www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks Guy, that's a new species for me.
Thanks Pauline, like nearly all my egg pictures, they come from watching an egg laying female

22nd May, Green, Blue, White & Copper. Part 2

We decided to leave Denbies just before noon, Susie had things to do and if we didn’t leave soon we wouldn’t get more than 5 minutes with the Chiddingfold Wood Whites. In hindsight we probably should have found a different exit point but we walked up past the traveler encampment again where I was set upon by a particularly nasty little Jack Russel, nipping at my ankle and drawing blood just above my walking boots. More of a scratch than an actual bite but we took a slight detour into town to get some antiseptic cream.

Wound soothed it was then on to Chiddingfold. Signs were good when we arrived with the first one being seen quite close to the botony bay entrance, a lonely male fluttering around. Brimstones were common as we walked towards the hotspot. Approaching the small bridge across the stream an orangy butterfly looking a lot like a PBF flew up and vanished into the loose undergrowth along the stream. I found out later there was a failed release a few years ago so perhaps they are still hanging on by their tiny toes here?

Anyway, Wood White numbers increased as we approached the usual hotspot. Most of them were rather active given the cloudless sky but enough sat to make the trip worthwhile. I saw a fair bit of behaviour, the usual tongue lashing from eager males, although no pairs sat right for me and egg laying aplenty. There was much crouching and lying on the ground when the occasional one would land and pose, they don’t really perch high do they. An hour later and it was time to leave. I still had a fair bit of time so I decided to take in another site before heading home. We said our goodbyes with Susie dropping me off at Box Hill station ready for the third part of my day.

Thanks again Susie

Sorry to hear about your run in with the Travellers Bugboy - at least you got some great Wood White action as consolation, we do have to suffer for our hobby Looking forward to the next installment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I have a good idea where Part Three might be set Buggy...

Lovely Wood Whites: hopefully laying (sorry!) the foundations for a good second brood. Great shots of the eggs.

You're right about not getting up very high! Much above head height and they become visibly distressed until they drop back to the comfort of ground level. They are also the only species you can overtake at a walking pace, though they can travel a long way without stopping.

Dave

Hope your legs okay Bugboy, that's the trouble when looking for Butterflies, you have to go into the hedges etc, if it's not the dogs that get you it's their Poo!!!
Last time I saw Wood White's was on a visit to Pauline 's, they've brought back some fun times,( I really like your 6th shot) Goldie

Given that the autofocus failed you that's a pretty good shot Buggy. I think the images of butterflies involved in doing all things they naturally do are far more interesting than just shots of them sitting there (even tho I take a lot of the latter) and is probably one of the reasons why your diary is so popular . After the dog bite I doubt whether this will concern you but there are an awful lot of ticks at Chiddingfold

Thanks Wurzel, I'm just glad it wasn't more than a scratch
Well Dave, I have no idea how you can possibly guess where part 3 is set...
Thanks Goldie, just a few scabs as a souvenir of the encounter
Thanks Pauline, I do like to go for some action shots where possible but that image would have been better had it focused on the actual butterfly rather than the leaf she was laying on! I've only had the one tick on me so far this year

22nd May, Green, Blue, White & Copper. Part 3

I’d heard from Dave (Millerd) earlier in the day that some Coppers had at last emerged at Bookham, so I decided to end my day there. Southern Rail however did it’s best to ruin my plans and decided to cancel my train, a service that with the brand spanking new timetable was already 50% less regular.

I eventually made it to Bookham via bus, arriving a good hour after I planned to get there but thankfully it had stayed sunny. I stopped off at the Brown Hairstreak larvae that Pauline and I had found the previous day to get some better shots. I found the eggs that Pauline’s ‘twins’ had hatched from and managed a few of them with it’s now fat occupant nearby to show just how much they have grown. The Peacock we had seen the previous day was also still around and several Green-veined White passed by, stopping occasionally. Obviously, I stopped to check on Padfield who was still hanging from the same leaf as the previous day. Despite the late hour Banks Common was still bathed in early evening sunshine and after a bit of searching I found a single Small Copper who despite being rather flighty posed for me at regular intervals . Also found was Common Blue in mint condition, alternating between roosting and basking I finally left at 7. A very long day but at least I didn’t have to deal with the rush hour once back in London, every cloud and all that !

More nice shots of those caterpillars, Buggy. I'm glad at least one Copper hung around for you after your rather interruted journey, plus a nice new Blue.

