www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers Essex I know what you mean, the biggest surprise for me were the Wood Whites they were everywhere, flying on every verge and piece of waste land in the place of the Small and Green-veined White

Things are getting good…16-08-2018 Part 1

We took our life into our hands again today and ventured forth on the French roads . Now most of the roads are very decent – smooth, well marked and signed, no potholes etc. but the smaller roads are a bit of a nightmare. They’re only just wide enough for just under two cars so every time you’re faced with oncoming traffic you have to veer onto the verge, when there is one, more usually it’s a ditch and occasionally an exceedingly high kerb that rips the hubcaps off. Still we got to the Hypermarche at Montpon and back again with only a few hair-raising moments. As we were unpacking I wondered where the Maps were (not the OS variety by the small White Admiral mimic)? In the Czech Republic they were everywhere. As I was thinking this a Map did a fly-by and landed on a small patch of ‘stuff’ –brill! I wondered if I would have the same luck with a Lesser Purple Emperor as I carried on back to Elvensong with the shopping. Something large took off from the path and landed high up in an Oak. I zoomed in on the shots I’d taken and the orangey colouration on the underside suggested that it could indeed be a Lesser Purple Emperor, albeit a tatty looking one at that. Still if just ‘wondering’ about a species meant it turned up then I spent the rest of the walk back and subsequent trips to and from the car thinking intensely about Mallow Skippers and Scarce Swallowtails unfortunately I wasn’t able to ‘think them’ into existence… I went back and unpacked and we had lunch and then I was let off the leash for an hour or so. I’d already used up one battery so I swapped to a fresh one and decided to set the first one to charge over at the house on the way out towards the Cutting. So there I was charger in one hand, camera in the other. As I approached the house a massive ‘white’ butterfly landed practically in front of me. It was a Scarce Swallowtail and I managed only 5 shots before it was off again, all with one hand as I was still holding the charger in my other hand. Another great find from just strolling around the grounds. After this I carried on directly to the Cutting seeing a surprisingly fresh Large Skipper on route making a nice addition to the usual crowd. I decided that it was worth checking slightly further afield at the Cutting today and so I forewent the various the various sets of Frits and crossed the road. There were rows of Bracken taking up most of the cutting on one side so I stuck to the sandy path on the other. On the tall stands of Hemp Agrimony there were loads of Silver Washed Frits, the odd Sooty Copper and the ubiquitous Meadow Browns – none of which materialised into a Grayling of any description. There was also a White Admiral perched briefly before it cut across the Cutting, gliding expertly millimetres above the highest Bracken fronds. As it turned on a sixpence something about it didn’t look right so I made a mental note to check it later and carried on up the hill. (When I did check it later that night after writing this and with some more excellent and very cheap French beer it was indeed a Southern White Admiral) Almost at the top I began to regret my decision as there wasn’t much about – right up to the point when a massive, dark brown butterfly took off from in front of me and landed a short distance away. It was huge compared to the Meadow Browns and much darker. As I approached it I realised that it was one of my target species – a Dryad. I watched it for a while as a Silver Washed or Meadow Brown would spook it and it would fly quickly into cover and disappear deep down into the Bracken. A short while later it would emerge and then off it would go again. Have a goodun

Wurzel

A nice selection of butterflies in your latest post from your Dordogne trip, Wurzel We didn't see any Map's as we were there between spring/summer broods
What an unusual but fascinating species the Dryad is, nice shots of the male you found

Mike

A good range of species there Wurzel but my are reserved for the Dryad, a species I've always wanted to see since I saw it's picture when I was a kid

Hi! Wurzel, I've been enjoying your photo's from France, what a great holiday you had so many fantastic Butterflies
Still up to the neck in paper work here and planning some holidays with my Sister-in-Law for next year, she's not too keen on my love of Butterflies if it means trailing about though We'll have to compromise I think!!!Goldie

Cheers Mike I was dead chuffed to find the Dryad as it was one of those species that I was hoping to see
Cheers Bugboy It is a cracking, and large butterfly Bugboy but it still doesn't quite live up to it's namesake; I can't see Apollo becoming enamoured with this species of Dryad
Cheers Goldie I recommend going to somewhere on the Med an then you Sister In-law can laze by the pool and you can nip off for an hour or so and find some cracking butterflies

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Interesting to see the Maps and Scarce Swallowtail, Wurzel. You couldn't conjure some into existence over here, could you? I.m sure they'd both be very happy in Southern England - we've no shortage of either nettles or blackthorn after all. (I know it isn't quite as simple as that... ) I've seen Scarce Swallowtails many times in Greece, but never come across a Map anywhere.

Dave

Cheers Dave Having made two previous trips to the continent it was good to finally catch up with a Scarce Swallowtail If things carry on the way they are it won't be long until we do have both those species over here though whether that's a good thing I'm not sure

November 2018

Fingers crossed there may still be one or two butterflies flying...
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Never seen a Dryad, so you get a from me!

A little more ' cheap French beer ' and your Southern White Admiral could
have been confused for a Poplar Admiral !. If only.
A mrgreen for your Map, I've only seen one from a distance.

You chose a great location for your hols.
Trevor.

Cheers Essex When I read through your foreign expeditions and look at your shots my envy knows no bounds
Cheers Trevor The choice was my wife's and luckily this was a better choice than downtown Lisbon where we last went Fingers crossed for next year - The Algarve, Southern Spain and SE France are all in the running

Laverstock 30-08-2018

I hadn’t ventured up the Down during the morning Tutor session as it still felt cool, it was a little cloudy and I had loads of trip reports to start writing up. However a day of doing chores saw me fairly chomping at the bit to get up there during the afternoon session.
When I set out the sun was a little hazy but it felt reasonably warm, still warm enough for a T-shirt (Metallica today ) but only just and as I stepped foot onto the Down an electric blue bullet shot out of the sward to greet me. A great start to the walk. Further along there was another, then a Common Blue and a brace of Small Heath. All very nice but also all very active and difficult to approach. Then something different appeared. It was a stunning Small Copper. I say stunning not just because of the big blue badges but because of the contrast between the orange and the background brown. It was stunning because the background was so dark, almost as dark as the black fore wing marks and it wasn’t dark and dusky there was a clear contrast between the forewing and its margins cracking! After this things quietened down a little as I followed the foot of the Down along the bottom track. The odd Small Heath would appear occasionally along with the odd blue or white. At one point a Peacock flew at me and I don’t know who was more startled me or it. As I wandered I noticed that I was starting to squint and my shadow was projected before me. It felt slightly warmer as the sun started to come out and this meant that the butterflies might be more active still. I didn’t mind and worked up to the far side of the Gully and into a real purple patch. On the far side at the bottom the grass is short and therefore the nectar sources are obvious as they stick out of the air. There were a couple of male Adonis here along a few Common Blues, Small Heath and the ever present (at least it feels like) Meadow Brown. A slatey dark butterfly caught my eye and I watched as it landed and then approached – it was a female Adonis. This little beauty was quickly followed by a really small Small Copper. After this I checked the tiny path that cuts across the side of the Down and again there were a few blues in amongst the browns and also a Small White and then the next 10 minutes or so passed in a blur of butterflies. It started with a female Chalkhill which was posing nicely and not going anywhere. As I looked away and across the grass male Adonis and Common Blues seemingly popped into view. One minute they weren’t there and then as they opened their wings to bask ‘boom shanka’ there they were. I then scanned around and spotted a white flag amongst a stand of taller grass. As I approached a Small Copper shot off and I could make out a Small Heath as well as 2 Brown Argus and three Common Blues all congregated in this one little patch. As I started back I had to cross the gully and here there were good numbers of male Adonis on view, glinting out from the side of the hill when my movement meant the light caught them right. This happened all the way back with the odd Adonis seeming to blink into existence. A cracking evening, hopefully the weather is okay tomorrow morning and I’ll be able to catch the same set of butterflies waking up.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

A very nice selection of summertime blues there, Wurzel, and it's good to go back and see fresh Coppers - I've been so used to looking at individuals at the other end of their lives.

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Dave That's one of the benefits of living in the past The other is that the music is infinitely better and the beer tastes nicer

The Dordogne Day 2 16-08-2018 Part 2

…I left it (the Dryad) in peace and headed back down the track, crossed the road and then worked my way 50m down the track from the start of ‘normal’ side of the Cutting. On the way I passed all the usual Frits but they seemed solar charged now and were tearing around at breakneck speed. I spotted a couple of White Admirals having a bit of argy-bargy and so I waded through the grass (having sensibly worn jeans and shoes this time) and waited for one to settle. When it did I wasn’t disappointed. The black had a bluish tinge and there were tiny blue spots on the hind wing margins. When it closed its wings it was wonderfully red in places. It would land for a while before taking off on a little sortie to bring an errant Silver Washed Upstart into line. At one point there were two having a bit of a crap and another time a Meadow Brown felt the Admirals wrath. Sortie complete it would fly back and forth there or four times before landing pretty close to where it had previously lifted off from. After a while I snapped out of the trance that it had lulled me into and then I headed back home. There were the usual Frits on the way back – all super solar charged but I carried on back triumphantly…
So after tea I set out on the search for a Mallow Skipper to try and complete my target list. Once at the Cutting I realised I’d come a bit too late as despite it still being early the trees lignin the Cutting were shading out huge swathes of the grasses. A Glanville flew here and there amid the odd Meadow Brown and Small Heath. A smaller blue caught my eye when it posed nicely, head down on a blade of grass. It didn’t have any orange lunules but seemed too big for a Small/Little Blue. When it flew to a new perch it was really blue and not slatey grey on the upper side of its wings as a Small Blue would be. It did a few wing rolls and I managed to get a couple of shots as it opened its wings ever so slightly. I could see dark, almost black lines diving down across the wings towards the thorax and abdomen. A Mazarine Blue; another unexpected find and a very good reason for me to check all blues very carefully from now on. Chuffed I carried on down the Cutting to where another road cut across it. All the way I was accompanied by a murderous band of hangers on – my own horrible entourage of Mozzies and Horseflies. These little critters made the journey down pretty unbearable and with only singletons of Glanville, Knapweed, Small Pearl and a White Admiral (both of which are considered Scarce here) it felt like a wasted trip. On the way back I saw a few Blues but they were all Common and there was a large Brown – another Dryad maybe? But I was glad to get back to the Cutting proper and once there I watched a failed Knapweed courtship and then headed home noting an aberrant Glanville in passing. Tomorrow we were planning to check out a few of the local villages so hopefully I’ll be able t add Mallow Skipper to the list…I can’t work out why I’ve seen the Pearly Heath which should have finished by now and Small Pearls which are scarce yet not the ‘abundant/common’ Mallow Skipper? Oh well fingers crossed… Have a goodun

Wurzel

Another great report from the Dordogne.
As for the images, the prize has to go to your underside shots.
The Southern White Admiral and Mazarine Blue in particular.

As for choice of location next year, I can heartily recommend the Cevennes.
Black Veined Whites everywhere we went, and lots of confusing Blues, and Frits.

All the best,
Trevor.

Just catching up on your more recent reports Wurzel. I must admit, I am a bit clueless when it comes to European butterflies with all those similar looking blues, skippers and fritillaries...but they are good to see.

And I really like that blue badge Small Copper in the earlier report, especially the last shot where the angle somewhat disguises the damage to the hind wing

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Trevor I put the Cevennes into Google and it looks looks brill - now to somehow get my wife to think that she's found this amazing place to go on holiday next year
Cheers Neil You sussed out why I went for that angle shot with the Small Copper I think that the main difference in France was just the sheer number of butterflies (of different species) available compared to to similar habitat back home. I would just try and get several shots of everything and now I have the additional pleasure of trying to identify the butterflies that I took photos off It keeps me off the streets

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's another two species we need to import, Wurzel - Knapweed Fritillary and Southern White Admiral. Some great shots of both there.

Dave

Cheers Dave They would certainly be welcome additions to our flora

Laverstock 31-08-2018

I took the plunge and headed up the Down first thing, cutting up the ‘old way’ and reaching the foot of the Down in good time. The only problem was that despite the warmth a lot of the Down was still in shadow as the sun hadn’t quite risen high enough yet.
To compensate for this I carried on taking the mid-level path round the Down to the Gully. On the way I saw many, many Small Heath with one taking off every 5 or 6 footfalls and also a single female Adonis Blue. I paused when almost at the Gully as here as a positive sign that Autumn is knocking on the door of Summer and wanting to come in; a tiny cluster of 4 or 5 fungal fruiting bodies. I can’t recall having seen this species before. It reminded me of a Stinkhorn but rather than the body disintegrating it seemed like it was crumbling and around the base was a little pile of bits that had already fallen off. Moving on I reached the bottom of the Gully. My plan had been to see if I could relocate the roosting blues from yester-evening but a small, dark orange blur distracted me. It was a tired looking Small Copper that kept hovering about and hassling the Small Heath. It seemed to be a different individual from the three that I saw yesterday so this is a good showing of Small Copper for this site. I carried on and started seeing Adonis glittering among the grasses but even this early (8:45) they were still really active particularly on the lower slop where the grass is really quite short; possibly because it heats up quicker here plus there’s less cover when creeping up on the butterflies. When I reached the ‘roosting’ point the same clump held 2 male and a female Adonis, a Small Heath, a male Common Blue and a Brown Argus. I started to stalk in but another unseen Small Heath put all the Adonis up when I was just getting into position. Still I got some shots of those that remained. After this I started back taking a slightly lower track that runs parallel with the mid track. As I looked down the slope I could see more and more Adonis twinkling out from the grasses. A few Meadow Browns and a Small White added themselves tot eh day list, it seems that they’re late risers! I tarried slightly with the Adonis before making my way back. And so the final holiday class has passed, and now there are only a few more Tutor sessions left. I’ve gotten into the habit of a weekly visit, I think it’s something I’ll need to reinstate next year.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi, Wurzel

Saw your mushroom pic. I have not seen this species before but it looked like an Inkcap to me so I looked it up. I think you'll find its a Snowy Inkcap - Coprinopsis nivea or Coprinus niveus. My book says it grows out of dung and that its white scales fall off (just like you described).

Cheers Ernie Thanks for the ID - there are a few more coming up in some future posts so your continued ID assistance would be greatly appreciated

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice to catch up on your continuing Dordogne adventure, Wurzel Nice shots of the SWA, Mazarine Blue and that Glanville ab. I only knew we'd seen a Mazarine Blue in the Dordogne, when checking the photos later

Mike