www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

hi
there are chalkhill blues in good numbers now at hazelbury common.also saw 3 silver washed frits there in the hedges at the bottom of the field.
thanks eccles for pointing out the warmley site,i have now photographed my first essex skipper
regards
mark

I visited Hazelbury on the 18th so just missed the chalkhills but did see a rather worn dark green fritillary. That's good news about the SWF as I haven't seen them there before but it's a bit of an odd habitat for them. Perhaps they're strays from elsewhere?
Well done on finally getting your essex skipper. I wandered around the Warmley park myself on Thursday and took shots of skippers, getting essex on the fourth try.

I went hunting for brown hairstreak at Ravensroost Meadow in Wiltshire today. I was busy with other commitments for most of the morning so got there about lunchtime. I saw a pale buff coloured lep take off into a large oak as I got out of the car but dismissed it. I then met a guy who said that eggs had been seen around the parking area at the park entrance so I may have had a glimpse of one after all. I trawled the whole meadow hedges and apart from getting wet socks and a couple of bites from horseflies got nothing. Oh, I forgot, I snapped a mating pair of small skippers. I seem to remember comments that brown hairstreak tend to fly just before midday so I'll go back in a week or two.

I had intended to wander round Ravensroost Wood if I found no hairstreaks, but after only half an hour in the wood, with nothing of note seen, weather looked threatening so I headed home. I stopped on the way at Somerford Common (which doesn't have much common any more but a woodland) and spotted two measly SW frits and no photos. I had been spoilt by Clanger Wood recently.

Driving back I'd left the clouds behind by the time I got to the A46, so mindful of Mark's chalkhill blue sightings I called at Hazelbury at about 3 pm. All the clouds remained to the north and east and the chalkhills were flying, albeit rather intermittently. In the hour and a half that I was there I suppose I saw around a dozen, all males, and all of them around the bottom of the common. But because the sun was going down by this time, every time a butterfly stopped at a nectaring flower it opened its wings to gather the remaining rays. They were so obliging. As long as I didn't cast a shadow on them they didn't give a monkeys about me and carried on feeding as I snapped away. Probably the easiest chalkhills I've ever snapped.

When I clicked the pictures to see full size I got the intriguing message:

"Meet Hot Women in Bedford"

How far is Bedford from Cambridge?

Jack (Cambridgeshire)

I've emailed PostImage.org - it looks like their servers have been hacked.

Cheers,

- Pete

Mine said "Meet hot women in New York"...If they pay the air fare I'll meet whoever they want me to!

Martin.

V6GTO wrote:Mine said "Meet hot women in New York"...If they pay the air fare I'll meet whoever they want me to!

Martin.

Bloomin' typical!

Mine said Golders Green!

Bryan

That sucks. I got on images: "Meet Hot Women In Ripe!" Wheres Ripe?

I got Droitwich .... that's nearby the West Midlands ... Hot Babes ... Hmmm .. my lucky day I reckon....

Regarding the Chalkhill Blue, I clearly remember the very first one I ever saw. It was in 1952 and I was ten years old. Location Painswick Beacon in Gloucestershire. A kind Aunt took me and my younger brother there one fine summer's day for a picnic. I lived in the very centre of Gloucester back then and we took the bus all the way up to the Beacon. Do not forget, it was still a very much poverty spec UK so soon after 'The war' and treats like these were rare indeed all things considered.

To my eyes, the male Chalkhill Blue is one of those butterflies that appears much larger than it really is when in flight on a bright day. I had a copy of the Observer's Book of Butterflies so was familiar with the images of most butterflies via that book. Back then, seeing that 'large' Blue Butterfly, I immediately thought Large Blue which was still present nearby in the Cotswolds back then. I was wrong because using my cap, I was able to capture that buttefly and added it to my collection. A Chalkhill Blue. I also caught a Pearl Bordered Fritillary on the same day. Another first! It must either be a very late developer, or more likely a second brood which I've known in captivity.

I still have the ability to capture insects with minimal or no damage using just my hands .... The most recent incident last year when I plucked a Hummingbird Hawk Moth out of the Sky ... well it was hovering over some flowers in the garden and I wanted to breed a few examples again now I'm semi retired. It was a male.

Back in the late 1940s, early 1950s, such things were encouraged by both my school masters/mistresses ( several I knew then long since passed on ) collected. One who was headmaster at a local private school had an extensive collection and when I discovered a newly emerged Bedstraw Hawk Moth on a lampost one early July morning in 1954 ( I had a morning paper round then and always checked the street lamps which used Mercury Vapour Bulbs back then ) it was later recorded by the local entomologist recorder at the time.... who was a JP. That way I was able to see his collection of both butterflies and moths and his main passion: sea shells...

Both my parents had an strong interest in all aspects of Natural History and also encouraged such things. It was far from unusual back then and a number of school chums also had collections ~ some were more resourceful and productive than ever I was and I learned from them.

Great days gone forever ... particularly those many fabulous local habitats I remember so well. A few fine remnants remain and they have populations of some nice species ... but, it's not the same.

Nothing lasts forever....

Now, that's cheered us up no end ...
..

Amersham for me...

-Mike

Beachy Head August 1946, age 7 3/4, first holiday after Dad was de-mobbed after the War.

Home was the seaside town of Great Yarmouth but for several years, we went on holiday to other seaside towns. That seemed a bit odd even to a youngster. Eventually the penny dropped. It wasn't so I could play on the beach. Oh no! Cricket Festival at Eastbourne, Tennis Competition at Cromer, more Cricket Festivals at Scarborough for Dad's benefit. I remember the disappointment when we went down to the beach at Eastbourne for the first time. Not golden sands like Yarmouth but horrible shingle. But we did take a long bus ride to Beachy Head where I saw those quite unmistakable Chalkhill Blues.

Jack