Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Those Squirrels are regular garden Bully Boys Hopefully only another week or so until the butterflies start coming out, probably just as I head to Wales to visit the Outlaws where there will be non-stop rain clouds Oh well at least I'll earn some Brownie Points

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down 15-09-2019

It was a gorgeous day and this being September, you can never be sure when the next good weather spell will occur hence a family picnic was the order of the day. We parked at the main car park and made towards the Butts and the loosely cropped turf behind them. As the sun shone down and little plumes of dust arose from our feet as we tramped down the track Whites and Meadow Browns would fly on either side pf the path and a Small Tort was a blaze of colour as it fed eagerly from various flowers.

As we rounded the corner behind the Butts numerous Small Heath out in a dizzying display on the tiny bit of track that cut between the Junipers that bordered the foot of the Butts. As the ground opened up to the flat field the odd blue flew about standing out against the straw background but I ignored them and climbed down into the little hollow to eat lunch.

After our repast we split into three groups and each set about to our own devices; my wife to read the paper, the girls to explore and generally monkey about and me to look for butterflies. I started on the nearest side of the Butt where an overly large Hawthorn fashioned out a small scallop between it and the end of the Butt. In here a White (probably a Small) played around with a few Small Heath and an odd Meadow Brown. There was also the odd Common Blue and a single Adonis. A Small Copper floated down the side of the Butt and took up a territory on the other side of the scallop – occasionally it would fly out from its perch to see off an errant Meadow Brown or Small Heath. However every single butterfly would take to the wing when the Brown Argus put in an appearance. It flew from flower head to flower head hassling all and sundry in between. From here I worked back and cut across the flat, sparsely turfed field where I was entertained following a lovely fresh Painted Lady which dazzled amid the cryptic Small Heath and fading Blues.

Round on the other side of the Butt there were a smattering of Blues in the more richly floral carpeted field but what really caught my eye was what I thought was the ghost of a Meadow Brown but what was actually another Meadow Brown aberrant similar to the one I found at Godshill. Gone were the orange flashes on the fore wing topside, gone the tangerine cream fore wing underside to be replaced by an ashen grey, almost silvery white colour.

After this pleasing interlude I wandered back round, mooching here and there and even following a Brimstone precipitously along the side of the Butt and momentarily getting wayaid by a Small Copper before meeting up with my wife who was still down in the hollow. When all three parties converged we packed up (ensuring we only left footprints and the odd bit of flattened grass which would soon spring back) and set off home. Another enjoyable late visit to Martin Down.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 20-09-2019

So on the morning after the night before I was back in work at the usual time but it felt like I’d not actually been home. Last night had been Open Evening which meant the longest day of the academic year. The stint yesterday ran from leaving the house at 7:30am to finally getting back at 10:15pm – just shy of 15 hours out of the house! Still to cheer me up my colleague called me into her room as she’d found a ‘Moff’. Only it turned out not to be a moth as such (although butterflies are moths) but instead a glorious Painted Lady. It was pawing at the window with its tarsi, staring forlornly at the world outside the window. I had no idea how it had gotten in or where it had come from seeing as though it wouldn’t have wanted to be in here on the previous night as this room was alive with volcanoes (acid + carbonate reactions), rainbows (pH scale in a test tube) and sparklers (flame test). Still I gave up wondering at its origin and instead, after a few shots including a ‘In the hand’ one, I set about becoming its deliverer rather than its jailor…I opened the window and it was gone – possibly heading south?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

I thinK your Lady colleague could do with a crash course on butterfly identification
I am amazed at the number of people that don't know the names of common species.

I remember a high value question on ' Who want's to be a millionaire ' ''What sort of
creature is a Speckled Wood? ''. They used up all their lifelines.

Never mind,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor There is a growing disconnect between humans and the natural world Hopefully my school will be able to offer a GCSE in Natural History in a few years, fingers crossed Hope your hunkered down in Wiltshire, I'm in Wales and it's horrible out there

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down 21-09-2019

The Indian Summer was due to end quite spectacularly today and so for this reason I wanted to get out while I still could and while there were still butterflies around. As I had to drop K off for her D of E practice expedition at Broadchalk on the return journey I went up and over Hogger Road, cut across at the Coote Arms and was soon wandering the path from Sillen’s Lane end.

