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30th June, Chobham Common

So what does Bugboy do on the hottest day of the year so far, he goes to Heathland with minimal opportunities for shade, thats what!

It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I realised I had a day off work. I'd forgotten I had booked it off but when it was pointed out I didn't question it, whay would I So it was off to Chobham Common for another try at seeing Silver-studded Blues. My last attempt a few weeks ago got me a couple of glimpses and just one picture, I was a little early for the sites emergence. I left early and got to the site around 9am. Having no intention on staying the whole day, I'm not THAT mad, I wanted to see the blues and get out before the heat peaked and within 10 minutes I was photographing my first one.

This is my first time seeing this species properly, last year it was a lifer for me but only a couple of individuals at the very end of the season and it was interesting to watch the males flitter low over the heather searching for fresh females. I was surprised how unbothered the males were with each other when they met, offering each other the butterfly equivilent of a very British handshake and carrying on with their search, very different when other species meet where it turns into the butterfly equivilent of a pub brawl!

There were only two males here so I took a strole over to where I'd seen the male a few weeks ago, which was also the same area as where I saw my lifers last year, hoping this would be a hotspot for them. I wasn't disappointed, probably around 20 males were actively searching for mates along the sides of the paths, some old, some new.....not sure about being borrowed but all Blue! They were quite easy to follow and did settle periodically, just long enough to take a few snaps before setting off again. I did end up with a fair few unintentional inflight shots I had yet to find a female so I thought following the males might help me but they were useless ! I managed to disturb a female myself who was much more willing to settle and allow herself to be photographed I kept an eye on her for sometime,hoping to catch some courtship behaviour when one of the males stumbled on her, but like I said earlier, they really are useless. Several times a male would flitter past as close as 6 inches and not notice her. Finally a male did make contact and there was about a minutes worth of wing quivering whilst both were perched on the tip of a Heather sprig before the male flew off, that was it I presume she had already been mated. Well time was getting on and so was the temperature so I started of making my way back but I disturbed another female who was again willing to pose for me I stopped off at the pond where the Brown China-mark Moths were seen on my previous visit. It was alive with Azure Damselflies today, and lots of mating pairs A Red Admiral made a fleeting appearance at the pond and in the more grassy areas large Skippers and the occasional Meadow Brown and Ringlet bounced by, no Small Heaths today though.

So finding myself with a whole afternoon still to spare I set off, in the relatively comfortable air conditioned train, to my second planned site of the day, Alexandra Park for White-letter Hairstreak........

Enjoyed your photos Buggy, not seen the SSB yet Hope I get to see them this year Goldie

Thanks Goldie, hope you gte to see some before they end. I'm sure you still have a few weeks left before they're gone for another year!

So, Alexandra Park, 30 June

If anything is going to scupper my mission to photograph every UK species it's going to be those pesky tree-dwellers! So with temperatures souring I went to the wooded corner of the park where I'd found the Elms back in January to see if any White-letter Hairstreaks would show up. It was decidedly warm even in the shade but I set about scanning every patch of flowering bramble, of which there was quite a lot. Large Skippers taunted me and the occasional Speckled Wood caught my peripheral vision causing many momentary excited glances but my search was proving fruitless so far. Binoculars came out to scan higher up but still nothing.

Suddenly something small and vaguely lycid flittered past and landed halfway up an Oak but try as I might I couldn't see anything through my binoculars . Several Hutchinsoni Commas were busy defending territories (at least 6 for the benefit of BC records, but could easily have been 10 or more). For nearly three hours I wandered round this small corner of the park, looking especially geeky with bins and camera dangling round my neck and probably looking a bit odd, staring intently up in the trees but nothing more was seen of anything remotely lycid #Hairstreakfail!

In the end I satisfied myself with Comma pictures, mostly underside shots since they too were doing their best to keep cool by facing into the sun with wings firmly closed. There's worse things I could have gone home with and I did get some nice SSB's in the morning

Great SSBs Bugboy The Hairstreaks are a nightmare, but I might be able to help with a site where they do come down to feed on Brambles, generally a little later in their flight. PM if you want details as then I'll have to respond and that's a better way than me trying to rely on my memory

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel, as a thank you I'll post some 'stained glass window' shots of Some Silver Washed Frits I took today just for you when I get a chance

Another great tale that we can all relate to Buggy. I spent 5 hours once under a tree waiting for WLH (with no success!). Chobham Common is not somewhere I have ever been but having read your diary I am tempted. Some nice shots of the SSB there

Pauline wrote:Another great tale that we can all relate to Buggy. I spent 5 hours once under a tree waiting for WLH (with no success!). Chobham Common is not somewhere I have ever been but having read your diary I am tempted. Some nice shots of the SSB there

I'm sure it won't be the last time I spend a few fruitless hours looking for them Pauline. Chobham's worth a visit and easy to get to by train or car. Grayling will be emerging there very soon

You are filling your diary with glorious photos of lovely butterflies bugboy and quite a few are lifers for you. The way you're going it is not going to take anything like five years to see them all

Hi bugboy, WLHs are one of those butterflies that you have to be in the right place at the right time to see (mind you, don't they all) and even then are easier seen than photographed. I have seen them a few times around the tree canopy in previous years but just have a handful of distant record shots.

It is 5 years now since I renewed my passion for butterflies and I have still got one UK mainland species to see (Chequered Skipper) and that won't be happening this year.

Cheers,

Neil.

Bookham Commons, 1st July

Well I think today is what is technically known as 'scorchio'.....again, so I thought a nice shady woodland outing would be good. I have never been to Bookham before but with PhilBWright's recent updates temptation was too much so I set of with another early start, getting there at 8.30. I had hoped it would be reasonably cool this early but it actually felt like a warm summers evening, I was already starting to sweat just from walking from the station to the entrance of the Common. Oh well, maybe I would be a magnet to a few Emperors

Walking through a car park and turning a corner a large orange butterfly swept past and disappeared into the wood, almost certainly a Silver Washed Frit. Well that seemed to bode well. I walked down one of the main paths/vehicle tracks for a while, scanning any suitable bramble flowers but saw nothing more. The more secluded side tracks seemed more tempting for me and I hoped for my targets as well. Walking down one I noticed a patch of Honeysuckle in front of me. As I reached it something black and white glided out from the undergrowth and circled the area a few times, seemingly searching for something. My very first White Admiral smaller than I had expected although I've no idea why I expected them to be larger. As I watched him I willed him to settle. I checked my camera was on the right settings but I was out of luck and he vanished back into the undergrowth as mysteriously as he had appeared . Still where there was one there should be more.

I carried on down the path, taking note of all the Honeysuckle just in case a fresh emergent decided to take its maiden flight for me. At one point I saw some Honeysuckle that had climbed up the remains of a dead tree, 20 or 30 feet up and as I scanned up something flew overhead between the treetops, my first Purple Emporer of the year and only my second in my life. All three of todays target species now seen but you may have noticed not a single picture, lots of words but no pictures....sorry about that .

Well it was actually 2 hours before I got my first picture of anything, just when I was beginning to think wouldn't get any. I had seen a couple more WA and SWF but non settled until I stumbled across two SWF in a sunny glade. Inbetween aerial combats they did actually settle and feed but only at the back of the bramble patch, I suspect trying to stay out of the harsh sun so I could only get some distant shots, still much better than nothing!

Quite a few Meadow Browns and Large skippers occupied the more grassy clearings, all extremely active but with a few more brief encounters with WA I was starting to think the day wasn't going to pan out as planned plus I was getting peckish. I hadn't intended to spend more than a few hours here simply due to the excessive heat so I had foolishly not packed any food. I got my phone out and had a quick search to see if there was anywhere close to grab a snack. Looking up just to see where I was going something caught my eye to the side........A feeding WA!!!!!! There was momentary panick as I nearly dropped my phone, grabbed my camera and realised it was on the wrong setting, it had turned cloudy and it was still set on full sun AAAHHHHH!!! Fumbling whilst keeping one eye on the butterfly I guessed the settings and quickly took a run of shots. he fluttered and settled a bit closer to me but then he was gone. Checking my pictures I was relieved to find I hadn't over exposed. Not award winning pictures by any stretch of the imagination but they are my first so I was very happy 10 minutes later I came into another clearing occupied by another SWF. I spent a while watching him swooping and gliding, driving of the occasional interloper and investigating the same dead, brown leaf a number of times. When he did settle it was halfway up a Hazel, posing against the sky as though he thought he was having an audience with Wurzel Well I shall leave it there and continue this tomorrow, I'll try not to write so much lol, I do go on sometimes!

Neil Freeman wrote:Hi bugboy, WLHs are one of those butterflies that you have to be in the right place at the right time to see

Oh I know, most species with a little bit of research and getting your timing right you can be pretty sure of at least seeing them but these little buggers do really depend on a huge chunk of luck on top of the research. Still it's things like this that make it so interesting. It wouldn't be half as much fun if they all just sat their waiting for you to turn up would it

But you 'going on' makes for a great read Bugboy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

HI Buggy,
I know exactly what you mean, when something unusual or rare confronts you, fumbling and panic
take over. Dare not move might scare it off, camera not ready, it'll be gone if you don't hurry up,
to name but a few !. I had exactly that experience this week with a highly unexpected White Letter
Hairstreak. I only managed one decent shot.
As Bookham is probably your nearest Purple Emperor site, i expect we will here more from you in
the coming weeks!.

Keep up the good work,
TREVOR

I'm with you Buggy on WLH, people tell me where they are but when I get there ( nothing) I'm going to try again tomorrow at an old railway line they seem to like them Goldie

Well having been given permission to continue rabbiting on, I shall!

Bookham Commons, 1st July part 2

After giving up on the prospect that the SWF would come low enough for some closeups I moved on some more, another White Admiral taunting me briefly before gliding back into the undergrowth but my grumbling tummy and the ever increasing temperature forced to turn back.....and get a bit lost! I made it as far as where I took the White Admiral pictures but after that it was all new. Oh well, it felt like I was going in roughly the right direction. I had started to see some Ringlets now as well as the Meadow Browns and Large Skippers. It had turned very cloudy now but the temperature kept them all very active.

There's quite a few bodies of water dotted around the wood and many Blue Damselflies loitered in the sunny glades along with the butterflies. Both Common Blue and Azure but I was interested to find that they never seemed to be found together. each group always seemed to all one or the other species. I suppose it makes sense when you think about it, time is short for these little things so you don't want to waste time flirting with the wrong species! It was whilst watching these that a particularly large and cumbersome looking butterfly flapped past me, it seemed to be struggling and I quickly realised I was looking at two, a female SWF dragging the limp body of her mate behind her. Despite her struggles (and my willing her to go to ground) she managed to gain height and land halfway up an Oak tree . I waited for some time but they seemed to have settled and all I could get were yet more long distant shots. I carried on, hoping to find a path that looked familiar. A male Black-tailed Skimmer tempted me to take his picture but flew off just as I pressed the shutter leaving me with a beautifully composed picture of the bare path! 'Git' I thought!

Shortly after this I followed another WA around a patch of bramble in a clearing and put up a female Black-tailed Skimmer. The WA had vanished, as they seem to do a lot, but the dragonfly settled a short distance in front of me and on closer inspection I saw she was having her lunch. I carefully crept closer and unlike the male of the species they seem to rely on their camouflage for protection (the males being powder blue don't really blend in too well!), so I was able to take a whole run of shots as the unfortunate victim was gradually consumed over a few minutes. Here's an abridged selection: She let me get really very close! and I actually fine them more attractive than their gaudy mates She finally flew off leaving me to continue trying to work out where I was. With the sun starting to come out again the temperatures were rocketing up and I was sweating like the proverbial swine! I found another car park with a map and wandered off in what seemed to be the general direction I needed to go in. More WA showed up occasionally, all too fleetingly though. Walking down an open sunlit path another butterfly was flying towards me at waist height. Powerful flaps and long glides combined with its large size instantly telling me it was an Emperor. As he approached I began to hope the sweaty mass of exposed skin in his path would be too much to resist but alas I was completely ignored and I watched helplessly as he vanished around the bend , if only there had been a nice steaming pile of something unpleasant nearby!

As luck would have it though I also realised I was on familiar ground and set off heading for the car park I'd started at. 10 minutes later I was just about to leave when I noticed another Skimmer watching me, she posed for a shot before a dag walker passed too close. Behind me, Ignoring everything, was a Small Tortoiseshell. A female getting exceptionally excited over some fresh nettle growth. After much faffing around she found the perfect leaf to lay on only to fly off 30 seconds later . I checked and she'd laid one egg. Thats going to be a very lonely cat when it hatches!

So in the end I saw between 6 and 12 White Admiral (I have no idea how far they wander), 2 Purple Emperor, at least 10 Silver Washed Fritillary, lots of Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Large Skippers, Speckled Woods and 1 Red Admiral

Well it was time to catch the train back to London, which was to my great disappointment not air conditioned...well you could open a window but it's not really the same is it!

The day didn't end there though but I shall leave that to the next entry

trevor wrote:HI Buggy,
I know exactly what you mean, when something unusual or rare confronts you, fumbling and panic
take over. Dare not move might scare it off, camera not ready, it'll be gone if you don't hurry up,
to name but a few !. I had exactly that experience this week with a highly unexpected White Letter
Hairstreak. I only managed one decent shot.
As Bookham is probably your nearest Purple Emperor site, i expect we will here more from you in
the coming weeks!.

Keep up the good work,
TREVOR

You did well with that WLH though, that one shot is something I am currently only dreaming about!

Yes I think I will be paying more visits, probably choosing a slightly cooler day

Goldie M wrote:I'm with you Buggy on WLH, people tell me where they are but when I get there ( nothing) I'm going to try again tomorrow at an old railway line they seem to like them Goldie

Good Luck Goldie, I'm working the weekend but come monday I have a run of 10 days off to concentrate on butterflying. I booked virtually all my annual leave this year around various flight times

Looking forward to what happened next Bugboy. Those Black-tailed Skimmers are mighty attractive

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some fine butterflying adventures Buggy hope your well earned annual hols continue along the same lines...towards Purple Emperors among others

Bill

"When in doubt - venture out"

Thanks guys. Yes Bill, The Purple One will hopefully figure prominantly in the coming days

1st July part 3

So after returning to London and finally having something to eat and replenishing my liquids I felt refreshed and ready to sneak out for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Hutchinsons Bank was the destination, or rather the woodland opposite where I had found my White Admiral cat earlier in the year. I got there around 3.30 and it was still ridiculously hot. The woodland is not, as far as I can tell managed much. No coppicing, or none recently at least and not many sunny glades at all and it felt relatively cool which was nice. Speckled Woods flitted around and so did the odd Meadow Brown. I was obviously after more WA's, scanning all the brambles but nothing showed itself. Due to the shadyness of the wood I thought perhaps WA's might be later than other sites so maybe they have yet to appear, the Bramble flowers are certainly a week or two behind other sites with more sun. (I see they are about now from Mrsp0cks posting in the July Sightings)

An hours wandering brought about no more species so I crossed the road to have a wander on the Bank. It was still so warm that even the Marbled Whites, those familiar denizens of sun baked south facing grasslands, where hiding in the shade! There were a few ringlets also avoiding the sun and a some Meadow Browns but the Large Skippers were braver although not brave enough to open their wings. A couple of Dark Green Fritillaries were whooshing around, supercharged by the heat and there was also 2 Small Blues flying around a patch of Kidney Vetch. I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible so I didn't catch any of these crazy sun worshippers on my camera.

I stayed here for another hour, scanning the Ribwort Plantain just in case I was lucky enough to stumble across some young Glanville cats... nope.

As I was leaving I saw one of the Dark Green Fritillaries had calmed down a bit and seemed to be looking to roost. It tried several times but each time I got close enough to take a snap a bloody Large Skipper decided to 'ave a go and start a fight with it! It had definately lead quite an eventful life from the look of it though, missing half of one of its forwings and a large chunk of the opposite hindwing. I finally managed a few pictures inbetween his attempts at avoiding Skippers. Time for home and a deserved rest after 2 extremely hot and exhausting, but enjoyable days out butterflying