millerd

[Wurzel]

Cracking Blues from a post back Dave I would agree with the Orchids for 1-5 (Pyramidal, Spot, Spot, Spot, Fragrant) but looking at the way the the florets are packed (they seem to be more spaced out in Fragrant?) and the shape of the lobes on 6 I reckon that could be another Pyramidal? As for the others...well they're definitely flowers of some description

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks for the flower IDs, Paul and Mark - I really should know more of these...

Thanks, Trevor - I wonder when the window of opportunity will open this year? First week of July?

Cheers, Wurzel - though there weren't very many flying, those that did provided some good shots.

Back to the butterflies - well, very young ones anyway. A caterpillary interlude...

With so much cloud tending to dampen adult butterfly activity, the eye tends to find other (related) things. Over recent days I've found several caterpillars.

Brimstones:

Orange Tips:

GVW:

The GVW was sharing the same garlic mustard plant as the second Orange Tip above.

The Peacock cats from the nest photographed earlier...

...have now dispersed and are much bigger.

Dave

[millerd]

After the Aston Rowant trip on 6th June, as well as finding a few of those caterpillars on my local patch I did see some butterflies as well.

One particular Common Blue chose a plantain flower as a perch and sat there for some while showing off.

Another one of the pale-lunuled variety.

Dave

[millerd]

The forecast for Friday 7th June was for initial sunshine which would disappear behind cloud before lunchtime. I knew the Black Hairstreaks were out down at Epsom Common, so I set off relatively early to ensure I had the benefit of the better half of the day.

It took no time at all to locate the first ones - at this time of day they were breakfasting on the brambles.

I stepped back from taking that last shot, turned to my left, and sat almost in front of me on a bramble leaf was an immaculate female Black Hairstreak. It became apparent that she wasn't going anywhere in a hurry, and I had more than five minutes of this welcome audience.

A bit of context.

I took a great number of photos. At one point she took off, but just landed in a similar place a metre or so away.

Again, some context.

Eventually she departed, and I started to find a few others. One or two other enthusiasts appeared as well, but only a few, and everyone was able to see something. One chap had found the striking sight of a Hairstreak with its wings wide open - but the reason for this unlikely pose was that the unfortunate butterfly was being consumed by a crab spider (as pearly white as the bramble flower that had attracted the butterfly). I also found one which was displaying a bit of upperside and the red spots that correspond to the underside markings. However, this one had encountered a bird, proving the value of those tails in drawing attention away from more vital parts.

Another one was not quite so damaged.

A few shots of some of the others seen.

However, none was as striking as that first female...

Dave

[Katrina]

Splendid Blackstreaks!

[bugboy]

Certainly a lot better behaved than when I visited on the 4th! Interestingly I recognise that one with the small V nick out of her wing, she was the main one I did photograph then!

[Maximus]

Excellent Black Hairstreaks from Epsom Common, Dave, and lovely shots one I won't be seeing this year unfortunately.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic shots Dave It seems an early start pays off with this species, not as gentlemanly as it's Brown relation which affords us a nice lie-in, leisurely breakfast and back home in time for a spot of Tiffin

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Many thanks to all of you - it was one of those mornings when everything fell into place (and worth the early start!).

The one thing all the butterflies had in common was the urge to nectar on bramble flowers (much like their close relative, the White-letter Hairstreak). It seems they do this first thing in the morning and then towards the end of the afternoon, and once stuck into a flower they can be there for a while. Though I didn't need to stray too far from the "hotspot", on other occasions, I've wandered further afield here, and seen the butterfly quite widely in ones and twos above the blackthorn bushes which are widespread. They appear to be well-established.

Saturday 8th June was therefore a bit of an anticlimax, back on my local patch again. Temperatures scraped 20 degrees and there was a bit of sunshine, and I managed to find over 70 butterflies with 10 species putting in an appearance.

Meadow Brown 28
Common Blue 19
Brown Argus 7
Holly Blue 6
Red Admiral 3
Small Heath 3
Small White 2
Peacock 1
Comma 1
Speckled Wood 1

As the figures above show, the numerical domination of the summer by Meadow Browns had begun...

It had been three weeks since my previous Comma sighting, and if they were all hiding like this one, I'm not surprised...

There haven't been many Specklies around lately either...

...and the Peacock was a bit of a surprise too.

