Denbies 12th August 2012
My aim on this visit to Denbies was to hopefully find and photograph a fresh female Silver-Spotted Skipper. I arrived just before 1pm, the sun was shining, and it was certainly hot, so the conditions were far from perfect, as the butterflies would be flying none stop, celebrating an overdue hot summers day. Within a couple of minutes i spotted a male SSS in the grass a few centimetres from a female. So i sat, watched and waited. The male eventually made his move, flying the very short distance and landed up close, but he was in to much of a hurry, and with his first attempt at copulating, bending his abdomen towards hers to quickly, she was off in a flash, with him in hot pursuit, i don`t know if he ever managed to catch and mate with her, as they left me sitting on my behind wondering were the hell they went. About an hour later i got my first opportunity of a photo, albeit a male SSS and not my goal a female.
12.8.2012 Denbies 005 silver-spotted skipper, male.jpg
Another hour had passed when i spotted something in the grass partially hidden, it was a female SSS ovipositing, and had laid two eggs, which is a first for me, so i was well pleased.
12.8.2012 Denbies 019 silver-spotted skipper egg.jpg
Around 4 o`clock i had decided to give it a rest for an hour, and see if any Adonis Blues had emerged further along the hill, and try again later for the one photo i was after. After searching for A.B. and coming up with nothing i went back to the hot spot for SSS for one last go of photographing a female, before heading home...