millerd

[millerd]

30th May looked to be a decent day again weatherwise, so it was good that I had arranged to meet Wurzel out among the tank tracks of M.o.D Wiltshire, near to Sidbury Hill, one of the many ancient hill forts across Salisbury Plain.

There were a wide variety of spring chalk downland butterflies to be seen, and one or two generalists as well, but it was noticeable that most were looking pretty worn as the end of their season approached. It was also pretty windy so we had to concentrate on the more sheltered parts and contend with wind-battered butterflies.

One slight exception to the worn theme was the Grizzled Skipper: though some were indeed world-weary, others looked surprisingly fresh.

However, both Dukes we encountered were very battered...

...and the Walls (found mostly up on the fort ramparts) were only a little better, though strangely the better-looking individuals all evaded the camera.

The one Green Hairstreak hardly deserved either part of its name it was so worn.

In better condition were a couple of Small Coppers...

...and this single Small Blue wasn't too bad.

For much of the day, we thought we weren't going to see one, but right back at the start a Marsh Fritillary appeared and stayed around for a while.

Lastly, in contrast to all those somewhat older butterflies, there were some newer ones. A male Adonis, one of several, none of which would open up when settled in the strong sunshine...

...a very fresh Common Blue doing its best to match the brightness of its relative...

...and a Large Skipper, my first of the year.

A really good day out, excellent company and a fine array of butterflies in the heart of southern England in spring - what's not to like?

Dave

[kevling]

David, a cracking day on Salisbury Plain by all account. Love the Grizzlies and Marshies in particular but what a great mix for the day.

Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Great to read your report Dave - it will act as an aide memoire for when I finally get around to writing up my own version of events from the day The Marshie's seemed to be having a slight 'bust' year here so hopefully next year they'll be back to 'boom'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - I'm afraid the Sidbury narrative was a bit short on detail a few weeks down the line! I forgot the fields of grass waving in the wind that would have caused seasickness in anyone prone to it... It certainly was windy that day.

Back to home territory for the last day of the month. May 31st was fairly warm, with some sunshine, and I found nine species out and about again. Not quite the same ones as a couple of days earlier, however. The main inclusion (following my first sighting at Sidbury) was a Large Skipper, which upped the species count on my local patch for 2023 to 17.

The Holly Blues were still out there, finding new plants to lay on amongst the lush meadow growth...

...but numbers were just beginning to drop (only around 20 today). Both Common Blues and Brown Argus reached their highest totals of the year to date, but only in the teens which is low for the time of year. There were fresh examples of both.

Common Blues:

Brown Argus:

Though always low in numbers, the Small Coppers invariably provide good value. I particularly like these shots giving views of the world from a Small Copper's perspective...

...plus a more conventional one.

Amongst the other butterflies seen was a cracking new Speckled Wood. One shot taken in sunshine...

...and another under cloud...

...make a bit of a contrast.

Last of all was what turned out to be the final sighting of an overwintered Comma, still commanding a territory from the top of a tall nettle stalk.

Dave

[millerd]

I started the new month down at Denbies Hillside, and seem to have fairly comprehensively covered the outing at the start of the June Sightings thread.
https://ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/viewt ... =8&t=11716
Suffice it to say that Adonis Blues were clearly having a very good year with a rough count of over a hundred individuals, ranging from nearly new ones...

...to the males that when worn take on a deep electric blue shade and dot the hillside like bits of coloured tinfoil.

Most of the females were now in egg-laying mode, but this didn't stop males from trying it on.

Other notable sightings were a few Small Blues along the bottom of the slope...

...and a couple of Green Hairstreaks still flying along the top.

Rather than go straight home I avoided the confrontation with the M25 and headed cross-country to Chiddingfold to try and catch up with a few more Surrey Wood Whites. For the next post I think!

Dave

[millerd]

It was late afternoon when I reached Chiddingfold, but though a few Wood Whites were still flying, it wasn't long before they started to settle down for the evening. I've noticed before that (like quite a few species) they often tend to settle down close to each other, with individuals gravitating to their fellows which have already stopped. The process doesn't always go smoothly.

Sometimes it does work, though.

As the light lessened and the sun angled lower, some interesting light effects were created.

A fascinating interlude.

Dave

[millerd]

Friday 2nd June was an average sort of day, and involved a local walk as such days often do. After one or two of the usual suspects, a bright Small Copper caught the eye...

...followed by a shining new Brown Argus.

"Shining" and "Brown" don't seem to sit together, but somehow new examples of this species manage it. By way of contrast was a less fresh specimen.

A new Common Blue appeared, but had somehow already lost a large part of one hindwing.

However, there is always something of note to be found on even the most ordinary of visits, and today it came in the form of a mating pair of Small Heaths. I disturbed a new female from the grass, and a passing male wasted not a second and immediately pounced. By the time I reached them they had paired.

Not a sight I've witnessed more than a couple of times before.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Those backlit (Lady Diana-esque) Wood Whites shots are lush Dave

"I forgot the fields of grass waving in the wind that would have caused seasickness in anyone prone to it"...what about the Stealth Cow (or should that be pronounced 'coo' as it was a Highland?) - who knew that such big beasties could just appear out of thin air

Things are motoring along now - soon be Shipton time

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - I like a backlit butterfly!

Saturday 3rd June was another similar day, quite warm with a fair bit of sunshine. However, my only opportunity to go out was for an hour or so towards the end of the afternoon so it was a local walk again.

I soon encountered a Small Copper I'd seen before, unusually pale underneath.

One surprise, so late in spring on a site where there are never that many, was a female Brimstone.

Common Blues have been thin on the ground so far, and very soon acquire rips and tears.

Another somewhat worn butterfly caught the eye, especially as this was right in the middle of sightings elsewhere of Black-veined Whites and speculation as to their origins.

For a GVW, it was very heavily marked with black scales and seemed to have lost any of the yellow that creates the green illusion. As it turned out I ended up seeing first hand the following day what all the fuss was about...

Finally, on the way back towards 5pm, I was regularly accosted by Red Admirals in predictable spots, the same patches every year.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Love your Wood Whites David I don't think we get many round our way so it's a pleasure to see them Goldie

[millerd]

Thank you, Goldie - unfortunately these Wood Whites on the Surrey/Sussex border may be the nearest ones to you...

Sunday 4th June looked good weatherwise, and I felt I should (hopefully!) see for myself what all the fuss was about the Black-veined Whites at Hutchinson's Bank. I took the public transport option as usual, but that meant a later arrival than I would have preferred, and my hopes were put on hold when I bumped into a couple who had seen the butterflies earlier and were now leaving.

Everything felt very different from my previous visit just nine days earlier. The Cutting was empty of people for a start, the reason being that everyone was gathered in one of the lower meadows waiting for something to happen. a variety of Glanville Fritillaries were flying around this field, but were generally paid only a casual glance or a perfunctory wave of a lens. I decided to go for a shot or two while the unusual lack of competition lasted.

slightly damaged

female

male

a nice pose

Eventually a shout went up from the other end of the meadow that a Black-veined White had been seen. This was one that several other people were already familiar with, as it had a recognisably "wonky" hindwing and had been around earlier in the day. I didn't get close to the butterfly before it disappeared again, but could see that its large size and powerful flight singled it out from any other likely contenders - the only vaguely possible confusion species around was the female Brimstone. I tried hopefully for some distant in-flight shots, with results only meaningful to the person who took them!

Still, I suppose they supply some context (it is actually possible in the second one, if thoroughly enlarged, to see the afore-mentioned wonky hindwing).

This (male) butterfly then made a couple of similar appearances, and it appeared to have a routine lasting about 40 minutes or so where it set off round a big loop of territory and returned to nectar briefly on clover somewhere in the field where its admirers were waiting. Patience was the key, and there was a lot of chat and speculation and theories as to how these butterflies had come to be here. Butterflies in the plural, as several had been seen here in recent days, appearing initially in the same hawthorns and looking very new. I have my own thoughts on the subject, but I shan't set them out here as that might risk reopening the debate that has its place on another thread.

After the butterfly missed one appearance, I began to wonder if my chance to see it close to had gone. However, it duly returned next time round, and this time I was close to its refreshment stop.

After five or ten minutes, it was off again, but I at least had a few photos of a butterfly new to me, never mind the wonky wing.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I can see what all the fuss was about Dave - they're stunning looking butterflies It will be interesting to see if there is a final, definitive answer as to whether they're migrants or releases but either way a cracking looking insect
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

It was fascinating to see a new species, Wurzel, whatever their origins. It does mean I've now seen 60 different species in the UK.

Back to earth on home territory for Monday 5th June, and the brief excitement the first Meadow Brown of the year brings. I say brief, as I knew that within a week or so, numbers would probably be in three figures. Nevertheless, the first males are always very dark and difficult to approach, and this initial arrival was no different. The open-wing shot was a bit of a bonus.

