Lookslike that may have beent eh compensation for missing the Valesina 
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Neil Freeman
Re: Neil Freeman
Congrats on the Six-belt Neil Lookslike that may have beent eh compensation for missing the Valesina
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Lookslike that may have beent eh compensation for missing the Valesina Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: Neil Freeman
Amazing, Neil. Once upon a time these moths were thought to be rare but these lures seem to suggest otherwise.Neil Freeman wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:42 am...That makes 7 species of Clearwing in the garden now.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. Not forgetting that I also missed a PE as well. In fact I have not seen a Purple Emperor this year but then again I have not gone anywhere especially for them.
Thanks David. Yes indeed, pheromone lures are really changing our understanding about the distribution of many of these species.
Wednesday 20th July.
After the heat of the last few days, today (Wednesday 20th) was much cooler although it still felt warm and muggy under a layer of grey cloud. I hadn’t gone anywhere whilst the temperatures were up in the high 30s (we didn’t quite get to 40 here) and had noticed that butterfly activity in the garden was much suppressed by the heat during the greater part of the day with the only butterflies seen being either early in the morning or in the evening with whites still flying after 8.00pm.
Jane was going to spend the day with her mom so after dropping her off I carried on to Blythe Valley Park for a look around. I arrived just after 9.30am with the temperature showing 20 degrees on the car display which still made it feel warm and muggy under the overcast albeit much more bearable than it had been over the past few days.
My usual circuit around the paths here produced the expected Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Small/Essex skippers all in good numbers. Ringlets have just about finished here now with only a handful of tired and worn examples seen. No Marbled Whites were seen today, they seem to have come and gone quite quickly again, just like they did here last year.
Gatekeepers were now the most numerous with females now also out in numbers to join the males which were everywhere. Many of the males are now looking a bit worn but there were still a quite a few fresh looking examples around.
Small and Essex skippers were again seen in roughly equal numbers with fresh examples of both species seen along with worn looking ones. In most years, with the Essex Skippers emerging a week or so later than the Small Skippers, condition can be a clue to identity, but this year I am still seeing fresh looking Small Skippers along with worn and faded Essex so this is less useful.
Lots of Whites were seen, all very active in the overcast but warm conditions. These were mostly Green-veined but a few Large Whites were also about. I didn’t see any Small Whites today.
A couple of fresh summer Peacocks were seen along with a couple of Speckled Wood along the path through the small wood between two of the meadows.
I was on the lookout for second brood Common Blues but only found a couple, a male that wouldn't stop and a female of the brown form. These took a hit last year with bad weather just as both broods should have been emerging and this years first brood was down in numbers. It remains to be seen what the second brood will be like but so far it is not looking good here.
Nothing special, just lots of common summer butterflies, but a very pleasant couple of hours after spending the last couple of days mostly hiding in the shade.
Bye for now,
Neil.
Thanks David. Yes indeed, pheromone lures are really changing our understanding about the distribution of many of these species.
Wednesday 20th July.
After the heat of the last few days, today (Wednesday 20th) was much cooler although it still felt warm and muggy under a layer of grey cloud. I hadn’t gone anywhere whilst the temperatures were up in the high 30s (we didn’t quite get to 40 here) and had noticed that butterfly activity in the garden was much suppressed by the heat during the greater part of the day with the only butterflies seen being either early in the morning or in the evening with whites still flying after 8.00pm.
Jane was going to spend the day with her mom so after dropping her off I carried on to Blythe Valley Park for a look around. I arrived just after 9.30am with the temperature showing 20 degrees on the car display which still made it feel warm and muggy under the overcast albeit much more bearable than it had been over the past few days.
My usual circuit around the paths here produced the expected Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Small/Essex skippers all in good numbers. Ringlets have just about finished here now with only a handful of tired and worn examples seen. No Marbled Whites were seen today, they seem to have come and gone quite quickly again, just like they did here last year.
Gatekeepers were now the most numerous with females now also out in numbers to join the males which were everywhere. Many of the males are now looking a bit worn but there were still a quite a few fresh looking examples around.
- Gatekeeper male (slight excessa) - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Gatekeeper male - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Gatekeeper female - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Gatekeeper female - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Gatekeeper female - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Small Skipper - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Essex Skipper - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Essex Skipper - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Green-veined White - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Peacock - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
- Common Blue female - Blythe Valley 20.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Love the Green-veined White shot Neil - cracking species this is Also lots of things to look at Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper wise a nice selection of dots
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Also lots of things to look at Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper wise a nice selection of dots Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: Neil Freeman
Gatekeepers are doing very well round my way too, Neil; in fact, they're the commonest species, although I have to say Small Skippers have practically disappeared, due in no doubt to the recent warm spell as well as the dried-out grassland round here. 
