www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers Goldie Skippers in general can be difficult little buggers - I've developed a 'dance' step that helps me; one step, click, one step, click etc. I can get a bit carried away and forget about the butterfly sometimes though and end up waltzing all the way back to the car park

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just seen your Brimstone sequence Wurzel. Stunning! I don't think I've ever seen it captured like that with such clarity and detail. Love it!

Hi! Wurzel, you've cheered me up no end I can visualise you dancing Goldie

Crickey Wurzel, what a stroke of luck coming across those Brimstones. You sure captured the moment as it were. I can't believe how clear the upper wings of the male are.

Cheers Pauline I think it was a case of "good things coming..." as I'd been waiting and hoping to see this behaviour for a number if years now
Cheers Goldie Glad to be of service
Cheers Ernie It was the first time I'd encountered the behaviour but since then I've seen it a couple of times I was a bit surprised that the wings came out in focus as I was shooting in macro and he was moving about a fair bit

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Martin Down Part 1 06-05-2019

My fantastic Bank Holiday continued. We were due to visit friends after lunch so I had the morning clear. What with not checking the weather app I decided to risk it and head out even though it was a Bank Holiday Monday and therefore tradition dictates that the weather should be lousy. To counteract this I set the iPod to as loud as it could manage and then cranked the speakers up with my album of the moment – Iron Maiden Killers. I reckoned that if I played it loud enough it would scare the clouds away and it seemed to do the trick as when I pulled up at the Sillen’s Lane end the sun was shining amid blue skies.

Eagerly I set off along the path making for the ‘Tunnel’ in order to hopefully get onto a few more Greenstreaks. It was very quiet butterfly wise, still quite early in the morning and even though the sun was shining the temperature was such that I was only just warm enough in my t-shirt. I carried on along the hedge and finally when I was about half way along I saw my first butterfly, a grounded Small White. As I watched it started to open its wings and realizing that it would soon be off I got a few shots while I still could. As expected once it was sufficiently warmed it was off like a rocket, flying up and down the hedge ceaselessly. Cheered that it was now getting warm enough I carried on. With the ‘Tunnel’ in sight I looked back along the hedge and a blue flash caught my eyes. I got in a little closer and could see that it was a female Holly Blue. I dared to get in a bit closer and it didn’t fly away, so I risked a few more steps and eventually it opened up nicely (mind you this did take a fair bit of whispering…). I turned to start back to the hedge and there was another blue glint. I couldn’t believe my luck as there was another Holly Blue, this time a male. Again I approached cautiously, again whispering away a la Millerd and again it opened up giving me my best ever topside male shots. Mightily chuffed I carried on towards the Tunnel with a Greenstreak, Small Copper and Small White all vying for my attention and I’m sorry to say they all got ignored as I was still shocked to have had such luck with the Holly Blues. As I entered the Tunnel I shock myself mentally and got back on track to find some more butterflies. A couple of Greenstreaks held the territory at the end of Tunnel and they distracted me for a bit but then I spied another Holly Blue, a different male and this one was even more accessible and accommodating! Slightly further on and another couple of Greentreaks caught my attention with their belligerent antics and their bold markings, one had such bright streaks that they were visible in flight. Then there was another Holly Blue, a different female, again very accommodating. It seems that I’ve been going after Holly Blues all wrong. Instead of hoping that they’ll turn up and I’ll get a picture I should have been out nice and early in the morning when they sit and pose for all they’re worth. As if to prove my point by the end of the tunnel as well a couple of Specklies and a few male OTs I saw another three Holly Blues a male and female down low and basking and a third right at the far end that took off from down low when disturbed by a male OT. Brilliant! Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Butterflies Wurzel, still none here at present in spite of two reasonable days, it's been exasperating I keep going out in the garden with, first my lunch, then an Ice cream If nothing else I'm enjoying the food Goldie

Lovely photos of the Green Hairstreaks and Holly Blues. The last one looks like it's been in a fight, but is soldiering on.
Nice Orange Tip too. For the second year running I have failed to nail such a photograph, which is a shame as they are my favourite. Looking at yours makes up for it.

Regards
Kev

Well done with that open wing male Holly Blue.
When fresh their shade of blue is really beautiful.

Hope those brownie points are stacking up, you're going to need them in a week or so!.

To the Woods!
Trevor.

Cheers Goldie Sound pretty idyllic a few butterflies would be like the Sprinkles on top
Cheers Kev Glad to be of service The OTs are one of those butterflies where I seem to have good years (they're around by the bucket load) and others when they're a real struggle - luckily for me this has been a vintage year
Cheers Trevor I was dead chuffed with those shots as I've been looking at others enviously for a good while now - yours included I was going really well with the Brownie points until I had to cash some in today for Large Blues - but hopefully a trip out tomorrow and to Ikea in the near future ( ) will get me back in the black in time for His Nibbs - alternatively I could go overdrawn and offer to pay back on the never-never

Have a goodun

Wurzel

If you get dragged around Ikea for a couple of hours, and importantly, show some enthusiasam,
you should earn enough points for a trip to see his Majesty.

I can still remember some of the tricks I used.

All the best,
Trevor.

Cheers Trevor I've found it a good idea to engage 'autopilot' and be very non-committal - it means I can just about get round without losing too much of my will to live Seriously if I was of a religious bent I'd swear that a particularly vicious demon had designed the Ikea layout

Martin Down Part 2 06-05-2019

Instead of following the path round the edge of the Hillfort and ending up at the Hotspot I took the other path straight across the reserve which ended up at the half way point. As I walked I looked to my right and remembered the field – this was where the Stone Curlews used breed but sadly they’ve found new sites now. I was brought out of my somewhat downbeat nostalgia by a gaggle of Small Coppers, four individuals in total. First there was one, then a different individual (blue badger) and finally two having a scrap which I wasn’t about to get any photos of because they were far too busy beating seven shades out of each other. At the end of the path a Grizzlie stood guard and then I started up the little track at the half way point. This little stand of Hawthorn and other shrubs offers the butterflies a little respite on days when the wind cuts across the grasslands. There was no worries on that front today though but there were still 3 butterflies in this little bit of land. Two were Grizzlies one of which was ridiculously small and the third was a Greenstreak occupying almost the exact same perch as one I’d seen the year before, right on the end of the treeline. After this I set to walking the Dyke. I found my first Brown Argus of the year, saw a few Small Heath, a couple of Coppers and a couple of Peacocks but the real stars were the skippers. The bottom of the Dyke was crawling with them and by the time I’d reached the hotspot I’d actively recorded 8 Dingies and 11 Grizzlies but there were so many more; the ones I recorded were only the ones that I found down on the deck – if a little blur shot off in front of me I didn’t note it down in case I misidentified it. It was fantastic. At one point there were three Dingies down quite close to each other and they put on a fashion parade showing the various shades and hues that the Dingy comes in from dark. Rich brown right through to a pale, almost creamy colour. Also here, down in the Dyke and in amongst the flying OTs, Small Whites and Brimstones I saw an unusual piece of behaviour. A Brimstone almost dropped from the sky as a small cloud briefly covered the sun. I cautiously approached it and it stayed down amid the grass showing no sign of movement. Reaching down my hand it stayed still even when I lifted it gently up cupped in the cradle of my fingers. It remained motionless the whole time and I wondered if it was dead? I laced it carefully back where I’d lifted it from and stood back. The sun had come back out and after a few minutes it suddenly took off again and was gone. Was it playing dead or had the momentary chill rendered it stupefied? Eventually I climbed out of the bottom of the Dyke and I found myself at the hotspot. A Grizzlie skipped ahead of me as I made my way from the hollow to the scrape and a Dingy danced around me before a female Brimstone did a fly-by. As I worked my way back a larger butterfly took off from the ground. Something about its colour and its flight seemed vaguely familiar. I don’t know if it’s just me but I find that as the autumn progresses I forget or rather pack away knowledge about behaviour, flight styles etc. until the next season. Well something about this butterfly had me internally sprinting to the vaults and searching through the vaults of my memory – I found the file and realised that the butterfly was a Marsh Fritillary. I did two things at once – whilst keeping my eye on it I raised my arm up and took a quick look at my watch; 10:27am. I checked the time as I couldn’t recall seeing reports about Marshies this season so this could have been the first. The butterfly landed and I got a few shots before calling it out to a few other enthusiasts that were at the hotspot. We took it in turns to get some photos before leaving it to its own devices. Exceedingly chuffed I headed back to the car. There were plenty of butterflies on the return journey – mainly Grizzlies and Dingies although most of the species that I’d seen over the course of the morning put in an appearance. However the vivid colours of the Marshie were burnt onto my retina and everything after seemed pale by comparison. What a beauty!
Have a goodun

Wurzel
p.s I recorded my sighting on the Hampshire Branch site and also on the Sightings Page of UKB. However the first official record came from Wiltshire on the same day although I don’t know at what time…

Work 10-05-2019

It had been a few days since my last outing – things were there usual hectic best but come Friday I was ready to get back out there and see what there was to see. The Pits were still quiet – when the Golden Skippers finally arrive this will possibly be as far as I get on my lunch time ventures but not so today as there wasn’t a single butterfly up too and beyond this point. At the far end of the field I nipped off along the footpath and made my way quickly down the hill. At the first little open bit of hedge I surprised two Small Torts but both bombed away from me; one to the left and the other to the right into the adjacent fields. I made a mental note to tread more cautiously at this point on the way back. Carrying on down there was nothing, nada until almost at the very end. Here again there is a break into the surrounding fields used by the farmers in their tractors and here again there was a Small Tort. It went up from the nettles on one side of the path and flew strongly out and across the fields. I wasn’t having much luck but pressed on to the end and then turned round and started the journey back…

I don’t know whether it was because I was ‘pre-warned’ of the presence of butterflies or the fact that as I was heading up hill I was going more slowly but I managed to get a few shots of a/the Small Tort at the first break. It was hiding away amongst the nettles on the other side of the track this time and seemed to be struggling slightly as the cloud had covered the sun and the temperature had dropped somewhat. I reckon my initial summation was correct as it opened up its wings to try and capture more heat. After this I carried on and again I didn’t see a single butterfly until I reached the initial break where I’d seen the two Small Torts. Again there were two and again I managed to get a few shots. The first was down on the path and the second was slightly further ahead. I was now in a bit of a quandary as the Small Tort that was further away was beautifully positioned and delicately poised on a Dandelion Clock. It was one of those types of shots that I long to capture but I didn’t want to force the issue of the primary Small Tort buggering off out of the way. In the end the sun helped out by creeping out from behind the cloud. This warmed the first Small Tort up enough for it to take off and bomb away over the fields. I still had a fair bit of effort to get the shot I wanted though as I needed to move quickly enough so as to reach the butterfly before it warmed up too much and disappeared yet cautiously enough that I didn’t spook it. Somehow I managed to strike the correct balance and using the old ‘click-step’ routine I got some shots. With the final flourish from the sun the butterfly took off and then the sun did me another favour as it again went behind the cloud and the butterfly dropped down onto another Dandelion Clock. Brilliant!
Mightily chuffed I made my way back to work pausing briefly to watch a Holly Blue do a fly-by.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

You saw TWO Small Tortoiseshells in one sitting, and that's my total for the
year so far in the wider area around here. One at High an Over and one in Brighton.
The usual emerging hibernators were seen at Halnaker in the spring, and that's it.
Fortunately I usually see a few when I visit Wiltshire in the summer.

Trevor.
PS. That's a lovely early Marshie.

Cheers Trevor I've been trying to start up another collection 'On Dandelion Clocks' for a while now but only had two species (Brown Argus and Glanville) which a collection does not make. However I reckon with three I could maybe get it started I was chuffed with the Marshie, fingers crossed that BC check the timings and it can get bumped up to first

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel - lots of great pics as usual - dandelion clocks, that's a new one on me!
But the pic that amazed me the most was of your Holly Blue with deep gouges out of both forewings. It almost didn't look like a butterfly at all. Its amazing how it still managed to fly.

Hi Wurzel
Pleased to see your cracking picture of the Small Tortoiseshell on a dandelion clock I’ve seen this myself but only with Orange-tip both which are photographed. It’s a shame because one of those was taken at Sidbury not too long after we’d split. Keeping the brownie points bank well stocked can come at a price

You got some good Holly Blue shots there, Wurzel - speaking as a connoisseur you understand... And the selection from Martin Down just underlines what a terrific place this is.

Cheers,

Dave

Grizzled Skippers, Dingy Skippers, Brimstones, Holly Blues, Brown Argus and Marsh Fritillaries. So many exotic butterflies that we don't get up here!

Cheers Ernie I do have a few collections going (stained glass, in cop, close up, on Orchids, on s&£t etc) so I may as well start another I know what you mean about that Holly Blue - I didn't take it for a butterfly when I saw it first either - it was the symmetry that dazzled me - it must have been pecked when it had it's wings closed
Cheers Philzoid My Brownie point situation is a bit like my wages, looking good for a bout a minute and then when i check again - gone!

Have a goodun

Wurzel