www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi Trevor, I know that the Exmoor Heaths fly later than those in Cornwall due to those sites being higher but I don't know how they compare to those in Kent or Essex. I always assumed they had similar flight times but maybe not. I also know that the south-east has had better weather overall than the south-west so that has probably also had an effect.

Cheers Wurzel, the Exmoor sites are generally in sheltered combes and lower slopes but I believe they are still at a higher altitude than other populations, maybe that accounts for the hairiness...just guessing really

Monday June 26th – Heddon Valley

Later on the Monday (June 26th) afternoon, we arrived at the Hunters Inn and after checking in and getting settled in our room I went for a walk to stretch my legs. The clouds had continued to build up through the afternoon and I didn't fancy wandering too far so just picked up the path from the gardens to the rear of the Hunters Inn that joins the path down the right side of the river to Heddon's Mouth.
About half way along there is a stone bridge and just past it there are a couple of grassy meadows where I have previously seen both Dark Green and High Brown Fritillaries. Although it was too dull to really expect to see any Fritillaries this time these meadows were alive with Ringlets and Meadow Browns, both species that will happily fly in dull, cloudy conditions, especially the Ringlets who will even fly in drizzle and light rain if the air temperature is high enough. There were also plenty of Large Skippers and a few fresh looking Small Skippers buzzing about.

I then crossed the river at the stone bridge and returned back along the other side of the river. I did see a couple of large orange butterflies in the distance on my walk back but they were far too distant to identify. The following day would prove that they could have been Dark Green, High Brown or Silver-washed Fritillaries as I was to see all three of these in the meadows along here.

Tuesday June 27th – Big Orange Fritillaries

Next morning the weather was looking far more promising, still cloudy but lighter clouds which occasionally thinned to allow the sun to be glimpsed as a pale disc. After breakfast, Jane agreed that I could make the most of the day and have a good wander around as long as I returned occasionally to keep her supplied with drinks, ice-cream and a cream tea later.

I first set off along the path through Parsonage Wood towards Ladies Mile and by mid morning the temperature was up into the high teens and butterflies were taking to the wing. The first species seen were the obligatory Ringlets and Meadow Browns along with some Speckled Woods in the shadier sections through Parsonage Wood. A couple of Red Admirals were also seen on the bramble patches along here. Arriving at the crossroads of the paths on Ladies Mile I spotted a large orange fritillary which came just close enough to confirm as a Dark Green. I then returned through Parsonage Wood to a particular patch of brambles that had produced good numbers of DGFs and HBFs in the past. There were indeed some Fritillaries here and I managed to confirm my first High Brown of this trip along with a couple more Dark Greens.
I then carried on back towards the Hunters Inn but not before I stopped off to check a meadow that had recently had a section of grass cut. I have noted before that areas of cut grass or where it has been flattened by previous visitors are favoured basking spots for these fritillaries and indeed I found a male and female DGF doing exactly that.
By now it was turning into a pleasantly warm day and meeting up with Jane back at the Hunters Inn we wandered up to the NT shop and sat at one of the tables outside enjoying an ice cream. As we sat there I noticed the meadow a little further up, just past the NT car park and realised that although we had been here a couple of times in the past, I had never checked out that meadow. Finishing our ice creams I wandered over to this meadow and was pleased to see at least two fritillaries flying around. One proved to be a rather tatty looking DGF but the other was a nice almost pristine female High Brown that flitted about the meadow in a nice sedate manner which allowed me to get a number of photos.
A bit later in the afternoon I returned to the meadows past the stone bridge that I had visited the previous day and in the warmer conditions today found a number of fritillaries, Mostly Dark Greens here but with at least one High Brown.
At one point I nearly trod on a female Dark Green that was settled down in the grass upon which she lazily fluttered a few feet away and pirouetted around a grass stem which enabled me to get a double underside shot.
She then lazily fluttered up onto a nearby cow parsley plant where she fidgeted about a bit which gave me the chance for some more photos.
I am not sure if there was anything wrong with her, or maybe freshly emerged, but she was certainly far less active than the other members of her species which were zipping about the meadow at speed.
In fact at one point I was amused to watch a male DGF chasing a large Golden-ringed Dragonfly up and down the meadow. These impressive looking Dragonflies are quite common here and I saw a good number of them along the river. No doubt the tables are often turned and the butterflies end up on their menu.

