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Monday 14th June – Back home….

I had my second coronavirus inoculation at 12.30pm today, and although the weather was marginal, I decided after leaving the Bay Field Hospital that I would pop over the road to Crymlyn Burrows to see what was about.

Given the wind and predominantly cloudy skies, there wasn’t much; a few Common Blues & Small Heaths as well as the odd Large Skipper and a Small Blue.

However, I did manage to find my first Dark Green Fritillaries of the year:
Still no Meadow Browns which was a bit of a surprise.

Just catching up on your northern trip David, well done on catching up with 'proper' artaxerxes, something that I have yet to do

Nice Mountain Ringlets and Large Heath too. I must get up north myself again before long, maybe next year.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks, Neil. Yes, artaxerxes was an 'itch' that had tormented me for several years. I've well and truly scratched it now.

Wednesday 16th June – Green Down….

Another early start this morning, this time to Green Down, which is an alternative site for Large Blue not that far from Collard Hill.

I figured it would be much quieter at this lesser known location, and I was right; only two others were present during my time there, both of whom were experienced, knowledgeable guys in their 70s, far more convivial than glory hunters who go running up and down the slopes without a thought for the habitat or the butterflies. Here’s the entrance to the hillside:
It was a beautiful, warm, still and sunny morning, and at 8.10am it was intoxicatingly serene, with the birdsong being punctuated just once by a passing train. I had a slow wander around the site which looked very attractive with the morning dew still clinging to the vegetation:
I came across several Meadow Browns, my first of the year:
This bee orchid stood out too:
Just after 8.30, I saw my first Large Blue but even at this early hour it wasn’t prepared to open its wings. The second I saw was similarly disinclined and it was only with the teamwork of the other guys on site that we coaxed this male to briefly offer up a glimpse of the uppersides:
I eventually saw 11 Large Blues, including at least two females. This one was immaculate and had probably just emerged. I sat with this individual for a good 20 minutes, occasionally shading her in the hope she would oblige me with an upperside view. Eventually, she did:
She then took up position on this thistle head:
There were plenty of Small Heaths, a few Common Blues & Large Skippers as well as a couple of Dingy Skippers and a Brown Argus. I also saw a fresh brood Small Tortoiseshell on my way out of the site.

Lovely images of the Large Blue David, especially the middle one

David M wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:32 am ...I figured it would be much quieter at this lesser known location, and I was right;...

Not sure how long this will continue to be the case David. Last year, I saw a lot of photos on social media that were taken there and word has got around that the site is now open access.

Nice large Blues

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks Katrina – Yes, NBA north of the border is the best of all the forms in my view, and seeing it for the first time is something I’ve been waiting for a long time.
Thanks Goldie – Thanks for the tip re: Foulshaw. I’ll follow up on that next time I’m around that way.
Agreed, Neil, I doubt Green Down will forever remain as quiet as it was last week but even when it does become busier, at least it’ll take a bit of pressure off Collard Hill.

Beautiful photos of the Large Blues. I like your habitat shots too - makes it easy to imagine being there.

The shading technique certainly worked for you there, David - they rarely open up in full sunshine so you have to provide artificial clouds for them. The female especially is a splendid butterfly.

Cheers,

Dave

Lovely open wing shots, David, something I failed to see at Collard a few years back.
There's nothing like early am peace and quiet on a fine day, and that site looks
like a good place to enjoy it.

Stay well,
Trevor.

Well done, David. When you’re going to see something a bit special like that, it’s worth getting up early.

Fantastic shots David, it's one I've yet to see Hope fully it won't be as bad to catch up to as the Grizzled Skipper Goldie

Thank you, Pauline – that female must have just emerged as she was extremely docile and did very little in the 20 minutes I observed her.
Thanks, Katrina – always handy to show what a site looks like. I guess not many will have been to Green Down.
Cheers Trevor – it’s rare to find such peace and quiet when searching for Large Blues in the UK!! I didn’t take it for granted I can assure you.
Agree Mark – one of the great joys of life is that period around midsummer when it’s light before 5am! I try not to waste it.
Goldie – I think any UK butterfly is going to seem simple compared to your experiences with Grizzled Skipper!

Wednesday 16th June – Haddon Hill….

After leaving Green Down around 10.15am, I had an hour and a half’s drive to Haddon Hill on the other side of the M5 beyond Taunton.