Naturally, there were Holly Blues and Red Admirals, the two most-frequently seen species here this year so far.

However, with quite a few to choose from, the Common Blues provided some nice examples...

...as did the Brown Argus.

In the end, though, it was one individual butterfly that was the highlight of the day - a humble Small Heath. Wurzel recently posted shots of a similar butterfly (though that was an individual far more extreme than this one), but it was strikingly different. It was very pale, washed out in appearance, and its eyespot was almost non-existent.

It turned out to be an interesting day in the end!

Dave

[bugboy]

That Small Heath does bare a passing resemblance to the scotica version of the Large Heath

[Neil Freeman]

That Small Heath does bare a passing resemblance to the scotica version of the Large Heath

It does indeed.

That is a very nice Brown Argus above it too

Lots of bramble in flower around my way now but s*d all on it apart from worryingly low numbers of bees and hoverflies.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

"Wurzel recently posted shots of a similar butterfly (though that was an individual far more extreme than this one)"...I reckon this one is still worth As others have said very striking and it could almost be a different race/species Variation is such a great thing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, all. Having never seen the Scottish subspecies of the Large Heath, it didn't occur to me that there might be a resemblance. It was certainly very different.

Sunday 9th June marked the first day of a run of five on the trot when the temperature didn't rise above 17 degrees, and sunshine was in short supply (usually first thing before heavy cloud built up). Consequently, I only ventured out locally, and not every day either, and what butterflies I did see tended to get a disproportionate amount of attention.

There were seven species flying on 9th, including a solitary Speckled Wood blending into its background.

The Brown Argus (only six of them overall) provided a variety of wear and tear.

Images of Common Blues were less easy to come by, even though there were twice as many of them flying.

As usual, a female Holly Blue demanded a longer spell of observation as it went about egg-laying on the goats'-rue.

With a bit of background context.

The Meadow Browns were no easier to photograph than usual, but I managed a shot or two.

Of course, when adult butterflies are thin on the ground there is often a caterpillar or two around instead, like these Brimstones.

Dave

[trevor]

Very interesting Small Heath, Dave, and lovely open wing female Holly Blue.
I had the pleasure of watching a fresh female HB open up before my eyes at East Blean.

Might see you around next week ?.

[millerd]

Thank you, Trevor - open-winged female Hollies always delight, even now!

You may well see me hanging hopefully around some woodland on the Surrey/Sussex border shortly, yes...

Back to the chillier days of ten days ago. Tuesday 11th June was really nothing special and my local walk was really just a two-species affair. Common Blues...

...and now that their numbers are building, Meadow Browns.

Both seem to fly in relatively unfavourable weather.

And when all else fails, there are always more caterpillars to fall back on.

Dave

[bugboy]

You may well see me hanging hopefully around some woodland on the Surrey/Sussex border shortly, yes...

I was there all day today, probably a little too cloudy to start with but when the sun came out.....nothing!

[Wurzel]

"Both seem to fly in relatively unfavourable weather"...and in the case of Meadow Browns open up and show off their uppers I think I could spend the entire summer just looking at Meadow Browns as I love their subtle variations

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I suspect I shall be delaying any trips to that bit of wood until later in the week by the sound of the messages on the bush telegraph...

In the few short days since then, Wurzel, Meadow Browns have undergone their usual explosion in numbers and there are literally hundreds to choose from.

Wednesday 12th June was more of the same weather and similar butterflies, though Brown Argus featured a bit more today.

These two female Common Blues were amazingly alike, but were not the same butterfly.

Small Heaths do develop a curious texture as they wear with age.

This Red Admiral was surveying his stretch of path.

Dave

[millerd]

I didn't bother to go out on 13th June, and on 14th (which was actually a bit warmer at last) I didn't take many shots of anything. A quite fresh-looking male Common Blue was particularly amenable, though, staying in one spot for some time.

The way the light caught it in this shot gave it hints of Adonis turquoise.

The prominent dark markings along the wing edges added to the illusion.

Mixed up with the other Common Blues today was a rather lost female Holly Blue, presumably blown off egg-laying duty on the goats' rue.

Dave

[millerd]

Saturday 15th June had similar weather again, and similar butterflies.

However, the forecast for the days ahead indicated that proper summer might actually be on the way, so I planned a Surrey circuit of likely sites for 16th...

Dave