Wurzel

[trevor]

A for the Silver Spots Wurzel, a species I completely missed again this year .
With me it's aim, focus, GONE! with them , with the one that was posing nicely on a Scabious
flower escaping and landing right down in the grass. They seem to subscribe to a certain law!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave Silver-spots certainly keep you on your toes and second guessing at the same time Not like the lackadaisical Brostreaks that sit and feed in the same sport for hours Speaking of which...
Cheers Trevor Sometimes if I've got time (so not very often) I sit and wait by a scabious and wait for them to come to me, it's really quite pleasant, sipping coffee and soaking up the sun If we get a chance next year I could show you the site as it's just the other side of Tidworth

Alners Gorse 22-07-2021

In the past I’ve visited Alners Gorse later in the season but last year I made an ‘early’ trip and was rewarded with Valesinas a plenty (well a couple at least) and as Philzoid had yet to get any shots of this form it was time to make another early trip. We were hoping to pick up some Hairstreaks as well, Purps and maybe a Whitter but you never know with this site as the first Brostreaks are often found here. Ordinarily I would have driven us both down but with the first visit in 18 months to my Outlaws just a few days away we went in separate cars and so met in the Central. It was good going on the whole and we were there quickly…soon we were strolling downhill down the avenue scanning the bushes on the way and looking for little bays in the long grass that had been trampled down – a sure sign that there had been and so still might be something good in them there bushes. There was the usual fare with Peacocks, Red Admirals, a Comma which was quite far back and the ubiquitous Meadow and Hedge Browns.

At the bottom we turned left and started checking out the hedge and the smaller Oaks on the opposite side of the path. Again there were the Browns and a few Whites and then when we were almost at the end by the gate I spotted something about 8 feet up on a tall bramble. I had to do a double take as at first I didn’t believe my eyes. There was a glorious orange shark fin, a male Brostreak! My earliest ever record and so I gleefully called out ‘Brostreak’. Getting shots though proved to be tricky as it was so high up. I could either be in line from it but standing well back from the bush or up close but lower down as there was a depression closer into the tree which the brambles were using as a support. Luckily it moved and landed slightly lower and most importantly much closer to the edge of the Bramble bush. It still meant a near fatal impaling on some particularly vicious briar thorns but a little light bleeding was soon forgotten when I got a lens full of the Brostreak, it seemed immaculate with tails intact, a complete fringe of white hairs along the base of the wings and when it shifted slightly into the sun I sure that I saw the hairs close to the body glint golden.

Once Phlizoid and I had gotten a fair few shots and taken up a decent amount of our memory cards we put several others onto it and then made our way on checking out the area that in the past has been good for Whitters. Unfortunately we drew a blank so we then continued our way across the reserve to the Purp hotspot; a particular tree that was pointed out to me last year. On the way Small Copper stopped and perched nicely and there were Hedgies aplenty and a nice mix of other butterflies. After the initial find of the morning though I found myself somewhat bedazzled still and so whilst I saw plenty not an awful lot was added to the memory card.

I don’t know whether we’d used up all our luck with the Brostreak but we didn’t have any joy with the Purps either despite being promised that this tree is always crawling with them so instead we cut through the wood and then left the confines of the reserve to get to the Banks. It was quite quiet on the walk there almost as if someone had turned the butterfly taps off but as we approached the gate a few Silver-washed sliced their way through the trees and led us onwards and into the sun drenched field. As like last year the corner of the hedge just round the gate proved to be the most productive spot. The butterflies flew along two sides of the boundary hedge on a mission but when they arrived at this spot they lingered as they arrived. After a couple of minutes of hedge staring we racked up a cracking species count with Ringlets, Meadow and Hedge Browns, Marbled Whites the most numerous. There was the occasional Smessex and a Large Skipper, a few Peacocks, various Whites and several more Silver-washed. At one point we followed a Silver-washed along the hedge but the treeline became much more shaded and bare of nectar sources so we retraced out steps and on our way back intercepted mating pair of SWFs.