It had really warmed up by the time I arrived and was quite humid, but the site looked inviting nonetheless:
I walked down this pathway to the bottom of the slope:
I saw a couple of flighty Heath Fritillaries just at the point where the path goes into the woodland, but as anyone who’s been here will know, the hotspot is to the right, adjacent to the woods, where there are a series of glades:
The word ‘hotspot’ is entirely appropriate here, because there were Heath Frits all over the place; certainly approaching 100 and maybe more than that!

Most were males flying around manically, so I stood my ground for a while and was entertained by two late Green Hairstreaks who were squabbling over a patch of bracken:
Eventually I spotted a female, so I just followed her, knowing that wherever she settled she would attract the attention of passing males:
In the heat, getting underside shots was hard work, but I persevered:
After two hours in this sweltering, steamy location, I headed back to my car for a drink, passing a few more Heaths on the pathway back up.
I then stopped in Tiverton to fill with diesel and noticed my car had done 703.1 miles on a single tank!! I had filled up on the Scottish border the previous Sunday on my way back to the Gower, and had been to Bridgend on the day before this outing. Nice to have such reliable and economical transport when undertaking trips for the UK rarities.

Tuesday 22nd June – Graft and reward….

Having booked mid June to mid July off a long while back in order to travel abroad, I found myself at a bit of a loose end, so I volunteered to help clear transect paths on the private side of the Alun Valley site, near Bridgend today.

Four hours scything was tough work, especially with the bracken approaching neck height:
The rewards compensated for this though. I was kept company by numerous High Brown and Dark Green Fritillaries which were racing round the slope and occasionally stopping for refuelling:
The first ones were only recorded on 12 June, so numbers are encouraging given they have yet to peak.

I also saw my first female Large Skipper of the year:
Still a couple of Small Pearl Bordered Frits hanging on, and other species seen were Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown & Common Blue.

where is Green Down?

I like the sound of ' numerous High Browns and DGF's ' David. One of the compensations
for where you live. Great report and images.

Stay well,
Trevor.

Butterflyboy, Green Down is in Somerset, not far from Collard Hill

Thanks, Trevor, like many UK Fritillaries, High Browns are only found in a handful of locations, but where they DO occur, they can be seen in excellent numbers. Alun Valley is no exception.

I have been waiting for the HBF to appear in your diary, David - you must have one of the best sites for them on your doorstep for which a or two is merited even before the photos appear! Great to see them.

I realise that we very nearly bumped into each other on 16th - I was at Collard shading Large Blues when you were at Green Down doing the same thing. I nearly stopped at the latter site, but missed the turning and just carried on the extra few miles.

Cheers,

Dave

(edit) PS - it turns out my visit was actually the day before - so I missed you by 24 hours as well!

Thanks, Dave. Yes, having such a rarity practically on my doorstep is most welcome and I absolutely love watching both adippe and aglaja flying in numbers together at this site.

Wednesday 23rd June – Time for a transect….

It was back to the Alun Valley site this morning to assist with a transect now that pathways have been cut to allow easier access.

Prior to starting though, I spent a few minutes at the top of the site. This area is replete with bramble and marsh thistles and is a spot the High Brown Fritillaries love:
You can see over the entire area from this vantage point – the public access area is on the upper left, Old Castle Down, although Dark Greens tend to outnumber HBFs in that area:
This Painted Lady was first to catch my eye:
Saw two this morning, taking my year’s total to four – there were a couple of Red Admirals and a handful of Small Tortoiseshells as well.

Positively identified High Browns numbered 7, although of the 20 or so others counted the majority looked like HBFs. In fact, I only saw one definite Dark Green.
I also saw my first Ringlets of the year (3):
Other species seen were Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary & Large Skipper.

jenks wrote: ↑Sun Jun 20, 2021 10:06 am...Thanks for clearing up whether I saw HBF or DGF. Just as well we have a HBF site in South Wales, seeing them there shouldn`t present a problem.

Sure is, Gareth. In the first week of transects, there have been 118 confirmed HBFs, which is excellent going. Looks like they are set to have a good year.

Fantastic reports from the Alun Valley David!

If you read about my PE meddling with a degree of frustration that you’re not closer to a similar site, then I certainly fire that back at you in relation to your HBFs!

Separating DGF and HBF is a delightful game reserved for foreign travel for me, but to be able to play it on your doorstep must be some consolation for another year of cancelled trips.

Unfortunately I think I’m too busy for butterfly day trips at the moment, but if I were to head your way when would you imagine the peak to be? About now I guess?