Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave Martin Down and my Duke site were perfect substitutes for Cotley this year and they'll be getting good again just about now - you might be able to make a visit after Shipton - it'll soon be that time, I saw my first Brostreak yesterday at Alners Gorse so by the end of next week they should be out at Shipton

Bentley Wood 01-06-2021

The half term week had begun brilliantly – the full range of the Downland species interwoven with a brilliant walk and some surprise Marshies. Now it was back to a bit of normality – having to ferry one of my daughters about. I had to take her and a few friends to Southampton, thankfully I’d be able to drop them off and leave but then I’d have to try and find a way to pass about 6 hours. I didn’t fancy driving home and back again and the Heathland species hadn’t emerged so really there was only one option – cross country and back to Bentley Wood. It was ridiculously hot though so I didn’t hold out much hope…

When I set out towards the Eastern Clearing I passed a few fellow butterfliers who had given up and were heading for home. They wished me luck as apparently I’d need it and as I walked on further into the Clearing I could see why. It was eerily quiet with only the odd butterfly passing by at breakneck speed. All the ones I saw were pale and faded looking so were Pearls and by the time I’d reached the far corner I’d counted only three Pearls. The little end section was looking much lusher as it’s sheltered and shaded and a Specklie was taking full advantage of this fact hanging about in the boundary bushes.

I worked my way back to the central block and things seemed to pick up. The patchy ground along the dyke held three different Grizzlies, all interspersed and occupying their own territories. A few Brimstone passed by in various directions and then it went quiet again and I had to resort to walking a fair old way between butterfly sightings. From the central block and followed the path that led back to the entrance and then branched off into what I think of as the Marshie Field (after a notable sighting with Dave Miller a few years back). On the corner there was a Specklie. I then carried on following the path on the other side back towards the centre of the clearing before turning left and taking the back path. All was quiet here and so I kept on going back into the Wood proper. Here I paused to watch a female flitting about and arching her abdomen whenever she landed – more ovi-posturing than ovi-positing. On the walk back I spotted a much darker, more ginger looking butterfly. I was about 80% positive that it was a Small Pearl but I couldn’t get close enough to definitely confirm it.

My wandering had brought me back to the centre of the EC and as I continued to wander I spotted a pair of Brimstone. She was not having any of it, sitting with wings open wide and abdomen arched around. The male didn’t give up his harassment and his constant attention kept her moving and therefore me as well. However when she flew she did so backwards, I couldn’t work out if this was so that she could keep a close eye on the male or whether she was keeping her abdomen out of the way? Unfortunately for me when she got moved on by the molesting male she chose places with a reasonable amount of cover, possibly again to make it difficult for the male to swing his abdomen around and try and lock on but it meant getting any decent shots proved to be a tall order. Eventually the male gave up and flew off in one direction and after about 20 seconds the female left in the opposite direction.

As I was now in the Eastern Clearing I made another circuit. The far corner was quiet again with only a Broad-bodied Chaser and the odd aged Pearl, the Marshie field threw up a lovely bluish-green lizard and the large recently cleared field held a brace of Pearls and a Small Heath – quite what the later means in terms of habitat suitability for Small Pearls I’m not sure :-{

By now I was very hot and very sticky and I decided that my time would be better spent sitting drinking coffee in the shade of the car park and cracking on with a bit of work. As I walked over the bridge into the central part of the EC making my way to the car park a fast flying, dark ginger butterfly whizzed past me and then dropped down on a sprig of Bugle. The Numbskulls were leaping around and pointing, screaming inside my head “Small Pearl!” and “That’s a Small Pearl!” they were shouting. And so it was. With perfect timing to bolster the narrative the butterfly I’d been hoping to see had appeared just as I was giving up. I tried for a few record shots and then called out to any neighbouring butterfliers. It was quite active at first, flitting about here and there from one Bugle to another. It looked very fresh and the underwing looked resplendent even from a distance. Then after a bit of pottering when blades of grass and other leaves had gotten in the way it perched on a bit of rush and it closed its wings. There was the shot you hope for and so I fried off several before standing back and waiting for it to move one. After one more pit-stop it was sufficiently refuelled and it was away at breakneck speed.

With some time still to expend I finished up the visit with an aged Pearl and find a few more Grizzlies before making my way back to the car and back to pick the girls up. It had been hard work, really hard work if I’m honest but my half term had continued in a blinding fashion, albeit a bittersweet one – how much longer can the Small Pearl grimly cling on here?

Bittersweet success
Small Pearls are still at Bentley
How much longer though?
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Whitesheet Hill 02-06-2021

After the recent successes with various trips out and what with a certain species turning up on Social Media I managed to wangle a morning out again – was this turning into the best half term or what?

When I pulled into the car park it was still a bit dull and grey as the sun had yet to eat its way through the cloud but after the heat and stickiness of past days it was actually a welcome relief. It would also mean that finding the butterflies might be tricky but once found they should be easy to photograph as they’d be so placid. With this thought in mind I started getting my gear together when someone in another car leaned out of the window and asked “are you after the Glanvilles?”. So I said yes and then he very kindly led me to one. It just over the stile and four paces into the reserve sitting atop a flower and a little obscured. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been after my visit last year when I’d covered pretty much the whole hill. After thanking my guide, he set off and I set to getting some shots. As it was still early the butterfly was sitting basking so I went for those first and got in really close as well as laying down to get some stained glass shots taken from underneath.