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. I can always find time for a nice Green-veined White.
Thanks David. We have had a bit of rain here over the past couple of days, not much but enough to freshen things up a bit.
Friday 22nd July.
Thursday (21st) here was another dull day and it drizzled on and off for most of it...what a change from the beginning of the week, from sizzling to drizzling. It has also been much cooler with temperatures in the high teens.
The cloud persisted for most of Friday as well with just a brief spell of sunshine just before 4.00pm which lasted all of ten minutes before the clouds covered the sun again. This was long enough however for the garden to come alive with butterflies with a couple of Speckled Wood, at least three Gatekeepers, two or three Green-veined Whites and singles of Large White, Comma and Holly Blue all appearing within this time.
We had some rain overnight and as I write this on Saturday morning there is a lot of cloud out there again and it is forecast to be like that all day, although temperatures are supposed to be creeping back up a bit.
Bye for now,
Neil.
Thanks David. We have had a bit of rain here over the past couple of days, not much but enough to freshen things up a bit.
Friday 22nd July.
Thursday (21st) here was another dull day and it drizzled on and off for most of it...what a change from the beginning of the week, from sizzling to drizzling. It has also been much cooler with temperatures in the high teens.
The cloud persisted for most of Friday as well with just a brief spell of sunshine just before 4.00pm which lasted all of ten minutes before the clouds covered the sun again. This was long enough however for the garden to come alive with butterflies with a couple of Speckled Wood, at least three Gatekeepers, two or three Green-veined Whites and singles of Large White, Comma and Holly Blue all appearing within this time.
- Comma - Coverdale 22.07.2022
- Gatekeeper - Coverdale 22.07.2022
- Green-veined White - Coverdale 22.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Well done with all your clearwing sightings Neil, just shows how much stuff is lurking unseen out there, and that peacock has particularly intense forewing eyespots, very eye catching 
Some addictions are good for the soul!
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks Bugboy. Yes, it makes you wonder what else is around.
Saturday 23rd July.
Today (Saturday) ended up being another mostly cloudy day although the overcast did thin out a bit in the afternoon and whilst not exactly sunny it brightened up enough for it to feel quite warm albeit with a blustery wind.
In the morning I spotted the usual Speckled Woods, Gatekeepers and Green-veined Whites in the garden but these were all looking worn and faded so I didn’t bother pointing my camera at anything.
After lunch, I had a wander down to Wagon Lane and spent an hour wandering around my usual circuit.
Gatekeepers were easily the most numerous species here with Meadow Brown numbers on the wane now and only a couple of tatty Ringlets left flying. Both Small and Essex Skippers were seen with both species now beginning to look past their best and numbers down a bit from last week.
A couple of pugnacious male Large Skippers were still chasing everything around despite looking like they were on their last legs.
I checked out the large buddleias at the far end of the site and found three Commas along with a couple of red Admirals and a single worn looking Small Tortoiseshell. The latter have practically disappeared now having either gone into hibernation or done their bit in producing a second late summer/autumn brood, both behaviours being observed again this year.
I like the way this Comma is blending in with the faded flower spike behind it.
I was most chuffed however in finding a couple each of Small Copper and Common Blue, both being species that only just hang on at this spot in small numbers and not seen here every year.
Also seen were lots of Whites, still mostly Green-veined but with more Small Whites seen today along with a few Large Whites.
Bye for now,
Neil.
Saturday 23rd July.
Today (Saturday) ended up being another mostly cloudy day although the overcast did thin out a bit in the afternoon and whilst not exactly sunny it brightened up enough for it to feel quite warm albeit with a blustery wind.
In the morning I spotted the usual Speckled Woods, Gatekeepers and Green-veined Whites in the garden but these were all looking worn and faded so I didn’t bother pointing my camera at anything.
After lunch, I had a wander down to Wagon Lane and spent an hour wandering around my usual circuit.
Gatekeepers were easily the most numerous species here with Meadow Brown numbers on the wane now and only a couple of tatty Ringlets left flying. Both Small and Essex Skippers were seen with both species now beginning to look past their best and numbers down a bit from last week.
A couple of pugnacious male Large Skippers were still chasing everything around despite looking like they were on their last legs.
I checked out the large buddleias at the far end of the site and found three Commas along with a couple of red Admirals and a single worn looking Small Tortoiseshell. The latter have practically disappeared now having either gone into hibernation or done their bit in producing a second late summer/autumn brood, both behaviours being observed again this year.
- Red Admiral - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Comma - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Comma - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Comma - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Common Blue - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Common Blue - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Small Copper - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
- Small Copper - Wagon Lane 23.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Cracking shots Neil The Common Blue on a yellow flower always makes for a winning colour combo
Have a goodun
Wurzel
The Common Blue on a yellow flower always makes for a winning colour combo Have a goodun
Wurzel
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. Yes, a nice colour combo although I prefer the shot on the bindweed flower myself.
Monday 25th July.
Another dull and cloudy morning with some spells of rain but I had to pop into Solihull anyway so it didn’t make much difference for me. Back home later it brightened up a bit although it was still a mixture of sunshine and showers with a blustery wind.
I had a walk down to Wagon Lane to collect some Sallow for my Eyed Hawk-moth Caterpillars which are growing rapidly. They are now about eight weeks old and in the third instar with an average of around 4cm in length.
It was quite dull whilst I was at Wagon Lane and the only butterflies seen were a few Speckled Woods and Gatekeepers plus a couple each of Small and Green-veined White.
Later in the afternoon we had an hour or so from just before 3.30pm when we had a bit more sun and the wind eased off a bit. All three ‘common’ Whites were seen passing through the garden as well as a couple of Gatekeepers and the usual male Speckled Wood in their corners.
At least three male Holly Blues were passing though and they spent some time fluttering around the patch of brambles at the bottom of the garden. The flowers on these have nearly all gone now but there are a few still left and these were attracting much competition from the various passing butterflies with one, two or even three Holly Blues on them at the same time.
With the alternating sun and cloud I kept watch on where they settled hoping for them to open their wings and was rewarded a couple of times although I had to be quick before they took off again.
Just after 4.30pm the cloud increased again and thirty minutes late we were once again sitting under a thick overcast.
Bye for now,
Neil.
Monday 25th July.
Another dull and cloudy morning with some spells of rain but I had to pop into Solihull anyway so it didn’t make much difference for me. Back home later it brightened up a bit although it was still a mixture of sunshine and showers with a blustery wind.
I had a walk down to Wagon Lane to collect some Sallow for my Eyed Hawk-moth Caterpillars which are growing rapidly. They are now about eight weeks old and in the third instar with an average of around 4cm in length.
- Eyed Hawk-moth larva - Coverdale 23.07.2022
- Eyed Hawk-moth larva - Coverdale 25.07.2022
Later in the afternoon we had an hour or so from just before 3.30pm when we had a bit more sun and the wind eased off a bit. All three ‘common’ Whites were seen passing through the garden as well as a couple of Gatekeepers and the usual male Speckled Wood in their corners.
At least three male Holly Blues were passing though and they spent some time fluttering around the patch of brambles at the bottom of the garden. The flowers on these have nearly all gone now but there are a few still left and these were attracting much competition from the various passing butterflies with one, two or even three Holly Blues on them at the same time.
- Holly Blue - Coverdale 25.07.2022
- Two Holly Blues - Coverdale 25.07.2022
- Three Holly Blues - Coverdale 25.07.2022
- Holly Blue - Coverdale 25.07.2022
- Holly Blue - Coverdale 25.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Wednesday 27th July.
This morning (Wednesday) I popped round to my Mom’s to see my brother who had come down from Newcastle for a family funeral on Tuesday (one of my aunts) and is staying with her for a couple of days. Whilst there I took the opportunity for a quick wander round the park by her house whilst there was still a bit of sun around before it clouded over again as it was forecast to do during the morning.
I was just approaching the entrance when a Red Admiral flew across in front of me and settled on a hawthorn hedge just a couple of feet away. I stood back and quickly took my camera out of its bag and grabbed a few shots before it carried on its way.
A quick circuit around the park, just 15-20 minutes, produced good numbers of the expected Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Speckled Woods and Small Skippers.
Most of the Gatekeepers are now looking past their best but there are a few looking to be in decent condition still.
Likewise, the half a dozen male Speckled Woods that I saw were looking worn and faded but I did spot a nice fresh looking female that perched just long enough for a couple of shots before flying off deeper into the brambles.
One of the female Meadow Browns looked like she would have been a nice example of one with extra orange on her hindwings when she was fresh.
I then went back to my Mom’s and spent another hour or so catching up with my brother before heading home. By then the cloud had built up into a thick overcast which lasted all afternoon and into the evening when we had some showers of rain.
Bye for now,
Neil.
This morning (Wednesday) I popped round to my Mom’s to see my brother who had come down from Newcastle for a family funeral on Tuesday (one of my aunts) and is staying with her for a couple of days. Whilst there I took the opportunity for a quick wander round the park by her house whilst there was still a bit of sun around before it clouded over again as it was forecast to do during the morning.
I was just approaching the entrance when a Red Admiral flew across in front of me and settled on a hawthorn hedge just a couple of feet away. I stood back and quickly took my camera out of its bag and grabbed a few shots before it carried on its way.
- Red Admiral - Langley Hall 27.07.2022
Most of the Gatekeepers are now looking past their best but there are a few looking to be in decent condition still.
- Gatekeeper male - Langley Hall 27.07.2022
- Gatekeeper female - Langley Hall 27.07.2022
- Speckled Wood female - Langley Hall 27.07.2022
- Meadow Brown - Langley Hall 27.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Nice set of Holly Blues - has Dave been giving lessons I don't know if it's because there are more of them or whether it's just that we're noticing/photographing them more but those Meadow Browns with more orange on the hind do seem to be seen more frequently? Whatever reason still nice to see variation
Have a goodun
Wurzel
I don't know if it's because there are more of them or whether it's just that we're noticing/photographing them more but those Meadow Browns with more orange on the hind do seem to be seen more frequently? Whatever reason still nice to see variation Have a goodun
Wurzel
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. Whatever the reason, I have certanly been seeing a lot more of these attractive female Meadow Browns in recent years.
Friday 29th July.
Another Friday morning visit to my Mom’s to help with some little jobs around the house and garden during which I took a break and had a wander round her local park.
Half an hour or so on a nice warm morning with plenty of sun and intermittent high clouds produced lots of Gatekeepers along with half a dozen each of Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods.
Many of the Gatekeepers were fluttering around some tall thistles and I was watching these when I spotted a small silvery looking butterfly alight on one of flower heads, a Holly Blue.
Small Skippers were buzzing about in good numbers along with a couple of Large Skippers still hanging in there. Curiously, this is the only spot around here where I have not yet found any Essex Skippers.
I also spotted a feisty little Small Copper chasing anything way from his little patch. I was particularly pleased with this sighting as I only see them here occasionally and this is the first for a couple of years.
A few Green-veined Whites along with at least one each of Small White and Large White made up the tally for this morning before I headed back to receive my orders on what jobs to do next...this retirement business is hard work sometimes
Bye for now,
Neil.
Friday 29th July.
Another Friday morning visit to my Mom’s to help with some little jobs around the house and garden during which I took a break and had a wander round her local park.
Half an hour or so on a nice warm morning with plenty of sun and intermittent high clouds produced lots of Gatekeepers along with half a dozen each of Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods.
- Gatekeeper - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
- Holly Blue - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
- Small Skipper - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
- Large Skipper - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
- Small Copper - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
- Small Copper - Langley Hall 29.07.2022
Bye for now,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Plenty of beautifully fresh butterflies in your last few posts, Neil. I'm sure you don't regret your retirement; you now have time to indulge yourself with far fewer constraints.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks David. Oh, I don't regret taking early retirement one little bit, best thing I ever did. I still have constraints but they are of a different nature now and have grown to take up more time. Still, I knew this would happen and was one of my reasons for retiring.
I can still find time for the occasional trip though...
Sunday 31st July – Warton Crag
We left home around 09.30am last Sunday (31st) morning to head up the M6 for a few days in the Silverdale & Arnside area, one of our favourite places but one which we had not visited for a few years, first due to covid and then last summer we also had our daughter’s wedding which commandeered a fair bit of our time and finances. In fact, checking my notes showed that the last time we had been up to this area was in June 2019 and as I had not seen Scotch Argus since the previous year (August 2018) I figured it was about time we visited again.
Anyway, after a three hour drive during which we went through all kinds of weather including some sunny spells as well as a couple of heavy downpours, we pulled into the car park at Warton Crag, our usual first stop off when we reach this area. By now the weather was a mixture of cloud and sunny spells although it was obvious from the wet ground that there had been quite a bit of rain there earlier in the day. On our journey north we had noticed how much greener everything looked compared with our own area back in the midlands and it appeared that they had been having much more rain than we have had back home, something that was confirmed in conversations at our B&B over the next few days, although still not as much as they would ‘normally’ have.
I left Jane watching out for the Peregrines that nest here and can often be seen flying above the crag and went for a wander along the path to the higher slopes to see what I could find.
The first butterflies seen were Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Small Skippers, all in good numbers as well as a couple of Speckled Wood and some Small Whites, pretty much the same as back home really. As I went further up I saw a couple each of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock but these were difficult to get close to as they kept settling on the steepest and most inaccessible parts of the slopes.
I then spotted something different which landed on a rock and proved to be a Grayling, my first one this year.
Further up, a larger orange butterfly flew past me and settled on the path a few yards ahead of me, a nice fresh looking Painted Lady. After sitting still and letting me get a few shots, it flew over to some nearby knapweed and flitted from flower to flower for a bit before taking off at high speed towards the top of the crag.
I then started making my way back down a different path and came across an area with lots of wild marjoram which was covered with Gatekeepers and a couple of Common Blues. I was watching these when my eye fell on to a dull looking butterfly fidgeting about on the marjoram flowers. At first I thought it was a tired and worn looking Purple Hairstreak but a closer look showed it to actually be a tired and worn White-letter Hairstreak, the first one of these I have seen for a couple of years and the only one I have ever seen in a decent pose. A shame it was in such a worn condition but it was a pleasant surprise and I was chuffed with it anyway.
I had seen a few Brimstones scattered about along the paths but none that settled anywhere that I could get to until I got back down to the car and spotted one flitting from flower to flower in the grassy area by the car park.
There were also a couple of Common Blues in this area that were far more approachable than those I had seen higher up.
We then went and had a coffee in Warton and with a couple of hours still in hand before we could check in at our B&B we decided to carry on to Arnside.
To be continued…
Neil.
I can still find time for the occasional trip though...
Sunday 31st July – Warton Crag
We left home around 09.30am last Sunday (31st) morning to head up the M6 for a few days in the Silverdale & Arnside area, one of our favourite places but one which we had not visited for a few years, first due to covid and then last summer we also had our daughter’s wedding which commandeered a fair bit of our time and finances. In fact, checking my notes showed that the last time we had been up to this area was in June 2019 and as I had not seen Scotch Argus since the previous year (August 2018) I figured it was about time we visited again.
Anyway, after a three hour drive during which we went through all kinds of weather including some sunny spells as well as a couple of heavy downpours, we pulled into the car park at Warton Crag, our usual first stop off when we reach this area. By now the weather was a mixture of cloud and sunny spells although it was obvious from the wet ground that there had been quite a bit of rain there earlier in the day. On our journey north we had noticed how much greener everything looked compared with our own area back in the midlands and it appeared that they had been having much more rain than we have had back home, something that was confirmed in conversations at our B&B over the next few days, although still not as much as they would ‘normally’ have.
I left Jane watching out for the Peregrines that nest here and can often be seen flying above the crag and went for a wander along the path to the higher slopes to see what I could find.
The first butterflies seen were Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Small Skippers, all in good numbers as well as a couple of Speckled Wood and some Small Whites, pretty much the same as back home really. As I went further up I saw a couple each of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock but these were difficult to get close to as they kept settling on the steepest and most inaccessible parts of the slopes.
- Small Tortoiseshell - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- Grayling - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- Painted Lady - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- Painted Lady - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- White-letter Hairstreak - Painted Lady - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- White-letter Hairstreak - Painted Lady - Warton Crag 31.07.2022
- Brimstone - Warton Crag
- Common Blue - Warton Crag
To be continued…
Neil.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Sunday 31st July part 2 - Arnside Knott
We left Warton and just 15 minutes later we were parked up at Arnside Knott. As the paths here are mostly too rough or too steep for Jane to manage she said she would stop at the car and read her kindle while I had a wander around as long as I wasn’t gone too long.
With a mixture of cloud and nice sunny spells and temperatures up to around 20 degrees I was soon seeing lots of butterflies, mostly Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns to start with, but it wasn’t long before I spotted the distinctive dark, almost black, shape of a Scotch Argus flapping about.
I have always found in the past that this species is a challenge to photograph as they are constantly on the move in the sun yet usually drop down into the long grass when clouds come over. You have to keep your eyes on one and hope it settles somewhere reasonable that isn’t obscured by numerous stems of grass. The trick is then to sneak up without putting them up again as they seem to be able to spot you from yards way and take off again before you get anywhere close. I reckon they are second only to Mountain Ringlet in this.
I probably ended up seeing something between 30-35 Scotch Argus with many of the males already looking worn and faded with numerous scratches on their dark chocolate coloured wings, a condition that this species is especially susceptible to. There were some better looking examples around however and I ended up with some reasonable shots of both males and females.
As I was mostly looking for Scotch Argus, I didn’t pay much attention to the many Gatekeepers that were flying apart from one large female that caught my eye that was showing the extra spots of an ab. excessa.
There were also lots of Small Skippers about and I noticed how much fresher some of these were looking compared with those back home where they are mostly well worn and faded now, an indication of how the season is not as advanced up here as further south.
Circling back to the car park across the more exposed scree slopes I put up a few Graylings but didn’t try to follow them as on this occasion I was limited for time and I planned on spending more time here in the next few days anyway.
Being up on Arnside Knott, it is of course obligatory to take a few scenery shots.
We then carried on to our B&B and checked in. After settling in to our room our hosts offered us a pot of tea and some cake out in the garden where my eyes automatically scanned a couple of buddleias and spotted the movement of some butterflies. A closer look showed there were three Small Tortoiseshells, two Red Admirals and a Comma going between a large standard blue buddleia and a smaller white one.
Also seen whilst we were sitting there were a couple of Holly Blues, A speckled Wood and a few passing ‘whites’ which appeared to be mostly Small Whites.
All in all, a cracking start to our few days up here.
To be continued…
Neil.
We left Warton and just 15 minutes later we were parked up at Arnside Knott. As the paths here are mostly too rough or too steep for Jane to manage she said she would stop at the car and read her kindle while I had a wander around as long as I wasn’t gone too long.
With a mixture of cloud and nice sunny spells and temperatures up to around 20 degrees I was soon seeing lots of butterflies, mostly Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns to start with, but it wasn’t long before I spotted the distinctive dark, almost black, shape of a Scotch Argus flapping about.
I have always found in the past that this species is a challenge to photograph as they are constantly on the move in the sun yet usually drop down into the long grass when clouds come over. You have to keep your eyes on one and hope it settles somewhere reasonable that isn’t obscured by numerous stems of grass. The trick is then to sneak up without putting them up again as they seem to be able to spot you from yards way and take off again before you get anywhere close. I reckon they are second only to Mountain Ringlet in this.
I probably ended up seeing something between 30-35 Scotch Argus with many of the males already looking worn and faded with numerous scratches on their dark chocolate coloured wings, a condition that this species is especially susceptible to. There were some better looking examples around however and I ended up with some reasonable shots of both males and females.
- Scotch Argus male - Arnside Knott
- Scotch Argus male - Arnside Knott
- Scotch Argus male - Arnside Knott
- Scotch Argus male underside - Arnside Knott
- Scotch Argus female - Arnside Knott
- Gatekeeper female ab. excessa - Arnside Knott
- Small Skipper - Arnside Knott
Being up on Arnside Knott, it is of course obligatory to take a few scenery shots.
- Looking north east over the Kent estuary.
- This must be one of the most photographed views in the area.
- Red Admiral with bluured Small Tortoiseshell in the background
- Small Tortoiseshell - Silverdale 31.07.2022
- Red Admiral underside - Silverdale 31.07.2022
All in all, a cracking start to our few days up here.
To be continued…
Neil.
Last edited by Neil Freeman on Fri Aug 05, 2022 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Neil Freeman
Interesting to compare what you saw with what I was seeing a month earlier, especially that you still had fresh Small Skippers around, that's a very protracted emergence! Well done with that WLH, a species that wasn't even on my radar whilst I was up there... too focused on those damn Fritillaries 
! (my reports are still some way off btw 
)
! (my reports are still some way off btw )Some addictions are good for the soul!
Re: Neil Freeman
Cracking Scotch Argus Neil - I can't work out which I prefer - their eyed topside or that lush chocolaty underside Also here's a for the best excessa I've seen this year
Have a goodun
Wurzel
- I can't work out which I prefer - their eyed topside or that lush chocolaty underside Also here's a for the best excessa I've seen this year Have a goodun
Wurzel
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4587
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks Paul. The WLH wasn't on my radar either although I am aware that small numbers are seen at various sites around the area.
Cheers Wurzel. I think I actually prefer the underside of the female, there should be a shot of one coming up when I get around to going through some more photos.
Monday 1st August.
As Jane had been patient with me the previous day, we had agreed that she could choose where we went on Monday and she chose Foulshaw Moss, across the other side of the Kent Estuary. We had been there the last time we were up here (in 2019) and Jane found the paths and boardwalks there easy to manage.
We pulled into the car park just before 10.00am and set off along the path towards the boardwalk. It was a cloudy but fairly warm and muggy morning and as we walked out onto the moss we started seeing loads of Dragonflies. I looked out for White-faced Darters, a speciality of this site, but without success, probably because, according to what I have read, they are a spring and early summer species. All sorts of Skimmers, Darters and Hawker types were seen but mostly they stayed too far away for definite ID’s, especially for me as I am only really a casual Dragonfly watcher.
This site is known for its Ospreys and this year they raised four chicks. These have now fledged but are still hanging around the area and we were told to keep an eye out as one had been seen just before we arrived (you should have been here earlier blah, blah, blah!). As we walked further out on the boardwalk we spotted a large bird sitting at the top of a tree in the distance and a look through my binoculars proved it was an Osprey although it was much too far away for any shots with my camera (well, I did try but all I got was a dot in the top of the tree which I won’t embarrass myself with by posting it here).
We then carried on around the boardwalk and through a section of wet woodland where we began to see some butterflies, half a dozen each of Green-veined White and Gatekeeper plus a couple of Speckled Wood and Peacocks. This route eventually circled back round to the car park and we made a move having spent a pleasant hour and a half here.
With Latterbarrow nature reserve just down the road we decided to pop in there for a look. I have visited this nice little reserve in the past but only ever in June when NBA and SPBF can be found there and I was curious as to what might be about today. Having said that, the clouds were building up and there was quite a breeze blowing in which I figured would suppress butterfly activity a bit.
Nevertheless, a fairly brief circuit of the site produced lots of the usual suspects, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, a couple each of Speckled Wood and Peacocks and a single Comma.
There was also a nice fresh female Small Copper with an impressive set of tails which made me think she looked a bit like a Copper Hairstreak
We then headed back into Arnside to get a coffee after which Jane said she was tired and wanted to go back to the B&B to chill out and that I could go off somewhere for a couple of hours.
After dropping Jane back at the B&B I elected to go back to Arnside Knott and check out some of the areas that I had not had time to the previous afternoon. By now it was early afternoon and a succession of thick clouds were blowing in from the Irish Sea along with a stiff breeze, although there were still occasional breaks in the clouds allowing some warm sun through.
I parked up and this time headed down towards the lower meadows, hoping for a late Fritillary or two. At first it was just the usual Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns but just as I reached the bottom meadow which has always produced something for me in the past, the sun came out and a large orange butterfly flew across in front of me and settled on a knapweed.
A close look showed it to be a nice female High Brown Fritillary in much better condition than I was expecting at this time of year. Apart from a few scratches she looked like she had not been around for long with her wing fringes practically intact. I watched her for a few minutes as she visited various flowers until the sun went behind a large cloud and she flew off up into the trees.
I then wandered back up to the higher slopes and spent some time looking for Graylings. I found maybe a dozen or so scattered across the slopes and here the clouds worked in my favour as they would only fly a short distance before settling again which meant that I managed a few shots of them before they snapped their forewing eyespots down and almost disappeared against the background of the scree.
I have seen it mentioned before that the Graylings in this area appear smaller and paler than those usually found down south, more akin to those found on the Great Orme which are given their own status (ssp. thyone) This is certainly my impression too although I am not sure what their relationship to other populations actually is.
I was also looking out for more Fritillaries and had a couple of flypasts of what I can only describe as HSFs (High Speed Fritillaries) although I suspect they were faded Dark Greens.
Of course, I spotted more Scotch Argus, in similar numbers to the previous afternoon, and took a few photos.
During my wanderings, I had spoken to a couple of fellow butterflyers and we compared notes on what we had seen. It appears that there were only a few Fritillaries still around, mostly faded Dark Greens although one chap had also seen a HBF earlier. It was also mentioned that a Brown Hairstreak had been seen up near the trig point in the morning and had been photographed by at least two different people. Before leaving I decided to wander up to this spot and have a look but unfortunately by now the clouds had become a thick layer of dark grey and all I found was Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, a Speckled Wood and a nice large female Red Admiral.
I promised myself that if I came back here again before we went home that I would check this area out first. I didn’t think that it would be the next day though (Tuesday) as we had heavy rain forecast for overnight and into the next morning.
To be continued…
Neil.
Cheers Wurzel. I think I actually prefer the underside of the female, there should be a shot of one coming up when I get around to going through some more photos.
Monday 1st August.
As Jane had been patient with me the previous day, we had agreed that she could choose where we went on Monday and she chose Foulshaw Moss, across the other side of the Kent Estuary. We had been there the last time we were up here (in 2019) and Jane found the paths and boardwalks there easy to manage.
We pulled into the car park just before 10.00am and set off along the path towards the boardwalk. It was a cloudy but fairly warm and muggy morning and as we walked out onto the moss we started seeing loads of Dragonflies. I looked out for White-faced Darters, a speciality of this site, but without success, probably because, according to what I have read, they are a spring and early summer species. All sorts of Skimmers, Darters and Hawker types were seen but mostly they stayed too far away for definite ID’s, especially for me as I am only really a casual Dragonfly watcher.
This site is known for its Ospreys and this year they raised four chicks. These have now fledged but are still hanging around the area and we were told to keep an eye out as one had been seen just before we arrived (you should have been here earlier blah, blah, blah!). As we walked further out on the boardwalk we spotted a large bird sitting at the top of a tree in the distance and a look through my binoculars proved it was an Osprey although it was much too far away for any shots with my camera (well, I did try but all I got was a dot in the top of the tree which I won’t embarrass myself with by posting it here).
We then carried on around the boardwalk and through a section of wet woodland where we began to see some butterflies, half a dozen each of Green-veined White and Gatekeeper plus a couple of Speckled Wood and Peacocks. This route eventually circled back round to the car park and we made a move having spent a pleasant hour and a half here.
With Latterbarrow nature reserve just down the road we decided to pop in there for a look. I have visited this nice little reserve in the past but only ever in June when NBA and SPBF can be found there and I was curious as to what might be about today. Having said that, the clouds were building up and there was quite a breeze blowing in which I figured would suppress butterfly activity a bit.
Nevertheless, a fairly brief circuit of the site produced lots of the usual suspects, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, a couple each of Speckled Wood and Peacocks and a single Comma.
- Comma - Latterbarrow 01.08.2022
- Peacock - Latterbarrow 01.08.2022
- Small Copper - Latterbarrow 01.08.2022
After dropping Jane back at the B&B I elected to go back to Arnside Knott and check out some of the areas that I had not had time to the previous afternoon. By now it was early afternoon and a succession of thick clouds were blowing in from the Irish Sea along with a stiff breeze, although there were still occasional breaks in the clouds allowing some warm sun through.
I parked up and this time headed down towards the lower meadows, hoping for a late Fritillary or two. At first it was just the usual Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns but just as I reached the bottom meadow which has always produced something for me in the past, the sun came out and a large orange butterfly flew across in front of me and settled on a knapweed.
A close look showed it to be a nice female High Brown Fritillary in much better condition than I was expecting at this time of year. Apart from a few scratches she looked like she had not been around for long with her wing fringes practically intact. I watched her for a few minutes as she visited various flowers until the sun went behind a large cloud and she flew off up into the trees.
- High Brown Fritillary female - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- High Brown Fritillary female - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- High Brown Fritillary female - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- High Brown Fritillary female - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- Grayling - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- Grayling - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
I was also looking out for more Fritillaries and had a couple of flypasts of what I can only describe as HSFs (High Speed Fritillaries) although I suspect they were faded Dark Greens.
Of course, I spotted more Scotch Argus, in similar numbers to the previous afternoon, and took a few photos.
- Scotch Argus males - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- Scotch Argus male - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
- Red Admiral female - Arnside Knott 01.08.022
To be continued…
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Hi! Neil, you've brought all the good times back to me with your shots of Arnside Knott and Warton Craig ,my Husband and I use to go there especially in the Spring to watch the Falcons with their young at Warton and like you've done to see the Scotch Argus at the Knott, love the views too.
Great shots of everything Goldie
Great shots of everything
Goldie