Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Just catching up Wurzel, interesting to read your reports from Aston Rowant, I haven't been there for a few years now, I must think about it for next year.

Jealous of your lovely Brown Hairstreak photos , I missed them this year.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Neil Shipton was good for Brostreaks this year If you're down this way next year it's only a short hop over from where you're usually based(?) and I've gotten 'reasonable' at acting 'Tour Guide'

Middle Street 08-09-2024

Most of the morning was spent sorting out everything ready and getting all the heavy lifting done; sheets changed, log basket filled with spares warming in the cupboard, kindling chopped, food shopping for tins, milk, beer etc. all done and stored. I’d also spent much of day waiting and watching the weather hoping for a break in the clouds so a little sun would match the warmth in the air and I’d be able to get out for the last time in I didn’t know when. Luckily after lunch the sun broke through the cloud in fits and starts so I grabbed my camera and set off for Middle Street.
As I bowled along the street and crossed over into Queen Elizabeth Park I spotted a couple of Whites which were flying from the Boules Mauve along the various shrubs which act as a green screen between the road and the park. I did my best to follow them but it proved difficult as they’d twist and turn or nip over the top the shrub to reappear in a totally unexpected spot. Whilst this was all very frustrating it did enable me to bump into a Brimstone which I watched settle. As I approached I was further distracted by a flash of red in the bushes. It was a Red Admiral and so I plumped for that instead. After a few shots I turned my attention back to the Brimstone which had remained in place the whole time I was focusing on the Red Admiral. Of course as soon as I turned my attentions proper to it off it went. It seemed to claw its way through the air and plonked itself down at a higher vantage point. Higher maybe but not too high for a few record shots luckily.

I then resolved to head directly to Middle Street. I did make it a few paces but then a male Large White stopped in on the Boules Mauve. I love the contrast between the rich black marginal markings and the uncluttered bright white ground colour of the fore wings. This one seemed well endowed in the marking department, so much so that black bleed a little back into the wing along each of the veins. On the other side of the main path form this was the little ‘sensory’ garden with its feathery grasses and bold coloured and/or scented flowers. Sheltered from the wind on two sides by the wall like shrubs there was another large patch of Boules Mauve with a few other nectar sources interwoven through the tall and thin stems. There were also a couple of whites here with both Small and Large stopping by to sup some nectar.

Things went quiet eventually as the sun was swallowed for a short spell by a passing cloud. I pressed on along the Town Path, over the weir, past the Mill and its race and around and along Middle Street itself but there wasn’t a single butterfly the entire way, not even in the wildlife friendly garden. The cloud was obviously holding things back and I was left hoping for another break. Things did start to improve and brighten once I was on site and wandering along the near side of the pond. The damp ground that runs down to the pond itself had held Blues and Arguses before now but today it could only muster a Green-veined White. I wasn’t grumbling though as it was something different and it was a start. Slightly further along one of the little cleared areas was covered in Triffid style Nettles but motoring about the tops was a Comma. I found that by snaking my feet around the bottom I could slip down the bank and in amongst the nettles to get closer to it. After a short while it took off and I was worried that I’d somehow inadvertently spooked it. But no it was in hot pursuit of an invader. I think the OG had bitten off more than it could chew as the usurper returned and sat victoriously in a few different spots, trying them out to find the most comfortable.

I left the Comma revelling in its own success and extricated myself as carefully as possible from the morass of nettles and brambles. Still picking splinters out of my trousers and fingers I continued along the top of the bank path and then down into Dip 1. Again a smattering of whites passed by but didn’t stop and both Dips 2 and 3 were bereft of butterflies. Slightly further along I watched as another Comma bobbed along the path before spiralling upwards when I lost it amid the spray of twigs on one of the willows. By now I’d reached the end and so I worked back the way I’d come along the lower, narrower path. I scanned left and right paying particular attention to the dead flower heads and I soon spotted one that didn’t look right. This was because a Comma was sitting atop it looking to all intents and purposes like a fallen leaf balancing on the first seed head it had laded on. After I finished with this a Small White led me on a bit of a dance and only allowed few record shots despite the fact that it should have been moribund as the cloud had rolled in, quickly covering the sun and sending the temperature down.