Leaving it still basking I had a bit more of mooch around, picking my way carefully down the steep side of the Down and checked out the little bowl and the heavy ruts and hedges at the bottom of the hill. I found a female Adonis and followed her for a little bit, then had a look at a Small Heath and a Dingy which was dwarfed by the tall sides of the ruts that had been baked hard over the previous days. The sun started to peak though and was appearing from beneath the cloud more and more frequently so I climbed back up and relocated the Glannie. It started to close up in the sun revealing the fantastic underside.

Pleased with this I thought that I should make the most of the morning so I left the Glannie still sunning itself and set off diagonally down the near vertical side of the Down and then carried on along the track once I’d reached the bottom. Various things passed by as I walked along the bottom and on the corner where the Down sweeps round a Greenstreak sat nicely on the hedge. The base of the hill rolled out only just sloping and grass grew thick and lush here. As I looked around a Glannie went by and by the bright almost vivid orange colour it was a fresh one. A Red Admiral sailed past and a Common Blue played amid the Clover. All very nice but not really what I was looking for and then the sun was just right, the temperature hit a sweet spot and as if a switch had been thrown there were three Glannies frolicking in the field. In the warmth they were hard to approach and they didn’t want to sit still for too long so a lot of shots were from distance or a blur as they took off but I really didn’t mind it was just great to see them.

At this point I wondered about checking the steep sides of the hill but just as I was about to start the ascent I spied a familiar looking hat in the distance…it was our very own Lee Hurrell with his mate Dave from Cornwall. So now the butterflying became a jollier affair and still socially distanced we chatted and called out the butterflies as we walked backwards and forwards across the foot of the Down. This definitely seemed to be the favoured area and we managed a tally of 5 individuals. They were still hard work though as they were very flighty in the strong sun with its surprising warmth. However other butterflies played their parts in consoling us after missed shots or when the Glannies teasing got a bit much. The Lycaenids were well represented with Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, a male Adonis and even a Small Blue however, Glannies aside, the star of the show was a Marshie that decided to crash the Glanville party as it was a slight aberrant, the orange underwing markings were much reduced. However it had obviously read the Glanville play book because it too was almost unapproachable and after a few attempts at record shots it was gone!

My time was nearing its end and so I wished the others well and left the dynamic duo to their Glannies. The walk back along the rockhard tracks produced a lovely Small Copper, which despite a few notches and tears looked resplendent, bedecked as it was with a set of the biggest blue badges that I’d seen in a long time. There were also a couple of Glannies along the way which brought my total to eight for the visit and as I’d restricted myself to the confines of the track and small field I felt sure that there were more out there clinging to the steep down sides. Still 8 this year was 8 times better than last year and when I got back there were reports of them from a Dorset site just over the road from here so hopefully next year they’ll still be here.

Wonderful Whitesheet
Ms. Glanville played hard to get
Ever the Lady
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Fascinating to see Glanvilles from yet another site, Wurzel. You have to wonder if they could spread across any connected bits of habitat in somewhere like Salisbury Plain, and maybe become more widespread at a lower density.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I don't see why they couldn't, they're all over the continent and their range used to be much larger historically

Martin Down 03-06-2021

It had to happen eventually and it did, the weather put an end to my recent run of form. It had been cracking with; my first Walls at Pewsey Downs, actual Wall shots as well as Marshies and Dukes at Sidbury, Marshies on a walk near Farley, Dukes in cop at Fovant and first Adonis Blue at Martin Down, first Small Pearl at Bentley and to cap it all some Wiltshire Glannies! This was supposed to be a continuation with a trip to Corfe Castle and a little stop off in the car park there . However the weather shifted slightly and instead of the long promised sunny trip to Dorset it would have been cloudy with little possibility of any sunny intervals. So having moved the trip to the following day I took the girls out for a wander at Martin Down.

When we arrived it was still cool enough for a jumper and the breeze didn’t hold any warmth but ripped it away from you. What with Little L’s anxiety about Ticks we stuck to the main track and headed to the Butts. The birds were in full voice, Linnets, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Corn Buntings all put in a turn in a full Summer Soundscape. Whilst this was brilliant things on the butterfly front were sparse, in fact non-existent even in the thin turf field on the sheltered side of the Butt. We cut across this and worked our way along the track that runs atop the Dyke. The sun was doing its best to eat through the cloud but could only manage a slight brightening. No matter it was sufficient to make a few butterflies risk taking to the wing. I knew things were going to start happening when a Mother Shipton appeared on the scene. It was quickly joined by a couple of Small Blues and then a few Small Heath. As I carried on along the bottom of the Dyke Dingies started appearing amid the numerous Small Blues. Then I got onto a Grizzlie and near the half way point a few Common Blues and a really electric blue Adonis took to the wing. I tried my best to follow the Adonis but it soared majestically up and over the top of the Dyke right where it’s highest so instead I settled for an interesting looking Small Heath. It was fairly normal on one side but on the other the hind wing didn’t close up and so I was afforded a full topside view of the hind wing. Chuffed with this I climbed out and re-joined the girls who were sketching the Burnt-tip Orchids.

