Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Perham Down 21-07-2020

I’d made a few trips to Shipton hoping to pick up an early Brostreak what with seeing reports from Sussex and Dorset that they were already out. However I’d drawn a blank on my visits but I had picked up some useful information about a Wiltshire site for Silver Spotted Skippers so today I set forth looking for them rather than the reticent Brostreaks. The new site was just the other side of Tidworth and it felt slightly odd driving past ‘Range F’ and not pulling in as I continued on my way there diligently following the Satnav.

At the first stop that I made I didn’t hang around as there were a load of Squaddies hiding in a barn so I didn’t want to draw attention to them hence I drove parked up at the foot of the down at the start of the ranges rather than in the middle. The track from the car was lined by Blackthorn and Hawthorn (I was thinking about Brostreaks?) and on one side there was a mature wood (Purps) and on the other a flat meadow which I strolled through to reach the foot of the down. As to be expected Meadow Browns flew up from the grasses along with a few Marbled Whites and DGFs. Hedgies made forays from the hedges and a Common Blue flitted from flower to flower in the lower level grasses along the path. Slightly unexpected but still a welcome sight was a second brood Dingy Skipper.

The ground started to slope gently as I reached the foot of the down and I paused in a sheltered little spot as there seemed to be a lot going on amid the springy turf. I spotted a couple of male Common Blues having a scrap that was dizzying to watch. A Holly Blue briefly drifted down from up on high and another second brood Dingy entertained me for a bit. Then there was a lime green and gold blur. I found myself willing it to settle under my breath as I stood stock still for fear of spooking it. It ceased its buzzing and dropped, flopping down and starting to nectar. As it did so it revealed an array of white spots standing out from the lime green background. It was a Silver Spot, so job done and I hadn’t even gotten to the main spot of the site!

After I’d picked up a few shots it zipped off and I tried to follow it until it eventually decided to stop toying with me and with a sudden jink to the left it just vanished. I didn’t really mind as during ‘the chase’ somehow I’d made it three quarters of the way up the steep side of the down without even noticing it! So I kept on climbing and once at the top I turned to look back across the view where I caught sight of plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies, a Common Blue and a DGF instead. They were all hanging out around a stretch of Bramble that lined the top of the down like a bad comb over. On along the top a clattering of Jackdaws put on an aerial display whilst the breeze tugged at my hat brim – not a good sign. So it proved to be as when I spotted my second Silver Spot the wind wrenched it away from beneath my lens not to be seen again!

The breeze was starting to become somewhat of an annoyance by the time I’d reached the end of the Down. Luckily as the down tapered off gently into the surrounding fields of Oilseed Rape and wheat the thin wisps of shrubbery began to thicken and with this increased shelter the temperatures started to climb along with my opportunities for photography. Before examining the micro clearings between the thorns I checked out the demarking track way which snaked around the bottom of the down. The fact that it was a blinding white chalk track helped to highlight the contrast between the wildflowers of the down and the manicured and highly stylised topography of the cultivated land. A few scraggly plants were cling on, trying to reclaim their territory and on these a few Meadow Browns and Smessex sought succour whilst a Small Copper dazzled more than the chalk. From the bottom corner I stepped back onto the Down and worked through some of the little clearings. Again Meadow Browns abounded whilst the Hedgies held sway on the thickets and bushes. Both Peacock and Red Admiral added flashes of colour but the real reason I remained here were two Silver Spots which seemed to take it in turns to sit for me. They were in really good nick and the spots really stood out – that is when they sat in the ‘perfect pose’. Most of the time however they’d sit ¾ open like X-Wings caught half way between hyperspace and attack configurations. I didn’t mind though as this meant that I could capture the large, metallic sex brand on film; looking like a discarded strand of steel.

As this was a new site I decided that I should have a look around and so I set out back to the range that I’d started at – this time though unlike the way out I worked back at about half way up the slope…on average to be honest as there was plenty of walking up and down the slope after this butterfly and that. There were another two Silver Spots and a few DGFs as well as my first Small Heath of the day. Once at the range I cut back across the top to what shall hence forth be known as the ‘Hotspot’ picking up another Silver Spot and making the most of its amicable demeanour on the way.

By now it was getting ‘Mighty W’ as my dad always says and so I worked through the thickets to the foot of the Down on the ranges side and through a field of Bird’s Foot Trefoil, a Common Blues heaven as the usual green of grass was replaced with a sea of vivid custard yellow. Still dazzled by the sight I stumbled diagonally back up the Down where the Hedgies were still in great abundance, it seemed that almost every bush or piece of scrub was covered in them almost as if a crate had been upended . In amongst the smaller browns the occasional DGF would glide by - one was too knackered to fly and was using the breeze to carry it, when there was a lull in the breeze it would flop down. On one of the times it dropped and the crawled through the grass to the nectar source it had missed when it belly flopped.