The thick layer of cloud didn’t look like shifting and so I decided that I’d seen enough and started homewards. As is so often the way a butterfly saw me leaving and had other ideas. This time it was a Green-veined White which was struggling in the gloom almost as much as my lens was. To make up for this I did take advantage of its almost sedated state and fired away shot after shot in the vague hope that something would come out that wasn’t just on the blue-scale. Still it was nice to catch up with another species properly…

The walk back home was relatively quiet until I reached the Park where an assortment of whites were flying about here and there. I complete the walk back thinking to myself that it would definitely be worth checking out the park in the future, especially during the time of restricted mobility that was coming my way…
And out comes the sun
Park and then to Middle Street
Last trip for a while?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Queen Elizabeth Gardens 14-09-2024

I’d previously been waylaid in the ‘Park’ as we’ve always called it on my last visit to Middle Street and at the time I took note of some of the more enticing spots that the butterflies might like. This paid off as I had a bit of time and on Doctor’s orders I needed to take a little light exercise out in the fresh air. This is the kind of advice I really appreciate as even though I had a legitimate reason to be off work I might still have felt some guilt about being out looking for butterflies. I’d managed a few brief walks over the previous few days, upping the distance each time so today, the first sunny one in a while, I was ready.

I started off by checking out the small front gardens and walls along the street that led to the park as over the years this has provided several interesting sightings including a Clifden Nonpareil and a Clouded Yellow but alas today there was nowt. The line of hedging screening the road from the park didn’t have anything either so I found myself spending all of my time hanging around in what I think is/was the sensory garden and one patch of Boule Mauve in particular as it was still catching the sun and hadn’t fallen under the shade of the tall willows that line one of the five rivers flowing through Salisbury. As I rounded the corner I could see a few butterflies already supping away, the most obvious of which was a Comma, its ginger apparel aiming it stick out like sore thumb.

With those shots in the bag I then stood back and waited for the next subject to fly in and stop for a spot of nectar. It only took a couple of minutes before the next visitor called in, a male Green-veined White and then once I was through with him a second, different Comma called in. This was all going according to plan and I was able to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the slight breeze as well as the butterflies at the same time as compiling with Doctor’s orders and ensuring my exercise was very light, to the extent that I was only taking a few steps here and there. Getting down lower however was a little problematic and by the time I’d gotten down the butterfly had invariably vamoosed, leaving me to then struggle to right myself.

I didn’t have time to fell any aches or pains though as the Comma was swiftly joined by a male Common Blue. Due to the type of area I’d not expected to see one of these so upon its arrival it immediately took on the mantle of ‘Star of the trip’. I think it let this celebrity status go to its head as it fluttered about, turning this way and that as if fussing about me ‘capturing its good side’! I let it have its diva moment and called its bluff by snapping away briefly at a female Green-veined White. It must have noticed this as then it started behaving. I know this is blatant over anthropomorphizing but I really did think this at the time and I can only put it down to the pain meds!

I finished up my session with a bit of a focus on the Whites. First I got back to the Green-veined White before moving onto a Small and then a Large White, all of which appeared in quick succession. Once I’d spent a little time with the Large White I moved back to the female Green-veined White as she hung around the Boules Mauve at the edge of the clump whilst the others started out at the edge and then moved back deeper and deeper into the flower bed and so further and further out of reach. All the stepping forward and back and bending and getting back up had started to started to exact its payment and so I went and found a park bench for a sit down before walking back. This was quite fortuitous as it meant that my return visit became perfectly timed to catch a very large moth on the side of one of the buildings; not sure but it could be a Clifden Nonpariel or maybe a Red Underwing?

I got back in time for my next round of meds and checked the weather app; same again weather wise on the morrow so looking good for a return visit…
‘Gentle exercise’
Those were the Doctors’ orders
Off to the park then!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

A little more exercise…16-09-2024

After the afternoons’ adventure two days previously and realisation that I could walk a bit and carry my camera I took advantage of the weather holding and set off once more to the park. As usual I scanned the buildings and gardens on the way and this time I was rewarded by a fly-by Red Admiral about half way along the street.