We waited around on the corner to see if anything else would turn up and a few Purps flew across from side to the other but everything else was what we’d encountered before. Then out of the shadows another one of our targets emerged. It kept far back, sometimes only just visible through the slightest of gaps in the hedge. It was a Valesina and as it flew and flirted with us the colours danced across its wings almost as well as it danced from one bramble top to another. In the shade it appeared almost black and white, for a second it looked like a large spearmint chew with the white and green of the closed wing and then it would move into the sun where it would take on a deep blue purple colour. It was glorious to behold if a tad too active. At one point it soared across the field to another patch on the other side of the hedge and from there is made short runs to one flower after another. Somehow I managed to keep up with it, my gaze firmly locked on and head level whilst my legs jarred into my spine as I crossed the tussocky ground in pursuit. Eventually it ended back at the corner and settled down ever so slightly so that we could get a proper look at it and appreciate it in all its glory.

After this we thought it best to head back into the reserve and try for some of the other target species and so we wandered back along the pleasantly cool shady path with some cracking Hedgies along the way before we broached the woodland and came back onto the grassland where the sun was now beating down and broiling all that lay beneath it. The Whitter Hotspot once again drew a blank so is now more of a tepid spot as far as I’m concerned and we ended up staring up into the tree which was supposedly crawling in Purps. The leaves around the outside didn’t seem to hold anything and all was still above the crown of the tree but I had a hunch that in the heat the butterflies might be sitting it out in the shade. So I started peering further into the leaf cover and there, quite near the top of the tree staring back was a Purp. If earlier the tap had been turned off now it was back on and in full flow for there was a second sitting up high a little way away from the first and as we investigated further looking at the surrounding trees each one seemed to hold a couple more Purps at least. None of them came down that low but hopefully a bit of careful cropping was going to solve the problem. Hey were great to watch as some would fly across the gap in the canopy from one tree to another whilst some were happy just sitting in the shade and others still ambled along some of the higher twigs.

By now the heat had ramped up and things were getting a little uncomfortable so we packed up shop and headed for home up the hill which in the searing temperatures was much, much harder than it had been earlier in the morning. A brilliant trip out with 2 out of three targets in the bag and a brilliant Brucie Bonus to boot!

Bonus first Brostreak
Flirtatious Valesina
Smattering of Purps

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

That was a terrific day by the sound of it, Wurzel. First an immaculate male Brown Hairstreak and then the valesina... You deserve a few of these at the very least. Alners Gorse has to be on my hit list of sites to visit now (it was before to be honest, but I think it's moved up a place or two... ) I should have headed down there when you went - it was too hot for butterflies during that spell up my way.

Some great shots there.

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

A top notch day there , a few for the valesina. "It still meant a near fatal impaling on some particularly vicious briar thorns", a small price to pay for such a beauty!

[trevor]

That was a day and a half Wurzel. The problem is where to start with the mrgreens.
Fresh male Brownie , together with the Purples , both on the same day
One mrgreen is saved as neither opened up. Best of all is your valesina , I've only ever seen one.
Alners Gorse has a reputation for coming up with the goods.

Great report and images, stay safe.
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It's definitely on my annual visit list now though I think next year I might try a week earlier if I can, mind you the problem is everything comes at once during they few weeks in July
Cheers Bugboy The best butterflies do have a way of making you pay for the shots
Cheers Trevor It really is cracking reserve we were unlucky not to have gotten a Whitters as well

Godshill 23-07-2021

As the holiday had started so well I was loathe to sit on my laurels and so after successful trips for Silver-spots and landing my first Brostreak of the year I scanned through my list to work out what to go for next. I was surprised to see a glaring gap in the Browns – I hadn’t seen a Grayling in 2021. So that was that decided then my next outing would have to be to Godshill…When the morning came the weather report indicated that if I wanted to see anything I’d better get a wriggle on as a cloud covering was forecast for the afternoon. Having previously given up listening to the utter codswollop that had recently passed for forecasting I took this with a barrel of salt but decided to head off first thing anyway as normally I arrive just before lunch and the Grayling are quite frantic by then. Over the past few years I’ve coveted others open wing shots so I was hoping that perhaps there might be some love in air by midmorning?

