Wurzel

[Pauline]

Just catching up Wurzel. Very nice shots of the MF recently and I do like those first 2 shots of the BA . As you know I like to visit at least 1 new venue each season - next season that is definitely going to be my new venue! You're definitely spoilt for choice there.

[Andrew555]

Cracking stuff from the Hill Wurzel. You found some lovely examples there.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Pauline The great thing about the Hill is that you can visit it after Bentley Wood so you can already have Pearl and Small Pearl on the day list
Cheers Andrew It was harder work than it appeared as they were just getting going but in peak its a doodle

Laverstock 21-05-2018

After my initial encounter with the Common Blues at my Marshie site I was eager to get up the Down at Laverstock to see if I could connect with a few more. The weather wasn’t brilliant but actually the cloud might work have worked in my favour. So after catching up with L’s tutor it was away and up the Down. The usual route didn’t hold any butterflies and I was almost at the start of the Down before I saw my first, a Peacock bombing by. As I started the ascent a Dingy greeted me, still looking in good nick and like a vision in Brown.

On the side of the Down up y the first hollow a couple of Small Heath played ‘it’, one would land the other would fly figure of eights closing in on its target. The other would erupt from the grass, they would spiral and tousle and then one would drop to the grass and the cycle would repeat. I turned my attentions to the Blues, scanning round looking for little flags flying from the grass tops. I had one of those moments where I swear I’d swept a certain patch of grasses with my gaze multiple times and now on the umpteenth scan there was a little flag – a Common Blue. There was another and another and another etc. From nought to 9 Common Blues in the blink of an eye!

Having spent some time with them and getting quite a few ‘butterfly on a stick’ shots I started the return journey round and down the other side stopping for a Brown Argus. After the huge numbers from the weekend I was surprised to see only this singleton but beggers can’t be choosers.

I realised that I’d made exceedingly good time and so it was back to the roost to try for a few more…

Have a goodun
Wurzel
PS Looking back over the shots I was surprised by one individual. It had a more washed out look with the lunules looking very pale orange and none of the usual vibrancy of its counterparts. This could be due age/wear but it can only have been around for a day or two? Also the margins and fringes are all still intact suggesting that it is relatively fresh?

[millerd]

Lovely Common Blue shots, Wurzel. Individuals with pale yellow lunules instead of the red-orange appear regularly near me - they tend to have the same "grainy" look your one does, and you think it's worn but a look at the fringes and lack of tears and a shiny upperside tell you otherwise. I think they are called ab. fulvescens or something similar.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave That was the one I was thinking of and I remember seeing it in your PD last year or the year before

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Some lush dreamy shots in your most recent post . Also good to see how far behind you are, at least I'm only around 10 days in arrears

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Wurzel, the Blues especially I like the Small Heath though, it looks tucked in there and comfortable Goldie

[ernie f]

Wurzel - I'm getting used to your "historic" posts now!

Being a month or so behind makes a refreshing change. While we are all pursuing Purple Emperors you are showing us how wonderful Common Blues and Green Hairstreaks are!

Cheers,

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy I know just as I'm catching up I make another three or four trips, it's a truly brilliant/horrible situation to be in
Cheers Goldie That was one of the better behaved Small Heaths
Cheers Ernie That's certainly a nice way to look at my tardiness I long for the day I can retire, still 26 years to go

Larkhill 23-05-2018

The quickest of quick stop-offs on the way home. I pulled into the lay-by and took my life into my hands to cross over to the Larkhill paths. The sun shone and burnt through my shirt so all the butterflies I saw were pretty active so instead on a concerted effort to capture a particular species or shot I just wandered, counted the species and took photos of whatever presented itself…

Things would take off from an unseen launch pad amongst the grasses and I would follow them to check their ID and see if they landed. Doing this I racked up all the usual suspects for this time of year including both the spring Skippers, but it was 200m along the track that I saw the star butterfly, a Small Copper. It was great to know this species was still present here after its absence last year.

I did a recount on the way back but to prevent double counting I used the higher figure of the two totals. This produced a tally of 14 Small Heath, 2 Brown Argus, 2 Grizzlies, 6 Dingies, 2 Common Blues and of course that cracking Small Copper. Not bad for 10 minutes or so!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Wurzel - I love it. Now you are reporting on Spring brood Coppers just as the Summer ones are getting going! At this rate you will be reporting your sightings of Brown Hairstreaks when everyone else is doing Orange Tips!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, great shots again I've not see a Small Copper this year yet, hope to do so in Kent Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie The problem is I get near to catching up and then I make a load of trips out so I'm behind again I will have caught up by Christmas I promise
Cheers Goldie Good luck with your search for a Copper. We had shed loads here in Salisbury for a while but they were about 6ft tall

July 2018

The one post that I am on time with...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely Butterfly calendar Wurzel, I'm hoping one of those could still be around in EB Woods. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie I've got my fingers crossed for you

Martin Down 26-05-2018

The last time I was at Martin Down it was a cracking morning after the preceding dismal afternoon. I was on my way back to see how things had moved on and hopefully to pick up a few more Marshies as they were only just getting going on my visit to the Hill. As I drove along the Blandford Road I scanned ahead and saw a large body of cloud. So I switched from radio to iPod (Iron Maiden of course, Killers natch) and put the pedal to the metal to race the cloud. Pulling up in the car park I was like a machine; boots on with one hand, camera out with the other and then I walked-ran across the car park and down and across the hollow to start my way along the Dyke. Almost immediately I saw two Frits. One seemed orange cream and the other more red.