During the first stretch it was quite bare of butterflies with only 3 Meadow Browns, 2 Small Heath and a slightly worn Common Blue. In fact I was wondering if I’d made the right call and as that thought passed a synapse a glittering, orange blur flew across the track and it seems my call had been right! I followed the LOJ into a small, flat ‘field’ to the left of the track. It landed briefly and then was disturbed by a second that flew in. This seemed to be a productive little area and so I had a bit of a mooch around turning up a third Small Copper. This one was a beaut, a real show stopper with the biggest blue badges I’ve ever seen – not so much a WPC but more of a District Commissioner. In amid the odd Small Heath and Meadow Brown I managed to locate a fourth Small Copper and as I was making to leave a Common Blue posed nicely for me, wings open wide.

Cheered by this sudden upturn in fortune I found my way back to the main track and set off once more for the hotspot. My progress was delayed again by yet another Copper – they appear to be having a final surge in this third brood. Eventually I made it to where the Sillen’s Lane track crosses the Dyke and as I did so a battered Adonis was chased away by another Small Copper before I managed a shot. Instead I tried to console myself with Meadow Browns and Small Heaths before taking the extra few steps to the start of the hotspot. As I roamed down the little hollow before the ‘Terraces’ I spied a brace of Common Blues as well as representatives of the two Browns all sitting nicely. I was wondering which to go for first when a brace of really fresh Brown Argus bombed in like Bowling balls sending all the other butterflies spinning away like errant skittles. I couldn’t be too annoyed though as they both clearly had other things on their minds; the male fancied a bit and was trying his best whilst the female was heavily investing in not copulating!

Climbing up the terraces at the hotspot I added a Small White and female Brimstone as well as a few more Small Heaths and Meadow Browns to the tally. I then checked out the little bit on the other side of the track were a Large White did a fly-by and an Adonis was having a scrap with a Common Blue. Both were looking slightly past their best, the Adonis more so and it was only when it caught the light from a distance that you could be sure of its identity.
As this had been a bit of a spur of the moment I hadn’t brought my flask and I was starting to feel the prickle around the temples that meant I was in need of a drink and more specifically a coffee so I turned about and started to retrace my steps. The terraces now held double the numbers of Common Blues both of which seemed intent on hassling the more aged Adonis. It was like watching a gang of teenagers having a pop at an OAP. At one point a Small Copper joined in and so I walked away embarrassed by both the youth and the constabulary of the day!

As I wandered down through the hollow I watched a male Brimstone take nectar and then watched it further as it landed on the underside of a leaf and just disappeared from view. Mentally logging where it had landed I tried for a few shots of one of the fresh Brown Argus that I’d managed to relocate. Then turning back to the Brimstone I scanning where t had been I discovered that it had really vanished presumably crawling inwards to become lost in the shade.

On the walk back I was slightly delayed by a Painted Lady that dropped from high up at the top of a Hawthorn and almost took my head off! Then there were further stops for Small Coppers. Looking at them now they’re possibly ‘uncounted’ individuals the first one was for sure as it was the only damaged one that I saw all afternoon. The second was a cracking WPC and the probability of her being a newbie is higher than her being a recount. Back in the field I could only find a single Small Copper but there were three at other later stages of the walk back so they must have moved on to take advantage of the smorgasbord of nectar sources available.

The final butterfly (well on site) was, as it seemed to be the day for them, unsurprisingly a Small Copper. This one was holding a territory around a particular shrub/clump of flowers and didn’t stray very far. As I watched it the light would occasionally catch the wings turning them from orange to yellow and on through to green – a patina’d copper.

