www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Very nice Clouded Yellow, Paul. I remember the Painted Ladies near the fuel tanks,
and noticed how much smaller some specimens were.

You had good value from your ' Southern ' ticket that day!.
Trevor.

Another cracking report Bugboy The difference in the wear and tear in your selection of Painted Ladies is interesting - with one looking ;greasy' winged That is a cracking Cloduy shot - nice and fresh and 'pinging' out of the screen

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks for expanding on the wasp v pupa battle, BB. Very interesting, if a little sad for the latter.

You've caught that Small White beautifully too. It's not often you get to see the spot on the hindwing upperside.

Thanks Trevor, yes I certainly made the most of my ticket that day, at those prices though you've got to!
Thanks Wurzel, they certainly weren't all particularly fresh those Painted Ladies, a right old mixed bag of individuals. Quite pleased with that Cloudy shot too, it was just a reflex grab shot, I managed just three shots before she was gone .
Thanks David, it's gruesome I know but I do find parasitism totally fascinating at the same time.
Oh and I have another Small white for you below

21st August
The following day it was off into deepest Sussex again, this time Newhaven Tidemills. As I approached from the train station, I was a little concerned, the construction works here to build another bridge was well underway and a sizable chunk of the site had been fenced off. Thankfully all the Everlasting Pea was still accessible. I spent a bit of time looking for Long-tailed Blue eggs (as well as keeping an eye out for any adults). None of the latter were seen but the former was rather easy to find. Much of the Pea is inaccessible, clambering over and through a bank of Bramble so what I found here is likely to be just the tip of an iceberg.
Butterflies in general were rather thin on the ground across most of the site, apart from Small Whites, there always seems to be loads of them here. The odd Green-veined can also be found if you pay a bit of attention. The Buddleja next to the recycling/scrap yard did have a fair bit of activity, Red Admirals and Painted Lady, but were mostly rather frisky and spent most the time on the wrong side of the fence or in the shade. With nothing much to keep my attention I took a wander over to the other side of the River Ouse and the nature reserve around Newhaven Fort. It was rather windy and the exposed southern tip was taking the brunt of it. There is plenty of shelter here though, either around fort itself or the dense shrubby thickets and it was in the sunny patches where I found a few butterflies. I had an early start the next day but there was still just enough time to re-visit Tidemills before heading off where I found a bit more activity. The Painted Ladies had taken to warming themselves up on the paths, Small Heath flitted here and there and a rather nice Brown Argus was busy laying eggs on dead leaves. I wish I’d taken more interest on what she was laying on since it doesn’t look like any sort of Cranesbill, the green leaves look very much like Tormentil.

That mass of BLEP does look extremely promising, and I can see that the seeds have been sown for something interesting in a week or two. Fingers crossed the weather calms itself down again for a bit. It was perhaps a bit early when we looked on Saturday.

Cheers,

Dave

This breakdown in the weather is just adding to the suspense isn't it Dave, Saturday was good but hopefully is just a little taster of what's on the horizon

22nd August
Day one of my little foray into Dorset, later in the season than I had hoped but that was unavoidable. The primary target was that Dorset specialty the Lulworth Skipper, hopefully I’d find a few stragglers at some of the later sites. On the other hand the late season jaunt did mean I could try and improve on my so far dreadful Brown Hairstreak season, Shipton Bellinger isn’t a major detour and I’d arranged to meet up with Wurzel. My chauffeur arrived bright and early and of we set. Glorious sunshine lighted our way virtually the entire journey until we approached Shipton Bellinger where there seemed to be a very unhelpful greyness covering the sun, well that’s just sods’ law taking the P!

It was about 10ish when we arrived, a little breezy with some patches of blue sky and with only the odd dog walker around time to do a quick recce before more Brown Hairstreak hunters arrived. A few butterflies were seen, a couple Common Blues and several Whites plus a decent looking Red Admiral but for the most part it seemed rather quiet. It didn’t remain quiet for very long though, unbeknownst to me there was a BC outing here today and suddenly the place was awash with butterfly hunters, in fact more people than butterflies were present. Not long after they turned up so did Wurzel and Philzoid, and there was a collective sinking of hearts as we all imagined having to form an orderly queue to photograph our target. I think the weather may have put them off though since they didn’t hang around for very long, leaving just us three and a few other more determined Hairstreak hunters working the hedgerow (my chauffeur had settled down with her nose in a book, the usual pose she adopts when I’m doing my thing).

We walked the length of the main hedge but saw very little, mainly due to the persistent cloud cover, sunny spells appearing and vanishing far to briefly. Suddenly a call was heard from the corner of the hedge “Hairstreak!” one of the other enthusiasts had found one and we hurried over to find a worn male settled low down. But he didn’t sit long enough for me to get a snap (I’m not sure if Wurzel or Philzoid managed any) but we followed him southwards up the slope as he toyed with us. Whether it was the same one or another one that settled briefly I’m not sure/can’t remember but I just managed a couple of pics as he took off. We continued up the slope where we came across a few more of both sexes, all playing hard to get . Time to bring out the big lens! Also of note here were a few Walls who gave Philzoid the run-around . I had intended to just stay the morning but with so little to show for my efforts so far I hung around a little bit longer, checking in on my chauffeur to make sure she hadn’t died of boredom. After the earlier excitement the cloud cover had returned and a slow walk along the main hedge gave us very little action. Brimstones entertained us for a while and at the north end near the road we found a few Common Blues looking rather nice in the overcast conditions, but things really weren’t looking promising for any improved Hairstreak action, the cloud cover stubbornly refusing to clear properly... tbc

22nd August (part 2)
On the return walk back along the hedge we had another teasing appearance of the Hairstreak kind, a decent looking female who stubbornly refused to come down from the top of the hedge. A short while later a male decided to behave in a similar manner, the day was becoming more and more frustrating. Toying with the idea of calling it a day for the nth time there was a sudden reappearance of the sun which prompted us to give it one more go and I was so glad we did, Shipton Bellinger finally relented and gave up her goods . One did escape our clutches, vanishing off across the field, but we needn't have worried. As we admired her chocolate orange markings of one, Wurzel noticed another one a foot or so away behind us, possibly the one who had tried to escape across the field, also supping on some Blackberries , suddenly they seemed to be everywehere . After so many failed efforts this year it did feel a bit like Christmas ! It took a while, 4 hours in fact, but I finally left with a camera full of Brown Hairstreak pictures, leaving Wurzel and Philzoid to give the place another whirl .

Those Hairstreaks really did make you work for your shots, Buggy! Definitely worth it in the end I'd say. They have certainly shown a liking for blackberry juice this year, as that's what was on the menu when I was there as well.

Cheers,

Dave

A fantastic set of images Bugboy You won't be surprised to hear that I've still got to sort mine out Your report really sums up Shipton this year; hard work and patience were finally rewarded, I can't recall another year like it, they basically ripped up the rule book Though that did make them all the sweeter in the end

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely betulae, BB. You don't get long with them in that condition and they were very elusive indeed during their early flight period this year.

Love your shots of the BH Buggy - well worth all the effort. In particular, the one on the blackberry - falls into the category of 'one I wish I'd taken'! I've tried over the years but never succeeded

You're right Dave, it was worth it in the end though . I think their choice of Blackberry's was forced upon them, there was very little if any else for them to feed on!
Thanks Wurzel and you're right, not the slightest bit surprised . It was good to finally bump into you in the field!
Thanks David, yes they were particularly elusive this year although the previous two years we were spoilt a bit I think.
Thanks Pauline, it was relatively easy to get them on Blackberries (when they did eventually appear) there was nothing else to feed from!

23rd August
Leaving Shipton Bellinger to Wurzel and Philzoid, we made our way down to where we were staying in Dorset, a pleasant little campsite with an onsite restaurant, how very civilised! Anyway we arrived with enough time to sort ourselves out and have a very nice evening meal, countryside portions are very generous and get an early night ready for the next days adventures.

