David M

[David M]

Tuesday 2nd June 2020 - Fritillary Frenzy....

Having seen Dark Green Fritillaries two days earlier and with the warm spell of weather set to break on Wednesday, I headed down to Alun Valley in Glamorgan to see if there were any High Brown Fritillaries on the wing.

I arrived early and saw 4 large Frits within minutes, one of which I positively identified as High Brown and one as Dark Green. I then went to the lowest point of the site and had good numbers flying around me. I stayed in this area for over an hour and noticed that many of the Frits had their favourite territories which they would keep coming back to:

This enabled me to be in position for when they decided to settle, although all it would take was another Fritillary to fly by and they would be off in pursuit.

Higher up on the steep banks I found a large patch of brambles, a nectar source that High Browns find irresistible. So, despite the heat I managed to get close to a fair few - I saw 6 definite HBFs and 7 DGFs, but at least 20 went by without me being able to identify them for certain. Given that it's so early in the flight season, it could prove to be a bumper year for this extremely rare and threatened species here in south Wales.

This pose interested me because the reflected light shows clearly the raised sex brands which set this species apart from Dark Greens:

There were plenty of other species seen, including 4 Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries and a very encouraging 27 Small Tortoiseshells.

[Janet Turnbull]

A great set of HBF pics I didn't know about the raised sex brands - very interesting. I hope it will be a good year for HBFs - they certainly need one.
Janet

[Pauline]

What an interesting image - I had no idea they had raised sex brands and to catch the light reflecting like that demonstrates it so well. I really like the shot above too which is posed beautifully and pin sharp . Not often you see High Browns on the diaries.

[David M]

Thanks, both. Yes, the raised sex brands in the male are key to differentiating these two species on the uppersides. I find High Browns have a richer ground colour too but that's not always definitive.

[millerd]

Some great shots of the High Browns, David - the distinctive undersides in particular. Many for having such a thriving colony within relatively easy reach. It must also be a great opportunity to see how behaviour differs between the HBF and DGF, and to see if you can actually learn to reliably tell them apart from a distance. A good excuse to spend a few days with them!

Cheers,

Dave

[kevling]

David, Nice photos and observations of the High Brown and Dark Green Fritillary. Two more species that are not within my range this year, so nice to see them in your diary.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Chris L]

Lovely photos David and I bow to your incredible knowledge. I have a lot to learn and a long way to go.

[David M]

Thanks, all. Yes, it is great to have a local site where both species fly, and there ARE differences in behaviour as well as appearance. I'm pleased to say I've been back to the site today and counted 59 'large' Frits, so both are currently doing pretty well here.

[trevor]

Your area comes into it's own at this time of year, David. Fritillary heaven!.
I might get to see High Browns one day, if only they were nearer!.
It must cause mental indigestion when they're flying with Dark Greens.

Great stuff, stay well.
Trevor.

[Chris L]

59 of just one species in a day falls 6 short of the 65 I saw in total across all species today.

[David M]

Thanks, Trevor. Yes, 'mental indigestion' is an apt descriptor, particularly when there are so many flying around.

Otep, the 59 refers to the combined total of two species as it's impossible to tell DGFs/HBFs apart from distance when they're racing around in the air. Long experience has taught me that the ratio tends to be around 4:3 in favour of DGF at this stage of the flight period.

Saturday 13th June 2020 - Small Skipper

Warm but fairly cloudy and windy this morning, so no surprise that there weren't too many butterflies on the wing at Crymlyn Burrows. However, I did see my first Small Skippers of 2020 (around 10 of them):

[Goldie M]

Just spotted your HBF's David fantastic shots I bet their out in the Lake District and then with weather like we're having at present, may be not also like your Small Skippers, when the rain stops that's another Butterfly to look for here Goldie

[David M]

Thanks, Goldie. Yes, I'm sure they're now out in the Morecambe Bay area. Next nice weekday you should think about getting over to Arnside.

Sunday 14th June 2020 - High Browns doing well....

The weather started to improve by late morning so I set off to my nearby HBF site to try and do a count.

I was there just short of two and a half hours and duly recorded 59 'large' Fritillaries, most of which were zooming by me like brown bullets meaning definitive IDs were impossible.

