www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks Wurzel, it’s ok, the next visit to Epsom Common was a vast improvement !

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June 2022

Tuesday 7th, Norfolk. It was time to go in search of britannicus once more and after losing everything I took last year I was eager to replace as much as I could. Even so, coming home with over 2000 images was ridiculous even by my click happy standards so I’ll split the day into three sections, first the supporting cast. Last year was an excellent year for the odonata. This year by comparison was a little disappointing, everything was around, just in much lower numbers. The Marsh Harriers were showing well. A few in flight food exchanged happened but I was too slow to capture them on camera. Warblers of various species provided a permanent sound track to the day and a Common Tern posed conveniently outside one of the hides while a little further out a Great-crested Grebe was providing a bus service for the kids. Apart from the obvious, there was a decent range of butterflies, a mixture of battle weary oldies and freshly emerged. tbc

"it’s ok, the next visit to Epsom Common was a vast improvement" - something to look forward to then Crackign shots of the Marsh Harriers - when I saw them in the field they always looked a little untidy to my mind, what with the mix of greys, browns and creams, but in your shots it looks like they've straightened their tie and tucked their shirt in - much better looking

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I think that's a brilliant selection of Odonata, Buggy. It makes me think I ought to head up to Norfolk while I'm still in the UK.

GUy

Thanks Wurzel, the males are very smart looking birds when they’re not in moult.
Thanks Guy. Those pictured are a small selection of the species I saw. Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselflies, Black-tailed Skimmers, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers, Emperor Dragonflies plus numerous Hawkers which remained Unidentified were all present, it is awonderful site for so many taxa.

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June 2022

Tuesday 7th, Norfolk (part 2). Before moving onto the main course, special mention should go to the Small Tortoiseshell. Growing up in London the last time I saw a significant number in one go was when I was 10 or 11 and had just released a batch I’d reared onto the Buddleja at the bottom of the garden. Even that pales to the numbers that were present as I wandered around Strumpshaw. Patrick Barkham was doing a guided tour which I inadvertently, and slightly awkwardly, became part off. I would try and speed up or slow down but we would always catch each other up. Anyway, by the end we swapped notes, and both agreed we’d seen in excess of 100 Small Torts which is likely to be the tip of the iceberg to what was actually present. Interestingly the Dogwood seemed to be the most popular nectar source of the day. Later in the afternoon there was also a lot of courtship, with many of the females looking mint fresh and vibrant to the point they almost look fake in the photos! Mixing it up with the Tortoiseshells were Red Admirals, Painted Ladies and a remarkably fresh looking Peacock considering it’s probably at least 6 months old, assuming it was a second brood from last year. However Small Tortoiseshells definitely outnumbered all the other species combined on the day so its perhaps a little surprising not many abs were seen. The most extreme were a few with dusky centres to the forewings. Tbc

June 2022

Tuesday 7th, Norfolk (part 3), the main course, Swallowtails. In the Doctors Garden the Sweet Rocket had gone over but the nearby Sweet William was very popular, numerous Small Tortoiseshell sharing it with a single Swallowtail. The colour combination is a little garish and artificial with the deep vivid pinks, but there were some paler ones and getting the Oxe-eye Daisies in the background does make it a little less painful on the eyes! On the hill behind there was also a distant Swallowtail on the Hawkbits, but Patrick was in full flow with his tour, so I didn’t attempt to get close.

Moving on I had a flyby as I approached the broadwalk into the fens where as usual I inspected some of the Milk Parsley for eggs and Larvae. (It’s clear now my search was less than thorough). A little way past the first bend of the reserve a Dogwood in full flower was alive with butterflies (95% were Small Tortoiseshell) but there was also a Swallowtail who provided a much more pleasing selection of photo opportunities. There were a few more flybys but nothing to point my camera at, besides the swarms of Tortoiseshells, Odonata and birdlife, until I reached the water meadow where Patrick’s tour had found one avidly feeding on the Ragged Robin. I’ve been after shots of a Swallowtail on Ragged Robin for a long time, so I made full use of this one who was pretty much bomb proof to the point I got the feeling I was just a bit of a hinderance, as it was forced to go around me to the next flower (if it could talk I’m sure it would be telling me rather curtly to “get out the bloody way!”) The Swallowtail bonanza (ten or eleven encounters in the end) ended at the visitor centre where a couple were providing ample entertainment. All in all, an excellent day and one I was already planning on repeating .

Brilliant to hear about the Small Tort bonanza Bugboy and brilliant shots of the Swallowtail Looking forward to the next batch from the next visit

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fabulous Swallowtails, great shots missed them this year, I normally go to Hickling but doctors Garden is a good bet

Thanks Wurzel, you might have to wait a little longer than initially planned, I need to jump back in time first !
Thanks Wayne, anywhere at Strumpshaw is good for them. The doctors garden is generally a nailed on certainty but I do prefer seeing them on wild flowers.

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May 2022

Tuesday 17th, the missing report. Going through my photos I realised I’ve completely missed out a day, a trip to the south coast to find some Adonis. It was successful although numbers weren’t particularly high as I remember (dredging up memories from 2 months ago is a struggle, must be an age thing ). The photos also indicate there were a few spring skippers about but I do remember finding my first Painted Lady of the year, not least because Millerd had messaged me saying he’d found his first one 10 minutes previously. I suspect I had three flying around in the end but they were very flighty and difficult to approach for confirmation. As always, the sea of Horseshoe Vetch here provided a spectacle in its own right. The day was warming up quickly and as the Blues were becoming supercharged I moved on up the lane to Anchors Bottom, trying not to get run over when a Small White posed and a swathe of Bladder Campion caught my eye. The resident Corn Bunting proved easy to approach too, perhaps he thought he was more hidden than he actually was. At the car park I wandered along one of the less used tracks. I was just thinking it looked very suitable for Walls when what came bouncing along towards me… He bounced off without settling into one of the adjacent fields. The good news was there was public access to this field and I found him and a few of his friends bouncing around and trying to stay cool in the now blazing sun. Chasing them around in the heat was pretty pointless, I’d achieved the best I was going to get there so I went off to have a look around Southwick Hill. The walk across the farmland was most notable for the number of Painted Ladies coming in from the sea, all flying north without stopping. At Southwick Hill I was greeted by another Wall. Not much else was around besides several Whites and a few Holly Blue. The return walk was interrupted by a small group of rather angry Goldfinch. It looked like a turf war between a couple of pairs, there was a lot of angry calling and posturing and when that didn’t work, things came to a head. Back at the Wall playground they’d calmed down fractionally but still nearly impossible to approach. A reasonable looking Painted Lady made for a decent distraction though. By the time I was having one last browse of Mill Hill it had clouded over quite substantially and most things had gone to roost (except the Adonis strangely), but in my absence there had been the start of a mass Common Blue emergence, something which Millerd was to experience in full the following day.

Great report Bugboy and that final shot is a cracker Are you heading Back to the Future next?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You've captured that Small White perfectly, Paul. Lovely image.

Thanks Wurzel, yup flux capacitor fully charged and back to the future I go… but still in the past
Thanks David, it did pose well, I just had to make sure I didn’t get run over!

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June 2022

Wednesday 8th. Ok, back on schedule. Today was a three-site day, although at two there wasn’t a great deal to be found. First off was Fairmile Common where a week ago Millerd had found a solitary Silver-studded Blue. Hoping it would be the start of a decent emergence I was more than a little disappointed to also find just a single male. After that near non-event it was off to nearby Bookham where summer had still yet to get going. Large Skipper numbers were now increasing but apart from Speckled Wood there was little else butterflywise. I did find a single White Admiral Caterpillar I did find a Wasp Beetle feasting on Hogweed, where in a few months time I hope to find some Brown Hairstreak, and a White-legged Damselfly showed up, a species that seems to be becoming increasingly more common in the southeast, certainly in my experience. The final destination was Epsom Common where I figured I might have a bit more luck with the Black Hairstreak than I did on my last visit. There was certainly a lot more to be found but initially all were rather active. Eventually though some started to settle down to feed, not always in easy to reach places but persistence paid off in the end. One particularly fresh female was so taken with gorging herself on nectar that she even hung around and waited for Millerd to arrive after I’d told him they were behaving well

Good to see Black Hairstreaks on something other than bracken.
You've had some rewarding trips out recently, a for the Swallowtails.

Trevor.

Good to the Flux capacitor working well and also good to see the return to Epsom worked out well too I need to have a look to see if the drive there is less than to Ditchling ready for next year maybe

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice to see you got those Black Hairstreaks, Paul. That penultimate individual is a real beauty.

Thanks Trevor, yes Bramble blossom seems to be the perch of choice at Epsom this year (see below). Also, more Swallowtails coming soon .
Thanks Wurzel, it’s handy having them so close these days. I can still remember the early days of my ‘mission’ making 3 trips to Monks Wood before I eventually found one there (and getting to Monks Wood was a mission in it’s own right)
Thanks David, I couldn’t resist going back for seconds and was rewarded again.

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June 2022

Thursday 9th. Since they were behaving so well, and very little else was out locally, I decided to spend a few hours back at Epsom with the Black Hairstreaks the following morning. Approaching the usual hotspot I came across an enthusiast who had set up camp next to a stand of Bracken, no doubt having seen the pictures from Ditchling where they seem to be glued to Bracken whenever they descend. As I passed, I pointed him in the direction of the best spot and when the bramble patch Dave and I had been loitering around came into view I suggested he hang around there. Just as I was saying this, we noticed one already gorging. The chap was very happy, it was a lifer for him, so I stood back to allow him to have his fill, although as with the previous evening she wasn’t going to be disturbed easily and when she was, she would invariable only flutter a short distance and return after a few minutes. Another couple of enthusiasts came and went and that was it, I was pleasantly surprised to have the place to myself for the rest of the morning. Unlike the day before I only saw two Hairstreaks. Mrs bombproof was actually a different one from the previous evening (I had initially presumed it was the same individual since it was on the same flowers and behaving in the same manner.) Since I had her to myself I decided to try for some uppersides. The best chance seemed to be when she was disturbed by Bees muscling in on her flowers, but the wing flicks of annoyance were so fast it was always going to be near 100% luck. The best I got were when the breeze caught her and gave me a tantalising glimpse of red on her hindwing uppers. Despite this it was still time well spent in my opinion !

Cracking shots Bugboy - I think I'll have to pencil in a visit there for them next year for sure as it's 20 miles and an hour less round trip than Ditchling...I might need to tap you up for the location of the best spots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

No problem Wurzel although it might be easier to arrange to meet you there. Directions would mostly consist of “turn left at the path lined with Blackthorn, then right when you hit some more Blackthorn, and then continue along the blackthorn lined path until you reach some Blackthorn”

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June 2022

Friday 10th. Time for another dose of britannicus before their season ends which meant another early start. It’s always worth t though even if I’m not a morning person. The target was out and about already when I arrived, two active at the doctors garden, once again gorging on the Sweet William. One did settle on some Hogweed bordering the path for a short time, allowing a few more naturalistic photos but it was a bit breezy, and a gust soon had him taking to the air again and going back to feeding. Small Tortoiseshell’s were still around in numbers, although not as many as on my visit earlier in the week. Red Admirals were also about again but unlike last time, there were no Swallowtails on my wanders around the site. The Marsh Harriers put on a few good shows, some in-flight food swapping was missed because I was too slow to capture it, but I got the best views of a low flying male as it passed over a hide filled with people straining to watch it through the hatches. With the Swallowtails winning at hide and seek today I decided to go for a wander down the road to Buckingham Marshes. Here I found another mass of Small Tortoiseshells, this time covering the Brambles which lined the sunnier parts of the lanes, once again easily surpassing the three digit mark. Mixing in with them was a surprise appearance from a Green Hairstreak, and the less surprising Brimstone, still in good nick considering she was nearly a year old. There is significantly less shelter at Buckingham Marshes, making it rather windswept in the breezy conditions but I knew Millerd was currently chasing Swallowtails at Strumpshaw so arranged to meet up with him. In doing so I saw my first ever Swallowtail eggs and caterpillars which he’d discovered and with a bit more searching we found some more. The day ended for me at ‘Nicky’s Glade’ where a resident male was making life difficult for both of us by persistently perching up high.

" Directions would mostly consist of..." Sounds very similar to those issued when trying to locate a PE up in the canopy; "you see the branch, go up from it about 2 feet and then left and it's on the leaf" A meet up sounds like a plan

Brilliant shots of the Swallowtail - particularly like the penultimate shot with the incoming individual

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fabulous Swallowtails, Paul....and the Small Tortoiseshell with the particularly large black spot on the forewing is equally stunning.

Thanks guys, its difficult to go wrong with britannicus .

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June 2022

Saturday 11th. So straight after an early start and long day in Norfolk I’d gone and arranged another early start and long day, this time down in Dorset. There had been several reports on here and other social media platforms of Lulworth Skippers out in Durlston Country Park, traditionally a later site for the species. Having never been there so early in the season temptation had got the better of me and so at 6.30am I was on the train from Waterloo for a day on the south coast.

Arriving at Swanage several hours later I took a slightly different route to Durlston than normal. Usually I follow the coastal path however after perusing google maps a few days before I decided on a different route, coming in round the back via Townsend Nature Reserve. Obviously I stopped off at the nature reserve for a look around, finding three very friendly ponies, a smattering of Satyrids and a few late first brood Common Blues but little else. I suspect at the right time of year though there might be plenty to find here with its mixture of scrub and open grassland. From here it’s a straight path down to the lighthouse, with the same smattering of butterflies occasionally showing up along the way. I eventually also came across my first Marbled White of the year, but only from a distance and a then a few of the target species but they were a little too active to photograph. A Blue which I took for a rather small female Common initially, settled and showed itself to be a Small Blue with far more blue than I think I’ve ever seen on this species before. The photos don’t really do it justice, I blame the strong sun for bleaching the blue out! Moving on down to the slope and gully to the east of the lighthouse I added Adonis Blue to the days tally, although barely recognisable scrag ends of the season examples.

I finally managed to pin down some Lulworths along the coastal path leading up to Durlston Castle, a handful clustered on some yellow flowering wild cabbagy thing. There seemed to be just one female in amongst a group of males so the inevitable boisterous ‘introductions’ were a regular occurrence. The final season debut was a male Small Skipper. As always here the birdlife does attract much of my attention. The usually flotillas of Guillemot and Razorbill could be seen floating around just off shore, and the occasional Shag was seen coming or going to/from fishing sessions. I also got closer views of the two Auk species sitting on ledges just below to walkway. Fulmers were showing off in the stiff breeze that was blowing Best of all were a couple of avian lifers. I was pleased to see a pair of Gannet (possible the world’s smallest colony!) even more so to be able to watch them fishing. Photos of them were a mixed bag since they were quite a distance away and trying to keep them in focus as they hit terminal velocity, hand held with a blustery wind blowing aiming into the sun (I've run of of excuses now ) was a struggle but a few came out ok. The other avian lifer was flying with some Common Terns fishing for Sand Eels. When the loose flock came close enough I noticed some were a bit larger than others and realised I had some Sandwich Terns, their larger size and black legs matched with a yellow tipped black beak marking them out quite clearly when you got a decent view.