From here we carried on down towards the hotspot and on the way added a few more distant Adonis, Small and Common Blues and Small Heaths but it was hard going and when we reached the hotspot it was surprisingly quiet. That is until the sun found a crack in the cloud and suddenly butterflies were everywhere. Small Heath flitted about, impossibly small Small Blues flew in and out of the tallest of grass stems and the Adonis glittered from among the shorter turf. The terraces were buzzing with Dingies whilst the Small Heath favoured the Hollow where there were more Small Blues. The tiny little stand of grass on the corner of the path that leads into the Plantation was also alive with Small Blue and scanning across a patch of grass no bigger than about a metre square I counted 14 of them!

We then started a very slow walk back but I got only as far as the Terrace on the other side of the Hollow. I’d focused on a few Grizzlies in various states of repair and one was glorious with what appeared to be white epaulets on its fore wings but now I shifted to the Adonis. A few were looking a little jaded already with scruffy fringes and some scales missing but one was beautifully fresh and also very large. I spent some time following him, watching where he landed and then sneaking up for some shots and in one I pleased to get the two main ‘shades’ – one electric blue and the other more pastel blue when not catching the light.

I stuck to the main track until the half way point but saw the occasional Blue flash by as they disappeared down into the Dyke and so once we were at the half way pint the girls went on ahead to climb the Butt and I trailed behind to go once more down into the Dyke. There again were some Adonis and Common Blues, the odd Small Heath and the ubiquitous Small Blues but I also found a Brown Argus and a Small Copper to add to the Blues collection. When I was almost level with the entrance to the thin turfed field I also found a couple of Marshies. The first few were fairly typical coloured with their orange and brown liveries but a third one looked noticeably bigger and also much paler with more straw coloured chequers than usual. It was a lovely looking female and displayed slightly different behaviour from the males which would race around like hoons and then perch atop some foliage to seek out rivals or females. This lady seemed to prefer to stay in the shadows and there was always some leaf or blades of grass in the way. When she flew it was at a slower pace than the males and I easily followed as she flew up and out of the Dyke and down into the thin turfed field.

She made for a grand finale and so leaving her in piece we made for home to prepare for our trip to my homeland.

Cloud made a comeback
And so ended my grand streak
Still got some good stuff!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Benjamin]

You paint a wonderful early summer picture Wurzel! Very enjoyable to read about species I miss out on (in the uk) most years. Lovely stuff.

[Matsukaze]

Whitesheet Hill 02-06-2021

...With this thought in mind I started getting my gear together when someone in another car leaned out of the window and asked “are you after the Glanvilles?”. So I said yes and then he very kindly led me to one. It just over the stile and four paces into the reserve sitting atop a flower and a little obscured. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been after my visit last year when I’d covered pretty much the whole hill...

I see you had an easier time finding them than I did - I went the long way around, and only found the fritillaries at the end of the walk. The site is local for me and I usually have it pretty much to myself, so it was enjoyable to watch the groups of lepidopterists quartering the slopes (I saw more of them than I did fritillaries). The best part of the day though was finding a kind of slot of grassland on the slope surrounded by hawthorn scrub, which turned out to be Green Hairstreak paradise, where they would repeatedly fly around my head. Photography was impossible though owing to the difficulty of approaching the butterflies on the severe slope with broken ground, added to the usual wilfulness of the hairstreaks.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ben That is one of the good things about being behind, when I'm writing my posts I get to relive the glory days
Cheers Matsukaze I was lucky that the fellow butterflier put me onto it as I'd have walked right by The best bit seems to be about half way round at the foot of the Down, the hedge there is also good for Greenstreaks Maybe see you there next year?

Who’s Afeard! 04-06-2021

When we arrived at Studland the sun had still to find his hat let alone prepare to wear it and instead of sitting on hot sand with a warm breeze it felt strangely chilly amid the grey. As it was too early in the year for Grayling and Gatekeepers I used my camera to focus on the birds instead. The odd Pied Wagtail bounced by and three species of gull were on display – the Black Headed in near perfect breeding plumage, the Herring Gulls were squabbling over some crab limbs and one of the Great Black Backed Gulls flew past with a whole one clenched between its beak. However the hoped for Med Gull was a no show and after a few wanders along the strand I settled down to drink coffee and write. The time to move on soon arrived and so we dusted off the sand from our feet, re-shod and set off for Corfe Castle. As the sun was now sorting itself out and had obviously read the weather report so it knew what it was supposed to be doing we stopped to partake the view. We scanned across Godlingston Heath (didn’t see any distant Small Pearls) and Poole Harbour beyond and the vista was just as stunning as always. However pre-booked National trust tickets wait for no man and so once more we hit the road.

The butterflies had started to become active and on the route I noted a Brimstone, male Orange-tip, a UFW and a couple of larger, dark butterflies – probably Peacocks. Things were boding well for a little foray in the car park…When we pulled in the car park which was empty when we’d previously passed was full so after driving round a couple of times to see if there were some nooks that I could squeeze my car into I waited for someone to leave and luckily someone pointed out that there was a space hidden by a large Transporter van. Safely parked the girls went to the Ladies and so I scrambled back across the car park to the steep bank. With my first glance spotted a little yellowy blur – my first Lulworth of 2021! A second flew in and then I had to turn mountaineer to try for a few shots. I was quite pleased with the results bearing in mind that most were taken with one hand as the other was desperately gripping onto the bank to prevent gravity running my day.

