What a day!!! 02-07-2017 Bentley Wood
What with one thing or another; work, weather, the burning desire of Mrs Wurzel for a white, minimalist house, I’d become aware (acutely after certain people’ posts) that I was missing out on a lot of species. The weekend wasn’t looking great either with family business and painting all day Saturday and more painting and seeing friends on Sunday. Luckily I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours break. Thinking about the five species that I wanted to see (Purple Emperor, Purple Hairstreak, White-letter Hairstreak, Silver-washed Fritillary and Dark Green Fritillary) Bentley Wood seemed like the best bet to pick up two maybe three of my targets and maybe even my first Hedge Brown of 2017? So I rounded up the girls, packed some snacks and we set off. On the journey over I spied a Red Admiral and a Comma and there were numerous Whites as well which boded well I thought…
At the car park a few Large Skippers messed around about on the Brambles, a H.Comma flew across and a Specklie went and hid in the in the shade. As we set off down the main track Ringlets and Meadow Browns arose like smoke out of the verges and the occasional golden blur of a Larsmessex added a bit of colour, like flickering flames. In amongst this a ghostly figure appeared, my first Silver-washed of the year and a Valesina to boot! She didn’t hang around long though and so was soon drifting back into the shadows. I was still reeling from this piece of luck when a small grey butterfly flew in a U-Shape pattern, from high down low and back up again to perch on a trailing branch of an Oak. As I focused my bins it resolved to become my first Purple Hairstreak OF 2017. I turned to pint it out to the girls only to spy another flutter down and land within striking distance. A few shots later it flew off in the same direction as its predecessor. I could have packed up then and there, job done, two of my targets seen, photographed and in the bag but my Spidey senses were tingling. I reckoned this could become one of those epic days…
We carried on down towards the Cross-roads, scanning both high and the deck. Silver-washed Frits joined the Ringlets and Meadow Browns and occasional golden blur of a Smessex. Something cut across the path and landed on the deck – but it was a Red Admiral. As I cautiously approached to try for a few shots it shuffled away crabwise rather than flying away. I stopped and it stopped, I approached and it shuffled off sideways. Little L found this most amusing and she kept looking back longingly after we’d overtaken it with a wide berth. At the Cross-roads we had a decision to make. Left or right? We went left down towards Donkey Copse. We’d only taken a few steps down our new path when a Fritillary did a few circuits. It was slightly smaller and more rounded than a Silver-Washed and appeared darker orange too. It landed and instead of a painting that had run the undersides had clearly marked spots. I managed only a couple of shots before it flew and they were enough to make me want more so a trip to Martin Down might be needed to catch up with some more DGFs.
On down the path we went, the odd White and Brimstone standing out amongst the orangey blurs of Ringlets, Smessex and Meadow Browns. An Emperor…dragonfly buzzed us for a bit and a White Admiral out in an appearance, scything through the air, gliding and turning through 180 with the tiniest flick of its wings. I’m always struck by how long its wingspan seems and also by how dominant the white markings appear when its’ in flight. At the corner the girls set up camp in the shade and we had lunch. While they enjoyed a leisurely lunch I would take a few mouthfuls, nip off along the tracks still chewing, looking for butterflies before returning to repeat. This worked well and I managed to find my first Hedgie and then photograph my second of the year as well as picking up a few more Silver-washed and seeing the odd silvery grey Purple Hairstreak up in the canopy.
Lunch munched we made our way back to the Crossroads. A H.Comma came down and stayed on the deck, the DGF was in a similar spot but we moved on quickly as a Deerfly kept landing slightly ahead of us and eying us for it’s lunch! We carried on over the Crossroads making our way to the memorial. A new Peacock was a lovely colourful addition to the growing day tally even if it did hang around in the shade. As I turned from this K pointed out another butterfly. This was large, with contrasting stripes and was flying more slowly and determinedly than a White Admiral it also had a more ‘batlike’ shape. It was investigating a Sallow flying slowly up the tree. Unfortunately it mustn’t have liked what it saw as it kept on rising and disappeared over the surrounding Oaks. So no photo again (this is the last of the three year cycle so next year one on the deck is a definite) but an audience with His Nibbs none the less, although judging by the behvaiour perhaps an audience with Her Nibbs would be more appropriate? That made it 5 ticks for the year and 4 /5 of my targets…Chuffed I rallied the girls to make the final push towards the ‘memorial’. There was the slightest of slim chances that I could get my final target but what the hell, even a glimpse of a dark, square cut butterfly high above in a Wycth Elm would do. On the way a Red Admiral did a lovely impersonation of an Emperor, buzzing and circling us a few times before coming down on the deck and walking proboscis quivering towards a large pile of dog poo.
Almost immediately on reaching the stand of Elm Suckers there was indeed a dark, square cut butterfly high up in the canopy. Job done! I couldn’t believe it all of my targets found. I poured myself a celebratory coffee and enjoyed the butterflies passing by; Red Admiral, Comma, SWF, Ringlets, Smessex, Large Skipper, Meadow Browns and a White Admiral, as well as catching up with another enthusiast. He headed off five minutes or so previously and I was just heading offski myself so I did one last scan. There on a low Bramble was a grey ‘shark fin’. As the butterfly pirouetted the white ‘W’ and tails hove into view. My first ever photos of a Bentley Whitter. I called the girls and little L had a new favourite butterfly. After a bit it started feeding too far in the shadows and then fluttered up towards the tallest sucker. An ‘arete’ Ringlet popped in and then out as a distraction and when I looked up from getting a few shots there was the same/another Whitter back.
The journey back from here passed in a bit of blur with more of the same species but to be honest I was a bit dazzled and so didn’t notice much. The fresh Peacock managed to briefly lure me out of my daze but I quickly reverted to allowing all the images to pass through my minds’ eye again. Six year ticks, photos of 5 including of two Hairsteak species including a Bentley Whitter and all in a few hours - what a day!
Have a goodun
Wurzel
I find Essex to be less in your face orange compared to that of Small. It was more difficult telling the Essex from Lulworths than Small from Lulworth the other week. Mind you by the time I get round to posting that the summer could well be over 
Time travel again...
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It could be a three species shot...
