www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

That is a glorious sight Essex I'm looking forward to the wild garlic blooming

Have a goodun
Wurzel

Thanks,Wurzel. These wood anemones must be one of my favorites!

Well,everyone,i hope you all enjoyed the wekend sunshine?

Unfortunately,i was at work,but i did manage to see two new species for 2013- Brimstone Saturday and Small Tortoiseshell today.
Not quite as spectacular as Kippers' Large Torts on IOW,but a pleasure anyway.

CORNWALL

Just back from a mid Spring short break to Cornwall.

The weather wasn't ideal,there was a lot of mist and drizzle at times-classic 'warm-sector' weather-but wasn't too bad. Temperatures were near average,and it didn't rain.

On Tuesday, we took a walk along the coast near Seaton,SW Cornwall. For once the sun shone,and soon,a Small Tortoiseshell was the first butterfly of the day. Then,abundant Speckled Woods started to be seen,my first for the year. Further up,a Peacock was basking,and a Comma flew past and landed.
Meanwhile,several buzzards were soaring and at one point,six were in the air,with much mewing and displaying. Eventually,a pair descended to mate on top of a windswept hawthorn.
As we turned to continue the walk,something blue flitted in the nearby ivy. It was a Holly Blue,my first of 2013,soon joined by another male.
By now,the forecast cloud was filling in, so we headed off to Looe for a pasty,having made the best of the mornings weather.
Normally,whites,Orange Tips,Green Hairstreaks and early Pearl-bordered Frits can be expected here by late April,which was the main reason for the trip,but, even when i returned to the site on Friday,my last day,nothing of the sort were seen,evidence of the very late season this year.
So,even though i got 5 species,including a couple of firsts,i couldn't help feeling a little deflated by the end of the week.

The middle part of the week was dominated by mild,misty conditions-classic 'warm sector' weather. However,on Thursday night,a cold front went through,sweeping away the fog.
Apart from an unsuccessful walk on the coast,mentioned earlier,we also went to cabilla woods,near Bodmin. A kingfisher was a good start. Several marsh tits were seen. By mid-morning,although a chilly day,it was warming up in the rides and clearings. Again,the late season was evident, but a Peacock was seen,followed by one,then two lovely male Brimstones.
So that was the last of the six species we saw in Cornwall.

Hopefully try again next year.

A few more pics from Cornwall;

A great start yesterday,when i saw this little cracker in my garden,warming up in the morning sun!

A morning walk in my local woods. As well as Orange Tips,i also saw my first Green-veined Whites of the year. Peacocks were common,and several Small Tortoiseshells were seen. A pair of buzzards were soaring over the wood,as well as a sparrowhawk. With the woods full of primroses and violets,and glorious sunshine,this is vintage spring stuff.

Early afternoon found me visiting two of my oxlip woods,West Wood and Shadwell Wood. As i said last year,oxlips are very special and much loved in Essex. I have seen them in Suffolk,too,close to the Essex border.Their numbers have declined,and one of the reasons is that the increasing numbers of deer love to nibble the oxlip heads off.
It is interesting,if pointless to wonder if the old East Anglian colonies of Duke of Burgundy would have used them as caterpillar foodplants,in the days when coppicing was common.
Oxlip flowers come in male and female forms,on seperate plants,as the pictures in Shadwell Wood show.
Brimstones,Peacocks,Commas and Green-veined Whites were flying along the rides,but,unlike Cornwall last week,still no Speckled Woods.
Early purple orchids were out in the woods. The first Herb Paris were flowering,a scarce indicator of ancient woodland.Birdsong was everywhere,and with super weather,spring doesn't get any better than this

BLUEBELL TIME!

Essex is an excellent county for bluebells,and on Friday,we had the pleasure of visiting two of the best woods. I say 'pleasure'- the wind was blowing a near gale and sunshine was hard to come by!

We started at Blakes wood,an ancient wood near Danbury. Coppicing has produced a wide range of flowers,and birdsong, and this continues today. At the moment,a glorious carpet of bluebells is at its peak. Perhaps they benefited from last years wet weather,they seem even more splendid this year!

Then onto Norsey wood,a local nature reserve near Billericay. Another spectacular carpet of glorious blue awaited us,along with other flowers,including yellow archangel,indicator of ancient woodland. Shame the weather wasn't better but,well,thats Great Britain for you! A carpet of colour like this brightens up any day!

Butterflies seen included my first Essex Speckled Woods(i saw them in Cornwall in April), Brimstone,Small White,Orangetips,G.V. White, Small Tort,Peacock, and Holly Blues.

MORE BLUEBELLS!
Yesterday i awoke to a rare blue sky so,before work i took a walk around Park Wood,near Ongar. We are so lucky in Britain,and especially in Essex,to have such fantastic bluebell woods,and this wood is another splendid one. We all complain about our miserible weather,but bluebells thrive in our cool,damp climate. They are much scarcer in Europe and are a British treasure. So an early walk,before the rain returned...

Right come rain or shine I'm heading to Garston this weekend to see my local Bluebell wood We'll be checking to see if we can smell them as well - got to keep out Johnny foreigner! Lush Holly Blue too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

What a smashing diary. Really interesting photos. Count me in as a regular reader from now on.

Thanks very much for the kind comments,folks!

Although this is a butterfly forum,i do like to mix it up a bit,especially when the weather is as dodgy as this year! Often, butterflies are out of the question,and this is perhaps when my love of wild flowers and other wildlife is seen more often.

We all have different characters on ukb!

