Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Some nice photos there Wurzel.

What would we do without our gardens? mine has certainly kept me sane at times this year

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil I've got a few more shots from the garden but I'm hoping that Pauline finally gets her Small Tort before I post them. I might not have my garden next year as we're thinking of buying and can only afford properties with "courtyard" gardens so I'll just have to count the local park as my garden instead

Weymouth and Lodmoor

On Friday I took both the girls down to the Weymouth area. We’d visited Arne and they had got their Bronze Spotters Badge, we’d also visited Garston Wood and so a visit to Radipole would mean that they could show their booklet and get their Silver and also their Gold Spotters Badges. Tall reed beds didn’t seem the ideal habitat for butterflies so I settled down to just enjoy the day with the girls.

After getting a bit lost on the monstrosity of the new road (For the Lympicss) we arrived to find that the visitor centre was gutted. Flooding in July had washed pretty much everything away apart from the walls and thatch! Still the girls presented their booklet to one of the wardens and took great delight in pinning their Silver badges on. We then set off to have a look around the reserve so they could collect observations for their Gold Award. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to the hide as the boardwalk was still under water so we kept to the stony paths and as the girls looked out for various things to tick in their Spotter Book I kept an eye out for things to photograph. There wasn’t an awful lot of butterfly life around with singles of Hedge Brown and Red Admiral as well as moth that decided to land on the path in front of us. The Red Admiral kept his distance from us so the shot I got was a bit distant but I like the way the light shines though the wings bringing out the red to contrast with the shadows.

There were dragon flies around and the small picnic area cut into the reeds was the territory it seemed of an Emperor Dragonfly. He wouldn’t land or even hover so there was no chance of a photo but a Darter was much more accommodating.

Once back at the Visitor Centre the girls went pond dipping to add to their “ticks” in the spotter book and by then the warden had managed to locate some Gold Certificates (I think they had to be printed especially) and a single Gold Badge. They hadn’t thought that anyone would have got to Gold and so possibly my girls were the first to receive them!

On our arrival during the morning I’d noticed that the sightings board had details for Lodmoor where there was a Wood Sandpiper – not really a rarity but it would be nice to see so we packed up, said our goodbyes to the wardens who had been fantastic to the girls, and headed over to Lodmoor to check it out.
Once there we headed to the “Magic Roundabout” which offers a good view point of the reserve. The short walk to the viewing points and back produced a couple of Whites, 2 Peacocks, 2 hedge Browns, 3 Speckled Woods, 2 Holly Blue a Brimstone and a possible Painted Lady; it had a similar style of flight to a Red Admiral but was pale orange, not like a Comma, lighter? As I looked out from the Magic Roundabout there was a single Greenshank, single Lapwing, single Little Egret and 3 Common Sandpipers. We then walked a little further to the “hump” and looked back across the marsh at 90 degrees to where we first looked. There were a few more Common Sandpiper but in one of the small pools were two wades that looked slimmer and least grey. One was a clean looking Green Sandpiper and the other was noticeably browner and spottier, the Wood Sandpiper. This was great as both species were almost within one scope view so I could make comparisons easily.

Green Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper...honest

Gold and Wood Sand in the bag as well as possible butterfly first we headed back homewards happy with the days haul.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down and Shipton Bellinger

I took my older daughter out with me on Sunday and we headed first to Martin Down to take part in the joint Wiltshire/Dorset outing. On arrival in the car park we loaded up and set off at quite a sedate pace noting Holly Blue, Green Veined White, Meadow Brown and Brimstones as we walked along the hedge at from Sillens Lane to where it transects Borkerley. A Comma and Peacock also put in brief appearances as well as the Dark Green Frit in the flower meadows on the left of the hedge. We were nearing the “hotspot” when the group stopped for a Small Tortoiseshell and I managed to spot first a Small Copper and then a Brown Argus amongst the grasses.
At the hotspot there were a couple of Small Skippers, 2 or three fresh male Common blues and two Brown Argus. The group had already started following Borkerley up the hill so we had to catch up with them, scanning the side the ditch for butterflies. Alost all the way up we were followed by Brimstone and Peacocks which always perched just out of reach on the other side of the ditch. Finally blues started appearing, a couple of male Chalkhills flitting along the sides of the ditch. As we progressed higher the numbers of Chalkhills increased until almost at the stopping point where there four or five fitting around our feet, including a single female. On our climb up the Down we’d also encountered a male Adonis Blue which refused to open its’ wings and a large number of Frog Orchids.

