Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Pauline I thought it was quite unusual to see the the females out so quickly as ususally they emerge later than the males
Cheers Dave It does seem that here are more blue females around this year. This site is another little known cracker

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

The Devenish 03-06

So on Monday I fell slightly out of love with Larkhill. I’d pulled in hoping to catch up with the Blues and as I pulled up and got out of the car the other occupants of the lay-by seemed to be loading up their wagons. I took a few footsteps up the North path but something didn’t feel right so I turned round and looked back towards the car. As I turned around one bloke got into a flat back Transit van with a semi-demolished caravan hanging off the back. As he pulled away another bloke walked across the lay-by shouting “watch the turning circle or you’ll hit that car”. Scrape, bang, scratch all the way down the drivers side . He got out, admitted liability and kept wanting to take me to a panel beaters that he knew. So I got his details (illegible address and as it turned out later, a mobile number with a digit missing) and they got out of there, noting the reg number just in case. Dam it!

Hence on Tuesday I stopped at The Devenish. Straight up the side of the Down, I must be getting used to this stop-off now as I get to the top of the down at a run. The intermittent cloud wasn’t helping things but I did manage to spot a little flag waving in amongst the long grass heads which became a Brown Argus. I headed back down the Down joined by a couple of Grizzlies and when I reached the stile a, or should I say the Red Admiral took off.

In the meadow were the usual micro moths flying up with every footfall plus another little flag. This too was a Brown Argus and it angled itself so it was almost lying horizontal on the seed head looking like it was being orbited by little tiny planetoids.

The next day (Wednesday) I also stopped at The Devenish and conditions were much more favourable, warm and sunny. Surely today the Adonis would be flying as I’ve seen them at two other sites? I raced through the car park and slowed down as I went through the meadow to enjoy a Brown Argus and one of two Grizzlies – still flying the hard wearing little butterflies!

I then made my way up the Down hoping to see electric blue flashes and there was one. It was low down amongst the grasses but that made approaching it unobserved easier. When I was close enough I fired off a few shots and noticed that it had a notched forewing, almost like it hadn’t finished developing. Further up a few more were flapping about – probably only four more but it’s a start!

Sated and relieved to have finally seen The Devenish Adonis I made my way back down the Down and cut across the meadow. Another couple of Brown Argus were having a scrap and flushed a female Brimstone whilst in the canopy of the trees a Specklie zigged and zagged through the air. There were also a couple of Common Blue males around looking more worn than the Adonis.

Oh well next thing to look out for here will be a Large Skipper or Meadow Brown.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mike Robinson]

I find these Personal Diaries fascinating. Easy to read and with lots of very fine pictures. As we have here.
I hope all goes OK with the car; fancy giving the wrong details but at least you got the car number.

Mike …..

[Goldie M]

Great photo's again Wurzal Goldie

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Wurzel

Just catching up There is an awful lot to catch up with after missing your diary for a few days, how do you find the time As others have mentioned your female Adonis is stunning There is nothing wrong with your Mother Shiptons but yes they are a bit tricky, always settling at the wrong angle down in the grass and with a bit of 'wing quiver' I also found plenty of Green Hairstreak egg laying activity at the weekend

I hope your car is not too badly damaged. I suppose it is one of the perils of leaving our cars in narrow lanes with not much parking in isolated spots

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike He was definitely trying to pull a fast one
Cheers Goldie It's that time of year again when the light is great
Cheers Jack Because of work, family and UKB I'm finding that I'm sleeping less and less these days If only my car had been parked down a narrow lane I could have understood better, but where I was parked has previously held 2 Police vans, 4 Traveller vans, my car and there was still room to drive right the way through

Larkhill 05-06-2014

By Thursday I’d missed stopping at Larkill so I bit the bullet and pulled in on the way to work. Just in case I took a photo of my car and when I started walking down the paths I’d start every time a car would loudly pull out onto the main road. Eventually I was far enough away not to hear this and then I started seeing butterflies. First was a Small Heath and then a Grizzlie.

This was quickly followed by another Small Heath and another Grizzlie and I was wondering if I was going to end up seeing more of the same. Something brown looking flew across the path and landed amongst the grass where it stopped before moving onto a scrub bush. I couldn’t believe it! Last year in my look back on my sightings of this site I made a wisecrack about finding Green Hairstreaks here and there was one now! Somehow I managed to get some shots despite my hands shaking.

