www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers Dave I reckon it had been in the old Chemical/Paint store which has vented doors and no heating but is dry and sheltered which is why it was so tatty

Continuing with 2020...

Middle Street Feb into March Take 1 (08-02-2020)

As January ended and we broke into February I started to get itchy feet. This is the time of year when the sap starts to rise, the buds start to unfurl and the anticipation starts to build. So I found myself wandering Middle Street-ward for no better reason than it was the first time in since I didn’t know when! This was a very early visit and was actually just a recce, a chance to see how things lay ready for the season ahead. Where were the likely looking spots? Were there any quagmires (giggity) to avoid, any fallen branches blocking the path ways etc? Despite a few moments when some falling or odd coloured leaves or even blades of grass twitching in the slightest of breezes caught my eye I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t see any butterflies. It was still good to catch up with Reed Buntings and the ever explosive Cetti’s; the cooler crisp air seeming to make his call even more ear shattering. On the return journey a teenager Herring Gull did a few piratical passes. Take 2 (22-02-2020)

With the days continuing to lengthen, the sap rising higher and the first flowers of spring in bloom I felt like it was time to venture forth and try my luck at Middle Street once more. Normally I’m onto my first butterflies in February and whilst it wasn’t a mini unseasonal heat wave like in 2019 I have seen butterflies at around this time of year in cooler, greyer and damper conditions than we’ve experienced.

Today there was a first; it was the first time in 2020 that I got caught out by the weather forecast. I’ve come to take anything the Weather People say with a bucket worth of salt but I’d obviously forgotten this over the winter months and so despite showing no rain and light cloud I only got as far as the other side of the wooden bridge before the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped and down came the rain swiftly followed by hail.

Take 2b (01-03-2020)

So the second visit proper saw me wandering through ‘mud’n bullets’ as my dad says, the paths churned into a quagmire (giggity) by dog walkers and poaching anglers. Dennis had menaced the site with one of the tracks blocked with a fallen tree and the various ditches and depressions were serving their purpose – they were filled with water. Needless to say I didn’t see any butterflies on this trip either despite the slightly more favourable conditions and even the birds were scarce today, the only calls coming from the football pitch. I learnt that apparently Ron is a ‘fornicating phallus’? Take 3 (07-03-2020)

It must be third time lucky now surely? So I decided that as soon as the chores were done I would take the now familiar stroll along the Town Path, cut through Harnham and saunter round Middle Street. During the morning around town the air was clear, the sky blue but there was still a nip in the air. As the morning wore on the occasional wisps of cloud appeared, the temperature started to rise and the cold breeze picked up meaning that when it blew the temp dropped back down again. It was one of those typical spring days which remind me of the mum and the dad bear in the Goldilocks story; the weather was too cold, or too windy or too dull – it was never just right!

Still I set out hopefully and as I turned the corner from South Street to Harcourt Terrace there was a sight that lifted my soul. The blazing yellow of a Brimstone. I watched it land on the flattened top of a hedge and by standing a few paces back and holding my camera out at full stretch I was able to get a few shots. I was stopped and asked what I was doing by the neighbourhood watch but when I explained that I lived round the corner and that I was watching a butterfly this seemed to placate them. Luckily to add further credence to my excuse and reassure them that I wasn’t casing the joint the butterfly took off and started patrolling along the hedges along one side of the street. After a while it landed in another high bit of hedge and I kept my eye on its position and at the same time kept an eye on the NW. Once they were gone I had a think about how I could get some closer shots and in the end reasoned that if I stood on the low wall at the bottom of the hedge, leant in slightly and held my camera in one hand I might be able to get something on the memory card. So that’s what I did. After this I found that there was a definite spring in my step as I hiked to Middle Street. This soon stopped though as the reserve is even more flooded than previously, the cloud had built too and now when the sun did shine through and start to warm things up it was accompanied by an icy breeze. So I drew a blank again but did pick up Reed Buntings, Little Egret, Sparrow hawk, Red Kite and Buzzard on the notable bird front. Even more notable was a bloody gurt Raven gronking loudly as it passed overhead whilst I was on the Town Path. It spiralled round and down before landing in the field a dwarfing a male Blackbird near to it. Almost at home I checked in on the Brimstone and it was still there, hanging upside down in its own little tent of leaves. It was still there on Sunday when we set off for Ikea and when we got back. Come Monday afternoon when I went to Post Office I thought it would have nipped off during the morning when it was blue sky and sunny but nope it was still there.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