Over at the park I forewent the hedges and got start down to business over at the sensory garden/clump of Boules Mauve. There to greet me were a couple of Whites and the now ‘usual’ Commas. Unlike on previous visits they had started to move over the back of the clump to the other side in view of the road and so I found myself often wandering round and round the garden, or hobbling more like as the butterflies would start at the front and then work their way deeper and deeper into the Boules Mauve before popping out on the other side and switching to the low lying Buddleia there.

Despite the twisting and bending movements setting off a few twinges I carried on and this time set off slightly further afield – all the way to the Close and the fields around the Cathedral no less. The gardens on the way dazzled to deceive and threw up precisely nothing of interest not even a few bees. Luckily the unmown field provided my payment for my efforts with first a Green-veined White and then a lovely looking Dragonfly – some sort of Hawker, possibly a male Southern? Both of these were in the top corner, the butterfly down on the deck whilst the Dragonfly was clinging to the near vertical sides of the boundary hedge. As I followed said hedge down to the bottom a few more whites passed by in the distance on the other side of the field and a similar looking Dragonfly quartered the bottom end of the field as I broke through onto the road beyond.

After this I followed the road through the citadel gates and checked out the flower patches at the bottom of the retaining walls. A few Whites flew about and up at the end of the street I could see a couple of Red Admirals up really high. I did my best to get at least a record shot of these but found that I couldn’t strain and stretch as much as previously so my manual zoom was a bit limited. Even stepping up on the low lying wall didn’t increase the range although I was now at slightly less of an angle. As I trod circumspectly back the way I’d come a few of the Whites landed. Normally this nice and low down would have been ideal as I’d be able to get in close, steady myself on my knees and reduce shake hence normally they wouldn’t venture so low. Now of course as bending was literally a pain they were hugging the ground. With the odd puff, grimace and expletive I manged to grab a few shots and as I gingerly made for home I hoped that they’d come out okay and so make the twinges they’d set off worthwhile.

Building up my strength
And getting further afield
Build the tally too
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Five Rivers 17-09-2024

After the slightly longer walk yesterday today was the day for a slightly longer one still. I reckoned that I could get all the way to Five Rivers and back by way of Waitrose (and a free coffee) without suffering too much. So after lunch when the sun had come out I girded my loins (literally) and set off. Through the back way a few whites flew and the odd Red Admiral but all did that annoying thing of showing up and then disappearing over the extra tall fence and so out of sight. The river path was slightly better but although a Holly Blue escaped my lens a Small White wasn’t quick enough even though I wasn’t able to utilise top gear yet. It was still a bit far away but I was pleased to get something for the effort expelled up to this point.

After this I broke out of the shade along the river path and crossed the road over to the wooden bridge and onto Five Rivers. As I wandered through the Glades I kept my eyes peeled, as I roamed round the top part of the fields round to the far end of the Banks I stared and scanned and when I finally traipsed back along the top path I gazed imploringly. All of which was to no avail as I didn’t see a single butterfly; no distant flappy white nor ginger Comma and not even a migratory Red Admiral. It wasn’t until I was back once more at the Glades where a lone Specklie retained a territory at the edge of the track through the Glades, the little spot so beloved of Orange-tips in the early spring.

It seems that this was the klaxon call and when I paused by the bench overlooking the river I looked back and three or four Specklies were having a bit of a barney. Counting how many were actually present proved difficult as they all seemed intent on either beating seven bells out of each other of or trying to entice one or the other for a little Netflix and Chill. I could only really stand back and watch and wait. This tactic paid off as eventually one perched within range for long enough to grab a few shots before it was off again with a couple of other Specklies in a tangled brown blur of fury or ardent fervour? I stood back and waited and in a minute or two I was joined, albeit briefly, by a second different Specklie. It was a very fleeting visit before it was off again and once more into the fray and so I took this as my sign to leave them to their fractious festivities.

On walk back there were again a few Whites and the odd Red Admiral but the most memorable sighting was off an extra-terrestrial…they are among us!

Head slightly further
Greater distance more rewards?
No, less butterflies
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Love your extra-terrestrial Wurzel maybe it could conjure up more Butterflies for next year ,or, better weather Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Even a couple more would be an improvement
Five Rivers 18-09-2024

So after the partial success the previous day I once more took to the streets to take advantage of the fine weather whilst it lasted. As I’d managed to get to Five Rivers and back the day before I was confident that this time I could have a bit more of an explore, just to up the step count. What with the weather about to peter out and my sick leave running out I didn’t know when I’d be able to get out again.
The walk through the back of the housing estate that runs along the railway tracks had the usual butterflies flying along and over the tall fence with its tumbling saggy coat of Ivy. A few Whites were about, the odd Red Admiral passed by and a Brimstone managed to defeat me and the best I could manage was one of those shots that often come at the start of the season – when they’ve just woken up and have nectar and romance on their minds so won’t sit still for long. This one was way up near the top of the Ivy but if you squint really hard and look out of the corner of your eye, with some good background lighting you’ll see…a definite yellow blur which is a Brimstone…honest!

I pressed on but it seemed that the Whites had got a bit camera shy since my previous visit and I didn’t actually get anything else on the memory card until I’d almost completed my walk and was safely ensconced in the Glades at Five Rivers wanting to stretch my legs slightly further today I actually didn’t stray any further from the Glades than Comma Corner where the patch of purple Daisies once again disappointed. They always look like they should have butterflies queuing up for a last sup before ‘slipping off to Bedfordshire’ but alas they never live up to these expectations; still I felt like I had to check hence my somewhat disappointed countenance. I did cheer up though as by the start of the Glades a Specklie in fine fettle sat nicely in the sun.

After watching and enjoying it for a bit I strolled back and when I reached wooden bench, that beloved by late season Red Admirals, there was a further flurry of Specklie activity. I spotted a brace sitting about a metre or so away from each other and not within the others’ eye line. However a third and fourth which bumbled in from opposite directions, set the other two off and for a fraction of a second there was an almost embarrassed moment of stillness. I was sure I could hear intakes of breath followed bu “You?!” before the all four clumped together in a vertically spiralling mess of Specklies. This was all very entertaining but wasn’t going to get me any shots and so I waited and watched for the victors to return and take up their vantage points once more. My patience paid off and over a very short spell, only 5 or so minutes, I’d bagged myself shots of at least two of the individuals.

Pleased with my progress I retraced my steps back along the Town Path to cut through to Waitrose for a free coffee and then home.

A distant Brimstone
And a flurry of Specklies
Raises the spirits

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

December 2024

Well where did that year go? Another calendar completed...better start work on the next one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Vernditch 28-09-2024

Finally I could do an emergency stop with pain or intense discomfort and I was due back at work on Tuesday 3 weeks after the op. So to ‘celebrate’ we did a family run over to Vernditch for a slightly longer walk than in recent days. I took my camera hoping for at least a couple of butterflies. On the drive over things looked okay on the whole with the sun shining down but the tops of the trees were fairly whipping about and in the distance I spied a blanket of grey moving in from the west so I tempered my expectations somewhat.

All was quiet on the way up the hill and through the main section of Vernditch. In fact it was only once we’d ventured into the Kitt’s Grave bit of Martin Down that I spotted my first butterfly – a Specklie which was playing in the dappled shade at the edge of the path where the coppice was thinnest. As I leant in for the first shots, typically ‘record’ in nature, it took off from its prime perch on some lush, green leaves and left the illuminated spot for something a little further back. This meant very cautiously stepping over a pile of hurdle and hedging sticks so that I could get within range. I half expected it to take off once I’d gotten back into position but to my surprise (and possibly its own) it remained and so a got a few shots which were much less record in nature.

I caught up with my wife and we carried on along the track and turned right at the end to follow the track parallel to the main road. A Small Heath and a Meadow Brown went up from the low bank and led me out across the field on the other side of it. They were just toying with me though because each time I’d get just close enough to raise my camera to my eye they’d move on a little further. The squally wind didn’t help either as it would lift them up a carry them away even further across the exposed field. I quickly realised that they’d always get the best of me in my current state and so I moved back onto the track and carried on round. Once we’d dove back down into the site away from the road the tall hedges and blocks of woodland broke the wind very successfully so much so that at the most exposed point the wind was barely a whisper whilst the tops of the hedges it was a raucous shout. Two of three Meadow Browns fluttered across the low lying turf and I managed to catch up with a couple here, even managing to kneel down in time to get a few closer shots.

