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Hi Goldie. Pleased you had a good day at Brook (part of Wye NNR). The moth you saw is a Latticed Heath. Sorry you had a little trouble finding the Reserve. I will PM you a Map Reference for the small car park (which I suspect you found) and the area where I normally see most of the Green Hairstreaks to see if it helps with obtaining photos. Dave

Hi Goldie,

Good to see that you are making the most of some 'challenging' weather.

dave brown wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 3:47 pm The moth you saw is a Latticed Heath.

I reckon it is a Common Heath. A very variable species with some forms looking a bit like Latticed Heath.

Cheers,

Neil.

Whoops. Think you are right Neil. Common Heath. Looked at the photo too quickly.

Many thanks, dave and Neil, I've named the Moth now.

It was great to get out and see more than one Butterfly The man we met was well informed and said every thing was going to be late this year, he was concerned for the Dukes. I've seen Dukes in early June at Gait Barrow when the weathers been bad so I'm hoping they'll be out before I go back but I won't hold my breath. Goldie

Well done Goldie !
I,m pleased you had some joy at the Kneading Trough ,and that you managed to find the car park...........easily missed !
Another area very close by ...... when you go through the car park gate ,and walk up the path ,instead of going through the small kissing gate and heading towards the Kneading trough base ,keep walking and after a few steps the path turns to the left , follow the path /scrub ,theres some nice areas along the way ,eventually you,ll find another small grassy area which is also a good butterfly (and Orchid !) area.
As for Dukes at the Kneading trough ,as i mentioned in an earlier post ,they are present in very small numbers ,and although i don,t visit the site every year i,ve only ever seen 2 ,a male and a female two seasons ago ,you should also get Common Blue and Brown Argus,and Small Heath (with a bit of luck !) Common Heath is (as it says on the tin !) Common there.
I wonder if the chap you spoke to was Alan Cooper ,an exceptionally knowledgeable gentleman !
Good hunting ! Regards Allan.W.

Hello Goldie ,
They,re out ,found 6 flying in breaks between clouds at two out of three local(ish ) sites ,all mint ,i,ve sent you a PM with details
Regards Allan.W.

Thanks Allan, hopefully I'll be there , kind wait, hope the weather stays good, Thanks again Goldie

Lovely set of shots Goldie The mad dash for the first shot is an experience that I know well - sometimes there's a bit too much dashing - particularly when it comes to Orange-tips Greta news that you've got another week down there - good luck with the Dukes and Grizzlies

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Heartwarming stuff, Goldie. That's a good range of species you've picked up there. Hopefully there'll be more when you return.

Thanks Wurzel and David, the species are piling up

I'm off hunting tomorrow Wurzel for the Grizzly I've been told where to look with Allan, fingers crossed I'll see one

Another week here seems to have made all the difference David especially in my Daughters Garden, the Holly Blue were back and I got my first Large White.

My Daughter was busy today but we still managed to go to Reculver, I'd a bit of a set back with the Dog bite Monday and had to go and get it checked, now I'm on antibiotics, but it's not stopping me going out

At Reculver I got a big Surprise, I was looking for the Wall again (which I didn't see, )when this Painted Lady put in an appearance, at first it was too high in the shrubbery to get it all in, then it settled down near the Roman Wall and I could get some shots.

Back in my Daughters Garden I was treated to some more Holly Blue, this time Male and Female with a nearly but not quite open wing Of course I couldn't resist further shots Goldie

Hello Goldie ,
I,ve just got back from a whistle stop visit to all three sites that i mentioned on the PM , I was on site for an hour and ten minutes and i saw 7 ,
possibly 8 ,+ 4 Painted ladies ,a couple of Orange Tips ,several Peacock and Small Heath , of the 8 Grizzles that i saw 5 were settled ,4 abberant and a (rarity here !) a Normal specimen ! all mint ,bar one.
On the PM i sent you i mentioned on your return to the car ,look up the road and find the public footpath sign ,and i said to do this one last ,
but this is actually the best site ,so i would probably do this one first !
All my sightings this afternoon were there ! and i reckon if you have good warm day ,with preferably no wind you should crack it !
It is a very scrubby uneven site ,but you,ll do best to get off the footpath and look in the scrubland ,mind the brambles ,in the morning it is well worth keeping an eye on any nectar sources ,at the very top of the path (left hand side )you,ll see a large clump of Ground ivy ,and further on a large patch
of Speedwell ,of the first two sites i mentioned ,your best bet is the "skis slope " ,and then the first i mentioned last.
Please mind how you go , as i,ve said ,it is very uneven ! They are difficult to follow once flying ,but when they settle ,they generally pose beautifully,
approach them slowly ,and keep your shadows off of them if you can
. Good luck Goldie ! Regards Allan.W.

Beautiful Holly Blue shots - the nectaring ones are particularly special

Hi Goldie.
The Dukes are now out at Bonsai Bank. We saw 4 late morning. I have sent you a PM.
Dave

Lovely set of shots especially the first Small White - what a beaut that is Also a few for the Painted Lady! I hope you're reading this before posting plenty of Grizzlies

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Lovely images again, Goldie. I'm crossing my fingers that you get those Dukes and (especially) the Grizzled Skippers you've yearned to see for so long.

HI! everybody and thank you ,Katrina , Allan, dave, Wurzel and David.

Sad to say we covered most of the sites you Mentioned Allan and didn't see one Grizzly, there was a stiff breeze, but we looked in the scrub where it was sheltered and still saw nothing, we took the path where we'd parked the car after that, we turned right, and saw Green Hair Streak ( to quick for me ) but I did manage an Orange Tip, I was pleased about that not with open wings though, ( that seems to be the thing lately ) Any way it can't be helped, you win some, you loose some, at least we know where to look thanks to you next time.

Glad you liked the photo Katrina, that's the best about Garden's, you hope one will land on a flower, I was lucky this one did

Thanks dave for the info ,if we can get there we will It depends on my Daughter, she's an Athletics Coach and this is a busy time for her, luckily she's
done great by me so far

Hi! Wurzel, it just wasn't to be, we covered loads of ground for nearly 3 hours taking our time, I was shattered and had to give it up There wasn't a lot of Butterflies flying at all, I did see another Painted Lady, but even that was hiding in the grass I also saw Green Hair Streak again on the path but that took off right a way, I did wonder if they'd got the message I was coming I did land an orange Tip though which I'd not got before so it did have it's compensation even if the wings were partly closed

Hi! David, nothing in the pot yet Has I've said to dave, if I can get there I will, It's not as though I've not got shots of the Dukes I have, but it would be great to see them again

Yesterday was disappointing but that's how it goes with Butterflies and I was pleased to finally get the Orange Tip, One Day maybe I'll see the Grizzly
Over the years I've managed to get 50 species, just a few elosive few to get Goldie

Hello Goldie ,
I,m really dissapointed for you ! i,m sure the wind didn,t help ! they do dislike the wind . I was there the previous afternoon ,and again saw seven
(or eight) I must admit the sites that i put you on too are not performing as well as the last couple of seasons ,which is worrying ,although (as you know) things are a bit behind this season,so maybe theres time yet ,as a matter of interest ,i tried another normally reliable spot about a mile from where you were ,and once again nothing ,and also a site about 5 minutes from home .................again nothing ,they could be just emerging later or they could be on their last legs ,as they seem to be dissappearing from the Orlestone area ,block by block .
Well done with the Green Hair (not seen one myself this season ) not a common butterfly on the site.
Regards Allan.W.

Hi! Allan, I think it's been a poor year so far for the Butterflies, having said that, before I came South I was seeing lots of Whites, Tortoiseshell, Comma's and Peacocks, we didn't seem to have the cold wind, mind you, it was cold enough But I was sat in the garden at 19c one day.

I'm traveling back on Sunday so I'm hoping the weather picks up at home, I won't be seeing the rare Butterflies until I'm back South later in the year, any way thanks again.

If you want to see the Green Hair Streak, go along the path where you park your car and turn right,( like you told me) and they're in the bush's where the path goes narrow before you come out onto the open field , I thought I'd just mention it in case you're interested Goldie

Hello Goldie ,
Thanks for that i,ll keep my eyes open ,i,ll be back there at some point ..............if the weather improves. Locally ,the only site that seems to be consistently reporting Grizzles is.... Dungeness ,9 seen a couple of days back ,but i reckon given a few succssesive warm days they,ll be seen at ,at least 2 of the sites that you visited ,i,m not making excuses ,but Grizzles are very difficult to follow ,especially on very uneven ground ,there colouration blends so well with the scrubland and they are easily lost to sight .
Another couple of sites that are pretty consistant in North Kent are Kemsing Down and Bluebell Hill NNR. ........Oh and Queendown Warren .
I wish you well for the rest of your season ,and hope you have some good finds ! me , i,ll probably have a change and chase Orchids for a change !
Theres a few i,m keen to find ! Good Hunting ! Regards Allan.W.

Hi! Allan, knowing you like Orchids so much I've posted some shots of Slipper Orchids I took ages ago at Gait Barrow in the Lakes, all the best to you and thanks again Goldie