millerd

[millerd]

24th May
Gathering my 7-year-old from school first, I set off for a late afternoon visit to Denbies. Elliot persuaded me into a nectaring stop at Box Hill first, and on arrival started counting Brimstones and Small Heaths for me. In fact, fingers were enough for both species, and the socks stayed on. We saw as many female Brimstones as males, and at a distance watched one linger over a shrub. Subsequent examination revealed a pale turquoise egg on a buckthorn, plus an older one which was now yellow.

Sufficiently watered, we made for Denbies, and once one of us had run down the slope of Steers Field we passed through the gate onto the main hillside. We were greeted by a cluster of four male Adonis Blues hovering around a damp patch on the path, and although we did not venture far onto the hill, we saw at least another six males in half an hour. There were females too, looking quite inky blue in flight, but on closer examination only showing a dusting of blue scales. Also seen were numerous Small Heaths, several Dingy Skippers, and one each of Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak and Brown Argus. As the time came to leave and face the M25, the butterflies were beginning to drift along to the eastern end of the field to roost. One of these days, I really must get down there at six or seven in the morning to watch them wake up.

Dave

[millerd]

Hooray! I seem to have the internet up and running again. Things deteriorated to the point I didn't even have a working phone. However, after endless meanderings through the help-line menu maze and interminable conversations with the BT call centre, something was done. So, where have I been and what's been seen?

May 26th
A day out with all my boys at Ryton Country Park. We walked along the perimeter path to the BC-owned meadow and immediately encountered Green Hairstreaks. They were all along this path, mostly females down low but with a fair number of males sparring in the trees. Altogether, well into double figures were counted. On the sheltered far side of the meadow nearest the Police College, there were also good numbers of Dingy Skippers, a few Grizzled Skippers and a couple of sparring Small Coppers that would not leave each other (or anything else) alone. We also saw Brimsones, egg-laying females outnumbering males, and selection of whites and a Peacock. However, no Brown Argus and Common Blues - definitely late this year.
On the way home to the Heathrow area, I stopped briefly on the A 423 Southam Bypass where the roadside bank has been seeded with kidney vetch and Small Blues have been seen. Unfortunatey, only a solitary Common Blue flew by, though it was 1830 and a bit on the late side I suppose. This bank is always really hot when the sun shines, and as well as Small Blues, I've seen several common species here in the past including Brown Argus.

Some Green Hairstreak photos from Ryton, one of the best sites I know for this species.

Dave

[millerd]

May 28th
An early departure from work allowed the chance drive down to Bentley Wood for the second part of the afternoon. I seem to have carefully dovetailed the visit between those of everyone else and saw not a soul the whole time I was there. On entering the Eastern Clearing, the first butterfy I saw was a Comma, somewhat surprisingly, followed by a Speckled Wood. Shortly afterwards I spotted the familiar gliding flight of a small fritillary. Following its path, I saw it make a sudden detour and settle on a low shrub - it had found a mating pair and attempted to get in on the act. They were all Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. The glorious sunshine had brought out both these and their Pearl-bordered cousins and in good numbers: the latter were more concentrated at the far end and to the left towards the newly cleared area, whereas the former were more towards the top of the clearing and along the ditch. That said, there was a good deal of overlap. Some of the SPBF were very new, utterly beautiful. In contrast, most of the PBF were a bit worn.
Other species? Well, I spotted a Grizzled Skipper and an Argent & Sable moth (and several Speckled Yellow moths as well). I have yet to see either a Duke of Burgundy or a Marsh Fritillary at Bentley, and nothing changed today, but the SPBFs make up for anything. Their intricately painted underside patterning is just amazing - and quite variable too.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots of the Small Pearls! I've visited Bentley in the evenings when there's no-one there and it's a special place. I too noticed the variability in the Small Pearls the ones I've seen seem more biege this year whereas last year they were more white and red, if that makes sense ?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks, Wurzel - I wondered if I'd see you there at Bentley. Yes - this year's individuals seemed particularly pale to me too. But they really are lovely - I do like your "Tiffany Lamp" effect photo.

30th May
With a bare hour free to have a quick look around my local patch, I set off with thunder rumbling ominously and the odd large raindrop falling. Luckily it passed to the southeast but even before the sun re-emerged, I encountered four Red Admirals and a couple of Speckled Woods flying and perching, being disturbed from their vantage points by the odd raindrop. Out in the open space of the "Heathrow Conservation Site" I found the Small Heath colony in fine fettle, with 14 counted within about 100 metres, but still no Common Blue or Brown Argus. Walking back alongside the River Colne, several whites appeared, and a Peacock, plus a single male Orange Tip patrolling and investigating every white flower and butterfly. It seems to have been a long season for them overall. Further Speckled Woods appeared, and in a patch where I've not seen one before, a single male Common Blue. Finally - not something I've previously noted as far as I can remember - a Mother Shipton moth.

Dave

[millerd]

1st June
Despite the cloud, it was warm and bright, so after work I had a walk around Harmondsworth Moor near Heathrow. It proved bright enough for four male and two female Common Blues to be active - including a mating pair. There were a few Small Heath and one fairly new male Brown Argus, whose underside spotting was faint enough for the distinctive colon mark (":") to be difficult to see - but no other butterflies. There were, however, hundreds of damselflies, mostly of the type that are blue with black "thumbprints" on the wings. One of these had come to an unfortunate end in the embrace of a yellow crab spider - at least they do not dine solely off butterflies. There were also quite a few moths, clearly not being so insistent on the sunshine as their butterfly relatives. I could identify Cinnabar, and Burnet Companion, but not the one below, of which there were many.
An interesting wander, for a cloudy afternoon.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I don't know about the Moth Dave but if you fond out let me know cos I've seen loads at my local patch! The other night at Five Rivers the were loads of the Damselflies which I think are Banded Demoiselles. Lush Brown Argus - another species I have yet to see this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

I would hazard a guess at Silver Ground Carpet for the moth but willing to be corrected by the experts

cheers,

Neil F.

