Wurzel

[bugboy]

That's some fabulous butterflies there Wurzel but two valesina in one day, that's just plain greedy!

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I was a bit worried that we were going to have to adopt a (very short lived) new pet! I'm not too sure about the Jewell Wasps habitats. I've seen the all green one and that was at the edge of woodland at the foot of a chalk Down where I've also seen a different species there. The second one was green on the thorax and red fading into gold on the abdomen and I've also seen that in the grounds at work and in my garden (when I had one). I do recall some experienced photographers in Bentley Wood mentioning that they would go to the New Forest for them as well so sandy heaths will probably be good hunting grounds for them
Cheers Trevor The colourful backdrops are another of the advantages of taking Little L butterflying with me I'll see if I can rustle up a Jewell Wasp for you next season
Cheers Bugboy I've since found out only seeing 2 Valesina there meant that it was a pretty poor showing I think the area has a higher density of Greenish than mots other places

Grovely Wood 12-07-2020

It had only been a couple of weeks between visits but what a difference that made! Back then the butterflies had been playing hard to get and things were very flighty amid the grey – only emerging when the sun briefly came out and it became a washout not just metaphorically but in actuality when the heavens opened in a sudden squally deluge. Today the weather was set fine, warm and with very little breeze and there were butterflies everywhere. I didn’t know as we set off but this would probably be one of the best Grovely Walks I’d had. We’d almost not come as I’d had plans to visit Martin Down for an appointment with some Chalkhills but I’d been over-ruled by my wife who’d wanted a walk in some dappled shade what with the weather report showing full sun all morning and not wanting the girls to burn to a crisp.

As we pulled into the car park I was still imagining wandering along Bokerly Dyke but my daydreaming of ghostly pale Chalkhills was soon dispelled by the local butterflies as a Peacock, Silver Washed and a Comma all flitted about above the parked cars. A pretty good start by all accounts and on up the main track there seemed to be Whites lining the banks, Red Admirals littering the floor and a Holly Blue, the only representative of its family, threatening to come down on the deck but never quite landing. It reminded me of someone placing their toe in the water to check the temperature; it would flutter low along the path, one or two of its tarsi would touch down and then it would decide that it wasn’t quite right and would be off again. Whilst this was enjoyable to watch it didn’t make for any photographs so we carried on walking, the others chatting and me all the while scanning the whites. All three of the common species were flying here and occasionally taking nectar but possibly because they’re bigger and catch the eye easier, most seemed to be Large Whites.

After taking the usual left hand branch in the track we were soon following the straight Roman Road and things quietened down in the shade afforded by the wonderful mosaic layering of the Beech leaves. Occasionally I could see a Silver-washed gliding in small clearings on the further side of the Beech avenue but that was it. Luckily the others stopped to chat to an acquaintance so while they talked loudly across the wide road I nipped off ostensibly for a ‘Jimmy’ though I got side-tracked down one of the side tracks. Behind the line of trees was a cleared area – by the amount of growth possibly cleared two or three years before? But the light that flooded the area had brought on a collection of wild flowers that decorated the edges of the path. The first butterfly that I spot is really small – a fantastic Brown Argus. It is an absolute stunner and can’t be long out of the chrysalis. I do have to do a double take as it starts to open up as the angle its wings are at refract the light to give the Brown wings a speckled steel blue sheen. But no, there is no cell spot and the spots on the underside hind wing make an ‘omega’ rather than an ‘arc’ so it’s definitely a Brown Argus!

I mooch on a little bit still a bit dazzled by both the Brown Argus and from walking out of the gloom of the Beeches and slightly further on among the scores of Whites a few Marbled Whites sit nicely upon some of the taller Bracken. There are Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Hedgies, some more Marbled Whites and even more Whites and also at last 4 Peacocks scattered along the edges of the path. The butterflies don’t seem to want to venture more than a metre or so away from either side of the path, preferring to fly along the margins which is great for me as the Bracken growing between and almost as all as the saplings looks like a Tick haven. Remembering why I was down this track I do what I’d set out to do and then retraced my steps back to the others. I timed it perfectly as I fell into line as they passed and I’m not really sure they’d noticed that I’d gone.

We delve on into the Wood and once past the Witchy trees turn off left. The track’s vegetation has grown considerably over the last few months and not it looking lush and verdant with the grasses reaching up to mid-thigh. As we walk little plumes of dark smoke erupt from the grass – Ringlets and Meadow Browns. Again Peacocks feature heavily and a few Silver-washed males flap powerfully and then glide over the grass tops, their wingtips lazily grazing the tufts as they pass. At the other end of the path I spot the source of their machinations – a female, sitting out of the way and trying to look unobtrusive. After getting a few shots as I step back from her I spy an odd looking dead leaf which at the height of summer looks out of place even this far in the wood. As I peer in more closely I can see that it’s a Ringlet and then there are two, the pair of them locked together in a love embrace.

The Peacock trend continues as we stroll along the track where we usually stop and take lunch and when we start downhill towards the set of little terraced fields there are even more of them, encouraged no doubt by the more open vistas on offer. The odd Smessex, Small and Large Skipper all buzz around on the Bramble and the odd Brimstone adds almost an overdose of colour. However I can’t afford to stop for too long as the girls are now reaching the point of no return, next stop ‘H-angry squabbles’ and so I only take the occasional grab shots as we pass on by.

Eventually we reach the Down top and the girls no ravenous leap like Servals over the stile. The Wood doesn’t pass over to the Down land grasses with good grace and there are a few Oaks staunchly proclaiming their territory several metres away from the boundary fence and it’s near some of these that we roll out the blanket. As I’m doing so I snatch a look up at the canopy and sure enough I see a couple of Purps flitting about in the medium sized Oak that’s furthest into the Down and directly above is a third, which if I crane my neck right back I can watch from the comfort of the blanket! As we eat I watch as a Painted Lady ebbs and flows across the Knapweed knowing full well that by the time I’ve finished it’ll be long gone. However just as the final morsel has passed my epiglottis I watch a Purp flutter slowly down and land on a low growing Nettle. It walks over the leaf and then flies to another and then another. Strange behaviour – not quite sure why it would come down to the deck? As I was up and the others will having a bit of a rest I took a quick wonder through the good showing of thistles. There were plenty of the Browns and Whites but also a couple of DGFs. One in particular was very well behaved as it wove forwards and backwards across the purple flower heads an when the sun caught it at just the right angle the white spots shown out in silver.

After lunch we completed the final stretch pretty quickly and it was quite quiet until the Comma greeted us back from our walk in the car park. A fantastic haul for a summers’ walk where I wasn’t really ‘trying’, I love days like this.

Lovely Brown Argus
Massive numbers of Peacocks
Surprise Purple Streak

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 14-07-2020

A day at work and one of those days when everything seems to turn up when you can’t get to it and then buggers off when you can! In fact I almost put this down as a ‘non-butterfly’ day despite seeing a range of species when I walked from one teaching space to another. During the morning I watched a Red Admiral fly by as I went in the side door from the car park, my hands full with work, lunch and sanitizer. Then as I walked to my Lab there was another Red Admiral – or possibly the first – waiting to torment me as I walked past the spindly stand of Buddleia on the corner. I dropped my stuff off, ran out of the side door and back to the corner of the building but it had gone. Later as I walked across to Staff Room at break again there were butterflies on this Buddleia – a brace of Whites this time and again I was without camera. I could see that they were still there when I wandered back through the link corridor to room three. From room three it was back across the Quad to the Music Room from where I was able to watch, and watch only, as a succession of species frequented the Buddleia that was standing on the corner waiting for a certain young butterflier to come by…

Finally with a lesson ‘free’ I was able to actually make a Quad crossing with my camera and was rewarded with a Large White – not an earth shattering butterfly but the only one I was able to get a shot of all day despite the Buddleia being more active than a waterhole on the Serengeti! Oh well some days are like this…