After my success with the Browns I wondered what was next? I didn’t have to wait long to find out as in the second scallop along a Green-veined White was quartering the edge of the hedge. As I watched it sticking out like a sore thumb against the green/black background I pondered how good a thing it was that it was terrible tasting! Slightly further on a Small White stopped for just long enough for a few shots before I was called back to the family and we completed the return leg of the walk.

And that as they say was that. Still it was nice to be able to drive somewhere and also nice to see a different species from recently. How much long it’ll last I don’t know but I’ll just take each opportunity as it comes now.
I can drive again
So off to the Vernditch woods
A few Browns and Whites…
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

The Devenish 19-10-2024

It was looking like it was going to be a nice day so when we walked t Waitrose I took my camera…just in case. It wasn’t necessary on the way there as all of the Red Admirals flew over the tops of the tall fences sampling the Buddleia on the far side. However I kept looking and finally on the walk back I was reward for my diligence and a Red Admiral hung around on a sparse bit of Buddleia in the little square of grass where the path dives down to the road.

Cheered by my success I carried on home and after the victuals had been stowed away and lunch had been eaten and washed up I made my way over to the Devenish to see what was still flying, if anything. As I negotiated the narrow lane with its twists and drops a Small White flew along the hedge in a more open part. However the gate was shut when I went to park and so I had to pull in on the verge. Once I’d walked back to the gate I saw that the reserve was closed for some forestry work due to Ash Dieback. However all was quiet, all I could here were the birds and the odd car in the distance and there was definitely no noise from chainsaws. Luckily for me the second gate didn’t have any notice on it and so feigning ignorance I climbed over this and made my way into the reserve. Once in the Orchid Meadow I set to scanning the bone coloured skeletal remains of the grasses. Nothing was showing and I was starting to feel like my initial optimism was misplaced. But then a Comma fluttered out of the hedge and looped back in. I approached cautiously and luckily for me it landed in a cleared area quite close to the other side of the wire fence.

Slightly further along the Ivy was standing proud on the other side of the fence and in it were several Red Admirals. As I’d spy one and focus in on it another would appear as if from out of the blue. In the end I managed to find five but there were probably more hiding further back out of sight on the other side of the blanket of Ivy that was coating the fallen tree. As I wandered back the Comma did a quick patrol flight out across the meadow before diving back into the security of the hedge. Slightly further on something else caught my eye. It was too large and flew in too direct a fashion for it to be another butterfly and I had to really make an effort to follow it. It landed and then took off again. Whilst it was completing its sortie I got in position and waited for it to return. When it did, boom, shots in the bag.

As I’d reached the other end of the meadow near the entrance I carried on along the little track over the double set of gates and into the Paddock. The Lollipop Ivy usually holds a few butterflies but today it could only manage a single Red Admiral. However the local sheeps had grazed their way back into the thicket at the edge of the wood and so I was able to get in and have a closer look at the small trees topped with Ivy. The closest one had a brace of Red Admirals and a Comma feasting on the nectar. It was a bit of a waiting game as they were up a little too high for my lens but eventually a couple of them came within range. Pleased I retraced my steps back to the edge of the Paddock and then started up the rise to the middle down. On the first corner of the track another Red Admiral sat on a Bramble leaf. Well I had to get past it along a very narrow track and so I tried for a few shots first and then crept past it as slowly and delicately as possible, expending every effort possible to not disturb it. In the end it sat still as I passed it by and only took to the wing once I was several steps beyond it. Typical!

After the Paddock I strolled across the foot of Middle Down and then over the stile making my way to the Gully at the far side of the reserve. It all felt a little too quiet as I walked but then I remembered that this was October and not early September and so the butterflies would be at a premium seeing as we were entering into the tail end of the season. However things were actually pretty reasonable once I reached the Gully as the tower of Ivy ahead of me had a few black and tan butterflies feasting upon it – at least 3 Red Admirals and lower down, and within range, a Comma. I started with this and then hung around and waited for the Red Admirals to hopefully work their way down, which one eventually did dancing around the flower tops. As I stood back to give them a break another Red Admiral flew low along the fence and then settled on one of the posted to sun itself. Somehow I managed to reach it without either spooking it or breaking any limbs despite the creeping snares of bramble and the slippy vegetation on the steep sides of the gully. After more than a few shots I left it in peace and once more carried on my way after being briefly harassed by a passing Hawker.

After this I wandered along the top and carefully descended back to the Orchid Meadow stopping on the way for a Comma which was feeding in the hedge of the track right at the bottom before the gate. A quick stroll back to the far end produced a few more Red Admirals but they were either too high up or too far back to warrant further photos and so I walked back along the line of the hedge towards the gate. Something small and faded flew out from the fence line and then darted back in. As I drew near I could see that it was and aged Specklie and so I waited a little bit for it to come closer which it eventually did.

The final butterfly of the trip placed itself in a fantastic position, a Red Admiral among the fluffy white seeds heads looking to all intents and purposes as if it was resting on a bed of snow. However the afternoon was still young...

23 189 web cover
October moves on
But still the butterflies fly
For how much longer?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Five Rivers 19-10-2024

I drove away from The Devenish with a nice smattering of butterflies for this late stage of the season and whilst turning around added another to the list; a Brimstone. I was turning the car round and a flash of yellow appeared on the other side of a neighbouring hedge. I contemplated pulling up and trying to get a photo but watched it for a bit first and realised that getting anything would have been impossible as it kept moving, up and down the hedge, into and out of the neighbours garden, ceaselessly moving. So instead I gunned the engine and made my way over to Five Rivers.

Once on site I wandered around all of the usual hotspots; through the Glades, along the back of Comma Corner, round to the top path along the Banks and right to the end corner. But there was nothing; nada mariposa; keine Schmetterling. Dejectedly I started back along the riverside path at the bottom of the Banks and a Large White passed by and disappeared out over the river to the allotments on the other side. Eventually I reached the Glades and after an hour since my previous photo all I had to show for my efforts were two fleeting observations…That suddenly changed as a brace of Specklies put in an appearance and had a little scrap on the edge of the Glades. Finally something to photograph.

As I was clicking away a Red Admiral swooped in and led me away from the Specklies and out onto the open section of grass. It paused every now and again so sun itself which at first was a bit tricky as I was always on the wrong side of it, approaching it head on. Once or twice I thought I was in the right place only for it to take off, fly round me a few times, land on my jeans perfectly so I couldn’t get my lens on it and then fly off around the clearing. So when it took off on another one of its patrolling flights I quickly crossed to the opposite side of the clearing and waited. When it returned and landed I was now behind it and so could creep up more easily and also got some better shots.

Job done I made my way back to the main path and stopped off by the wooden bench. There is often a Red Admiral or two here most years. This year however they’ve moved slightly further along but as if to make up for it there were three all within view, all sunning themselves, wings open wide and held flat on assorted nettle leaves. It was simply a matter of leaning in and clicking away; “If only it was this easy at the start of the season?” I thought…Well it should have been easy but of course almost as soon as the thought had arrived in my mind one of the three took off, barrelled into the other two and all three spiralled upwards and I lost sight of them amid the tops of the trees. A moment later one reappeared but only one. Still one is better than none and so I clicked away…you never know when your last butterfly of the season will come after all.

With smaller returns
That is it for me surely?
There’s still Mottisfont…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

January 2025

Happy New Year to one and all!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU WURZEL, all systems go now for the Spring Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Hopefully it'll be with us soon!

Mottisfont 24-10-2024

I took advantage of the final flush of fine weather to make an autumnal visit to Mottisfont with the girls. After the usual stroll up along the path alongside the babbling brook from the font we broached the Walled Garden(s). As we rounded the corner into the brassicas and Gourds a White fluttered past and a Red Admiral hung around the foliage in the first of the raised beds. It looked in fine fettle but despite this it didn’t fly far between landings possibly due to the slightly cooler temperatures? Whatever the reason I didn’t mind as it gave me ample opportunity to click away and try and capture its best side. With these shots in the bag I turned my attention to the errant white only for it to nip off before I was able get anything of it on my memory card although I was able to identify it as a Small White. Luckily I spotted a second one on the other side of the walled garden and this one played ball.

