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Goldie - Thanks for your comments. I am really lucky in that one of my closest nature reserves is so good for brown hairstreaks, which means I can return again and again whenever I want. If I don't see them one day, there is always the next.

Best Regards,

Folly Hill - 3rd Aug 2018
Today it was back to Grayling. I wanted to see if I could beat my previous annual record for this species, so I explored another part of Folly Hill heath where I had seen them in previous years and sure enough there they were. I counted 11 today which increased my tally for this location this year to 26 and my annual total this year to 34. These figures break my location and annual records by a fair margin so I am well pleased. The numbers were boosted because I found a small colony in the proximity of the picture above.

Even at 10 am it was a hot 24 degrees and crept up to 27 degrees by the time I left at 11.15 am. I was exhausted in the heat and it was noticeable that the Grayling sought out shade wherever possible. When they were in the sun however, they often arranged themselves long-ways on to the direction of the sun to minimise exposure. Clever.
Also seen today: 1 Small Copper doing a stem dance on thin grass stalks, many Common Blue – one was a “mini” ab and another was up in a tree doing a wing-roll, plus S&L White, MB&G, Small Heath and 8 Specklies.

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

Folly Hill has a few patches of ground that are suitable for Bilberry. Its not everywhere and I did not see any today because I did not visit those areas but its about the right time of year for the fruit I think, if the heat hasn’t desiccated them that is.

Found it! Great set of Grayling shots Ernie My only view of the upperside of a Grayling is from the one which I found with damaged wings although the best way is to find a courting couple...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Glad you found the Grayling shading itself Wurzel. If I had not seen it fly down there I would never have seen it just as I walked by. Their camouflage works in so many situations.

Noar Hill - 4th Aug 2018
Only two Brown Hairstreaks seen today but one male came down quite low and opened his wings.
And this pic is from a couple of days ago that I forgot to post at the time.
There were plenty of other butterflies as usual. Today I got some fair pics of Small Heath, Meadow Brown and a pair of courting SW Frits although these were getting a bit long in the tooth to be getting so frisky.
Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day.

But I got a bit side-tracked off butterflies today. I met a guy who told me he was surveying the Violet Helleborine, an orchid I thought to be extinct here at Noar Hill. How wrong I was. He was kind enough to lead me to where they were. We counted six, mostly gone-over but one was in full bloom. So this is Noar Hill’s orchid number 11. Here is a not very good pic of the one in full bloom – it was very shady under the Beech hanger where they grow.
It was very small, but there was also a multiple-stemmed one there although its blooms had dropped. He told me that they take about 15 years to establish themselves before they put up a flower spike and then in subsequent years, if the conditions are right, they will put up a further spike from the same root stock every year. He said he had a record of one with 35 flower spikes, making it at least 50 years old!

I found one at nearby Four Marks a couple of years ago that had 18 flower spikes. Picture below.
Difficult to believe that something that can grow to be that big, starts off like this…
I also checked the Four Marks one with multiple spikes today to find it was way behind the ones at Noar Hill. It was only about four inches high and only in bud. Maybe it will be out in full in two weeks or so.

He also confirmed that no-one had seen the Greater Butterfly Orchid bloom at Noar Hill for over 8 years but nevertheless showed me where it once grew so I could check on it whenever I wanted. Because Mike (Oxon) of this forum recently told me that orchids can lie dormant for many years before blooming again when the situation is right – I thought it may be still there just waiting its moment. I’d like to be there when its “moment” arrives.

Lovely shots of the Brostreaks Ernie I was out at Shipton again today and ddn't see any females - where are they? I'd be expecting to be seeing mianly females no with the odd, old tattered male?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks again Wurzel.
I don't know the answer to your question. Most of the ones I have seen are male and as yet, mostly fresh ones.

Oxenbourne Down - 5th Aug 2018
Another chalkhill reserve not far from me – at this time of year the speciality is Silver-spotted Skipper. I came here early hoping they would be a little more lethargic and stay still for close-up pics. One was quite obliging but didn't really want to open its wings for me.
Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

Last year almost to the day I saw this Hawthorn Shield bug here.

Silver-spots are the cutest butterflies I reckon Ernie - like little Teddy bears I've not been to Oxenbourne before so it's useful to see what the place looks like

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel - Oxenbourne is a beautiful location but its a shame that the main road runs along one side at the base of the hill. It can get a bit noisy in places.

Noar Hill - 6th Aug 2018

I cannot with all honesty say I saw any Brostreaks here today. There were a couple of false alarms due to Vaporer moths and even Holly Blues. I saw three Brostreaks yesterday but they were all far flung from each other. I think I am witnessing the end of the Brostreak flight period here. I saw my first here this year on the 23rd July and today its the 6th August – that’s only 14 days! In all that time I only saw one that I could positively confirm to be a female. It’s all a bit worrying for next year.

Most of the Noar Hill butterfly species are in decline now - many of those that remain are old and tatty. Surprisingly there was even a Small Skipper around although a mere “ghost” of its former self. Someone else posted that description recently and I liked it. It’s so apt in this case.
There were a few tidy Small Heaths and a pristine Painted Lady but really the butterfly that was the most prolific and in the best condition was the Common Blue. I only visited one small part of the reserve and was not really counting but I must have seen over 50 of them. Given the size of the reserve compared to the bit I visited, there could have been as many as 300 in total.
I counted 7 Speckled Wood along the dappled shade of the entrance track.
And a first for me, a Magpie moth.
Non-butterfly Snapshots of the day

So many plants are going over now but some do so with panache. I am pretty certain these are the seed-heads of Traveller’s Joy.
And what’s this? A herald of autumn in a shady oak and beech copse beside the Triangle while its still over 30 degrees in full sun? A bolete, most likely the Rooting Bolete.

Or it could be the Sepia Bolete. The Sepia cracks on top but the Rooting has a yellow stipe or stem. Both have yellow pores that bruise blue but the sepia bruises a darker blue. This one was starting to crack on top and bruised dark greenish blue but it had a yellow stipe. I'll I have to flip a coin with the ID on this one...

Those are very 'frank' images, ernie, showing evidence of a season that's fast coming to its end.

Things generally are starting to look a little worn now, underlining my belief that August is progressively becoming an autumn month (given that February, or at least the second half of it, is now a bona fide spring month).

I do hope some species will fit in an additional brood this year, giving us all one last audience with fresh specimens around late September/early October.

David - Lots of summer insects appear to be struggling. I met a guy who mentioned he had not seen many grasshoppers or ladybirds this year and come to think of it, neither have I. Some - but not heaps.

However on a more positive note, others on this forum are still seeing Brostreaks and females egg-laying so its not all over for them yet as I feared. I shall give it another bash at Noar Hill over the next few days.

Cheers

Great Brostreak pics Ernie, I've had very few encounters myself. I also like your Graylings and Clouded Yellows.

Thanks Andrew - Its been a good year for me so far with a lot of quite lucky moments.

Old Winchester Hill - 7th Aug 2018

Parts of this reserve are now looking very parched indeed. This is a patch of gorse!
I was here a few days ago when I saw 3 Clouded Yellow and 1 Silver-spotted Skipper. Today my fortunes mysteriously reversed with sightings of 3 Silver-spotted Skipper and only 1 Clouded Yellow. The multitude of Chalkhill Blues were still there, as were the Common Blue, Small White, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Silver Y and even the Hummingbird Hawkmoth again.

Still no 2nd brood Adonis Blues though.
Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

Old Winchester Hill can have some amazing skies. I snapped this here last year. I think they are called Cirrocumulus clouds. Whatever they were, they were quite stunning.

Lovely shot of the SSS Ernie Interesting that further West at Broughton Down I saw several 2nd brood Adonis yesterday. Usually the west is somewhat behind the east of the country when it comes to emergences

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel. I must admit I have never seen a 2nd brood Adonis at Old Winch until the second week of August but thought since other forum members were having luck elsewhere the Adonis's might be here early - but no. Unless of course I have been extremely unlucky.

Noar Hill - 8th Aug 2018

I found another new Brostreak today. This was yet another male and was actually fairly fresh, having no nicks or abrasions. It was nectaring on the Hemp Agrimony half way down the first bridlepath between the lay-by and the last gate into the reserve. This brings my annual total to 16. There is a slight risk of double-counting with the one I saw a week ago by the last gate but this one's relative freshness makes me take that risk. Unfortunately I had already seen 12 Speckled Woods and when I first saw this I assumed it was another one but to check I got in too close, too quickly and it flew off just as I was able to ID it properly so no picture.

I met Hazel while there and together we trawled the area around the Traingle for more Brostreaks but without success.

There was the usual line-up of species but I was surprised to find a fresh Meadow Brown and a fresh Gatekeeper. A female Small White was raising her abdomen up in front of a male to ward off his sexual advances (Thanks to Bugboy for letting me know a while ago what that behaviour meant).
There were a few Common Blue “minis” - including this amazingly petite female. It looks big 'cos it's so very close of course.
Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

A little while back I tried to tempt you with Gin and Cider. Now its time to try my lovely home-made Elderberry wine. Yummy!