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Lovely to see those Small Tortoiseshells, Mark. Looks like they're having a better year out east than they are near me.

Yes David, Small Tortoiseshells are doing just fine with me at the moment. Long may it continue!

Yesterday ( Sunday ) we headed down to Temple Ewell in East Kent. Unfortunately it was rather damper that expected and, when the sun finally arrived at 3PM, it was accompanied by a horrendous wind.

Plenty of stuff about, then, but photography, as you can imagine, was difficult. But I eventually came away with a few images I was happy with, and there were one or two surprises there.

Firstly, one for Pauline. This young fox was sniffing round the rabbit warren at the Lydden end. Chalkhill Blues are now well past their best, but this is a good site for late sightings, and there were still some quite good ones around. I don’t think I’ve taken any Small White pictures this year. That was corrected on Sunday. Adonis Blues are now emerging. Hopefully, I will get to enjoy many more of these in the next couple of weeks. The rain this summer should encourage a good emergence. But, it’s the Silver Spotted Skippers I really came to see, as their season will soon come to an end. They were tricky to track down, even harder to photograph. Hopefully the lack of sightings was just down to the awful wind, and not an actual dip in numbers at this normally excellent site. In the evening, I did witness something I haven’t seen elsewhere this season, a coupling.

Great set of shots Essex especially the coupling shot " as their season will soon come to an end." Ahhh I still haven't seen one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Essex, great shots of the Butterflies , I'm glad to hear the Adonis are just coming out at Temple Ewell but I think I may be a little
too late for them, end of September before I can get to Kent
Glad you got your Skipper shots they look great. Goldie

Thanks Wurzel and Goldie.

On Wednesday, I headed down to Martin Down, arriving early to watch the butterflies warming up on this cool, then warm day. First I found this fresh Adonis Blue, which positively glowed in the early sunshine. Several other were basking nearby. I was hoping to find Chalkhill Blues still on the wing, and I wasn’t disappointed. Most were showing their age, but I also found this fresh specimen, a nice male. Lastly for now,I found this female Adonis, another nice new adult. Common Blues were present, too. I would return to Martin Down later, for I had somewhere else to go late morning...

Lovely set of Blues Essex - were they along the Ditch? I reckon Alners Gorse was the next stop?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You’re on the right track, Wurzel, but in fact it was another of your sites...

So, then on to Shipton Bellinger. Never been here before, so it took a while to find the best spots, but eventually found a few areas that looked suitable for Brown Hairstreaks. Unfortunately it clouded over shortly after, but this female was disturbed from some blackthorn. A bit damaged but they all count! In early afternoon I found this male, feasting on blackberries. I got chatting to a chap who was doing a transect, and he confirmed I had the right area. He also confirmed that Brown Hairstreaks had peaked a couple weeks ago! So I had to make do with the two sightings, but several Brimstones were nice to see.

One of each sex can't be bad, Mark. Brown Hairstreak sightings have been
few and far between at the regular Sussex sites this year.
Despite the damage, your female looks quite fresh.

Beautiful Adonis shot in your previous post.
Trevor.

Thanks Trevor. I did some research before I went, to see which Brown Hairstreak sites were performing. The answer was none of them! Worth a visit though, but I must go a bit earlier next year.

Brown Hairstreaks rarely show after 3PM, so I headed back to Martin Down. The sun had returned and, as I worked my way up the Bockerly Dyke, Adonis and Chalkhill Blues were frequently seen. Several Brimstones were here, too, and I particularly like this backlit shot. Near the top of the reserve, large clumps of hemp agrimony grows, and this was attracting Painted Lady and Tortoiseshells. Perhaps surprisingly, several worn DGF’s were still around and, by evening, they were beginning to settle. So that concludes a most successful and enjoyable day.

Hi! essex, love your Brimstone shot, we seem to be getting lots of Tortoiseshells at the moment and RA also Peacocks but I've yet to see a Brimstone arrive Goldie

Great stuff Essex, I wouldn't have guessed Shipton You did really well not because they've just not there like some places this year but because you really have to put the work in to get them DI you manage to find the backhedge that runs near to the Tidworth/Bulford Road - that's the best spot?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

A good range of butterflies there, Mark, including that unexpected Dark Green Fritillary.

That female Brown Hairstreak is wing damaged in a most unusual way. I wonder what caused it?

Thanks Goldie, looks like you are still getting good things in your garden, hopefully that will continue through September.

Thanks Wurzel, yes that was the spot where I found this male BH. Several Brimstones were feeding up for hibernation there too, plus several Holly Blues. The female was a bit higher up, near a Scots pine.

Thanks David, you’re right, not the usual damage caused by birds, for example. Perhaps it was damaged while egg-laying among all that tangled undergrowth and thorns?

It’s still August, and the Silver Spotted Skipper season is still going. With a spare afternoon yesterday (Wednesday) I headed back to Lydden Temple Ewell in East Kent. I was pleased to find the Skippers were still present in good numbers. Many were now worn, not surprisingly, but there were still some good ones. Unfortunately, I only got about half an hour of suitable weather, as some unforecast cloud and rain arrived by 4PM, making the day even shorter. Several Adonis and a few Chalkhill Blues were also seen though, by time I got to them, the rain had, sadly, returned. Signs of autumn were present, with autumn ladies tresses and autumn gentian (fellwort) in flower on the downland slope.

You can never see too many Silver-spots in my book, Mark, and that one sitting so typically on the scabious is splendid specimen. Lydden/Temple Ewell is a great bit of downland too.

Dave

I'm with Dave on this one Essex You managed to capture images of some cracking looking ones there; I too found some really fresh ones so they must have quite a protracted emergence

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice that they're still around...and seemingly in good nick too, Mark. I guess the Chalkhills were rather scruffier?

Dave, no you can’t. These Skippers are full of life and character, and they are part of the grand finale of the downland season.

Hi Wurzel, yes, they do last quite a long time, having started in the last ten days of July. Not quite as long as Lulworth Skippers, though!

Thanks David. Yes, the Chalkhill Blues were looking rather tired. I was down there again on Monday and they had nearly finished, the odd one I saw was on it’s last legs.

Sunday 1 September, and something a little different as we start the autumn, as the Suffolk horse society come to Essex for their annual Spectacular. The Suffolk Punch is the oldest breed of heavy horse in Britain. This today is a critically endangered breed, and it is amazing to think that, by the Second World War, most of the agricultural land in Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk, and beyond, was ploughed and tilled by these splendid animals.

As a breed, the Suffolk was renowned for its endurance, good temperament, constitution and long life. Their immense strength, willingness to work long hours and unfeathered (unhairy) legs, unlike a Shire, made them ideal for working the lowland arable farms of East Anglia.

This event, at the Marks Hall Estate near Colchester, was the biggest gathering of Suffolk’s in the country. The weather was kind, cool and bright, and it was a most enjoyable day in a lovely setting. Thanks to all, especially those who made the journey to bring their horses here, and to all the event organisers.

Next day, I was back at Lydden Temple Ewell, for one last chance to see Silver Spotted Skippers this year. In glorious weather, I made my way to the western end of the site. Numbers were definitely on their way down, as you would expect, and most were past their best. But I managed to find a few good ones too, and it was lovely to see them one more time. Plenty of other stuff was present as well, including a few fresh new Large Whites, a third generation emergence. Chalkhill Blues were nearly gone, but there were several Adonis, ranging from fresh to tattered. Here is one of the nice ones. Day list included, Silver Spotted Skippers, Large White, Small White, Clouded Yellow, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blues, Adonis Blues , Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.