Full on frustration
Butterflies torment and tease
Single shot Large White

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

A rather good selection of high summer butterflies, Wurzel. Mid-July is always the peak for numbers (and species) round my way. Purple Hairstreaks seemed to spend quite a lot of time lower down this year if my experiences at Bookham were anything to go by - they often seemed to be sucking moisture on the low plants. Whether this was dew, or stickier things that had dripped from the trees above, I'm not sure but it always seemed a bit odd to be watching them at ground level rather than upwards with a crick in the neck!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I know what you mean about the Purps - most of my decent shots are of them on Bracken so I always feel like their latin name is a bit of a misnomer - this was the first that I've seen on Nettles though

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Some very tantalising stories and images from high summer, Wurzel.
A very mrgreenworthy shot of that DGF underside, superb detail.

Rubbish weather in Wilts at the weekend, didn't even bother,
but had some luck on the way home today!.

Keep well,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Some beautiful shots there Wurzel, keep them coming, whilst I'm busy it's great to see the Sun shine and Butterflies in people's post Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I actually managed to get close to that DGF You don't need to remind me about the weather it was goddam awful - I was starting to think that I needed to build a big boat
Cheers Goldie I'll do my best - I have a few more posts stashed away

Martin Down 16-07-2020

It was warm and breezy as I walked along the hedge from Sillen’s Lane to the hotspot. I’d seen Meadow Browns, Ringlets fading fast, Small Whites in various stages of repair, tired Smessex, a Peacock flying strongly overhead, Hedgies and a Brimstone but not much was settling. Spurred on by the warmth and the breeze things were flitting about restlessly like school kids on a wet and windy day. Even the triangle was quiet today and I plodded along the dusty track turning my lens this was and that with only limited success. Things would either take off just as I focused on them or feint settling in the first place. It felt like it was going to be one of ‘those’ afternoons so I girded my loins and persevered…However as is often the way my fortunes flipped and things suddenly started behaving. Whether they’d sensed my resolve or it was a lull in the breeze who could tell (?) but now a Large White settled and Hedgies started playing ball. A Comma went over and things really came to fruition at the turn off point at the entrance to the tunnel when a male Small Blue paraded itself around wing rolling and just generally looking stunning with its immaculate fringes and scattering of powder blue scales.

check out the hairy fringe!

Cheered by my new found fortune I took the left hand fork, foregoing the tunnel and instead sticking to the level path that intersects the Dyke just near to the hotspot. The butterflies came thick and fast now – the field covered in Marjoram and other floral treats acted like a magnet pulling the butterflies in and holding onto them. There was a Small Heath party on the path, male Common Blues added highlights to the basic tawny coloured background. Several Whites drifted across the tops of the hay, kin to discarded feathers, and the usual assortment of Browns were bolstered by a few aged Marbled Whites. A few flashes of colour proved to be fast moving DGFs – but one equally speedy burst of colour was a more mustard hue. It was smaller as well and its flight characteristics were different, instead of a rapid, strong and direct flight this was direct for a time broken with occasional intermittent circling. It drew close enough to see that it was my first Cloudy of 2020, which promptly disappeared during another section of direct flight.

