www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

nfreem wrote:I have spent a bit of time the past couple of nights on Google Earth looking at the local area for likely spots to check out.

Glad to see it's not just me who does that.

I returned home earlier today from a cracking week down in Dorset where we stayed at Osmington Holiday Park at Osmington Mills, a couple of miles outside of Weymouth. As usual I managed to get about a bit and see some butterflies and will be posting updates over the next week or so as I sort through the many photos that I took.

To start with.....

Saturday 31st August - Osmington Mills.

After a leisurely drive down we arrived at Osmington Mills just before 4.00 in the afternoon and after unloading and settling in with a much needed cup of coffee I went for a bit of a walk to stretch my legs. Walking out of the main entrance I carried on down the lane towards the Smugglers Inn. I soon noticed a few Buddlieas which were covered with Whites and Small Tortoiseshells and stopping for a closer look I spotted a Painted Lady
I then carried on to the the end of the lane by the Smugglers Inn where there is a car park at the top of a rocky cove/beach and scrambled down a steep path.
I was pleased to see a couple of Clouded Yellows patrolling the steep slopes here although they did not come anywhere near close enough for a photo. Never mind, I would get plenty of chances in the week ahead

There were also loads more Whites and Small Tortoiseshells on a couple of straggly Buddleias growing on the slopes plus another Painted Lady, a rather faded one this time. There were also some faded Common Blues in the grassy areas and I spotted a much brighter individual which turned out to be an Adonis Blue. I had read that Adonis Blues could be found not far away and in fact later in the week I would find swarms of them just a little further inland but this would be the only one that I would find here, a straggler perhaps from a nearby colony.
Returning back up the lane I stopped off again at the Buddlieas and took a few more photos of the Small Tortoiseshells and the Painted Lady that was still there before heading back to get ready for something to eat.
Just a brief scout around but already things were looking good and there was some decent weather forecast for the next few days......

Bye for now.

Neil

Great shots to start your series of posts Neil Looking forward to reading more of your exploits as "Neil goes mad in Dorset"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel

There were only four of us, one short to go properly mad....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUo4-SwSdyM


Neil.

I love your last Painted Lady image, Neil. It's beautifully sharp.

A great start to your holiday Neil, lovely photos. Looking forward to your future posts.

All the best, Nick.

Thanks for the comments David and Nick, much appreciated

Sunday 1st September - Morning.

Being the only bloke with three women (wife, daughter and mom), I knew that it would not be long before 'shops' were mentioned. The cunning plan for this morning therefore revolved around me dropping the women off in Weymouth and then wandering off for a bit and meeting up with them later

Whilst doing a bit of nosing around online before coming away, I had spotted Lorton Meadows LNR just outside Weymouth and decided to go and have a mosey around.

http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/l ... 2wodj0wADw

After dropping the women off and arranging to meet them later for lunch, I arrived at Lorton Meadows at about 10.30 with the sun rapidly burning off the morning cloud. I walked along a track into the reserve past a wooded area where half a dozen Speckled Wood were spaced out every few yards or so. Coming into a meadow there were large patches of yellow flowers, mostly Fleabane and some ragwort, where in one corner I found some Common Blues which were looking much fresher than those I had seen so far back in Osmington Mills.
Moving further along a path through the meadow there were numerous Whites, some Meadow Browns, more Common Blues and some Brown Argus.
There was also a Clouded Yellow, a bit raggedy around the edges but at least this one was settling to nectar regularly which gave me the chance for some photos.
A couple of hours soon passed and it was time to head back and meet the others for a bit of lunch.....

Bye for now,

Neil.

Lovely pictures from your Dorset trip, Neil. I only ever seem to get there for a day at a time and it's never long enough. I particularly like the female Common Blue - always a favourite with me. Up your way yesterday and even was in Solihull very briefly. Lots of whites around near the station...

Dave

Hi Neil, great reports and photos from your trip to Dorset, I agree with Dave about the female Common Blue, she's gorgeous You certainly had a great week weather-wise, if just a little breezy at times.

Mike

Thanks Dave and Mike, I rather like that female Common Blue myself

Sunday 1st September - Afternoon.

After having a bit of lunch in Weymouth the women wanted to go back to the caravan and chill out for a bit so we headed back to Osmington. On the site I had earlier spotted another Buddleia, so after a quick coffee I wandered over to have a look.
I had only gone a few yards from our caravan when a yellow shape few across in front of me and settled on the ground a few feet away. It looked like I didn't have to go looking for Clouded Yellows, they were coming to me I just had time to take a couple of quick shots before it was away again.
I carried on to the Buddleia which had a dozen or so Small Tortoiseshells, a sight which was to become commonplace over the next few days with anything from two or three up to thirty or forty on most Buddleias that I saw
There was also a single Red Admiral, the first of only three that I would see during the week. So different to last year when there was a large influx of these, part of which I stumble across at Studland where I saw hundreds on the heather behind the dunes.
A little later in the afternoon I went for a walk along the South West Coast Path, starting from behind the Smugglers Inn and heading east a little way towards Ringstead Bay.
I saw loads of Whites, more Small Tortoiseshells and Common Blues and three more Clouded Yellows along here. Although warm and sunny, there was a fair breeze coming in off the sea so when anything settled it tended to be low down.
I also started to see the first Wall Browns of the week along this stretch, half a dozen or so before I turned back. These were mostly looking well past their best with the female below being about the best condition one that I saw.
Other butterflies seen were a few Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods which I was surprised to see along the more exposed sections of the coast path as well as by the areas with more trees. In fact during the week Specklies would be consistently cropping up everywhere in good numbers.

Bye for now,

Neil

Some lovely pictures there Neil. I used to live in that part of the world, Dorset is a lovely county and great for wildlife of all kinds, not to mention the scenery. Your posts are bringing back some fond memories

Best wishes

J

Neil I'm really enjoying these posts as I can almost feel the Dorset soil beneath my feet, ah to be home again Great shots too Do you reckon Lorton Meadows was worth a stop as I've driven past it a number of times ( though now they've put that new road in I probably won't) and wondered about it?
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Rex, there are certainly some lovely spots there

I only spent a couple of hours at Lorton Meadows Wurzel but it looked like a site well worth visiting with a good mixture of habitat. Apparently Adonis Blues have been seen on the verges of the relief road this year so they may well spread along to there. You probably already know this but you cannot get to the reserve from the relief road itself, it is reached from the old Dorchester Road and turn off down Lorton Lane.

Monday 2nd September – Lulworth Cove.

I had been in Dorset for a couple of days now and seen good numbers of butterflies and still not visited any of the more well-known sites. As Lulworth Cove was only a short drive away we decided to go there on Monday morning and whilst the women were doing the ‘touristy thing’ around the cove I would go for a walk up Bindon Hill.
I walked down to the cove from the main car park, noticing various Whites and Small Tortoiseshells plus a couple of Brimstones on the clumps of Valerian growing out of the stone walls, and took the path up through the woods.

Coming out on the hill there were butterflies everywhere, Blues, Browns, and Whites all fluttering about in the warm morning sun
As on the previous afternoon at Osmington there was a steady breeze blowing which meant that the butterflies were mostly settling down in the grass which meant that getting decent photos without grass stems in the way was a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, just sitting on the hillside enjoying the scenery and being surrounded by butterflies was a pleasure in itself, the fact that I got some photos was just the icing on the cake

There were plenty of Meadow Browns some of which were in fairly good condition still…
Adonis Blues were everywhere along with a good number of Chalkhill Blues, some of which were surprisingly fresh looking. I had come here last year on September 5th when the only Chalkhill Blues I had seen were a couple of well faded examples.
There were also good numbers of Common Blues, mostly well faded, and Brown Argus, including the individual below with some orange markings missing on the right forewing…
And this one with well defined forewing spots...
Other butterflies seen were half a dozen or so each of Marbled Whites, Graylings and Wall Browns as well as the now ubiquitous Speckled Woods along the lower path.
After a couple of hours, which passed all too quickly, I made my way back down to meet the others, noticing a female Brimstone back in the cove that was still in almost the same spot that I had seen her on the way up.
Having spent a couple of hours around the cove, the women were ready to move on, but were not really bothered where to, so I suggested that as we were part way there, we may as well carry on to Durlston Country Park......

Bye for now,

Neil.

Yet more beautiful photos. Hard to believe this was just one week ago after today's grey wet chilliness...

Dave

millerd wrote:Yet more beautiful photos. Hard to believe this was just one week ago after today's grey wet chilliness...

Dave

Hard also to believe there were fresh looking Meadow Browns around when they were absent in cool, blustery Pembrokeshire a week prior!!

Are we perhaps seeing a 2nd brood?

Lovely photos as usual Neil. Great stuff.

All the best, Nick.

Thanks Nick, glad you like them

Hi Dave, it was certainly hard to believe this morning when I got up to go to work and it was dark , oh the difference a week makes

Hi David, I don't think that the Meadow Browns are a second brood as such, they normally have a long protracted emergence through the summer. Last year in Dorset I was seeing fresh examples during the first week of September and locally around Solihull I photographed some on 15th September that whilst not exactly fresh were not too shabby either.

Cheers,

Neil.

Hi Neil,interesting about Bindon Hill,when we were there just before you,there were Chalkhill Blues aplenty,but no Adonis. So they must have energed just after we left!

Looking foreward to the next installment...

Cheers Essex, looking at your excellent diary I believe that you were there a couple of weeks before me. Some of the Adonis were getting a bit worn so you probably just missed them.
Looks like you made up for it on Ballard Down though

Monday 2nd September – Durlston Country Park.

We left Lulworth and carried on to Durlston Country Park, arriving in the main car park by the Castle at around 1.30. Whilst the women went into the Castle for a cup of tea, I wandered along the coast path towards the ‘gully’.
One thing that I noticed was how dry and brown the hillsides in the gulley looked compared to last year when I was here, in fact despite there being only a day or two difference on the calendar ,there was a bit of a later ‘feel’ to everything.
There were still plenty of butterflies around however including Adonis and Common Blues, Brown Argus, some Marbled Whites, a couple of Wall Browns, and good numbers of Lulworth Skippers although these were looking well past their best by now.
Again there was a steady onshore breeze so that most of the butterflies were hunkering down in the grass when they settled but there were some more sheltered spots between the shrubs along the path up the gulley where the breeze was hardly noticeable.
At one point I watched a male Lulworth Skipper buzz around a female down in the grass like a tiny blur for a few minutes before he took the hint and flew off...
I also saw my second Red Admiral of the week which flew past at speed as did a Clouded Yellow which would be the only one of these seen today and made me realise that I had not seen any at Lulworth.
I know that Clouded Yellows had been seen by a number of people at both Lulworth and Durlston recently and I was to see plenty more in the next few days but it just seemed a bit strange that at the two sites that I would perhaps have expected to see them with this years influx, I just had the one brief sighting.
Maybe the onshore breeze had something to do with it but I had seen three the previous afternoon in similar conditions along a stretch of coast path at Osmington Mills, just one of those little mysteries I suppose.

I circled back and stopped off briefly at the buddleia by the Castle which was covered with Whites and about a dozen Small Tortoiseshells before meeting back up with the others.

Bye for now.

Nice reports and great photos Neil we were there on the 5th Sept.

Mike