www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

18th June.

I had no specific species in mind today (well perhaps a Glanville but that was a seriously small needle in a huge haystack!). As it turned out I probably should have done what most the butterflies were doing, hiding from the heat. I should have known better than to go to Hutchinsons Bank on such a hot day, a site that regularly gets hotter than surrounding areas as it is!

A few butterflies were braving the sun, but not many and the only ones I could get close to were a few Small tortoiseshell and a female Marbled White. I ended up trying to cool down in the wood opposite before making the move home. Note to self, woodlands on ridiculously hot days !

That first Small Tort shot is a cracker Bugboy You need to be careful as you're getting a little behind on your PD

Have a goodun
Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:That first Small Tort shot is a cracker Bugboy You need to be careful as you're getting a little behind on your PD

Have a goodun
Wurzel

I'm trying to catch up Wurzel, 2 posts a day at the moment... Still not as far behind as some though eh

I've a feeling you've something special in the offing too, Bugboy?

I fear I may be posting quicker than some of you are able to keep up ! WLH, Small Heath ab, White Admirals by the dozen all on the previous page

I will admit I've had a pretty good Purple season so far David

The last 2 transect counts of Marbled Whites have been 250+. 2nd Brood Dingys and Small Blues have hatched the last week, and Silver Washed and Dark Green Frits are in Good Numbers in a nearby Wood, White Letter Hs, White Admirals are also flying, at this wood and HB.

I walked home across HB on the hot day, and every bush i disturbed sent about 50 butterflies up in the air, from their shady hiding place. Maybe Next year will be better for Glanvilles, the sightings count was over 12, but they were always bombing around rather than the usual sunning in muddy spots, probably too warm for them to do that this year.

Its never worth a visit to HB when the temp in the shade in over 30 oC

I did have a sighting of a [Dark] Dark Green Fritillary today at HB, but it was a fly by at high speed with no chance of a photo, i will be looking for it again this week.

Just catching up with everything, Buggy - a lot of for sure, but especially for the WLH shots. Still something I need to travel for, just as the weather goes downhill. Which station was it you went to?

Dave

millerd wrote:Just catching up with everything, Buggy - a lot of for sure, but especially for the WLH shots. Still something I need to travel for, just as the weather goes downhill. Which station was it you went to?

Dave

Leigh-on-sea Dave.

Great WLH 's Bugboy I've yet to photograph them, your doing great with the Butterflies I think by the time I'm in the South in two weeks they'll all be gone being has they're so early especially those lovely Marble Whites Goldie

Having been away it is taking a while to catch up with everything people have been seeing and doing. Sorry to hear of your illness. It is a horrible condition, even though you seem to have made the best of the recovery time.

Many, many of your shots are worthy of especially the WLH. I quickly did a search on the location and it was clear it would be a big expedition and it looks a large site once I navigate there. So I will enjoy your pictures and Pauline's instead. maybe next year.

Typical that whilst in Hungary it was hotter here and when I get back it turns to normal in the UK and hot there... perhaps it is me ...I attract rain.

Fine work

Peter

Goldie M wrote:Great WLH 's Bugboy I've yet to photograph them, your doing great with the Butterflies I think by the time I'm in the South in two weeks they'll all be gone being has they're so early especially those lovely Marble Whites Goldie

Thanks Goldie . You might still get some Marbled White, they should still be around in a couple of weeks

Art Frames wrote:Having been away it is taking a while to catch up with everything people have been seeing and doing. Sorry to hear of your illness. It is a horrible condition, even though you seem to have made the best of the recovery time.

Many, many of your shots are worthy of especially the WLH. I quickly did a search on the location and it was clear it would be a big expedition and it looks a large site once I navigate there. So I will enjoy your pictures and Pauline's instead. maybe next year.

Typical that whilst in Hungary it was hotter here and when I get back it turns to normal in the UK and hot there... perhaps it is me ...I attract rain.

Fine work

Peter

Thanks Peter, I think I got off very lightly with my Shingles, very little in the way of pain thankfully!

Regarding the WLH I can give you exact coordinates which as long as you go at the right time and in good weather will guarantee a good audience with them.

You think you have bad luck with the weather, I'm in the middle of my third UK butterflying trip and yet again plagued with torrential rain!!!

Thanks Peter, I think I got off very lightly with my Shingles, very little in the way of pain thankfully!

Regarding the WLH I can give you exact coordinates which as long as you go at the right time and in good weather will guarantee a good audience with them.

You think you have bad luck with the weather, I'm in the middle of my third UK butterflying trip and yet again plagued with torrential rain!!!

That would be wonderful. It is an offer that I would love to accept.

I’ve just returned from my third long distance UK butterflying trip, yet again plagued with rain which very nearly made it a complete right off, but more of that later, time to try and catch up again.

20th June, Bookham

Having been signed off work for another week and with the Emperor season starting nice and early this year I figured it was a good idea to get myself down to Bookham to see if I could catch a glimpse. I know it’s not the best place to find them on the ground but the past two years I have at least had brief visits from them and today was no different.

I ended up getting there much later than planned, a combination of over sleeping and delayed trains meant I didn’t arrive until gone 10. Nevertheless, I did get one appearance as I wondered the main path in between the two master tree’s I’m aware off. He flirted with the path for about 30 seconds in front of me before vanishing up into the trees, never to be seen again. He’d most likely already had his days quota of salts and was off to do battle with who/whatever passed by but he was the only one I was to see today. I did spend some quality time watching other species though, SWF, RA & WA all in attendance and I found another freshly emerged Buff Tip moth. Finally, I managed to also tick off the Purple Hairstreak for the year, I saw several fluttering around although I wasn’t able to get any pictures.