And that was it. I didn’t count the Comma on the drive home but if I had I’d have seen a dozen species with 9 possibly 10 Small Coppers which isn’t to be sneezed at (unless you’re Hoggers of course)!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Matsukaze]

Small Coppers are not the most sociable butterflies, are they? Even when there are little populations around, they only time I ever see more than one at the same time is when they are fighting, flirting or mating. Unlike their hairstreak and blue cousins, they never seem to nectar in groups or roost communally.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Matsukaze You're right - I've only ever seen two sitting together once before (both males) in 10 years of butterflying and as you say you normally only see two together when they're involved in one of the three 'f's' I've seen Sooty and Iberian Sooty Coppers and they seem to behave in the same way - I wonder if being territorial is a 'Copper' behaviour trait?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

Interesting. I don't think they actually avoid each other, though. I took the linked photos (linked, so as not to clutter up Wurzel's diary with my piccies ) in Suffolk last September. There are four small coppers in the first picture and six in the second (a wider shot of the same group).

https://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/ ... p2019a.jpg

https://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/ ... p2019d.jpg

I can't remember how much ragwort was available on the site as a whole - perhaps not much, so they had to cluster up.

Guy

[Wurzel]

Feel free to clutter away with shots like that Guy - I've never seen something like that before - looks like the my Hypothesis is a non-starter, back to the drawing board

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 02-10-2019

It had been a while since the last time I’d managed to get out properly and see butterflies and looking back at the various folders on my hard drive it had been almost two weeks. In that time I’d seen butterflies here and there – mainly Red Admirals but the occasional (probably Small) White and a lovely Small Tortoiseshell. However I’d been in the car or in a building or they’d just appeared out of the blue and were gone almost as quickly. However today when this happened I decided that I wasn’t going to hang around and I was going to try and get the shot…

A Red Admiral flew lazily across the quad towards my building. I was constrained by hosting a group of 27 Year 11 Separate Scientists and I swear that the butterfly knew this. Why else wold it continue its lazy flight along the length of my lab at the perfect height of 3 inches or so above the bottom of the window frame? I followed it with my eyes, momentarily neglecting my concentration on Forces at equilibrium and using scale diagrams to resolve forces and as I ran out of window I peered out of the final pane and watched it land on the wall.

Grinding my teeth I pressed on but five minutes later I glanced out and it had moved slightly onto the signage that was up to promote the school from the previous Open Evening. Muttering something about ‘such and such page, questions from through to, and don’t forget to include your workings’ I slipped out the side door camera in hand.
Two minutes later I was back in the lab and was proudly congratulating myself having gotten some shots at last and without the pupils being any the wiser…
“Did you get some good shots sir?”
Oh well if I can always justify my actions by putting any decent shots in the school Bulletin.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Just catching up on my posts and saw your cracking shots of the Small Copper and all the other's, that's a great walk you had Wurzel in that field It's that sort of walk I'd love this Summer That's a sneaky shot of the Red Admiral has well Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie That Red Admiral had been hanging around for a while, teasing me, so I had to go for the shot...I made sure that the pupils were up t speed with their learning first though

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thank god for your diary, at this time of year it is a ray of sunshine and boy do we need that this year

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy Glad to be of service, my tardiness at posting does come in handy sometimes I'm starting to run out of 2019 UK Reports Good job with this terrible weather that I've still got my Portugal trip to sort out

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

I’m with Bugboy. With nothing but wind and rain since late September, it’s been a long winter. Not cold, just diabolical.

Thank goodness for your late postings!

[Wurzel]

Cheers Essex We certainly need a break from drear - as that's all we have since the abrupt end of the season Hopefully the endless cycles of lows will cease soon, we just need that blessed Jet Stream to move a little Anyway to try and cheer you up a little...

March 2020

Please let this be the start of the season...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Larkhill 06-10-2019

My older daughter has been doing the DoE this year and today was the culmination of all those months of hard work as today I was off to pick her up from her expedition. Their final destination was a pub in a small neighbouring village to where I work. So I hatched a plan – drive to work, do a bit of marking, write a few reports, send a few emails and get myself sorted out for the next day and then when K was 15 minutes away she could text me and I wouldn’t have entirely wasted the afternoon. It would also look really good should anyone check the time stamp on the emails and reports – “he’s at work on a Sunday?”

As my daughter’s group had seen fit to call themselves the ‘Lost Penguins’ I fully expected to have to wait well past the ‘suggested’ pick up time of between 3 and 4 and so I treated myself to a quick check out of Larkhill. It being a Sunday I risked checking out the main car park area and so pulled in as close to the huge white boulders that block off the lay by and have made it so difficult over the past year. The Golden Rod had started to go over and the cloud that had appeared almost instantaneously I parked didn’t help matters. I had a bit of a mooch around and didn’t see a single thing be it bird or butterfly and so I moved back towards the car.

As I did I caught a flash out of the corner of my eye on the first patch of Golden Rod. It looked a little like a Red Admiral but the shape seemed wrong. As I approached cautiously it settled down and I got a few close-up shots and then it dropped down to the ground. It was now that its unusual look became apparent. There were chunks missing out of one fore wing and the rear margins were gone and the edges of the remains of the wings were spiked and jagged. After a little bit I left it in peace to eke out its final few hours.

Once at work the ‘Lost Penguins’ didn’t live up to their name and so I managed only a quarter of the tasks I was hoping to get done. Still Bronze done for K, Silver next?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

From your description I'm guessing that your Larkhill ' stop off ' is just off the
main road through the camp, quite near the new roundabout.
Much of the land either side of the Packway looks promising but there are few places to pull in.
I often use the above route to avoid the crawl past Stonehenge.

Very unusual wing damage on your Red Admiral, multiple small nicks.

The season has yet to kick off around here !.
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor My Larkhill stop off is on the Shrewton side of Larkhill, there are two tiny lay-bys on opposite sides of the road which I use as the large lay-by come car park is blocked off now to stop the Travellers (not that they ever did any real damage/left any rubbish) I was wondering what culd have caused the wing damage - it looks like it's been nibbled Also a pity it was so worn as it's a got the white spot AND the break in the red wing bar

Five Rivers 18-10-2019

I’d been itching to get out again and so when the weather report showed improving weather after lunch I settled in during the morning to do the various chores and then after lunch I walked over to Five Rivers. I’d only taken 15 or so steps when the sun was swallowed by cloud as once again the weather report had got it wrong. I pressed on regardless and I was soon on the muddy path that follows the river course. It was still cool and cloudy and I thought I might have needed my raincoat at one point but I kept pressing on and before I knew it I’d reached the corner of the reserve. From here I started back this time along the top of the Banks. I was just about to give it up as a bad job and head for home when two things happened. First the sun finally broke through the clouds and the grey was replaced by blue skies and second a male Brimstone passed by. I stood stock still and savoured the moment, content just to watch this glorious sight – possibly the last one I’ll see for a month or three now.

Pleased to have had at least one butterfly to show for my efforts I started back thinking that I’d give the Town Path a try. As I was cutting through from the Banks through the little glades towards the River Path there, nestled on some white flowers was what I’d really come for. A Red Admiral basking in the sun on an autumn afternoon. It was nice to see it contrasting against the white flowers. After trying shots from a few different angles I back tracked and left it to its own devices.

I stopped a short while later for a squirrel gathering nuts. I watched as he clocked me and then tried to stay still in the hope I suppose that I’d not seen it but then it gave up and took a run and leap into the tree.

The sun continued to shine although there were a few rogue clouds that would momentarily cover the sun and cause the temperatures to drop making a jumper necessary. On the town path near Waitrose I happened to pause to watch one of these clouds pass over. I don’t know why but I looked across the Bramble and there was a Red Admiral. It was in quite good nick and I waited and watched as it did a few slow circuits out across the river and back to roughly the same place as it waited for the sun to reappear.

After that I made for home – three butterflies isn’t great compared with what I’ve encountered in previous seasons at this time of year but then we haven’t really had the Indian Summer nor the oddly warm week as previously so I’ll take them.

Have a goodun

Wurzel