Neil Hulme

[David M]

Such a delight to have found this species in your neck of the woods, Neil. It fills a nice gap too - after the Dukes and Frits but just before Emperor season!

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, all.
Allan: Your timing should be fine to see the Sussex Black Hairstreak.
Trevor: A man's work is never done.
David: June Gap? What June Gap? There's no such thing in Sussex now!
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Last Of The Small Pearls, For Now

The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary first brood flight season on the BC reserves in Sussex is now winding down, with just three females seen in Rowland Wood today (9 June). The good news is that they will fly again this year, with a second brood emerging in the last days of July or first few days of August. They've had a brilliant season here and the reintroduction appears to have been a great success.

In warm but overcast conditions an elderly female Brimstone was still laying plenty of eggs on the short regrowths of coppiced buckthorn, while caterpillars were easy to find. Large Skipper was present on both reserves, together with Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Common Blue.

Much to the delight of my kids, we found several Adders and Grass Snakes.

[David M]

Sad to see SPBFs declining, Neil, but it's encouraging to know a few will grace those parts later in the summer.

Much as I love these Frits, hats off to the humble Brimstone which is a true survivor! I've seen a handful myself this month, meaning I'm in the company of butterflies almost a year old!

Fair play to that female who's still hard at it!

[Neil Hulme]

Silver-studded Rainy Day

On a drizzly day in early June (12th) there was only one (fairly) sensible option open to me - Silver-studded Blue at Iping Common. It didn't take me long to find half-a-dozen males, but the increasingly persistent and heavy rain prevented a wider search.

[Allan.W.]

Great stuff Neil ! ,love the Silver Studs and hopefully another species to look out for next week !
I suppose you wouldn,t happen to know if Frog Orchid grows at Fairmile Bottom would you ?? Regards Allan.W.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Allan.
Yes it (Frog) does, although I haven't checked this year. Let me know if you're visiting Fairmile.
BWs, Neil

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for that Neil ,I did wonder if they may be there ,and we will be looking in at Fairmile ,as its not too far from where we,re staying ,so I might try an early morning visit or two . Regards Allan.W.

[Mark Tutton]

Had a look for the Frog and Bee Orchids at Fairmile last weekend and couldn’t find either - but that doesn’t mean much where Frog Orchids are concerned as they can hide in plain sight!

[Neil Hulme]

Black Magic

Despite the dodgy weather this morning (13 June) I suspected that a few Black Hairstreak might be down on the Bracken at Ditchling Common, so phoned Dave Cook for a local weather report. He told me that he was going to head out and would let me know if anything was moving. It wasn't long before he called to say that he'd found one waiting for him. Another call, just a few minutes later, telling me that he'd seen a pairing, and I was in the car. At times I must have been right on the speed limit.

Fortunately, they were still there, remaining in cop for 1 hour 15 minutes. The female was down for more than 2 hours, sufficient for Trevor to catch up with her. Unfortunately he arrived just too late to see the happy couple.

There was plenty of other action and together we saw 11 individuals on the Bracken, including 7 females, all in good condition. Despite the unpromising weather, it was a day to remember. Thanks, Dave!

[Pete Eeles]

Another call, just a few minutes later, telling me that he'd seen a pairing, and I was in the car. At times I must have been right on the speed limit.

Seems to have paid off - superb images as ever!

Cheers,

- Pete

[trevor]

( Through gritted teeth! ) Great images of the mating pair Neil.
Almost as sickening as Dave's video !.

Seriously, a great afternoon.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Jack Harrison]

Neil

At times I must have been right on the speed limit.

"Sorry Officer, I was just on my way to witness a mating."

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Pete and Trevor. I was pleased with the shots given the very challenging conditions of low light and high wind. I took more than 100 images, but only 5 or 6 were passable. I overlooked the one below during my first sift through the mountain of blurred and grainy efforts.

Hi Jack. I don't think that excuse would hold water; I believe that dogging is also illegal.

BWs, Neil

[Jack Harrison]

It is reasonably obvious (but nothing in the butterfly word is ever certain) that the Ditchling colony is the result of an introduction “N” years ago. It might be true that given the right habitat, Black Hairstreak quite readily colonises if it gets the chance. I have heard it suggested that the distribution of Midlands Black Hairstreaks coincides rather well with the estates of one of the earlier members of the Rothschild clan. If I understand correctly, the Continental range of Black Hairstreak extends nowhere near to the Channel or North Sea coasts. So…???

The Ditchling colony remained undetected for a long while. Wasn’t there also a Cranleigh introduction that anecdotally might not have died out, merely moved slightly? So are introduced colonies lurking in plain sight in southern England? It’s not as if it’s a big showy butterfly. Compare with how a genuine big showy butterfly for long had remained undetected in many of its localities.

There's a challenge for you Neil and your Band of Merry Men of the Wealden Forests.

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Jack
Are there likely to be other colonies existing undetected in Sussex an Surrey? I would say probably yes, but a full explanation would require a mini-essay, which is a job for the winter.
BWs Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Ditchling Again

Another good day (14 June) at Ditchling Common, where numerous visitors from various parts of the South of England, including a posse from Surrey, enjoyed plenty of Black Hairstreak action. No mating pairs today (apart from Large Skipper), but a good selection of male and female butterflies were seen and all looks very promising for the weekend guided walks.

[Matsukaze]

It is reasonably obvious (but nothing in the butterfly word is ever certain) that the Ditchling colony is the result of an introduction “N” years ago. It might be true that given the right habitat, Black Hairstreak quite readily colonises if it gets the chance. I have heard it suggested that the distribution of Midlands Black Hairstreaks coincides rather well with the estates of one of the earlier members of the Rothschild clan. If I understand correctly, the Continental range of Black Hairstreak extends nowhere near to the Channel or North Sea coasts. So…???

The Ditchling colony remained undetected for a long while. Wasn’t there also a Cranleigh introduction that anecdotally might not have died out, merely moved slightly? So are introduced colonies lurking in plain sight in southern England? It’s not as if it’s a big showy butterfly. Compare with how a genuine big showy butterfly for long had remained undetected in many of its localities.

There's a challenge for you Neil and your Band of Merry Men of the Wealden Forests.

Jack

The Oxford Clay belt continues south-west from Oxford through Wiltshire and Somerset, and the butterfly has been found not too far from the Wiltshire border. There must be a reasonable chance it occurs in the woods around Swindon.

Re Continental distribution - it is resident around Rouen (Seine-Maritime, which is effectively south Sussex).

[David M]

Fabulous images of the Hairstreaks, Neil, especially the mating pairs. When the flight season is over please let us know how it compared with last year's glorious one.

[Neil Hulme]

BC Sussex Ditchling Common Walks

Congratulations to Jamie Burston and David Cook for their excellent guided walks to see the Black Hairstreaks of Ditchling Common yesterday (15 June), despite challenging weather conditions in the afternoon. The morning event was a 'walk in the park' and the large crowd (25+) was treated to numerous close-up views of the target species. Everyone managed to get photographs of a male hairstreak in perfect condition, within just minutes of arriving in Hairstreak Alley. Other highlights included an early Ringlet and a fabulous display of Common Spotted Orchids.

The weather collapsed for the afternoon event, but fortunately we had marked the position of a male Black Hairstreak sheltering from the drizzle, so everyone managed to see the butterfly at point blank range.