We then wandered into the middle garden. It is divided into four quarters and the girls disappeared off to do Tik Tok videos leaving me to wander aimlessly through into the final garden with its Lavender hedges hemming in the roses and Boules Mauve. I wasn’t expecting much but a Large White flashed by and sallied forth along the top of the border wall. As I watched it my eyes were drawn towards one of the stands of the Boules Mauve, sitting atop one of the florets there was a late, late Painted Lady. It had chosen the most awkward place to sit, right in the middle of the triangular flower bed but again luck seemed to be on my side. For once I’d grabbed a few record shots it took off, circled round once and landed on the low Lavender hedge to my right. With some subtle and slow shuffling I managed to approach just as the sun went in which settled the butterfly further so I was able to get some nice close up shots. When the sun came back out it opened up to bask a little, but it wasn’t very long before it was off again. This left me to take a quick turn round the garden and catch up, albeit distantly, with the Large White. Well I assume it was the same one… After this the girls caught up with me and we set off back through the portals into the middle garden where a Peacock was basking on the wall.

Once we’d strolled round the remains of the lawns we popped into the Cellarium prior to visiting the house. After 30 seconds or so to get used to the gloom we split up to check all the arches. It was the girls of course who spotted one first; a hibernating Small Tortoiseshell clinging to the limestone. I had a further mooch around, risking a serious crick in the neck but couldn’t find anymore.

After the tour around the house we made our way home with not too bad a haul of six species in the end.
An autumnal trip
Sleeping Tort rounds the day off
A tally of six
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Way back from Waitrose…27-10-2024

I thought that my season was over after a final flourish at Mottisfont a few days earlier. In fact I’d cleaned my camera up ready to packing it away as I thought that the only butterflies that I’d be seeing would be the occasional Red Admiral in a brief spell of sunshine. My wife and I had walked to the shops and then on the way back something bright orange caught my eye. At first I thought ‘moth’ but its flight appeared too strong and direct and it slowly dawned on me that it could be a Small Copper. Swinging my shopping bags over my shoulder I was able to get a little closer to it and so it proved to be; a late, late Small Copper. But my camera was at home! Luckily phone cameras are pretty good nowadays and so I got in as close as I could and clicked away. A very ice surprise!

Way back from Waitrose
A flash of un-moth orange
Late, late Small Copper

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Downshay 02-08-2024

My daughter wanted to go camping so with a new, lightweight tent and minus out other daughter off we set for Dorset, to the wonderful Downshay on the Isle of Purbeck. Despite many changes over the last decade and a bit since we first stayed here everything still looks pretty much the same so the hardest bit was remembering where we’d pitched before their relative merits in terms of shade, shelter, distance from the toilets of ‘slope’. With our pitch selected we got the new tent up in record time, a matter of minutes, a feat enabled in part as the tent company hadn’t actually sent us the inner! Still the weather looked to remain fair and mild so that shouldn’t be a problem. As I was enjoying my first cup of al fresco coffee a Small Copper popped up and flew weakly along the low dividing hedge in front of us.

While the others pottered about I went for a stroll up the main, diagonal track to seek out the little area in the top field; where it’s a little more ‘wild’ and the vegetation is less lawn like. On the way the odd Silver-Y flew and at the top of the track a Wall flew around in the very same spot that I saw one on our very first visit here. Spurred on by this I popped through/over the gate and started up the track. It was a hardwearing track made from slabs of concrete with little gullies on either side. The odd scrape of limestone or discarded boulder broke up the almost uniform carpet of green, as did the brown butterflies flying and feeding along the edge of the path. Mainly Meadow Browns but there was also the odd Gatekeeper and Silver-Y with singletons of Marbled White and a second Wall.

Pleased with this little sojourn I made my way back to the happy campers and enjoyed another outdoor coffee whilst watching a Comma which plopped down in the thin hedge. The butterfly activity appeared to cease after this, almost as if they’d reached clocking off time and downed their tools. However a brief trip to the Toilet block to put the ice blocks in the freezer produced another Small Copper, this one was flailing around near ‘rope swing’. As no-one else was using the facilities I took my chance and nipped into the men’s block and took photos of the various moffs hanging around the doors to the stalls and the windows. There seemed to be quite a bit about even this late into the afternoon and I also added an Early Thorn over at the other shower block. It was sitting in the corner by the charging blocks and the lending library books (all Enid Blyton, all Famous Five naturally).

