www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Just back from our trip to Cornwall. In reality, this was not really a holiday to look for butterflies. Given the choice. I would have come a month earlier, and most of the butterflies I saw were the Skippers, whites and Browns I see at home. However, I was staying at Hayle Towans, so it would have been rude not to have a couple of mornings and evenings on the sand dunes. I was pleased to find numbers of Silver-studded Blues present. They have been going for six weeks already, but there were still some good ones around. I saw them as several other places, too, but they were all worn and tatty, and not worthy of pictures. So these were at Hayle.

They are in good nick for this time of the season Essex

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Quite surprising to still see them in such good condition at this time of year, Mark. To be honest, I thought they'd all have vanished by now having emerged early.

Yes, I was pleased to still find them at all!

Also on the Towans, were plenty of Dark Green Fritillaries. I saw them at several other places on the coast path, but Hayle was the only place I got close enough for pictures, and even there, early in the day, they were difficult to approach, and they also tended to land deep in grass. Here, good views were difficult to come by. But this male showed nicely. Sometimes a gust of breeze would cause him to close his wings briefly, showing the silver spots. Here he is with a view, with the sea and St. Ives beyond. Still have a way to go master Guys technique!

That has been one of the disadvantages of the heatwave - the butterflies are very, very flighty, even more than normal in some cases like the DGFs

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's not a bad effort Padfield-wise, Mark.

It clearly shows how parched the landscape is. Coming back from a green France to a brown southern Britain is quite a culture shock!

Yes the dry summer so far has certainly taken its toll on the vegetation, both in Cornwall and where I live. But it’s St. Swithin’s day tomorrow, and the School holidays start next weekend. So the weather’s bound to change!

One day, we went to the Isles of Scilly. We flew out from Lands End airfield, and got the Scillonian boat back to Penzance. While there, we visited Tresco, and went to the Abbey Gardens. A ten minute walk from the gardens is Pentle Bay, where the beach, with its white powdery sand and clear blue sea, looks like something out of a Caribbean holiday brochure. I just had to take a swim there! Then it’s was back to the main island, St. Mary’s, for the boat trip home which, on this glorious day, was most enjoyable.

Did you see a Scilly Specklie Essex?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just one, Wurzel, being between broods. In the Abbey Garden. But is wasn’t a good view, and didn’t really look any different. A visit in August or September would probably be more productive.

Lucky you Essex. The Scillies are my favourite place on Earth, though I haven't been since October 2014 - when I spent most of the week chasing reports of a vagrant Monarch from island to island, regrettably without success!

Nice DGF Essex, the Scillies look pretty sweet!

Hard to believe that beach is in the UK, Mark. It looks positively tropical!

A dip in the sea in the SW of the country is a rare treat and I hope you enjoyed it. Glad to see you're practicing survival in hot temperatures - you will need it in a couple of weeks time!

Thanks everybody. Yes, you’re right David. If we think it’s hot here...

Hatfield Forest is one of my local sites. In July, the woodland rides are patrolled by Silver- washed Fritillaries and, in recent years, Purple Emperors have spread in. Plenty of Gatekeepers are now present and, on a cloudier day last week, I managed to find some settled. Large numbers of whites have emerged this summer, of all three species. Large cabbage Whites are not loved by everyone, but are large, attractive insects, and it would be a duller world without them. They are now being joined by the first emerging Brimstones. I was pleased to see a couple of Brown Argus. They are not really a woodland ride species in Essex, but this place is special. The first Common Blues were in the more open areas. The abundant Ringlets are already coming to the end of their flight period. The Silver-washed Fritillaries were active. These too, were showing their age, but were still an attractive sight.

I'm very envious of the South Sea Island shots, Mark - extraordinary. Even when things are hot here in the south east you often hear that the Scillies are foggy or damp. Not so in this case!

Dave

We were very lucky, Dave, as you have to book these trips well in advance. So you have no control over the weather!

You've captured that Large White just right, Mark.
Light and shadow showing up the finer detail of the wing structure.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

I agree with Trevor about the Large White Those side one Blues/Brown Argus are mighty fine too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Trevor and Wurzel. Trevor, I was down your way yesterday!

Wednesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to head down to Sussex. Arriving at Windover Hill at 3.30PM, it was hot, and many butterflies were already going to roost, sitting out the heat.

Reaching Deep Dean, I soon spotted the first Grayling, just a couple of hundred yards through the gate. So, I had high hopes of finding a good number of these rarities. In reality, it took another hour of zig-zagging on the slope to find the next one. In the end, four individuals were seen , plus a fly by probable. Large numbers of Chalkhill Blues were present. Most of these I was disturbing from the ground as I walked the site. But, in the evening, a few opened their wings, and they were the first of the season for me.

You've done a cracking job at catching the almost metallic sheen of the Chalkhill Blue Essex

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great to see Chalkhills in such concentrations, Mark. I suspect there'll be multi-thousands over the next few weeks.

You did better than me with your Graylings, although in your previous post your Ringlets look to be on their last legs. Here in Wales, they are still looking in half-decent nick.