Phew! A few shots in the bag and now it was time to relax and enjoy the butterflies before the cloud covered the sun and spoilt things. I switched myself from ‘Sports Mode’ to ‘wander’ and set off. My progress along the Dyke was faltering as there was so much to see with butterflies all around. The Dingies and Grizzlies from before were joined by Brown Argus, Common Blues and Small Blues. Occasionally a White would add tone to the colour palette and then the finished product would a hove into view…another Marshie looking like a paint it by numbers masterpiece.

After the Butts I was shocked to see all the scrub had been cleared so now the sheltered scallops were gone and with them the butterflies. It seems they’d all moved to the Dyke as this was where I saw almost all of the butterflies. As I came to the little half way island where another path crosses the Dyke I found some cracking Burnt tip Orchids and an avid Botantist was raving about a pretty unassuming yellow flower. Apparently it was a ‘3 star species’; a Field Fleawort. I suppose to a botanist it’s a bit like the cache of seeing the little brown job that is the Mountain Ringlet?

There were now a few patches of cloud cover which would lead to a slight temperature drop when they came over though nothing like the forecast. Good job I’d ignored it again. This bit of Dyke looked like it had been recently cut back and the bare patches of earth made great landing spots for an Adonis Blue.

So time eking away I made my way back along the Dyke stopping for anything that sat still long enough to get my lens on it. This meant that my progress was possibly even slower than on the outwards journey. It was great! I could literally feel my blood pressure and heart rate dropping, stress evaporating from my shoulders. I carried on delightedly seeing Small Blues, Brown Argus and even more Marshies showing lots of variation.

Eventually I looked up beyond the path and its margins and I was almost back at the car park! So I put my head back down and sought out the species that I’d come to see to make sure I had my fill before I went for home.

Another cracking visit! I’ve fallen back in love with Martin Down, even if it is in Hampshire

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Excellent Marshie shots, Wurzel. In Butterfly terms it seems an age
ago since they were out, now that the high Summer species are with us.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Lovely Marshies Wurzel, it's quite a while since I saw them and I treasure the shots I've got of them Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor And yet it was only 5 weeks ago Mind you this season has possibly been the most frenetic that I can recall - I only hope that come August-September there are still some butterflies about
Cheers Goldie If I didn't have a thing about the Hedge Brown then I think this species would satisfy my penchant for variation

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Wurzel - Great Marsh Frits. And there it is - the orchid mentioned about a month ago - the Burnt Tip Orchid. Fantastic.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie I'm slowly getting there

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Bentley Wood 27-05-2018

Many hours in Ikea is not exactly my ideal Sunday but sometimes you just have to grin and bear it, put your head down and think about the Brownie points you’re accruing when it gets really bad (generally as you enter ‘Market Hall’). So it was today but my Brownie points were due to be cashed in almost immediately because as a reward for my patience we were stopping at Bentley Wood on the way home…
There were only a few cars in the car park and the book told the usual tale – the odd Skippers and Pearls so onwards we went with a couple of Specklies popping up on way in and a busy looking Pearl.

The girls set up their camp in the idle of the clearing by the bench under the tree showing their mum how to do it. With everyone settled I set off for a bit of a wander. The first butterfly I found was a bit dark for a Pearl I thought and was also sticking to the Bugle in amongst the reedy looking grass. I tried for a few shots and looking through the viewfinder as I took them I thought ‘Small Pearl’. A flash of underside and I was convinced but the images were pretty dire; mainly grass with a little bit of butterfly. It bombed away and so I started off round the rest of the Clearing to see what I could find. There were a few Pearls about some not looking too bad and down round the bottom quarter I found a Dingy.

It was while I was here that I stumbled across a Marshie, and then another joined it as it fancied a little bit of the other. I couldn’t believe it! I’d seen my second set of Marshies in a secret location that was all a bit Secret Squirrels in Bentley Wood. Yet here were two nonchalantly hanging around in the Eastern Clearing. I spent some time with them as the sun went in and out of the clouds picking up a nice range of shots. And then I pointed them out to another enthusiast and made my way back to the camp for a bit to eat before setting out on round two.

This time I spent most of my time close to camp in the main section of the Clearing following round a couple of Pearls and trying for the underwing shot that proved so illusive the a fortnight previously. It was while I was doing this that I came across a second Small Pearl which put in the most fleeting of appearances. It was there one moment feeding nicely on some Bugle offered up a closed wing shot from a couple of different angles and then was gone almost as quickly as it had arrived.

Chuffed to have gotten the Small Pearl in the bag (top and underside shot) I mooched around in the area that the Marshies had been hanging around at. After a bit of time with them I was drawn back towards the middle of the Clearing again as the Small Pearl was back. This time it settled out in the open, God bless Bracken, and so I was able to see that it had the smallest of nicks in the left fore wing and so was a second individual. I took many shots of this butterfly but it didn’t move at all so almost all of my shots look the same.

Once more back at camp I took the girls for a quick wander to point out the three Frits on show and then we packed up and headed for home. We crossed the little wooden bridge (well three logs parallel) and made our way along the path that runs past the notice board. A small green moth zipped out from the Bracken and perched like a Greenstreak would at the tip of a branch only at the tip of a frond of Bracken. I focused in on the butterfly and couldn’t believe that what I was seeing was actually a Greenstreak, here in the middle of a clearing in the largest contiguous woodland in Wiltshire! I know that there are surrounding downs but they’re a fair way away.

Surprised and happy we finished the journey home. And there was me thinking that this would be a routine stop-off and possibly a waste of precious Brownie points; my first Small Pearl of 2018, three Marshies and a Greenstreak, the later looking very out of place. I wouldn’t have believed the report if I’d have read it in the book!

Have a goodun

Wurzel