www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi Wurzel
Just catching up with your antics. That Male Brown Hairstreak is a beauty, it almost looks like a different species . Glad you got your Cloudy and number 49.
As Trevor says they always seem to return to the same spots, I have had them in the same spot at Gosport 3 out of the last 4 years

Great report Wurzel and a perfect summing up of a Cloudies flight behaviour: - fast movers but they do need to refuel ..thankfully . Martin Down had done well for me in the past but Sheepleas Nr. Guildford is turning into my reliable local hotspot .

Great season’ total too . I managed 47 but missed out on notable species that I might’ve got with a bit more effort : - White-letter Hairstreak; Wall and Lulworth Skipper (all seen last year). A 50 species total looks to be in reach ...one of these days

Phil

Cheers Trevor I hope Wurzel-land was good
Cheers Goldie I know what you mean - I was stuck on 48 for about three years and this year I amanged to get all three of the species that had let me down in the past.
Cheers Bugboy Congrats on 50...that's my next target to beat
Cheers Rex As you said 'less than a vintage year' in fact at times it was pretty dire - so I was doubly pleased with my tally. Congrats on yours - within such a small area that it a cracking tally!
Cheers Dave If only...then I cuold get to the elusive 50 Maybe I'll find a LTB or geranium Bronze in the veg section of the supermarket
Cheers Paul How do they do that I wonder - is it genetic memory?
Cheers Philzoid It was the Wood Whites and Glanvilles that let me get to my total. I reckon 50 is definitely do-able but only with plenty of planning. Unfortunately I don't get holidays at the right time of year - a 3 week period in late June would be ideal

November 2016
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great report and photos from Martin Down Wurzel, a site I have never been to. Jealous of your Adonis Blues and Clouded Yellows, both species I missed out on this year, mainly because I didn't go further south than the midlands until our week in Cornwall in early September.
I have managed 50 species a couple of times but my tally this year is well down with a final count of 41 species...but that did include my number 58 which was my main target for this year

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Neil Martin Down is definitely worth a visit as there is such a wide variety of species on offer. I think my target next year is to see a 'lifer' so my tally might drop

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Shipton Bellinger 18-08-2016

After the last visit to Shipton I left on this morning with high hopes of finding a nice and fresh female. I don’t know why but contrary to what various texts say I seem to have more luck with open wings males the female – would today be different?

I set off up the path and it was relatively quiet and I didn’t see a single Brostreak all the way along the track. There were good numbers of Specklie13s, lining the path almost, amongst the Meadow Browns and the odd White. Surprisingly though I didn’t see any Hedge Browns/False Brostreaks? Once the path opened up at the field the Specklies were swapped for Blues (including a Brown Blue) and even the odd brown Argus – a butterfly that has had a terrible season in 2016. Before I knew it I was at the Hedge Hotspot and so again I switched observation mode from ground based to tree scanning. It paid off with sightings of two male Brostreaks. Both were on the other side of the Brambles and were quite distant. I only had one option now – that was sitting and waiting to see if they’d come and closer. At the same time I pressed myself against the wall of thorns so I could get as close in as possible without trampled or crushing the foliage. It was quite uncomfortable but luckily there was a ‘window’ in amongst the Brambles which I could fit my lens through and arms through and so when one did finally move within range I was able to get a few shots. Even more fortuitously it moved even closer and rested with wings open – showing a much more normal pair of orange markings on the fore wings. I then carefully extracted myself from various thorns and gently backed away from the wall of Brambles pleased that my discomfiture had yielded good results. I then made my up and down the Hedge a few times but apart from Holly Blues and Meadow Browns all was quiet here. I moved onto another patch of hedge right alongside the road where I have had success previously and set about scanning. A Hedge Brown finally appeared and there were plenty of Meadow Browns and a few Common Blues about. Something really orange caught my eye and so I approached cautiously. After the honey like appearance of the males the female seemed to be glowing like a beacon. She remained quite aloof and high up but with a bit of straining of the arms with the camera at the end I was able to get a couple of shots. As well as staying out of the way she didn’t hang around either and set off up and over the hedge – I couldn’t follow her but had my fingers crossed that she would land and lay eggs on the other side of the road and hence in Wiltshire. Chuffed and running out of time I made my way back very directly for me – with only the occasional stop for the odd shot when it easily presented itself. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Shipton Bellinger 23-08-2016

What with one thing and another I didn’t get out again properly for another 5 days but it was shaping up to be a good day as it was to be the annual meet at Shipton with Philzoid. Conditions looked favourable with a warm and sunny day ahead of us and favourable reports from the site recently. So after the first meet in the Central car park in Salisbury we headed off into the wilds of Wiltshire and Hampshire to Shipton Bellinger.

Once we arrived we chatted as we made our way up the hill and it was all pretty quiet. There were no Brostreaks waiting for along the way although there was a Small Tort, a few Specklies and good numbers of Holly Blues. The quietness continued all the way along the duel track with not a single sighting of Brostreaks. In previous years we’ve encountered them all the way along here with 6 sightings before we’ve even gotten to the hotspot but this year nowt. It seems that the Japanese collector from 2015 had done some serious damage in 2016.

Once at the Hotspot however our hopes rose and there were Brown Argus and Blues fluttering around amongst the Meadow Browns and Holly Blues up in the bushes. There were one or two others around further along but we started checking all the usual inlets, bays and breaks amongst the cover where Brownies have hung out in the past. However it was hard work and the bushes were all looking very worn and in places depressingly trampled. Eventually our waiting, scanning and chatting paid off and a female flew down from on high and landed very briefly on a Bramble leaf. Unfortunately she then walked into the shade and was partially hidden from view. Slightly further on where I’d previously found my two males I came across a male. It was in such poor nick I didn’t know if it really was a Brostreak at first. I went through a range of species first – Hedge Brown, small Meadow Brown and because of the damage to the wings Small Copper; before edging close enough to make out the very faded livery and coming to the correct identification. With two Brostreaks in the bag as it were and all the girls settled down in their camp, we carried on working our way along the hedge. Along the way we met the same bloke from Collard Hill and had a bit of a chat and a catch up. From there we tried round the back and the small area alongside the roadside. Once again there were good numbers of Common Blue and Whites, the odd Brown Argus and even an aged Hedge but try as we might we couldn’t locate any more Brostreaks. Once we were back from our circuit the girls went on back ahead and we pottered along in our own time. On the way we walked through the hedge tunnel and encountered a failed menage a trois before finding a more standard mating pair of Holly Blues Once the girls had joined us back at the cars (they’d gotten lost on the way back) we stopped for a much needed drink on the way to Duke site and then once there promptly set about looking for more species to add to the days tally. Again it was really quiet with none of the Adonis or Chalkhills I was hoping for. We came across another mating pair this time Common Blues and there were plenty of Meadow Browns and Small Heath but not the hoped for Wall or Cloudy and no Small Copper either. It had been a great day company wise, we’d found and photographed our quarry but it felt like a bit of an anti-climax to the season. Perhaps we’d left it too late? Oh well lesson learned for next season – get on and get to Shipton early!

Have a good

Wurzel

Catching up on your posts and photos from the last couple of months ( a joy to read and to view, as always).

I visited Shipton Bellinger on 6 August this year and saw 4 Brostreaks, all males. That same morning a group from Hampshire Butterfly group were also there but they seemed to be doing far more talking than searching for or looking at ! Just as well butterflies, unlike birds, dont get put off by noise. Re your musings, whether the Brostreaks were earlier or fewer in number here than in previous years I wouldn`t like to speculate . Also seen there were Meadow Brown, Hedge Brown, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Small, Large and Green veined White, Brimstone, Holly Blue and Speckled Wood so a good morning for me.

The welsh for Black Lion is Llew Ddu ( pronounced llow thee ) so your (mis) pronunciation of Cloudy is pretty close ! The welsh name Llewellyn means lion-hearted. That ends my lesson for the day ! I do hope you`re not teaching your young girls about menage a trois ?

Regards, Jenks.

Nice mating pairs there, Wurzel. I expect Dave ( millerd ) will be sending you some mrgreens
when he sees the Holly Blue pairing. Before he does here's one from me

All the best,
Trevor.

Just catching up on posts Wurzel, what fantastic shots you got of the Holly Blue, I've never seen a mating pair before
Weather here cold! we just missed the Snow but we certainly didn't miss the frosts, hope fully it will benefit the BF for next year if it keeps up. Goldie

You really made the most of Shipton this year Wurzel, great stuff

Hi Wurzel. I have to agree that it would’ve been a better day had we seen more of our Target Brostreaks, but the mating Holly Blues did make up for that to a large degree . Also, your cracking picture of the barely recognisable male Brostreak reminds me you might have another similar picture lurking in the back pages of your diary, taken in 2014 as we made our way along the track up to the hot-spot. How about using it to start a pictures thread of ‘battered but alive butterflies’ ? (if it hasn’t been done already) although I vaguely remember you having a photo of a Small Tort “Stumpy” I think? which would take some beating .

I cannot remember if you saw the red Grasshopper at the Duke site before you had to leave? For me it was one of the highlights on a day that was disappointedly lacking in butterflies (although I did see one male Adonis), …. so I hope you don’t mind me posting this on your PD. The species may be Chlorthippus parallelus but ID would be appreciated.

Cheers Jenks Thanks for the Welsh lesson, it's been a few years since I've had to use anything more than Diloch!
Cheers Trevor It was nice to catch up with this species in cop to add to my "Butterflies Havin' in!" book
Cheers Goldie A good hard winter should be great for butterflies - it will knock off the parasites and pathogens, we need more cold weather But then a good spring!
Cheers Bugboy Shipton is one of those sites that it pays to visit a few times at least!
Cheers Philzoid Ah Stumpy...that takes me back It was a great day despite the lack of butterflies, great shot of the Grasshopper by the way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I'm a bit late Wurzel but those are some fantastic Holly Blue action shots there! I don't think I've ever seen mating Hollies before. Almost finished my diary for the year, it's been an odd one, hopefully next year will be an improvement with what appears to be a colder winter - some good weather during the spring would be nice.

ATB

James

Butterflysaurus rex wrote:... I don't think I've ever seen mating Hollies before...

James

Nor me. Great shots Wurzel

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Rex I agree - cold now,mild spring, warm and dry summer - great 2017, fingers crossed I've even sent a letter to Father Christmas
Cheers Neil It was a first for me too
Martin Down 24-08-2016

It was nice to take a break from prep work for the year ahead and make my way over to Martin Down to have a brief break. With the end of the holiday looming I looked ahead and realised that I was going to be pretty busy once I was back at work. So I decided to head towards Martin Down for two reasons:
a.- make the most of the good weather
b. – make the most of my time remaining

I started by walking to Bokerley from the Sillen’s Lane end car park. On the way I was entertained by a Comma and a few Specklies skimming along the hedge and flitting in and out every now and again. There were also the usual Blues and Whites on the way and they were joined by plenty of Meadow Browns which seemed to abound as well as a single Peacock.
The hollow was heaving and it was great to see it so full of butterflies after a pretty dismal year for most species. Because of this I just pootled around and enjoyed what I saw. There were Common Blues and Brown Argus, Chalkhills looking like ghosts of butterflies and Adonis Blues looking resplendent and more numerous than their cousins even including a mating pair. It was a joy to behold. Further up on the grass land I scanned around hoping to find another Cloudy or two but the only yellows I could find were Brimstones. The males would stop and were much more sociable than those around during the spring. Occasionally I could get in just the right position so that they were lit from behind. Then the overlap of the wings and the body would shine through like a shadow theatre image. I headed on up the hill to the accompaniment of more Meadow Browns and also a Small Tort. As well as these species there were Blues on the way as I passed through the hollow again it would have been rude not to have stopped… Eventually right at the top I realised that I was running out of time and so I quickly walked back, cutting across the side of the Down and checking the bottom of the hill with no luck for Silver Spotted Skippers. It was a great afternoon just enjoying what I saw, so much so in fact that I had barely any photos but plenty of great images burned into my memory.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Oh the joys of Summer Wurzel! roll on on, Goldie

Cheers Goldie Hopefully it doesn't come too soon - we need a nice cold period it'll do the butterflies good, so long as we get a 'proper' Spring

Have a goodun

Wurzel

December 2016

Finally some cold weather - it'll do the butterflies good so I hope that it lasts for long enough but not too long...never happy are we I better start on next years calander...
Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's a great photo of the WW Wurzel I'm looking forward to next years calendar. Goldie