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Started the morning off in Garston Wood and from the car park checked out the new cleared area of the coppice. There were one or two Silver Washed Fritillary around, along with Ringlet and Meadow Brown. There were also a few Large Skipper, Small Copper and my first Gatekeeper of the year - that wouldn't open it's wings. I settled down to wait for it to change it's mind and just as they were opening a dog came bounding by off it's lead and it was gone! The hot spot from last weekend housed a single H Comma and then I moved back from the main path into the enclosure. This proved a really good move with, flighty White Adniral, Greenish Silver Washed Fritillary and an unusual Gatekeeper. I noticed that the GSW Frit seemed to stay more in the shade and when hassled by Meadow Brown or Ringlet would fly up and perch higher up in a tree unlike their ginger relations that seemed to bask more and zoom off elsewhere when hassled.
From there I moved up to Martin Down, the Blandford Road car park, for Dark Green Fritillary as suggested by Philzoid. Amazing there were 4 DGFs in the car park before I'd even got out of my car! Set off towards Borkerley Ditch with DGFs all around feeding like mad on the Knapweed. There were more Small Copper, Marbled Whites, Small and Essex Skippers, Small Tortoiseshell but the stars were DGFs. Including a fiesty individual who was desperately trying to get in between two lovers - almost trying to headbutt the other out of the way! Finally they gave up... Where tomorrow?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That is a lovely valezina Silver-washed! Very envious - I've never seen one...

Dave

Cheers Dave! This is the second year that I've found them at Garston Wood so it's becoming something of a secret hot spot - don't tell anyone

Have a goodun

Wurzel

It's no fun when your target species is waiting for you in the car park. You have to work a little for your reward

Nice pictures of the copper and the SWF.

Cheers Dilettante - it's was slightly less fun to have them there on arrival but it certainly made a nice change for me - everything else always seems to turn up either as I've just poured a coffee or I'm abut to leave!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Sunday saw me winding my way back to Bentley - possibly for the last time this year. The underwing shot of White Admiral is eluding me still despite seeing 2 of the beauties yesterday at Garston Wood. As I got there early I set off to the White Letter Hairstreak site. Once there the birds went mad - with a female Blackcap feeding on the ground, a mixed Tit flock which I'm pretty sure contained a Willow Tit (more bullish neck than Marsh) and a family of GS Woody. All of which were nice to see but with so many predators around all the butteflies kept a low profile. StillI hung around on the corner waiting for a certain little butterfly to come by. Coffee drunk, neck severly cricked and still no joy I decided to head slowly back and see if His Nibbs had come out to play.
On the way back there was much more to see - Large Skippers, Ringlets (which I'm getting annoyed with now as they scare off everything just as you about to get the shot! ), SW Frits - including a female or too, Marbled White, possible faded DG Frit, Smessex Skippers and a single Red Admiral. The star of the day was a male Purple Hairstreak which decided to have a rest on a frond of braken. What is it with Purple Hairstreak, me and braken - I only ever see them on braken? This little chap very obligingly decided to show me his wings and having reeled off a load of shots I left him there to have a little snooze! The PE did show but with a very distant view and when I finally decided to head home (it was either that I face the wrath) a groan went up from the group watching it so perhaps it had been demoted to a White Admiral?

And so next onto Grayling, Lulworth Skipper and possibly White Letter Hairstreak if there's still time!?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote: Smessex Skippers

Brilliant

Marlow Tits and Comic Terns?

Cheers Lee and Gibster - it seemed the best way to describe the little golden blur that you catch out of your eye , and is a bad habit that I picked up from my years as a birder!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Aftera bit of a disaster at the weekend I took inspiration from Chris and headed into the garden to sort my camera out. Once I'd noticed that I'd somehow knocked the VR off ( ) I tried a few shots of Hoverflies to check that it was back on track. Then having checked the weather and groaned when I saw rain pretty much all weekend (lets hope it changes again tomorrow) I thought I'd better make the most of it while it was still wam and dry! So I dropped my older daughter off at Rainbows and then hightailed it to Five Rivers for exactly one hour. The light was stunning and the ground was lovely and warm - almost balmy and a Spcekled Wood was there to meet me. At first butterflies were scarce and I thought they'd all roosted but as I moved towards the south facing bank they soon emerged. The odd Meadow Brown, fewer Marbled White and then a Smessex and a couple of Ringlet and a male Gatekeeper. Once I got to the banks I had my eye in and one little patch provided me with another Gatekeeper (they really are tricky!) and what seemed to be a pair of Brown Argus. There were also more Meadow Brown, and fewer Marbled Whites and a few Smessex Skippers that rested still long enough to identify as first a female and then male Essex Skipper. The female really seemed to love the camera and she was posing in all shapes - head on, wings shut, wings open, leaning back on to legs and even doing an impression of Mantis from Kung Fu Panda! Luckily she decided that she'd had enough posing and skipped off as I then had 10 minutes to get back and pick up my daughter. On the way back there were a couple of Large Skipper in the brambles and again more Meadow Brown and Marbled White (fewer of the later). Hopefully the weathermen will have got it wrong and a high will sweep in from the continent on Friday!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I called in at Woodhenge on the way home from work on Friday - shhhhhhhh don't tell the wife Still it was literally for 10 minutes and involved a quick stroll round the field near the picnic bench. This time there are far fewer Marbled Whites - they seem to have been replaced by Meadow Brown (5 against 30+). Skippers were also harder to find but in the end I found a nice female Small. Also around was a Comma investigating some brambles and the usual flighty White (possibly Green Veined?) and something that at first seemed very unusual - a strange pink looking thing - it was only when I got a bit closer that I realised that it was a bee with pink pollen (?) collected onto its legs. I was glad that I called in here as Saturday was a complete nightmare - rain all day - and so far today I've felt trapped in the house, nipping out between showers to capture an image of my first garden Ringlet I did manage to get out in the afternoon with my younger daughter to my local patch - Five Rivers - but more on that tomorrow as I've just seen the Countryfile wether - let's hope they get it wrong...why is it they always get wet weather right, and the sunny weather wrong?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel,

