www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi Craig
Good to meet you too. Great that we both got to see our first Brown Hairstreak. I am also hoping to get back again. Apart from the Hairstreaks my most vivid memory is the call of the two horesriders 'excuse me, have you lost something' As we butterfly watchers gazed up into the bushes

Hi Wurzel &Mike (False Apollo)

Yes this is a great site. You are lucky to have it so close. I cant wait to get back there

Bits and Bobs out and about

Saturday 27.7.2014 In The Garden

When I went into the garden today I was surprised to see what I assume to be an almost fully grown Cinnabar Moth larva. Surprised because I have no Ragwort or Groundsel in or near my garden and I thought they were the only foodplants. This larva appeared to be eating Black Meddick which grows profusely here. Comments please. Saturday 9.8.2014

My Brother has taken a vague interest in Butterflies, the result of walking in the country with me recently. On Saturday he sent me a message/photo saying he had seen a butterfly he did not recognise. Of course I knew what it was straight away and told him it was quite an unusual sight and certainly not common. To this he responded that there were three of them in the garden My knowledge of moths is perhaps rather lacking and when I read up I discovered that the Jersey Tiger is perhaps not as rare as I had thought. He was on the Isle Of Wight at the time where I now understand there is a thriving colony. Exactly how common or uncommon is this species The football season looms and whilst my son was at football training I took 15 minutes out to see what was around at Fleming Park in Eastleigh. The answer was not much, a couple of Speckled Wood and a Gatekeeper was all I could find. The weather looks set to deteriorate for the foreseeable future now. Tuesday 12.8.2014 Leckford

Whilst driving out in the sticks near Leckford I came across what looked like a promising spot. So I stopped for a' Wurzel stop off' to see what was about There was plenty of Blackthorn and Ash so I had a good look round in case there was a hitherto undiscovered Brown Hairstreak colony. Of course there were no Brown Hairstreaks but there were a few Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown including on e with a hint of double eye spot.

Hi Paul - yes, can confirm that I saw a few Jersey Tigers (even managed some photos!), whilst on holiday in the SW corner of the IOW two weeks ago. Also saw a couple of Hummingbird Hawk moths - took lots of photos (they really are a challenge to photograph...).

And Craig told me all about the Brostreak encounter. He's a workmate, and we often venture out at lunchtime to Stockbridge Down. Take a look (if you haven't already) at his online photo streams - very high quality stuff. The lucky blighter lives within walking distance of Bentley Wood.

Cheers, Jon

jonhd wrote:And Craig told me all about the Brostreak encounter. He's a workmate, and we often venture out at lunchtime to Stockbridge Down. Take a look (if you haven't already) at his online photo streams - very high quality stuff. The lucky blighter lives within walking distance of Bentley Wood

Hi Jon
Such a small world

Saturday 16.8.2014 Fleming Park

A weekend busy with family stuff meant I had little opportunity for butterfly watching. My sons football training gave me half an hour or so to look around the old disused golf course sandwiched between the M3 motorway and the football pitches. Speckled Wood were the order of the day, in fact for a while I thought that would be the only species I saw with more than 20 individuals seen. Luckily this is one of my favourite species There were plenty about ranging from fresh to ragged. A single Small White and Meadow Brown made sure the Speckled Wood did not have it all to themselves. Sunday 17.8.2014 Hedge End

A quick half an hour walk along my local footpath near home provided a few more Speckled Wood. There was also a couple of Red Admiral, a single female Gatekeeper and a superb Hover Fly Saturday 23.8.2014 Fleming Park Again

A week on and a warmer, sunnier and less windy Saturday morning made me think there would be more on offer around the old Golf Course. Surprisingly, I was much mistaken. Despite the seemingly better conditions the Speckled Woods seemed to have disappeared bar a couple of stragglers A few fresh Green Veined and Small Whites were all that showed.

Lovely Specklies Paul - It was good to meet up the other day - I hope you had more luck than I did in your final 30 minutes. Is it just me or does it feel like the season has just been stopped dead in it's tracks

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:Is it just me or does it feel like the season has just been stopped dead in it's tracks

Nope. I'm just the same.

The recent inclement weather has ushered in a real autumnal feel. It seems more like early October right now than late August.

Wurzel wrote:Lovely Specklies Paul - It was good to meet up the other day - I hope you had more luck than I did in your final 30 minutes. Is it just me or does it feel like the season has just been stopped dead in it's tracks

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel/David

Yes good to meet up again Wurzel. I managed to stretch my 30 mins to 45 Lots of interesting habitat up the left hand track. Lots of Blackthorn and a lot more nectar sources including more Bramble still in flower. There is also vast clumps of Ivy which looks very promising for a few weeks time as it is covered in flowers, some looking like it will be out imminently. Some bits of track which are so overgrown and cut off they do not look they have been visited very recently. Lots more Speckled Wood and a couple more Red Admirals, but no Brown Hairstreaks More in my next post.