My meanderings had brought me to the Greenstreak field where again all the usual suspects flew – the highlight being a gorgeous female Common Blue. However I hadn’t found what I’d hoped to see yet and so leaving the Browns, DGFs and Smessex behind I followed the little break through the hedge to the banks and scrapes behind and made my way towards the hollow hotspot. On the way a Peacock went up from the path both of us spooked in equal measure I felt and I was lucky enough to watch a Small Blue as it delicately deposited eggs. It was very balletic with a lot of pirouettes but instead of pointing toes, or tarsi even, the butterfly pointed with the end of its abdomen. When I reached the hotspot I spotted a couple of ghostly blues and the combination of their size and colouration giving them a more ethereal appearance than their smaller, darker cousins. They didn’t seem to have a distinct end point, they just peter out to nothingness with their endpoint undetermined. All musings aside I was pleased with my second First For the Year of the trip so I set to trying to get them on memory card (doesn’t have the same feel as ‘on film’?). The Chalkhills proved difficult as despite their ‘deathly’ appearance in the suns warmth they were pretty vital. Things weren’t made any easier by the plethora of species present either. It was a bit fox in a chicken coop for a while so instead of rushing round like said fox and snapping at everything, I stilled myself and took in the scene before me whilst plotting out my course to where the Dyke restarted so as to photograph as much as possible. As I scanned I scribbled initials and numbers down in the notebook which read; 2 Chalkhills, 3 male Common Blues, Peacock, DGF, 2 Small Coppers, Red Admiral, Brown Argus, a couple more DGFs and in the distance in the little corner I could just make out 2 Peacocks, female Brimstone, Small Copper, Brown Argus (silvery flight), 2 Common Blues and some Smessex…With everything logged I set off almost on autopilot…step, turn right, stoop, click, click, click, straighten up, twist left, click, click, click etc…I paused on the corner and added Small Heath and Small Blue to the list along with a few more male Chalkhills and a brace a piece of Large Whites and Small Whites. So twelve species all within easy reach of this one little spot!

Better leave it there for now...

Ghostly Chalkhill Blues
Wingtips infinitely fade
Phantom butterfly

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

If I had to pick anything out of that splendid selection, Wurzel, I think it would have to be the fluffy-fringed male Small Blue. Aside from those perfect fringes, it has a very generous helping of blue scales and looks immaculate. Lovely butterfly.

Martin Down performs again - time I paid it another summer visit as well, having firmly placed it on my springtime itinerary!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I think that Small Blue was fresh out of the packet This year, Wall aside, I found Martin Down to be a better site than Cotley dare I say it... Certainly easier on the ankles and knees

Martin Down 16-07-2020 Part 2

Now with the wind having picked up I started the ascent of the Down sticking to the various narrow animal tracks just to the right of the main path in order to see down into the Dyke more easily. It was strange to watch a butterfly being blown about all ways as it would fight against the wind staying almost still, then when the breeze would drop it would accelerate off like a rocket! They’d also be struggling across the side of the down then drop down into the sheltered Dyke and I swear I could see them give a shrug of the forewing in relief! As I continued the climb among the Common Blues and a couple of Peacocks I was noticing more and more DGFs and Whites. At one point I watched 2 Brimstones scrapping and it turned into a melee with 7 other individuals piling in and all setting off across the floor of the Dyke flying in close formation. Once at the top a Chalkhill stopped briefly and then it was decision time.

Ordinarily I would follow the diagonal path down across the Down back to the car park but today I carried on along the top past the Lockdown picnic spot and onto the scrub where I’d previously found DIngies and Grizzlies a plenty. As I walked following the same animal tracks that ran along the side of the Down like contour lines there were DGFs everywhere. I found a strip of Bramble that was flitted about taking nectar here and there. A Peacock stood out like a sore thumb and then when it closed its wings vanished Houdini like. There was an immobile DGF and three Hedgies and I carried on adding another Peacock, a further three DGFs scattered along the final length and a Small Copper was the prize awaiting me at the end of the hedge before it shot off without so much as a shot.

I retraced my steps and diverted from the contour thanks to those leading diagonally down with gronking Ravens overhead and DGFs and Browns (including Marbled Whites) keeping apace with me as I descended. The climb down brought me to the dry stony flats at the foot of the hill. The sparse vegetation meant lots of prime basking spots which explained the numerous Blues and Small Heath that erupted upwards when I walked towards the little oasis of springy turf mid-way along the flats. Some of the Blues actually paused here including two males and a lovely looking female Common Blue. There was of course a DGF but a (further) brace a piece of Common Blue and Marbled White made a nice change from the ubiquitous Browns of earlier. As I photographed away the jarring gronking of the Ravens was replaced by a pleasant, almost meditative “turring”. Somewhere around there were some Turtle Doves and so I crossed the flats and field towards the large island of scrub from where the calls were issuing.

