Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Looking forward to your holiday shots Wurzel, if the Admiral's any thing to go by they should be great Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Old Wolf That 'oily' sheen I've always put down to light refraction, you can also see it on other female blues, Silver-studs in particular I'd guessed this but your question got me thinking and a quick google search suggested that it seems to be a combination of pigment and structure that causes the iridescence.
http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/15A.html
As for writing about the past it too is a combination. Some reports I can't wait to write up and so I write them up as soon as I get back, I'm often composing these in my head as I drive home. Others are from memory either fully or using a tally of species. I open a beer (Badger or St Austell breweries are best) close my eyes and take a moment and then I'm away. It's my plan to stave off dementia.

Cheers Goldie I hope the expectations haven't been built too high

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

...It's my plan to stave off dementia...
Wurzel

I hate to say it, Wurzel, but I'm not sure it's working... Maybe more beer?
I find the application of the products of the Surrey Hills Brewery works a treat.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I'll definitely keep doing this and see if the application of more beer has any beneficial effect, any excuse...ahem I mean 'medical reason'...for the application of more beer is always very welcome

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Old Wolf]

Thanks for the link. An interesting read that has shed some light on this for me

I am impressed at your memory skills. As to the Beer approach, it tends to have the reverse effect on me as it makes me forget loads

[Wurzel]

Cheers Old Wolf I find that you have to get the dose just right - too much and yes the memory doesn't work as well as it should

Lavender Farm 24-06-2018

It was the right time of year for the Lavender Farm visit as by now the florets would be bursting and you would be able to practically see the oil evaporating of the flower tops. Plus we had a reason/excuse to visit for a Cream Tea; I still can’t find a vegan Clotted Cream. So off we headed and true to form the weather was a bit iffy when we arrived with thin clouds and drizzle. Never mind we sat under cover and munched and slurped and devoured while the Sparrows that were sheltering with us jostled round our feet hoping for, but not receiving any crumbs. As the last mouthful was finished and plates were pushed to the middle of the table emptied of their contents I looked out across the gardens and a Meadow Brown moved in line with my gaze. The cloud had depleted and turned from ominous grey to white and little patches of sky had coloured themselves back in blue. Smiling I picked up my camera and suggested that we should take out walk through the gardens.

We set off to the Lavender field first, the girls walked up the row tentatively trailing their hands along the flower tops and then breathing the heady scent deeply. I followed them up the rows but looked out for any butterflies that they spooked. Normally it would be the other way round but today I was feeling the relaxing effect. It wasn’t just the sun starting to warm my back (as the sky was now replete of cloud) nor the hypnotic vapours but I found the colour of the flowers very restful on my eyes even in the brightening conditions. The occasional Meadow Brown would flutter lazily across the rows still surprisingly camouflaged. Then a butterfly ‘popped’ out and promptly disappeared again. It was a Small Tort that had briefly opened its wings.

We carried on wandering up and down the rows circling back and just completing circuits. Along the way a few Whites of various guises flew by, the odd Hedge Brown and Meadow Brown. At the top of the final row something smaller zipped by. It was acting far too manically for this site but eventually even this frenetic butterfly calmed down, a lovely Small Skipper.

We carried on round the gardens at the top of the field and things became a little hazy as we moved around almost slumbering on our feet due to the combined narcotic effects of warm sun, full belly and Lavender scent. I started looking out for the Whites and spent a bit of time with them. There were a few Brimstone about thought they seemed to keep their distance and spent much of their time nectaring in the parts of the field that were closed off. There were also a couple of Small Torts that held territory at the top of the wild flower patch where. I just kept bimbling along watching a butterfly feed and then remembering to take a photo or two.

Eventually we tore ourselves away and headed home. “The girls will sleep well tonight” I thought; and they did and so did I.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

Nice shots from the lavender farm, Wurzel. I love that last Skipper on the tip of the flower!

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Wurzel, Lavender is good for relaxing it also keeps Mosquitoes at bay, pity we didn't take some with us to Gait Barrow Your bringing some great memories back with your cream tea Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Callum That Skipper was practically sitting up and begging to have it's photo taken so of course I had to oblige
Cheers Goldie I didn't know that about Lavender Goldie, if I had I would have made myself a Lavender shirt specifically for butterflying

I apologise in advance this one was a bit of a biggy for me so there may be a few more photos than usual...

Bentley Wood 01-07-2018

This looked set to be a cracker even though I was pretty convinced that I was still a year away from my 3 year cycle of grounded shots. Because of the heat I got there early and pulled into a surprisingly empty car park. As I got my camera out of the boot a SWF flew lazily around the car park, 3 Purple Hairstreaks bickered above me and a Purple Emperor landed in a tree directly above my car. So three of my target species seen and I’m not even ready to leave the car!

