I love the photos of two species set in context. I miss that high summer in English woodland.

And splendid valesina shots. I have only seen valesina in a couple of localities: Bentley Wood and a private garden in the Cotswolds. That was many years ago. It really is a spectacular form and I believe it is (I think read in my "South") the dominate form of the female in some areas in the temperate far east.

Jack

I agree with Jack - those paired photos are very interesting and useful. I spent ages pursuing a 'SWF' recently, only for it to mutate into a Comma,immediately on landing I also experienced firmly-closed wings at Lough Down on Thursday.

Our butterflies do not seem to like too much sun whereas, further South, they seem to cope much better. We also don't seem to see the phenomenon of butterflies congregating around pools of water, as often seen in Europe.

Mike

Thanks for the great comments guys, very much appreciated

Hi Jack, there is certainly something special about high summer in English woodland. Mind you, that is a beautiful part of the world that you have moved to.
That is interesting about valesina being the dominant female form in some parts of the temperate far east.

Hi Mike, I have watched Commas myself in the past thinking that they were male SWFs, especially early in their season before I have got my 'eye in' again on their flight patterns.
A lot of our butterflies do seem to hide away if it gets too hot. Some seem quite happy with it though, it is just that we cannot get near them when they are warmed up in super speedy mode

Cheers,

Neil

Sunday 20th July

Yesterday we had a couple of nasty thunderstorms accompanied by very heavy rain which didn’t finally clear until later in the afternoon.
Today was a far more pleasant day with a mixture of sun and clouds and a temperature that stayed in the low twenties which felt far more comfortable. With a couple of hours free this afternoon I decided to nip out and pay another visit to Shadowbrook Meadows where I had been on Friday afternoon when it was uncomfortably hot.

Arriving at the reserve, my heart sank to see that the local farmer had started to cut the meadows, with the first meadow completely cut and the second one started on. I went along the hedges around the outside to reach the so far untouched meadows, noticing as I went, a few Meadow Browns fluttering across the cut grass where there had been hordes of them a few days ago. At least the Gatekeepers seemed unaffected with even more in evidence along the hedges than there were the other day with increasing numbers of females now out.
In the uncut meadows the butterflies were swarming, mostly Meadow Browns and Small Skippers (with a few Essex confirmed amongst them) with a dozen or so Peacocks flitting from flower to flower.
One particular Meadow Brown looked very pale in flight and when settled proved to be a very light coloured individual, a bit worn and faded but still paler than normal.
The Common Blues, Brown Argus and Small Coppers here had only just begun their summer brood emergences and I cannot help but be a bit concerned for them with the meadows being mown at this time.

After an hour or so I decided to move on and on my way out had a quick chat with the farmer. Apparently he has an agreement with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, who he leases the meadows from, to cut them on or around the 16th July each year. That’s as maybe, but looking back on my notes from visiting here previously, he hasn’t cut them this early in the past few years. I was photographing second brood Common Blues and Small Coppers here on 26th July last year when the meadows were still uncut.

Oh well, I know that the meadows are cut at some time each year anyway, hopefully my concerns prove to be unjustified.

Bye for now,

Neil

Beautiful Meadow Brown. Also your valezina is something else!! Really 'natural looking' pictures that make a refreshing change!!

badgerbob wrote:Also your valezina is something else!! Really 'natural looking' pictures that make a refreshing change!!

I agree - nice shots!

Cheers,

- Pete

Great shots Neil I reckon your first male Gatekeeper is an aberrant as it has much reduced second eye spots.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Bob, glad you like my photos I do try and capture the butterflies in a way that reflects their character, with varying degrees of success.

Thanks Pete, much appreciated

Thanks Wurzel, I am not sure anymore what qualifies as an ab. or not with Gatekeepers, there just seems so much variation in the spots (or lack of them)

Cheers,

Neil.

Sunday 20th July - continued

Having spent less time at Shadowbrook Meadows than originally planned I decided to head back down the road to the village of Catherine-de-Barnes which is just a couple of miles away. There is a public footpath here which is usually good for awakening hibernators in spring and where I have found loads of autumn Commas in the past couple of years.

Sure enough, within seconds of parking up and walking down the path I had seen a couple each of Peacocks and Commas. Coming to a more open area with a number of large bramble patches (the best spot for autumn commas) I found more Peacocks and Commas plus some Small Tortoiseshells
The Small Tortoiseshell below looked a bit odd with its miss-matched forewing tips, not sure if the blue on the RH wing tip is due to damage or to some trauma in the pupa or something else entirely ?
I was quite pleased with the photo below of the Small Tortoiseshell with the out of focus Peacock in the background
In about an hour I saw a couple of dozen Peacocks here with half a dozen or more each of Commas and Small Tortoiseshells. Other butterflies seen were numerous passing 'whites', Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers plus a single example each of Common Blue and Small Copper.

Bye for now,

Neil.