They were calling from deep within the scrub but hadn’t banked on a human finding a tunnel like path that ran 2/3’s of the length. I made a cautious advance down the track pausing often so as not to spook my quarry and also to try and locate it, after brief views I also turned up several Hedgies (with so much hedge this was a given) and also a cracking looking Dragonfly – Common Darter maybe? Having successfully gotten sight of a Turtle Dove and a few shots I tried to get a better photo but it proved impossible as the several birds were all amidst the impenetrable foliage. After several attempts I gave up and just enjoyed watching for the occasional glimpse all the while being serenaded and lulled into a very relaxed state.

Eventually when I was able to break free from the somnolence induced by the continual turring and I made it to the end of the tunnel without further succumbing to the avian sirens and realising that time was now in short supply I made haste along the final sections of track that completed my circuitous route. The final show was a fantastic, dusky female DGF which caught the light perfectly – topside glittering deep emerald green over the black livery whilst the spots showed up like Aluminium when she revealed her underwings. A fantastic and fitting end to a fantastic trip.

Turring Turtle Doves
Lull to a somnolent state
Dark Green showstopper

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cracking reports from Martin Down Wurzel with an enviable selection of butterflies . A site I have never visited being too far for me for a day trip, I will have to try and take it in some time on our way down for one of our breaks down in Dorset.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil If you can get to Martin Down it's well worth it - give me a shout as well and I'll guide you to the best spots.

November 2020

Well after the downpours and with frost forecast for next week that cold be it so the only butterflies we might see now will be on screen...

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Matsukaze]

I didn't know you had Striped Grayling in Wiltshire

The dragonfly is Southern Hawker.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Matsukaze There is a very small population of Striped Grayling here in Salisbury...on my hard drive Cheers for the ID - for some reason I had a brain fart and called it a Common Darter when I meant Common Hawker - at least then I'd have only been half wrong

Shipton Bellinger 17-07-2020 First Call

Over the last few years the last day of the summer term has usually been a half day and so I’ve made it somewhat of a tradition to make my first visit to Shipton Bellinger on the way home. This year I intended to do the same but it was going to be a strange one for several reasons. First of all it was much earlier than in usual years as we’d completed enough 3 hour twilights to get the final three Teacher Training Days off in lieu. Plus I’d not been in on a Friday for 6-7 weeks as I’d been allotted Monday, Tuesday and alternate Wednesdays. The final reason for the strangeness was that I wasn’t going into work but just to say goodbye to various of members of staff that were moving on; including horror of horror my Technician. So instead of pulling up behind the hedge and wandering round to find Brostreaks already active and possibly ready to be pointed out to me by observers already on site I arrived early when the Brostreaks may have only just been getting out of bed and I would have to do all the hard graft myself at the same time as memorising my colleagues goodbye speech.

I started off by checking my watch which revealed that I had about hour until I needed to be on the road and heading into work for the final time of the 2019-20 academic year. As I walked down the length of the hedge I alternated between scanning the top and main body of the hedge on my left and the grasses beneath my feet and ahead. There were all the usual suspects, mainly the two Browns with the occasional additional Peacock, Small Heath and Specklie. The best bits on the way down and then back up the hedge were a Comma and a Holly Blue. Both species were on Bramble, the Comma feeding away merrily and the Holly Blue just sitting in the shelter and slight shade afforded by the mosaic of surrounding leaves and neither of them deemed to open up. I couldn’t fault the Comma for remaining closed, the last thing it would want to do was tear at its perfectly formed wings but the Holly Blue was just sitting there so I felt a bit miffed with it to be honest. Once I’d made it back to where I’d started I kept on going, sticking to the track as it started the steep but short climb up on the now blinding white chalk path. About half way up I was forced to pause as there was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth taking nectar from some of the very few flowers that were growing amid the barren chalk wasteland of the path.

