www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Just catching up on your diary again Wurzel, some great reports as always with your entertaining personal touch to them

ernie f wrote:... Iron Maiden and Butterflies, eh? You are a complex creature, Wurzel. ....

Quiet partial to a bit of Iron Maiden myself although my preferred tastes tend to be from the previous decade.

And do you remember these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4

Cheers,

Neil

Hi! Wurzel, glad you were lucky with the Pearl's, nice opened winged shots as well, I tried to see them this year but no luck, I'd to
be happy with the SPBF, which I am Goldie

Cheers Dave That fence As for what comes next...I better get on and write it up
Cheers Neil I wasn't aware of them but I can hear a bit of Deep Purple and even a tiny bit of Metallica in there One for the play list cheers
Cheers Goldie Things were a bit odd timing wise this year, good luck next

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice Pearl report Wurzel, great open wing shots. You've also captured those Brimstones very well.

Playing catch up with diaries Wurzel. A great selection from you recently. Starting with the Green Hairstreak with the bright blue sky behind...very nice. Also enjoyed the Pearls at Bentley Wood. The winner though is the courting Brimstones. That must have been a high shutter speed

Kind Regards
Kev

Nice series of Pearls you have there. I know how hard it is to get a good shot of one. Love the Shot of the one on the Log. Also the Wall in your previous post is lovely.

Gary

Having been away for a long weekend, i'm a bit behind with the diaries.
Love the Pearl on the log, and the Brimstones in flight is a belter !!.
Far from the June gap, It's turning out to be the most manic month so far !.

All the best,
Trevor.

Oh ! how about some Cold Play, Tears for Frears and later OMD !.

I agree with Trevor, no June gap this year. Still playing catchup with everyone's diary but it's a good way to pass the time whilst sat on the train to my next destination

Cheers Andrew I was happy with both those shots, though possibly the Brimstones more as I've been after those behaviour shots for a while now
Cheers Kev I turned the dial from Flower to Running Man for those Brimstone shots, that puts the camera into Sports Mode
Cheers Gary Pearls are funny butterflies, most of the time they fly ceaselessly and then all of a sudden for no apparent reason they just sit there for you
Cheers Trevor Things have been late and other species have been early, it's been a funny old year Cold Play is a bit 'easy listening' for me
Cheers Bugboy I'm wondering where you're off to next as I type this and then prepare for work tomorrow

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Marshie Site 19-05-2018 Part 2a

After a quick drive back to Salisbury Philzoid parked up and jumped in my car and we were off to my Marshie site chatting along the way. There were a few cars parked up in the lay-by cum car park one of which seemed familiar…Philzoid and I made our way up the track expecting butterflies on the way and not seeing much apart from an OT and then the gradient eased off and the narrow track opened out and we started working our way along the hollow. A few Dingies and the odd Grizzlie flew about here but not the hoped for Marshie. Instead there was a fresh Common Blue which was spooked by a really fresh Brown Argus. As Philzoid took a turn at getting some shots I looked ahead and up the hill were a couple of other enthusiasts one of which looked remarkably like Dave Miller! We carried on stopping for another really fresh Brown Argus and then climbed out of the hollow where we met up with Dave and Lee Hurrell. We slowly made our way round to the amphitheatre noting the odd white and my first Marshie and Small Heaths on the way. At the Amphitheatre there were a few more Marshies kicking about in amongst the now ubiquitous Brown Argus and the odd Skipper. A Small heath would take off and upset a Grizzlie which would upset a Dingy which would have a pop at a Marshie and so on in a merry go round fuelled by testosterone (or the lepidopteran equivalent). It seemed that the best and possibly only way to get any shots would be to walk up the hill and try and find a butterfly perched up and trying to mind its own business before it got roped into the tussling and brawling which was happening on the lower slopes. This technique worked for Lee and I as we managed to turn up a couple of Marshies this way as well as a cracking little Greenstreak. We then strolled on round a bit further and a male Adonis caught our eye but he refused to open up and so while we waited we paused a while, a Greenstreak flew past as did the biggest OT I’d ever seen it looked bigger than a Brimstone! One the majority of my coffee had been drunk and a lot of fat had been chewed our quartet became a trio as Dave started for home. We carried on round finding the miniature amphitheatre. Everything we’d seen so far was also found in this little hollow with the added bonus that you didn’t have to go far for the butterfly you wanted to get a shot of, it was merely a sidestep or a step forwards etc. That's a lot so far, more to come sooner rather than later...
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Love your Marshie underwing shots, Wurzel. I only have pics of them from above so far.

From your description of your visit to' the hill ' I could almost re-trace your steps.
It's amazing how you can identify Dave Miller at a 1,000 paces !.

Trevor.

Cheers Ernie I'm trying to get as many of those as I can while my knees hold out
Cheers Trevor The trick to spotting Dave Miller is to follow the Holly Blues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Marshie Site 19-05-2018 Part 2b

Round even further we went stopping occasionally and bending down to get a few shots; generally it would be a Brown Argus as they seemed to be everywhere, until the nearby hillfort came into view. Then we knew it was time to turn round and start making our way back. We took the bottom path hoping it would provide a Small Blue. It didn’t but a fly-by Wall, the odd Greenstreak or Marshie and even more Brown Argus were still nice to see. Back at the mini amphitheatre it seems that the Adonis had finally gotten of his perch as it was locked together with a female making sure that there would be some more Adonis to see here later in the year. Time was fast running out and so not wanting to be late Philzoid and I said our goodbyes and started back round from the amphitheatre. We got a little delayed in the hollow with a stunning Common Blue that had a cracking set of wing margins. They ran from blue to a thick black line and a blinding white trim. Right we really must be getting on. And then a Wall landed on the path up ahead of us. With some careful creeping we managed to get close enough for a few shots though the angle it was sitting at was less than ideal. Okay we’re getting dangerously close to leaving late…But there finally was a Small Blue. It was flying up against the steep side of the hill on one side of the path in roughly the same place as we’ve encountered them before. And so somehow we finally managed to leave the reserve and with a bit of careful driving still got back in time. A thoroughly cracking day, it was great catching up with Philzoid and Dave and meeting Lee for the first time as well being surrounded but butterflies and getting 5 FFY to boot!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

What a great place that is Wurzel. Marshies, Walls and mating Adonis (not to mention the others you saw). The variety is amazing.

That was indeed a good day on the hill - I had no idea that when I took my shot of you and Phil arriving you were sneakily getting one of me and Lee already in place! Some great photos there, Wurzel. I particularly like the underside of the Dingy - how much grovelling did you have to do to get underneath that one? The Wall looks familiar - he seemed to be guarding the path down to the layby and he had delayed my eventual departure earlier on.

Dave

Love your emerald green ,Green Hairstreak.
They do vary greatly in colour, partly the Butterfly, part light refraction, I should think.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

PS. That Wall Brown was guarding the path when I was there !.

Great shots from your Marshie site, Wurzel and that's a couple of right dodgy looking geezers on the hillside

Mike

Hi! Wurzel, just catching up on posts, great Marshie shots not seen them for a while, I love their colours , they remind me of the Heath frit's , I'm going to Kent beginning of July I'm hoping some Heath Frit's may still be a round, you never know Goldie

Cheers Ernie If you fancy a visit next year then send me a PM and I can pass on the directions etc
Cheers Dave It was a brill day indeed with people taking pictures of people taking pictures (which I believe is a Jack Johnson song?), great company and bucket loads of butterflies I didn't have to do any grovelling for the Dingy I just hit the deck and took the shots before it knew what was happening
Cheers Trevor Dave also encountered him on the way out, he was all Black Knight "None shall pass" right up until you tired to get a better view and then he was off
Cheers Mike I know what you mean about the dodgy geezers, you get all sorts turning up in Wiltshire, we might need to build a Wall
Cheers Goldie Being a bit partial to looking for variation Marshies are almost my ideal species Goldie Good luck in Kent

Have a goodun

Wurzel