Of those I was able to approach when settled, 4 were High Browns and 4 were Dark Greens, so it's safe to say HBFs made up a good proportion of that tally of 59.

The recent rain has helped the colour green return to the Down; it was looking very scorched on 2nd June when I last visited:

There were plenty of Meadow Browns about, some of which were settling with wings open during the cloudy spells:

The other notable thing was the dozen or so Red Admirals encountered. Prior to this, I had seen only three all year:

There were a couple of Painted Ladies too, a few Small Heaths & Speckled Woods, and three very worn-looking female Small Pearl Bordered Frits:

No Ringlets yet though. they're usually about 7-10 days behind Meadow Browns, but given that I saw my first of the latter on 25th May, it's clear that the break in the warm weather on 02/06 has delayed their emergence. They won't be long.

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots again David I can't go up to the Lakes ,every thing is closed and I've not ventured so far on my own yet If I'd some one to go with me it would be different, no one I know is interested in the Butterflies like I am so I'm doing things slowly on my own. Maybe next year I'll be braver Goldie

[David M]

Thanks, Goldie. Shame about the continued pressure to stay away from certain beauty spots. Ironically, this probably means places like Arnside are much quieter than normal right now making them even more appealing.

[David M]

Monday 15th June 2020 - Prees Heath

This was one of those days where you were left cursing the hopelessness of weather forecasters.

The night before, I had pored over the various forecasts and every one said the same thing - sunny all day with light winds.

The scene was far different when I arrived in Shropshire at 9.10am; mist, 100% cloud cover and winds so gentle that they couldn't shift a paper bag on the summit of a mountain!

Here is an image of the scene that greeted me:

Thankfully, Silver Studded Blue is quite possibly the easiest UK species to find in such adverse conditions, and there were approaching two dozen roosting in the heather depicted in the above image.

Here's a male:

In the hour I was there, a couple briefly took flight, but only this one opened his wings:

I scoured the area for a female, and eventually found this little treasure:

Much as I was happy to find them, I was hoping to see them active but that simply wasn't possible. The only other butterflies seen were a couple of hardy Small Tortoiseshells.

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, I like your shots, I always think the best part of the SSB 's are their under side's any way Goldie

[David M]

...I always think the best part of the SSB 's are their under side's any way.

Agreed, Goldie, particularly the females'.

Monday 15th June 2020 – Large Heath

After leaving Prees Heath, it was only a 15 minute drive to Whixhall Moss, which is one of the best locations in the country to see the davus form of Large Heath.

Anyone who has studied this species will know that whilst seeing them in flight is easy, getting close to them when settled definitely isnt! In fact, it’s probably true to say that Silver Studded Blues are the easiest butterfly in Britain to observe, and Large Heaths are the most difficult.

However, the dull conditions gave me some hope that they might not be as hyperactive as usual, but given the heavy cloud cover when I arrived, none were visible at all!

As time went by, the cloud became lighter and hazier, but due to the warm temperatures there was no preliminary stage in the butterflies’ behaviour – they went from completely inactive straight into overdrive.

A couple of images of the terrain/habitat:

There must be thousands of them at this site (I certainly saw hundreds) but all the usual frustrations dogged me. The first is actually seeing one settle. This doesn’t happen too often and even then it’s usually a distance shot with zoom to avoid disturbing them as they seem to react to the slightest movement/vibration. Then there’s the issue with obstructive vegetation:

…or you just can’t get them at the right angle:

….or you have to position yourself to get a clear view through the grasses:

After just over two hours, the skies had practically cleared and it was humid and very warm. I was ready to call it a day but decided to track a female as she was near the grassy pathway and looked to be ready to settle.

She eventually came down in a great spot on a cross-leaved heath flower. I had to step 3 metres into the boggy grass to approach closely but to my surprise she stayed put and I was finally able to get an unobstructed image of this species after years of trying:

[Pauline]

Well done David! You must be pleased as punch with that lovely unobstructed and uncluttered image . Just as well I don't have them to contend with after my abysmal failure (so far) with DGF

[Katrina]

Brilliant shot of the Large Heath. They certainly are tricky often hiding amongst the vegetation. I have to say you davus form is prettier than the ones I find in Scotland.
I know I am a bit behind but I have to give you a few for your HBFs I haven't managed to catch up with them ever.