Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Purps have been very reliable at Alners Gorse the last couple of years...I just think it was a blip year for them over this way, hopefully that will change in 2025
Lovely to see the Silver-spots from over East where they didn't fare to well by others accounts Perhaps it was a little too damp at the start of the year?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Those three short-sward grassland species have all fared badly this year, Paul - Silver Spotted Skipper, Adonis Blue and Brown Argus.

Hopefully it'll be a one-off, and next year (and onwards) we won't have such cool weather with prolonged deluges.

[bugboy]

Thanks Essex, they did indeed, hopefully they bounce back next year.
Thanks Wurzel. I think the weather is the prime suspect for their collapse this year
Thanks David, the Brown Argus did have a bit of an improvement with their third brood down here so hopefully that bodes well. I’m sure most species will bounce back next year.


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August 2024

Saturday 17th. Another day out in the wilds of Sussex at one of my favourite sites. This time there was no rain to ruin it and the selection of butterflies available to point my camera at meant it was a very full day and selecting appropriate photo’s is a task in itself. The Blues were out in force with Adonis starting to take over from the Chalk Hills now, at least the males were.

The females were a different kettle of fish. I was hoping I’d be able to make a stab just by their condition if they didn’t open their wings but unlike the males, there were still plenty of fresh Chalk Hills. At this site it seems that the Chalk Hill females are more inclined to have blue scales than Adonis so a lot of zooming in looking for single blue scales was involved in trying to ID them and I’m still not 100% on some. The next three are the same individual which I'm confident is Adonis

less confident in these two though (last one is a Chalk Hill from my previous visit)

And for comparison, a Chalk Hill from the last visit

Common Blue, Brown Argus and a single Small Blue were about.

I also came across another mating pair of Meadow Brown, my fourth pairing this year.

tbc

[bugboy]

Saturday 17th cont. In-between trying to figure out what female Lysandra I was looking at there were plenty of other species.

Some Small Copper showed up and there were still some aged Small Skippers knocking about

A couple of hibernators were busy fattening up

A solitary Silver-spotted Skipper landed conveniently at my feet.

and there was a surprise appearance from a female DGF

Other species seen included Small Heath and Small & Green-veined Whites

as for non butterflies, a number of Hornet Robberflies stole the show, here’s one having lunch on an unfortunate Grasshopper, their staple diet, at least it’s all I ever see then eating.

At the station, attracted by the lights I found a female Oak Eggar Moth.

[millerd]

Fascinating info (and illustrations) about the female Adonis and Chalkhills, Paul. Every year I reckon I've got the whole thing worked out, and every year I see individual butterflies that have me flummoxed. When they are worn and losing their fringes they are even confusable with Common Blues... Still, at least we only have the three species here - I can see why the various reports from foreign expeditions only ever seem to show the males of blue butterfly species!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking Blues Bugboy although without actually seeing them identification is even trickier...perhaps a new name classification would be an option...although I don't know which sounds better; Ado-hill or Chalonis, I'm leaning towards Chalonis

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave. One of those things that keeps us on our toes
Thanks Wurzel. I see you’ve already been test driving ‘Chalonis’ on Facebook!


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August 2024

Sunday 18th. Before getting back to the hunt for Brown Hairstreaks I squeezed in a day looking for Chobham’s Grayling’s. I’d already ticked them off for the year with those early Great Orme ones but they had to compete with the Blues, a tough thing to do. Chobham in mid-August though is Grayling central and in the 4 hours I was there I found plenty of goings on. As usual they popped up, usually from right under my nose, along the paths whilst heading to my preferred hotspot.

Here I focused on a few females who were intent of depositing their eggs. Once they’re in the zone, they become much more approachable than normal but still trying to catch them at the right angle without grasses in the way is tricky.

There were of course still a few males around waiting to pester them and I managed a few upperside shots.

A couple of Gatekeeper and Speckled Wood were about along with a single female Silver-studded Blue, looking very sombre and drab compared to what I’d seen a couple of months previously.

A few notable non-butterflies: A male Keeled Skimmer Dragonfly, a Heathland specialist.

A fully Grown Emperor Moth Cat, been several years since I’ve seen one of them.

And also sorting out next years generation, a pair of Grasshoppers (not sure which species). Here the female is depositing the eggs underground whilst her mate keeps an eye on her, making sure no rival male sneaks in and tries to fertilise ‘his’ eggs!

