www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

GORGEOUS BLUES

You did well to get that shot of the Adonis with the sky as the backdrop, Wurzel. Lovely image.

Wurzel,

I too enjoyed the Adonis photos. Very nice.

Regards Kev

The Adonis look great Wurzel, you've got a real knack for getting just the right colour setting for back grounds I must get some shots of Adonis next year, hope fully I'll get my times sorted out better for then Goldie

Cheers Dave Blue on blue doesn't normally work unless you have the brilliance of an Adnois
Cheers Trevor
Cheers David I had to approach from below crawling up the hill to get that shot but it was worth it.
Cheers Kevling for your kind comment
Cheers Goldie I wouldn't say I have a knack more like just happening to be in the right place at the right time

Larkhill 07-09-2015

As I passed the over the roundabout at the Stonehenge depot I checked the field on the left and there again were the pair of Great Bustards, with one looking more ‘fluffed’ up around the tail area meaning it could be the male? I couldn’t stop again this time because there was a white van parked where I normally pull in so I headed onto Larkhill.

This was a very quick stop off as I’m probably approaching the point of diminishing returns and I need to get to work to face my busiest day of the week/timetable. As I walked down the Eastbound path I tried the technique of checking the grass top at a different angle but it didn’t produce any results. I carried on slightly further than previously but conscious of the time I had to turn back with no butterflies seen.

It was then that I saw them, a group of two Common Blues and an Adonis all reasonably close together. I think that I’d been dazzled by the rising sun streaming down the path and reflecting off of the spiders webs and dew. It was a strange sensation to suddenly see butterflies clinging to the grass where before there had been none despite close checking. Part of me had the sneaking suspicion that they’d bee n there all along but lower down the stems and hidden from view. Once I’d walked past they’d shimmied up to sit there at the top of the grass proudly waiting for me to see them and feel like a numpty! Time had ticked away and so I headed off hoping that the weather holds for a few more days...

Larkhill 08-09-2015

Things weren’t looking good for a stop-off this morning as I was running late and the clouds hung low and grey in the sky. In the end I still managed a quick pull over only stopping long enough for a single Great Bustard. From the number 15 on its wing panel I could tell it was one of the pair that I had seen previously. Where the other one was I don’t know perhaps already on its way south? Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice shots again, Wurzel. Early September was clearly a productive time for you.

Nice shots once again Wurzel, I love the scenery shots, typical of English scenery getting ready for Autumn, Goldie

Hi Wurzel, love the 'blue against blue' of the Adonis shots

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers David It certainly was at the start of the month but once the realities of being back to work kicked in it started to tail off quite quickly Still it was nice while it lasted
Cheers Goldie It was starting to look all 'mellow and fruitful'
Cheers Neil One of those made it to my 'favourite' selection!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Larkhill 10-09-2015

My morning stop off on the way to work wasn’t as productive as usual. Perhaps the end of the season is approaching? For my 5 minutes of hard work all I could muster as a single Common Blue. At break time I was on Duty and the weather had cheered up, the sun had burnt the mist away and the temperature was rising so I took my camera with me while I checked there were no pupils off site. At the Buddleia a small collection of butterflies distracted me in my vigil for smokers and skivers. A Large and Small White had a brief tussle and disturbed a Small Tort that looked fabulous in its fresh livery. At the end of duty as I entered my lab a Small White fluttered by to round off a successful break time. I don’t normally stop on Thursday as I at work late for meetings. However tonight I did as the day had been such a glorious one. And so it continued into the evening. At the Golden Rod there were three blues, 2 females one of which looked fresh as a daisy and a male further back and just out of range. There was also a Meadow Brown hanging on in there. Down the path at least 3 Small Heaths were on the path and as I knelt down to try for a shot of a Small White a dark brown butterfly flew up from the Hawthorn, did a circuit around me and then landed in an adjacent bush – a Larkhill Specklie which is something of a rarity and it looked fresh too. As I walked back to the car there was a growing thunderous beating and various Helicopters passed over. Larkhill 11-09-2015

AM
A very quick stop off at Larkhill and I headed off straight down the Eastbound path. One of the things that I’ve learnt from working this site is that at this time of year, when the morning sun is low yet still bright, is that there isn’t really any point looking for butterflies until the return journey. Then the sun catches their closed wings and instead of blending in they positively glow from the beige grass. I reached the usual place, about 20-30m along, and started scanning about. A few steps back to the car and there was one with a second just behind it. I headed onto work ready to face the day. Only I didn’t get very far as an accident blocked the only road through to Pewsey. It meant a detour via first Shipton and then past my Duke site. I was sorely tempted to pull in, turn the phone off and make a day of it...