There seemed to be a few more new Small Heath around today, and though a bit tricky I find them much easier to approach than a Meadow Brown.

As I did last year, I followed one of the new ones in flight and attempted to capture the glorious deep yellow of the upperside, but with very mixed results.

I need to keep trying!

There wasn't a great deal else flying on what was a cooler cloudier day.

As the cloud increased, I took the opportunity to seek out one or two species no longer flying...

Orange Tip

Brimstone

Brimstone

I think my overall favourite of the day was the fresh Small Heath.

Dave

[millerd]

Tuesday 6th June was a similar day, except that there was even less sunshine. The overall species roster on my local walk was the same though, with the addition of a Large Skipper. The rather cloudy conditions didn't really show it at its best.

Brown Argus don't seem too bothered as long as its reasonably bright, and a fresh one posed wide open for a while...

...as did a Small Copper.

Common Blue numbers were rising a little at long last, but there are signs that last year's heat has knocked them back a bit

I spotted an example of the variety known as ab. flavescens, where the underside lunules are a pale yellow instead of red-orange. I managed an upperside of the same individual too, to ensure I was not just looking at a worn specimen.

This variety appears here every year and may be lurking in the local gene pool. Intermediate shades appear as well, but this one was particularly extreme, with the lunules nearly completely bleached out.

Dave

[millerd]

Wednesday 7th June marked the start of warmer and sunnier weather. I thought it might just possibly be the start of the Silver-studded Blues at Fairmile Common (as Pauline had already seen them out down her way). However, for the third year in a row, my first visit to this spot resulted in nothing more than a single faded Green Hairstreak. Despite its age and overall lack of scales, what remained could still catch the light in sparkling fashion.

A few more days to wait for the Silver-studs then.

Dave

[millerd]

After this slight disappointment, I ended up on 7th (as often happens) with a late afternoon local wander. There always seems to be something worth seeing, even if it's just another female Holly Blue or two. Their egg-laying habits at this time of year definitely make them as much a meadow butterfly here as a woodland one.

The handful of Meadow Browns (still low single figures as yet) included a female.

The Small Copper looked familiar...

...and there were a few of both Common Blue and Brown Argus.

However, another much newer Brown Argus made a better picture....

..as did a lovely new Speckled Wood basking side-on to the strong evening sun.

Dave

[millerd]

With continuing good weather, on 8th June I headed down to Denbies and then Box Hill. This double trip really did epitomise the concept of the "June Gap", as very little was flying at either site except for a few Small Heath - and surprisingly I saw no Meadow Browns.

However, at Denbies I was surprised to find a relatively fresh-looking Grizzled Skipper. I'd struggled to find any here at all on earlier visits, so I wasn't expecting this one.

A few Adonis Blues remained of both sexes...

...but in the end the butterfly I spent most time with was a strikingly dark new female Common Blue.

She managed to see off the green bug...

Over at Box Hill, it was if anything even quieter. I somehow found a very faded Dingy Skipper...

...and a female Common Blue that wasn't a patch on the one at Denbies.

By dint of searching likely patches of kidney vetch I eventually managed to track down a Small Blue.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Lovely looking ab.flavescens Dave and that Grizzlie is crazy fresh for the time of year - it must have had a hell of a lie-in You've got me wondering now which species that you haven't seen; Cryptic Wood White, Mountain Ringlet is that it?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel. That Common Blue ab. is quite a striking and attractive variation, but doesn't seem to get the attention that abs. of other species do - probably because it looks at a casual glance to just be worn and faded individual.

Friday 9th June was a very warm and sunny one - 26 degrees and 12 hours of sunshine locally. I stayed local again, and counted not far off 100 butterflies for only the second time this year so far. The nine-species tally looked like this:

Brown Argus 23
Small Heath 21
Meadow Brown 17
Common Blue 14
Holly Blue 9
Speckled Wood 4
Large Skipper 2
Red Admiral 1
Brimstone 1

The decent totals of Brown Argus and Common Blue both contained fresh examples.

More surprising was a pretty fresh female Holly Blue, as their numbers are now declining before the arrival of the second brood.

Examples of some of the other species struck good poses too.

Dave

[Wurzel]

"Brown Argus 23" - that is a great figure Dave They're having a cracking year Lovely examples there as well Trevor just reminded me that it'll soon be Shipton Time mind you as I listen to the rain slamming down outside it still seems very far off

Have a goodun

Wurzel