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Friday 23rd July - Playing catch up, Part 2….

Aside from its purple denizens, Savernake is handy for its location, being on the A346 that runs to the M4. So, having driven off around 12.20, an hour and a half later we arrived at Aston Rowant, having a spot of lunch prior to entering the site.

The long grass just after the gate was thronged with golden skippers. Having largely ignored them at Savernake, I thought I’d better try a bit harder here to identify my first definitive Essex Skippers of the year. I duly found several:
With that duty now out of the way, it was time to concentrate on the Chalkhill Blues, and that wasn’t difficult because there were multi-hundreds of them all over the hillside and on the flowers by the shrub line.

In the sunshine, they were settling with wings closed:
However, there was some cloud starting to build by now, and the occasional one would offer a glimpse of the uppersides:
There were quite a few females about too:
My neighbour was lost in a dreamworld of wild flowers. She later told me she’d never seen anything like it:
The area at the bottom of the hill combined that flower heaven with butterfly paradise – the numbers and variety flying/nectaring around this area was reminiscent of what I see in the French Alps:
Twenty one species were seen in total, including quite a few Brimstones, a dozen or so Dark Green Fritillaries, and two Silver Spotted Skippers, only one of which I could get an image of:
Anyone visiting this site during the next week or so could potentially see 25+ species here, as it wouldn’t be out of the question to add Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper, Holly Blue, Green Veined White & Clouded Yellow to the ones we recorded this afternoon.

So that's Aston Rowant - no wonder so many folk visit. Looks amazing. Hope I'm just as successful finding SSS soon.

PS ... and gorgeous Valezina I live in hope that one day I'll see another one.

Thanks, Pauline. Yes, it's one of my favourite sites. In fact, were it not for the constant roar of the traffic on the adjacent M40 it would be close to perfect.

It's great that you take your neighbour out to such wonderful natural places, David, she must be very pleased

Thanks, Mike. Yes, she loves it but she looks after my garden when I'm away so it's the least I can do!

Friday 23rd July - Playing catch up, Part 3….

My neighbour spent her teenage years in Buckinghamshire, so she was delighted when I suggested rounding off the day with a visit to Bernwood Forest.

When we arrived the shadows were lengthening and most of the butterflies were on the west-facing side of the rides. A White Admiral was seen in the wooded area beside the car park and a Purple Emperor was flying in the canopy just at the top of the entrance to the track, no doubt attracted by the rotting carcass of a fox which could be smelled from 20 yards away even by humans!

Another airborne Emperor was seen by the stagnant pond further up the track, and the oak trees here had good numbers of Purple Hairstreaks flying around them.

There were huge numbers of butterflies in the grassy areas along the rides – Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Large, Small and Essex Skippers, Marbled Whites and Brimstones all in the dozens:
We had a very pleasant hour and a half before returning to the car, with Speckled Wood, Hedge Brown, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, all three Whites and even a Small Tortoiseshell adding to the huge numbers of the other species. Best of all though was encountering a valezina Silver Washed Fritillary in the by now shaded car park.

We’d seen plenty of this species along the track (including another valezina being chased by a male), but this one seemed content to while away the early evening in the shadows on the brambles:
A long and draining day, but 27 species made it all worthwhile.

Just love these Valezinas David - great find and lovely images - but am I going mad? Where's the other one gone?

You definitely get for the Valezinas.

Your Valezina was a great find David. I have only ever seen one, many years ago.
At the time I thought I'd found a rare migrant!. It is amazing that a normally ginger/brown
butterfly can have a variant that is turquoise, and only found in the female of the species.

Stay safe,
Trevor.

Thanks, Pauline/Katrina/Trevor.

Yes, this is always a precious find; maybe even more so than a grounded Emperor. I've probably only seen 8 or 9 myself over the years so it pays to make the most of it when they turn up. Pleased to say this one was very accommodating.

A very precious find in the Valazina, David a form we've yet to see.

Maximus wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:06 pmA very precious find in the Valazina, David a form we've yet to see.

I remember seeing one in the Alps a few years ago, Mike, so they definitely occur over the Channel. I'm sure you'll stumble upon one eventually.

Tuesday 10th August - Rude awakening....

Having arrived home from Spain only 2 days earlier, it was something of a shock to go from 33c to 19c, and from 60+ species in a day to a mere 13!!!

I was at Port Eynon on the Gower coast for an hour or so, and of the 13 species recorded, Meadow Browns were most numerous with around 50 sighted, with Common Blues and Hedge Browns around half that figure.
Both male and female Hedge Browns were starting to look faded:
Around 20 or so Small Whites were about (I was expecting more) and maybe 10 or so Large Whites. There were even a couple of Green Veined around on the dunes which I don't see too often.

Three Brown Argus were recorded:
I was disappointed to only find 4 Small Tortoiseshells and 2 Red Admirals, but there were 3 Painted Ladies:
A tatty Small Heath was still hanging on, and the other two species seen were ones I didn't expect. Firstly, I spotted this worn, female Wall Brown on the dunes. I've seen them on the rocky headland before but never down this end:
And this male Brimstone was the first I've ever seen at this site, happily nectaring away on the everlasting pea:

Tuesday 17th August - Some relief...

After a dire period since my last outing on 10th, I saw my first butterfly in seven days this afternoon, when I noticed a Small Tortoiseshell on my bowles mauve (actually, the bowles mauve Jack Harrison kindly posted to me last year and which has thrived here ever since).

Hard to believe that in the month of August the weather can be so dreadful that you can go so long without seeing a butterfly, but the sight of this one gave me a real lift:

David M wrote: ↑Sun Aug 22, 2021 3:19 pm Tuesday 17th August - Some relief...

After a dire period since my last outing on 10th, I saw my first butterfly in seven days this afternoon...

...Hard to believe that in the month of August the weather can be so dreadful that you can go so long without seeing a butterfly...

That sounds dreadful, David. I thought things were a bit grim over here near Heathrow, with hardly any sunshine to speak of for a week until today and rain on most days, but I've seen butterflies on every day in August so far. Things do look as if they are picking up, particularly in the west, so I hope you have some better days coming to lift the spirits further - maybe a Brown Hairstreak or two?

Cheers,

Dave

millerd wrote: ↑Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:06 pmThat sounds dreadful, David. I thought things were a bit grim over here near Heathrow, with hardly any sunshine to speak of for a week until today and rain on most days, but I've seen butterflies on every day in August so far. Things do look as if they are picking up, particularly in the west, so I hope you have some better days coming to lift the spirits further - maybe a Brown Hairstreak or two?

Over here it has been 16-18c, Dave, whereas by you I suspect it's been 19-22c during that dull, dismal spell.

That difference is sufficient to seriously suppress butterfly activity on temperature grounds alone. However, we've also had quite strong winds and that aggravating, fine rain which you generally only get near the coast.

Pleased to say it's cleared up now, and yes, Brown Hairstreak is a godsend at this time of year. Whatever would we do without them?

Friday 20th August – Speculative journey…

For the first time in ten days, the cloud started to break up mid-morning. I noticed a few butterflies flying around mine and my neighbour’s garden so I decided I’d risk a trip out.

I didn’t go far, just 6 or 7 miles to the coastal path near Llanrhidian on the north Gower coast, and whilst wall to wall sunshine it certainly wasn’t, there was enough brightness for there to be a fair few butterflies flying.

Near where I parked my car there was a scrubby area of grassland and several fresh looking Common Blues were found here:
On the way down to the coastal path I saw a Painted Lady, a few Tortoiseshells and this Red Admiral on one of the many buddleias:
Down the path I noticed several elms (useful to know for WLH next year). I turned over one of the leaves and found this Comma larva:
The fields had been largely cut, but this little wild area had a few surprises:
Two female Brimstones were nectaring on the thistles and knapweed:
I just love the rusty-coloured antennae of this species:
A worn Small Copper was seen too:
But this immaculate Peacock was the best sighting:
Other species seen were Large, Small & Green Veined Whites, a couple of tatty Meadow Browns, a Comma and a Silver Washed Fritillary.

Sunday 22nd August – Cloudy again…

Having checked weather forecasts to the point of boredom, I set out for West Williamston in Pembrokeshire at 8.40 this morning as sunny intervals and 19c was supposedly the order of the day.

However, upon arriving at the site at 10am, cloud cover was extensive, and with winds being extremely light there wasn’t much chance of things clearing up.

I did see a few butterflies though – there were a couple of Red Admirals and a Peacock on the buddleia in the horse’s field, and there was a Speckled Wood near the fence next to the car park:
A Common Blue and a Large White flew by before I moved on towards the estuary, with a couple of Small Coppers seen nectaring on the thistles just before the gate:
A bit of brightness began to develop and I was delighted to find a Brown Hairstreak in the first glade, particularly so given it was only 10.40am - I rarely see this species prior to 11 o’clock at this site:
Moving further along the tidal plain, I spotted a nice Peacock nectaring close to a tatty male Silver Washed Fritillary:
This species usually ekes out into the first week of September in this part of the country:
Whilst watching these two, a Speckled Wood suddenly disturbed another Brown Hairstreak:
This individual ended up flying towards the estuary rather than back to the woodland.

It was now 11.20, and with the clouds seemingly thinning, I thought things were set fair. However, the opposite turned out to be the case, as the gaps in the cloud gradually diminished, although I still saw a few Small Tortoiseshells on the sea asters as well as half a dozen or so faded Hedge Browns.
By the time I got back to the car park, skies were leaden, but I thought I’d have a quick search for BH eggs in the adjacent field. I managed to find just one:
However, there was a big surprise when I spied an orange triangle amongst the green bramble/blackthorn scrub. It was a roosting Brown Hairstreak and in nice condition too:
I watched her for half an hour and she only flew once, and that was to another leaf about two yards away.

With skies remaining stubbornly grey, I decided to call it a day, which was a shame as after a week of dismal weather I fancied that the females would be desperate to lay their eggs at the first opportunity, and two sightings prior to 11.20 supported that theory. However, the weather window was short-lived and I was ultimately unable to fully test that hypothesis.

Lovely shots of the females BH's David It really is bitter sweet, seeing them appear on so many sites. I love seeing shots of them but given the current situation ..................just shows, despite the dreadful weather they are managing to make their presence felt elsewhere.

Wonderful Brown Hairstreak images David, great open wing shots.
I think anyone who has put the effort in this year should have had some luck with them.

Stay well,
Trevor.

Pauline wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2021 5:17 pmLovely shots of the females BH's David It really is bitter sweet, seeing them appear on so many sites. I love seeing shots of them but given the current situation ..................just shows, despite the dreadful weather they are managing to make their presence felt elsewhere.

I understand your sentiments, Pauline. I have been worried about the Pembrokeshire site too, although that is due to extensive ash die-back rather than over-zealous 'maintenance'.

It doesn't appear to have got any worse this year though, so for the time being my concerns have been somewhat allayed.

trevor wrote: ↑Wed Aug 25, 2021 6:14 pmWonderful Brown Hairstreak images David, great open wing shots. I think anyone who has put the effort in this year should have had some luck with them.

Thanks, Trevor. The three I saw were all in decent condition and given it was cloudy I was fortunate to see them. Hopefully they'll go on to have a good flight period.

Lovely Brown Hairstreaks, David, and great shots Glad that they're doing better than you thought they would, they look in really good nick for this time of the year