A conservative estimate was 5 Lulworths but I’d only covered about a quarter of the steepest part of the bank before the girls were calling me down and we set off for the Castle. There were a few whites and the odd Specklie on the way up as well as a Common Blue fluttering around some of the fallen ramparts. As we had our tickets checked I caught sight of a Painted Lady out of the corner of my eye and managed to grab a few shots before lunch while pointing it out to Little L.

After lunch we set off up the hill to the Keep and on the way there were some interesting looking succulents seemingly growing out of the bare rock and crumbling masonry. Another Painted Lady evaded my lens but I didn’t mind as it put me in the right place for a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. After this it went quiet again – it felt possibly too early for the butterflies that I’d seen here in visits past - Wall Browns, Lulworths etc. so I just enjoyed the scenery which included a cat in a back pack! On the walk back down to the Gatehouse the screeching of a bird of Prey turned out to be a pair of Peregrines which set off along nine Barrow Down and the Painted Lady was still there to wave us goodbye.

Back in the car park the girls again needed to answer the call of nature and so I set off across the car park for the steep bank. This time I checked out the area just to one side of the steep steps cut into the chalk. There were three or four flying about here and so I once again clung grimy to the cliff face and clicked away revelling in the little mustard/olive beauties. All too soon there was a familiar call of “Wurzel” and so I had to return to the car and from there head home…but I’ll be back!

Back home to Dorset
A target easily found
Glorious Lulworths

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Well done risking life and limb for those Lulworths Wurzel, they would be a lifer for me.
But my mrgeeens are reserved for your stunning Hummingbird HM shots .
Somehow you managed to get them in frame , and perfectly ' frozen ' .
They have to be the trickiest subject of all !.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor There a couple of sets of steps cut into the chalk of the bank but the butterflies, as usual, like to be as far away from these as possible hence my imitation of Sherpa Tenzing I got lucky with the HHM, good old Sports mode on the camera and autofocus

Out and about…

Middle Street 05-06-2021

The Half-term break was waning fast and the weather was changing to cooler and damper weather that we don’t usually associate with ‘Flaming June’. Luckily there were still a few bright spells in amongst the clouds and I took advantage of one of them to have a quick mooch around Middle Street. Once I’d safely negotiated the busy Town Path I was soon through the gate and working out where to head next. At this time of year the Hotspot round by the Pond is more of a damp squib so I turned a sharp left the moment I was in through the gate and worked my way round to the End from the other side of the football pitch.

As I walked along the little paths that cut across the field I spotted a Common Blue and so I found a little animal track into the taller grasses and managed to relocate it. There was also a second that was actually in better nick. Both were very flighty in the warmth and so after a few record shots I reverted to wandering the little trackways and searching out a greater range of species. The probable highlight of the trip appeared shortly after I’d resumed my meanderings in the form of a dull, carpet like Dingy Skipper. This species is always nice to see but doubly so as this was my first record form this site and it left me wondering where it had come from?

Once my bimbling had brought me to the End proper I turned about and made my way back across the field along the smaller paths that would eventually bring me round and back up to the Bank path and from there onto the Dips. The vegetation was sheltered on one side by the bank path and so it had grown to quite a respectable size. The first little bit was a bit like a bowl and offered a nice microclimate, noticeably warmer than the grasses out on the field exposed to the wind. As I scanned around a Brown Argus popped up and I see that it was a possible aberrant as the cell spot on the upper side was ringed in white – so an ab.snelleni. This was swiftly joined and almost as swiftly shooed away by a Small Copper which was in a much worse state of repair. Occasionally the Dingy and the two Common Blues which were joined by a third would dare to enter into the flight space of the Brown Argus and battle would ensue – the Brown Argus always seemed to come out on top and so would return to its perch and continue to survey its domain for further intruders.

I seemed to have spotted all of the butterflies in this area and so I walked back along the Bank. When I neared Dip 1 I scanned down to my right as this spot in the past has held OTs. There were none today but I did spot a female Red Admiral – I’, guessing that it was a female by its behaviour, flying low over the nettles and occasionally dipping down to investigate one plant in particular before moving on. Whilst this was great to see it meant getting any shots was next to impossible as none of the nettles seemed to be of high enough quality to meet her exacting standards. I followed after her anyway ever hopeful but she dodged me when she flew into the Dips where a second Red Admiral also played hard to get and a Painted Lady made it clear that she was just passing through and wasn’t stopping.

I carried on round and as expected the Hotspot wasn’t even thawed let alone tepid so instead I spent some time looking for colour variants among the Damselflies. I struck it lucky almost immediately with a pair in cop, one of which is green and the other a violet/blue colour. What I can’t work out is that the female is normally the one that displays colour morphs yet in this ‘wheel’ the male is green – could it be an male that is sexually mature but just hasn’t developed the adult/retained the teneral colouring? I kept searching about and managed to find what I think is a female Blue-tailed of the form violacea as well as a standard Azure.

After this little break from Lepidoptera and with various half remembered latin names knocking about in my brain I sallied forth and turned my attentions to butterflies once again. Again there were two very flighty Red Admirals passing through Dip 1and along the way towards the end there were three Whites that evaded identification though I reckon all three were Smalls. Once at the End I start the stroll homewards, ever so slowly, and on the way manage to relocate one of the three Common Blues as well as both the Brown Argus and the Small Copper. I also paid a bit more attention to the Moths as all of a sudden they seemed to have started flying? There was a Mother Shipton, Burnet Companion and a Yellow Shell all of which manage to evade my lens – possibly picking up on the infer-red from the autofocus? Something that did actually sit still for a photo was a Bee Orchid appearing, at least to mind, as a very happy little Gnome.