I enjoyed your visit's to the Meadow Wurzel, I was doing the same ( seems ages ago now) at Hall-Lee-brook when I saw a Comma for the first time and sadly I think the last before shut down, I didn't think at the time I'd see any Butterflies for ages, it makes me wonder now if I'd stayed home in other years in stead of going out traveling to see them if I'd been better off staying in the garden I've not seen a Brimstone yet but I'm hoping one will pop in the Garden before long Goldie

Cheers Goldie I know what you mean - some of my favourite shots were obtained by grabbing my camera and sprinting up the garden as tea was being out on the table (this was when I had a garden ) I had quite a good list including Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Common Blue and Small Skipper Missing it now though - thankfully we're allowed our exercise walks

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote: ↑Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:14 pm ...some of my favourite shots were obtained by grabbing my camera and sprinting up the garden as tea was being out on the table...

Oh yes!, I do that as well, and usually get a telling off from SWMBO

Interesting to see what Middle Street looks like, even if it is a bit soggy.

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Neil Good to know I'm not the only one suffering for their butterflying Although if Mrs Wurzel reads this the suffering will be much more intense! Middle Street is a funny old place but it's just right for Small Torts Almost as good as my little site at work...

Work 16-03-2020

All morning I’d been watching the sky outside my window and I’d go from cheerfulness to sadness and back again as the sky changed from blue to grey and back to blue. Luckily by the time lunch arrived the sky had reverted to blue and it had warmed up so I grabbed Niko (the ‘n’ of Nikon has worn off my camera strap) and made for the back path. I was banking on this outing as the rest of the week was either forecast as cloudy and cool, I’d be busy or even worse Locked Down/self-isolating.

As I cut across the footy fields checking the banks and patches of nettles which lined the fences the sun was swallowed by a single, lone cloud. I didn’t mind too much though because I reckoned that by the time I reached the path the cloud should have passed by releasing its hostage. And so as I turned up the path the sun returned and by about a third of the way along I was feeling really warm. By the half way point I was actually considering taking my jumper off when all thoughts of thermoregulation went out of the window. There was a fluttery thing with the familiar black and orange stripes and the slightest hint of blue around the margins…my first Small Tort of 2020. After a few shots which were tricky to get as it was vibrating its wings to warm up, I carried on. A Peacock, another first for the year, took off from where it had been basking unseen before I could get any shots. Up at the end there didn’t seem to be anything and so I turned round and made for the Lab. In the neighbouring field another Small Tort was fluttering about. It seemed like it was agitated and so I leant over the fence to try for a few shots. As I did I discovered why is was being so antsy as there were two more Small Torts busying themselves with courting. The agitated Tort was a third wheel and couldn’t manage to entice the female away even when three of them took to the air in a dizzying, spiralling Tornado of Torts. As I turned away I spied another two in a neighbouring garden which brought the tally to a definite 6. The walk back to the half way point saw another two giving a maximum count of 7. Brill! From this point I let my feet take over the job of getting me back so my eyes could concentrate on seeking out butterflies. I managed to find a further two; a Brimstone and a distant Small Tort which brought my count to a maximum of 9 and minimum of 7. A fantastic 25 minutes made even sweeter as I don’t know when the next time will come? Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Those Small Torties look absolutely fresh after their hibernation, Wurzel - as in fact a lot of the hibernated species have this year. Winter has been kind to them. As ever I envy you the number of this species you see compared to here. Swop you a Holly Blue or two?

Cheers,

Dave

A mrgeen x6 for those Small Tortoiseshells, Wurzel. .
The one I saw locally a couple of weeks ago, I regard as a freak sighting!.
As you have said before, they are still doing well in Wiltshire, thankfully.
The only snag is I can't get there to see them.

Stay well,
Trevor.

Cheers Dave Wiltshire does seem to be doing well - they have drastically decreased at Five Rivers but this could be because they may be very 'early' there but at Middle Street they've gone through the roof I'll have a word and get the current Small Torts to have a word with their kids ready for a swap later in the season
Cheers Trevor I think the best thing is that this is only a narrow stretch of path and I have just enough time to walk there and back in my 25 minutes of lunch. The numbers increased a bit over subsequent visits too!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Hi! Wurzel, lovely shots of the Tort's, I'm still short of a Brimstone, so your one up there
That Small White you mentioned to me in my last post, is an ab, so that's not bad for being stuck in the Garden. Goldie

Nice Small Tortoiseshells there Wurzel They have certainly done well in some parts this spring although apparently not everywhere.

Cheers,

Neil.