PM
I did get to work as quickly as possible and as a reward I treated myself to a quick stop on the way home. As the weather reports keep delighting in telling us that the ‘summer’ weather will end shortly I thought that I should make the most of it. The Eastbound path and the patch of Golden Rod was totally barren so I chanced a walk up the Northbound path which had the advantage of being out of the wind.
Up by the bramble patch a butterfly flew from the path. I thought that it looked too dark for a Meadow Brown so I followed it with my eyes and after a quiet stalk I relocated it when it landed. Another Larkhill Specklie. This species is quite a rarity for this site so to see two on two consecutive days is something of a purple patch. It shortly got even better when a second one went up from the grass. Time up I headed home and a weekend of marking, wood sorting and ceiling painting awaited me...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some mint butterflies in that posting Wurzel. Love the female Common Blue and chocolate specklie

The OFSTED helicopters were out looking for you Wurzel

Phil

I like the Tortoiseshell Wurzel, you can't beat the lovely bright colours Goldie

Hi Wurzel
Great to see you still have plenty of interesting stuff to post about from September Do you have enough to keep us going till March

Cheers Philzoid You may jest about the OfSTED but that's actually the kind of tactics they use
Cheers Goldie I reckon it was trying to compete with the trees for golden glory
Cheers Paul I do still have some posts in the bag - whether I can get to March or not I don't know - maybe

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Week Beginning 14-09-2015

Things are starting to get quieter and I reckon I will curtail my stop-offs in about a fortnight to avoid disappointment. I’ll still take my camera in case but if this week is anything to go by then we have past the point of diminishing returns and have entered the realm of ‘any butterfly will do...please just one”. And so will end another season at Larkhill.

This week didn’t start very well and it took until Wednesday before I managed a stop-off. The rewards weren’t that great with an early morning, dew sodden (they have gone past the point of ‘bedecked like jewels’ to plain old wet) Blue. It looked miserable and who could blame it? On Thursday things were more cheerful and the warmer weather had settled in just in time for the weekend it felt like. Again there was only a single solitary blue which played the usual game of hide and seek with me. Down the path I would walk with no butterflies in sight, up the path I would walk to get back to the car and the butterfly would almost leap out from the foliage. It looked a lot happier than the one from the previous day and seemed to have a bit of attitude still. When Friday came I was gutted that I needed to get to work early and so was unable to stop and as my wife likes me to be home early on Friday there would be no more stop-offs this week. However as usual the butterflies chucked me a curve ball and most of the morning a Red Admiral was noodling around on the Ivy just across from my lab. Eventually I succumbed and gulping down my wrap (a mistake as it contains several extra hot Jalapenos) I grabbed my camera and a stool in order to get a few shots. The stool was necessary as it refused to come down to a sensible height and so if the Red Admiral wouldn’t come to me I’d go to it. Stabbing the stool into the ground to anchor it I balanced on top of it and then stretched my arms out to full reach in order to get the shots.
And so ended the week with things seeming to be tailing off quite rapidly...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

"then stretched my arms out to full reach in order to get the shots"

This is why butterfliers should come fitted with telescopic arms. I often use this technique, we may look a bit silly doing it but it is surprisingly effective.

ATB

James

Nice Admirals Wurzel, Goldie

Cheers Rex It was a case of "go, go gadget arms!"
Cheers Goldie Something a little closer coming up...

The Devenish 19-09-2015

As the season wound down Mrs Wurzel started eying the Lime plastered walls that have now carbonated (they’re supposed to have at least 6 weeks and in actual fact have more than likely had 16 weeks), suggesting trips to various paint distributors and the accursed ‘yellow and blue’ bedecked shop that I cannot bring myself to mention. So it was no real surprise this weekend when I was awoken by my wife, cup of coffee in one hand and a paint roller in the other. What was surprising was how warm and sunny it still was and even more surprising when my suggested that I should get out over the lunch as I’d done a coat on the ceiling!

As you can imagine it didn’t take me long to be out and on the road and it was soon decision time at the end of the road – left and Martin Down or right and The Devenish? In the end I turned right...The Devenish it was then. Pulling into the car park a Comma greeted me and then I made my way to the small paddock where the Hornets were still sending out squadrons and I started scanning the trees. There was one a Specklie guarding the tunnel of trees that leads to the Orchid Meadow. I headed down the tunnel and out into the sun again and spent some time with the Brown Argus that was hanging out there. It was a feisty little fella occasionally nipping off to have a go at the tired and worn Common Blue that also inhabited the meadow. As I made my way up to the down I was quite surprised to see a Hedge Brown still around and a very tired blue. It was so worn I couldn’t work out what species it was as the margins were gone. Slightly further along a Small White fed blissfully, unaware of my presence; which was unusual behaviour as normally they are off a soon as a shadow falls near them. Across the side of the down I couldn’t see any Chalkhills or Adonis clinging on along the rabbit formed terraces and the small scallop at the top of the far side didn’t hold any butterflies either and definitely no Cloudy (SAD FACE). However there was a Comma on the Bramble bushes pootling around and taking nectar on the few remaining flower heads. It was great watching it as it moved forward and backwards and then pirouetted around feeding. Occasionally I could catch a glimpse of the marking on the underside of the wing and it looked like a ‘question mark’ so I reckon I should name it ‘The Riddler’. As I made my way back down the side of the down butterflies seemed to appear as if from nowhere with Adonis and Common Blues, Small Whites and down near the large bramble lining the track a Specklie. Not too shabby for a quick lunch break but all too soon it was back to the brush and the roller, I loathe ‘cutting in’.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice set of late summer pics Wurzel

That place you can't mention, maybe make a special butterfly hunt out of it. its not beyond the realms of possibility for a Camberwell Beauty to have stowed away and be awaiting discovery....... not sure what Mrs Wurzel will think about you rooting around in all the pine

Yes, good to go back in time a few weeks, Wurzel. A lovely little selection - I especially like the "?" Comma. Definitely a typo in its genetic code...

Dave