With the final chords of Purgatory ringing out through my open windows I drew to a halt with a crunch and as the dust settled I geared up, hat on, sunnies in my pocket, trousers tucked into socks and then looking a little like a heavy metal Tin-Tin I set off across the cricket pitch and then down the hill. I’d only gone a few step on the dusty descending track when I spotted something that wasn’t a Meadow or Hedge Brown but it was also too small to be Grayling. I scanned around more and waited for it to make another move and when it did I could see that it was a Small Copper. As it fed the vivid orange on the fore wings contrasted nicely with the violet bells of the heather. After this little interlude I carried on my quest revelling in how widespread the Small Copper is and how catholic it is in its choice of habitats. Further along the track it became less stony and dusty and more consistent in texture and I started seeing miniature piles of sand and neighbouring holes. One of bees that were buzzing around stopped and I was able to get a few shots of it, a Bee-Wolf I think?

All very nice but not the target species so I carried on down the hill feeling the temperature rising as I descended. As I crossed the stream which this season is barely a trickle I surveyed the heath ahead of me. Over the last couple of seasons the Grayling have been migrating away from the old Hotspot track which was at the point of the triangle and towards the sloping heather just on the other side of the stream so that’s where I headed first. I reckon that this is because of the life cycle of the heather as it seems to be coming towards the end of the ‘building’ phase and there aren’t any gaps or sun bathing spots in the heather yet. I’ll have to remember to see if this is over the next couple of seasons. I’d only taken a few scrunchy, scratchy steps through the heather before a butterfly took to the wing. I watched it as it flew, not all flappy like a Meadow Brown but with powerful wing beats interspersed by periods of gliding – my first Grayling of 2021. I managed to follow it for a bit and then they do what they always do; plonk down in a spot which seems obvious but which when you look you can’t see the butterfly and it’s actually in a different spot entirely. This initial one took on an almost two-tone set of hues and had a dodgy proboscis so I’d easily be able to identify it. After the initial shots I spent a bit of time criss-crossing the heather here enjoying the crunch and scratch of the heather and the surprise as a Grayling that wasn’t there suddenly appears in a flurry of browns and oranges before gliding away enraptured in a game of hide-and-seek. All told I managed to find and photograph another 4 Grayling in this little patch but there were plenty of others I’m sure, they just had better evasive manoeuvres.

No 2

No 3

No 4

Sadly there was then an enforced intermission in my Grayling Fest as a totally un-forecast block of cloud covered the valley. With its coming the temperature dropped, the breeze stiffened and the butterflies hid away. While I waited for it to pass over I took to wandering the heather clad slopes and rises and ended up at the old Hotspot track. All the little scallops and bare patches on the side of the track were gone replaced either with shin high heather or a waist height wall of bracken. I carried on round completing the full triangle of tracks and then looking up I saw that there was a slither of bright light at the edge of the cloud on the other side of the valley. As I watched it grew and then became blue sky, the shadow slid down the hill and across the floor of the valley as the cloud, stubborn until now, yielded and retreated chased by the sun. Serendipitously I’d just reached the area that the Grayling had frequented earlier and so I left the path and strode into the middle of heath in readiness for the sun to strike, found a likely looking clump of Heather and stood and waited. Almost immediately that the sun struck the butterflies appeared. First there were the flappy Meadow Browns, a Small Heath put in an appearance possibly just to get its name on the tally for the day and a few aged Silver-studs, well past their best fluttered weakly around the heather tops. The best thing about all of this was that I hadn’t moved from the spot but standing and watching doesn’t get images on the memory card. The easiest to go for were the Silver-studs as they were nicely placed on the very clump that had seemed a likely spot. The males had lost all of their fringes and it was left to the females to put on a bit of a show – moving their wings to catch the sun and glisten with that glorious oily sheen that they have.