So I drove on to work with the largest smile on my face ever, all the anger and annoyance of the last week vanished in an instant and wiped from my memory by a little green butterfly.
I stopped off briefly on the way home but couldn’t relocate it. Instead I made do with a couple of Small Heaths and what I was fairly convinced was a Fox Moth.

Larkhill 06-06-2014

Come Friday afternoon I was more than ready for a few butterflies and so I pulled into Larkhill, checking the lay-by for itinerant Transits and demolished caravans. As I left the car a female Brimstone bombed by followed closely by a male. Within two steps a Small White fluttered by and a couple of Small Heath had shot up from the grass and shot off up the path.

As I peered around the bush at the edge of the lay-by a male Orange-tip seeming surprisingly fresh flew by at a great pace off on patrol. After all this excitement seconds having gotten out of the car I was quite disappointed when my walk up the North path produced only one Small Heath so I gave up and made my way back to the car. As I got nearer something silvery landed on the flowers at the edge of the long grass patch – it was my first Larkhill Brown Argus.

The final butterfly of my stop was a larger Tangerine thing a Painted Lady. Unfortunately it didn’t stop but Larkhill is now back in my good books!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

LOL! Green Hairstreaks still raise your pulse to this day, Wurzel!!

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel, just catching up again after a trip up north.

Sorry to hear about the incident with your car but glad you got the Green Hairstreak. Isn't it strange how a little green butterfly can suddenly put a different perspective on things, and we try to convince people that we are not a little touched

Cheers,

Neil.

[Mike Robinson]

Some more nice pictures …..

[Pauline]

Very nice Adonis shots Wurzel and you have my sympathy too about your car - hope you get it sorted out.

[Wurzel]

Cheers David After the torture Greenstreaks put me through a few years ago they are always special to me now. When I find them in a new place it's better than finding a Long-tailed Blue
Cheers Neil When I tried to convey my joy about that Greenstreak to my work colleagues the looks they gave me worried me greatly, so much so that I spent the whole day nervously watching out for the 'men in white coats'
Cheers Mike for your kind comment
Cheers Pauline The garage told me that my excess has been waived when they came to assess the repairs needed so hopefully that's it sorted

[Wurzel]

08-06-2014 Martin Down

Things conspired against me over the weekend. My sister was heading home and once she’d gone my wife finally succumbed to the tiredness so Philzoid and I had to scale back our plans. Well I did, Philzoid made three trips in one day! Anyway we all ended up at Sillens Lane car park and set off along the path which transects Bokerley. A Green –veined White flew by and a Blue as we walked along and then up near the tunnel things started appearing with 4 Small Tortoiseshells nectaring and chasing each other about.

As we entered the tunnel hoping for Small Blues four male Common Blues bundled into each other annoying the hell out of a territorial Brown Argus and then it went all quiet on the butterfly front. There were plenty of moths about but it wasn’t until we’d gotten to near the far end of the tunnel that we saw any more butterflies - a bevy of Speckies.

Once out of the tunnel we revelled in the heat and started seeing more butterflies with Small Blues around, a few more Brown Argus and Red Admiral which shot by carried on the stiff breeze. We soon reached the hot spot and so set the girls camp up so that we could head off and have a look around. There were butterflies around everywhere we looked with Small Blues, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Common Blues, a Green Hairstreak, a Peacock and Brimstones. There were also some nice orchids – with white Spotted, Butterfly, Bee and Pyramidal.

I then confessed to Philzoid why I’d suggested both Martin Down and also this hotspot. Last year this little area proved great for Cloudies, with one little area in particular serving as a basking/roosting space. Also I’d seen Cloudies laying eggs on the site so as Cloudies had been seen at a few other sites I reasoned that this would be a good place to start trying to catch up the Yellow one. As I moved towards that great little spot I clocked a mustard yellow butterfly, the black wing tips visible as it motored forward and back at the edge of the small terrace. Somehow we managed to follow it and there were a few fleeting, hopeful and in the end lucky shots of my first Clouded Yellow of 2014. Hopefully it’ll be the first of many .

Quick grab a record shot!

After this encounter I wandered round more content to get shots of the Orchids and the odd Small Blue as I was still elated to find the Cloudie right where I reckoned one would be. The girls kept pointing butterflies out to us as they’d gone on ahead so it’s obvious that we’re training them well.

All too soon it was time for us to say our goodbyes and leave the Philzoids to return to the chores and a rested wife. Hopefully the Large Blues will start flying soon so that we can make another proper big trip!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Larkhill 09-06-2014

After finding my first Larkhill Brown Argus here last week I thought I’d better stop in and see if I could find any more. As I wandered down the Westbound path I couldn’t see any little flags flying in the breeze although a Small Heath did it’s usual trick of flying across the path, landing in the long grass and disappearing totally from view. I followed this one when it went up a second time and discovered how they manage their disappearing act. After landing amongst the long grass as I approached it just let go of the stem and dropped down amongst the deep cover of the long grass. As I headed back to the car my first Larkhill Large Skipper hove into view and landed just long enough for me to fire off a few shots.

Later in the afternoon I stopped in on the way home to see if the warmer temperatures would have brought out the Brown Argus. It definitely seemed to – I didn’t need to even head up either of the paths as the little area around the flag pole held 3 Small Heaths, two Large Skippers and four Brown Argus. They were a delight to see and must have freshly emerged as the contrast between the fresh chocolate brown and the vibrant orange was delightful.

Larkhill 10-06-2014

A quick stop off in the morning saw a bit more of the same that I’ve been seeing recently with a brace each Small Heaths and Large Skipper. I didn’t try for the Small Heaths as they were either disappearing into the undergrowth or were bombing away up the path never to be seen again. However the blue skies and gorgeous light meant that I was finally able to try for the golden glow Large Skipper shots. There is something about the morning light that just seems to bring out the range of colours on Large Skippers that greyer weather hides.

The Devenish 10-06-2014

On the way home I headed tot eh Devenish as I’ve noticed that others have seen their first Meadow Browns so I thought it was about time that I did too. A Red Admiral was sunning itself in the car park and from a distance it looked doped out by the sun – but it wasn’t, as soon as I actually took a step on the gravel it was gone. Still, nice to see though. I made my way up to the meadow and started scanning around. I few grey blurs turned out to be a Grizzled Skippers . They were pretty worn but still feisty scarping with other for a certain spot in the sun. I waited for the fight to finish and tehn took a shot of the victor.

Also in the Meadow were a Dingy and a couple of Small Heath, erupting from the grass and zipping away towards the far end of the meadow. My first Meadow Brown flapped up lazily and then gained height and was gone up the hillside. Instead of chasing it I settled for watching a Large Skipper as it was taking nectar.

Up on the slopes a couple more Small Heath were in evidence as well as two very worn Adonis. I’m always surprised how quickly they go from looking resplendent to dishevelled, it must be moving around amongst the long grasses rubbing against the stems and leaves. I didn’t get to the Brown Argus side as I was getting short of time so I thought that I better get back down to have a crack at the pesky Meadow Brown. I managed to relocate it, at least I thought it was the one I’d previously seen as shortly after getting my first record shot a second Meadow Brown took off. They are so hard to pin down at this time of the year when they’re looking their best.

Well job done I headed back to the car park and briefly watched a Specklie having a flick around. Another tally mark made Marbled Whites and Ringlets can’t be far behind now...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Great Clouded Yellow shots Wurzel and lovely shots of many other species too, looks like Wiltshire is the place to be at the moment

Mike

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike - it's all starting to kick off here now!

Larkhill 11-06-2014

My PD may get a little out of sync as after this stop off at I went on a road trip which will take another post and so doesn’t really fit in with the next stop off posting. So get to get to it...
This was quite a quiet stop off in glorious early morning sunshine. As usual up the Northbound path I was greeted by a brace of Small Heath erupting from the longer grass. I decided not to challenge them and left them to disappear off. A male Large Skipper was sunning itself and was so intent that he didn’t even flick an antenna.

On the way back to the car I found a female Common Blue, probably only my second female Common Blue of the year and the first that I’ve seen that hasn’t been attached to a male in mid cop. This lady looked a little tired so hopefully all her kids have left home and then next year there will be more blue boys and girls.

Larkhill 12-06-2014

After the busy, busy day yesterday (not posted yet) it was nice to get back into the usual routine of just strolling along the North and West bound paths in the cool morning air. After the huge range of species I saw yesterday I came down to earth with a bit of a bump as I saw only three butterflies from 2 species this morning. One was a Large Skipper and the other two were Small Heath who were at either ends of the spectrum of wear. The first along the North path was a real old timer with the fine graduation of markings gone, scales missing and nicks in the wing tips. The second on the West path was fresh out of the box and was a joy to see it was vibrant by comparison.

Once at work I thought I’d have a bit of a look around and get back to my ‘transect’. So I walked the grounds at break time and as the year 11’s have gone I can keep a closer eye on butterflies and not the smokers. However the butterflies don’t seem to have realised so I managed to see only a single Small Tortoiseshell and a Green-veined White.
At lunch I walked the usual route and I saw my first Small Tortoiseshell about half way along the field. It wasn’t until I got to the back path that I started adding to the total. First up was a Green-veined White and then a “Work” first, a Brown Argus just over the wire fence in the neighbouring field. I couldn’t get too close but managed to lean over and hold the camera in roughly the right direction and click.

Further along the path a Brimstone flew by and then a Red Admiral but I didn’t see any more butterflies until the end of the path when I encountered 5 Small Torts in quick succession, possibly the offspring of some of the huge numbers that I saw here in early spring.

I was glad to have reacquainted myself with the work transect again, especially adding a new species to the list. I couldn’t get out on the way home as I was facing a two hour meeting still there’s always tomorrow .

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I really like the Brown Argus snapped in "lean over the fence and point" mode. Lots of context and atmosphere and much more to remember the day by. Great stuff, Wurzel - I really mustn't neglect my "work" patch either.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave You'll have to let me know how you manage to get to all the different sites as well as keeping up with your local patch and keeping up to date with your PD! I'm finding that there aren't enough hours in teh day at the moment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Hi Wurzel, I wish you and Philzoid the very best for tomorrow

Mike

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike I think Sunday is the day we're going for Large Blue, I've never seen one before so it'll be interesting to make some observations of something different, that's if we see one...

11-06-2014 The way to Bath

A little over a week ago I had to make my final trip to Bath University for the last ever PGCE Science Mentor Meeting. Due to the wonder that is Gove and a University that is hungry for exposure this fantastic course which was deemed as Outstanding by OfSTED, brought money into the University and had a fantastic staff was to be shut down. It was a case of “it’s definitely ain’t broke so let’s destroy it” . In short it was a sad day but it was to be made bearable by a last get together with the Uni Tutors – a chance to say farewells and wish them well.

So I made my preparations for being out for the rest of the day and set off across the Vale of Pewsey. I’d gotten as far as the outskirts of the first village outside of Pewsey when I realized that there as somewhere that I’d forgotten to visit before my departure so spying a lay-by with a track leading away from the road and prying eyes I pulled in. It looked like a promising track and so I grabbed my camera just in case and set out to find a bush away from the road. On the way I spooked a Green-veined White but I had for once had more pressing matters to attend to. On the return trip to the car I did stop once or twice – the first time for a confluent 5-Spot Burnett and the second time as I’d stumbled across my first female Large Skipper of the year.

Relieved I set of again and made surprisingly good time through Devizes and then Melksham and as I wasn’t going across Bath but to a venue at Bathampton I turned the SATNAV on. It was showing that I was going to arrive 15 minutes or so early and so at a likely looking spot I pulled in and had a quick walk around. I’d found myself by a gold course so took a brief stroll up and down the public footpath paying particular attention to the ‘Rough’. A Red Admiral did a fly-by as did a Clouded Silver moth. I found one of the Long Horn beetles that Jack/Paul recently featured in his PD and there were Spotted Orchids (I think they are) all over the rough. The Large Skippers seemed to like them but not my second Meadow Brown which was very frustrating as it would flutter around looking like it would land, only to pick up speed again and then disappear deep into the cover. I was getting dangerously close to ‘trespassing’ so grumbling about "bl%%dy Meadow Browns" I got back into the car and then set off.

The venue had a fantastic garden so before I went in and greeted everyone I had a quick look around but despite eh great look there was only a single Specklie on view amongst the multitude of Banded Demoiselles and the occasional Large Red Damselfly. One of the male BDs had a white marking on it’s wings which made t even more striking when in flight.

I felt quiet sombre on the way home as I’ve worked with Bath Uni for the last 7 years now the era had come to an end . On the way back I reached a very familiar roundabout so I made a quick stop-off to cheer myself up ...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Can't imagine where you mean, Wurzel!

Dave