Later after tea I have to head back to do the washing up. I’d seen multitudes of people heading down for an early shower so I didn’t take my camera. Instead I took a small pot with me and picked up three more moths. I carefully released these onto the dashboard, got my shots before bundling them back into the pot and making my way back down to the toilet block to release my charges. Luckily the calf-destroying walk back up the hill had a bottle of Badger at the end of it!

First day at Downshay
Coppers and Walls come greet us
A great way to start

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Saturday…take the train into town

We awoke to a wet fly sheet and slightly damp ends of sleeping bags where gravity hadn’t been kind to us during the night and had imperceptibly pulled us and our bedding downhill and beyond the ends of the fly sheet. Still it was warm enough, if a little cloudy, for our bedding to dry off by the time we’d need it later. After breakfast and an early shower I retired to the car to get a few shots of the new additions to the Moffs in the toilet block, my little screw top container proving its’ worth one again.

With the ‘trap’ done we set off for the station along wooded narrow roads that just screamed ‘lashings of ginger beer’. What they actually possessed were a few Hedgies and many, many Specklie which seemed to love flitting amid the dappled shade only slightly less than swooping in and disturbing the very butterfly I was actually trying to photograph. While we waited for the train I saw a distant Red Admiral and a dragonfly of some description quartered the hedge on the wrong side of the tracks. An old blue and yellow diesel drew up at the other platform and then our train arrived with the plaintiff whistle only steam can produce. We were joined in the carriage by a Hedgie which popped out two stops later.

After this I reverted to holiday mode grabbing a few shots of one of the many Whites that flew around the station and down to the beach. Various other things fell before my lens but to be honest I was just enjoying my time strolling along with the family…

Hedgies and Specklies
On the day we took the train
Oh...and lots of whites

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

February 2025

This is often the month when things start to happen - so fingers crossed!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I've been out walking and looking but still cool here Wurzel, car to defrost each morning, better than rain though Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Hopefully we'll get one of those warm snaps in late Feb

Sunday and time to head home…

And all too quickly it was time to head home. The morning walk to do the ablutions only produced one new species which was swiftly returned when it came to washing up the final breakfast. With the kit and kerboodle all packed and loaded into the car it was time for off. After a few tries the car actually started and so I took a quick drive round the stonewalled lanes so that I could bump start my brother in-laws car which wasn’t so lucky.

When we eventually reached Corfe the sun was well out having burnt away the thin early morning cloud. Specklies flew along the start of the path and as we wound our way up the hill towards the ramparts Meadows Browns and a Red Admiral drifted down the slope from the Keep. We had a look round the village before starting up the various terraces of the Outer Bailey. On the way up a Red Admiral danced among the wild flowers and various Corvids posed silhouette like on various crags and outcrops. At the top there was the rather macabre sight of a Kestrel, well only a small percentage of one.

After exploring the Keep and the Gloriette the girls chose various key spots to film videos on their cameras for Tik-Chat-Book and so I did a little rock hopping after a couple of the Walls that were frequenting the slabs of fallen masonry. They were exceedingly flightly and seemed to be toying with me so much so that I gave up and settled down for lunch whilst the Ravens ‘gronked’ overhead. With the repast complete I got back on it much more energised and so managed a handful of shots whilst the Ravens did a little sky dancing in between perching perilously on the parapets.

After we’d finished the visit I made my way back to the car park so I could have a quick look for a few Lulworths. On the way the Red Admiral on the side of the hill had been replaced by a Comma and in the Car Park itself a Common Blue showed nicely before an aged Skipper fell under my lens. It was a Lulworth showing the lovely olive-ish ground colour it fades to. This is a useful ID feature as the other ‘Golden Skippers’ seem to go a more orange. As the family arrived I retreated back to the car and we made the journey home. What a lovely little break.

Last day spent in Corfe
Ravens gronking overhead
“Bye” from a Lulworth
Have a goodun

Wurzel