I start down the path and a Red Admiral raises my pulse for a fraction of a second as it’s settled on the main track. There are shed loads of Ringlets along the path and I find a couple of Hedgies in among them. About half way along the main track which I know is a good spot I stopped and waited and chatted to another enthusiast who’d arrived at the same point from the opposite direction. A couple more arrived and bait was put down which was promptly accepted by a Red Admiral. Also around and about here were loads of Purple Hairstreaks. I don’t really recall having seen so many here before. A few came down to the Bracken low down but most don’t hang around for long. One did and I can see why; he’s particularly shot, with hind wings devoid of any scales whatsoever. I was surprised that he could still fly!

Then a Purple Emperor did a couple of fly-by’s and so it looked like it was going to be a matter of waiting and seeing. One of the blokes has to risk a run to the car for his water and after a little while we get a call as in a little scallop 12 paces from the car park there’s a Purple Emperor down on the deck. We race over and then slow our pace as we draw near to let it settle. It’s found something icky in the foliage so we wait some more for it to really settle. As we do another couple appear from the car park and he plonks himself right at the front of the group, in the perfect position and right in the way. I manage a few shots from different angles but the Johnny-come-lately hogs the prime quadruple purple position. Eventually it decides to have a look slightly further along the path and I think “great I might get onto a decent angle this time”. But no now anther late arrival gets too keen and doesn’t give it any time t settle so it’s off. We all wait a while to see if it will come back but it appears to be spooked for good. Annoyingly it transpires that the Johnny-come-lately-prime-position-hogger isn’t even a true butterfly enthusiast he’s actually a birder that makes Purple Emperors his one exception!

Grinding my teeth and soundly a lot like a coarser version of Muttley I carry on my route, with some of my shots showing blue dampening my rage. Back at the half way point a PE is doing a fly-by and as well there’s a distant White Admiral (year tick number 4). At the Switchback I take a right and head up to the memorial seeing more SWFs. I pause briefly on my mission for a White Admiral that is almost within reach of my lens. I notice a glowing H.Comma out of the corner of my eye to my left and then I’m back focusing on the Admiral. When I finally get to the memorial, or rather the Wytch Elms just past them it seems that the sucker they were using last year is succumbing to DED fast. I manage to add Whitter to the year list with the sighting of a singleton so hopefully the suckers slightly further along the track may offer hope for the species here. Feeling slightly down and wondering where I’ll find a new Whitter site in Wiltshire I head back stopping on the way for this and that; a SWF here, a DGF there, another female SWF etc.

As I walked this final stretch I replayed various parts of the trip through my mind; “5 year ticks isn’t too bad” I muse to myself “if only I’d had more luck with the Emperor”. I decide that as I’m almost back at the car park earlier than anticipated I may as well check out the ‘Purple Patch’ again. Something big and stripey flies round me and then lands back on the nasty stuff. It’s a PE and I have it all to myself. Just in case I call out “Emperor down!” but no-one comes. It moves from the ickyness to a log which is unfortunately in the shade. As I’m surreptitiously sidling round to see if I can get a flash of blue a second comes in and busses the first!. Looks like Karmic pay back after the Johnny-come-lately incident earlier.

After this one lands down on the deck and I get a few shots. Then a 4 x 4 appears, ooohhhh nooo! But instead of ploughing on by the driver pulls up and waits as the Emperor flits about on the path posing here and there. I even get trousered. After wait felt like too short an audience but which was probably a good 10 minutes the Emperor moves off further down the track. I thank the driver profusely and he smiles “An Emperor was it? No problem”. What a dude.

Blissed out after my first ever private audience I stumble into the car park where I have the unfortunate task of having to answer the dreaded question “Have you seen any Emperors down as we haven’t yet?” Bashfully I mention that they just missed one. They set of hurriedly thanking me, I so hope they got an audience too…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Evocative memories from the lavender farm in your previous post, Wurzel. And nice to see you got some grounded PE shots, I only got fly-by’s this year.

[millerd]

That really takes me back to the heady and hot days of midsummer and the joys of persistently pursuing Purple... Terrific shots, Wurzel, with some brilliant purple.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Essex I was dead chuffed as I broke the three year cycle year cycle this year with those grounded Emperors
Cheers Dave Those heady days seemed to last a lot longer this year and we had a good run with the heatwave It wasn't the only Emperor I got this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Fantastic sequence of shots of the grounded Emperors at Bentley, Wurzel you've waited a long, long time for those

Mike

[Goldie M]

Super shots Wurzel, I got none this year, Sob! Sob! Goldie Always anther year.

[bugboy]

wonderful Emperor shots . Also I'm glad you knew what that Purple Hairstreak was because I wouldn't have the faintest idea based on your picture!

[trevor]

One advantage of your retrospective reports is that we get to see
Purple Emperors at the end of August !.
Great images from the best part of the season. I agree with Bugboy,
you did well identifying that tatty specimen as a Purple Hairstreak

Hope you had a goodun yesterday,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike I was dead chuffed to have broken the cycle got some decent grounded Emperor shots
Cheers Goldie Keep saying the mantra "Next year.." and it will happen Mine only took 6 years
Cheers Bugboy I'm guessing that is was a Purple Hairstreak but to be honest I'm not really sure myself - it could be a species new to Science, the Is-it-isn't-it Hairstreak
Cheers Trevor Finally I got the Emperors The best thing was the private audience It great meeting up yesterday - what a cracking little site

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Great report and photos from Bentley Wurzel, glad to see you had your private moment with The Purple One .

...Annoyingly it transpires that the Johnny-come-lately-prime-position-hogger isn’t even a true butterfly enthusiast he’s actually a birder that makes Purple Emperors his one exception! ...

I seem to be bumping into increasing numbers of birders over the past couple of years who are turning to butterflies during the summer. No problem with that in itself but I have to say I have seen a few who haven't got a clue about how to move around butterflies.

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Laverstock Down 02-07-2018

There are only a couple more of these afternoon tutor sessions left before the summer break so I needed to make the most of the remaining times and try and hurry up and catch up with the remaining few species. So far things were looking pretty good and I’d also had a bonus in the form of the unexpected Silver-stud. However I still needed to pick up a couple of species; DGF, Chalkhilll and Painted Lady, and even though there would be opportunities to visit during the ‘holiday classes’ I was slightly concerned that vagaries of the weather would play havoc with my plans. The summer holidays are generally pretty poor weather wise.

Today I intended to follow the tried and route of along the path behind the gardens, turn right through the kissing gate, carry on straight up and then turn left onto the site and follow the track down the gentle slope and then up the Down. On path behind the gardens there were Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and at least 3 Smessex. As I manoeuvred through the kissing gate 2 H.Commas played in the dappled shade alternatively landing and then being harried by the other.

Up on track that gently slopes down to the foot of the Down before it rises like a behemoth I observed a Holly Blue fluttering around the Brambles patches. Meadow Browns played hide and seek with me amongst the grasses, Smessex zipped here and there the fresher ones flashing and had a little glitter to proceedings whilst the Marbled Whites still played hard to get. It must be the heat as I can’t recall any other year when they have been so twitchy. I remember getting right up in their grill during some summers but during most outings this year a few paces away is as close as I can get.

Around the foot of the Down were more Smessex and another Holly Blue (or was it the same one?). There was also another H.Comma holding a territory and now the grass spread further I started seeing a few more Blues with two Common and a Brown Argus. I strode ever upwards, which despite the practice doesn’t seem to be getting any easier and Small Heath scattered before me. A larger, slightly paler looking Comma glided across the Down and settled on a ginormous Thistle. Something didn’t compute about its colour, shape or jizz and so I cautiously approached it. Boom a DGF! I got a record shot and then ever so carefully stalked closer but then an H.Comma hassled it away. Whilst I was slightly grateful for the comparative view I was at the same time annoyed that the feisty little bugger had spooked my quarry!

As I carried on up the path the DGF dropped in momentarily again but this time I didn’t even get a record shot fired off before the H.Comma was again on the scene. Perhaps he was confused and thought that the DGF was a competitor? I carried on upwards through the overgrown path which has become really dense and overgrown where a Comma was holding territory. Eventually I broke through the dense vegetation and into the sunshine again at the very top of the Down before carrying on along to the top of the gully. Over 10 minutes or so I’d gone from jungle explorer to fell walker and no to downhill skier as I slalomed down the Down. I was surprised to see only a couple of Blues and the odd Small Heath so I carried on with the walk back scanning about and looking for DGFs along the way. As I worked through the shrub tunnels, dipping between sunlight and shade I stumbled upon a DGF on the way in one of the breaks eagerly taking nectar. A little further on there was a second right at the bottom on the periphery of the Down. It got spooked by a Marbled White of all things and promptly nipped over the hedge to glide over the wheat and disappear from view.

Not too shabby for a wander round the Down and to top it all another DGF flew along the path behind the tutors house! So another one ticked and off the list, only a couple more to go! Species that is not tutor sessions.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

You can have a mrgreen for that DGF
Foolishly, I completely missed them this year.
As they emerge in the midst of the silly season, you can't be everywhere at once.

Glad you had a goodun,
Trevor.