Thanks
Goldie &
Wurzel its been a pretty slow start over here as well, it's still a bit of work to get a Specklie in these parts too...and now we've regressed back into winter
20th April, Hadleigh Country Park
It wasn’t until I was on the train, deep into Essex, that I realised I may have made a mistake in choosing to visit this site today, it’s coastal and there was a brisk easterly blowing in along the Thames estuary...
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
Oh well, too late to change plans.
The reason I chose to visit was that I was curious to see what the butterfly activity was like in the spring after finding it teaming with various species last summer whilst hunting for White-letter Hairstreak. Unfortunately my early fears were validated with only the one Peacock seen shooting off into the distance in the first hours searching. Had the wind been coming from another direction I probably would have seen a bit more but since most the paths run east to west they were mostly acting as wind tunnels today.
My luck however changed after the first fruitless hour. Clinging to a blade of grass and swaying precariously in the wind I saw my top target for the day, an Orange-tip
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. Being nestled down in the grass on a windy day meant it wasn’t the easiest photographic target.
After a while he decided to risk taking to the air where he struggled heroically for a time against the wind before seemingly giving up and was whisked off into the distance, only stopping when he collided with one of the few hedgerows that don’t run east west. He put the sudden break from the wind to good use and sat well for me this time.
That encounter cheered me up no end and after he fluttered off over the hedge I wandered up and down this sheltered path. A few Small Whites and Speckled Woods were flitting up and down but nothing wanted its picture taken.
The next butterfly that was good enough to sit for me was a rather windswept Small White trying to feed.
Getting close to noon it had started to feel quite warm in the rare spots out of the wind and I found a friendly Speckled Wood enjoying one of these sun traps. This male seemed to enjoy having his photo taken especially when he perched on a daisy for me!
A little further on I found a hungry Comma and then a very pretty female GVW.
Peacocks and Commas were turning up regularly now and the Speckled Woods seen earlier were now far more willing to be approached.
All of these were unceremoniously ignored though when another Orange-tip appeared and flew past. He settled regularly to feed and rest from the wind. The wind actually working in my favour this time, he could only manage a slow walking pace flying into it so every time he rested I was close enough to get a few snaps before he took to the air again.
I ended up following him for about 10 minutes before I finally lost him.
I went back to play with the Specklies again and whilst getting a few shots of it sat on the ground I noticed a little red velvet mite scuttling nearby. This is probably a
Trombidium sp. The little mites who’s larvae are so obvious on butterflies during the summer.
![IMG_9037.JPG (984.47 KiB) Viewed 432 times a Blackthorn flower petal for scale](./files/thumb_13753_c6be7750ba4fd09587f9f6e786b6de7c)
- a Blackthorn flower petal for scale
A couple more orange-tip and Comma encounters and it was time to make a move.
A good result after an iffy start