www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Nice couple of posts, Old Wolf, and good to see you back.

I'm so glad you got to see a few Black Hairstreaks last year and thanks for sharing the images here.

Thanks Wurzel, Glapthorne was brilliant and I will be returning hopefully this year. I know it is a bit of a trek for you but I was told it is a very reliable location.

Thanks David, it is good to be back. I really wanted to share sooner as it was a very exciting year for me but better late than never

30/06/19

Sharpenhoe Clappers

Butterfly Conservation had arranged an event to Sharpenhoe Clappers which I planned on attending but when the day arrived, inclement weather made me decide that it may be a wasted journey and that I would go back at a later date when the weather was better as the nature reserve is not too far from me. incidentally the rain stopped leaving a warm but cloudy day that gave the people who did attend a chance to see the grassland species that are found there.

Sharpenhoe Clappers is a National Trust reserve which is a chalk escarpment that is part of the Chilterns. I had often passed it when driving to Luton and coincidentally, a work colleague of the chauffeur had recently recommended it as a good place to take the dogs
It would be the first time I had ever been there and my quarry was the Dark Green Fritillary, another lifer for me, and it was made all the more special as I was not only accompanied by my family but by my Dad who was visiting at that time. The weather was far better than the day of the trip I skipped so we set off early with a picnic to hunt another lifer.

No sooner had we left the car park we were greeted by a beautiful downhill meadow, rich in tall wild flowers gently swaying in the breeze that whipped across the hill. I headed in and found another enthusiast laying in the grass next a purple flower, camera in hand and waiting. We struck up a conversation where he imparted that he was lying in wait for a DGF that kept circling the meadow and briefly landing on a few of the same flowers. He had been watching it and chose this particular one to wait for its next circuit. He told me that they are notoriously flighty and difficult to photograph and gave me advise for another field up the hill that was always worth a go.

I waited with him a while hoping that the DGF would appear and sure enough I caught sight of it a little further down the hill where it landed on a flower and gave me a chance to catch a photo albeit from quite a distance. My first DGF, another lifer – 2019 first time ever sighting count at SEVEN!
I returned to the family leaving the gentleman laying in the grass to continue his mission and told them that I had seen one already, within five minutes of arriving and the tips that I had been given. We decided to head up to the field he had described which was by way of a winding path with open empty grazing fields to one side and tall brambles around some woods on the other. We took in Skippers, Speckled Wood, Red Admirals, Peacocks and Painted Lady along the way and as we climbed the breeze increased considerably until we got to the field in question where it was remarkably stronger than the meadow further down the hill.
There were many more DGF in this field and I could count at least twenty all flitting about and landing for about a second before taking off again. Try as I might, I could not get a single picture as they really were not landing for any length of time. We stayed a while as they lead me all round the field until I decided that it was just not going to happen and that lunchtime was calling.
We headed back down the hill to a picnic table in the shade as the heat had really began to build and the dogs needed to get out of the sun and to have their cool collars refreshed.

With lunch finished, the family stayed in the shade and I headed off into the original meadow to see if I could see any more obliging DGF and take in the Marbled Whites and after a while with a few DGF flitting about and not landing for too long, I decided to employ the waiting tactic as the laying man, who had now disappeared, had used. I watched one as it flew its route taking note of where it landed and after a few circuits, I chose my spot. It was a good idea because I managed to get a few pics of the underside but those pesky tall stems kept getting in the way. The harsh light and my positioning were not ideal but I didn’t have a lot of choice because I didn’t want to trample the grasses and flowers, so each of the times I saw it something was always in the way. Still, another lifer for me today so I am really happy with the outcome and with more possibilities to come this is turning out to be one hell of a year.

A great report Old Wolf congrats on bagging another lifer The 'sit and wait trick' works wonders but it's good to have a flask of coffee to and/or a extra hot Lime Pickle sandwich to hand while you're waiting. DGFs can be a right pain, especially when it comes to them perching with blades of grass all around another good trick is to visit early as they're less frenetic and more chilled or visit late when they're going to roost - this also means that you can get the beautiful golden 'glow' of the evening light

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I may try earlier or later in the day this year but I don't know about the extra hot lime pickle sandwhich though

I did manage a second trip there last year and will post about it soon..........

05/07/19

The Pinnacle – part of The Sandhills opposite the RSPB, Sandy.

I took a trip to a local spot today in search of the Purple Hairstreaks that I now know live there. I am still hoping to get a good look at one with its wings open.
Upon arrival I could see them duelling high up in the Oak trees and was hopeful that one may venture down to the lower limbs or even better the brambles or grass below. They buzzed around from one tree to the other but none came down as low as I would have liked. A few did open their wings to bask slightly lower down than the rest and the following are the best I could get, full zoom and very much cropped. My neck ached from looking up for so long so I headed into the long grasses because I could see many Marbled Whites flitting around. This was a surprise as I have not seen them here before, and I have visited often as The Sandhills is a place I have taken the dogs for many years. To be fair though, I wasn’t aware there were Purple Hairstreak here either until I really began looking for them a few years ago

I was buzzed many times by a very angry Red Admiral who would soar along the treeline at the edge and then dive bomb me on his way past. I have no idea what I could have done for him to have taken such a disliking to me.

The Pinnacle isn’t very big so you can see from one side to the other and I reckon that there about 15-20 Marbled Whites making their way through the grasses which was great to see. Small Skippers were also in good numbers as well as some Small Heath, a couple of Commas in the brambles and a few Brown Argus. I was very aware of the absence of any Common Blue as they are usually very plentiful at this site but for this visit I didn’t see a single one! This is also a good place to see Small Copper but there weren’t any to be found on this trip.

Great that you have located some Purple Hairstreaks, Old Wolf.
You might improve your chances of a close-up shot if you visit
that site early am, late June/ early July.
At a site near me they can be found basking on bracken or Bramble
leaves between about 7 and 9.30am on a sunny or bright morning.

Good luck,
Trevor.

At least you can see that it's a Purp Old Wolf - my distant shots are usually of a tiny grey shark fin that could be anything from a Purp to a leaf Trevor is spot on with his advice and even if you can't get to a site early checking the Bracken is always worthwhile
No worries about the sandwich filling Old Wolf - it's an acquired taste like 'Marmite & Banana'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice to see you got an audience with a couple of species you'd hitherto not seen prior to 2018, Old Wolf.

Purple Hairstreaks aren't the easiest of subjects, but seeing them at all is a pleasure. Dark Green Fritillaries, on the other hand, whilst they tend to prefer to go about their business at human eye level, can be devilishly skittish, so well done for getting a few images of them.

Thanks for the advice Trevor, Wurzel and David. Heres hoping that this year I get a chance at a proper open wing PHS

07-07-19

Fermyn Woods

I attended yet another Butterfly Conservation event, this time would be my first visit to Fermyn Woods in Northamptonshire to look for SWF, WLH, PHS and another two lifers for me, the White Admiral and Purple Emperor.

The day dawned sunny and warm but there were very large clouds that obscured the sun for prolonged periods. On the way there I was very excited that I might actually get to see what is pretty much a Holy Grail for me, the Purple Emperor. The events I have been attending are making this a pretty much unbeatable year for me and to finally see a Purple Emperor would be the icing on the cake.

As soon as we had arrived and parked in the layby where the others were parked, I was told that someone had just spotted a White Admiral in the brambles at the entrance. I went over and waited a while with them, hopeful that it may return so that I could bag another first time ever sighting this year. I feel that I really can’t count the all too brief sightings of one at Glapthorne as it was a couple of split-second glimpses that really can’t be considered a sighting. We waited a while but it did not return so we set off up the lane to meet with the rest of the group outside the other entrance.

We set off and people who had been here before were complaining about the aggressive way in which the rides had been cleared giving a good twenty foot of cutback, if not more either side of the path before the treeline. As I said it is the first time for me so I didn’t know how overgrown it was previously. The good thing about the wide path was the amount of available light because the sun kept disappearing behind the large clouds.
It wasn’t long before we started seeing the SWF and I witnessed the corkscrew like, courtship display of two flying along over the cutback for the first time. There were plenty of opportunities for getting photographs and because they were not too close, they gave everyone a chance to see/photograph them. Further along someone caught a brief glimpse of a PHS as it took off from the ground and up into the canopy. We all waited and looked around hoping there could be more but that was the only sighting whilst I was there.
We stopped at the corner with Elms that I was told was a WLH hotspot but we were not lucky this time as they were remaining hidden from sight. We passed many others coming the other way who were out with cameras and stopping to chat, they told us they were there for the Emperors. It was funny that they had all seen one and had managed to photograph it on the ground and when we asked how far, it was always ‘around the corner’. Every corner we took we were hopeful but they were never round said corner.
After many corners that were Emperor-less the call went up from the front of the group ‘Purple Emperor’ and sure enough one flew along the path, past the spread out front of the group and decided to start weaving through a clump of the group that had formed at the back, including me. We all had eyes on it and hoped it would land as the rest of the group rushed back to join us but it sailed over the hedges onto a field that was inaccessible. I couldn’t count this sighting as once again it was all too brief. The prodigious clouds began to increase in quantity and cover the sun more and more. Someone did spot a White Admiral on one of the bramble covered junctions but it scarpered before I managed to see it. We were not having much luck really and I was beginning to doubt whether I would manage to get a proper look at either of the lifers that I had only but briefly glimpsed.
Finally, we reached a part of the path where we were told that if we were going to see them anywhere then here is where it would be. Unfortunately, at this point the sun was obscured by the biggest cloud but the group had decided to wait for it pass in this spot. The lack of wind meant that this looked like it would take some time and some of the group decided to call it a day and the group thinned out. The chauffeur and I waited as long as we could but after what seemed an eternity of waiting for the cloud, it was decided that we would call it quits. The group may still be there for all I know because the cloud was massive and moving very slowly.
We slowly walked back the way we had come when we got to a junction that we had taken one route earlier but not explored the other so we decided to have a quick try in this direction before we set off home. We had not been walking long when we spotted a member of the group who had left earlier than us in the distance waving to us to get our attention. When he saw we had seen him he pointed to the floor and motioned for us to get over there. We ran over towards him and slowed down when we got close and I must admit that my heart was thumping at this point because he was still motioning for us to come over indicating that whatever was there was indeed still there.
As we approached, I could see that there on the ground was my first Purple Emperor basking with its wings wide on the gravel path. Another lifer for me this year. It gave us plenty of opportunity for pictures as it was not bothered by the three of us all around it but no matter how hard I tried I could only get one side purple at a time. We spent a good ten minutes admiring it and getting many, many pictures but I was keen to see the undersides so I asked if anyone would mind if I tried to get it to show us by offering a finger for it climb on. I approached it and very slowly lowered my hand and gently put my finger under it’s front legs but it took off and flew a small circle about a foot off the floor and landed about a metre away and there it closed it’s wings and walked across the path to a large pile of something nasty which it proceeded to climb and take minerals from. Not the nicest setting but at least I got a good look at the undersides. We stayed a while longer but the time came that we had to leave, so we left the Emperor on its pile of nastiness and slowly walked back reflecting on how we thought that it was going to be a no-show today. I was so lucky that the chauffeur suggested giving the other route a try before we headed off and was over the moon at another lifer this year. I still have to bag me a White Admiral though!

Your Purple Emperor was worth every bit of, what I imagine to have been, a very trying day!.
It always amazes me just how tame they can be once settled. I've had one on the ground for 56 mins,
( time from first to last image on the camera ).

Now your challenge is all four wings purple!.
Good luck,
Trevor.

There are some species that you will never lose the excitement of seeing every year, the Purple Emperor is one of them!

Great stuff Old Wolf You never forget your first audience with His Nibbs It can often be the conversion therapy an errant birder needs to get into butterflies

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Old Wolf wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:17 pm...We ran over towards him and slowed down when we got close and I must admit that my heart was thumping at this point because he was still motioning for us to come over indicating that whatever was there was indeed still there...

My heart was thumping too just reading about it, Old Wolf!

Nothing finer (in the UK at least) than a descended Emperor and I'm delighted your persistence was rewarded.

As for the White Admiral.....always best to have something to aim for in the future; I'm sure it won't be long.

trevor wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:41 pm It always amazes me just how tame they can be once settled. I've had one on the ground for 56 mins,
( time from first to last image on the camera ).

Now your challenge is all four wings purple!.

Thanks Trevor, 56 minutes is amazing. I had to leave the one I saw and it must have been reaching half an hour on the ground. It had no intention of moving even with my meddling Hopefully I get the chance this year to see another and get the coveted four wings purple sighting.

Wurzel wrote: ↑Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:59 pm Great stuff Old Wolf You never forget your first audience with His Nibbs It can often be the conversion therapy an errant birder needs to get into butterflies

Thanks Wurzel, I was really very happy because as I said it was one I had been desperate to bag and I really thought that it wasn't going to happen that day. If we hadn't spotted the gentleman in the distance then it still may not have happened.

David M wrote: ↑Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:12 pm Nothing finer (in the UK at least) than a descended Emperor and I'm delighted your persistence was rewarded.

As for the White Admiral.....always best to have something to aim for in the future; I'm sure it won't be long.

Thanks David, I am really chuffed that I can add it to 'the collection'
I also have a feeling that it won't be long until I get to have proper look at at a White Admiral too

25/07/19

Something rather special happened today.

The day was a scorcher with the breeze pushing what felt like a wall of heat from over the fields and into town.

I came home from work the same as any other day and whilst knelt down greeting the dogs in the front room, a movement caught my eye from the garden through the open back door. It was very much butterfly shaped and I thought it looked like a silvery grey colour.
I headed out to investigate and there on my lawn was a Purple Hairstreak!!!! The very first time that one had visited my garden. I had my phone on me so I managed to get a few snaps before it took off again. I can only speculate that it had been blown my way from the fields on the wall of heat and had headed down for some shelter in the cool of my garden.

16/03/2020

Bit of a time jump here as today was my first sightings of 2020.

The sun was shining today and it was really mild as I walked home from work for lunch. I was treated to a Brimstone cruising over the brambles at the back of someones garden and as I headed over the green to investigate to see f it had landed, I was passed by a speedy Comma who whizzed passed me and over the garden fence.

I couldn't locate the Brimstone on the brambles so turned back to head back onto the path and there were two Commas indulging in a bit of an aerial dogfight. I can't say whether one of them was the one that had zipped passed me but it is very likely that it was. After watching them chase each other for a short while I had to get off and further down the road I spotted another Brimstone but once again, I can't confirm if this was the same one from earlier or not but the sightings were all very close.

All sightings took place in the space of three minutes and a welcome sight they were with the all the rain and miserable weather we have had of late.

At least one Brimstone and two Commas for 2020 so far

Hi Old Wolf,

I really enjoyed your report from Fermyn Woods, a site I know well although I have not been for a couple of years. I remember the excitement of my first Purple Emperor which was also from there.

And congrats on your first sightings of the new season.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks Neil, It was a great experience finally getting to see what I have been hoping for these past few years I do plan on going back this year if this virus business is all sorted by then