I ended up back at the Down in the little patch of springy turf where I’d spotted my first Silver Spot. The Common Blues had either woken up or gathered here from other areas as there was now a plethora of them. I managed to count 9 in one view but there were still some behind me and on either side of me out of view. As well as these the Skippers were also well represented with plenty of Smessex, a definite Essex, another or possibly the same Dingy and a fly-by Silver Spot.

As I set off three Squaddies were silhouetted in the distance as they finished their ascent of the Down and I was struck by the incongruity that this haven for wildlife had come about due to the more destructive side of human nature. However my introspective and sombre mood was suddenly lifted when I rounded the corner of the thicket. There was another Squaddie edging towards me on the other side of the scrub…
“Alright mate?” he asked.
“Yeah cheers. I’ve just seen three of your mates up on the top of the hill” I replied.
“Nice one, thanks!” And then he dove into the bush. Looks like I’d helped him avoid capture during a (serious) game of Manhunt. Chuckling about soldiers playing a ‘kids game’ and having done my good deed for the day (well I saved someone’s life) I cut back across the field and reaching the car I poured a much needed coffee. Whilst it cooled down I did too, standing in the blessed shade offered by a large Oak. Coffee drunk I decided to check a little of the wood as I had a hunch which paid out as I spotted a couple of Purple Hairstreaks up high.

On the way home I still had a little time and so popped into The Devenish for a quick progress check. I was hoping for a few Chalkhills as they’d been recorded at other sites. So I did a circuit round from the Orchid Meadow, up the first section, diagonally down the middle section and back through the tiny paddock. There were masses of Common Blues and a lovely Small Copper right at the top of the Down but no Chalkhills…Still it had been a cracking afternoon, at a cracking site, I’d gotten what I’d gone for and I’d saved someone’s life to boot!

Try out a new site
Up the Down and through gold fields
Argentum micro

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Great to explore a brand new spot, Wurzel - those areas of Salisbury Plain used by the forces seem to be brilliant for butterflies. Four types of Skipper is pretty good going too, and you found some great SSS (early too)!

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

I find it very odd that you can drive past ' F Range ' without popping in!.
I also think your last two posts are spoilers or teasers for the main event.

Great shots of those second brood Dingy Skippers, and Wilts Silver Spots.
WLH next year?!.

Great stuff, stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave The Plain is really productive as so much of it is just left to its own devices = the only draw back is that you have to be a bit careful where you place your feet for fear of unexploded ordinance Extreme butterflying
Cheers Trevor Defo WLH next year - cheers for the tip off It was really tricky but I had too as I only had limited time, though muscle memory almost got the better of me and I did veer across the central markings when I got close to the turning

Shipton Bellinger 23-07-2020

This was to be my third trip to Shipton for Brostreaks; “would it be third time lucky?” I wondered as I drove to the site, Iron Maiden on full whack as is customary. The timing was more likely, the time of day was spot on bit I needed a large dollop of luck when it came to the weather which was quite frankly pants! I decided there and then to treat this more as another recce ready for the visitors I’d be expecting over the coming weeks and with that in mind I also decided to check out a little area which always looks promising…

First though I made the usual pass down the main hedge – eyes mainly held at the level of the bush tops. In the cloudy conditions there wasn’t an awful lot flying and I quickly reached the end of the hedge with only a Large White to show for my efforts. On my journey down the hedge I’d bumped into a few other butterfliers and some socially distanced chats revealed that I wasn’t the only one bereft of Brostreaks. So it was onwards and upwards to the bit of the site that I wanted to have a closer look at.

At the end of the hedge is a stone road at right angles to the hedge behind which there is a small wood. If you follow the road round as it bends to the left there is a tiny track on the other side of the wood which runs parallel to the first part of the road and runs across to the small clearing where I’d recently seen my second brood Dingy Skipper. It was this little patch that I wanted a proper look at. I’d visited this spot before a few times but generally once I’d been sated with Brostreaks from the Main Hedge either that or I wasn’t willing to check it out fully because of FOMO. But this time with the cloud holding everything back I wouldn’t be missing out on much so it was worth a punt…
I’m not a gambling man by long shot suddenly romped home. There sitting atop a soft thistle was the familiar triangle shape of a Hairstreak. At first I wondered if it was a Whitter as not only was it still pretty gloomy but it was sitting in the shade from what little light was available and hence it was an unremarkable dark and dull colour. However it moved to another flower head, I got a little closer and the final part of the triumvirate, the sun chose that moment to break through the cloud.

After realising that it was in fact a Brostreak I risked a glance heavenwards – the break in the clouds was growing and more and more light was filtering down, even better behind this break a few more blue patches were drifting my way, I reckoned maybe an hour’s worth? So now I had to hope that the Brostreak would stick around hence I set too and got a few shots while he continued sitting still. He was a corker, beautifully marked and as he supped away I wondered if this was his first outing since emerging; a closer look revealed a little grey patch where the scales had rubbed off so perhaps a day or more old?