I stopped at the top of the climb, the flat thin turf stretching out before me on one side as it metamorphosed into grassland proper, on the other side ran the ribbon of woodland and ahead of me I could make out the first of the scallops through the gateway of small trees. I hadn’t meant to pause for breath or to take in the view as time wasn’t on my side but a second Hummingbird Hawkmoth had thrown a nice spanner in the works. This time it was a little easier to get shots off (if that is actually possible?) as there was a much greater selection of flowers and they were growing in close association to one another. There were several more Peacocks in the various scallops and a female Brimstone in the final one standing out nicely amid the sea of Brown butterflies. There was more of the same on the return journey and a Brown Argus in the final flat patch upon my return to the top of the hill was a nice addition but there wasn’t a sniff of a Brostreak, not even a distant possible flying high in the hedges.

I still had some time so I wandered back down the hill making for the main hedge. When I’d safely reached the bottom, the compounded chalk slick and slippy underfoot, there was a Holly Blue taking salts from a small depression on the main track. Once I’d watched it for a bit I moved in ever so cautiously took a few shots and carefully reversed leaving my quarry still supping away. From here I did another down and back up the main hedge. There again a Holly Blue and a Comma stood out amongst the Browns but on this journey down another Brown Argus proved to be the star. Or so I thought…

On the return leg I was starting to make haste as time was ticking ever onwards. I happened to glance back up the hedge while I hurried onwards and flying towards me was a mustard yellow butterfly. It shot past me and then doubled back flying strongly ahead of me. It was a Cloudy and I slowed my pace in the hope that it would do a return patrol. Luckily it did and a few times it broke out of its straight run and investigated some of the flowers. I watched it do this a couple more times and then it had reached me. It took a sharp left turn, stalled and plopped down on a flower head. As I reached for my camera a Meadow Brown piped up and started hassling it. It flew to another flower with the Meadow Brown hot on its heels, and again, and again. Each time it landed and it was looking like I’d be able to get a shot or two off the Meadow Brown intervened. Finally it was so close that I leant down, focused and just as I was about to ‘click’ the Meadow Brown appeared on the scene again but this time rather than buzzing the Cloudy and backing off when it moved on it continued to harry the Cloudy and I had to watch my quarry being chased up, up, up and over the top of one of the tallest tress at the back of the hedge.

Grinding my teeth I made it back to the car and then onwards to work. A missed Cloudy and not hide nor hair of a Brostreak – was this prophetic fallacy? Were the butterflies reflecting my sombre and slightly sad mood? I reckon so and I must confess to barely making it through the farewell speech with choking up. Sad times…

No early Brostreaks
A meddling Meadow Brown
Reflects my blue mood

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Seems like only yesterday when I was out looking for my first Brown Hairstreaks, fair to say things improved from our first forays!

[trevor]

Superbly ' frozen ' Hummer there Wurzel!.
Shipton B is certainly an eye opener. Do you remember the sheer variety there
on the day of our visit?, where to point the camera was the difficulty that day!.

Chatting to Katrina at Whitehawk hill, she asked me what the highlight of my year was.
At the time nothing really stood out, but upon reflection it was my visits to Shipton B.
A fabulous place that is now firmly on my annual itinerary, along with Tilshead.

Great report, stay safe,
Trevor.

[millerd]

A bit of a calm before the storm at Shipton B. there, Wurzel, knowing how things picked up later on. As Trevor says, it's a must on the annual plan these days. As is Martin Down of course - like you say it might have the edge on Cotley for variety on one day, and multiple visits just add to that as well. Bad luck with that Cloudy, though - they can be incredibly frustrating when they're in full flow of activity and they do get harassed by other butterflies. Common Blues don't seem to care for them much!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy Yep things really went well this year - they started following the rule book again
Cheers Trevor I was chuffed with that shot - 'Sports Mode' did the trick Shipton is a cracking cracking site and I seem to be spending more and more time there each year I've booked you in for next year
Cheers Dave It's great having a reliable site that produces the variety that Shipton does - I've also booked you in for next year I did't mind about the Cloudy too much as one played ball a little later in the season