No 5

As the sun strengthened again the Grayling started to appear from wherever it is they go and I settled into a routine. Spot a Grayling, start stalking it, put up a different Grayling so try and stalk that one, put up a different Grayling…After walking round in circles across the whole ‘field’ I stopped playing their game and when the next Grayling took off I followed it unerringly until it finally gave up landed and gave me a look of “well if you want to take my photo get on with it then”. This new habit proved much more successful and I was soon enjoying the Grayling accompanied to the clicks of shots stacking up on my memory card. As I shot away I noticed that the butterflies seemed to favour the same spots but I couldn’t tell if it was the same butterfly holding a territory or whether certain spots just had the equivalent of the Grayling X factor? One particular favoured spot was some dead twigs one of which looked like the head of a serpent and another still the dead heather looked like some pieces of discarded Leylandi. I don’t know how many different individuals I saw and the only one I could really be sure of not double counting was ole ‘Slackjaw’, the first one I’d encountered but to be honest I was having too much fun to worry about the numbers. This species has to be one of, if not, my favourite speices – it has the entire package; gorgeous and different habitat, a brilliant flight period through the warmest part of the year, cryptic colouration, great range of variation (black and white through to golden browns) a great way of flying and plenty of character to boot – what’s not to love?

The sun beat down, the clock ticked by almost as quickly as my camera clicked and I started to feel the little prickle of a thirst headache forming and so reluctantly I shuffled back along the dusty track homewards. However as it oft the way the wildlife had other ideas. As I was climbing back up the now sun drenched and desiccated track I stopped momentarily to have a look back at where I’d come, pleased with the view and the amount of progress I’d made I turned to carry on and then a tiny jewel caught my eye. It was the stunning little Jewel wasp that I’d encountered on the same stretch of path last year but unlike last year it was much more amenable to my advances. A fittingly brillian end to a brilliant trip out.

I never did get back to Godshill during the rest of the season despite wanting to revisit so next year helpfully I’ll be able to make a couple of trips to make up for it…

A glorious day
Coconut scent and heather
Graylings at Godshill

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

The Devenish 24-07-2021

I had been on a bit of a ‘streak’ recently with visits to Perham, Alners and Godshill in succession and to maintain the great run of from and to try to cram in as much as possible prior to the first visit to the Outlaws in 18 months I hoped to make it out again. Due to aforesaid visit on this particular morning I was in the Winterbournes having dropped Teddy off at his Cat Hotel and so on the way home I stopped in at The Devenish. I almost wished that I hadn’t at the weather was pretty miserable but as I gunned the engine around the tight turns and narrow lanes the rain ceased and the sky whilst not blue was at least not leaden. As I strode through the Orchid Meadow huge drops of rain clung to the grass heads and then soaked into my cords as I passed. By the time I’d reached the top of the Down my cords were sodden and stuck to my legs and I’d not had even a sniff of a butterfly. That soon changed as I scanned across the grass tops and spotted a Marbled White grimly adhering to it roosting perch almost as closely as the drops of left over rain cohered to its wings. Relieved that I’d not had a wasted trip and realising that my trousers couldn’t possibly get any wetter I knelt down and set about racking up some shots.

