Thanks for your comments Callum, Goldie and Pauline. Very much appreciated
Monday 29th July – Aston Rowant part 2.
As well as the Silver-spotted Skippers and Chalk Hill Blues, there were loads of other butterflies fluttering about all across the hillside.
As soon as I came out of the path through the trees and onto the hillside, I was seeing Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers. With the clear sky and warm morning sun, both of these were already actively flying although both species could be found basking with their wings open.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 005 resize.JPG (541.25 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Gatekeeper female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_dec2b1f1e5b2a19675e0d7dd7394b6f3)
- Gatekeeper female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 038 resize.JPG (673.51 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Meadow Brown female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_23b8bd403fcd533f4797bbc1becf6441)
- Meadow Brown female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
One nice female Meadow Brown was showing extra orange patches on her hindwings like a number of similar example I have been seeing over recent years.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 102 resize.JPG (508.4 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Meadow Brown female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_07784177ed42a59056905616f2d21a07)
- Meadow Brown female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A few nice fresh looking Brown Argus were found along the lower slopes along with some Common Blues, the males of the latter mostly looking well-worn but a couple of fresher looking females were also seen.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 046 resize.JPG (581.11 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_f749a69c71827333a117a73ec7719ff0)
- Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 421 resize.JPG (499.94 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_f839fe349b5fc8b3c1dddbba75dc9c90)
- Brown Argus - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 381 resize.JPG (535.66 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Common Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_4eb32a2eb34fb2f3a7e6474beb0c1a31)
- Common Blue female - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A good number of Peacocks were seen, mostly on the clumps of marjoram along the path across the lower slopes, but also pretty well scattered about across the whole site.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 194 resize.JPG (577.1 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Peacock - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_84f4e7bb5520c4e9ebeda067a721ed7b)
- Peacock - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A couple of Red Admirals showed up later in the morning but these were very flighty by then and difficult to get close to for a photo.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 198 resize.JPG (543.83 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Red Admiral - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_23b12cf4619c9ce4347ed6fb41b85c18)
- Red Admiral - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A single Painted Lady was flapping and gliding between patches of marjoram, just the one but given what I have seen reported over the past few days it will probably soon have plenty of company, in fact by the time I post this I reckon the latest emergence/influx will have spread across most of the country.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 394 resize.JPG (663.5 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Painted Lady - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_2435aa45e3b9966458310c20e4679a97)
- Painted Lady - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A single Comma was also spotted along the lower slope.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 431 resize.JPG (596.93 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Comma - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_fa4ebc39b4c562c4ae2258dd1c33fe02)
- Comma - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
In all my previous visits here, I had never see a Dark Green Fritillary, these usually being over by the time I visited. This time I managed to see a good half a dozen still flying although they were mostly well past their best.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 268 resize.JPG (604.34 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Dark Green Fritillary - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_84bef4d2e5859d79bc51d9871c0d376f)
- Dark Green Fritillary - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A few faded Marbled Whites were still hanging on but most of them looked like they were on their last legs.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 093 resize.JPG (501.7 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Marbled White - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_48205a75c5abdebc5e78627c70f24090)
- Marbled White - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
A handful of Brimstones were seen along the lower slopes,
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 312 resize.JPG (533.91 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Brimstone - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_9449ecf34f5172d4a88f4b5618a5928b)
- Brimstone - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 489 resize.JPG (537.32 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Brimstone - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_7d8a177e571ea98d3069d818e7149487)
- Brimstone - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
Small and Essex Skippers were both seen and although I managed to get some photos of both species which confirmed their ID's they were poor, cluttered record shots with grass stems everywhere.
Also seen but not photographed, chiefly because they were seen later in the morning when they were more active, were Large and Small Whites, a few faded Large Skippers and a couple of Small Coppers, all of which were very flighty and seldom settled.
Before I left I spoke to a couple of fellow enthusiasts who told me that they had been here the previous week and seen a good number of Small Tortoiseshells but these had all disappeared today. When they said this I realised that I had not seen a ST all morning either and we discussed the fact that they had probably gone into hibernation already, something that I have seen discussed quite a bit on social media again this year after similar comments last year.
As is often the case here, Red Kites were seen above the hillside and as the morning warmed up they circled higher and higher against the blue sky.
![Aston Rowant 29.07.2019 150 resize.JPG (432.91 KiB) Viewed 4427 times Red Kite - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019](./files/thumb_10101_6e8f59f371a74936f2ccc713b2f29fef)
- Red Kite - Aston Rowant 29.07.2019
All in all a fantastic morning at a great site, I really shouldn’t leave it so long before visiting again.
As mentioned in my previous report I left around mid-day and headed back up the M40 towards Bernwood Meadows.
To be continued...
Neil.