Looking back at 2015 – part 2.
…Continuing on with the summary of the remaining 25 species that I saw through the rest of the 2015 season, again in approximate order that each species was seen.
26. Silver-studded Blue – Having seen a couple of sighting reports of SSBs at Upton Towns just before we went down to Cornwall, I was hoping that I would get a chance to have a look whilst we were there. On the last Friday afternoon I got my chance and drove over for a look and found half a dozen or so mostly fresh males in sheltered spots in the dunes.
- Silver-studded Blue - Upton Towans 05.06.2015
27. Clouded Yellow – A single example seen at Upton Towans then half a dozen seen later in the year when we were down in Dorset in early September.
- Clouded Yellow - This one from later in the year at Osmington Dorset 01.09.2015
28. Large Skipper – First one of the year seen at Greenscombe Woods when we stopped off on the way back from Cornwall on 6th June but it was another week or so before I started to see them around my local patch. They then seemed to have a very good year with large numbers around for the rest of June and most of July.
- Large Skipper - Langley Hall Park Solihull 19.06.2015
29. Meadow Brown – Another species first seen at Greenscombe Wood on 6th June. Seemed to have a good year around my local sites and I also saw good numbers everywhere else that I went. They were particularly numerous around Durdle Door in early September.
- Meadow Brown - A fresh male in my garden 04.07.2015
30. Heath Fritillary – This species was the reason for the stop off at Greenscombe Woods on the way back from our week in Cornwall. A dozen or more were seen during the all too brief time that I could spend here before continuing on our way back home.
- Heath Fritillary - Greenscombe Wood 06.06.2015
31. Black Hairstreak – A day down at Bernwood in on 16th June provided my first ever Black Hairstreaks with a couple seen in the meadows and maybe half a dozen at the M40 compensation area on a partly cloudy and quite breezy day. A week later I went down to Whitecross Green Wood where I saw another half a dozen or so.
- Black Hairstreak - Whitcross Green Wood 24.06.2015
32. Marbled White – First seen at Bernwood Meadows on 16th June and then at a number of sites through the summer.This species first appeared at my local sites around Solihull in 2012 and since then numbers have increased year on year. This year was the best yet with good numbers seen at one site in particular. There were still a few in good condition around Durdle Door in early September.
- Marbled White - Castle Hills Solihull 04.07.2015
33. Ringlet – Ringlets always seem to do well in cooler years and this year was no exception with them appearing in almost plague like numbers at most local sites. I also had them in my garden in greater numbers than ever with 6 at once on one afternoon.
- Ringlet - Castle Hills Solihull 27.06.2015
34. Small Skipper – This was one of the species that was a bit late appearing in any numbers around my local patch but then had a good year with fresh looking examples still appearing well into August.
- Small Skipper - Bickenhill Solihull 12.07.2015
35. Silver-washed Fritillary – I saw the first few in the Heddon Valley in late June followed by good numbers at Fermyn Woods a couple of weeks later. A couple of worn examples were still flitting about at Bernwood in the second week of August.
- Silver-washed Fritillary - Fermyn Woods 15.07.2015
36. High Brown Fritillary – My main target species for my 3 day stay in the Heddon Valley. A couple of days of beautiful weather produced good numbers in the area. About a month later I also saw a few up at Arnside Knott but not as many as in previous visits to that area.
- High Brown Fritillary - Heddon Valley 28.06.2015
37. Dark Green Fritillary – My previous comments about the HBF apply equally to this species. Seen at the same places in approximately the same numbers.
- Dark Green Fritillary - Heddon Valley 30.06.2015
38. Gatekeeper – Another species that was a bit late appearing but then seemed to have a good year and hung around a bit longer than usual. There were still a few around in Dorset in early September.
- Gatekeeper - Castle Hills Solihull 25.07.2015
39. Essex Skipper - Like the Small Skipper in that they were a bit late appearing and then had a good year. More numerous than the Small Skipper at some local sites and with their slightly later flight period they were still about in numbers well into August. Also a garden first for me this year.
- Essex Skipper - Castle Hills Solihull 11.07.2015
40. White Admiral – I only saw this species on one occasion this year and that was at Fermyn Woods in mid-June. I quite simply didn’t get around to seeing them at any of their Warwickshire haunts.
- White Admiral - Fermyn Woods 15.07.2015
41. Purple Emperor – After missing out on a visit to Fermyn last year, I was determined to get there this year but unfortunately I was a bit late going and missed the best time by about a week. During a day that started off wet and then gradually improved by the afternoon I saw half a dozen with just a couple coming to ground. Numbers reported here this year were apparently well down compared with the showings of the previous few years.
