Northern Brown Argus - Favourite Photo of 2014

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 6:11 pm

Week 12 - Final Week of 2014

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

David M · Post by **David M** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:13 pm

Although I have, as of May this year, seen all 58 mainland UK butterfly species, I still haven't seen Northern Brown Argus since I was a teenager on home soil (and have yet to see artaxerxes).

I keep encountering NBA on the continent in small numbers though - here's one I saw in the French Alps during the early part of July:

downland boy · Post by **downland boy** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:27 pm

Although I have seen ssp.salmacis several times in recent years, I had never seen ssp.artaxerxes and on a weeks stay in Cumbria this year I decided to take a day trip to St.Abbs to put this right. It was still a round trip of 300 miles from Grasmere but my wife and I enjoyed a hot, sunny and very breezy day on the Berwickshire cliff-tops. The next day we caught up with ssp.salmacis at Whitbarrow in Cumbria.

David M · Post by **David M** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 11:09 pm

Excellent contrast there, DB.

Goldie M · Post by **Goldie M** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:13 pm

I've been lucky in the past to see the NBA with it's White spot but the last two years it's mostly been the Salamacis I've spotted .
Both can be found at Gaits Barrow. I took these phptos on the 16th June at GB Goldie

IAC · Post by **IAC** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:25 pm

The Northern Brown Argus is without a doubt a very local specialty I have enjoyed seeing annually since I took up an interest in butterflies back in 2005. I have passed many hours in the last days of May and the first few in June waiting patiently for the first of these little beauties to emerge on the rugged cliff grasslands of the Berwickshire coast. I, and we in the Borders of Scotland are so lucky to have an abundance of this species, from the coast and inland to the Lammermuir foothills and a few still clinging on in lowland sites where grazing is sympathetic to there needs. The one unfortunate development of these past few years is the obsession of tree planting by landowners whom have little use of these steep grassy banks that support this butterfly, not the land owners fault I expect. We do try to make landowners aware that this butterfly is present whenever we can, and do hope to see that it continues to thrive in these Border strongholds.
The NBA this past season took advantage of fairweather conditions to produce a massive emergence from mid June. The usual order of things are that there is almost a rolling emergence of the species depending on location...not his year. I was counting hundreds in any one place, and even rediscovered a few lost colonies that had not been recorded for a few decades. The Berwickshire coastline is well worth a vist, as I know a few of you have in recent times..St Abbs Head a more than famous spot to go to, but there are so many more. One such exposed and spectacular site sits a few miles north of St Abbs Head at Dowlaw Dean. Dowlaw Dean is a deep and cavernous boulder strewn scar that is an inland extension of the sea cliffs, on its crest and sharp slopes all manner of plantlife and lepidoptera can be found. The Northern Brown Argus can be seen here nectaring on the Bell heathers and Thyme clinging to sheer drop outcrops, Grayling, Wall Brown and Common Blue adding to to the colour and life, and ominously as if knowing how precipitous a situation you are in on these hazardous and savage cliff edges the Ravens circling keep a beady eye.

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 8:32 pm

I spent a few days up at Arnside in June this year with the salmacis form of Northern Brown Argus being one of my main targets as I had never seen this species before. Due to work and family commitments I was limited on when I could time our trip so I was pleased to find good numbers of NBAs at a number of sites around the area. It appeared to be still early in their flight period as I saw mostly males with just a couple of fresh females seen at one site (Latterbarrow).

I took loads of photos during my stay up there, a selection of which are below,