I could have spent the remained of my time here but even though this butterfly was a cracker he wasn’t actually doing very much and after a few photos I decided to risk leaving him for a bit and seeing what else there was to offer here. As I edged down the narrow path there were several different species flying despite the ‘hemmed in’ feel. Various Whites flew and there were three species of Brown in evidence and Peacocks showed really well. Reaching the end of the track without finding another Brostreak I checked out the path to the right scanning the Blackthorn on one side and the large bed of deep green nettles with the occasional light purple soft thistle peeking up above the parapets. Still no more Brostreaks but a Comma and Red Admiral seem enticed by the nettles and the small whippings of Blackthorn look good for the female Brostreaks. I retraced my footsteps and head back to the section of the path where the Brostreak was which was easy to find again as the hedge was flattened back with a Field Maple bordering the woodland behind.

The Brostreak was still there and I spent 10 more minutes or so revelling in it gloriousness and marvelling how the colours and textures shifted as it moved from flower top to flower top; from full sun to shade and back again. In the shade it seemed to become more orange and smoother looking, whilst in the sun it took on more honey tones and the scales gave it a furry appearance. I also noticed that when the fore wing is held lower it looks more rounded yet when the fore wing is held upright and forward its silhouette is very much more pointed and shark fin like. With plenty pf shots in the bag I left it alone and stood back and watched. After a couple more minutes it pirouetted around a flower top, getting its bearings, before flying off in its inimitable jinking style.

Honey and rounded

Orange, smooth and shark fin-esque

Furry

Once back on the stone road the final patch of blue dwindled to nothing and the cloud resumed it hold over the sun. The butterflies too started to phase out and it was a very quiet walk back up the length of the hedge towards the car. Among the fleeing Browns a Red Admiral seemed to have gotten caught out by the sudden coolness in the air as it sat on a Blackberry angling its wings to try and soak up a bit more sun. A Brimstone had also been caught out, unfortunately its entrapment wasn’t thermally induced, it had fallen prey to a large spider instead and the arachnid was now sizing up its victim, its palps positively quivering in greedy anticipation! And with that final image doing its best to dispel all of the brilliant Brostreak images I loaded up and made for home, third time lucky indeed!

Would a long shot pay?
Its third time luck indeed!
Brostreak sits pretty

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, still following your adventures Some stunning shots in your posts not been lucky here, nothing seen since the 6th October, mind you I've been busy trying to tidy up and get rid of stuff, Goldie

[trevor]

We've had the spoilers and teasers, but I think your latest post is just an aperitif
for what's to follow. That's a mighty fine male Brown Hairstreak for starters.
I'm just hoping you didn't manage a pristine male with wings wide open

Enviable shots! stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I hope the 'decluttering' is going well even though things have stalled for now at least when things pick up you'll be ready and raring to go
Cheers Trevor I can't promise that further males open winged or not won't feature in future posts...

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down 28-07-2020

It had been a few days since I’d last managed to get out properly so I took advantage of an early lunch and headed over to Martin Down. Having seen two Cloudies already I was hoping that my usual spot (behind the Greenstreak field and further into the reserve from the hotspot) would turn up at least a semi-photographable Cloudy. So I set off from Sillen’s Lane on the lookout for pretty much anything but especially anything yellowy…

The short walk up to the gate threw up all the usual fare with a Holly Blue, Peacock, two each of Common Blue and Brimstone and the bucket loads of Meadow Browns and Hedgies that I’d come to expect. What was a surprise here was a second brood Dingy; practically the first butterfly of the day fluttering around the dry but not dusty track. I paused at the gate and again it produced the goods with a Common Blue, 2 females and a male Hedgie, 3 Meadow Browns and a male Brimstone passing through. The prize for pausing was a male Holly blue threatening to open up in the sun. Not bad for a section of land about 4 metres at the hypotenuse.

I carried on along the track eagerly scanning the verge and hedge alike. Whites flew along the margins of the fields to my left whilst Common Blues danced about catching the eye and leading it away from the more drab but larger Meadow Browns which were joined now by the occasional aged Ringlet. A DGF bombed by, far too fast to follow whilst a Turtle Dove lazily passed overhead. As I watched it I was struck by the way that the head, tail and thorax/chest all appear completely still with only the ends of the wings in motion. A very lazy way of flying I felt but it does match their lackadaisical and hypnotic call. Forsaking the tunnel I veered left along the flat path leading to the hotspot. The fields opened up and the wild flowers grew in random splotches like a Pollock splatter painting. Chalkhills started appearing now amid the notable Common Blues and other usual suspects. “Wet yer lips!” rang out from somewhere low down in the foliage but try as I might I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from what with the call being so sudden and short lived. I also reckon that they can throw their voices, just another reason that Quail are a devil to see. As I continued to progress more Chalkhills turned up as well as a Marbled White, DGF and Small Heaths. The butterflies were easy to find, all I had to do was hang around one of the clumps of Marjoram or Thyme and they would come to me. Whilst at one such clump a Smessex Skipper eventually landed and I was able to call it a Small correctly. All too soon I was carefully traversing the narrow gap though the hedge and approaching the Cloudy spot…