21st June, Bookham (No Tuna required!) part 1

The next day I woke up early and with no delayed trains made my way to Bookham again arriving at a much better Purple Emperor friendly time. It was set to be a scorcher again and things were already livening up with mating Dragonflies, Skippers, Browns and Nymphalids popping up and already very active. Once into the woods, Red Admirals began appearing along the path, mostly sticking to the shade with their wings closed and each time making my heart skip a beat as it flew up from under my feet. I saw one dart into the undergrowth at the edge of the path up ahead so I crept up to see what was so exciting only to find it wasn’t an Admiral at all, my first ever grounded Bookham Emperor had found breakfast. He was in deep shade and not particularly easy to get clear shot off but I did manage four wing purple! In trying to get a clearer shot I disturbed him whereby he spent several minutes licking leaves and looking down upon and circling me. I was definitely of interest to him and I soon discovered that I apparently tasted better than dog poo. He wouldn’t leave me alone but would always land on my back or the back of my legs. I finally managed to remove my backpack when he was settled and got a shot of him licking whatever it was on it but in trying the move it so he caught the sun better I disturbed him and this time he vanished up into the Oaks. I waited a while but when he didn’t reappear I moved on, only to bump into another butterfly who had had another one down for some time as well. It was still flitting along the path, looking for a spot but never really settled properly for me so I only managed a few distant shots and no purple. Red Admirals still littered the floor, I’ve noticed that ab. fructa (with the broken red wing band) seems quite common here Things were set to get better on the purple front though…

21st June, Bookham (No Tuna required!) part 2

I stayed with the other butterflyer, admiring each other HIM pictures as we wandered back along the path, unaware things were going to get even better. When we returned to the spot of my encounter, who should glide onto the path in front of us but my one with the nibbled forewing. This time however he didn’t stay long enough for a photo and went back into an overhanging Oak, so we decided to set up camp here in the hope of another encounter, since it seemed like a favoured spot. Sure enough we got another grounding quickly enough, from a different, better conditioned one. This male if anything was even more friendly than the last and would settle on both of us, usually in areas that made photography difficult…. or slightly embarrassing. Being one of the hottest days of the year so far it was very easy to encourage him onto sweaty fingers but every time we put him on the ground, close to some dog poo for extra encouragement, he would fly back up onto one of us after only a short time. It also became clear that it was a little too hot for him, we only got good open wing shots when we positioned him in the shade. Soon other butterflyers were drawn to us (like Emperors drawn to dog poo) and he ended up having five eager people to choose from, all like me having the best Emperor experience of their lives. I quickly became chief Emperor wrangler, when he needed to be moved I would just wipe my sweaty forehead and he would happily move onto my hand. We had his company for about an hour in the end and managed a few shots of a greener background which made a pleasant change before he finally bid us farewell to go and pick a fight with whatever was flying around today. After that I was more than happy to leave early, although I did get the nagging feeling that perhaps I need to review how often I bath

Having only 'seen' His Nibbs for the past three years those sort of shots really grate Bugboy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Your photos are absolutely top class, Bugboy! Love the WLH and the cracking shots of the Purple Emperor. I think you must be a butterfly whisperer

Sorry Wurzel, I'll give you a day off from 'enduring' my Purple pictures...

Thanks Janet, you're too kind . Not sure about being a butterfly whisperer, just knowing what they like, in this case bugboy sweat

22nd June, Looking for Large Tortoiseshells again

After some gentle encouragement from Mr Hulme it was off to North Stoke in search for the butterfly version of a needle in a haystack. I’d deliberately not come in preceding days due to the almost unbearable heat and the fact there’s precious little in the way of shade here, but the temperature had dropped significantly today to a more tolerable mid-twenties. I arrived just after midday and found I had the place to myself. Nymphalids and Whites were commonplace but just so as not to lead you all on, the only Tortoiseshells I found in the 4 hours I was there were of the Small variety. Still a fresh Small Tort isn’t to be sniffed at so many snaps were taken. Most of the Whites were also very fresh and some of the Green-veined looked particularly stunning. Various Satyrids were also present and a mating pair of Meadow Browns were surprisingly well behaved. Commas provided many a skipped heart beat but nevertheless drew the attention of my camera. As befits such an extensive search for such an elusive butterfly I’d packed my birding bins and I’m pretty sure I’d scanned every single Bramble and Thistle flower several times before I’d left. Most of the Bramble was in fact still in bud which made me think that perhaps I was too early?

Further wandering threw up a single, very fresh and dusky looking male Small Copper and at the other end of the spectrum a male Common Blue who must surely have been clinging onto life by the very tips of his toes! I hunted down a few Dragonflies which looked unfamiliar. I found out later at home I’d bagged my first ever pictures of both male and female Hairy Dragonflies. It was only as I was making one last sweep of the path that I bumped into someone with a similar day’s mission, who I later found out was our very own Andy Wilson. We had a quick chat and he too thought perhaps we were a week or two early.

I've missed out this year on the PE experience Buggy - only seen 4 in flight. Looks like you had an amazing time

So glad you got your PE Bugboy, nice shots too ,I don't think I'll be so lucky next week although I did see one once on August 5th so I'm hope full. Goldie