Town Path and Five Rivers 06-06-2021

The following day was pre-back to work and so I had to do all of the work that I hadn’t managed to fit in and around my butterflying from over the break (it’s not really a holiday when the expectation is that you’ll spend a lot of it working for free). However in between marking and filing, planning and resourcing I managed to fit in a walk to Waitrose and home along the Town Path with my wife. Not many butterflies showed their faces but a Cinnabar did drop down in front of us at one point. I have a feeling that it was only freshly emerged from its cocoon as the wings were still slightly crumpled.

A little later I needed another break from the books and so I grabbed my camera and made for Five Rivers. Unfortunately the cloud had had decided that it had held off for long enough and so it crept menacingly across the site as I made my way from the car park. The wind joined in the fun and whipped itself up which had the detrimental effect off keeping the butterflies down. I manged to find only a single Specklie sitting on guard duty at the edge of the Glades and a brave but blustered Small Heath clinging to some grasses in a sheltered scallop on one of the Banks.

Larkhill 07-06-2021

And so arrived the first day back at work. As it had been, as the Americans say, such a doozy I took some respite and stopped off at Larkhill on the way home. It was again dull and cool, blustery and damp – the balmy weather of the week before was a memory vanishing more quickly than any tan I’d accrued. As I walked up the track a single solitary Small Heath once again stayed firmly rooted to its place stoically sitting out the drear and once more showing the courage of this species (or is it stupidity?). As I walk back a Small Copper disappears before I can get any shots but a Common Blue does sit for me so my trip isn’t totally devoid of benefit and I drive home a little less stressed.

A couple of trips
What happened to the weather?
Is this flaming June?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Nice stuff as always, Wurzel It's not good to read about the sad decline of Pearl and particularly Small Pearls at Bentley Wood We had some lovely trips there and were always lucky to find plenty of each

[Wurzel]

Cheers Maximus Pearls are doing okay, but Smalls are in serious trouble - I reckon next year I might need to venture into Somerset for them, though the site was a bit damper this year so they could bounce back - fingers AND toes crossed

August 2021

Here we go time to fill your boots with butterflies before the season starts waning

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Art Frames]

I love the damsels. I have spent many happy hours photographing them and then even longer trying to work out which is which. I wish as a young lad I had also studied dragons and damsels alongside butterflies as I would probably be as familiar with those. Maybe not, but the names and ID features just won't stick in my brain however many times I look them up now.

Lovely to see the light, shapes and colours of them, whatever they were

[Wurzel]

Cheers Peter I know what you mean about the ID features not sticking, I sit there with the shots on the laptop and an app open on my iPod for what seems like an age staring at them both but not quite knowing if I've got the IDs correct All part of the fun though

Work 08-06-2021

Once more into the breach and all that…well that’s the way it’s felt at work recently – endless marking, endless moderation and endlessly filling in paperwork and filing stuff. All the while knowing that we’ve paid the exam board huge sums of money (tens of thousands) for the privilege of doing all their work for them! Oh well I needed a break from GCVQ forms and the like so I grabbed my camera and headed out towards the Pits. In the gloom I wasn’t really expecting too much so it was great when a Small Copper caught my eye, flashing out in the dull. Even better I realised this was the first record for the school site. It looked quite worn so perhaps it had been around for a while and I’d missed it but more likely it had come in from somewhere else and was possibly still pausing on. With this nice little surprise logged and on the memory card I continued on into waist and in some places chest high grass at the Pits.

It was actually really quiet save for a Mother Shipton hanging around the margins of the small paths and trackways that criss-cross the Pits. I don’t know what’s up with them this year, whether they’ve been caught out by the cooler than normal temperatures or the general dampness in the air but they’re certainly on their best behaviour. I’ve never known them to sit willing for a photo, that is, unless there are more than several blades of grass between them and the lens. Normally you get within a metre of them and the autofocus has them flipping out and flying off.

After this nothing else wanted to come out and so I made my way back towards the Lab. A Red Admiral bombed across from the garages and disappeared into the Primary school and there was a second sitting on the wall of the Tech block. Alas as soon as I was over the gate and aiming at it it was gone, almost in a puff of smoke. I didn’t mind too much it was just nice to breathe some fresh air and look at something other than paper! Hard to remember that I’ve only been back two days!

Needed to get out
Blinded by the paperwork
Thank you Small Copper

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 10-06-2021

It was another one of those ‘Trapped Time’ sessions, not enough time to get home and back to work before the Parents evening started. Once I’d caught up with my Department and we’d sorted a few things out I still had some time left and so I grabbed my camera and made for the Pits. It wasn’t particularly bright or warm and so I made the most of everything that turned up. The Mother Shipton for some reason played up this afternoon yet I’d expected the cooler, duller weather to have cooled their jets somewhat. However a few of the smaller insects sat for me once I’d turned my lens on the Pyramidal Orchid. This has happened before; nothing is sitting still, nothing is stopping so I start taking photographs of the Orchids or wildflowers and then the butterflies and moths practically wave their tarsi at you. This time a Lacuna(?) moth and a leafhopper vied for my attentions. I managed to get a really good look at the Leafhopper in particular, getting right up in tis grill as it were and it reminded me of a villain from the Star Wards films.

