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Thought you’d like those pictures, Wurzel!

Having spent the late-spring Bank Holiday in Dorset, my east Kent orchid fest had to wait until last week. Might be early June, but the picture of Park Gate Down clearly shows it was still spring. Visited a couple of sites in the morning, including Denge Wood, where the fabulous lady orchid grows in good numbers The first greater butterfly orchids were out. As were some common spotted orchids. And, in the shady areas, White heleborines. Monkey orchids are very rare indeed. Owing to the wet spring, they were growing amongst much thicker grass this year. The fly orchid is not so rare as some of the others, but is quite exquisite. By now it was time for a rather late lunch. More to follow...

Fantastic set of Orchids Essex - I've only managed the 'usual' ones this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wonderful variety of orchids, Mark.

I presume the blossom is hawthorn? It makes for an intoxicating scene.

I was then off to the Lydden Temple Ewell reserve, where I found several Adonis Blues. There was plenty of horseshoe vetch this year, foodplant off Adonis Blues and Dingy Skippers, but an attractive flower in its own right. For the evening, I visited my last orchid site of the day, finding the late spider orchid. This it a real rarity, and is only reliable at around five sites, although the odd one turns up elsewhere in east Kent. Not quite so rare, but still scarce, is the man orchid. Thanks, Wurzel. I am lucky to have Kent so close, probably the best county for orchids.

Thanks , yes it’s hawthorn. It’s been a fabulous year for it in 2023. I’ve never seen it in such abundance in Europe, so it’s one of the things that makes Britain great. Here is a Kent county lane, to remind us what a great show there was, just a few weeks ago.

That Late Spider Orchid looks like some type of evil minion from a Dungeons and Dragons cartoon

Have a goodun

Wurzel

essexbuzzard wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:54 pm...yes it’s hawthorn. It’s been a fabulous year for it in 2023. I’ve never seen it in such abundance in Europe, so it’s one of the things that makes Britain great.

Sure does, Mark. Clearly they had no objection to the sodden March we had!

The blossom appears just as the bluebells are going over and that, alongside the horse chestnut candles, for me is the peak time of beauty in the calendar.

Wonderful images of the orchids Mark. I should make an effort to become more familiar with my local ones.

Thanks everyone. Pauline, May and June are the peak months for orchids.

Large Skippers started to emerge in mid June, and fresh ones are still appearing. Followed, a few days later, by Small Skippers. They seem to be having a good year, with large numbers present on the common land behind my house at the moment. I’ve only seen a few Essex Skippers so far. They are less common here, though on the Thames estuary, they dominate over Small Skippers on some sites. The real success story here, is the Marbled White. They colonised my area a few years ago, and numbers continue to build year on year. It’s a great pleasure to have this lovely species so close to my home! As you’d expect on a large area of grassland, Meadow Browns are particularly abundant!

Cracking set of shots Essex - especially the Small followed by the Essex - great to see them one after the other in the same pose, really allows you to appreciate the subtle differences Sterling work!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

essexbuzzard wrote: ↑Tue Jul 11, 2023 10:33 pm..Large Skippers started to emerge in mid June, and fresh ones are still appearing...Followed, a few days later, by Small Skippers. They seem to be having a good year, with large numbers present on the common land behind my house at the moment...

I really thought the golden skippers would struggle this year given the serious desiccation suffered by the foodplant during last summer's hot, dry weather. Yet this doesn't seem to have happened - clearly these butterflies (or, more accurately, their larvae) are hardier than I imagined.

Nice news regarding the Marbled Whites, Mark. I saw one in a new location near to me yesterday. Always a nice feeling when you see a species locally for the first time.

There haven’t been many warm, sunny evenings this summer. There were a couple of weeks in mid June, but that was too early for most species. But by early July, the Hutchinsoni Commas has emerged. Fewer than last year, but perhaps they were still getting going. In the event, it was the only chance I would get. Ringlets have been few and far between this year. No doubt last years drought has had an effect. The following evening, I had an evening walk on a track out of Ongar. This is a reliable site for Small Tortoiseshells. Only half a dozen were seen, and when I arrived they had their wings tightly closed. I had to shade this one to persuade it to open. It wasn’t until between 7.30pm and 8pm that they started to open naturally. They seem to be struggling here this year. I was hoping the wet spring, and the consequent lush growth of nettles ( which later led to a magnificent emergence of Peacocks) would help the Tortoiseshell. Here is the habitat.

Lovely to see the massive eyes on that Ringlet Essex They have been a bit thin on the ground over this way as well

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Every thing seems fewer this year essex, exceptions being the Red Admiral and the Peacock, also the Gate keeper, it's having a good year every where I've been. Goldie

Thanks Wurzel and Goldie, and I agree. I would add Holly Blue to the ‘doing well’ list, and perhaps the Whites.

Welcome to August. This is the time that the days really start to draw in, and we loose two hours of daylight this month, even in the south. However, there is still much to look foreword to, with the emergence of Silver Spotted Skippers, Brown Hairstreaks and, in Scotland, Scotch Argus. Towards the end of the month, the second generation Adonis Blues will appear on the downs.

But before then, late July. The Fleam Dyke is a chalk dyke that runs for around 5 miles across Cambridgeshire, to the south of Newmarket. It is a scheduled ancient monument, and an oasis of habitat among the flat arable farmland so typical of East Anglia. Chalkhill Blues fly here in good numbers. They were later emerging this year, and have only really got going the last couple of weeks. Among the chalkland flowers, I found this white version of greater knapweed. Fleam Dyke.

Cracking Chalkhills Essex They're right stunners when fresh That Dyke kinda reminds me off Martin Down only in reverse

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's a beauty of a Ringlet from your earlier post, Mark.

The tract of habitat at Fleam Dyke looks a butterfly paradise. No wonder Chalkhills fly there in good numbers.

Thanks for your comments.

It’s been a good few years since I saw the Scotch Argus, indeed quite a while since we’ve been to the Lake District. So, last Saturday evening, we headed up for a two night stay.

We arrived at Arnside Knott just after 9am on Sunday. Unfortunately, the sunny spells forecast failed to materialise during our three hour visit, but it was quite warm, and the cloud did thin at times. We found around half a dozen Scotch Argus, in varying stages of wear and all males. This was the best condition one we saw. Last time I was at Arnside, I saw dozens of adults at the site. Perhaps is the sun had made it through, more would have appeared.

Lunch was taken beside Lake Windermere, followed by a drive over the Honnister Pass, and a walk over the Fells from the slate mine there.

Our second and final day came. We spent the morning enjoying Keswick, and had lunch beside the lake.
We then headed off Smardale Gill, a new site for us. We walked to the viaduct, which is currently closed for maintenance, and onto the grassy slope nearby, finding a few Scotch Argus on the way. Sadly, despite the forecast for ‘sunny intervals ‘, the sun failed to appear the whole time we were there. It’s a shame tit wasn’t a bit brighter as, judging by the numbers of Scotch Argus I disturbed from the grass, I feel this place could put on quite a show, given a bit of sunshine. But we had had an enjoyable couple of days in nice surroundings, had very little rain, and seen Scotch Argus at two different sites.

Smardale in sunshine when the Scotch Argus are flying can be quite something, Mark. That lovely new male was worth finding though. Did you see any Red Squirrels?

Cheers,

Dave

Great to see the Scotch Argus Essex, a species that is missing from my 'list' and one I'd love to see

Have a goodun

Wurzel