EricY wrote:Am I allowed to load both Scottish & English race
Nice to see both versions Eric
Not the very best season for Northern Brown Argus in the Scottish Borders especially on the coast though inland they fared only a little better. Too many overcast and cool days inland, and on the coast Spring warmth was hampered by east winds. The photos here are from several sites. The first from the Whiteadder banks at Foulden in the agricultural heartland of East Berwickshire on the steep grassland banks that still retain Rockrose. There is nothing stranger than finding this species at this site surrounded by a desert of Wheat and Barley. This small but very successful colony were very numerous the day I visited which was nice to see. The second photo is from the Partanhall, Burnmouth site. This site has suffered from Rabbit grazing this past few years, and although the Rockrose remains intact, the longer sward that the adults need for roosting and perching is now non existent. More importantly grass tussocks create micro climates amongst Rockrose that females can lay eggs..so the females have struggled to find decent spots and have tended to overload plants underneath scrub by the tracks where the Rabbits cant get to. The third photo is from the higher altitudes of the Lammermuir hills taken during a field trip to Abbey St Bathans in July. This was the first time I had seen this site and was greatly surprised to see so many despite the kind of season it had been. In warm overcast conditions there were plenty flying around a small dean with a number of other species including the ever expanding Small Skipper. The upland Deans are very important refuges now for the Butterfly however many of them are falling victim to tree planting schemes to encourage wildlife ironically.
