www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Wonderful juxtaposition of the Argus & the Hairstreak, Trevor.

Must have been entertaining to watch that.

Thanks Katrina & David.
Good to catch up Wurzel & Dave, for what is now an annual event!.

Wiltshire Day 2. Thursday 10th August.

The early morning mist delayed my visit to Tilshead until some signs of blue sky appeared.
Once there my wellies came in useful once again, as the grass was very wet.
As usual I spent some time searching the grass stems for fresh looking, roosting, butterflies
that would make good subjects as the sun tempted them to open up.
The first find turned out to be a stunning, fresh, ' blue ' female Common Blue. also a fresh
male Common Blue had a Brown Argus for company. Only one Chalkhill obliged for a shot.
One species I had hoped to find was an Adonis Blue or two. Now here's good fortune for you.
As I made my way back to the car a flash of bright blue rose up from the grass very near my feet
and weakly flew off, almost out of sight. I went over to the rough area where it may have gone down
and searched around, nothing. Then I looked up and there, displaying perfectly, was the Adonis
on a Hawthorn branch.
On to Shipton Bellinger on what promised to be a perfect day for a Brown Hairstreak hunt.
But up until lunch time we only had several fleeting glimpses, and that was it!

Time to head home.
A great two days in good company!

well that looks like it was worth the effort!

for the Adonis.

Lovely bright Adonis Blue Trevor and I love the doubles of the Brown Argus and Hairstreak

You seem to have knack for finding Brown Argus in a sharing mood

Cheers,

Neil

Stunning Blues Trevor I still can't work out why we saw so few Hairstreaks that day? One female did play ball later but she didn't open up

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Many thanks everyone for your comments on the Blues at Tilshead.
I just wish I could be there when 2nd brood numbers peak, a wonderful site.

A sad sight in my garden this morning as an almost expired Silver Washed Fritillary
seemed to be looking for somewhere to die, fluttering aimlessly among the plants.
It took great effort to fly on to the wall of my house.

It always seems a shame to see the expiring butterflies Trevor Still they live fast and cram a lot in Someone saw a Cloudy today, which I missed , so next time will be third time lucky - fingers crossed

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Ladies day.

I couldn't waste the fabulous early morning weather today, mild, very sunny and
not a breath of wind, just right for a trip to the seaside, or at least close to the sea.
The Birling Gap area up to and beyond the wooded area was home to many Chalkhill ,
and to a lesser extent Common Blues, and there were many females of both species.
I had hoped the Adonis Blue might have started their second brood, but none were seen.
In keeping with the female theme a Wall Brown kept one step in front of me, leading
a merry dance until I caught up with her on the path.

A great early morning in perfect weather.

Lovely looking Chalkhills Trevor and that Wall is a peach The Evil-Book-of-Face is showing a few Long-tailed Blues...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Yes the Long Tailed Blues seem to have started in Sussex.
Even a mating pair has been seen. Keep an eye on the Sussex BC sightings page.
Might be worth a trip to the seaside later on!

Lovely shots Trevor, especially the Wall, Goldie

You're doing a roaring trade in stunning, blue female icarus, Trevor. I'd say they even top male Adonis for sheer, eye-catching beauty.

Thanks Goldie. I hope you have found some Walls in Kent, slippery devils though.

Thanks David. Blue female Common Blues seem to turn up more frequently than
the ' normal ' brown variety. At least they can't be confused with the Brown Argus.

Even more special is the blue female Adonis Blue!

trevor wrote: ↑Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:18 am...Even more special is the blue female Adonis Blue!

Yes, I agree, Trevor. That is ultra special.

On Friday 18th I decided it was time to track down the Silver Spotted Skipper,
a species I've not seen for several years. My favourite place to find them was on the Downs above Lewes.
Unfortunately the once grazed site is now very overgrown and unsuitable for Silver Spots. None seen.
Yesterday, Sunday, I went over to Horseshoe Plantation and had a quick glimpse of a Silver Spot.
So early this morning I returned for a dedicated Silver Spot hunt. Eventually five were found suitably
posed for photography. I had two one shot wonders, and three reasonably settled, and even more
flying like bullets without a positive ID but were almost certainly Silver Spots.

Ever tried tracking one ?, forget it.

Chalkhill Blues seem to have a protracted emergence with some very worn
specimens, several weeks old, flying with some very fresh ones.
This applied to both male and female.
Although not fresh, I was struck by a very blue female Common Blue this morning.

Well done on reconnecting with the Skippers, Trevor. Very charismatic little things if you can get close to them. Following them in the air is a forlorn hope as you say, though if you find a female out egg-laying you may find she doesn't whizz about so much.

That female Common Blue is an extraordinary shade! I wonder what she was like when new?

Cheers,

Dave

Those 'blue' female blues certainly wouldn't give you the blues Trevor That Common Blue female is anything but common
Congrats if that was your LTB on the 'evil-book-of-face' that I saw when I was scrolling through in the services earlier

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Agreed, Trevor. That site looks totally unsuitable for Silver Spotted Skippers, certainly compared to any place I’ve ever seen them. On a more positive note, you have a couple of absolutely stunning blue female blues there!