When I broke through the line of trees a Specklie was there to greet me and then I made my way down the track scanning across the unmown field and counting the Small Heath. Along the way to reaching 9 Small Heath one made me follow it a little off the path. It looked really dusky and dark when it flew and also when it eventually sat still. It also had a dark brown line etched into the fore wing underside, something I’ve not seen before.

At the end I was just turning around when there was a golden blur, about the same size as a Small Heath but much more golden. I watched it settle knowing full well that I’d just picked up a first for the year what with it being a Large Skipper. It was beautifully fresh and in the dull it shone out like a lighthouse beam. I love the crispness and the contrast between the white outer and dark inner fringes in the really fresh Large Skippers. Chuffed with this I made my way back reaching a return count of only 5 Small Heath. And then it was time to talk data, expectations and predictions; at least I’d gotten out.

Gotta love trapped time
Down tools, away to the Pits
Find first Large Skipper

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 11-06-2021

It was quite cloudy and grey when I headed out and though I kept my eyes peeled the butterflies stayed hidden away whilst the sun did likewise. Luckily the Specklie was loath to give up his post else I might have completed the lunch time trip out without a butterfly to photograph! The stalwart was in his usual spot as I broke through the trees and then fluttered down to the ground to offer me a better opportunity to get some shots.

After this it seemed that the flood gates opened as once I set off down the edge of the field I started seeing butterflies. All were Small Heath which were sitting down in the short turf in the middle of the path. As I’d approach them the butterflies would take to the air, springing directly upward and waiting for their wings to catch the breeze and carry them away into the field. Every now and again I’d wade into the grasses to try and relocate them, generally without success. However I did manage to find a couple once they’d completed their evasion manoeuvres. The first was the darker individual that I’d found the day before. It was probably its’ darker colour and the dark band across the forewings that made this possible and today it posed in a better position. The second came moment later and I was glad that I followed it as looking back at the shots later it had an extra pupil in its eye.

Once I reached the end I turned about and made my way back. On the way I couldn’t beat the outwards count of 14 Small Heath so that’s the number to report. It just goes to show even on the most unpromising looking of days something can still turn up to make it worthwhile just getting out there.
Unpromising day
But something always turns up
Double eyed Small Heath

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Bentley Wood 12-06-2021

After the flying visit Id made previously I wanted to see if there were any other Small Pearls flying. I’d seen reports in the interim of with numbers of 3, 6 and 8 Small Pearls so I was hopeful that I might find at least one more for the season. Hence it was off to Bentley Wood reasonably early having done a good number of household chores. As I walked into the main section of the Clearing I saw that several groups of people had had the same idea. After noting a Specklie I got chatting to one gent (Mark Jones I believe – I’ve taken to noting down names as I am absolutely useless at remembering them) who’d already had some luck in the middle section of the Clearing which over the years has always produced the goods. As we talked 2 or 4 Pearls flew by looking pale and pallid compared to the dark ginger Small Pearls that I’d encountered on my previous visit. A Dingy Skipper pops up briefly and then a Small Pearl does a fly-by. Mark heads on an leaving various other butterfliers to try and track it down the now vanished Small Pearl I avoid the throng and head towards the bottom section. As I located a Large Skipper in the little area that the Dukes usually like I realised that I’d not fired a single shot so I set about to rectify this misdemeanour.

I then walked back through the EC and carried on towards the Marshie site spotting a few Pearls flying about and occasionally landing on the path looking a shadow of their former selves. In the Marshie site itself all was quiet with only a Specklie (probably the same one I’d seen on the way in) and the most ubiquitous moth of 2021 – the Mother Shipton. From here I found myself back in the central area. I got chatting again and watched as a Specklie flew through and it was joined by singletons of Grizzlie, Large White and Pearl. After a bit more of a chat I set about trying to capture various of the butterflies on film as it were and in doing so found another couple of Grizzlies. The/a Small Pearl did another circuit turning up in the same place as before; the little patch of reed near the line of trees that demarcates the end section of the Clearing.

I reckoned that it was passing through every 20 or 30 minutes and so with this in mind I realised that I’d missed it this time round. I wondered how far the circuit it was flying was and to test out an idea I left the main clearing and made for the field that had been cleared a few years back. It’s now thinly grassed over with small Birch trees sprouting up and reaching about chest height. On the far side the field slopes down into a drainage ditch with is lined with the same reed growth and little boggy areas that the Small Pearls seem to like. As I crossed across to the far corner with a mind to work back towards the Clearing along the fence I spotted a few Pearls along the way one of which seemed quite fresh whilst it was flying but when it stopped I could see that the margins were missing entirely. As I watched it more another slightly different shaped butterfly flew straight up from a clump of grass with a weak, flappy flight. Having not seen one for several months it took me a moment to realise what it was – my first Meadow Brown of the year. It played hard to get and was very twitchy even for this neurotic species so the best I could manage was a distant record shot.