That last Tort is a corker! I'm glad you don't take them for granted, they are like gold dust in some parts further east now

Cheers Goldie I thought that Small White was good for an aberrant - I've not seen anything like that before
Cheers Neil They do seem to have a more Western distribution now - wetter and better for nettles possibly? Though so long as it carries on I won't question it
Cheers Bugboy No I try and photograph every single one that I see, although they don't always make it easy I find they're a bit like OTs in that you can never have enough of them

Anyway time to jump back in time to 2019...

Day 7 Part 1 Out and about the Town 05-08-2019

We were taking a wander in Guarda again today so beforehand I took a pre-brekkie stroll to the end of the track and back. Hedgies and Meadow Browns reminded me of home but a Tree Grayling reminded me that I was actually in Portugal! As did the Lang’s Short-tailed Blue. After a short drive we ended up making the walk up the hill, past the massive snake painted on the stairs and then had a look around the old centre. We visited the La Vie shopping centre again as well as the museum which the woman told us was free and then as we went to enter told us that it was Fechio – closed! Slightly confused we retired for lunch on the grassy bank in the shade of the Cathedral where we were joined by a Specklie and a Small White and a Swallowtail drifted by like a lost kite. We eventually found the Torre de Montego (or some such) which didn’t look like much but promised great views of the surroundings. As we followed the spiralling path upwards a larger, darker butterfly caught my attention amid the smaller silvery blues and golden blues (SBA, LSTB, LTB and SC respectively. I carried on up wracking my brains for what it could be – was it just another Grayling? At the top at least 5 Swallowtails constantly tussled, spiralled and fought the S.Scarce Swallowtails which were much more sedate rarely interacting with each other or the other species. Instead they floated and glided serenely over the exposed rocks and boulders. I managed a few shots of one that landed momentarily before it was buzzed by a Wall Brown. This took me back to the large brown butterfly – it had shown similar flight to the Wall – could it have been a Large Wall? As I pondered this a very dark butterfly landed on a boulder nearby. I grabbed a record shot and could see the large multi ‘pupiled’ eye, the yellow raised eyes on the hind wing and the two brown zig-zag stripes against the grey background colour of the wings. Yep – Large Wall. I followed it and managed a couple of side on shots that allowed confirmation. I then started to work my way down and a S.Scarce Swallowtail posed invitingly for me plus it was in sublime condition. I also managed a few grab shots of a Swallowtail but they were still being very boisterous. Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

There's a couple of WOW's in your last post.
Yet another pristine Scarce Swallowtail, and you have done it full justice!.
Then that Large Wall, I saw one through sheer frustration, in the Pyrenees.
We were driven up a drizzly, cold mountain for lunch and a walk, not far
below us the sun was out, so I left the party and wandered down the zig zag
road to a rocky area. And there she was, a fresh, female Large Wall. Those
I left behind saw nothing, and no more Large Walls were seen that week.

Stay safe,
Trevor.

Ooooh you've been saving that post haven't ya

Lovely Scarce Swallowtail, Wurzel, with splendid complete tails - they don't last long! Another species you feel would be happy in the south of the UK (perhaps not the Iberian version) - their caterpillars eat blackthorn and there's plenty of that.

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Trevor I was chuffed with the Large Wall as I wasn't expecting to see one - to be honest it wasn't even on my radar there
Cheers Bugboy You got me
Cheers Dave It is surprising what a barrier the English Channel can be although I think a few Scarce Swallowtails have made it here in he past so there must be another reason for the lack of them over here?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Fantastic shots of the Scarce Swallow Tail Wurzel , some to treasure and look back on Goldie

Cheers Goldie They were proper gems of butterflies those S.S.Swallowtails

Day 7 Part 2 Out and about the Town 05-08-2019

After the now routine call in at Lidl’s; for a couple of bottles of Argus Reserva 1844, some other foody bits and 5 Cardinals and a Painted Lady, we got back home. Whilst the girls set off to the pool I loaded up on water and camera batteries. First call was the verdant path. I was able to catch up with the QoS as well as the smaller Frit as well. I spent some time here as there was so much to see however it was all of the usual suspects. I pulled myself away and set off down the dusty trackway. I then took the tree tunnel which was alive with butterflies – mainly Graylings with Hedgies, Specklies and the odd GBGrayling thrown in for good measure. When the tunnel finally finished instead of the left hand road which would have taken me down to the bridge (eventually) I carried down up the winding road reasoning that eventually it would bring me out by the Well. On the way I saw a small frit, a few whites and also 2 of the Small Heaths looking very dusky and worn but not "Dusky" enough! Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Just seen your Scarce Swallowtail photos Wurzel...Lovely

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Neil It's one of those Orange-tip like species - you can never get enough off them!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel