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Lovely Pearls Dave, really need to get down and see some myself soon, especially now it looks to be warming up again . Your unidentified large moth is most likely an male Oak Egger.

Glad you got your Pearls, Dave. You've even captured the ' Ducks head ' on the underside.
My local Pearls are still in low numbers, are some more going to emerge at a more sensible time ?.
Or has this awful weather ruined there chances this year. Fingers crossed for a bumper year, yet.

Trevor.

Thanks, everyone - it was a good late afternoon. Shame you didn't make it, Wurzel: I spotted your entry in the book for Sunday and wondered if you'd see the sunshine and whizz over from Salisbury. Two different suggestions for the moth - I will go on not knowing, I think! Yes, Buggy, find yourself some Pearls while they are still fresh and glowing - such a lovely butterfly.

Sunday 30th April. A bit of a contrast, with milky blue skies and dilute sunshine though warmer and quite breezy. I had to stay local today, and to start with wondered whether I'd see anything at all. Then suddenly butterflies appeared, with a selection of Holly Blues and whites flying up from the bramble bushes, including the first Small White I've got close to this year, and a nicely marked female GVW. Soon after came the Orange Tips. All in all the Holly Blues were probably the commonest species seen - and I thought they had been dropping in numbers. There were a couple of Peacocks and Speckled Woods, but just one solitary worn out Comma.
Whites and Orange Tips: Speckled Wood: Comma: Holly Blues: Most were a bit tired now and were taking a liking to the hawthorn blossom. One preferred holly flowers. However, there were still fresh examples around as well. Dave

HI Dave,
The male Holly Blue in the last two images certainly is fresh, and stunning when they pose like that.
They do seem to be having a good, long, drawn out Spring brood this year.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

Hi Dave,

I was feeling pretty chuffed with some of the Holly Blue shots I have managed so far this year...and then I go and see those last two of yours
Beautiful photos of a lovely fresh male

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks Trevor and Neil. To be honest, with the early start they had I am a bit surprised (though very happy of course) to still be seeing fresh Holly Blues. However, they had a strong third brood here last year (I saw a female laying on 31st October), so perhaps the early ones were progeny of the main summer brood, and the current newbies are the offspring of that third brood. Does it work like this?

Tuesday 2nd May. My only chance to see anything before once again the clouds filled the sky was a quick dash down from work to Bedfont Lakes CP at lunchtime. I didn't see very much: three Brimstones (of which two were female), two GVW, a Peacock and a Holly Blue. No sign of any Green Hairstreaks in the spot I found them last year. No photo opportunities either.

Dave

millerd wrote: the first good spot for all three species is the set of steps leading down from the main path across the hillside. The other day there were both Skippers on the flowers on both sides of the steps and Green Hairstreaks on the various scrubby vegetation. The seem to particularly like a clump of nettles on the left (looking downhill) and a hawthorn bush off to the right. Otherwise, the path along the bottom of the slope all the way along is also good for Skippers, and I've found another lot of Hairstreaks over by the far edge of the open hillside where the path goes into the trees

Thanks, Dave. I occasionally come up those steps but not down them! I will vary my Denbies routes I think.

Hope to bump into you at some point soon

Best wishes,

Lee

Lee Hurrell wrote:

millerd wrote: the first good spot for all three species is the set of steps leading down from the main path across the hillside. The other day there were both Skippers on the flowers on both sides of the steps and Green Hairstreaks on the various scrubby vegetation. The seem to particularly like a clump of nettles on the left (looking downhill) and a hawthorn bush off to the right. Otherwise, the path along the bottom of the slope all the way along is also good for Skippers, and I've found another lot of Hairstreaks over by the far edge of the open hillside where the path goes into the trees

Thanks, Dave. I occasionally come up those steps but not down them! I will vary my Denbies routes I think.

Hope to bump into you at some point soon

Best wishes,

Lee

In my experience the Hairstreaks seem to vanish by the afternoon, I've had all my best Hairstreak action before noon at Denbies.

Thanks Buggy

Thank you Neil and Trevor for your appreciation of the Holly Blues - they just seem to keep on coming!

I think you're right, Buggy - before lunch is by far the best time to find Green Hairstreaks. And if you go to Denbies fairly regularly over the summer Lee, we're bound to bump into each other. Or there's always Fairmile when the Silver-studs appear...

Friday 5th May. The sight of lots of blue sky today was very welcome after the grey chill of the last couple of days. I just hoped that an early escape from work wouldn't coincide with the cloud rolling back over from the east. In the end I managed to get down to Chiddingfold by four o'clock and for an hour, the sun mostly shone. It was warm as well, and as I wandered along from the Botany Bay entrance, I soon spotted a Comma, a Speckled Wood, a GVW and a couple of Brimstones. The latter two species were busy nectaring in a hurried way, and I wondered if the sun hadn't been out long down here.After the dip down to the little bridge (which crossed merely a trickle today), I spotted a Wood White almost immediately. It seemed to be alone, but walking beyond the Triangle beloved of Purple Emperors in July, I found several more. Two of them were indulging in the species' elaborate courtship ritual, but not for long as a third persistently interfered. After twenty minutes or so, they started to settle down, and I found two very close together and realised there was another within a metre or so. It appears that in common with other species, they roost in quite close association. I then found several individuals settled down for the evening, some of which were very new with lovely fresh fringes.As I clambered slowly back to my feet, a spotted a Speckled Yellow moth settle nearby. It basked in the late sunshine, and most unusually allowed a fairly close approach. I have seen many of this attractive moth over the years, but this is my first ever photo that wasn't an ochrish blur. Dave

So nice to see those Wood Whites, Dave. There are many endangered UK species that make the headlines, but this is one under real threat. It's range is exceptionally fragmented and there are few on here who get to see them.

It's good to see they persist and even thrive in a few isolated locations.

Lovely Wood White's Dave, I saw my first thanks to Pauline last year, their so delicate, I hope to see some again this year.Goldie

Absolutely fabulous Wood White shots, Dave. Pauline mentioned a sighting of three the other day,
but I had no idea that so many were already on the wing. A change of plan is called for !!.

A mrgreen or two for you !
Trevor.

Thank you all for your kind comments. Wood Whites are a fascinating species, and the curious courtship ritual is something I never tire of seeing. As Goldie says, they are so delicate in flight, and to see one over head height is unusual and the butterfly really does look distressed to be up so high and quickly returns to ground level. The roosting behaviour yesterday was interesting too.

Saturday 6th May. There seemed to be a chance of sunshine today, so I made my way down to Denbies. There was some sun, but not a great deal, though the ground felt warm. To start with, all I saw were Small Heaths. They seemed to have settled themselves along the sides of the path, so I kept disturbing them. Along the sheltered steps, a Mother Shipton (probably the same one I saw the other day) was the only thing nectaring. I set across the middle of the hillside, scattering Small Heaths and Five-spot Burnets as I went, eventually following a path that led down to the bottom of the slope. Along here I disturbed something else - a flash of blue and up flew an Adonis Blue. It quickly found the ground again and basked a little, but was determined to stay well down amongst the grass stalks. The sun toyed with the clouds, and started to gain the upper hand. I started to see Dingy Skippers, quite a few of them, and the occasional Grizzlie as well.There is a great variety in coloration among the Dingies, not just the result of wear. Back at the steps, the sunshine had woken up a few Green Hairstreaks too. There was also a beautifully dark fresh Speckled Wood. I was then lucky to get a shot I've always wanted - a Dingy and a Grizzlie on the same flower. Not a great shot, really, but I was pleased to get it. I made one further traverse across the hillside and back, and was rewarded with another Adonis Blue, which was better behaved than the earlier one. A most successful outing!

Dave

Good on ya Dave! The weather hasn't been the best the last couple of days but you've gone out there and found a great range of species - and some smashing shots too, particularly the Wood Whites . Reckon I'll be joining Trevor at Chiddingfold some time soon.

Lovely array of species, Dave. Exactly what I'd expect in a prime spot near to you in a mild and dry year.

They really are newbies, not a sniff of anything blue there on Tuesday, looks like my prediction of 'only days away' was spot on

I've never been to Denbies, it certainly is a cracking site, from what I've seen on here.
I am in awe of your haul yesterday.
Retraced you steps at Chiddingfold yesterday, had an excellent, warm ,sunny morning.
Did you hear the Turtle Dove ?.

Trevor.

Lovely Wood Whites and Adonis Dave I don't know about the morning being better for Greenstreaks - there will still plenty about on e last couple of visits to my Duke site in the afternoon, in fact today they were still around at 4pm - I think though that was because th he weather wasn't great in the morning Great Speckled Yellow shot - they are right pains and to get that close really takes some doing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Ps the Hill has started producing

Thank you Pauline - it's always worth going out. The less than wall-to-wall sunshine is often the best for keeping the butterflies just a bit less active and easier to see close to. It was a very satisfying couple of days and a great selection, David.

Denbies is a great site, though quite extensive and requiring a bit of walking for a thorough investigation. That said, most of what I saw was in a relatively small area! Worth a vist, Trevor. Incidentally, I don't think I did hear the dove at Chiddingfold, but I wasn't listening for it.

I'm sure there will be many more Adonis by the weekend , Buggy - Saturday looks a reasonable day I think.

Thanks, Wurzel. Hmm - visit to a hillside down your way looks enticing. I will have to contrive something soon...

Sunday 7th May. I only had a couple of hours at lunchtime before my youngest son's birthday trip to Harry Potter World near Watford (Worth a visit if you've seen the films...). I set off locally once again with the sunshine getting warmer by the minute. The first thing of note was that there appears to be a fresh flush of brand new male Speckled Woods. I saw three and each one was a lovely deep chocolate brown (like the one I saw at Denbies). I assume these are the results of the overwintered larvae, with the earlier ones coming from overwintered pupae. A complicated species. My next target was to see if my local Small Heath colony was out and about - and yes it was! I saw six to eight in a small area, so there could be a very healthy number overall. I saw a couple of ageing Peacocks and numerous white butterflies of all types, plus a couple of Brimstones and half a doxen Orange Tips. However, as continues to be the case since they first appeared this year, Holly Blues were the most numerous butterfly again today. I counted over 20, including a female laying on dogwood. Though many were a bit faded and ragged, there were still one or two pristine examples six or so weeks since they first emerged at the end of March. Dave