Cheers, Wurzel - I need to get on with this before the weather changes, the sun comes out and 2019 get properly underway.
INTO AUGUST...
Reading more Brown Hairstreak reports, I thought I'd give Noar Hill a try on 3rd August. I'm not sure why I bother, as in all the years I've come here, I've only ever seen one butterfly. Nothing changed today, despite suitable weather, but it was not a wasted trip as the site looked resplendent if a little dry and other species were flying. In fact within the first ten minutes I'd found my first Clouded Yellow of the year, along with a fellow immigrant - a Painted Lady.
A Red Admiral may have been in this category as well, and there were SWF, Brimstones and Common Blues.
Staying local on 4th, I had what turned out to be my only Cloudie sighting of the year here - but no photo. Holly Blues reached their peak numbers today, and well over a hundred individual butterflies were seen of 12 species, but nothing else remarkable.
5th August was going to be another very hot day, but I set out early for Aston Rowant with Silver-spotted Skippers the target again.
The brilliant sun kept most of the other species with their wings firmly shut, but the variety included several Adonis Blues.
There was a fair bit of egg-laying activity amongst the skippers, and examining a patch of grass newly-vacated by such a female revealed no less than six eggs scattered in the one small area. Goodness knows how many there were across the whole hillside.
The 6th was just too hot to be worth going out anywhere comfortably, and not good for photography in any case - far too sunny. The 7th was not much better, but my itchy feet took me out locally again. Again there were high numbers of Holly Blues, and also Common Blues. The former species was to be found in the shade for the most part, nectaring on the abundant fleabane clumps. One patch had attracted quite a few, with eight individuals in this one view (at least two others had been disturbed by my movement in taking the photo).
As is traditional in one particular spot by the lake, I attracted a Red Admiral.
Good to see as they have been few and far between this year so far.
Over the next few days, I managed three separate trips down to Bookham in search of Brown Hairstreaks (8th, 11th and 13th). The days in between, amazingly, were wet. On 8th, some likely BH candidates were seen high up, but at ground level, the Small Coppers, Brown Argus, Common Blues and Speckled Woods provided the interest.
On 12th, I met up with Bugboy, and we had better luck, seeing at least two Brown Hairstreaks low down.
The fermenting blackberries were proving quite a draw all round, and had also attracted a rather worn Purple Hairstreak as well.
There was another fresh Speckled Wood...
...and a notably blue female Common Blue (though most were much more brown).
The third visit on 13th produced another nice female Brown Hairstreak, posing appropriately next to a sloe berry.
I also found a male Common Blue with noticeable dark spots on the hindwing margins.
Between 14th and 18th, I was up in Yorkshire again. On 15th, I popped up the road from my base in Wilberfoss to Calley Heath. This lowland sandy heath site has colonies of Small Coppers and Brown Argus, and both were seen in reasonable numbers, with the former showing interest in the tiny sorrel plants recently reappearing after the dry weather.
The Brown Argus are just that, despite the northerly latitude: this is a second brood, something that doesn't appear in the NBA.
There was also a Peacock which appeared to be investigating the many rabbit holes on the site, perhaps with a view to hibernation.
On 17th, I had another look at Kiplingcotes, where I had seen the surprise Walls a few weeks earlier. None today, but there were some nice fresh Common Blues and Small Heaths. I am now very keen to visit this site in spring, as it has even more to offer then.
Back in my sister's garden, the buddleia attracted a variety of common species as always, including at least one Painted Lady. I don't think I have ever not seen one here in the summer.
There were also some fresh Commas of the darker hibernating variety.
The rest of August is still to come, with a couple of unusual sightings, plus three further months full of butterflies - what a long season it was to be.
Dave