As I broke free from the closed in feeling of the little path as well as the ensnaring brambles that have grown up through the track this year I spotted a ghostly looking butterfly. I idly watched it land thinking to myself that it was going to be just another Chalkhill and one that looked a little tired to boot. Then I remembered that last year I’d not put in the hard graft with the Chalkhills and had made a promise to myself that I’d put a bit more effort into them this year so I raised my camera in readiness and moved in for a few shots. As I got closer I saw that my original supposition was indeed correct and it was a tired looking male; the fringes were a bit tatty and the usually resplendent sky blue was looking a bit grey and patchy. However as I looked even closer I saw that some of the hind wing lunules had nice and juicy orange tops – the heaviest looking ab.suavis I’ve encountered. It fluttered off weakly and then my attention was drawn to a Small Tort and then to another Chalkhill. This one was much fresher and also much more active. As I closed in and got the shots I thought that it was a standard male it was only when I had a closer look at home that I saw the tiniest of range tops to a couple of the lunules – a second ab.suavis. If I could have somehow combined the two I would have had the perfect specimen!

The Chalkhills had led me up the bank and as I turned to look long the trough and the hedge towards the Hotspot I spotted a mustard yellow butterfly flapping enthusiastically towards me. It seemed too bound through the air like a puppy eager to greet me. However once it reached me it wasn’t quite as affable and bombed about this way and that. Some faded DGFs also came into the mix making the job of following the Cloudy slightly more difficult as they occasionally erupted from the grass and left you wondering for a fraction of a second which butterfly was which. Luckily while all this was going on the sun was swallowed by the cloud and the field when from buzzing with butterflies to silent and still as if a switch had been thrown. Even luckier still the last butterfly that I’d been watching was the Cloudy and so I simply strode over, peered through the grass and then got a few shots while the butterfly was momentarily torpid. It did make the weakest of slights while I was watching in when a slither of sun split its way through the cloud but it didn’t go far.

Best leave it there for now...

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Spot-on timing with the cloud and the Cloudie, Wurzel. Every now and again it works out after all the time spent watching them whizz around in the sunshine - and then them being out of sight when the sun goes in. Martin Down comes up with the goodies once again!

Cheers,

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, love your shot of the Skipper, they've got such an impish face Goldie

[trevor]

Well done with the Cloudie Wurzel. Though not a Clouded Yellow year I think
anyone determined enough should have been able to locate a few this year.
Unlike last year when I didn't spot a single one, even in the air!.

Keep well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I had a hell of a year at Martin Down - one more of the good things about Lockdown, my Cloudy hotspot paid up again
Cheers Goldie They are cheeky little blighters, probably because they know the lengths we have to go to to get a positive ID
Cheers Trevor Cheers Trevor they do seem to turn up in the same place year after year Sorry in advance for the next post - you might want to look away...

Shipton Bellinger 30-07-2020

Part 1

Having broken my duck a week earlier and with the weather finally back on track I had a good feeling about the trip when I set off to meet Philzoid in the Central Car Park. After the briefest of catch-ups we set off in convoy bombing along the back roads and eventually pulling into the other ‘car park’ moving behind the main hedge at Shipton. As we mooched over to the other side of the hedge we talked about what we were hoping for and Philzoid mentioned that there were a number of species that he’d like to see – with five in particular that he was missing out on I quickly dubbed them the Bug Five – Brown Hairstreak, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Wall and Silver-spotted Skipper. Musing on whether it would be possible to get all of them we spotted a familiar silhouette on the other side of the track moving towards us from the old ‘Master Tree’. Once Dave had joined us the unholy trinity set off down the main hedge, eyes peeled for False Streaks and Brostreaks. There were plenty of the former with Meadow Browns and Hedgies doing their best to impersonate the species that we’d come to see. They didn’t play fair and didn’t stick to the rule book as they’d fly up high along the tree tops rather than sticking to the grasses and lower levels as their names suggested they should. On this first walk down the hedge quality came in the form of the most ‘un-blue blues’ – the Holly Blue which in my mind acts more like a Hairstreak a Brown Argus and a Small Copper. When we reached the end of the hedge we started scanning along the hedge on the other side of the track that runs at ninety degrees to the main hedge. There was something up high in the hedge that was the right colour, the right shape and flew in the right way but it was too brief a view to really be sure…

We carried on round to where I’d seen my first one a week previously and there sitting atop a soft thistle in the nettle bed is a Brown Hairstreak, swiftly followed by a second. The first is an absolute stunner as it pirouettes round the top of the small soft thistle head, flicking its wings open just long enough to get something on film. The second is in even better nick but he decides to hang around in the shadows lower down in the thistles. I didn’t mind this as I kept a close eye on the first and take plenty of shots marvelling at the way the colour of the topside changes from a deep brown which is almost lack through to chocolate as more and more light catches it before glistening golden in the full sun. The underside is none too shabby as well. Eventually the second puts his head above the parapet and all that can be heard is the whir of motors, the click of the shutters and the sighs of appreciation. Things were going well and we’re one down on the Bug Five! We all spent a bit of time here alternating between the Brostreaks and seeing what else is on offer. Unsurprisingly with such a substantial amount of nettles there are a few Vanessids about and along with a Smessex Skipper and a fast flying Silver-washed we recorded Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral.