Dave

Lots of great shots Bugboy, love the caterpillars, very interesting.
And the Wood Whites, who were a first for me this year.

Cheers

Thanks Dave, there were a few more there today
Thanks Andrew, Wood Whites (both species) were lifers for me last year

26th May, Bookham

Bookham was the destination today, starting of at Banks common. On the walk along a sun dappled footpath Speckled Woods flitted around, aged individuals sharing the clearings with the next generation. A stiff and rather annoying breeze greeted me once in the open, blowing along the hedge where you can normally find the best butterfly action. Near the stile I found singles of Small Copper, Brown Argus and one of Millerd's Dingy Skippers. Neither of us have come across this species here before. The wind and ever changing light levels made photography challenging and I had to make do as a spectator most of the time. A slow walk along the hedge threw up half a dozen Coppers, including a mating pair. Moving on into Bookhams Commons proper to try and find some shelter from the wind and check on some youngsters I found a few more Coppers and a nice Common Blue. Young Padfield however was nowhere to be seen . I'm going to presume he's moved up high out of my reach and not contemplate any other outcome .

In the woods a small posse of Beautiful Demoiselle were living up to their name. It was shortly after this that I realised I'd lost the lens cap to my zoom so now had no choice but to retrace my steps, finding a second Skipper and (probably) the same Coppers at Banks Common as well as a few 'honorary butterflies'. In the open parts of Bookham more Coppers appeared, another Brown Argus (never seen them in this part before) and some Common Blues. Eventually I found my lens cap, bloody thing is very loose, and went to have a look at my rescued Brown Hairstreak cats, locating a second one. Looks like Bookham is livening up, it will soon be time for the summer Skippers, large skippers should be out any day now surely!

I should definitely explore a bit more widely when I go to Bookham, Buggy, as there is plenty to be seen elsewhere clearly! I particularly like the partially backlit Brown Argus where the sun is shining through the orange spots.

Female coppers must have appeared now - there were none the other day. And Large Skippers are out - down at Hutchinsons Bank at any rate, so they'll soon be everywhere.

Dave

A lovely set of pics Bugboy - I especially like the Copper atop a forget-me-not. Bookham looks the place to be!

A cracking sequence Bugboy especially the mating pair -I've still not got that particular pairing in the collection Also love the shot of the Dingy 'preparing for take off'!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Coppers Bugboy, I've yet to see them , some unusual shots you've taken Goldie

I can give you a guided tour of some of the other highlights Bookham has to offer if you like Dave
Thanks Janet, Bookham does have a lot going on throughout the season as long as you know where to look
Thanks Wurzel, that's only my second mating pair, the first was last year also at Bookham.
Thanks Goldie, I think getting down to their level helps to give the subjects more character although my joints are starting to creak when I get up so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do that for

I've been meaning to put young Padfield the PE caterpillar's home in some context. As I briefly touched upon in my last post I couldn't locate him in my most recent visit and I'm just hoping he's wandered off. The image below taken on my phone gives a wider context of his home. The small circle is where he was found, approx 5 feet from ground level. The large circle denotes the whole Sallow so as you can see, if he's gone up high he will be rather difficult to locate.

27th May, a date with a Duke & Duchess

I wasn’t planning on going out on the Sunday, the forecast the previous day was all about thunder and lightning, but waking up it would seem that the risk had dissipated somewhat so I decided to hop on a train up into the Chilton's to say goodbye to the Dukes for another year.

Arriving at Tring just before noon, it was very warm and muggy but a few butterflies were willing to pose, including my first few snaps of a Large White for the year, I was beginning to think the year would pass without any settling for me. He didn’t want share his flower with the Brimstone though. Elsewhere most things were in solar powered hyper drive but surprisingly, an Orange-tip settled long enough for a few snaps, there were three or four males patrolling here today. In the meadows of Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve again very little settled but I did manage to pin down a Brown Argus and a couple of Common Blues. Dingy Skippers, Small Heath and Small Coppers were less helpful though. Further on more activity was found with various Whites, a female Brimstone searching for Buckthorn and a female Orange-tip played hide and seek as she fed on some Herb Robert. The walk to Ivinghoe was a rather warm and sweaty one, there is little cover, but I was kept entertained by the endless butterfly activity. Common Blues and Brown Argus vied for dominance, closely followed by Small Heath and Dingy Skippers with the odd Green Hairstreak and Grizzly thrown in for good measure. Very little sat still though. The first thing that caught my eye at the Beacon was a rather fresh looking Grizzlie, quickly followed by a slightly less fresh Duke. There were no more Dukes behind the car park, just a few Dingy’s and Burnet Companions doing fair imitations.

