Bugboys mission

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave, I don't really have any answers to the lack of Adonis except to say it didn't seem to be just at Denbies. Unless I was just unlucky, there seemed to be low second brood numbers at my other regular sites too . Maybe they didn't cope well with the summers weather patterns? The second generation do need a shorter sword than the spring gen to lay though so summer grazing should in theory be benficial to them.
Thanks Wurzel, yes it's the Adonis that require a shorter sword for their larvae but I'm sure there's other more subtle requirements that may well tip the balance for or against them too (ant populations, parasitoid numbers, the cool June just when the eggs are hatching?). Denbies does possess a range or sword length since there's a couple of rabbit warrens there too.
Thanks David, yes sometimes needs must
Haha, a wise decision on your part there Trevor! You may have to ration the Mr greens, I've got four visits to Whitehawk waiting in the wings to write up....

September 2020
Tuesday 1st. I’d managed to wangle a half day using up a few hours owed to me. Not enough time to go anywhere further than my local patch though, which predictably had pretty much come to an end as far as butterflies are concerned. I did manage to grab a Green-veined White and a Small white from the handful of Whites that were flitting around.

Also around were a pair of something that might just tempt Pauline out of hibernation. I’m presuming a pair, certainly looks like a dog fox in the foreground. The vixen seemed to have a wound or something above her left eye. There was no indication she was in any discomfort though.

Some Swans and Little Grebes were out enjoying the afternoon sun

I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of Meadow Browns active, and looking quite fresh too. (Yes in September a Meadow Brown is something I get excited about on my local patch!)

The stroll ended with more Whites and a worn Holly Blue, which gave me a grand total of four species for the afternoon, probably just nudging into double figures.

[millerd]

I do like that GVW, Buggy - such a typical pose, plus the back-lighting to highlight the markings and the lemon-yellow on the underside.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Those Meadow Browns are in good nick Bugboy - the ones I was seeing back then were all looking a bit tatty and now they're just shadows of their former selves I'm with Dave - lovely GVW they really do 'stained glass' so well

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks guys, that GVW was just a lucky grab shot, it just happened to land and pose perfectly for a couple of shots as I was walking along

September 2020
Wednesday 2nd. This was a trip I’d wanted to do for a few weeks but had, for one reason or another not actually managed, it was also a trip I was somewhat apprehensive about taking, Chobham Common. Shortly after my previous visit a large fire broke out during the peak of the summer’s heatwave. Frustratingly the main reason it made the news initially was that it disrupted a golfing tournament on nearby golf course, the potential damage it was causing on what is one of the worlds rarest natural habitats becoming just a footnote a week or so after the event. Also frustratingly, despite much internet searching, I couldn’t find any information to show the extent of the fire and whether it had reached the areas where I go to find Grayling and Silver-studded Blue most years, I was just pinning my hopes on the local topography. I was fairly sure where the fire had started and the fact that the Common is far from flat, I hoped meant that it hadn’t reached as far as I feared. In between its presumed starting point and my Grayling/SSB hotspot is a rather deep, boggy valley rich in sphagnum moss which I was hoping would have acted as a natural fire break. Of course it could off gone around it…

As the train approaches Sunningdale station it passes the Common and looking out the window I saw that what I’d hoped for did look to have happened, the fire looked to have stopped at the top of the valley rather than crossing it .

It had been nearly a month since the fire and there had been significant rainfall in the intervening weeks, much needed and probably welcomed by the local fire services as much as anyone, since it would have helped to put out any hot spots that would otherwise continue to smoulder underground. The fresh green growth had begun to softened the fire damaged areas but it was still very obvious just how extensive it was.

Happily though, what I had hoped for and seen from the train had indeed happened and my usual hunting ground was completely untouched

Looking across the valley you can see where the fire stopped

My regular hunting ground, untouched by fire.

and it didn’t take long to come across the first of what turned out to be many Grayling. Non were fresh as a daisy, as I would expect this late in the season, but a good number weren’t exactly on their last legs either.