We also make a few forays up the little track way and among the Peacocks and the Browns there are a further 3 males all hanging about near to a Field Maple with an Ash slightly further back in the Copse. For a fleeting moment a female descends and opens up in the shade. She must have decided that it was a little too shaded as she soon flies off and up seeking the sun I guessed. In among all this Brostreak action a Holly Blue came down to the track on the corner of the nettle bed. It must have felt a little left out as it hung around down on the deck for a good while all the time outing itself at risk of an accidental trampling. Ordinarily this would have been one of the highlights but with 6 Brostreaks about it only got a cursory check over.

We eventually made it to the other side of the nettle bed and out from the narrow track onto the hard-core topped road. Straight ahead from us was a large break in the hedge which the local farmer used to get to his field. From my previous visits I was aware that there was a strip of Brassicas that ran the length of the hedge on the margin of the field. Guessing that there might be a few Whites we strolled over to have a look. As we did so Philzoid remarked that he’d quite like a Painted Lady…
“What like that one over there?” I said pointing at a marmalade butterfly that had just flapped from one flower head to another . It was indeed a Painted Lady, and a lovely swarthy one to boot. It didn’t hang around for too long possibly as it felt a little outnumbered by the many, many Whites that were flying about all over the place down the margin of the field, but we all managed to reel off a few shots. Chuffed with this serendipitous find we mooched back to and then along the main hedge. A female Holly Blue showed well and another male showed up as well as two Small Coppers and a Peacock and these butterflies were again almost easy to lose amid the numerous Browns and Whites. As we crossed the track way at the far end of the hedge there was a Dingy Skipper down in the muddy puddle. It looked a little lonely and I couldn’t help feeling that if this was on the continent there would have been multiple butterflies of many species all taking advantage of the opportunity to mud puddle.

The Brostreaks play ball
A Painted Lady drops in
The Bug Five is on…

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Not quite as sickening as I feared, Wurzel. Just a sequence of superb shots!.
The sheer variety on offer there is truly amazing. Must take an empty memory card
on my next late summer visit to Shipton B..

Great stuff, stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I always take a spare memory card with for these trips

Shipton Bellinger 30-07-2020

After grabbing a spot of lunch and a male on the corner of the hedge as the track headed back to the car park we carried on from the main hedge along the smooth, rock hard and strangely slippy chalk path and up the hill carefully scanning the bramble bushes and any other likely looking nectar sources as we go to no avail. When we reach the summit a marmalade butterfly bombs past us. Knowing that this is a known spot for them and judging by the size and colour I’m convinced that we’ve ticked off another of the Bug Five – Wall Brown. Phizloid however is slightly more cautious having only had a fleeting glimpse so I put it down as 2 or 3 out of five (WINK). We work our way under the arches and through the selection of micro clearings to the end but again all is quiet. Well when I say that I mean quiet for Brostreaks – there are Common Blues, the odd Brown Argus, Meadow Browns by the bucket load, some errant DGFs as well as numerous False Streaks (Hedge Browns) and the usual smattering of Whites. Still out appetites had been whetted and so worked back but on the other side of track so instead of walking through narrow paths and under arches pf shrubbery we had a hedge on our left and on our right the down sloped ever so slightly down. Again no Brostreaks but the complete list of all the others.

At the final corner of this hedgerow we paused before making the descent back down and had a little mooch around in the small scallop. The turf here was thin and springy but there was a profusion of flowering plants a little yellow and purple blobs bedecked the dark green ground colour. Again there were all the usual suspects as well as a few Small Heath and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Also there were a couple of male Brostreaks hanging around on the corner. They alternated their behaviour form seeking out the sun and basking before plunging into the shadows and seeking out the remaining ripe and particularly the overripe Blackberries. They wouldn’t fly far preferring instead to walk along the branches and shoots towards the fermenting drooplets their proboscis tasting the air and leading them in the right direction to the choicest morsels. At one point both were in few together but annoyingly, with my lens, I could only manage to get one or the other in focus – the other turned into a blurry blob.