We set off for Alners Gorze the following morning, taking a detour into Dorchester to grab breakfast, under glorious sun. But conditions quickly changed to thick fog which really didn’t look like it was going to lift any time soon, so a quick change of destination saw us heading east to Durlston Country Park. This is my ‘regular’ Lulworth Skipper site (if once a year for the last three years can be called regular) and being known as one of the late sites I was hoping I’d find a few stragglers, but this is by some way the latest In the season I’ve visited.

We arrived around 11 and made our way down the path past the visitor centre. The first patch of green on the right half way down the slope is where I found my very first Lulworth and in successive years one or two have always lurked here, but not today. The only butterfly to tempt me here was a Small Copper. Further along the path I can usually find more Lulworths but once again, not today, just a few very tired looking Painted Ladies flitted around.
Worse was to come. When we reached the open field, I was somewhat disappointed by what greeted me, parched brown, lifeless looking grass. Here we parted, Chauffeur off to find a quiet spot to read and enjoy the weather leaving me to look for some butterflies, any butterflies. At first all I found were a handful of tatty Meadow Brown and Small Heath but nothing that made me raise my camera and not a sniff of any Skippers. I quartered the slope heading for the gully, surely there’d be something down there. There was but it was still single figures of species, three or four each of Common and Adonis Blues, a couple of Brown Argus and a single Small Heath who was somewhat fresher than all the others I’d seen… and that was it! I came away having taken around 30 pictures, possibly a new record for me, I don’t think I’ve ever taken less on a day’s butterflying trip. Don't be fooled by the greenery in the pictures, you just have to look at Neil Freeman's images of the site to see just how dry it really was.

Butterflies were then put on the back burner after that since I then spent the next 2 hours searching for my chauffeur. I knew roughly where she said she was heading for but with no mobile signal in the area there was no way of either of us letting the other know where we were. I eventually found her sitting nonchalantly at the visitor centre enjoying a coffee and cake!

We ended the day having a wander round Swanage and planned to have another go at Alners Gorze the following day.

Oh dear! I don’t think it’s been a good summer for Dorset’s butterflies. We were down there a couple of weeks later, and numbers were low for us too.

Lovely shots of the Adonis male Bugboy - really electric blue that one Hopefully the Isle of Purbeck will bounce back next year though to be safe I'd make a visit for Lulworths earlier in their flight - I generally try around June time

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some great Brown Hairstreak photos there Bugboy .

Interesting to compare your experience at Durlston with mine a few weeks later. I reckon that it was the driest site I visited down there and, along with Ballard Down, produced the lowest numbers of butterflies. I found the best spot at Durlston this year was at the more sheltered top end of the gully, the bottom end was practically devoid of butterflies which I put down to the parched condition plus the fact it is more exposed to the wind which was blowing almost constantly whilst we were there.

As in recent years, curiously, I found other sites that are not 'official' reserves to be more productive.

I have had a look at the Dorset BC sightings pages and it appears that overall it has not been a bad summer down there.

https://www.dorsetbutterflies.com/sight ... ?year=2019

Cheers,

Neil.

Shame about the Lulworths, BB, but the Adonis Blues must have provided some compensation.

Thanks Essex, I reckon it was just a case of poor timing tbh, win some, lose some!
Thanks Wurzel, I reckon I'll be reverting back to June/July on my Dorset trips in the future!
Thanks Neil, yes it looks like a decent season down there, I think flight periods have changed so much that it's all over bar immigrants down there these days
Thanks David, some compensation but just two males wasn't really anything to shout about and with Neil's visit a few weeks later not finding many more it's more of a worry than anything else

24th August
Another early start and this time no fog to get in the way. Once again we detoured to Dorchester to grab breakfast and something for lunch and arrived at Alners Gorze a little before 10. Wurzel had given me some tips as to the best places to look for Brown Hairstreaks here so down the slope and to the left it was. At first all I saw were Small Whites. Unlike Shipton Bellinger there was still a fair bit of nectar sources around, some of the bramble was still in blossom and plenty of Fleabane and Knapweed around. The Whites were for the most part ignored, partly because it was already rather warm and they would have been difficult to pin down but mainly because I was keeping my eyes peeled for the Hairstreaks. You could see the areas where Blackthorn was being rotationally managed for them so there was no excuse for them not to be around!