There were also at least two, maybe three Silver-washed Fritillaries in these meadows including a nice condition female that spent some time feeding up on the tall thistles dotted about.
I then wandered down to Heddon's Mouth before crossing over at the wooden bridge and returning again back along the other side of the river, seeing a number of Fritillaries in the meadows along here of all three species although not managing to get close enough for any more decent photos.

My main butterfly target here was obviously the High Browns and I reckon I had seen about a dozen during the day fairly well scattered about in various meadows. Dark Greens were seen in similar numbers although many of these seemed to be looking worn and faded. The Silver-washed Fritillaries were a nice bonus with about half a dozen seen. I have seen these here on my previous visits but they are usually just starting and this was the first time I have seen a female here, no doubt due to the more advanced season this year.

Bye for now.

Neil.

I had an inkling that HBFs wouldn't be far behind Neil Mind you I didn't expect the Silver Washed as well - you enjoyed a regular Fritillary Fest

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Beautiful Fritillaries, Neil. I visited at the exact same time of year last year and saw one DGF and one HBF (it was cloudy) but also a couple of worn SPBF. Had they disappeared early this year? The vegetation last year was armpit high, making things difficult - I imagine it wasn't so tall this year as it's been much drier.

Dave

Great pictures of the High Browns at Heddon Valley. I was there a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't get close enough to get any decent shots.

I've made a diary note to go down there next year and book a few nights in the Hunters Inn.

That really is a lot of big Fritillaries! Great stuff

Cheers Wurzel, I was expecting to maybe see one or two Silver-washed as I have seen them on my previous visits but there were more around this time

Hi Dave, I didn't see any Small Pearls this time although I have seen them there before. I have seen reports that it was like an oven down there with lots of hyperactive butterflies the week before we went and this may have burnt out the last few SPBFs. I actually found the vegetation to be pretty much as lush as usual...bracken up to the armpits and head high thistles in the lower meadows. I don't think the south-west have had it as dry as the south-east overall.

Thanks Andy, It was the third time we have stopped at the Hunters Inn at this time of year which has meant that I have had time for a good wander around most of the paths. I have found that some of the lower meadows are easier to get close to them in than the higher slopes which can be a challenge.

Thanks Bugboy, it was really good to see them all flitting and gliding about

Heddon Valley - 26th to 29th June.

Of course, there were other butterflies about and I have already mentioned my walk late on the afternoon of the Monday (June 26th) in dull and cloudy conditions when I saw loads of Ringlets and Meadow Browns in a couple of the grassy meadows by the river.
A few Large Skippers were also flying along with a couple of fresh Small Skippers, my first of the latter this year.
With the brighter weather the following day, a few more species became evident. Common Blues in the grassy meadows and Red Admirals put in a regular appearance all over the place.
My most unusual sighting however, was on the early evening of our first day - Monday 26th June - when we were in the restaurant at the Hunters Inn. Anyone who has ever had a meal in here will know that there is a large picture window that overlooks the gardens. We had just placed our order when 'something' flew up the inside of the window to the side of Jane and startled her. This proved to be a Hummingbird Hawk Moth and with remarkable speed and dexterity( ) I caught it in my hand before anyone else had noticed. I then shot upstairs to our room and put it in a plastic pot, of which I had a couple with me, just in case.
The following morning I took it outside and took a couple of photos before releasing it back into the gardens.
The Wednesday was dull with a mixture of rain or drizzle all day so we headed into Lynton and Lynmouth for a look around before returning to the Hunters Inn later in the afternoon for a cream tea and just chilling out in the bar.

Thursday morning was likewise dull and wet when we checked out and set out for home and although the rain eased off a bit it stayed cloudy all the way home. If the weather had been a bit better I might have been tempted to divert to Collard Hill or Daneway Banks on the way but it was not to be this time.

Bye for now,

Neil

Great stuff Neil You don't often get to see the Hummingbird Hawk moth with it's wings closed en repose as it were

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Fritillary sequence, Neil. You sure got close to them this time!

Missed out on your Fritillaries Neil due to lack of PC but you got some really great shots there. Beautiful vibrant colours, fresh specimens and unusual poses. Not quite sure how you managed it as I know how difficult they can be. Definitely fall into the 'wish I'd taken them' category

Hi! Neil, I'll second Pauline on your fritillary's they look great, I've been thinking of going to Gait Barrow, your shots have urged me to go Goldie

Cheers Wurzel, that was the first time I had seen the HBHM in that pose myself...even if it was induced by my tipping it out of the pot

Thanks David, you must have a crystal ball going by your earlier comment just before I went to Heddon

Thanks Pauline, not quite sure how I managed it myself. It was cloudy but warm for most of the day which helped slow them down a bit

Now, a bit of a catch up report from the weekend.

Friday 30th June

After returning from the Heddon Valley last Thursday in dull, cloudy and occasionally drizzly weather, it bucked up a bit on Friday (30th June). After catching up on a few little household chores we went round to see my mom and as I often do I had a little walk around the park by her house whilst the women were nattering.

It was immediately apparent that there were loads of Large Skippers buzzing about in the areas of long grass and on the nearby patches of brambles, both males and females, often embroiled in spiraling little furballs of four or five individuals.
There were also a couple of fresh Small Skippers mixed in,
Lots of Ringlets were also flapping about but surprisingly I only saw half a dozen at most Meadow Browns.
And three different Commas were spaced out along the treeline, two of which kept returning to perches too high up to get photos but the third was more accommodating,
Back home later in the afternoon a nice fresh looking female Green-veined White paused briefly in the garden during a cloudy spell.
Saturday 1st July

The first day of the month and it was shaping up to be a very pleasant one with those big white fluffy clouds that drift slowly across a blue sky. A couple of hours spare on the afternoon saw me popping round to my local site at Castle Hills near Solihull to see if any Marbled Whites were about. This species has gone from strength to strength here over the past few years and seems to be continuing to become more widespread around Warwickshire. I set off along the usual path and soon saw Large and Small Skippers along with Ringlets and Meadow Browns plus a couple of Commas. Amongst the Small Skippers I managed to ID at least one Essex Skipper which is early for this site, second week in July being more usual for the Essex's to show up.
I also saw a couple of Marbled Whites along this first path which is the first time I have seen them here and indicates that they are spreading further around the site. Walking through a wooded section to the meadow where I usually see them, there were plenty flying along with loads of Meadow Browns in the open meadow and Ringlets along the edges. All these were actively flying on what was turning into a very warm afternoon so photo opportunities were limited to the short spells when a cloud covered the sun and even then they hardly slowed down.
I also saw a couple of pairs in cop, one of which was low down in the grass but the other was higher up,
A couple of flypasts by Red Admirals and my first Gatekeepers(2)of the year, neither of which came close enough for a photo, completed a cracking couple of hours

Monday 3rd July

Back to work to be greeted by as stack of stuff to catch up with What better way to lift the spirits than to arrive home later in the afternoon to find a nice female hutchinsoni Comma on the brambles at the bottom of the garden
That brings me back up to date again.

Bye for now,

Neil.

The last (female) Comma is a lovely insect - quite pale and more subtly marked than many hutchinsoni.

Dave

I love your Marbled White pair, Neil - I have never managed to catch them mating.

Great Marbled White shots Neil, hope they're still around in Kent next week-end. Goldie

I have only just seen your High Browns, Brilliant !.
Spotting them when they are flying with Dark Greens must be a challenge !.

Great report,
Trevor.

Lovely set of Large Skipper shots Neil - they seem to have finished around my way already , only to be replaced by multitudes of Smessex

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Dave, she certainly was a beauty, quite large as well as Commas go

Thanks Janet, I have seen mating pairs of Marbled Whites a few times but they usually tend to be down in the grass.

You should see plenty Goldie, I believe they have a long emergence down there.

Thanks Trevor, yes, it can be a challenge to separate them so I click away and get as many record shots as I can.

Cheers Wurzel, still loads of 'Large' around our way, easily outnumbering the smessex still although that will probably change over this coming week.

Friday 7th June.

Another Friday afternoon visit to my moms and another 30 minutes around the park by her house. Almost a repeat of last week with the same species in roughly the same numbers with the only difference being a few more 'whites' in evidence although they weren't stopping in the cloudy but warm and muggy conditions today.
The past week has seen some very warm days here whilst I have been stuck in work and the temperature on my car display hit 30c on the way home yesterday afternoon. Ironically, the nights have seen clear skies with temperatures dropping to the low teens which has meant that numbers to the garden moth trap have not been as high as might be expected. Nevertheless, this is all relative and total numbers of 120-150 moth, including micros have given me plenty to sort through and try to identify.
A selection of some of these recent moths that I managed to photograph are below,
I really must try and get out and track down some of these hairstreaks that everyone else seems to be seeing

Bye for now,

Neil.

Ooooh a Buff Arches, one of my favourite moths

That Coronet is a real beaut Neil

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Bugboy, one of my favourites too

Cheers Wurzel, the Coronet used to be considered very scarce and local in Warwickshire but has become far more common and widespread in recent years