Eventually sated of Brostreaks but myself in desperate need of a coffee, we stumbled back down the hill slightly dazed by numerous Brostreak encounters that we’d experienced. It came to a grand total of 9 males and a single female – although Dave added another one (or was it two?) on his walk back to the recycling centre cum car park in the village. Philzoid and I, having wished Dave well and ‘safe journies’ drove over to Perham – still with a few more of the ‘Bug Five’ to pick off…

Once the cars were safely deposited we strode across the small flat field towards the foot of the down ignoring the warning signs about unexploded ordinance as we went. Across this flat field there was the odd Brown and blue and a few fly-by Whites and then as we left the lush meadow and started to cross the tanks tracks that scarred the bottom of the Down Philzoid hollers out “Cloudy!” and there was Bug Five number 3 or 4 depending on whether the Wall counted or not. A great start! Slightly further on was the small springy turf area where I’d encountered my first SS Skipper on my first visit here. Unfortunately this species wasn’t here but as a consolation there were other Skippers. They came in the form of many Smessex and a single Dingy. As we were watching this a larger Dingy flew into view, it was almost twice the size that I’d have expected one to be and was also showing signs of struggling to fly. It was only when I watched it land that I twigged that this was a pair in cop.

As we’re about to set off another or the original Cloudy, I can’t work our which, bombed by ensuing this was ticked off from the Bug Five checklist. A Chalkhill Blue was another welcome addition to the day list and I also my site list (well this was only my second visit here). Once we were up the hill things quietened down somewhat and we were only seeing Browns fluttering about. I guessed that this was because of the exposed nature of the top and so we made haste towards the far side of the down and its more gentle slopes and little nooks and crannies. As we approach the favoured area sure enough a Silver Spotted Skipper pops up. Unusually it sits still long enough for us to get a few shots and tick species 4 or 5 off of the Bug Five checklist. With this done we then set to having a closer look and soon we’ve found several. My next two were involved in a failed courtship. The female sat on a leaf and slowly turned her abdomen away from the excited male which was arching his abdomen round with gusto and frantically scrabbling for purchase. The female was having none of it and crawled around and onto the underside of the leaf leaving the male sitting topside and looking a little lost poor chap.

The next we found was a stunning individual and having gotten a fair few shots on my previous visit I tried for a different view this time. So I knelt down on the backlit side and managed to get a few shots of the sun shining through the eponymous spots and the fringes and lighting the tufts of hair giving the butterfly more of a golden hue than silver. Another was busy feeding up and I managed a few shots while it took a bit of a breather in between slurps.

Time was running out but for once I didn’t really mind as we’d seen so much and the afternoon had been full of quality – to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot more that we could find and so we walked back to the cars along the foot of the down, through the wonderful field of gold and along the scars of the tank tracks. On the way we picked up Chalkhill Blue and Common Blues ‘a’ or ‘the’ Cloudy did another fly by and then there was a marmalade butterfly flying swiftly by. Both of us got a good look at it and it was a definite Wall so job done – the Bug Five in the bag! What a fantastic day, they don’t come much better than this!

Cloudy, Silver Spots
And then finally a Wall
Bug Five in the bag

In fact it was so good…

Great time with great mates
Bucket loads of Brostreaks
And see the Bug Five

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

It's good to see the second part of your day went just as well as the first, and you and Philzoid ticked off all the Magic Five you were looking for. Managing Painted Lady and Wall (as well as a Cloudy and a Silver-spot) all on the same day was pretty good going! Not to mention mating second brood Dingies... It was a great day, very sociable, and yes I did find another Hairstreak on the way back to the car!

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

I have travelled miles to various sites for the species you saw that day in one place!.
Well done with the mating Dingies, second brood too .

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave
Cheers Trevor

Martin Down 03-08-2020 A little break from Shipton

Another quick trip to Martin Down as I was picking the girls up after they’d spent the morning with my mum. I only had about 45 minutes and so I planned to do a pretty rapid walk from Sillen’s Lane to the Hotspot and back. Once on site the sun was intermittently hiding behind the clouds and when it did the temperature would drop a little bit and the butterflies would calm down or in some cases drop down (to the ground). Along the boundary hedge the odd Holly Blue flew up high whilst down low the territory was occupied by Meadow Browns and the whites quartering along the hedge. At the triangle two Common Blues scrapped away regardless of me wandering past and then where the track turns I made my first stop. Something drifted down, jinking as it did so. It landed and I could see that it was the wrong colour for a Brostreak. Getting a bit closer still I could see that it was in fact a Small Copper so what it had been doing up at the top of the tree I have no idea.

A few steps on I paused again to listen to the ‘Turring’ call of at least three different Turtles Doves scattered along the length of the hedge. They didn’t show themselves but were obviously watching me because as I started walking again one by one they fell silent as I approached. I didn’t mind though as a Common Blue was mobbing a slightly larger more spectral looking butterfly which eventually managed to shake off its smaller aggressor and landed on the path. It was a lovely male Chalkhill and I was able to take advantage of the cloud cover and get some nice closed wing shots.

By this point the path was bordered on one side by a Hawthorn hedge come thicket whilst on the other there is the odd clump of Gorse but it’s mainly wild flower with Wild Thyme, Marjoram and Cow Parsley. The fact that one side if just a hedge is actually very handy as your eyes are automatically drawn to the right and the wildflowers and you can walk along and not have to scan back and forth. The patches of Marjoram act like little oases and the easiest way to get any shots is to stand by one and wait for the butterflies to fly in or climb back up. Unfortunately as I’m pressed for time all I can do today is scan over and if anything particularly nice pops up then I can wade in and try for a few shots. I manage to see a couple more Chalkhills, a few Brown Argus and more numerous Common Blues enjoying said flower oases. There are also plenty of whites and I spot all four of the main varieties flying now plus a couple of Smessex although the most numerous species by far is the Meadow Brown. I make way across the field towards the Greenstreak Hedge and I stop for a nice looking Common Blue female. Some of the spots on the underside of the forewing have merged and look a little like a moustache, this is accentuated by the cell spot and spot 2 looking like a pair of eyes.

On through the gap in the Greenstreak Hedge and there is no repeat performance from my previous visit as there isn’t a Cloudy to greet me so instead I settle for checking out the clumps of Marjoram. All the usual suspects are present and so I try and spend a bit of time with the Chalkhills although it’s tricky as the breeze has strengthened so when they land anywhere but on the ground they get blown about all over the place, and even on the ground the breeze catches the tops of the wings. As I carry on towards the hollow at Bokerley a fresh brown Argus stops by, a few more Chalkhills fly by and my attention is diverted to a cracking looking Small Tort which doesn’t stop long enough in one place.

After this I walked down the track and through the hollow to the dip where Bokerley starts up again. There were more of the same flying here with the addition of a few more Smessex and a Small Heath. I tried out the wait and see technique by a clump of Marjoram and it worked a treat. There were a couple of Meadow Browns, a Brown Argus and two male Common Blues and on the furthest side of the clump what in the dull light looked like a third Common Blue. As I slowly stepped round to get a better view I could see that there were chequers along the margins – it was a second brood Adonis Blue.

With time almost up I started back along the main track towards the car park on the hurry up, trying not to pay attention to the butterflies that were flying across the fields now on my left. At one point I succumbed as I spied a female Common Blue which didn’t seem all correct. She had one wing which was all washed out – possible water damage. Then there was a ragged Small Tort and finally a Holly Blue which caught the light so it practically glowed against the dark green of the hedge. Still I’d made it back in the nick of time and with another productive Martin Down trip in the bag.

Pop to Martin Down
With second brood Adonis
Glory days are back

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Martin Down is a site I've never been to, but from your reports that location
does seem to come up with the goods. Perhaps a guided tour one day?.

Stay safe,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I'm sure we can sort something out - there's a very similar species range to Cotley with the bonus of it generally being flat

Shipton Bellinger 04-08-2020

Little L and I went for a walk. We needed to, to stave off the boredom that comes when her older sister is at work. We needed to, to give my wife some peace. We needed to because…well, I wanted to get back to Shipton. We’d had a few days since the epic, yet male dominated trip and I wanted to see if the girls had started to show.

We parked behind the border hedge and walked through from Wiltshire into Hampshire and both started looking at earnest at the Hedge with Little L informing me about all manner of things that are important in her world. Due to the cloud cover I wasn’t hopeful of actually finding any Brostreaks as I always associate them with sunny, almost autumnal days but it was great just wandering along and scanning the bushes as Little L chattered away. To be honest the whole trip out could have been a bust and we’d not see anything and it still would have been a great outing because of this. As it was though the butterflies started up from the scrub as we passed and due to the aforementioned cloud they seemed somewhat subdued. The Meadow Browns (come down and fly along the ground) and Gatekeepers (fly up to the middle of the canopy and along attacking anything in sight) did their best to convince me occasionally that they were Brostreaks but without the sun glinting off them they realised this wasn’t going to work as effectively as usual and I could tell that their hearts weren’t in it. The full selection of seasonal whites squabbled their way along the bottom of the hedge occasionally making fast forays out towards the middle of the field and then returning somewhat sheepishly when they realised that they weren’t a Clouded Yellow and so I wasn’t going to chase them. So far so usual and also to be expected there was even a female Holly Blue that was trying to open up to catch what little of the sun broke through.

We carried on round the corner and on to the other little enclosed area where I’d previously seen the 2nd brood Dingy. It too is quiet in the gloom but we have a peak around and spy a Meadow Brown on the deck with its wings wide open. It’s an interesting looking female as she has the patches of orange on the hind wings so I snake my feet along the ground doing my best not to disturb any of the vegetation, for as Dave reminded me, every bit of Bramble is connected to every other bit of Bramble! I managed to get within range, lift my camera and start focusing and then I see a perfectly sharp leaf though the viewfinder. The butterfly was gone oh well it was only a Meadow Brown and so I walk out and Little L and I have a backwards scan and there on a bramble is a male Hairstreak. Just like that feeding away as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I swear he must have been sitting there the whole time I was focusing all my efforts on the Meadow Brown chuckling as he slurped away. So now I had to repeat the same slow, gentle stalk, snaking my feet along the ground again so not to disturb anything; not dancing the ‘Click-step’ but instead opting for the ‘Click-shuffle’. Most of the images ultimately ended up in the bin but at the time I just wanted a record. Luckily Brostreaks are pretty sedate butterflies as once they’ve settled they don’t seem to mind a bit of human-butterfly interaction and so I was able to get some nice side on shots each time he pirouetted around the flower.