- Purple Emperor - Fermyn Woods 15.07.2015
42. Purple Hairstreak – Due to their elusive tree top living habits I have no idea what kind of year this species had. I saw them on a number of occasions at various sites flitting about the tops of trees and had a short but notable audience with a number of individuals at Bernwood Meadows when I stopped off there on my way back form a day at Aston Rowant. I was also pleased to finally confirm their presence in the park by my Moms house.
- Purple Hairstreak - Bernwood Meadows 12.08.2015
43. Scotch Argus – My main target for the trip up to Arnside in late July. I was in fact a little early this year which combined with a slightly later emergence meant that I saw far fewer than previous visits and those I did see were all males. Apparently they were flying in good numbers a week or so later.
- Scotch Argus - Arnside Knott 29.07.2015
44. Grayling – A few seen at Arnside Knott and Gait Barrows and then about a month later there were loads on the slopes above Durdle Door.
- Grayling - one of the many around Durdle Door 30.08.2015
45. Northern Brown Argus – A bonus for me this year. I have previously seen this species at a few sites in the Arnside area when I visited last year in mid-June. During my visits in previous years which were later for Scotch Argus the NBA have usually finished so it was a pleasant surprise to find a number of good condition examples still around, both at Arnside Knott and at Gait Barrows. Apparently they emerged around their normal time and then dribbled out over a longer period than usual, no doubt as a result of the generally wet and gloomy weather in that part of the country earlier this year.
- Northern Brown Argus - Gait Barrows 29.07.2015
46. Chalkhill Blue – I saw loads of these on both sides of the reserve at Aston Rowant on 12th August. My impression was they were a bit later emerging here as there seemed to be more fresh examples flying compared to my visits in previous years which have usually been a week or two earlier. I also saw loads still in good condition on Bindon Hill on Sept. 2nd, far more than my visits there in previous years when there are usually just a few late ones left.
- Chalkhill Blue - Aston Rowant 12.08.2015
47. Silver-spotted Skipper – My main target for my visit to Aston Rowant. Good numbers flying on both sides of the reserve and although I did not make an accurate count there appeared to be more on the slopes on Bald Hill on the south side than there were on the north side of the M40.
- Silver-spotted Skipper - Aston Rowant 12.08.2015
48. Brown Hairstreak – Just the one individual of this species seen this year, during my stop off at Bernwood Meadows on the way back from Aston Rowant.
- Brown Hairstreak - Bernwood Meadows 12.08.2015
49. Adonis Blue – This species is always one of my main targets to see during our late summer family breaks in Dorset. Their emergence in this area appeared to be a bit late this year but varied by site with loads at White Horse Hill Osmington and fewer than usual on Bindon Hill. Also, I did not find any females at Bindon Hill which indicated that it was still early in their emergence there.
- Adonis Blue - Osmington Dorset 01.09.2015
50. Lulworth Skipper – With Durlston Country Park being a known late site for this species and having seen them there before in early September I was hoping to see them there this year. Unfortunately there was a weekend of heavy rain at the beginning of our stay in Dorset which I feared might have finished them off so I was pleased to find a couple of well-worn females when I went to Durlston on 1st September. The biggest surprise for me however was finding a female still on the slopes above Durdle Door on the afternoon of our last day (4th September).
- Lulworth Skipper - Durdle Door 04.09.2015
So that’s it…50 species seen and photographed during what in some respects turned out to be quite a challenging year. As usual, I managed to make the most of my time by planning trips and family breaks to maximise the opportunities to see as many species as possible, but even so I managed to see a few species that I hadn’t planned for at the beginning of the year.
The cloud that had been regularly building up through May continued to be a feature for the rest of the year, as did a persistent wind that made itself felt to some degree on almost every trip out. The weather wasn’t all bad, there were some spells of decent warm weather, but overall the summer was a cool and cloudy one.
With me finally seeing Black Hairstreaks this year, it just leaves Chequered Skipper as the only resident UK mainland species that I have not yet seen. Of course to complete the UK list I would have to take a trip across the Irish Seas for the Cryptic Wood White.
I have not yet made any attempt to see a Long-tailed Blue but if they start turning up more regularly then that may be on the cards before long. I also believe a LTB was reported from near Weymouth the week before we went down to Dorset so you never know.
With a couple of months of cold dark nights ahead still, it is time to start thinking of next season and of making plans on where to go and what to see.
Bye for now,
Neil.
And your Gatekeeper is an ab., if you could add it here: 
.
With not having much to post in my diary during the dull winter months I must have just missed them.