Maximus

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:02 am

Fantastic array of variety and forms Mike - a 'blind' Small Blue, Blue Badger Copper, really Blue female Blue and to top it all a Large Skipper tree

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 11:09 pm

She was a real stunner, David

but it was difficult to get a good open wing shot due to the strong wind which kept forcing her to close her wings

Thanks,Trevor, I like the term Wurzelesque

the Cream Spot Tiger is amazingly well marked on the underside.

The Isle of Black has it all, Wurzel

especially the Large Skipper tree

This lovely migrant was seen on the potted Valerian on our patio, 'twice' today

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:09 pm

A very enviable image Mike. Can't tell you how many times I've tried to get a shot like that .... and failed miserably

essexbuzzard · Post by **essexbuzzard** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:03 pm

Agreed. A great sighting and excellent image.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:47 pm

That is a cracking shot Mike - did you use Sports Mode? Even then getting something like that mighty difficult

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 8:47 pm

Thanks, Pauline, I've always failed before too

it was a slower moving individual

Thanks Mark, it was nice to see it in our garden, a first for us.

Cheers, Wurzel, it was in 'lucky' mode

2ND June

Today we decided to visit MHD as we had not been there since 2015.
In near perfect weather conditions we were surprised to find far fewer butterflies than we’d expected. The most abundant species were the Small Blues, but even they were not in the numbers we’d seen in previous visits to this site.

: Small Blue eggs - I think?

Common Blues were a bit thin on the ground too, but, on a positive note, we did find this lovely female..

We did, however, see our first Meadow Brown of the year..

And were pleasantly surprised by our first Dark Green Fritillary of 2017..

So all was not lost. Perhaps the June gap is coming to an end!

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Wed Jun 14, 2017 9:53 pm

I think you could be right, Mike - a DGF sighting definitely heralds the end of the "gap"!

Dave

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 11:17 am

A splendid set of images Mike, especially the Small Blue egg-laying, and yes, those are definitely Small Blue eggs

Tiny, aren't they?!

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:38 pm

millerd wrote:I think you could be right, Mike - a DGF sighting definitely heralds the end of the "gap"!

Dave

Absolutely....and that 'gap' is about to be obliterated given the magnificent weather conditions forecast for this weekend.

Normal service (perhaps extraordinary service) is on the cards!

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:22 pm

I obviously need to invest in a new camera Mike - which models feature 'Lucky Mode'?

Great to see such lush Small Blue shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:48 pm

For various reasons it’s been a while since my last diary entry. I have however been able to keep up to date with other PD’s and through these witness the ebb and flow of the season.

Although our butterfly trips have been restricted, we did manage to spend a few days at the end of July down in Dorset. Our visit coincided with some typical English summer weather (wet and very windy) but we were fortunately able to make the most of the dry spells between showers.

As we were staying near Weymouth we decided that on our first day we would head to Portland, to Tout Quarry in particular, to which we had paid a brief visit in 2016. The great thing about Tout is that there are plenty of nooks and crannies where it’s possible to get out of the wind.

Walking in from the car park I very quickly spotted a nice, fresh looking Chalkhill Blue, but it was hunkered down in the grass to escape the wind. When it did fly it was blown quickly away and out of sight, so we set off to find a more sheltered spot. Running in from the cliffs there are a series of deep gullies full of nectar sources; Valerian, Hemp Agrimony and Buddleia, and here we found numerous butterflies. There were a large number of male and female Chalkhill Blues on the wing which were particularly fresh.

: We found a few mating pairs including this stunning looking pair

: This male was taking water from the wet grass

There were also some nice fresh Common Blues.

During our visit we found one Silver-studded Blue, a male which looked very fresh.

: Only one shot before he vanished

And a handful of Small Blues.

We didn't find any Adonis Blues, a bit too early perhaps.

Our trip to be continued..

David M · Post by **David M** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 5:54 pm

I love that first Chalkill, Mike. It's posed beautifully in perfect light.

Will look forward to your next instalments.

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 6:23 pm

Hi Mike,

Great selection of blues from Tout Quarry

Maximus wrote:... at the end of July down in Dorset...
...We didn't find any Adonis Blues, a bit too early perhaps...

Late July would be right between broods for Adonis, too late for first brood and too early for second. I have always found late August/early September to be good for second brood Adonis in Dorset although I believe they are on the wing a bit earlier in the south-east.

Cheers,

Neil.

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:04 pm

As Neil says, a great selection, Mike. There can be very few spots in the UK where you would see those four species of Blue together.

Dave

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:09 am

Great set of shots Mike especially as David said that beautifully posed Chalkhill

That Silver-stud is also very fresh for that time of year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Mon Aug 21, 2017 11:42 pm

Thanks, David, the Chalkhill Blue did pose perfectly and the light was just right to show it's lovely pale blue sheen.

Thanks, Neil, Tout Quarry is a great place to visit

I suppose that I hoped the second brood Adonis might be much earlier this year

Cheers, Dave, I've not seen those four species of Blue together before, but I guess there must be one or two other spots where this can happen

Cheers, Wurzel, we were also surprised at how fresh the Silver-stud was, given the date of our sighting

....our Dorset trip continued.

After Chalkhill Blues by far the most abundant species we saw at Tout Quarry were Grayling, they were everywhere. Obviously the terrain is ideal for them and I have never seen them in such numbers at any other site, it was just great to see so many! Just a few shots of those taken.

: A mountaineering job was needed for this shot, after which I slid slowly down the rock face!

Our Dorset trip to be continued...

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:50 pm

I understand now why I haven't seen you both all season - you've been exploring further afield and some great shots too

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Fri Aug 25, 2017 8:46 pm

Cracking set of Grayling shots Mike

, you're showing off Dorset in a great light

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Sat Aug 26, 2017 5:58 pm

Thanks, Pauline, and there's still time for us to bump into you

Cheers, Wurzel, Dorset is a great, shining light

...our Dorset trip continued.

While we were on Portland we also had a look around Broadcroft Quarry. It’s a much more exposed site than Tout, so it was open to the strong South Westerly wind. It is bordered on one side by a new housing estate and a Quarry access road on the other, although there was further habitat on the other side of the road. We were however reluctant to explore this as we could hear regular explosions which we guessed was due to the mining of Portland stone and we found no site information signs.
We were aware that the Lulworth Skipper is supposed to fly on Portland but we had not seen any at Tout and a wander around Broadcroft did not reveal any to us either. The site was however covered in a beautiful array of wild flowers and lots of Buddliea which were attracting plenty of butterflies, including, Common Blue, Small Blue, Wall, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Small Copper, Ringlet and Hummingbird Hawk moth.