Re: millerd
Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2024 8:14 pm
Somewhat abruptly, the weather turned sunny and hot. That demanded an early start and the relative cool of some hilly countryside, so on Thursday 18th July I went down to Box Hill again. I wondered if I might see any Chalkhill Blues this time, but didn't come across any at all. However, there were still a few Marbled Whites on Burford Spur.
Dave
There were also several Dark Green Fritillaries. The males were well past their best, but were still charging up and down the slopes looking for females, occasionally putting one up but not eliciting any interest at all. However, I found a male on the path at the top of Burford Spur which had found something thoroughly unpleasant from which to suck minerals. Luckily, he kept approaching this disgusting perch indirectly, so could be photographically detached from it. Initially, I had possibly even less luck than the male DGFs in respect of pinning down a female: I counted half a dozen or so before I got near to any. However, patience paid off and I managed to find one that was focused on nectaring and also managed to evade the attentions of the males. By now the sunshine had started to supercharge the butterflies, but instead of heading straight for home, I dropped by at Denbies for a coffee and a quick look at the hillside.Dave