You are both quite right about the season feeling like it is almost over even though it is still August. In fact I had to double check what was happening this time last year. Well it was still high season this time last year and for several more months. I was in Kingsdown Leas for Long Tailed Blues on the 7th October last year which I remember as a cloudless, sunny and warm late summers day and still had plenty of butterfly action a month on from then. It does not feel at the moment that that is at all likely this year

Great shots. Especially like the Hoverfly that lloks like Volucella inanis.

Hi Paul
Thanks for the comments

Sunday 24.8.2014 Shipton Bellinger

I ummed and ahhed about where to go last Sunday, the weather forecast looked indifferent, but in the end the weather looked more favourable toward the west so I headed toward Shipton Bellinger to try for some late Brown Hairstreaks. Again, I would be time restricted promising to be back just after lunch so probably missing the best time of day. I arrived at about 9.45 well before the witching hour to pleasingly sunny conditions with a little cloud, somewhat better than expected. As I slowly made my way up the main track my ears were greeted with the sound of distant dogs barking. I instantly remembered seeing a post last year from this site mentioning some sort of dog show occupying the main field I wondered if I had come on the wrong day. As I walked up the main track this noise came and went but it soon became apparent that there was indeed a major 'sled dog event ' going on here. It took a while for the butterflies to get going as it was still quite cool early on. I walked up the secondary track that runs parallel to the main track and saw a few Meadow brown first as well as a Common Blue and a couple of Whites. As I approached the crossroads the Speckled Wood were starting to appear. At one point I saw the unusual sight of three Speckled Wood occupying the same flower head, something I have not seen before. However I failed to get a picture. The canine cacophony was now pretty loud and as reached the end of this track and saw into the main field I could see that there were tents and campers all along the back edge right up against the treeline which seems to be the most reliable area here to see brown Hairstreaks. I continued around the track almost into another field next door wher there was some rough ground. Here I found Common Blue, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown and several Small Whites. I made a decision to avoid the main field and doubled back along the track at the bottom of the field to investigate the side track again. Speckled Wood now seemed to be the most numerous species. There were very ragged examples as well as ones that looked freshly emerged. After spotting the first Holly Blue of the day nectaring on Bramble I peered along the track just in time to see Wurzel appear from round a corner. As we chatted at the crossroads we saw what could have been Brown Hairstreak which flew toward a large Ash tree close by. As we stood below this tree watching the many Speckled Wood that flitted about the lower branches there were smaller butterflies higher up. We convinced ourselves that these were male Brown Hairstreaks and went on our separate ways. I headed off up the left hand track at the crossroads for the first time and found perhaps more nectar sources than else where on the site as well as vast swathes of Blackthorn. Lots of Speckled Wood but no Brown Hairstreaks were seen as wells Red Admirals and a couple of Holly Blue and Meadow Browns but no Brown Hairstreaks . There is also large areas of Ivy here which is covered in flower buds which will be out in a few weeks.There were bits of ttrack up this way that were cut off by fallen trees and looked dlike they had not been visited recently. As I left I spotted a very young Small Tortoiseshell larval web which I imagine is a third brood

I wonder if that spider is busy picking off the young larvae in your last image?

Lovely Specklies and Brown Argus Paul Sorry you didn't find any more Brostreaks - I've sorted through my photos from that day and I'm sure that they were Brostreaks - post to follow in about oh four weeks I'm so behind with my PD

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi David
I did not notice the spider at the time. I intend to get back to this location to check on those larvae, if there are any left of course. I may just find one very healthy looking spider

Hi Wurzel
Thanks for the comments Thankfully I am not too far behind with my own PD.

Thursday 28.8.2014 Gilkicker Point

It dawned on me the other day that I had not seen a clouded yellow this year. Judging by others diaries there are plenty around, though maybe not the numbers of last year. I had a couple of hours free on Thursday morning so I thought I would try my luck at finding some. The question was where should I go, as they seem to turn up almost anywhere. I decided my best bet would be to head for where I had my best Clouded Yellow encounter last year, Gilkicker at Gosport. I found half a dozen there on the off chance last year including some helice females. The conditions on Thursday were not ideal, cloudy with some sun but also a gusty wind which was likely to be stronger near the sea I headed straight for the carpark at the entrance to the Golf Club between Haslar and Gilkicker which on arrival looked much the same as it did a year ago. Most of the carpark is overgrown with what I have referred to previously as Hawkweed. The Clouded Yellows seemed to find this irresistible last year but I am now not sure if my identification of this plant is correct (comments please). Within a couple of minutes of arrival I could not believe my luck as the unmistakable sight of a male Clouded Yellow flew across in front of me It was so windy that it struggled to fly and struggled to settle. For a while it looked like this would be the only butterfly I would see. I followed this single Clouded Yellow as it managed to fly back and forth across the car park settling for long periods every once and a while before setting off again. Although there was plenty of nectar sources here I did not see it stop to feed at all and I got the impression that it was looking for a female. There was only one Clouded Yellow, but thankfully I did spot three Common Blues one of which seemed to have extra long antennae. It brightened up shortly before I had to leave and with this a single female Small White arrived. So a grand total of five butterflies, but MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