A couple of pics for the annual ‘spot the Grayling’ competition

And a couple of other species that rely on this kind of habitat to live, a Keeled Skimmer Dragonfly and the wonderful Green Tiger Beetle

The bird spot for the day was a lifer for me but I didn’t get a pic. I disturbed a Nightjar roosting on a log right next to a path. I only got a glimpse of it as it vanished into nearby scrub. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re a nocturnal bird which roost on the ground or logs, often in plain sight and rely on camouflage to remain hidden. They’re basically the bird version of the Grayling in camouflage terms!

[Wurzel]

Great to see you got your Graylings Bugboy - the season wouldn't be complete without them and good to see the habitat escaped 8)Even better must have been spooking a Nightjar - cracking birds they are - did you notice if it had white patches on it's wings or tail as this would make it a male?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel It was a very quick glimpse, one of those moments where your brain has to catch up with what your eyes saw. My first thought was Merlin . Didn't notice any white, I suspect it was a juve.

September 2020
Saturday 5th. A hill overlooking Brighton was on the brink of becoming a late season Mecca for butterfliers (indeed when I got home that evening pictures of BLEP were all over social media!) but today I chose Mill Hill. Still trying to get a decent audience with Adonis Blues but once again I was left wanting. Possibly timing as most were a little worn but even so they were few and far between compared to previous years.

I stopped off first at Southwick Harbour, hoping for some Clouded Yellows (none) and also checked out the local BLEP here (mostly gone over and dried out in the sun). All that were seen here were a few Whites and a couple of Common Blues.

On the walk up to Mill Hill from Shoreham station I invariably take a detour around the horse paddocks on the south side of the bypass which have a footpath running around the edge. The paddocks seem to be managed sympathetically for wildlife (not sure if it’s on purpose or just a by-product of the owners preferred management style) and there’s normally something to tempt my camera out my bag. Today my eye caught sight of a Holly Blue flying around some Ivy. There was something not right about it though that I couldn’t put my finger on. It was only when it finally settled at the top of the bush that I got my answer as to why it looked odd.

Once on site it didn’t take long to find some Adonis, a few aged males fluttered around and despite the somewhat overcast conditions proved somewhat difficult to approach.

A few females were also about but just to make things more tricky the Chalkhills hadn’t quite finished either. I managed a few pics of females which after some very close zoomed in study on my computer, I think are Adonis due to the presence of a few blue scales in the right places.

Some OAP Chalkhills

99% sure Adonis

Common Blues and Small Coppers were also present and a couple of Cloudies were gallivanting around the slope whenever the sun broke through the clouds but I failed to get very close to them or locate where they settled during the cloudier periods. There was also a particularly fine example of Brown Argus kind

A couple of non-butterfly characters provided a pleasant distraction, both lifers for me. A Redstart who stuck very strictly to the scrub and shade, and our largest species of Robber Fly, Asilus crabroniformis. A truly magnificent looking beast and HUGE! I was almost scared to get to close in case it took offence and flew with my arm . As I was watching it rest during a cloudy spell, I disturbed a grasshopper which had a very close escape when the fly made a serious attempt at picking it out of the air.

Redstart

gargantuan Robber fly

On the return walk around the horse paddocks I added a few real Holly Blues to the days tally, a very fresh female was singularly very unimpressed with a tatty old male’s eager advances

[bugboy]

September 2020
Sunday 6th. Not a great deal to report today, ‘the calm before the storm’ perhaps in my autumnal butterflying . I didn’t have time to do anything other than a few hours on my local patch which once again only produced a few Whites of which this fresh GV was the best of the bunch.

A few House Martins were swooping around, getting ready for the long journey to Africa.

There was also a terrapin lounging around, quite a chunky chap too.

There might be some BLEP in my next post....

[bugboy]

September 2020
Thursday 10th. After the weekend festivities plastered all over social media, this was the day I finally took the plunge and hopped on the train for a trip to the south coast to tick of species 40 for the year.

I got there early, about 9am, to find just a couple of people mooching around waiting for the action to start which, according to a familiar face and regular to this spot, was expected to start at around 9.30.

The first one appeared almost on the dot, my first image being time stamped at 9.36.

After this the floodgates opened and photo opportunities came thick and fast with several familiar faces popping by as the day progressed.

As is usual it was nearly all males but one female did make an appearance, identified as the female filmed being mated the previous day. She looked to be still in pretty good shape considering the rough treatment she’d endured the day before! (see here if you missed that event viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10804)

It was the fresh males that stole the show though.

There were other butterflies around, a tatty old female Brown Hairstreak drew a decent audience for a time and later in the afternoon when things had calmed down a female Large White posed rather well.

The day belonged to these little shimmering violet gems though! A combination of long sunny spells and passing high cloud providing ample variations of poses throughout the day.

I went home extremely happy with over 1000 pictures in the camera to trawl through, making picking the pictures for this post exceedingly difficult!

[Wurzel]

That Large White is a cracker Bugboy - on any other visit it might have stolen the show as its so well marked - not this one obviously A fantastic array of LTBs

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Great to see you got in on the LTB action, Paul. This is almost approaching an annual event. How long will it be before we consider them as 'regulars' in the same way we do with Clouded Yellows?

[trevor]

You had real value from your ' Southern ' ticket that day Paul!.
A good haul of fresh male LTB's, but it's your female that gets a couple of .
The females didn't play ball for me, except one fresh one which sat on a Pea flower
for half an hour, and never opened up. But I saw lots of milk coffee brown during a
prolonged wing roll. Some great shots there!.

All the best, and stay well.
Trevor.

[millerd]

A comprehensive selection of excellent LTB shots, Buggy, including a female (something that eluded me this year). I also like the second shot capturing the particular quality of the blue colour sported by the males - a sort of violet streaked with paler blue. The wing surface is distinctly three-dimensional (if that makes sense.) Their migration does now seem to be an annual occurrence, which puts them on the same footing as Painted Ladies (which I've seen fewer of this year in fact!).

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, Your right about those Blues stealing the show, I didn't take too much notice of the Brown Hairstreak either
Thanks David. I think it's pretty much a given that LTB's are on the UK list in the same way as Clouded Yellows are now. Whether you see this as a good or a bad thing depends on your viewpoint
Thanks Trevor, there's a few more 'southern day tickets' coming in the next few posts, all of which were worth every penny
Thanks Dave, you're right about the Painted Ladies, just did a quick count, seen five of them this year!


September 2020
Tuesday 15th. (part 1) It was another five days before I was able to get out again. Monday was the start of a two-week break from work and todays payday was the start of my annual stint of day trips to the south coast to extend my butterfly season as far as possible . Since my last trip it would seem that many many people had visited Whitehawk and fearing large crowds I plumped for one of my other regular late season haunts, Newhaven Tidemills. I knew the LTB hadn’t been seen here this year but I did hope some Clouded Yellows might put in an appearance. As it turned out a Cloudie, a fresh female, was the first butterfly I saw on site, sadly she was on the wrong side of the fence that still surrounds the building site here.

Three species dominated the morning, Clouded Yellows, Common Blues and Walls with a generous sprinkling of Whites and Small Heath. I’d first seen a few Walls here last year but only up near the ruins, today they were popping up all over the site, along with several patrolling male Cloudies who weren’t stopping for anyone, it was rather warm and cloudless so I didn’t make much of an attempt to chase them. The numerous Common Blues (numbers perhaps foreshadowing the plagues that would later swamp sites like Mill Hill) provided a few heart stopping moments but after seeing all those Long-tailed Blues five days previously I was fairly confident of the ID’s from just a quick glance. Of the three species I focused mainly on the Walls who were relatively easy to pin down and made the most of a nice-looking mating pair who allowed close approach.

I was still mulling over where to move on for the afternoon but just before leaving a Cloudie settled not far from me and despite the warm sun, sat still whilst I crept up on him to get a few decent shots.

Remembering the Small Copper ab. I found over the estuary at the fort last time I decided to take another wander over there, pausing on the way for this snap. Not the best picture in the world but it shows very well just how huge a Great Black-backed Gull is, dwarfing the Black-headed Gulls here in the foreground.

At the fort there wasn’t a great deal about, a few Common Blues, a Small Copper (normal edition this time) a few Whites and a single Wall.

It had only just reached midday and still mulling over options I caved in to temptation to risk the crowds and head over to Brighton. What I found there deserves a post of it’s own though…

[trevor]

That's a great shot of the mating Wall Browns. I've only seen them
in one's or two's at Tide Mills, so your visit is quite a revelation.
The day I intended to visit there it was too breezy at home, let alone
right by the sea.
Some nice Cloudie shots too.

Looking forward to your other ' Southern ' excursions!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Great find that mating pair of Walls Bugboy The Cloudy looked in really good nick as well - the few I saw this year were a little tired Looking forward to part 2

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Trevor, I was quite surprised just how widespread they were too, they've clearly spent the summer building up numbers
Thanks Wurzel, here's part two

September 2020
Tuesday 15th. (part 2) I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of people at Whitehawk when I arrived, just three were roaming around. I set myself up at one of the main lekking spots and within seconds I was watching sparing males shooting up into the air in tiny, energetic blurs. This happened several times giving little photographic opportunities when I noticed a couple shoot down into the vegetation, sending my spider senses shooting up to maximum settings . Getting closer I could see the action, an eager male trying every trick in his book to woo the newest love of his life. There was an awful lot of wing fluttering and quivering as he curled his abdomen around to try and make contact. In doing so I was able to make out the huge claspers. I can’t say I blame the females for making the males life difficult when these things are trying to clamp onto her!

After a while he swapped sides and he finally managed to clamp onto her.

There was much twirling and pirouetting from the pair until finally settling and many pictures were taken .

They did get lost once when they decided they’d had enough attention but I managed to re-find them in time for the appearance of Benjamin who continued to keep an eye on them whilst I browsed the other males, who were all starting to show a little wear and tear.

They split after almost exactly 45 minutes, which at the time I thought was a rather short period but after reading Neils diary, it would seem this is normal. From Benjamin’s observations it looked like the female instigated the separation. The male vanished but the female hung around for a bit, sadly she refused to open up though.

So after just an hour here, I figured things probably weren’t going to get better than that so I decided to return to Newhaven, hoping I’d catch the Cloudies in a quieter mood. Sadly I was for the most part out of luck in that respect, they had either already settled for the night or still rampaging across the site. The only one that did settle was probably the only one with damage to its wings.

The Blues were also starting to settle down and the remaining active Walls had quietened down too, enjoying the rays of the low sun.

The birdlife here was also quite active, Reed Buntings, Linnets, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits all providing willing targets for my camera.

Female Reed Bunting

Exhausted mummy Linnet feeding fledgling

Skylark

Meadow Pipit

A good end to a great day out squeezing the most out of my train ticket, the overriding memory being the size of those claspers!

'Is that an earwig in your pocket or ar you just pleased to see me'

[millerd]

Some rather graphic butterfly pornography there, Buggy! You're right, that does go some way to explaining the female's reluctance to cooperate. Seriously though, that's a terrific sequence of images leading to the coupling, not something easily achieved with a common species let alone one as infrequent as this one... Brilliant.

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

You've already said most of what I was going to say Dave.
But that sequence of images leading up to ' the act ' is fantastic, and probably unique. .

No wonder the females head straight for the channel after that!.

Excellent stuff,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

A fantastic report Bugboy with brilliant images - really interesting to see the mechanics involved - I now have a greater appreciation of why females go to such lengths to reject the males

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

That would have made a fabulous day in early July, Paul, let alone mid-September!

Superb observations on the courtship/mating behaviour...and well done for the timing. Always good to know how long you're likely to have with two paired specimens. Even without the Long Tailed Blue performance, those Walls and Clouded Yellows were worthy of the journey. The far south does seem to have a little extra later in the season.