Green hairstreak and more at West Yatton
Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:12 pm
Yesterday, with Denise, I visited Brown's Folly, Hazelbury Common and West Yatton, the latter after a tip from a guy called Richard Poole (Mark probably knows him). We saw a single green hairstreak at Brown's. This was in the old quarry area at the top of the grass and scrub hill. Hazelbury offered nothing so we cut across past Bannerdown to West Yatton. Denise reckoned she saw what looked like a single male adonis blue at West Yatton. Chalkhills occur there so it's quite possible. We walked past a hawthorn tree where Denise asked, "What are those?", and it was a pair of sparring green hairstreaks. We spent nearly an hour photographing and just enjoying them.
On the spur of the moment, I went back there again this afternoon and met another site expert called Hugo who immediately pointed out a dingy skipper. I saw several after that but didn't get a single photo as they just wouldn't settle. I think these are definitely a morning butterfly! They seemed smaller than I remembered from last year. Following that I saw small heath, brown argus and two other trees with green hairstreak. After catching my first common blue this morning in my local spot I thought what a cracking two days!
On the spur of the moment, I went back there again this afternoon and met another site expert called Hugo who immediately pointed out a dingy skipper. I saw several after that but didn't get a single photo as they just wouldn't settle. I think these are definitely a morning butterfly! They seemed smaller than I remembered from last year. Following that I saw small heath, brown argus and two other trees with green hairstreak. After catching my first common blue this morning in my local spot I thought what a cracking two days!