You may have only seen 5 butterflies Paul but I'm pretty sure it says in the rules that a Cloudy counts double I love it when a plan comes together:D

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel

The Last Couple Of Weeks On My Local Patch

The football season is upon us and for me that means very restricted butterfly time With both my boys training on Saturdays and with matches at various times on Sundays there is not a lot of time left at the weekend. However, I have managed to catch up with my local patch. My local footpath although not overrun with butterflies can provide enough entertainment to keep me sane and it is all within a few minutes walk from my house. I have to grab the opportunity when it arises. Thankfully after a spell of cooler weather it has now warmed up again.

Thursday 28.8.2014 - I spotted a large and interesting larva devouring on of my potted Sallows It is a very good stick mimick. I think it is a Peppered Moth larva. It was around for a couple of weeks The last time I saw it was the 6.9.2014 after which I assume it has gone to pupate somewhere. Sunday 31.8.2014 - Today I was treated to some late afternoon sunshine. Speckled Wood are always reliable along this stretch of path and I can almost guarantee where abouts they will appear, there were several today The large clump of Buddliea at the end of the path is almost finished for this year and all the remaining flowers are high up but I counted 4 Red admirals today including one with deformed wings. Small White and Green Veined White were also there to keep the Red Admirals company. I regularly see Small Coppers here on the Bramble (which has also finished flowering this year) but only in small numbers, 2 or 3 if I am lucky. There is no Sorrel here so up until now I have not been able to find the nucleus of this Small Copper population. Today I checked out an area across the road that I do not visit that often. This is a short section of farm track that is currently bounded on both sides with Corn fields. As I came into the sunny section of track I spotted a single Ragwort plant covered in flowers together with a fresh looking Small Copper As it opened its wings I was delighted to see it had blue spots I spent quite a while here observing/photographing this individual. There is lots of Sorrel here but I did not see another Small Copper. Wednesday 3.9.2014 - With an hour or so spare late afternoon I could not resist checking to see what was happening on the Small Copper front and also to see what else was going on along the way. Several Speckled Wood, three Red Admirals high up on the Buddleia again, and today the appearance of a couple of Commas, something I have seen very few of this year. As I approached the Small Copper spot there it was, the same one as before almost as if it had been there since sunday. Despite a search, as previously, I found no others. Sunday 7.9.2014 - My most recent visit was slightly later and provided an aged female Gatekeeper, speckled Wood of course and just a couple of Red Admirals at the Buddleia clump. Moving on to check on the Small Copper spot again I found just the one but this time a different individual without blue spots. Being slightly later the Ragwort was in the shade and the Small Copper was found catching the sun further up the track on a leaf of corn. I will keep checking this location to see if the action hots up a bit. There is plenty of Sorrel here. I walked back along a different track which is always good for Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock larvae earlier in the year. I searched the Nettles quite carefully and spotted one Peacock larval web with larvae in their 2nd or 3rd Instar. This must be a second brood which I imagine is fairly unusual

Great reports and shots Paul The blue badge Copper is great and the backlit Specklie is absolutely brill

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks for the comments Wurzel

Saturday/Sunday 13/14.9.2014 My Local Patch

Back when I started this diary, I hoped that it would be something of a joint effort with my eldest son. Although he has joined me on a handful of occasions it has not worked out quite as I had planned I think that chasing around after butterflies with Dad is just not 'street cred' enough He is now almost 14 and his interests seem to change on a weekly basis. His latest thing is reptiles and he would dearly love a Leopard Gecko. In pursuit of his goal he is spending a lot of time helping out at the local reptile centre, which is conveniently placed almost next door to my local Small Copper colony At the weekend he asked if I could drop him off there and come in and have a look round. Although my Saturdays generally consist of me being a taxi service for my boys, this was one journey I did not mind at all. So after dropping him off and spending 20 minutes meeting Dave the large Black Throated Monitor and the other residents of the reptile centre, I left my son helping out whilst I popped around the corner to see how things were hotting up along Small Copper alley I am glad I made the effort. As well as a few Speckled Wood there were now double the Small Coppers from the previous visit with at least four on the wing Whilst I was getting shots of one of these Small Coppers I caught a flash of something blue out of the corner of my eye. I was amazed to see a very fresh looking deep blue female Common Blue. This was quite a magical moment as this is the first time I have encountered any Common Blues on my local patch near home No sooner than I had seen the female then a fresh male appeared and then another slightly worn female. I managed to track this female and got some pics on an isolated thistle plant in some longer grass at the edge of the corn before it flew off down the track a short distance. As I glanced down at the ground to check my footing I noticed another 'first' nestling low in the grass. This was my first ever Wasp Spider I spent a delightful hour pacing up and down this short stretch of farm track tracking the various Small Coppers and Common Blues until I was sure there were no more to be seen. I found myself giving these Small Coppers nicknames in my mind to try and keep track of how many there were. You know the sort of thing Crumplewing, Single Spot, Freshy and Faded Blue Spots Am I going mad .............. well maybe, but what a fantastic afternoon and all just around the corner from home. I enjoyed it so much that I went back for another look on Sunday as well