After a few moments both Little L and I watched with bated breath as he fluttered about this way and that before finally he landed within reach. Breathing a sigh of relief for I didn’t want the encounter to end we stood still and let him settle for a moment or three. After a time he started to incrementally open up, taking just over 2 minutes to go from closed to almost fully open, wings held in a very shallow ‘V’. At about a minute into this opening up he also started turning clockwise on the leaf starting from facing at 7 o’clock and slowly turning until he’d reached 11 o’clock. Turn completed, wings opened sufficiently to catch what little of the sun was puncturing through the cloud he then sat motionless for a couple of minutes before taking to the wing again. I thought that was it and so passed my camera over to Little L to have a go and the sun crept out. As she excitedly wandered about clicking away I stared at the bramble patch and it seemed like my ‘willing it into being’ worked as a medium sized, dark butterfly jinked its way along the hedge up high and the plonked itself down on a cluster of bramble flowers close to where it had been before (at least I’m taking it to be the same one). This time there was no messing and he opened up three quarters right from the get go before closing up tightly and feeding away.

Little L’s shot

Eventually we left him in peace and carried on round to the Nettle Bed. Now I’d gotten my eye in we make short work of finding another. It was literally a case of; “Well Little L there were a couple of them in here the other day…oh look there’s one!”

Having found this one so quickly and also possibly being sated by the first I got a few shots and then we carried on without tarrying here. Down the narrow path where the Browns and Whites flew amid the occasional Peacock and a Comma. Our next close butterfly encounter was much less joyous and more macabre. I spotted a large white butterfly and realised that it was a pair of Large Whites in cop. However something was not right. The male was trying to fly but not getting anywhere – it looked a lot like the toy planes that are on a stick which fly round and round in circles close to the ceiling. When the male stopped momentarily I had a bit of a closer look and it looked like the females head was superglued to the white flower head. Only it wasn’t superglued, when I looked more closely still I could make out a couple of dagger like white legs. It had been attacked by a Crab Spider and was now held in its vice like grip. It shows the extraordinary strength they have as it was holding not only the dead weight of the female but also the locked on male when he was trying to fly full pelt away. At one point a fly even landed on the female adding a bit more weight and yet still the spider didn’t budge! After this gruesome sight we wanted to get away from the narrow path as quickly as possible and so a third male near the Field Maple/Acer (?) Master tree was given short shrift – mind you after the first encounter I don’t think there were many more different shots of the males to get.

We carried on round still chattering away and watching the hedge as we passed. Back at the main hedge I set Little L up on the rug with her book and sketch pad and went for a quick investigate stopping for a brief distanced chat with a couple of Transect walkers. On the walk up the hedge towards the usually productive end there was the usual activity of Browns and Whites and I made the occasional stop for something slightly different and in doing so added Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Copper to the tally none of which stopped for long. The walk back I took more slowly reasoning that this would probably be the penultimate pass for the trip and the ultimate one on my own. I started scanning slightly deeper into the hedge too, trying to look past the ‘outer layer’ of bramble flowers and peering through small gaps in the almost impenetrable wall of Blackthorn and Bramble. I managed to catch a female Gatekeeper wings akimbo and also a female Meadow Brown which had double pupils. There was also anther spider victim, this time a male Holly Blue. He looked quite tired and had lost his margins so hopefully he would have met his biological imperative already.

I was almost back with Little L when I blinding orange flash at about midriff height caught my eye. It was a stunningly fresh female bimbling around on the Blackberries and probing them with her proboscis. I tried for a few shots but she was a surprisingly difficult model. She was at an awkward height, too high to get shots from above and too low to get anything form below, never flat on so a bit was always drastically out of focus and she was constantly one the move, turning this was and that round and round from one drooplet to another. I clicked away from several different angles in the hope that something would pay off and all too soon she had eaten/drunk her fill and so flew up to the treetops where she opened up fully and basked in the sun.

I rejoined Little L and we made for home, the female still sitting in her vantage point up in the canopy. I’ll be back so hopefully there will be plenty more females to capture with my lens and all in all a none too shabby visit considering the cloud and murk. Plus Little L had a great father daughter trip.

Hairstreaks seem doubtful
Yet despite the cloudy dull
Orange shines on green

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Your displaying male Brown Hairstreak has earned a grudging WOW!.
That sequence of shots is about as good as it gets!.

Quality stuff,
Trevor.