As I’d done the hard work and climbed to the top of the Down, defying gravity and safely negotiating steps cut into the chalk and slick with a lubricating layer of wet silt I pressed on and searched the top of the Down for more roosters. As I did so the sky continued to lighten and a slight haze of evaporation could just be made out hanging over the tops of the grasses. I scanned left and right as I walked looking for little and medium sized flags flying from the grass stems that could be a Marbled White or a Blue of some description. Unfortunately I drew a blank in the first scallop but the second was much more productive. Here I stumbled onto several Marbled Whites drowned to varying degrees and as the sky continued to brighten the butterflies became easier to spot as they climbed upwards from the relative shelter nearer to the ground. Over the next 10minutes or so I managed to find around 5 Marbled Whites, a Hedgie and a tiny Brown Argus.

I thought about calling it a day there and then and quitting whilst I was ahead but as I wouldn’t be here for a week or so I wanted to make the most of it and so set off diagonally across the Down back towards the tunnel track. As I reached there without any more butterflies to show for my drenched apparel I climbed over the stile and hoped that the Middle Down might have something. There was a Burnet Moth but the turf was a fair bit lower here and so wouldn’t offer much protection when it came to roosting time so I retraced my steps, climbed back over the stile and completed the descent to Orchid Meadow. Just in time as it happened as the sky went from bright and hazy to almost black as night as if someone had used a dimmer switch and with the darkness came some heavy rain. I too shelter under the large Beech tree and standing close up against the trunk managed to avoid all but the most determined raindrops.

Eventually after about 20 minutes the rain patter started to quiet down and grass was visible from under the canopy rather than just a blurry wall of water and so I pulled my camera from our of my jacket and ducked back under the branches and out into the Orchid Meadow. The sky started to brighten again and there was even the threat of some sun so I made my way to the far end with the plan of getting there and walking back stopping for the butterflies on the way. However the butterflies had other ideas and almost as soon as the final drops passed and their evaporation had begun the butterflies were out, climbing back to the tops of the grass they’d been sitting under or emerging from under the leaf where they’d been sitting out the fleeting but strong shower. The Marbled Whites were again the first ones out and about but there were swiftly joined by the Ringlets and then the Meadow Browns. Whites were the first onto the wing and I followed a lovely looking Green-veined White until it came down and sat for me. With this species I love the way that from a distance the veins look reasonably dark yet when you get in close they disperse into a much more ethereal dusting of scales.

Once I’d reached the end I started back and my journey was slowed slightly by a Brown Argus. It had chosen a bit of an exposed spot and underneath its feet was a huge droplet of water. I chuckled as it had the look of a bather at the beach not daring to dip their toe into the water for fear of the bracing coldness. As the sun did its best to come out the butterfly opened up basking for all it was worth.

As I continued on my route I found more and more to direct my lens towards and instead of the expected quick march back to the car my progress became a soggy dawdle. There were all the usual species to see including some nice Marbled Whites that were trying to warm up in the weak sun, there was a lovely fresh Brown Argus, plenty of Meadow Browns and Ringlets and the odd White out in an appearance including another gorgeous Green-veined White which had kicked things off when I started the soggy dawdle. As I was nearing the gate I happened to glance down at a spiky seed head one of the spikes seemed overly large compared to the others so I looked a little closer – it was an Essex Skipper. I thought that I’d be able to get plenty of shots as the cool weather would render it torpid. It however seemed not to notice the chill (I suppose they’re that hairy for a reason) and it set off in a golden blur. I managed to follow it somehow, still not sure how, and when it landed I nipped in for a few shots before it was off again. Following one once was hard but then I managed the almost impossible and managed to follow it again. After a few shots I left it in peace and pausing for a final Marbled White I felt a nice sense of completion, finishing with what I’d started with. I then headed home to change into some warm dry duds and see if I could unprune my toes!

Very drear morning
Find some sodden butterfies
Home to de-prune toes
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

I don't think I've ever seen such a soggy selection of Marbled Whites, Wurzel. The Brown Argus, GVW and Hedge Brown seem to have avoided the wet, but the Marbled Whites are as soaked as the vivid description of your cords. I sympathise there - A considerable number of my local walks in the morning this summer gone involved getting wet to the knee...