I photographed bees just like that one last year. It must be the pollen from the scabious that does it. Nice pics

Cheers Susie! I was thinking that it was an 80's throw back bee with it's lovely leg warmers!:D
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Despite the rain showers that had been forecast all day I did manage to take my younger daughter out to Five Rivers for an hour to blow the cobwebs away. I asked if she wanted to come with me and she put her head on one side and questioned "sweets?" (she's learning fast!).
So sweets bought and opened we wandered through the shorter grass paths, leaning over every now and again to find different species peeking out at us. Lottie again surprized me with how much she has caught on as with almost an entire packet of Randoms stuffed into her cheeks she announced "sweets gone, time to go home now?" . Luckily a Skipper did a buzz past and she got caught up in looking for butterflies again.
Once the wind calmed down a little and the sun made a brief appearence we found a large group of thistles and brambles and the butterflies were everywhere - a real purple patch - with GV White, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Brown Argus, male and female Common Blue, Comma, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Smessex Skippers, and both sexes of Gatekeeper. Little Lottie was pointing at thistles at her head height and exclaiming "butterflies daddy" all over the place. As we strolled back to the car we found singles of each of these species but nothing like the throng from the thistles and added a Large White and Peacock. Once back at the car the wind picked up and within 30 minutes rain was falling again. Here's hoping that the weather improves so that I can get out next weekend for Lulworth Skipper or Grayling?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Looks like the weekend will be dry and fairly sunny according to the forecast. Good luck with the Lulworths/Graylings.

Back to Five Rivers again today - this time with both girls and without the bribes! I was hoping to get to Martin Down for Chalkhill Blues but work didn't finish as early as I thought it would. Still getting out is still getting out!
We check out the "purple patch" area again as Kitty wanted to get a few shots. I think that she did as seemed happy to click away at a Green Veined White and then a Common Blue. All the while Lottie was keeping her eyes peeled for tigers!
I too managed to get onto some Blues - all perched head facing down and occasionally being buzzed by Brown Argus, while Speckled Wood spectated from the bramble sidelines (they are well hairy aren't they? ).
There were also several Gatekeepers around about showing a further range of variation in spotting from the individuals I found last time...and also looking a bit fresher.
Off to Godshill tomorrow to try my luck for Grayling for the first time...I don't know why but I'm kinda nervous about it! Cheers for the luck David!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

The second one is a female - that's why it lacks the brown sex-brands on the forewings. They also tend to have more hindwing spots.

Dave

Thank you for your comment - I already know that the bottom one is a female - I wasn't refering to the androconical organs (or sex brands) but was referring to "brown spots" that I have recently seen and photographed on a female that had reduced hindwing spots and 2 brown spots marking the fore wings. I photographed it on my previous visit to Five Rivers - so have a look and see what you think? Or I could repost the picture for you...

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:referring to "brown spots"

Millerd was not alone in mis-understanding your initial post but, now you have explained, I can point out that the Gatekeeper is prone to aberrations in both colour and spotting. Millerd has an example of a colour aberration in his thread "Golden Gatekeeper".

Regarding spotting, Russwurm in his book on butterfly aberrations states: "On the upper side of the forewings,there may be anything from one to four extra spots below the apical spot: all these variations are classed under the name ab. excessa (Tutt.)." On the upperside of the hindwings, three extra spots are ab. posttriexcessa (Leeds) and four are quadriexcessa. All in all, a rather variable butterfly!

Collecting and naming aberrations was quite a passion in Victorian times.

Mike

Thanks Mike - I think I might do a separate post with some of my variants to to see if they can be classed according to the descriptors you gave.
As to the misunderstanding I'm not sure how that happened - I suppose it's because I've always considered spots to be round, and sex brands appear to be like lines or stripes... I think from now on I 'll sex (oo-er ) the photos when referring to variants. Cheers

Have a goodun

Wurzel