Are you going mad Paul? Well maybe, but in a good way Actually I think you've stumbled on a useful technique for distinguishing smaller numbers of butterflies...I might give it a try next season

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Sunday 21.9.2014 My local patch

This weekend football took over. Despite good weather on Sunday I did not get the opportunity to get out until 4.30pm, by which time I had seen almost the last of the days sunshine I knew I had missed the boat a little bit but I had to check out my local 'Small Copper alley' to see if there was anything about. To start with things did not look too promising, but the sun did appear briefly as I approached the large Ash Tree along my local footpath. As the sun appeared so did three Speckled Wood mostly now looking a little battle weary. Also close by, where there were a few straggly nettles poking up through the Brambles, I spotted what looked like a Red Admiral larval tent. I carefully opened a corner just to confirm what was inside and sure enough a juicy Red Admiral larva was tucked up inside I checked around the area for more but there are not many Nettles here and no more were found. Up near the Buddleia clump I disturbed an adult Red Admiral down low which promptly disappeared over the hedges and did not return. At 'Small Copper Alley' the corn had been harvested since last weekend. The whole area now looks rather desolate , accentuated by the burned out remains of a vehicle previously hidden from view. Unfortunately the harvesting process has left the area devoid of much of the nectar sources, crushed under the tractors wheels. The Wasp Spider was nowhere to be found and I saw no Small Coppers or Common Blues, hopefully this is down the time of day. I returned home down another farm track to see if I could relocate the Peacock larval web I found a couple of weeks ago. I was unable to find that but did find another group of Red Admiral larval tents, two of which seemed to be occupied. Hopefully this is a sign of some further fresh emergences over the coming weeks to coincide with the October HEATWAVE that I have heard is on its way

Out and about during the October Wind Down

For various reasons I have not been able to get out at all over the last few weeks My wife falling ill, kids football, the rapidly diminishing window of opportunity during the day and the onset of bad weather being the primary reasons. There has also been no sign of that October heatwave I mentioned Thankfully there have been just enough butterflies around to keep me going. There has also been a surprising number of larvae out and about and in the garden. Several weeks ago I discovered that some unknown species had laid a neat cluster of eggs encircling my washing line. I removed these as carefully as I could and waited for them to hatch. Without knowing the species, I offered the newly hatched larvae Bramble and Clover, they chose the latter luckily. I have not managed to record the development of these moth larvae particularly well and as yet as they near what I imagine to be full size, I have no idea what species of moth they are. With clover as the chosen foodplant it has been necessary over the last couple of weeks to venture into the garden in the dark in the evening to replenish their food. Under torch light the small patch of longer grass in the garden where the clover grows has been found to be a productive area for larvae.The first I spotted were at least three Speckled Wood larvae and then possibly 5 or 6 different types of moth larvae. Knot Grass larvae have also been regulars in the garden for the last few years and there have again been several recently. As the season dwindles to a close I managed to get out last Saturday between heavy rain showers whilst there was just enough warmth to give me some hope. I was hoping for at least some butterfly activity but for a while it looked like I might be out of luck. The Brambles were devoid of any Red Admirals or Commas after the heavy rain. The buddleia has finished and there was no sign of anything White or Speckled. Just as I had almost given up a Red Admiral flew past without stopping and shortly afterwards another one fluttered around before disappearing across the fields. It was not until I was almost home that I spoted a rather worn looking female Speckled Wood catching the last of the afternoon sun in a sheltered sunny spot at about 4.30pm. Hopefully the season is not finished yet.

Hi! Jack, your Knot Grass larvae looks like a miniature Crocodile I've not seen them before Goldie

Cracking stuff Paul - I've only had glimpses of butterflies here and there Your first moth larva kinda reminds me of a Grass Snake so I was wondering if it could be an Elephant Hawk Moth larva, although I do recall there is another moth larva with similar markings

Have a goodun

Wurzel