www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Annie wrote:I also want to explore the little bald knob near Compton Dundon, just nearby.

Who's that then?

ha ha!

I didn't phrase that very well, did I! reminds me of the song about "sitting on top of Lord Hereford's Knob"

anyway, in all seriousness, I think it's called Lollover Hill

Annie wrote:ha ha!

I didn't phrase that very well, did I! reminds me of the song about "sitting on top of Lord Hereford's Knob"

anyway, in all seriousness, I think it's called Lollover Hill

If it's a bald knob it ought to be Combover Hill

I can still vividly remember my first sighting of this butterfly. It was back in the mid 1950s when I along with a close schoolboy friend, explored some woodlands to the West of Gloucester. Another pupil at the school, lived in a house where the garden backed onto the woodland. He told of the butterflies which strayed into his garden from the wood. A fabulous place we just had to explore. We cycled there one fine summer's day in late June. You could cycle for miles back then and not see another vehicle. Now those same lanes have queues of vehicles.

That memorable day, for the first time I saw those fine woodland species the Silver Washed Fritillary and White Admiral. We both saw and caught our first Greylings there. a woodland form possibly as it was deep within the woodland in a clearing with some Heather, a plant usually found in typical greyling habitat in other counties.. My friend caught a fine female and myself, a male ... both whilst insects perched on tree trunks ...which incidentally, that male I still have. Some of my schoolday caught specimens have data labels from 1954 ... I also saw a huge yellow wood wasp with a long Ovipositor. The thing was fully over four inches long and I never knew such things existed then~ it sounded like a small helicopter as it passed overhead ~ eerie things and being an unknown quantity, iIwas alittle scared of it ... that long 'sting' thing looked a bit iffy ... Never seen one that size or colouring since.

Well satified with the days observations, before packing up there was just one part of the wood worth exploring because of a small pond where fine dragonflies would be present if we're lucky. Got to that area and was disappointed at the lack of both butterflies and dragonflies.

That's it ''' now tired, we started to pack up ready for the long cycle trip back home the other side of Gloucester. Just then I became aware of a large dark butterfly dropping down from the nearby trees heading straight for us. My friend had his back to it so was not aware until I exclaimed "what the heck is that" as it flew between us ~ I clearly saw several rich blue flashes as the butterfly flew around and between us several times before rocketing back up to the tree tops. I asked my friend did he see those flashes ~ sadly he did not and we had a heated argument about what we had seen ... or not. Some years later, I was to learn more about this butterfly and confirm that the butterfly's behaviour that day is typical of the male of the species, and the occasional female. Like many good friends, heated arguments were frequent but, we never allowed them to upset our friendship.

There's no doubt in my mind what we saw that day. My schoolfriend relayed 'my' sighting as a 'possible' to Austin Richardson, an eminent Lepidopterist at the time who I believe was then Headmaster at a local public school. Later, we learned that he had spent some time that summer searching the many sallow bushes and trees in the area but, to this day I do not know the result. Since then also, to this day I have NEVER seen a Purple Emperor in my favourite county.. Gloucestershire... and I have looked ... lots and lots ...... Also was good for large numbers of Pearl Borderd Fritillaries in late may and the Small PBF a little later in the season. In the May of 1959 there were huge numbers of PBFs there ~ never seen anything like it since anywhere ~ even abroad.

I still search that woodland when time allows. Been commercialised too much. Still good though. I also nearly trod an a Woodcock. Made me jump when it exploded into flight right in front of me.... The Wood White is present in good numbers there now ~ both broods ~ it was not seen at all there in the 1950-60s. Several Birds of Prey were observed there in my schoolboy visits. I got to know the landowner and he confirmed the unusual Bird of Prey I saw was in fact a Montague's Harrier ~ a couple of pairs there in the 1950s over the Heather areas.. Without actively looking, I found nests of Sparrow Hawk and Buzzard there ~ nowhere near as numerous then as is the case today ~ even see both birds over or in my garden nowadays # unknown behaviour in Gloucestershire in those far away days. I also observed the Hobby and another Bird of prey I since know as a Goshawk, both of which I've seen in recent years there or closeby and in my own little 'reserve' not many miles away ~ The Goshawk still breeds successfully most years there now.

Yes, a very special woodland indeed ... I still live in hope that one day I'll see that flash of purple there again ........

However, I have found it in many localities in southern and central England including a good number where I have not actually seen the imago, only earlier stages. I have in fact found all four stages in the wild and larvae in every month of the year ~ which you can do if you know when and where to look. My two best and favourite localities were found simply by spotting first instar larvae on sallows in woodland edges when taking a 'comfort break' whilst travelling about the country during the course of my occupation back then.

.... Happy days ... gorn forever ... but, tomorrow as they say, is another day ...

Keep 'em peeled.

I'm going back to Southwater woods this Sunday. I was on the walk last Sunday when it rained.....and rained. I had to carry my 7 year old daughter aloft on my shoulders. At one point she poked me in the eye.

I'm taking her to her swimming lesson then I'll go (on Sunday - it's gonna be difficult since the Donkey Derby is on in Peacehaven). I'm busking in Horsham this Saturday so I might have a look on the way back too. I've still to see a PE this year. Have seen them previously in BotanyBay/Oaken Wood and at Bookham common.

She made a purple emperor in Construction club (after school club - whereby the kids make things from cardboard tubes/boxes etc). She specified to the teacher that it was in fact a "Purple Emperor". At least all this nature stuff is going in!

Danny

Many thanks to the Mighty Hulme for enabling me to see my first Purple Emperor today.

Two first time sightings for me were in similar circumstances. I used to fly in a gliding competitions and sometimes was unable to complete the course so had to land in a field - a routine annoyance for most pilots.

One afternoon, i landed just outside a wood in the Silverstone area and I enjoyed my first ever Wood White. On another occasion I landed at the old Martlesham Heath airfield near Ipswich. While waiting for my crew to come and collect me, I spent a happy time crawling around on the grass and among the heather and positively identified my first ever Essex Skipper. There were indeed Silver Studded Blues but I had seen them previously.

Indeed, I recall almost all my first ever sightings of the less common species as if they happened yesterday. In my young days, I lived in east Norfolk. I can still vividly "see" my first and only Large Tortoiseshell when I was a lad of about nine. There were no Speckled Woods in east Norfolk those days. They had to wait until a family holiday in Somerset when I was all of 13 or 14 years old and of course, was surprised just how common they were there.

Sadly, I can still recall the very last Wall Brown I saw in my present county, Cambridgeshire, in August 2006.

Jack