But it's always worth it - there are some excellent shots there, and lots more in your encounter with the Graylings the day before.

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

You were certainly on a roll with your mid/late Summer expeditions,
with some good finds and images. As Dave mentions some very soggy Marbled Whites too.
I've often had to don wellies at Tilshead, even when it hasn't rained, as the overnight dew
can be enough to soak everywhere below the knees!.

The season of enforced idleness is almost upon us!. Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I noticed that about the other species - they seem to burrow down into the sward and sit out the rain whilst the Marbled Whites just sit there
Cheers Trevor I was trying to cram in as much as possible before the trip to the Outlaws or the weather turned Luckily my visits worked out I don;t know about the season of idleness as I've got 30+ reports to write up and the photos to sort

Wales 2021

Day 1 25-07-2021

The plan of setting off early on a Sunday worked a treat as, barring a brief diversion near Warminster, it was the easiest time that I’ve made this journey. Unusually the weather actually improved once we entered Wales and the further into the country that we drove the longer the sunny spells became until we reached the Ffos-y-ffin in glorious wall to wall sunshine. After unpacking and a quick cuppa we went for a walk up the Lane so I started making a mental note of what was about. A few Whites flew by in Pen-y-Bryn while we waited for the Outlaws to get their walkers sorted and oddly the large Buddleia on the corner was bereft of butterflies? Also the small field which in the past has held Small Coppers, Common Blue, Green-veined Whites and Smessex Skippers is gone, in its place is a sea of concrete, hard core and footings. The hedges though remain and look to have escaped the flaying and butchering of other less fortunate verges. As we carried on up the gentle slope I started counting Hedgies. In the strong sun they were playing quite hard to get as they would flutter along always looking like they were about to but never actually landing. On the rare occasions that they did land they mostly kept their wings closed but on the even rarer occasions when they landed and did open up I looked for anything unusual. The best I could come up with was a male that had the smallest extra spot on the forewings and three ‘eyes’ along the hind wing.

We reached the farm track and the party split; whilst the others headed back K, my father in-law and myself carried on to the hilltop and to the telecom tower. My tally had now reached 29 Hedgies, 3 Green-veined Whites, 5 Meadow Browns, 3 Ringlets, a glorious fresh ginger H.Comma and at the top what I’m convinced was a fast flying Painted Lady.

On the return leg I stopped counting the Hedgies and alternately kept an eye out for cars bombing towards us and anything that I hadn’t seen before. I saw a few more Meadow Browns and Ringlets on the way back and one Ringlet stood out as it had the Mickey Mouse look with an extra spot on the hind wing. There was also a Holly Blue which bimbled around at the top of the hedge and a Red Admiral which sat aloof with its bum facing in general direction. At the end of the walk the Buddleia was still devoid of butterflies but I couldn’t figure out why – too early possibly?

After dinner I took another stroll up the Lane to call my folks and with that done I strolled slowly back with my camera. The Meadow Browns were already tucked up in bed and I saw only a couple nestled deep in the hedge sitting on leaves shut up for the night. The Hedgies however were still out and about but now their behaviour had changed. The fluttering about, zig-zagging up and down the hedge still continued but now is culminated in them seeking out a nice flat leaf to land on and then from which to bask in the fading sun. This meant that I was able to check out many more individuals. There wasn’t an awful lot of variation in the fore wing markings so I looked more closely at the hind wings. A couple stood out with large eyes peering out from the edge of the hind wing margins and another had four ‘eyes’ on each hind wing. However I’ll need to check again and hopefully I’ll be able to find some examples of ab.excessa next time.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I've looked back over your photos and you've got some great shots

Unfortunately I didn't get out too much for the Butterflies this year as you know but at least I'm in Kent now and with luck could be settled hope fully soon, I've to catch up on a lot of posts as well , keep the shots coming Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie You'll find that one or two sites in that neck of the woods will hold all manner of species so racking up the shots and species next year should be a doddle

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

I don't think I've ever come across a Gatekeeper with 4 ocelli on the hindwing so for him!

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy I thought that I was doing well with the first which had three so to then find the one with four, well I was made up

November 2021

Better late than never! Happy November, not long til next season

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

None of the Gatekeepers I see (even with hundreds to choose from at the peak of their year) ever have more than the standard quota of spots - is this a common feature of your Welsh visits, Wurzel?

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I don't know what it is about the Lanes around Ffos-y-ffin but they always throw up some extra spotty Hedgies

The Cove 26-07-2021 Day 2

After watching a few whites from afar, a Mandarin Duck hybrid and a Red Admiral passing down the Aeron whilst taking everyone down to town and to the seafront I was anxious to get out for some butterflies. This was made all the more pressing when I checked the weather forecast and instead of the sunny weather and balmy temperatures I’d gotten used to seeing the little icons had instead been replaced by black clouds with rain drops.

Hence after lunch K and I set out for the Cove. On the way we stopped momentarily to watch a Red Admiral as she weakly fluttered around the nettles at the side of the road. There was something familiar about the manner of her flight and then she stopped, curved her abdomen around and when she’d fluttered off to the next stand of nettle there was a tiny egg left behind. I would have gotten a photo of it but a car was coming up The Lane and so I settled for a few shots of her once she’d settled back down post the car passing.

Onwards we went, across the road and down the tiny track with Meadow Browns and Hedgies flitting about in great numbers and joined momentarily by a second Red Admiral. The track dove down through a ribbon of woodland and we crossed the little wooden bridge to be greeted by a Comma as we broke from the shade once more into the sun. It made several passes of us, swooping low over our heads and then sweeping up and over the wall of trees and at one point it landed on Ks hat. It eventually settled down on a leaf near to the ground and so I was able to sneak around it to get a few shots.

We were joined briefly by third Red Admiral as the track skirted the wall of a local farm and then we ran into a bit of a problem…cows…thousands of ‘em. Now I don’t normally mind cows but when there are a large number of them it does pay to be a bit wary as they’re quite inquisitive and they’ve quite a bit of mass. So we tried to find a way round that didn’t involve crossing the cows. This was quite fortuitous as on the way we found a large Bramble bush which as well as the expected Meadow and Hedge Browns also threw up a mighty fine looking Painted Lady. But alas it hung around at the back of the hedge so we cut across a field and managed to locate the Coast Path. Along it we found the first Specklie of the trip as well as an interesting looking Hedgie. It had an extra spot on the fore wing and the patches on the hind wings were almost non-existent.

On along the Coast Path we trod with steep grazing land to out right, a wall of Bracken and Bramble to our left and the sea and the sky blending into one. At one point the path headed down and the vegetation grew over us like a tunnel which we broke through and then we were at the Cove. The small stream had carved its way down to the sea and then dropped off the top of the cliff in a small shower. The turf and flowers were stunning to behold and the butterflies flew all around. Most were Meadow Browns and Hedgies but there was also the occasional white or Skipper and I saw at least three Common Blues. However the main targets didn’t show themselves, perhaps it was too early for the latest brood of Wall and maybe Grayling aren’t to be found here. By way of consolation a DGF appeared out of the woodwork and after much too-ing and fro-ing it plonked itself down on a plant just close enough to get a few record shots.

The return leg was slightly rougher on us as not only was I uphill all the way but also the humidity had risen along with the temperature. However a Small Tort plopping itself down on the track lifted our spirits just enough to lift ourselves a few more hundred steps up the hill and towards home. Just as we were flagging again a Fox nonchalantly wandered across the field and once more we picked up our feet and put some work in against gravity. So it was again but this time it was the gloriously fresh Painted Lady that leant wings to our feet. I would have taken a few more shots of it but K was eager to press on and take advantage of the fleetness of foot. On the final stretch we didn’t stop, not for the 2 Commas, nor for the Red Admirals or Hedgies and neither for the first Peacock of the trip. To be fair they didn’t stop either so it wasn’t just us being rude. Eventually we arrived back at Ffyrllingau sweaty and footsore but happy only to find that as we’d been gone so long K and I were now ‘banned’ from taking anymore adventures…

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

There is something special about exploring somewhere relatively unfamiliar at the height of the season - you can never be sure what will turn up, and everything is potentially exciting. You go out with no particular expectations and come back feeling disproportionately satisfied. It's a great feeling and your report brings that across really well.

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

A lovely selection of butterflies there Wurzel. I was just waiting for you to mention "lashings of ginger beer" . I hope you managed to persuade the powers that be to relent on the banning!

[trevor]

One beauty of your retrospective reports is that we will be able to enjoy
some more sights from Summer during the the dark evenings, and colder months.
Your report from Alners Gorse is the one that stands out for me .
Love your final image of the Painted Lady, great capture.

Stay safe,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave disproportionately satisfied indeed if a little foot sore
Cheers Bugboy K and I were unfortunately 'band-ded' as we joked for the rest of the holiday but I still took my camera about with me on the daily constitutionals
Cheers Trevor That trip to Alners was a cracker - it is possible to get three Hairstreaks on one day there but I've only ever managed two; Purp and Brostreak and Whitter and Brostreak

The Lane (Again) 27-07-2021

What with the weather coming in fits and starts the morning was spent in the house doing jobs and getting the evening meal ready. After lunch we all needed some fresh air and luckily the clouds had moved on inland so we were bathed in sunlight for a short time. That’s the beauty of the Lane – you can look back over your shoulder and see the weather that you’ll be getting in about half an hour. We all set off but I lagged behind slightly. As the rest of the family progressed they’d put up some of the butterflies and by the time they’d settled back down again I was there ready with my camera. Once again most of the butterflies were Hedgies so I started counting spots and looking for unusual ones rather than counting individuals. The first section where there were many squabbles they all looked ‘typical’, almost identification guide perfect in terms of livery, if not in wear so after a few shots were in the bag and I had a grab shot of a Ringlet I didn’t bother filling the memory card.

We’d reached the usual half way point past the corner cottages and that’s when things started to pick up a Red Admiral did a flash past and then a female Hedgie with very prominent ‘eyes’ on her hind wings. Next came a male that had a few very faint extra spots on the hind wings – nothing special really but it whetted my appetite for the gorgeous female that fell under my lens next. A definite ab.excessa with two large brown blobs on each fore wing. She was a bit shy at first, hiding away under a leaf but then out she popped and sat beautifully for me.

I had a far bit of ground to cover to catch the others up after the excessa but luckily my wife and mother in-law took the opportunity to turn round and head back so I managed to catch up with the others as they made for the brow of the hill. Once I reached them again I got left behind. A Red Admiral sat still long enough for a single shot and as I turned to go a Hedgie flew up from my right. I don’t know why but something made me watch it intently, hoping that it would go down and when it did I was there ready. It was a male Hedgie with extra spots on the fore wings and some on the hind wings too – an ab.excessa-postexcessa. Chuffed I again had a fair bit of ground to make up so I ran up the last bit of the hill and caught up with the others near the ‘Dog Cottage’. As I was catching my breath and catching up with the conversation I spotted a large moth at the edge of the verge. Getting closer I could see that it was a pair of Oak Eggers in cop. Thankfully everyone stopped to admire this very attractive pairing so I could click away almost at my leisure.

After this we wandered on to the end of the road and then turned round and started back. As we’d walked the cloud had thickened and so the butterflies were much quieter on the return leg. A double pupiled Meadow Brown must have been caught out by the onset of the grey as it sat out on the edge of the hedge and I was only on the final straight run of hedge when the sun started to peek momentarily through the cloud that the Hedgies reappeared.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel