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After a week of awful weather the forecast said we'd actually have a Sunny day today, right we thought and we set off for Arnside Knot, wrong again, the weather stayed dull until nearly 3 pm, even the weather girl apologised tonight on the tele
Any way it was a day of surprises and disappointments , when we arrived at the knot it was to grey sky's and spots of rain, we didn't know what to expect but to our surprise when we walked through the gate from the car park the first thing we saw flying about was a DGF
I got one are two shots before it landed down into the grass, that's when I noticed the other DGF, this one was keeping low in the grass but was much darker than the first which was flying around it, I managed to get a shot of the second one before it disappeared
over the ferns, the difference between the two is stark, the first DGF looks quite faded in parts where has the other one looked quite fresh, trouble is I only got one shot of it.
We decided to have our sandwiches and wait to see if the Sun would finally arrive
After lunch we set off back through the gate and down the path through the ferns this time, we searched for the High Brown Fritillaries for ages, when the Sun finally came out what a difference, we saw a couple of Small Tort's , Small Skipper's , lot's of Whites, also the HBF's about three but sadly no photos
they no sooner landed than they flew off again, finally we decided to give up and check out Gait Barrow hoping we might see some there and that the Graylings could be out.
At GB we didn't see any HBF but we met some people who'd seen one that was also in bad shape but they'd managed to get some shots of it, they'd been up there for a few days and said how bad the weather'd been.
We walked back along the path to the Lime Stone and found the Graylings so at least after some really depressing days of nothing but wind and rain it'd been great just to get out again. Goldie

Hi Goldie

The weather has not been great down here either , but I am sure it will improve. Your Dark Green Fritillaries are a male in the first pic and a female in the second . I have only seen one DGF at my local site so far this year, hopefully there will more to come.

Hi! Jack, hope you see the DGF soon, it seems nearly every Butterfly I've shot lately have all suffered from the weather with the exception of the Small Skipper which is just emerging here.

On Wednesday the weather was sunny but with a cool breeze so I decided to take another look at Hall-Lee-Brook, I'm glad I did because I saw my first SS there for this year, I thought at first it was another LS but I took a shot of it any way, when it flew down near me and opened it's wings I was so pleased it gave me hope that may be things were starting to move here
Has I moved around the site I spotted a Small Tort hiding in the long grass I couldn't get a good shot of it because of the tall Grass, also in the distance I saw a large white Butterfly, it landed far away in the Blackberry brambles and some thing Orange moved and flew nearer to me but still was far a way in the Brambles, I still took a shot and recognised a Comma, things were at last on the move
The Meadow Brown's had certainly suffered with the bad weather taking it's toll but still I couldn't help but take some shot's of them because of last year when they were at their best and the meadow Grass was cut, I still get a good feeling when I see them now. Goldie

Goldie M wrote:I got one are two shots before it landed down into the grass, that's when I noticed the other DGF, this one was keeping low in the grass but was much darker than the first which was flying around it, I managed to get a shot of the second one before it disappeared

That's classic behaviour, Goldie - the males patrolling ceaselessly until they find a female, lodged down in the grass. Then they try the courtship you observed, by flying around her. It can be useful because, if you find a female and wait, then a male is likely to arrive sooner or later! I've used this method to get photos of Adonis Blue males.

Hi! Mike, I'll remember that for August when I hope to see the Adonis, I've missed them for a couple of years, so hope fully this year i'll get to see them and I'll look for this activity between them, thanks once again Goldie

We went to Fermyn Woods on Sunday the 17th July, it's a Journey I've longed to make for Quite Some time and I wasn't disappointed We'd only been out of the car and entered the lane when I saw a few people around what looked like a puddle, has we approached I saw my first Male PE, he was enjoying himself on some dog poo! It didn't make for great shots but who cares I did manage some without the poo though.

We spent some time there and walked on down the Lane, some one said there was a PHS that was very fresh, this I had to see, so I hurried in that direction , my photos last year of the Empress and the PHS were nothing to shout about so I hoped I'd see a bit more ,other than a side wing of both. What I didn't realise then until now was that the wings of the PE were iridescent when the Sun shone on them and only then, what a fantastic sight it was when the Sun caught him with his wings open I really thought this couldn't be topped until I saw the PHS with it's wings wide open, Wow!

Some of the shots I took really couldn't do both Justice.
We set off down the lane again and I was delighted at the sight of GVW"s every where, Skipper's ,MB's, It was like a real Summer's day after being starved up to now at the sight of the occasional butterfly I was interested in the Butterflies we don't see around our area like the SWF which was flying every where and didn't stop long for photos so we tried to track that down while at the same time taking shots of more PE and PHS, what a fantastic day.

We didn't leave until tea time and on the way back to the car what should float passed us but a WA, it landed briefly but I managed a quick shot, that was icing on my cake for the day Goldie

I can feel your happiness, Goldie. If you had a tail I think you would be wagging it so hard it would fall off!

Lovely pictures.

Guy

Brilliant !, Goldie. Most of us can only dream of a Purple Emperor and Purple Hairstreak in one day.
The Purple Hairstreak alone is worth some mrgreens !. .
I imagine you're glad you went !

Best wishes,
Trevor

Thank's Guy and Trevor, It was one of those days that you look back on and say how fantastic it was, unbelievable ! I think if any one's going to Fermyn Wood in the next few days weather permitting they'll have a great day too, thanks again Goldie

Well done, I have never seen a purple hairstreak close enough to get photos so some Mr Greens from me too

Great sightings Goldie. I can feel your excitement and I know that will be a day you will always remember - a special memory

Well done Goldie, not only your first grounded male Purple Emperor but an open wing male Purple Hairstreak too...that's a special kind of double purple

Cheers,

Neil.

Thank you so much, Katrina, Pauline and Neil, I was really privileged that day , I was so lucky to see these people when we arrived and was sent to see the PHS also by these people, isn't it great when people are so help full and willing to share.
I was also glad I'd got my 70-300 lens on at the time because I could stand out of the way and take my shots instead of having to get too close, Great Day! Goldie

I agree with Guy's comment, made earlier, since I too can feel your happiness. Seeing the two 'purple prizes' displaying so splendidly, both on the same day, might be bad for my blood pressure! We went to South Wales, hoping it might be cooler near the coast, but it wasn't

Wow Goldie, as everyone else says, two purples in one day . I was over the moon at finally getting my Emperor pics!

I saw your comment on Guys page about not getting White-letters. I've found that they only seem to come down late in the day, after 4pm. I was still watching them on bramble at 7pm on Monday. Not sure if that's just peculiar to my colony or whether that's standard behaviour (gut feeling is it's the latter)

Hi Goldie
As others have said, well done with your Purple Emperor and Hairstreak , and all in the same day too. Puts my own purple experience to shame I have still not managed any Purple Hairstreak photos .

Hi! Mike, Thanks for your comments I was glad on that Sunday that we'd gone to the wood because it was lovely and cool there and I think this brought the PE and the PHS down from high in the tree's to the puddles on the ground, I also gave the dog's poo my blessing where I usually get annoyed when I see it. I didn't need to go to Lady Wood either because of all the activity in Fermyn Wood
If you decide to go there we stayed over night at at Travel lodge just off the A14 at Kettering,it was only a few miles from Fermyn and very good.

Hi! Bugboy, It looks like my timing could have been off with the Hair Streaks, I've always got there in the afternoon , I'll try evening's and see what happens.
I'm glad you got your shots of the PE and you seem to be doing well with all your first's

Hi! Jack, it was one of those days when your luck is in, plus the amount of people already there spotting things helps Hope you get a shot of one soon. Goldie


After the thrill of Fermyn Wood it was a great disappointment when I went to my local haunt, Hall-Lee-Brook
on Wed's and saw one single Tort, a few Whites, Large/Small that didn't stop and some MB ,the only shot I managed was of a Large Skipper, chasing off a Meadow Brown and it caught my attention because it looked very dark,probably because they were aged.
I'm hoping things will pick up there but it's not looking too good at present even with the weather being so nice.
One thing I noticed at Fermyn also was the very small size of the Meadow Brown compared to the size they are here, you could mistake them for Hair Streaks they were so small, in fact some of the people there were doing just that, I wonder if any one else as noticed this. Goldie

Great stuff Golide - glad that you got your Purple fix

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just catching up on things, Goldie, and I'm so glad you got not only an audience with HIM, but also a few bonus Purple Hairstreaks to boot!

Must have been very satisfying for you?

Shame we missed you at Fermyn, Goldie, but glad you got to see your PE and also PH It was great to get to Fermyn at last, might have to be an annual visit from now on

Mike