Moving onto the first gully I found a handful of males still lurking in various states of disrepair, hoping for a late emerging female, and a moff lifer in the form of a Wood Tiger , a very handsome devil. It was rather cloudy at this stage of the afternoon, but still warm so everything was basking with wings wide open, making them all easy targets. Moving onto the next Duke hotspot I had plenty more encounters with Blues and Skippers but the one butterfly that demanded my attention was a rather pale, sandy coloured Small heath with some particularly well-developed hindwing ocelli that were quite obvious some distance away. A nice female Common Blue also sat still for more than a few seconds too. The Dukes here didn’t disappoint either, with plenty more willing subjects to aim my camera at. Returning to the gully under brighter conditions gave me a bit of underside action and I came within seconds of adding in-cop Dukes to my photographic collection. The male disengaged and flew off, no doubt in search of his next conquest, before I could even raise my camera leaving me with a near pristine Duchess at my disposal. I watched a few more aged Duchesses ran the gauntlet of this gully before I left, each being harassed by the males as they passed through the territories .

I was hoping it would have cooled a little for the return but no, very little was going to sit still. I got lucky with a mint Common Blue, doing a passing impersonation of an Adonis and a well posed Small Heath! To illustrate the heat these Rooks aren’t calling, they’re panting to cool down . Several Corn Buntings were calling and with some careful stalking I was chuffed to get a few decent shots of one . Back at Aldbury Nowers, still with a ‘fresh glow’ about me, the Blues and Argus’s had all gone to roost, leaving me with just a Lizard for company. He kept a very close eye on me as I took his picture sitting on a stile. Although the Blues had all gone to bed (it was 6pm now), as if to illustrate just how warm it still was, more than one male Orange-tip was still in full on patrol mode and in overcast conditions too .

A last minute decision turned out rather well, even more so when I found out there had been a thunderstorm or two back home . Had I stayed local which was the other option I would have got drenched!

I'm practically breathless reading all that, BB. I'm surprised you've had time to eat or sleep with all the hours you've been putting in!

Well done especially for the mating Coppers - not something you see every day.

It's great when you make the right decision Bugboy innit A great report from a very busy day Interesting to see the Dukes sitting open winged in the heat, when I saw them at Noar Hill and it was equally as open wing shots were at a premium as they kept shutting their wings to absorb less heat

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That is an unusual Small Heath, Buggy. It almost looks like one or two of its continental cousin species. I suspect that after such a warm and sunny season for them the Dukes are soon to disappear for the year - and the Orange Tips too. Good to see them still flying though.

Dave

It does read rather hectic doesn’t it David but as far as eating, what better place to sit down and eat a packed lunch than on a hillside overlooking the best the British countryside has to offer watching nature happen
I love it when a plan comes together Wurzel . All my open winged shots of those Dukes were in overcast conditions, as soon as the sun poked out from behind a cloud they shut up shop!
It really was Dave, really stood out from the crowd that one

28th May, Hutchinsons Bank

I only had a few hours spare so no long trips today. I plumped for this site as I’ve yet to see a Small Blue this year and obviously the outside chance of a Glanville Fritillary. Fritillary wise it’s another lean year here with only a handful sighted so far, mostly from fleeting flybys although perhaps this isn’t such a bad thing. If there’s any chance of them establishing here, at some point you have to bite the bullet and let nature sort things out. Allowing the few that are able to survive to pass their genes on unhindered and put all your energy in making sure the habitat is as good for them as possible.

So I didn’t see any Glanville’s but Small Blues were easy to come by, not exactly the plagues I witnessed last year but by far the most numerous nevertheless. However, it was very warm and muggy so very little was settling. Common and Holly Blues vied for second place after the Smalls with Small Heath, Dingy Skippers and Brimstones popping up regularly plus a couple of male Orange-tip still patroling.

Photo opportunities became easier (although not exactly easy) when it clouded over for a bit and it was during this period of relative calm that the vast majority of images were taken. I ended up staying for around two hours, doing a slow meandering circuit before having to head off. It’s always worth keeping your camera handy on the lane back up to the tram stop though, today I came across a little ‘family’ of Brimstone larvae and an Orange-tip

Nice Small Blue shots, Buggy - I could have done with some cloud when I was there to keep them settled for two seconds. I should have taken the plod back up the hill a bit easier too - it looks like there were thing to see with those assorted caterpillars.

Dave