Good to see the Graylings seemed to be having a good year.

[Pete Eeles]

Here I focused on a few females who were intent of depositing their eggs.

And some great photos there, Buggy! I love shots showing behaviours

Cheers,

- Pete

[bugboy]

Thanks Pete. I do like watching them go about their daily business and of course with Graylings there’s a limited amount of poses they adopt so you have to fill it up with those extra shots.


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August 2024

Friday 23rd, a return to Bookham. Screeching into the third week of August and still only two male Brown Hairstreaks to show for it. This time last year I’d stopped looking for them and they were still popping up wherever I went. For reasons that I’ve long since forgotten, I didn’t get there til midday where I found not too many butterflies. It was good that Common Blues and Small Coppers were now popping up with reasonable regularity.

A few Small Heath and Brimstone were about.

An hour after arriving I finally came across a Hairstreak, my first female of the year. She wasn’t playing ball though, settling several times but only long enough for me to close in before fluttering off again. She had other things on her mind, looking for Blackthorn. In the end I managed just a couple of record shots. Nearby a Comma was also playing the same ‘avoid the man with a camera following you’ game and winning.

White Admiral cat numbers had been seriously depleted. Some were obviously in hibernation, but many would have been picked off by the local avian residents. I couldn’t locate the 4th instar from my last visit.

More searching for Hairstreaks was fruitless but I did find a couple more Commas and a soon to be Comma

Just outside the station I found some more cats, most likely second brood Peacocks.

[Wurzel]

Cracking Graylings Bugboy - egg laying is next on my list of photo types for this species. The second Small Heath on the most recent post is a lovely looking individual too
"I see you’ve already been test driving ‘Chalonis’ on Facebook!"...I'm hoping it'll stick like Smessex I can't find any new species so I'll have to console myself with bastardizing the lingo

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel. Egg laying Graylings are quite easy to spot, the behaviour is noticeably different to normal, and they are easy to follow and approach. Pick a day with fair weather cloud, stake her out during a cloudy spell and as soon as the sun reappears she’ll start fidgeting around looking for a dry grass stem to lay on.


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August 2024

Sunday 25rd, time for a change of tack with the Brown Hairstreaks with a change of hunting grounds. Not far, just down the road at Ashtead and Epsom Commons. The first butterfly to catch my attention as I slowly perused the first Blackthorn hedge though was a Gatekeeper ab. anticrasipuncta, with a noticeably enlarged forewing eyespot.

At the other end of the scale was a female Meadow Brown with an abnormally small forewing eyespot, ab. antiparvipuncta.

Mixing it up with these and some other Browns (Small Heath and Speckled Wood were also present) was a Small Copper with some impressive tails, ab caudata perhaps.

And then what was fast becoming a regular occurrence, yet another Meadow Brown Pairing, my fifth of the year!

Despite all this butterfly activity, Hairstreaks were a no show so I decided to move onto Epsom Common to the Black Hairstreak hotspot, and what should pop out from under feet… and she played nice too in between egg laying bouts !

She finally vanished when the sun went in but a Red Admiral was hopeful it might return.

I did a few more circuits here but failed to locate any more Hairstreaks. Common Blue and Comma were added to the days tally.

Back at Ashtead Common it didn’t take long for another Hairstreak to make an appearance and all to briefly pose before going on her way. A second one (or perhaps the same one) was located nearby, who wouldn’t come down from her Blackthorn vantage point.

The last one of the day was busy slurping away on a Blackberry and in no hurry to go anywhere

These were the last Hairstreaks I would see this year but I left happy to have finally had a decent session with them

[millerd]

Good to see those Hairstreaks, Paul - I always forget that it's worth going back there for Brown ones later in the summer after the Black ones at the start! The area is certainly chock-full of blackthorn.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the info on the Graylings Bugboy and also for the name of the 'tailed Copper' aberration - I can add that to an image I've got of one like that Lovely looking Brostreaks - good to see they eventually played ball

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Indeed Dave and they are found in exactly the same spots too.
No problem Wurzel. Yes, they took their time although we have been spoilt in recent years, so perhaps we should just say back to normal!


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August 2024

Monday 26th. A long wander today starting at Southwick harbour in the hope of a Clouded Yellow. No such luck, just a Common Blue and a few Whites.