Chuffed and realising that it had been almost 20 minutes I made my way back to the spot the Small Pearl had been favouring. Sure enough when I got back a darker and faster Frit flew from across the ditch and circled round looking for nectar sources. It paused just long enough for a few grab shots and luckily the few other butterfliers were looking on the far side of the Clearing so it was relatively easy to approach. However it didn’t hang around here for too long as there wasn’t an awful lot of nectar available which could explain why it was flying around in circuits; it was giving various of the nectar sources time to replenish?

Once it was away diagonally across the Clearing I took a quick walk around the end section where a Large White was holding the territory and then when I broke out from the bottom section I saw that the other butterfliers had also worked out that the Small Pearl was doing circuits and so we waited en masse for its eventual return. A Brimstone went past as did my second Meadow Brown of the year and then slightly earlier than expected the Small Pearls dropped in. It flew from one plant to the next and finally found one which was still full so started supping. Luckily I was the closest in line to the butterfly so I managed to get a few shots that I was quite pleased with. It stuck around for slightly longer this time and explored a few more flowers offering everyone the opportunity of a few shots although at times it did feel a bit like a scrum. It must have had a soft spot for me as I’d wait for it slightly further away and it would come towards me and then turn just so.

I’d have been happy to watch it and just enjoy the sighting for possibly the last time at this site but there were several avid photographers bout now so I slipped off to avoid the ‘scrum’ as one other butterflier that watched form the side lines called it.

Another Small Pearl
Hanging on in Bentley Wood
Is this the Swan song?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Interesting about the 20 mins loop - I have only noticed much shorter loops with butterflies before so will have to look out for longer one!
Love the specklie shot - it is almost glistening

[Wurzel]

Cheers Katrina

The Devenish 12-06-2021

Once I’d returned home from Bentley in good time (to pick up some much needed Brownie points) and with the ‘extra’ shopping done my wife fancied a walk in the sun. So we loaded up Little L, picked up her cousin, even Littler L and popped over to The Devenish. Things took a while to get going… There was a Green-veined White in the car park and a Red Admiral patrolling the path on the far side of the wood at the top of the hill but with a third of the walk completed 2 butterflies was a paltry sum. Onwards we pressed and leaving the woodland behind us we worked our way through the fields of corn and then down and up the high hedged path. A Small White fluttered by as did a male Orange-tip and there were the occasional Specklies wherever a scrap of trees were around. One actually sat still long enough for a few shots when we left the confines of the high hedge and broiled once more in the sun.

It was with some relief that we dove once more into the woodland of The Devenish and made our way to the swings so little legs could get a break from gravity. Semi disaster awaited us however for instead of two swings there was only one. The dead branch had finally snapped on the bouncier of the swings. Leaving the girls taking it in turns and my wife relishing the shade I made my through the curtain of trees and strolled along the Middle Down about half way up. A middle sized butterfly erupted from the grass in front of me a bounced away down the slope. It was a Meadow Brown and I managed to get off a record shot before it once again bounced away. This time it put up a second and so I watched as the dispute raged and then followed the one that was heading in my direction. As luck would have it I’d chosen to follow the second individual and it was ever so slightly less flighty than the first so I was able to get slightly better record shots although as is so often the way when they’re fresh this one kept choosing spots to sit shielded by errant blades of grass. When I got to the main section of Down I was greeted almost immediately by a male Adonis Blue but in the heat whenever he landed he shut up shop almost immediately. A quick stroll down past a few more Adonis, the odd Spotted (5 or 6 I didn’t have time to check which) Burnet, a plethora of Foresters and what I think will eventually become a Fragrant Orchid and I was in the Orchid Meadow…

It’s strange but on the whole hillside the best spot always seems to be a tiny patch just to the left of the gate which is only about the size of a tennis court of two. So it was today and almost immediately I was assailed by lepidoptera. First up was a Burnet Companion which was shooed away by a reasonable looking Grizzlie which was obviously trying to live down its Common name. Next up to catch my attention were a brace of Brown Argus which were bickering so much I couldn’t get a shot off. A slightly older Grizzlie made things a bit easier for me and then I got onto one of the three Common Blues before a male Orange-tip teased me and led me back to the Brown Argus territory. The slightly more worn one started playing up for the camera whilst the more pristine BA would pop in, cause a bit of chaos and then bugger off before I could get my lens on it. Whilst I was trying to follow this little devil I spotted an Orchid. At first I thought it was a standard Spotted but the colour was slightly odd, the spots seemed to join into line on the side of the petals, the lip of the flower didn’t have three distinct lobes and there were only about 10 flowers in the inflorescence? With something to look up later I got back to the butterflies…

I was hoping to find a Large Skipper here so I set off for the far end of the Meadow as that’s often where they hang out. On the way I stopped for a more brown than blue Common Blue female which was trying to sun itself during the one time that a cloud had floated over the sun. It was actually quite handy for me as it meant that instead of zooming off she sat still. I then followed a Mother Shipton to the end of the reserve before turning back. As I reached the part by the gate I heard first and then saw the girls coming down the Down. I pointed a Common Blue, a Brown Argus and the odd Orchid before trying to find a Grizzlie. When I did it was an absolute stunner, fresh out of the box. When it feed in the sun its underwings flashed red and whilst it held them closed they took on a metallic copper colour and the fringes were so long and luscious they appeared almost two tone with the furthest part of them darker than that closer to the wing. When it turned and caught the sun it practically gleamed and momentarily I was taken back to Portugal and Red-underwing Skippers. When the sun retreated behind a cloud it darkened in hue and I was able to get in much closer so I could see that it was less heavily marked on the hind wings than I’m used to. There is a large block of white normally which on this one was reduced to a little bar of white. A cracking butterfly to finish up with and the Devenish didn’t disappoint.

Took a sun filled walk
Odd Orchids, gorgeous Grizzlie
Nil disappointment

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel
P.S That Orchid…looking it up on my app when I got back the best fit seemed to be Dactylorhiza traunsteineri – Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid?

[Wurzel]

Danebury Hillfort 13-06-2021

During the morning we’d visited the Iron Age museum at Andover where we’d seen the bones and tools dug up from various hillforts and burial mounds, we’d wandered through a life size recreation of a round house and marvelled at the suggested way the technology had been used. On the way home we turned off the main road at Middle Wallop and then headed over to Danebury Hillfort to see the real thing for ourselves. As I left the car the girls started up the hill along the road whilst I hopped over the fence and took the more scenic route up the hill. It meant that I got onto a Painted Lady at the bottom and also watched a couple of Common Blues arguing over something foul and fecal.

At the top of the hill the girls joined me on the grassy paths and we started seeing Small Heath as well as a few Common Blues. As we cut through the fence I once again split off from the pack to follow a Grizzlie for a while, something I hadn’t expected to see. With a few photos of the tired looking butterfly in the bag I caught up with the girls who’d set up the picnic blanket and we settled down to lunch…At least the others did I kept finding my eyes drawn to the taller veg around and the slope upwards from the main gate. Nearby Small Heath kept flicking up from the stems and Cinnabars fluttered weakly by. Across the way I watched a female Common Blue glide delicately down the side of the ring and then later a Painted Lady landed on the main thoroughfare into the fort.

With lunch over the girls went for an explore around in the inner circle and so did I. I started off by climbing up to the top of the inner ring and then scanning down into the main area of the hillfort. As I did I spotted couple of Meadow Browns and so I descended to try for a few shots. It was hard going as they seemed to know exactly how to perch with the maximum number of grass blades obstructing any view of them. I tried shifting around to find the spot with the clearest view but as if sensing my aim they always took flight as soon as I’d located the most open shot. I tried a different tack which was to watch one in flight following quite a way behind and then as soon as it landed nip in and get my shots. While I was doing this a much smaller mint choc chip butterfly went up. It was a Greenstreak and so I followed it as best I could but in the broiling sun it was very nippy. I stuck with it and eventually it too pose din such a way as to avoid obstruction.

I then heard the call of “Wurzel” and so re-joined my family for a very pleasant walk. We started on the top of the outer ring and then moved down seeking shade to the ditch between the inner and outer ring. Eventually the inner ring petered out and then we completed our visit by walking around, out and then back down the hill. On the way I was just content to watch the Meadow Browns, Large Skippers, Small Heath and a few DIngies and Grizzlies. To be honest this was just as well as their activity rate had soared along with the temperatures!

Rise up ancient rings
A butterfly bastion
Danebury Hillfort

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 14-06-2021

After a baking weekend the new working week continued in the same vain and once again it was baking. In fact it was even warmer in the Lab as there was no refreshing breeze of which to speak and the new roof held onto the heat in a way that it hadn’t during the oldest months. So when the bell rang I was away to the fields, my rapid progress cooling me slightly as I displaced the air around me manufacturing my only breeze. As I rounded the corner by the Nursery a Common Blue went up from some Clover and as I watched if loop around never landing I wondered if it was the same one that I’d seen hassling a Red Admiral during break duty? As it was in no mood to stop I carried on and when I reached the start of the overgrown Pits a blindingly fresh Small Tortoiseshell went up and disappeared across the fence and into the Primary school. A Mother Shipton too played hard to get and after a Peacock also did a daring run into the grounds of the Primary school so I was left wondering if anything was going to stop? To console myself somewhat I took a few shots of one of the Pyramidal Orchids before I carried on through the break in the trees and down the field along the hedge.

When I reached the unmown/meadow section I kept to the path on the way down, treating it like a proper Transect and only counted the butterflies a metre on either side. Doing this I managed to ratchet up a count of 11 Small Heath, one of which looked darker than all of the others and so was probably the individual that I’d photographed the previous week. Upon reaching the end I turned around and this time made my way back through the meadow sticking to tiny tracks which zigged and zagged through the pockets of different grasses all the while making progress which was roughly parallel to the footpath. This time I came up with a count of 12 so the tally could have been up to 17 in reality. At the corner and just by the break through the Specklie was back but in the heat was even more flighty than usual.

I then took the second path across the Pits and followed a golden blur until it came to rest on a large leaf. It turned out to be (as suspected) a Large Skipper and whilst it was sitting in such a cracking pose it would have been rude not to have tried for a few shots, so I did.

On the final walk back a Common Blue once again went up from some unseen lair and while I watched it completing various ‘circuits and bumps’ a second Common Blue detached itself and flew on an intercept path. When the two met there was a brief spiral before both flew off…and only one returned. It must have become knackered as he dropped down and started feeding. After a few shots I left him in peace to recover from his exertions and headed into the Lab for yet more GCSE paperwork…

It’s frantic at first
But then things start to settle
Warrior at end

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel