millerd

[millerd]

A repeat of yesterday's visit to the Country Park, only it was earlier (around three in the afternoon), warmer, sunnier and less windy. There were many more butterflies: Brimstones and Peacocks from the old guard were still frequent, along with a few Green-veined Whites and a single (female) Orange Tip.

The new arrivals were a single Small Heath, plus good numbers of both Common Blues and Brown Argus.

As I left, I spotted a blue that seemed far more worn than the others. Settling on a bramble rather confirmed its identity - a female Holly Blue (again!).

I was also aware I was being watched...

Back home: With late evenings now, and in this case a warm and sunny one, a walk locally after six is still worthwhile. The first two butterflies encountered were inevitably two Holly Blues. The first was a female fluttering around and then perching on dogwood.

The second turned out to be a male basking on brambles, which briefly flashed its wings wide, for once just at the right moment. It was only a little worn, but appeared very pale, more silvery-grey than blue, but the brightness and low angle of the sun no doubt played a part.

Also seen were a few Small Heaths, GVW and a male Orange Tip, plus the first Small Tortoiseshell I have seen for a while.

It was barely recognisable, and was being given a hard time by a Peacock. The latter seemed extraordinarily well-preserved for May, looking to have at least a few more weeks of life left in him.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Dave - seriously how the hell do you manage to get so many open wing shots of Holly Blues? I was wondering about teh Holly Blues being on the up stage of their boom/bust cycle too and I've also seen more Small Heath so far this year than the last couple as well

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Nice shots of the Butterflies Millerd, the Small Heath, Brown Argus and the Common Blue pair in particular We're still waiting for them here Goldie

[bugboy]

Superb pictures, amazing to think that Small Tortoiseshell is a similar age to the Peacock, he must have grown up on the rough side of town

[David M]

I haven't seen Small Tortoiseshells for a while now.

Strange how they hang on in parts of the country far warmer than the one I live in.

Maybe our milder, coastal early springs are to blame?

[millerd]

Thanks once again for all the comments, everyone. There's always something different each time I go out, even over the same ground. It's one of the things that makes this hobby interesting.

Friday 22nd: I had some rearrangement of children to do this evening up at Cherwell Valley services, so by giving myself plenty of time, I managed to build in a side trip just off the M40 to Aston Rowant (N). For once, luck favoured me and there was intermittent sunshine on the hillside and it was warm. I set off along the path at the bottom of the hill, which is rather more sheltered, and before very long it was clear that Brown Argus had been emerging in force.

They were everywhere, little silvery streaks against the green, tussling with each other and attacking the Common Blues that were also around in good numbers.

Brimstones patrolled the hedge line, and there were a couple of Peacocks still lively in the sunshine. Wandering a little up the slope, I started to come across Dingy Skippers, perhaps ten altogether seen. However, the small fraction of the hill I walked over would indicate there might have been quite a few altogether.

Finally, I spotted the characteristically floppy flight of a female Orange Tip, ambling along between nectar stops. If you watch them enough, they become easy to tell apart from Small and GV Whites.

Overall, the particular highlight was finding a mating pair of Brown Argus, which were initially being pestered by two other males. When I sat down to take a few shots, these two decided to give up.

Dave

[millerd]

Saturday 23rd started well, and almost tempted me out to more distant parts until I looked at the weather forecast and the clouds heading down from the northeast. In the end, I made the most of a short window and set off for an extended local walk instead. First to come into view were a couple of lovely new Speckled Woods.

They basked nicely in between sorties after passing Holly Blues - yes, they are still around.

In the increasingly short bursts of sun, a few whites and a couple of Peacocks popped out, only to disappear again with the cloud.

As always seems to happen, I then watched a female Holly Blue settle on a bramble quite close by, and with the fluctuations in light levels, it opened and closed its wings.

It wasn't going anywhere, so I tried the flash experiment - a rather artificial result though it's quite a clear image.

Next, I found a few Small Heaths down on the ground or perched up on stalks - numbers seem to be increasing, and they are well spread out now.

Another flash photo with a better result?

At the point at which I'd decided to turn around, I found myself accompanied (much as yesterday) by Brown Argus and Common Blue.

They were both flying despite the sun being obscured - at this time of year its strength through the cloud can clearly be felt either side of midday. One Common Blue was beautifully new, and of a really deep hue. Unfortunately the only time it chose to open up fully was with an annoying piece of obscuring grass.

Shortly afterward it went off to roost, as the temperature dropped noticeably.

Dave

[David M]

Great sequence, Dave. Common Blues and Brown Argus are butterflies I never tire of in spite of their relative ubiquity.

[millerd]

Me neither, David. When fresh, they are as beautiful as anything you might find, and a new Common Blue female can be an absolute jewel.

Sunday 24th: Only a brief excursion locally was possible today before those clouds appeared again. A Brimstone appeared outside the front door, and obligingly stopped for a photo.

Nothing new today, really: Peacocks, Holly Blues, Speckled Woods.

However, it was good to see that Orange Tips are still around: I saw three (2m, 1f).

Of some note was an increase in both numbers and spread of the Common Blues which were much more widely scattered today.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Just catching up Millerd on posts, lovely shots of the Common Blues and Brown Argus, I'm hoping the Northern BA will be out when I visit Gait Barrow again, the CB have only just come out here so hope fully they'll be out up there also the elusive Pearls .Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the blues Dave Is it just me or do the spots on the OT seem abnormally large

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks Goldie and Wurzel! Yes, another one with bigger than usual spots. Maybe there's a local strain.

I popped down to Box Hill today, mostly to entertain a half-term small boy. For the first time in a very long while, I had the camera, but the memory card was still in the computer. As it happened, there were few opportunities to take any photos, mostly because we didn't explore that much. Elliot counted Brimstones (reaching six I think) and I counted everything else: one Common Blue, One Small Heath, one Dingy Skipper, and one suspected Grizzled Skipper.

When we got home, he went off to see a friend (computer games being a greater attraction) and I had another look around my local patch. There was bothersome cloud, but it was a worthwhile trip. A small piece of meadow just two minutes from home has recently erupted with flowers, and I was pleased to find Common Blues here today (one male, one female) and a single Brown Argus.

In eight years of walking across this bit of grass, this is the first I've seen here - and it's a good half-mile from the nearest colony I know of.

Elsewhere, a few Speckled Woods appeared, a couple of Holly Blues, plus the usual Peacocks in their usual niches, and a Comma hanging on in there.

I disturbed several Small Heaths from the grass, but found no further Blues - roosting elsewhere somewhere no doubt. I detoured to a sheltered spot between hawthorn, hazel and bramble where roosting butterflies are often found, and was almost cannoned into by a darting flash of orange. This turned out to be my first Large Skipper of the year (a week or so earlier than 2014 and 2013). It remained very active but paused just long enough to be caught on camera.

Always worth making those short trips out!

Dave

[David M]

Talk about the old and the new!!

A geriatric Comma in tandem with a newly emerged Large Skipper!

[Willrow]

Really nice mix of species photos Dave

Regards,

Bill

"When in doubt - venture out"

[millerd]

There is quite a bit of overlap at the moment, David, with plenty of last year's Brimstones and Peacocks still around, and some of the latter surprisingly well-preserved.

I wonder if some of these could be from a second brood last summer (this was reported) and therefore are only seven or eight months old, rather than ten or more. Some certainly didn't hibernate properly until October around here.

Thanks, Bill. I try to get a record of all I see, not just the flashy and unusual, which makes for a good variety. And every day is slightly different, of course!

Today, I was out locally, firstly with Elliot and then a bit later without the extra set of eyes. For someone who claims to be indifferent about butterflies, he identified the first one of the day with easy nonchalance - "It's a Brimstone, and I would say it's a female by the colour". Spot on, and I was still at the stage of working out it wasn't a Large White.

He then correctly identified a Green-veined White in the air, plus a Common Blue when 90% of those he's seen recently have been Holly Blues. I was impressed. We saw a few Speckled Woods and some more Holly Blues, but that was it for the first trip out.

A couple of hours later I went out again, and a bit further. There were a lot more Common Blues out now, with easily 15 - 20 seen of both sexes in two areas, the small patch near home and the much larger expanse near the motorway.

The Brown Argus were also well spread out and in both sites, though not in numbers to match the Common Blues.

Along the path across the main meadow area, I spotted a flash of deep orange, and it briefly settled (unfortunately with wings closed) showing itself to be a brand new Small Tortoiseshell, the first of the next generation.

Small Heaths were common in this area, popping up from the grass at regular intervals. One part of the path, which you take to access the main meadow, has woodland on both sides, and is a favourite patrolling corridor for all pierid butterflies. Today there were Large and Green-veined Whites, plus the odd Brimstone, but none stopped more than a moment in their endless investigation of anything white. However, there were at least two male Orange Tips today, and they did settle to nectar more frequently.

I then returned to the original mini-meadow near home and watched the Brown Argus and the Common Blues for a while. I found a mating pair of the latter (both looking fresh) and also two very blue females.

The edges of this patch have been mown - my worry is that the rest will follow shortly, as this is the usual practice.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave,

A great selection of photos but I have to pick put the first three Orange-tip shots plus the very blue Common Blue females, lovely stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

[kevling]

Dave,

Nice sequence with the mating Common Blues. I saw my first female of the year this week, that take on an almost electric blue when the light is just right. Great Stuff

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Good to see orange-tips still hanging in there and those aresome good looking Blues

[Wurzel]

That female is a stunning example Dave, almost male looking because of the lack of lunules

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks, Neil - two of those OT photos are the same one, differently cropped, as I expect you noticed. A bit of luck there as with no hope of getting close it was a question of a very quick point and zoom.

Thanks, Kev and Buggy - those female Common Blues can be stunning.

Thanks, Wurzel - she did indeed look like a male in flight, just a bit dark, perhaps. With little in the way of lunules and broad dark borders, she looks like a different species entirely. Almost SSB...

Thursday 28th May: I had planned a trip down to see a friend in Taunton for a couple of days. Looking ahead from last weekend at the forecast for Thursday, I hadn't been very hopeful of a side trip, but as the day approached it became increasingly favourable. So, on the day, I set off on a detour from the A303 to Wurzel's Wiltshire hill to see if it still abounded in Marsh Fritillaries. Initially, it was chilly and windy, but the sun and temperature increased and the wind dropped a bit, so by the time I had to leave it was a lovely day.

There were a lot of butterflies, including good numbers still of fritillaries, though most of these were past their best.

The highlight was a mating pair, down in the grass, with the female characteristically showing an abdomen bulging hugely with eggs. Unlike many others, both butterflies seemed pretty new. Interestingly, the wing pattern of the female is somewhat aberrant, with elongated buff patches

Also seen, in very approximate order of abundance, were: Brown Argus, Dingy Skipper, Common Blue, Small Blue, Adonis Blue, Small Heath, Green Hairstreak, Grizzled Skipper and Green-veined White.

Singletons of Small Copper, Red Admiral, Peacock and Orange Tip were also spotted.

Well worth the detour.

Dave