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Garston Wood 18-07-2020

The weather had been a bit hit and miss earlier in the month but now it looked to be back on track and to take advantage of this and also check in on my parents we arrange a Socially Distanced picnic at Garston Wood. We arrived a little before my mum and dad and while we waited and readied ourselves a Large White flew around in the car park while Ringlets and Meadow Browns feasted over the remains of the Bramble flowers. As we started our walk following the tried and tested trail some ‘slightly less ginger’ female Silver-washed flew across the coppice, keeping low to the ground and stopping to investigate various leaves and flowers. Having recently encountered fresh Valesina or Greenish Silver-washed today I was struck by how unapt a common name that was as the females of the normal form appear ginger with a greenish tinge whereas in strong sun the Greenish can actually appear silver? However this was only a momentary musing and I reverted to the ‘walk and talk’ of a Social Distanced meet up.

After lunch at the large log we moved on into the old Enclosure and the numbers of butterflies picked up. As we entered there was a Small White, then a brace of Peacocks and a Red Admiral. On it went with various Browns, mainly Ringlets and Meadow Browns fluttering by. The occasional Silver-washed would glide by, investigate us and then veer of sailing over the Bracken tops and away. One of the Silver-washed didn’t follow this pattern instead it went down in the verge slightly ahead of the group. I expected her to take off as we approached by she didn’t instead she crawled through the vegetation for about 50 cm before taking to the wing only to plop down again another 50cm away at the base of a tree. She stayed still as I cautiously approached and I could see that she was ovi-positing in the moss and crevices of the bark.

As we continued on up the track the most noticeable butterfly not just in terms of appearance but in number too were the Peacocks and there seemed to be one or two on each large clump of Bramble. A Comma finally joined the days tally, I’d expected one earlier as it crawled from one leaf to another and then I found what I thought was at the time the highlight of the visit – a pair of Hedgies in cop.

Chuffed we carried on into the final section of the walk – through the Plantation where some joker had hung a skull to a tree. This might have had the desired effect on the human visitors as the whole section was quiet excepting the swarm of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Hedgies as well as the platoons of Silver-washed Fritz. Seriously it was difficult working out what to try and get a shot of and doubly difficult to approach then in their solar turbo charged state. In the end I plumbed for a reasonably well behaved Brimstone. This was lovely to look at however the real highlight of the day then deemed to turn up. Slinking and sidling in the shadows it was a Silver-washed, a Valesina and despite its preference for the shade it too was very twitchy, possibly because the darker colouring absorbs more infra-red than its orange siblings. It was also tricky to photograph because its shade seeking habits kept it further back and deeper in the cover of the undergrowth. My dad and I watched it settle down and once it had found a spot to its liking we stalked it so I was able to let my dad have a clear view before I got a few shots and we re-joined the others for the final furlong back to the car park.

Greenish Silver Frit
Slinking sidling shadow seeks
Blue rinse not ginger

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Shipton Bellinger 20-07-2020

So began the summer holidays proper. It was strange to be out butterflying this early and even stranger to not get up early and get a couple of hours work in to pay in advance for my butterflying. Instead I took the opportunity to have a lie-in and once I had leisurely broken fast I set forth seeking the gentlemen’s butterfly – the Brostreak. It was still a few days earlier than my normal first sighting date but I was hopeful having seen a few more reports trickling in from other sites and intended to use my new freedom to make a complete tour of the site covering all of the usual haunts. I parked at the back of the main hedge and with my ears still slightly bleeding from some exceeding loud Iron Maiden I rounded the corner and set off down the line of the main hedge. It was a hive of activity and by the time I’d walked the stretch singles of Comma, Red Admiral were joined by braces of Whites, numerous Peacocks and scores of Meadow and Hedge Browns. Whilst it was nice seeing all these butterflies the hedge didn’t throw up what I was hoping for.

Next stop was the little clearing round by the edge of the main road. As I was making my way from the main track a tiny carpet covered butterfly, mainly the colour of old sacks with the occasional peach flash, caught my eye. To be honest I shouldn’t have seen it as it was flying low over the tops of the short turf and should have been keeping watch on the hedgerow but I was glad that I’d slipped from my Brostreak vigil as here was a second brood Dingy. It was lovely to see one of these charismatic butterflies again as I realised that I’d missed their cheeky chappy demeanour. Its flutterings led me round into the clearing where it continued showing off for a bit before it nipped off leaving me with a lovely female Common Blue amid the long list of usual suspects.

From here I retraced my steps and worked back diligently up the main hedge, carefully watching and checking every Meadow Brown and Hedgie (of which there were a lot, hence my slow progress) that flew among the whites occasionally. I would let my eyes stray away from the confines of the hedge and in doing so I spotted a cracking Brown Argus and finally a Small Copper. However still no Brostreak so when I reached the break in the hedge I broke away and had a little walk around in the scallops where previously I’d encountered a Silver Spot. No luck today although I did spot a DGF here as well as a couple of jostling Common Blues.

As I was heading in that direction I carried on past the old Ash Master Tree and down the main track heading towards the village. In the alternating sun and shade the butterflies were patrolling and a Comma, Red Admiral and Peacock all did fly-pasts before settling on the various Bramble bushes. Speckled Woods dominated this section, flying from their chosen perches to do battle with each other, spiralling upwards seemingly never-endingly. Another Peacock on the corner where the track splits into a dual carriageway helped me decide which path to take. So I stuck with the lower side, pushing my way through some of the more overgrown sections and all the while scanning the hedge, almost trying to stare though it. However despite there being plenty of activity it still wasn’t of the type that I was hoping for and after a Brostreak free wander up and down this path I took a little sojourn in the little field on the other side of the main hedge. There was a lovely display of the soft thistles that the Brostreaks seem to have a penchant for. A Smessex and Marbled White were feeding here and so made it onto the days tally and there were also the expected Meadow Browns and Hedgies along with a Comma and a Large White feeding on the flower tops. I made a mental note to try and get back here on subsequent visits as this looks like a likely spot for the Brostreaks.

By now I reasoned that it was still a little too early for the target species and so I cut across the main track through one of the breaks in the dense hedge and strode across the large field towards the main Hedge. As I did so a DGF flew rapidly away but despite checking none of the Whites here turned into Cloudies. In previous years the scallops at the top of the hill often held the Hairstreaks I was seeking, and often the males were a bit worn suggesting that they emerged early here so from the main hedge I carried on up the hill, negotiating the slippy chalk slope and reaching the hill top in one piece. Once at the top I had a quick look around and I could see that the small path the wound its way in between the various scallops had been blocked by a fallen shrub and so I continued checking out the little patches of turf but from the alternate side. Another DGF and four male Common Blues gave me the run around in the first scallop and as I wandered along the path, hedge to my right and open down to my left, I managed to find another Red Admiral and Peacock among the many, many Browns and Whites. The final scallop was surprisingly quiet and it was starting to cloud over now so I returned via the same route to the first scallop where a Small Heath actually sat still. After this I made my downhill but on the other side of the hedge. This was much more open, stretching away to the road and it was full of flowers. All the Browns were there but a male Common Blue caught my eye above all others as it was so brilliantly fresh. At times it caught the light and appeared white.

When I checked my watch I could see that I was coming towards the end of the golden hours and also that it was still early date wise so I decided to head for home. A prompt return and one before time usually means a few extra Brownie points accrued so hopefully I’d be able to cash them in for a few more return visits. I may have been a bit early for the Shipton Brostreaks but the habitat is looking good, the weather is set to fair for Brostreaks so in a couple of days’ time a return visit to any of the spots I’d visited today should pay dividends.

Second Shipton trip
Too early for Brostreaks still
But things set to fair…

Have a goodun

Wurzel