Bugboys mission

[Maximus]

Beautiful Glanville without having to catch the ferry

[bugboy]

Thanks everyone, glad I'm providing some entertainment . The funny thing is Maximus I used to holiday every year on the IoW as a kid but never once when the Glanvilles were on the wing!



14th May, Bookham Commons

I was overdue a visit to Bookham and with the end of my fortnight break from work quickly approaching, off I trotted to see if I could find any caterpillars and see if anything was flying. It was a good choice with the chilly wind being cancelled out by the wood allowing the heat from the sun to warm the air nicely. All was quiet as I headed over to the Hairstreak eggs/caterpillars, just a couple of Orange-tip fly bys. Orange-tip eggs littered the Cuckoo Flower but interestingly I found non on the Garlic Mustard which grows alongside it

The empty Brown Hairstreak eggs are still attached, but now the grass is starting to grow up through the small Blackthorn sucker, its near impossible to look for caterpillars without risking dislodging them so for now it’s a case of leave well alone.
Nearby I found a Soldier Beetle enjoying the sun.

Cantharis livida

Also nearby was this Winter-cress Barbarea vulgaris on which I found several Orange-tip eggs.

Next I wandered over to where my Purple Hairstreak eggs were. Last time I was here the buds had yet to break, today there was a good 3 or 4 inches’ growth. Unfortunately, the blade of grass that I’d tied to note the twig which had survived all winter was now missing. I was unable to locate where they were .

I’d been here well over an hour before I saw my first (and last) Speckled Wood of the day, what a dismal spring they’re having!

Next stop, White Admirals: I spent some time searching for caterpillars but all I could find was circumstantial evidence. Plenty of leave nibbling and in the picture below you can clearly see frass on the leaf underneath the eaten shoots. Try as I might though, I just couldn’t locate any culprits.

In the absence of anything else I spent some time watching Bee Flies feeding on a large patch of Bugle, managing some half decent in flight shots and also finding a couple of white Bugle flower spikes.

The next thing that made me stop were a couple of female Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonflies

The afternoon continued to warm and Orange-tip numbers increased noticeable becoming the most numerous species seen all day by quite some margin, often taking breaks to feed for my pleasure .

Rounding a corner, I nearly trod on a Red Admiral which then proceeded to play hide and seek as revenge for my clumsiness!

Back at the Winter-cress I noticed it was covered in these tiny Micro moths Micropterix calthelia. A primitive Lep that still has biting mouthparts and feeds on pollen.

One more day to go before work beckons...

[bugboy]

15th May, Walthamstow Marshes

My last day of freedom before normality returns and being a Sunday I had a well-deserved lie in. Had I got up early I would probably have gone out after Dukes but staying local was the only option for any butterflying. There was a bit of a stiff wind blowing but get out of that and it was pleasantly warm so a few hours wandering my local spot was a nice way to end my hectic fortnight chasing butterflies all over south east England! There was plenty of White activity, Small, Large, GV, Orange-tips and Brimstones all actively patrolling. A male GVW did stop off long enough to record though.

Most excitingly for me though was what has almost become the Holy Grail on my patch this year, my first sightings of Holly Blues here. 3 in total were flying around the Dogwood where they can normally be guaranteed to be found. Only one settled high up feeding on Hawthorn Blossom, better than nothing though!

The Red Campion is coming into flower now, a sure sign that spring will soon be coming to an end and Summer’s just around the corner. I very nearly managed a female Orange-tip feeding on it but she just didn’t sit long enough.

A Small White settled near me when there was a brief interlude from sunshine and I managed to nab a couple of shots of a male Orange-tip when he was tempted by some flowering Rape.

Returning to the Dogwood, one of the Holly Blues was now fluttering low down and settled to bask regularly and lay the occasional egg, a beautiful female. At last some open winged views, the first all year , but she made it very difficult for me, staying in the windiest patch right next to a main path . So battling against the wind, the usual busy Sunday traffic of walkers and cyclists (with me feeling particularly self-conscious kneeling down taking close-up pictures of a hedge ) it’s a miracle anything came out.

The wind finally got the better of her and I lost her in the hedge only to see another Orange-tip stop by to feed just long enough for one snap.

To finish a rather satisfying day a somewhat tatty Peacock allowed a couple of pictures.

Only a few hours but my patch certainly came up trumps for me

[Wurzel]

Definitely trumps that Holly Blue shot is lush

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, I was very happy to finally get a Holly Blue here .

17th May, Hutchinsons Bank

Normality resumes in Bugboys world which means a half day on Tuesday and if the sun is shining an afternoons butterflying. All morning at work the sun was out and I had already planned another trip to see the Glanvilles with around 50 reportedly on the wing the previous day. By lunchtime however the sun seemed to be vanishing rapidly and by the time I arrived at the site the sky was various shades of grey as far as the eye could see. The weather forecast had failed me completely!

Well I was here now anyway so I made my way to the cutting where they are currently all emerging to find a couple of people with a single roosting Glanville, one of whom turned out to be our very own Vince.

The Glanville did try to bask when the cloud thinned occasionally but for the most part he sat quietly and I was able to get some shots of the stunning underside.

All was quiet so I decided to go for a little wander, hoping something would appear. I disturbed one more Fritillary which flew off out of sight, was buzzed by a Dingy Skipper and a couple of Brimstone were active but little else was seen so after half an hour I made my way back to find Mr Sp0ck with another butterflyer standing over a Glanville. It could have been the same one as before and it did occasionally open its wings, more out of desperation than any real attempt to soak up the non existant sun.

Over a period of an hour we managed to locate 2 more roosting Glanvilles along the cutting so we were able to get plenty of underside pictures.

and some rather cute head on shots

It wasn’t until gone 4 that we were spoilt with a whole 10 minutes of blue sky. The temperature noticeably rose and as if by magic the Fritillaries suddenly came to life with 6 or so flying around within a couple of minutes.

So after 3 hours, not quite the Glanville experience I had hoped for but at least I didn’t leave empty handed. With the potential for hundreds emerging in the coming days though, we really do need the weather to improve so they can get on with the business making more Fritillaries for 2017!

[MrSp0ck]

The sun came out a few times later on, and there was a bit of flying until 5.30pm when they vanished to roost for the next few days by the look of it. We have noticed before that they often shelter under bramble leaves etc in rain, a very good umbrella.

It was good to see so many UK Butterfly people as well.

[Pauline]

I actually think the weather was in your favour Buggy as you managed to get some really interesting shots from unusual angles, which I think you would have been hard pushed to achieve if it had been totally sunny and they had all been zooming around. Even, though it was quite cloudy when I visited I really struggled to get an underside shot, which in my opinion is more attractive than the upperside so well done.

[bugboy]

Yea I was walking up to the tram stop when it got sunny again and I was half tempted to turn around and go back but was getting on, oh well next time

I agree the weather was on my side to get the shots I got in the end Pauline but what I was really after for the afternoon was to be able to stand and watch as several dozen flew around me. I would have been just as happy with fewer pictures had I got that but its churlish to complain too much when dealing with British weather

[Susie]

You'll have to go back, Bugboy, weather permitting!

[Wurzel]

An excellent set of shots Bugboy - when the weather has been as changeable as it has recently you have to be thankful for any butterflies

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Yes I will won't I Susie, tough life innit
Thanks Wurzel, looking forward to seeing your report of your morning here, you certainly lucked out with the weather if it was anything like it was in north London (where I was working )


24th May part 1, Hutchinsons Bank

A whole week since my last outing chasing butterflies so today was all about catching up on a few species I hadn’t yet ticked of this year. Happily this meant I was able to spend a few hours in the morning playing with the Glanvilles again. I got there before they were up, indeed before most things were up, just a few Dingies enjoying the early morning sun.


One of my Targets today was the Small Blue so I checked out a few places I’d seen them last year and low and behold a female fluttered down in front of me, species #21 of the year. It seemed too early to bask so she just sat there with her wings closed.


The second one I found did half-heartedly attempt to open its wings but it seemed to decide it was still too early in the day despite the cloudless blue sky.


Elsewhere I found other inhabitants warming up for the day’s exhortations or just hanging around waiting for breakfast to deliver itself!



Returning to the cutting I found a Grizzled warming up


Followed by Mrsp0ck and then the Fritillaries started appearing. This is the first time I’ve been here early enough to catch them waking up and as you would expect they are much easier to get close to. I spent the following hour with them and several other butterfliers




When you know where to look, they're quite easy to sex, below is a female with a rather swollen, egg filled abdomen


and here we have a male with a slenderer, longer abdomen tipped off with some orange tufts





I went for another wander, looking for more Small Blues mainly, but although a few were around I never saw any more myself. I did find a very well posed Brimstone though


And my second 2016 newbie of the day, a male Common Blue #22



I also found the first Glanville to have emerged in the main scrape at the far end of the site so this time next week there should be a good number whizzing around here


I left at lunchtime for my next destination of the day with clouds now beginning to muster overhead.

[bugboy]

24th May part 2

So next I was off to Denbies. After Seeing Millerds post last week with Adonis I wanted to go see them myself. The clouds had most definitely mustered by the time I arrived. Barely a cloud could be seen when I arrived at HB in the morning, now I was hard pushed to find a chink of blue sky .

There did seem to be a fair bit of activity but none of it was butterflies at first, in fact I’m pretty sure there were more day flying moths than butterflies.

5-spot Burnets were about in numbers

I found a Treehopper, Centrotus cornutus, Something I’ve never seen before. Very difficult to photograph since it constantly crawls round the twig to hide from you once it knows it’s been spotted.

I found this wasp (I presume of a parasitoid type) lurking in a nettle bed whilst searching for Peacock/Small Tort caterpillars who had been feeding here. Any surviving ones it would seem had gone off to pupate.

Nearby was this tiny little micro running around like a mad thing on a nettle leaf. It’s probably Stigmella aurella but there are apparently many similar species.

It was 10 minutes before I saw a butterfly, a male Adonis attempting to absorb some warmth and as I got my eye in they started popping out here and there, although not in huge numbers, some basking whilst others were roosting. In the occasional sunny spell 3 or 4 would take to the air, the odd female looking for somewhere to lay.

As I walked along the odd Small Heath would flutter by with no intent of stopping but the Adonis seemed intent on trying to bask whenever there was the merest hint of sun.

As I said moths were numerous with several species remaining unidentified. Other more familiar ones were doing their best butterfly impressions as usual, Burnet Companions and Mother Shiptons among them.

Mother Shipton

Small Purple-barred

Much searching finally got me my final target for the day, #24 the Brown Argus. Just the one was found and rather annoyingly my battery run out just as it settled in front of me. It was a particularly fine looking insect so after frantically swapping batteries I managed a couple of shots before he flew off over the hedge.

I eventually found a few Small Heaths who were willing to allow photos, mainly because they were roosting!

Some otherwise occupied 5-spot Burnets

And as I was leaving this poor thing crawled out of the undergrowth by the path. Its wings too badly deformed for it to fly

Happily he was in the minority with most looking in tip top condition

[kevling]

Hi Bugboy,

Love the Adonis Blue shots from Denbies, especially image 3. But my favorite is the 5 spot burnet.
Just a couple of days from getting my butterflying year going in earnest. Everyone's photos are making me chomp at the bit.

Regards Kev

[Wurzel]

Great sequence of Adonis Bugboy, I've still to see them (an blooming BAs) this year. Particularly like the more distant shots placing the butterfly in the habitat

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Lovely Adonis, the lack of sun probably did you a favour.
Adonis are very quick when they are warmed up. I've still to find my first one.

[Goldie M]

Love the Adonis Bugboy, you've really caught their beautiful colour, I also like your photo of the Dingy skipper great! Goldie

[millerd]

Yes, lovely Adonis, Buggy - I see one of your females was fairly blue like the ones I saw. Another trip to Denbies may have to be fitted in somewhere soon...

Dave

[bugboy]

Thank you all

28th May part 1

A last minute decision saw me visiting Malling Down in Sussex, in search of Walls and hopefully some more Adonis. It was mostly cloudy but the forecast had promised a bit of sun…. the weather itself however decided to ignore the forecast for the morning.
Small Heaths were relatively common and not put off by the lack of sun and neither did what seems to be a fresh emergence of home bred Red Admirals, one of whom sat long enough for a few pictures.

The only other species active were a few flighty Dingy Skippers

Due to the lack of butterflies there now follows a brief interlude showcasing other species that were enjoying life lurking in the hedgerows.

Burnet Companion

Leaf Beetle Cryptocephalus sp.

female Scorpionfly

male Scorpionfly

There were probably 2 species of Scorpionfly about today, the ones above most likely being the commonest species Panorpa communis whereas the one below is most likely Panorpa cognata, noticably smaller with less heavy spotting on the wings.

Pill Woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare)

Sawfly (Rhodogaster sp.)

Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)

Green lacewing

Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)

Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

Breaking up the monotony of greyness the sun appeared for 5 minutes, waking up a few Common Blues a Green Hairstreak and a Brown Argus along with several Cinnabar Moths

After that it decided to rain and just for good measure a little rumble of thunder was thrown in for fun! So much for dry with sunny intervals.

Rather than go home though I decided to risk a trip down to the coast and see if the Walls were still active along ‘Wall Brown Alley’… apparently it was sunny down in Eastbourne… according to the same forecast that made no mention of the thunder storm currently above me!

[bugboy]

28th May part 2

So down in Eastbourne the sun was indeed out, hazy sun but not a proper cloud in sight. On the downs Small Heaths and Dingy Skippers were very active and I also disturbed a Grizzled Skipper.

The Small Heaths were far too active to get close to but the Dingies were a little more willing to pose and I found this little stunner, proving they are anything but ‘dingy’!

There were a fair few aerial scraps and I did attempt a few action shots, not as easy to capture as Brimstones, but you can just make out the extended proboscis of the one on the right.

A few more very fresh Red Admirals were on the wing here but all seemed intent on playing hide and seek in dense Nettle beds. Wearing shorts, I decided not to join in the game!

A female Common Blue fluttered past and settled for me shortly followed by a rather battle worn Small Heath.

A few minutes later a target species finally showed up. A female Wall going about the business of laying eggs in between basking. I managed several pictures but every one was varying degrees of blurred due to the shutter spooking her every time, this is the least blurred I managed!

I heading towards ‘Wall Brown Alley’, up a slope carpeted in Horseshoe Vetch where several Blues were enjoying the flowers, not a single Adonis amongst the Commons though.

I made my way over to the spot where last time I found several Small Coppers. Today there was just a single one but my attention was quickly drawn to a larger orange butterfly that landed close to me. This Wall was surprisingly unfazed by my attentions, even when I used flash to try and mask the grass shadows, he just sat quietly and fluttered off in his own time .

I decided to make this Mother Shipton an honorary butterfly for the day on account of its perfect condition.

But up on the ‘Alley’ normality resumed, with the resident Walls as flighty as usual. I spent about half an hour failing miserably to get close, not helped by all the weekend strollers and hikers.

I decided to relocate the Copper and was pleased to get another chance at grabbing a few shots of another female Wall (or should that be a ‘Tree’), this one looking somewhat more worse for wear than the first one.

The Copper was still about and posed long enough for me to experiment with a variety of camera settings.

Walking back to the station a large dark butterfly flew around my head, I thought another Red Admiral until it settled. Not a bad looking Peacock considering it’s probably close to 10 months old now.

[bugboy]

29th May part 1

Another day which started out a bit average but ended up a bit epic, 8 hours in the field. With the previous days questionable forecast fresh in my mind I packed a coat and left for the Chiltons in search of some Dukes, having only seen the one individual so far this year. Arriving at 10 under a blanket of grey clouds with a stiff chilly wind whistling along I checked my phone for when the sun was due to arrive. I was promised sunny spells in an hour and from noon clear blue skies. I took another look at the sky, put my coat on and wandered along a bridleway at Aldbury Nowers seeing how the Orange-tip breeding was going. Lots of eggs and early stage cats littered the Garlic Mustard and as I got my eye in various other inhabitants started to show themselves.

Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola)

Longhorn Moth (Cauchas rufimitrella I think)

A Sawfly of some description (Nematus sp.?)

2nd instar I think

1st instar preparing to moult

Hoping the sun would appear and wake up some Blues and Skippers I took my time here, no point rushing to the Duke site under the blanket of clouds. 11 o’clock passed without a hint of blue sky and checking my phone it had been put back an hour. More inhabitants were found lurking in the undergrowth but still nothing flying

24 spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigitiquattuorpunctata)

Longhorn Moth (Nematopogon swammerdamella)

Rock Rose was in full flower everywhere

Some friendly weevils (Phyllobius sp.)

Jumping Spider

Close to noon (and yes still not a hint of sun), I caught a glimpse of something silvery in the grass and closer inspection revealed a perfect tiny Small Blue. I spent a bit of time with her, she wasn’t going anywhere after all.

Leaving her I took one step and found my second butterfly, a male Common Blue roosting. A couple of snaps of him later I noticed sat in between the two Blues a third butterfly, a Brown Argus also roosting. Now I’m not one for moving butterflies to ‘manufacture’ the perfect picture, much preferring making do with what I’m given but occasionally I make an exception…

After a few of these two I thought what the hell, might as well make it a hatrick. They were all very well behaved and all settled down to continue roosting when I’d finished with them.

A quick check of my phone discovered what I already suspected, the promised sun was again put back another hour. Fingers crossed it would be a little brighter then when I arrived at Ivinghoe Beacon….