[millerd]

2nd June
I checked the satellite photos at noon, and though Heathrow had 13 degrees and drizzly overcast, there seemed to be some sort of clearance headed for the south coast - and the temperature at Shoreham was 4 degrees higher. Nothing for it but a trip down to Mill Hill. The first shock was looking left at the roundabout as I was about to join the M25 at J13 and finding a shiny brown limo alongside with a familiar lady wearing a blue hat in it. On her way to Epsom I believe...

But I digress.

With perfect timing, the sun came out as I walked down onto the lush slopes of Mill Hill, and with the sun came a scintillation of blue butterflies. They were mostly Adonis, but there were a fair number of Common Blues as well. It was impossible to count them as they busied themselves searching for females over the Horseshoe Vetch. Towards the bottom of the hill, it became evident that there were nearly as many females as males, and I saw much courtship behaviour and several mating pairs. Overall, there must have been 100s of butterflies, but I do find it very difficult to count them accurately. In addition to the Blues, there were Brimstones, Brown Argus, Speckled Woods, Small Heaths, Small Coppers, Dingy Skippers (very worn now) and Grizzled Skippers.

[ChrisC]

i think your moth is a common carpet.

Chris

[millerd]

Thanks, Chris. I have Googled images of the Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) and that's what it looks like.

Dave

[millerd]

6th June
After the showers today I was able to have a walk around locally this afternoon. It was pretty windy, but the spells of sunshine brought a few hardy souls out. I came across a couple of Red Admirals, vigorously patrolling areas that ten days ago were overseen by Peacocks, a Speckled Wood, several Small Heaths, one Common Blue and my first Large Skipper of the year. I also managed a reasonable photo of a Mother Shipton moth nectaring - they normally are impossible to approach. I always think the markings are more ike an elephant that a witch...

Itching to get out to see more esoteric stuff, but the weather is conspiring against me!

Dave

[millerd]

7th June
Not a promising day at all, but I took an opportunity to pop into Totternhoe at around noon to look for Small Blues. There was no sunshine, and it was beginning to rain, but amongst the bushes in the usual area I managed to count no fewer than 21 roosting butterflies. I'm sure there were many more, as they were not easy to spot, but at least there was no double-counting as none of them was going anywhere. Given the conditions, they were not about to open up, so photography was limited to some silvery undersides - some individuals looked quite fresh. There was a good deal of Kidney Vetch around, more than I had noticed last year, so this at least bodes well for future generations.

Dave

[millerd]

9th June
Took the children down to Box Hill this afternoon and naturally enough kept an eye open for anything of interest - by this time of year, Marbled Whites and Dark Green Fritillaries are often flying. But it was not to be - the wind was still strong, and all we saw braving it were a handful of Small Heaths, Common Blues and (mostly female) Brimstones, with a singleton Red Admiral in the woods and just one new Meadow Brown that disappeared into a tussock when the sun went in.

Dave

[millerd]

14th June
Managing to swop days off around allowed me out on what appeared to be a promising sort of morning. I headed for Wrecclesham and was there before ten, but the sun was becoming a bit sporadic. Conditions were a bit breezy, but fairly warm, and I quickly spotted the first Glanville Fritillary. After seeing another two, all in well-spaced out locations, I bumped into RobS (good to meet you, Rob) whilst encountering a Green Hairstreak. We circled round in opposite directions and met up again, during which time I'd found a further three Glanvilles. As Rob and I chatted, another UKB member joined us and recommended a patch near the lake in the old sand pit. Off we went, but though thoroughly entertained by the frog chorus down at the lake, we only saw one more Fritillary.

As well as the Glanvilles and the Green Hairstreak, there were several Common Blues and Large Skippers, plus a couple of Small Skippers and Meadow Browns. The last of these were really dark, with striking orange in contrast underneath the forewing. Not at all like the Meadow Browns of late summer! Burnet Companions and Cinnabars were very frequent, too.

On the way home, I looked in at both Dawney's Hill (Pirbright) and Fairmile Common (Cobham) for Silver-studded Blues, but despite a burst of sunshine at the latter, saw none at all. Still a tad early, I suspect.

Dave

[David M]

Image 3 is a lovely underside shot, Millerd.

Well done!

[millerd]

Thank you, David. They really do have beautiful undersides.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I agree with Dave Dave that underside shot is pure text book Great to see Small Skippers are out I'll have to start checking their haunts round my way.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

17th June
An opportunity to have stroll around the local patch presented itself today and off I set: mostly sunny, breezy, but pleasantly warm for a change. The hghlight of the excusion was the explosion in Small Heath numbers to between 30 and 40, perhaps more. In the same area, depicted below, I counted around a dozen Common Blues; in the brambles at the edge of the woodland I saw five or six Large Skippers. Overall, I also encountered a couple of Red Admirals, three Speckled Woods, a Meadow Brown, a Small White and a Holly Blue.

In the course of following a Large Skipper over the daisies, I caught sight of this large (and slightly battered) green beetle. Can anyone identify this one?

Dave

[Susie]

Your beetle is a rose chafer, Dave. Once seen, never forgotten. They are amazing little critters (for some reason they have a habit of dive bombing me at Denbies - it can be very disconcerting!).