A Common Blue was the first butterfly who sat long enough for a picture and a short while later a couple of Painted Lady were busying themselves on the Fleabane and Knapweed but no sign of any Brown Hairstreaks. I did a slow meandering circuit of the site, coming out into a sea of purply-blue where the Devils-bit Scabious was in full bloom. Here was a bit more variety with several Small Tortoiseshell and a couple of Peacock gorging themselves silly. At one point I had more Small Tortoiseshells in sight than at any time since my family home Buddleja 35 years ago ! I was being very careful, picking my way through the Scabious, sticking to the paths that winded through them so I didn’t trample them and more importantly any Marsh Fritillary nests. Of the latter I did find one nest, something I’ve never seen one before so that’s another life tick. The Hairstreaks however proved as elusive as ever and we left without never getting a glimpse of one .

Since my friend was chauffeuring me around it seemed only polite to suggest a destination which might be of interest to her as well, and Corfe Castle might just give me a sighting of a Lulworth Skipper. When I’d booked the time off work I hadn’t taken into account it was a bank holiday weekend (I work bank holidays so they don’t generally register on my radar), so the journey ended up being frustratingly longer than anticipated and off course, Corfe on a sunny bank holiday Saturday is rather busy .
We managed to squeeze into a parking spot and I quickly had a scoot around the car park (trying not to look too dodgy creeping around behind all the parked cars ). No Skippers here unfortunately, in fact there was precious little of anything.
Exploring further afield didn’t bring me much more luck on the butterfly front, just a flighty Red Admiral and a sign suggesting I’d walked further than I thought! When I returned to the car park to find my friend (we’d separated earlier), Dorset’s dodgy mobile coverage struck again. It turned out she was under a tree on the other side of the car park but it took an hour to get hold of her . My only company during that time was a flighty female Grayling who was busy laying eggs. A return visit to Alners Gorze was sadly a little too late in the afternoon to find any Brown Hairstreaks, just a few Brimstone and Painted Lady were still active and it was here we decided to call the trip a day. I’m just not familiar enough with this part of the world to have suggested any other destinations, and given the lacklustre results so far, even if I was I wouldn’t have been overly confident about seeing much. I’ve said it before on here, I really do think the June gap has now been replaced by the August gap! Whilst the scenery and company was as good as ever, not exactly the trip I was hoping for in the end.

That’s a shame, Buggy. I really would have thought Alners would have turned up a few BH, despite it being a poor year elsewhere. However, all those Nymphalids must have been some consolation, in the cold light of day at least.

Shame you didn’t find your way to Osmington, which I’m sure would have turned up some good stuff. And there is a farm opposite which does cream teas!

Sorry that Dorset didn't produce the goods Bugboy I feel that my home county really must do better! Mind you Alners Gorse has got earlier and earlier and often produces the first Brostreaks of the season so they may have already been over? Earlier in the season it's possible to pick up 3 Hairstreaks! It's a similar story for the Lulworths at Corfe Castle - that's often the 'first sighting' site.
" At one point I had more Small Tortoiseshells in sight than at any time since my family home Buddleja 35 years ago !" - they do seem to be faring better over this way than on the Eastern side of the country - long may that continue

Have a goodun

Wurzel

bugboy wrote:...You could see the areas where Blackthorn was being rotationally managed for them so there was no excuse for them not to be around!

Yes, they're incredibly frustrating butterflies, BB. There are times I see hardly any (or none) in ideal conditions and then I'll visit in cool, part cloudy weather and see several.

At least you had impressive numbers of Small Tortoiseshells to make up for the lack of Hairstreaks.