Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Great Small Blues and Walls (from previous-previous post) Buggy I thought the Glannies had started emerging from Hutchinson's?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

As of Sunday Wurzel I think there's been three confirmed sightings but they've not hung around where they've emerged

29th May, Walthamstow Marshes

From the window it didn’t look very promising today. Low, grey clouds as far as the eye could see but I thought I’d pop out for the afternoon just on the off chance. The overcast conditions belied the fact that it was really rather warm and very muggy and arriving on site I was pleasantly surprised to find a few Common Blue active, a couple of male and yet again a very blue female.

Several times throughout the afternoon it attempted to rain, rather pathetic light drizzle which didn’t really seem to stop the butterfly activity, I found a Speckled Wood and a few Holly Blue during my wanderings as well as an unidentified White

The Orange-tip cats feeding on Rape seem to be doing ok.

I decided to make my way over to Hackney Marshes, on the other side of the River Lea, where I saw a lone Small Heath last year. On my way several more Common Blues were enjoying the muggy conditions, all males.

It had got a bit gloomier by the time I crossed the river, and the drizzle was a little more persistent, no less pathetic though, and for a while no butterflies were seen. Moths were everywhere though, lots of Yellow Shells, Burnet Companions and micro moths. Finally a butterfly joined them, another Common Blue basking in the drizzle. He flew off before I got my camera on him. There were also lots of Damselflies around, mostly Common Blue with the occasional Blue-tailed and an unidentified Dragonfly occasionally zoomed past.

A little later, joining the various orange and yellow moths I saw something buzzing around much faster, my first Large Skipper of the year. I watched him flying around maniacally for about a minute, seemingly very excited by the new flappy growths on the side of his body and although he threatened to land a few times, I finally lost him. Whilst searching for him I disturbed a female Common Blue and then whizzing past me came a large sandy coloured butterfly, a home grown Painted Lady, wings still soft, looking quite glorious in the subdued light.

I probably saw about 10 Common Blues in the end, which given the weather and the fact this is east London, not some home county down land, is not too shabby at all !

A small selection of the moths I found during my wanderings:

White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla

Pammene aurana

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Yarrow Plume, Gillmeria pallidactyla

[millerd]

A home-grown Painted Lady is a great find, Buggy. It would be good to see a few more... I came across one at Denbies and then one at Bookham the other day, but that's about it.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Love the markings on the Pammene aurana Bugboy Lovely set of Blues too - hopefully the Glannies will be about at HB in reasonable numbers this weekend, fingers crossed...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

31st May, Epping Forest

Well this will be my last report for a couple of weeks, off on some trips which will hopefully mean I have lots of pictures to share and will leave me behind by Wurzel proportions for some months to come! I may just bump into the odd familiar face on my travels as well, but back to today.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Epping and I had been promised by those people on the TV that I was in for wall to wall blue sky…. HA !

Well at least it was warm if somewhat muggy under they mostly cloudy conditions. For the first half hour or so the only butterfly I saw were Small Heath, they were everywhere but mostly rather uncooperative. A little persistence did pay off though and I managed some standard Small Heath shots, they were mostly past their best but I did see a few fresh animals in amongst them.

I couldn’t help but notice Small Ermine moth caterpillars had stripped bare several large patches of Blackthorn. Close up they are mostly pupating, looking like some sort of alien pods.

Once into the woodland Speckled Woods replaced the Heaths, with lots of fresh males dotted around the edges of paths and rides.

I was watching and trying to grab a few snaps (and failing) of a couple of Holly Blues who were mud puddling on the damp path when A female red admiral sailed into view. I was able to quickly train my camera on her as she deposited an egg.

A couple of minutes later I found another Holly Blue doing the same thing and this time managed a few snaps. I had assumed it was a male until it fluttered up onto some leaves to bask revealing a very fresh female.

I’d been hoping for some Small Coppers but found none at the first hot spot, where the Small Heath hang out but at the second one this female settled in front of me, a little aged but displaying some very reduced spotting. A second fresher and more normal looking individual showed up shortly after.

Context shot showing lots of Sorrel

I wandered further but it had started to cloud over a bit more and saw nothing more until I returned to the Small Copper meadow an hour and half later where I was surprised to find three male Common Blue active. I’ve been exploring Epping Forest on and off for about ten years and I’ve never Seen Common Blue in this part. I also found another Copper, this one a male.

I saw very little during the rest of the return journey, the skies had darkened substantially, although some Small Heath were still active but of course the law of sod struck as soon as I was on the train home, the clouds broke and suddenly there were large patches of blue sky, enough to tempt me out for an hour or two onto Walthamstow Marshes. The law of sod was having a good old laugh at my expense today, as soon as I got there the sun vanished to be replaced by a leaden, ominous looking sky.

It was definitely too dark for anything to fly but searching for roosting Blues came up trumps, probably found about twenty in the end which is quite remarkable considering last year I was hard pushed to find one here on a warm sunny afternoon! They were almost all males apart from a single female whom I disturbed, yet another very blue female but you’ll just have to take my word for it this time.

an ab. with reduced spotting

I also found one Small Copper, my first one here this year, hopefully the first of many.

I consider Latticed Heath honorary Butterflies

[millerd]

My turn to contribute a for that female Holly Blue, Buggy! I haven't seen one for a few days now. And more Small Coppers! I still haven't found a single one... You'll have to let me know where your Bookham hotspot is.

Dave

[bugboy]

My turn to contribute a for that female Holly Blue, Buggy! I haven't seen one for a few days now. And more Small Coppers! I still haven't found a single one... You'll have to let me know where your Bookham hotspot is.

Dave

I'm honoured !

As for Small coppers at Bookham, anywhere in the open scrub between the train station up to the main path that leads to the Brown Hairstreak hotspots. You might have to wait until the second brood appears there now though, only found a couple worn individuals on my last visit. It seems about a fortnight behind Hoggers lot on Dungerness so keep an eye on his diary and time it from there I reckon.

[bugboy]

1st June, Black Hairstreak

Well it seems like an age since I last posted anything on here, travels and limited internet access have kept me out of the loop apart from the occasional peek. Not quite sure when I’ll be able to catch up on everyone else’s reports as well as catch up on mine…..soooooo mnay photographs to trawl through!

Anyway on the 29th May I was tipped off by PhiliB that the Black Hairstreaks at Monks Wood were out, just a couple, but even that was enough to get me thinking about a trip up there before the week was out before my excursions to the ‘colonies’. When Phil next reported seeing several more a day or so later the trip was sealed, Thursday, and this year I was determined to see them on my first trip!

I arrived bright and early and within half an hour saw my first Hairstreak, flitting along some Blackthorn and off into the wood, an excellent start to the day. As I stopped to see if it would come back a flash of orange caught my eye and I got my first chance at photographing a Large Skipper of the year, just a few snaps before I set off down to the main path and Hairstreak hotspot.

Phil had giving me a few pointers of where exactly to head and very quickly I found two or three enjoying the morning sun in a recently cleared patch, still not close enough to photograph but nevertheless it was good to watch them jinking around in typical hairstreak fashion. Wandering around the Orchids were also catching my eye, especially a nice Butterfly Orchid in full flower

About an hour after I arrived I met up with Phil, who’s expert eyes soon found me one low down feeding on honeydew. He wasn’t in the best position to get pictures but considering I only managed three pictures from a very brief encounter last year I was very happy with what I got.

It was difficult to put a figure on the numbers with only three or four seen at any one time but it was great seeing them. Occasionally one would land low down to bask but I was generally not fast enough, although I was silly enough to miss a second good opportunity when I went walkabout only to return to find Phil had been calling me when a female had come down to bask for a while .

I did get a second chance with another low down basker but it never quite sat at the right angle for me, still better than last year though.

There wasn’t too much other butterfly activity other than several fresh Speckled Wood, but a female Common Blue stopped by (another blue one I nearly mistook for a male) and this Red-necked Footman caught my eye.

In-between periods of Hairstreak action Broad-Bodied Chasers kept us occupied, females sitting up high with a male holding a territory over a puddle.

I will get better pictures next time but I couldn't stay any longer, I had a plane to catch in the morning. all in all though, I left very pleased with myself with what I managed, thanks Phil .

Now to read about other peoples adventures

[kevling]

Bugboy,

Well done with the Black Hairstreaks and nice photos too. I was there yesterday and it was a great pleasure to see so much action.

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Bugboy,

Well done with the Black Hairstreaks and nice photos too. I was there yesterday and it was a great pleasure to see so much action.

Regards Kev

Thanks Kev, I've been told by the man in the know that it's been a good season for them this year

[trevor]

Well done with the Black Hairstreak, Paul. They would be a lifer for me, but not this year.
Other fish to fry, and all that.

Trevor.

[David M]

Good for you, Bugboy.

Black Hairstreaks, given their rarity and difficulty to photograph are one of the most highly prized British species. Not many have posted images of them on here so far this year, so well done for getting an audience.

I'll be interested to hear what you've been up to during your absence!

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Bugboy - a species I'm really struggling with - they emerge at just the wrong time for me. Oh well one day...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

2nd June, Ireland part 1

This is now the third year of my ‘mission’ and a year where said mission had to be altered slightly. With Large Tortoiseshells now almost certainly back in the UK, the mission was now to photograph all 60 species. After managing the LT already and then getting the Wood White a few weeks ago I was left with a handful of species which required more than just day trips to find.

The first one on this list was one that does often get neglected, the Cryptic Wood White. For me though it’s no less important than any other of our natives even though it supposedly does look identical to it's mainland cousin.

The same work colleague who helped me find Swallowtails last year offered to chauffeur me around Ireland and after some discussion we decided our base of operations would be Galway on the east coast, thinking that perhaps I might also be able to get Irish sinapis as well as some of the other species that are confined to the Burren area.

We had several hours in-between landing in Shannon and booking in at Galway so we decided to take the scenic route through the Burren, a wise decision just for the scenery alone, a truly beautiful part of the world with some stunning vistas.

We drove around for a while looking for somewhere to park, not easy on these narrow country lanes but eventually we found a lay-by and got out for a wander. A few rather tatty Brimstones were active but not much else was seen. Nearby we found a small meadow that didn’t seem to have any signs saying ‘keep out’ so we snuck in and walked around the edge. It was a beautiful hay meadow with a rich flora, perhaps being left fallow this year and although we didn’t put up any butterflies at first, damselflies and dragonflies were very numerous.

Context

On the return walk though, a solitary Wood White casually fluttered past, not stopping and vanished over the hedge.

Opposite the meadow was a country lane that looked good for a wander and almost immediately we came across a few more Wood Whites going about their business along the edge. I was immediately taken by how different they looked from the ones I’d seen at Chiddingfold a few weeks earlier, noticeably greener/yellower.

A bit further along several more were seen, including a rather popular female.

Context

I did mean to record exactly where I was but completely forgot due to the endless scenery and excitement of finding Wood Whites so quickly. But doing a little bit of research (and much searching on google maps) it looks like, quite by accident, I was just a stone’s throw away from the Lough Bunny site listed on the Wood White distribution map on here. So, based on location I must be seeing Irish sinapis.

We carried on along the lane for the best part of an hour, finding several Large Whites (in fact more than I’ve seen all season so far) a tatty Small white,

a few Speckled Wood and a lovely fresh male Common Blue. He was very reluctant to open his wings but when he did I was taken by the shade of blue, deeper than English cousins and the darker black border inside the white fringe.

Stopping to chat with some friendly locals we found out we could go onto the Burren landscape itself which was being used to house some horses. I found more Common Blues, all males, all fresh, all unwilling to open their wings and all unwilling to pose for me! A couple of Small Heath were active and I came across a single Dingy Skipper, presumably the paler baynesi race, although how much of paleness was due to its age is impossible to say.

Butterfly wise that was about it. Odonata were again quite numerous though.

Time had vanished and when I checked my phone I found that the hostel we had booked had emailed asking when we were due to arrive. A good start to the trip, now off to dump our stuff and find some good old Irish pub grub !

[Wurzel]

Looking forward to the next installment Bugboy especially as you're trying for the often forgotten butterfly How easy was getting to Northern Ireland and the various sites there?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Brilliant stuff, Buggy. The Burren is a part of Ireland I would really like to see and this looks like a good time of year to do it. I can't wait for the rest of the trip. The lemony hints on those Wood Whites are really noticeable, too.

Dave

[bugboy]

We never went to Northern Ireland in the end Wurzel, we stayed around the west coast of the republic. I may not have seen Cryptics in the UK but as far as I'm concerned the Republic still counts as part of 'The British Isles'

I highly recommend the Burren and surrounding area for a destination Millerd, it feels like how the English countryside would have looked 100 years ago, just a shame they don't have as many species as we have!

3rd June, Ireland part 2

The second day of the trip didn’t look so promising, cool, cloudy and somewhat wet conditions greeting us when we woke up. Nevertheless we set off for the days destination, Ballydoogan Bog, a site listed on UKB as having both Cryptics and Marsh Fritillaries and only a short distance from Galway. We had to dodge some rather nasty looking clouds on the way but when we arrived at the ‘site’ we couldn’t really work out exactly where it was. There were lots of marshy looking meadows around but all seemed to be private land and there was little in the way of parking places. We finally found what seemed like a lay-by and got out to explore on foot but still couldn’t find any access points to any of the meadows. All I managed in the end were some shots of a faded Speckled Wood.

Still dodging some rather heavy showers we left, with me feeling a little despondent, and drove a bit further east (away from the Burren so if we did come across Wood Whites we could be pretty confident of their ID).

A short distance down the road my friend decided to turn into an equestrian centre and horse museum, so we could work out where to aim for next (and also use their conveniences). Because the sun had decided to shine we also went for a wander, some of the lanes leading off looked quite promising. It was when we turned onto this lane that hope started to turn into expectation…

and within a few minutes I saw a roosting Wood White in the verge (it had gone a bit cloudy again) which, based on location, I concluded was a Cryptic Wood White. Looking more closely several popped out including an unusual sighting. There was obviously something not quite right about this male but enabled me some easy upper side shots.

We stayed here for about half an hour, every time the sun came out from behind a cloud they would all wake up and flutter around, probably eight or nine in one short area of sunlit road verge. Like the assumed sinapis the previous day, they were noticeably different in colouration to English Wood Whites I’ve seen. At one point a male orange-tip fluttered by and was immediately accosted by a couple of male Wood Whites. It certainly made up for the disappointment from the first site and the fact that we stumbled across them so easily would suggest they really are as widespread and common as we are lead to believe.

The rest of the day was spent dodging more rain, which began to dominate the day and no more butterflies were seen. At my suggestion we visited Loughrea, nestled on the north side of a large lake and found a nice wildlife area on the marshy foreshore. Although any butterflies present were doing a good job at hiding I did find some Orange-tip eggs. There were plenty of birds around, Reed Buntings were very numerous in particular.

A mixed day but target species and species number 56 successfully ticked of

[David M]

I suspected you’d been up to something quite spectacular during your absence, Bugboy! Fair play, there aren’t many who have made this trip and it looks like you were rewarded with some stunning landscapes as well as desirable butterflies.

By the way, which UK species are you still missing?

[Wurzel]

Good to see you able to confirm your 'Tick' Bugboy WRT to David's comment - is Chequered Skipper one - I can't remember now?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Great Black Hairstreaks and it looks like you had a brilliant trip to the Emerald Isle too I guess there's more to come