Moving up into Southwick Hills where the sun was doing battle with the clouds and a stiff wind rattled along the paths, I didn’t like my chances of finding a great deal. A fresh female Large White, several weeks from the big invasion, tempted me to reach for the camera as glimmers of sun caused her wings to creak open a fraction.

Speckled Wood and a few Blues were found sheltering out of the wind which on the plus side was helping to break up the clouds.

A random Silver-spotted Skipper presented himself, landing at my feet.

My next stop was Mill Hill but the footpaths on the way can sometimes be quite productive when the adjacent fields have been left fallow or set aside areas allowed to flourish. Today more Common Blue were found along with some Small Heath and numerous Meadow Brown, one of the females of the latter being particularly attractive.

Others were best described as ‘rugged’.

[bugboy]

August 2024

Monday 26th cont. I finally made it to Mill Hill where I added Brown Argus and Adonis Blue to the day, both flying near the top car park.

I battled my way through what used to be a clear path to the bottom slope where a few Chalk Hills were flying with a some more Adonis including another spotless ab. There seemed to have been a good few around this year.

A Green-veined White was flitting around from flower to flower and I managed some in flight shots

The final destination was probably one destination to many. There wasn’t much to be found at Lancing Ring, A Red Admiral and Meadow Browns was all I managed there.

Red Admiral larval tent.

A decent species count but there was definitely an end of season feel about the day.

[Wurzel]

Some cracking Adonis Bugboy And that was an attractive Meadow Brown (not often that you say that)- with those orange rear panels she was a bit reminiscent of the continental variety

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

ThanksWurzel, the Meadow Brown is an underrated butterfly, prone to a fair bit of variation. If it wasn’t so ubiquitous I’m sure it would attract a lot more attention.


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August 2024

Tuesday 27th . I went to Newhaven Tidemills primarily looking for a Cloudie or two but since I was in the area it would be rude not to have a quick look around the nearby bus stop where a certain type of Blue is often in attendance in more productive years. Only Commons there today though, oh and yet another mating pair of Meadow Browns, my sixth pairing this year! A Red Admiral decided to decorate the pavement.

There wasn’t a great deal to see at Tidemills, a few Whites and Commons Blues which were annoyingly focusing their attention on the clumps of BLEP, the sort of rude behaviour that should be outlawed at this time of year!

I did a couple of circuits of the site but there really didn’t seem to be anything more interesting and on the Ouse Estuary reserve it was pretty much the same selection.

Cutting my losses I moved onto Malling Down where there was significantly more to point my camera at!

[bugboy]

August 2024

Tuesday 27th cont. The first thing to catch my eye on Malling Down was a couple of male Adonis, one in good nick, the other had serious issues on emergence. It was the latter that attracted my attention though, the wing deformity indicative of an ab krodeli, and glimpses of the underside confirmed my suspicions. It wasn’t overly sunny, so views of the underside weren’t easy. Sods law that the one person I saw that afternoon walked past as I was laying prone on the path to get the camera under him !

There wasn’t much else in the old chalk pits but moving over to the open slopes I found some more Adonis, some females with enough blue scales making them relatively easy to ID.

Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Small Copper and some Chalk Hills were also about showing various degrees of wear and tear.

Chalk Hill ab. obsoleta female

There was not a sniff of any Skippers until I climbed back up the slope to some low growing bramble scrub and Marjoram where suddenly I found around half a dozen SSS and a surprise Small Tortoiseshell.

[Wurzel]

Some lovely looking female Adonis in there Bugboy as well as some cracking abs. that final shot of the Large White is a cracker

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, a lucky shot that Large White, somewhat cropped as she tried to escape the frame!


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August 2024

Saturday 31th didn’t quite turn out as nice as I’d hoped. I was going to explore the area between Eastbourne and Beachy Head. Things did look to be promising early on, walking along the Eastbourne seafront the clouds did look to be clearing and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, the only one I saw this year, appeared.

However it was a false hope, the cloud thickened and for the rest of my wander there was just the occasional glimmer through patches of thin cloud. The stiff breeze blowing wasn’t going to help a great deal either. I managed a disappointing tally of butterflies limited to a couple of Speckled Wood

a handful of Meadow Brown and Small Heath

a few Common Blue

and a selection of Whites who may or may not have represented three species.

Probably should have stayed home and kept the £40 rail fare for another day!