After a brief snack while the others had their lunch we said our goodbyes and headed off down the diagonal path and back to the car park. On the way there was a other Peacock and a Small Copper and near the bottom of the hill 2 male Common Blues and a few more Smessex. All in all it was an interesting morning but I found it slightly tricky trying to get photos as I didn’t want to disturb anything while there were so many people who might also like to see it. Still I think next time it would be good to go somewhere less familiar and that way I’ll get a lot more from it.
It was absolutely baking hot now and even the shade of the car didn’t offer any relief from the heat but we bravely set off to spend a couple of hours at Shipton and see f the gen I picked up yesterday would pay off. We were in such as hurry to get there and make every second count that we even ate our lunch on the journey...
w pulled into the car park at Shipton and eagerly made our way up the hill, stopping on the way to ask the occasional butterfly enthusiast that we’d see whether the Brostreaks were about. Again there were Brimstone and whites on the vegetation on either side of the path and again Meadow Brown were very frustrating as they kept jinking up high in a very suggestive hairstreak fashion. There seemed to be fewer butterflies today and as we rounded the Master tree we bumped into Pauline who very kindly showed us where the female was. She had to head off and so my older daughter and I stood watch of this beautiful butterfly. She was very absorbed in her feeding but every now and again she would fly higher up and further into the hedge, almost to stretch her wings, but then she would return to the original spot and start her way round the bramble blossom. She was up quite high so in order to get shots I had to hold the camera arms outstretched a peer through the viewfinder from about a foot away, clicking all the time. Still the technique seemed to work okay and I‘d rather have gotten a few shots than none.

After about half an hour of watching and photographing we decided to leave her in peace and wandered further along the hedge. There were a couple of Holly Blues, Brimstones and a Peacock amongst the numerous Meadow Browns nectaring in the hedge but we didn’t find any more Brostreaks. Having completed a circuit we’d ended up back at the place where the female had been but she must have realised that there were no more cameras around to pose for and headed off. After nectaring for so long I was surprised that she could actually lift her bulk!
I thought it would be good to head to the area that I’d visited the day before as my daughter could sit in the shade while I looked for Brown Argus. We were just passing a large bramble island before reaching the small bit of path and the springy turf where we were headed when something orange caught my eye. It was another female, quite far back in the bushes. Watching her all the time with one eye I scanned the bushes to see if there was a way to get any closer. As I edged closer, millimetre by millimetre so as not to disturb it (or even worse any Meadow Browns that go mental and then spook everything) I saw right in front of me a male.
He looked pretty worn, a sort of sandy brown colour rather than a honey glaze but he was good to see. The female then moved to a thistle head and he joined her on the same thistle. I moved round and managed to get a few shots before he shooed her away so that he could pig out on the nectar all by himself. He moved quite a bit but always staying around the front of the bush whereas the female preferred the bushes right in the middle of clump. Eventually she did come forward for a bit but she did seem more wary than the male. This same clump was also visited by a Comma, 2 Peacock, a couple of Brimstones and a male Hedge Brown, but my eyes were locked onto the Brostreaks.

Eventually it was time to go so we said our goodbyes and walked back to the car park, scattering Common Blues and Meadow Browns as we went. Again the vegetation on either side of the path had good numbers of whites and Holly Blue and again we had to stop in the play park on the way back.
I have been posting my outings slightly out of order but some people might have noticed that there is a pattern in my visits. On the Friday I took both girls out all day (Radipole and Lodmoor), on Saturday it was a trip with my younger daughter (Shipton Bellinger)and on Sunday it was the whole day with my older daughter (Martin Down and another visit to Shipton). I’d planned all of these visits to allow first my wife a break from the girls, then for the girls to have a break from each other and finally as all of my plans were reaching their culmination in me having a whole day out butterflying to myself...the weather starts to deteriorate slightly. Still there may still be time to squeeze in a trip to Alners Gorse...
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Wurzel,
Your last photo really shows off the beautiful colouration of the undersides of this butterfly, what a beauty. You have got it just right, lovely photo, well done.
All the best, Nick.

[David M]

Lovely images, Wurzel. The Brown Hairstreak is surely one of Europe's most beautiful insects.

[Gothic_dreams]

Some lovely photos Wurzel, love the Brown Hairstreak shots

Chris

[millerd]

I love the shot with the contrast between the two sexes, Wurzel.

I must try to see BH this week somehow!

Dave

[Zonda]

Hya mate, great to meet you today at Alners gorse. I hope you have some great images from Dorset's top spots. I haven't got a decent BH this year yet, but i'm hopeful for the week ahead. Look after the wife and kids,,,, regards Zonda.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel,

More great reports and photos, especially envious of the Brown Hairstreaks

Opportunities for a male and female together like that surely must be one of butterflyings rare moments.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Wurzel, your male and female BH together has to be one of the best photos I've seen this season. You should be delighted with it. Thought we'd done well with 2 males on the same thistle but that just takes the biscuit ....

[Wurzel]

Cheers Nick for your very kind comments

Cheers David I reckon it's number 2 after Small Copper, but that's just my personal bias

Cheers Gothic for your kind comments

Cheers Dave Good luck with finding your Brostreaks, make sure you check those forecasts

Cheers Neil the both sexes shot was a total blag I don't think I'll be able to replicate it.

Cheers Pauline It's normally me that's Mr Green about your shots!

Great to meet you today Zonda at Alners I only got three shots up close and the bushes got in the way Oh well I'll have to try and get back next week if the weather is good I'm looking into Flickr which would be fine if I could remember my Yahoo e-mail address

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

More from the Garden...

By the start of last week work was catching up with me and all the work I’d been putting off suddenly reared its’ head from under the bed where I’d hidden it at the start of the summer. So over the course of the week I planned and prepared in amongst taking the girls out and trying to find time for butterflies. During one of the days Nanny took the girls out so I set up outside in the garden; fold up chair, work and clip board to write on, large cup of coffee and of course my camera placed in the camera bag ready and set up. However I hadn’t even sat down when I saw my first butterflies of the day, two female Hedge Browns fluttering around the back door.

After that I set to work but I kept getting distracted by butterflies. A Red Admiral dropped down over the hedge near the back door it did a left turn and then flew the length of the garden before disappearing into the garden behind. Then there were the Whites, both Small and Large flitting forward and back but never landing long enough to get a shot. I tried to ignore them and settled back to work when a Small Tortoiseshell landed and proceeded to bask. I gently lowered the clip board, picked the camera up and slid off the chair. So as not to spook it I then elbow crawled commando style as close as I could so as to get some shots.

Happy with what I’d got I reverse crawled and sat back down for some more work. After a couple of minutes the Small Tort had obviously had a long enough break and so it took off to visit my neighbours. I then took this opportunity to get some fresh coffee taking my camera with me and snapping a Large White near the back door and a Meadow Brown that had got stuck in the garden room window. What was surprising about these shots was that I’d seen both species in the garden over the last few weeks but they were unapproachable once you’d gotten 6 feet from them. Yet today they were just chilling out by the back door or making themselves right at home.

I’d barely sat down when the Small Tortoiseshell reappeared on the path to bask. I saw “the” as I’m assuming that it was the same one. Again I gently let things drop to the grass, reached for the camera, slid off the chair and elbow crawled across the garden. If the neighbours had looked out of their windows they’d have thought I’d have lost it (but then you can’t lose what you never had ). This time it was less skittish and opened its’ wings for quite a while, only occasionally doing the nervous wing clap that they seem to do.

Shots taken I again reverse crawled back to the chair and feverishly started writing lesson plans lest I should be distracted any more. While seeking inspiration at one point I looked up at the Ivy arch and saw a Brimstone pass over from one garden to another and a Holly Blue disappear into the leaves but I doggedly pressed on with my work for a whole 20 minutes until a Peacock replaced the Small Tortoiseshell in the basking place. Same procedure as previous and I was lying prone on the ground so close to the Peacock that to get my shots I had to move back. When it first landed it held its’ wings...

Sorry I had to stop typing as The Cure are playing Caterpillar and its’ a cracking song...

...with the rear eyes slightly on show and then as it relaxed it brought it’s fore wings back covering the hind eyes and looking almost all red. As I watch it sees a couple of ants and so the hind wings are revealed and it also moves its’ head and the palps seem to separate giving it a belligerent look almost like its’ berating them.

Not too shabby a tally for an afternoon in the garden with a total of 10 different species seen (I forgot to mention the Speckled Wood seen while venting the greenhouse), 12 lessons planned and probably about 4 peaceful hours.
Have a goodun
Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Sounds like you had a peaceful and enjoyable day Wurzel. Great stuff.

[David M]

That's a lovely Tortoiseshell, Wurzel. Very fresh looking, but also quite dark in colour, with the black extending to create almost a smudgy sex brand on the forewings.

[Wurzel]

Cheers David - five in one day will take some beating though!

Cheers Essex - great to see you enjoying the delights of Dorset

Alners Gorse

Last week I was in two minds about visiting Alners Gorse. I visited last year for the first time and it was brilliant with both male and female Brown Hairstreaks down low on thistle heads. But this year reports suggested that there weren’t too many Brown Hairstreaks. In the end I went for it anyway so I nervously looked out at the clouds massing on the journey down. Having arrived I and walked down the hill checking all the brambles and thistles on the way down.
Once in the reserve proper I checked out the large bramble bush directly at the bottom of the hill but it only had a Hedge Brown and then started to check along the main hedge. There were a couple of other people around, Fritman whom I had met the previous week at Martin Down and another bloke whose name I forgot to ask. Three pairs of eyes scanned across different parts of the hedge but Meadow Browns masquerading as Brostreaks was as close as we got. I had a little bit more of a look around including the area through the gate. This seemed like a good little spot, the tall scrubs cut the breeze dead, there were thistles and large patches of brambles still with flowers and the height of the shrubbery almost funnelled the sunlight down like a little sun trap.
It was here that I got my first shots of the day of a Small White. It was throwing some unusual poses while feeding and in one a Honey Bee is also in shot, something that I didn’t see at the time.

However nice as it was to see these butterflies it wasn’t what I’d come for so I headed back towards the gate and as I was chatting to Fritman it all happened. From an Ash Tree (whether it was the Master I’m not really sure) a couple of butterflies took to the air and had a skirmish. One was smaller and lighter in profile than the other and I thought it could have been a Speckie and male Brostreak? Just after this another butterfly, a similar size to smaller one involved in the dogfight, let the same tree and flitted and jinked down and around our heads before flitting onto the bramble too high up and far back to get any shots. However we were in doubt that this was a Brostreak. It disappeared back further into the trees and then reappeared about half way in the bush where it settled to nectar.
While we were watching I noticed a smaller, greyer butterfly take off and land quite close to the feeding Brostreak. It was too grey to be a Holly Blue and had a similar jinking flight to the Brostreak. I was convinced that it was a White Letter and when Fritman got his bins on it my identification was confirmed. It was very far back but I took a shot and cropped it like hell because I didn’t think people would believe that there was a Meadow Brown, Brown Hairstreak and White Letter Hairstreak all nectaring on the same flower heads. As we watched the White Letter stayed quite far back but the Brostreak worked its’ way closer and closer.
At this point we were joined by Zonda who regaled us with tales of White Letters and we also discussed the paucity of Purple Hairstreaks this year. All the time we were all willing the Brown Hairstreak closer still. Unfortunately once it was close enough for a decent shot it had positioned itself in such way that the vegetation kept getting in the way. Try as I might I couldn’t get round it without spooking the butterfly so in the end I just pointed the camera through and took my shots. It actually came out in quite a “romantic” style. After a further wait of about an hour we decided that enough was enough and we all headed back up top for lunch.

Triple shot

It is in there (WLH)

020 - Copy-001.JPG (152 KiB) Viewed 1092 times

As I was here now I thought that I’d have another look around to see what else the site had to offer. This time I followed the hedge to the right of the reserve and after a couple of hundred metres in something took off and jinked around me before disappearing into a blackthorn clump. Another Brostreak and possibly a different individual but I couldn’t relocate it. Still there were plenty of other species to see including plenty of Meadow Browns, Hedge Browns and Speckies including one very ancient looking individual. I could almost hear him muttering; “I’m 4 weeks old I am, I remember when all this grassland was grassland, only shorter”. There were also Small Skippers, four species of White, Peacocks, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, a Silver Washed Frit put in a brief appearance near the wood and also a pair of fresh male Common Blue.

And there was plenty of other stuff to keep you occupied too from Crickets to Dragonflies...

The afternoon was wearing on and I couldn’t relocate the Brostreak or find any others, the main area of hedge was in shade so I decided that it was time to leave this cracking reserve. As I was making my way through the long grass I was recalling how Zonda was telling me that Essex Skippers were supposed to be on the reserve and how he’d never been able to find one when something small and faded orange blurred by. I knew it was a skipper and worked my round to the head-end face on to discover that it was an Essex.

And so ended a cracking day with good company, good butterflies and surprisingly good weather. Whilst there could have been more Brostreaks perhaps they are late and in a week or two’s time they will come on strong? Here’s hoping...as well as hoping that I can get back.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Good report and photos Wurzel,

Alners Gorse looks interesting, looking on the map it is only 45 minute or so from where we are staying next week

Cheers,

Neil F.

[David M]

Wow. I'm surprised White Letters are still about.It's practically September!!

Pleased you managed to spot a Brown Hairstreak though. It's one species that I'm happy to invest serious time searching for.

[Goldie M]

Great shots Wurzal maybe I'll get some pics next yeat of a Brown HS, I'll have to come south though I think. Goldie

[millerd]

Wow. A three-species shot with both Brown and WL Hairstreak. Not easy to beat...

Dave

[Philzoid]

Have just read your PD after getting back from my hols. Some fantastic photos there Wurzel . I can't really add any more on top of what has already been said (Peacock underside and Green-veined White (golf ball flower) deserve a mention).

Your grass moth; Knowle Church 17th is I think, a Crambus sp. probably perlella. The Old Lady was a nice find