BLUEBELLS PART THREE!
It's been really cold this week,and the absence of new butterflies emerging gave me a chance to check out some more bluebell woods on Thursday. Unlike the rest of this week,the sun shone,though still only around 12C-the May average is 16C for east Anglia.

Started off at Hillhouse wood,near Colchester,managed by Woodland Trust and local volunteers. The bluebell carpet here was truely spectacular. The Nightingale and Cuckoo sing here,and spring flowers abound. Early purple ochids,including white ones,were at their peak,while,by the stream,wild garlic was abundant. In places,bluebells combine with stitchwort- a lovely sight. As the morning dampness evaporated,the scent of all these bluebells really was something i wish i could capture!
Late morning,and off to a nearby Green Hairstreak site. Despite two and a half hours searching,in sunny,if cool weather, still no sign of them. There is still time,but it is a bit of a worry.
Then on to Weeleyhall wood,an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve,not far from Clacton-on-Sea. This is another Nightingale wood,and a pair of buzzards were soaring effortlessly above. A bluebell carpet here too. These Essex woods,together with the others we have seen, contain some of the greatest densities of bluebells IN THE WORLD!
Butterflies were rather few today,Peacocks,and a few whites,Orange Tips,Speckled Woods and worn Commas.

So,if you have the time,and the weather is reasonable,get out and enjoy your nearbly bluebells this weekend,before they are gone!

GLOOMY SKIES-AGAIN!

After weeks of dull,cold weather which has felt more like November than May,and hardly any sign of spring or butterflies,i finaly gave up on dull,miserible East Anglia on Tuesday,and,with better weather expected further west,set out to try and find some sunhine somewhere.
Eventually we found our way to Heyshott Down,in West Sussex. Although skies were leaden here too,it was expected to become brighter and warmer as the day went on.Guess what? It didn't. It was just as cold and miserible here as it was back home! Needless to say,we saw absolutely no butterflies there. Left at 4.30 with skies just as gloomy as when we arrived.

And there went my only chance to see the Duke of Burgundy this year. Not to mention the considerable time and cost it took to get there and back. And all for nothing.
I love Britain,but the lousy weather,it breaks my heart.

With another dull,cold morning,but the promise,at last,of some desperately needed 'long sunny spells' this afternoon, i decided to visit Oxley Meadows,an Essex Wildlife Trust site,this morning,and then go butterflying after lunch.

Oxley meadows are known for their wildflowers,and particularly in May,green-winged orchids,which grow by the thousand here and colour the meadows. A wide range of colour orchids can be seen,from deep blackcurrant purple,through pink, to pure white,all with green veins. With the meadow buttercups opening now,they make a spectacular show!

Also in these meadows,grow large numbers of the strange little plant,the adders tongue,a plant of ancient grassland. Above all these,swallows were hawking the insects over the grassland,and in the shelter of the trees.

And onto this afternoon. Guess what? Those promised warm sunny spells never materialized.So still no butterflies.

How much do we pay these people????

THE LATE SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Well,i hope everyone has been able to enjoy the weekend sunshine at last! Unfortunately,i've been at work but,on Saturday i managed to get out at lunchtine. It was lovely to see the wonderful hawthorn and horse-chestnut in bloom in the sunshine! The horse-chestnut has very pretty flowers when viewed close-up,and seems unscathed by the recent cold and wind-remember,this is a tree which comes from Greece!
While out,i was delighted to see three Orange Tips-two males and an egg-laying female. This is a species i have struggled to see at all this spring,which is a great shame. They have seemed virtually absent but in truth,there have been very few days when adults have been able to fly.These sightings made my day!
Large and Small Whites were also seen but,all to soon,time to get back to work.

Unfortunately,i had to work again today,but i finish at 4 on Sundays,which means on sunny days like this i can get out before the end of the butterfly day.
So this afternoon,i headed for the Langdon Hills. Walking down the wooded country lanes here,full of the scent of flowering hawthorn and the sound of singing songthrushes,chiff-chaffs abd blackcaps,i was reminded why i love this time of year so much. May passes all to soon,so every second should be enjoyed.
Soon i found my self in the open meadows,where my first Small Heath of the year was quickly seen. On the nearby hedge, two Commas where involved in terotorial behavior,spiraling upwards,over the hedge,never to be seen again! A few more Orange Tip males were seen patroling the hedges as well. Suddenly,something orange landed nearby. Great! My first Small Copper of the year. Searching the fields in the evening sunlight,several more were seen.

Langdon is home to the very last Essex colony of Grizzled Skipper. Having searched the meadows,none were seen,and it seemed i would go home empty-handed. This is no disaster,as they always emerge later on this flat site than they do on southern downland,and in this,the coldest of springs as well.But then,a grey blur shot past. So i searched again,backwards and forewards. In the weakening sunlight,it wouldnt go far. Suddenly,in shot past again,and this time i managed to follow it until it landed. And there it was,a beauty Grizzled Skipper in Essex! It was a little battered but,no matter,it was here. It had more extensive white than normal,this form often is seen here.
Time was getting on. So,as i walked down this last hedge,i frequently stopped to admire the sight and scent of the hawthorn blossom,grateful for my splendid evening. And there,in the grass by the hawthorn-another Grizzled Skipper-and i wasn't even looking! This was mint-in fact,it probably emerged today! And it was much nearer to the normal type. Wow-evenings don't get better than this!

Those are great shots of intermedia, Buzzard! And a dazzling green hairstreak to boot!

Guy