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

Yes the next few days look to be a bit of a mixed bag but unfortunately I shall be working the next two weekends, having swapped with a work colleague who wanted this coming weekend off On the plus side had I not swapped I would have missed out on the PBF ab on Saturday

Great set of pics there and a good haul for a couple of hours out, I had similar luck on Sunday afternoon on my patch

Still weaving the old Holly Blue magic Dave and a lovely 'smoky veined white' The Hill had 5 Marshies, 1 Duke and a Wall on Sunday...what's the weather like this weekend?...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I'd say the PBF was worth the shift swap, Buggy. You don't see those at Denbies!

The weather looks 50 - 50 at the weekend, Wurzel, but might be okay. I might possibly try Wednesday this week if I can get the day off as more sunshine is promised then. By the way, I don't believe in Walls on your hillside - I've been three years running and each time you've sworn they are there, but not even a fly past... Maybe this time round.

Yes, those Holly Blues were queuing up to be photographed on Sunday, but that GVW was probably my favourite butterfly of the day, a close run thing with the Speckled Woods.

Dave

A cracking variety of species in your recent reports Dave...great stuff

millerd wrote:...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...
Dave

Yep...I see the same thing in my garden and have been getting the second flush over the past few days. The offspring of all these also develop at different rates which leads to the series of overlapping emergences later in the year and gives them such a long flight period.

Cheers,

Neil

Thanks, Neil. I just noticed you made the same observations in your PD about the Speckled Woods: they will be a pretty well permanent presence now until the very end of the season. Fascinating.

Tuesday 9th May. I only had a very short walk locally today, and it was right at the end of the day - quite sunny, but a bit chilly. I came across a single Holly Blue, three Speckled Woods, a male GVW and a couple of female Orange Tips. And that was it! Dave

Wednesday 10th May. A glorious sunny day living up to the forecast. Having secured the day off, I drove down to Wiltshire and a certain hillside. First and foremost, at this point I need to apologise to Wurzel, because before I had even passed the gate leading from the layby, I had seen a Wall. A nice male, as well, and the first of four or five seen today. A great curtain raiser, but the expected main event was a a bit of a let down. Only one Marsh Fritillary was seen all day. However, I met up with both Katrina (and her sister) and Trevor, and with several other enthusiasts scattered over the hillside, it was a very sociable day. Good to meet you all again! Having been with Katrina for the first Marshie flyby, the next time our paths crossed, she had secured a photo. However, patience paid off, and by staying in the same area, it found me again. There was a lot of variety flying, as is usual here: Green Hairstreaks were probably the most numerous, followed by Small Heaths. One butterfly attracting great attention was a rather worn male Duke of Burgundy. This seems to be a relative newcomer here, its provenance somewhat speculative. Here is a list of the species seen today:

Brimstone
Orange Tip
Large White
Green-veined White
Small White
Wall
Speckled Wood
Small Heath
Peacock
Red Admiral
Marsh Fritillary
Brown Argus
Holly Blue
Small Blue
Green Hairstreak
Duke of Burgundy
Dingy Skipper
Grizzled Skipper
Others saw a Small Copper too, but I failed to find this one. Here are a few of those seen:The last butterfly I photographed had to be a Holly Blue - this one was slightly unusual with a very silvery underside lacking clear spots. Dave

No need for the apology Dave Looks like the Hill provided plenty of quality if not quantity...hopefully it's just because of a slow build, you did visit 19 days earlier this year Even here you manage to get the Holly Blues to play ball Interesting about the Duke, mind you 25 were seen today two hills further West

Have a goodun

Wurzel

It looks like a further visit later in the month is on the cards then, Wurzel! What a shame...

I couldn't ignore the Holly Blues, now could I. There were one or two along the field margin at the bottom and quite a few in the copse next to the layby.

Wednesday 10th May (continued). Once I was home again, even though it was late afternoon, it was noticeably warmer than Wiltshire. I set off around my local route, and ended up taking several photos of species I hadn't managed out west, including one I hadn't even seen on Wurzel's Hill. I found a Brimstone in an unusual spot settled on a fence, but from a distance it did blend in -
how did it know? Late sun brings out Red Admirals - very much an evening butterfly - and several were soaring and perching, and a few Speckled Woods and Holly Blues were still active. Almost inevitably, at just past six and right at the end of the walk, I found this splendid insect basking in the late sunshine. Dave

That Holly Blue Interesting that the Brimstone chose to hide in plain sight

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great Holly Blue Dave Goldie

Wurzel wrote:That Holly Blue Interesting that the Brimstone chose to hide in plain sight

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Yes that final holly blue

Thanks again to all of you. It was a smashing butterfly that Holly Blue, even by the local standard operating here! I am amazed that there are still fresh ones appearing and though numbers are dropping a bit, I still saw seven or eight around the usual hotspot quite late yesterday afternoon.

Thursday 11th May. A late scoot around my local patch in a bit of patchy sunshine: Red Admirals were the most noticeable species active, and very active at that. I saw half a dozen, tussling with each other, with Speckled Woods and even at one point chasing after a lumbering wood pigeon. They sometimes react to the aircraft taking off from Heathrow. They are very curious, and if you stand in the middle of their territory for long enough they will investigate and readily settle on you. Aside from the Holly Blues (which were all high up this evening), I saw a few Speckled Woods, one female Orange Tip flying remarkably like a Wood White, plus one resting Small Heath. Friday 12th May. After work today, the sun began to break through after some welcome rain (not seen that for weeks). I went down the road to Bedfont Lakes Country Park where the sun had brought out the first Common Blues I've seen this year. In about 20 minutes I saw half a dozen, all male. Added to this were two male Brown Argus. At this site they seem to emerge at the same time, whereas elsewhere the Brown Argus are usually first on the scene. This was not all - along the fence line between the park and the railway line, I spotted a female Green Hairstreak investigating the many clumps of trefoil growing here. I didn't get a lens on it, but it is good to see the colony persists from last year. Middlesex Greenies are a rare commodity! Finally, I managed a decent shot of a Burnet Companion, to add to my collection of incidentally photographed moths. Dave

Good news about your local Green Hairstreaks and that's a very good shot of a Burnet Companion

Good to see you've got Common blues round your way Dave, that means they'll start showing up regularly round my way in about a weeks time

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Eighteen species on your 10th May trip is some return, Dave.

If I can hit 20 anywhere in the UK even in mid-summer I consider that to be abnormally good!

Some great shots there Dave , love the Common Blue photo's Goldie

Thanks, Buggy - normally this moth will never allow any close approach at all, so I was pleased with the shot.

I'm hoping the Blues will appear on my local patch soon too, Wurzel. Maybe tomorrow...

18 was very good, David, though in a week or so you might be lucky and find as many as 7 more: Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Small Copper, Common Blue, Adonis Blue and Large Skipper could all be added before any of the others disappear... Maybe even a Meadow Brown. It's an amazing site.

Thank you, Goldie - the first ones of the year are always a joy.

Saturday 13th May. With the forecast a bit uncertain, I decided to head off out anyway, and made my way to Totternhoe, on the downs near Dunstable, mainly to see if the Small Blues were out yet. It was noticeable that the site looked "behind" the more southern hills I've been looking at recently in Surrey and Wiltshire, and there were no Small Blues. I carried on round the site to see if any Dukes were encouraged out by the brightness (not exactly sunshine). I managed to find several, in a selection of separate chalk pits. One of these was distinctly pale - though certainly a bit worn, the colour didn't look attributable to that alone. Apparently a true "white" individual was seen here last year. Aside from the Dukes, there were several Dingy Skippers in the pits and the sun brought out one or two Brimstones and Orange Tips. Finally, on the way back to the car, I nearly stepped on a Green Hairstreak trying to blend in with the vegetation on the path. More Dukes were to come later at Ivinghoe Beacon, a bit further west along the hills.

Dave

HI Dave,
Sorry for the belated reply, only have limited use of a business computer at the moment.
I must comment on your Wall Brown images from last Wednesday, surely the prize of the day !.
That opportunity must have been almost unique, Wall on Cow Parsley, rather than on the ground.
Great to meet you again ( the last time we were looking for something purple ).

Trevor.

Interesting Duke there Dave, it definitely looks paler both on the topside and underside and it has some of the white edges left so it isn't that worn. Better get one of the experts to pass judgement on that, the other shots are great But no Holly blue Have you got laryngitis

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks, Trevor - I had that Wall photo in the bag within two minutes of arriving at the Hill. A very unusual pose for the species: I had to look twice before I worked out what it was!

I'm glad you agree about that Duke, Wurzel. I wonder what it looked like completely fresh? The underside is particularly pale (compare the worn one from your Wiltshire Hill above, which still had a quite dark underside), and actually quite attractive, particularly in the shots nectaring on the hawthorn. Not often you see them do this. No Holly Blues to talk to at either site I visited on Saturday, but they were hanging around for a chat on Sunday back at home, as will be revealed in due course...

Dave