Andy Wilson

[David M]

20 Wall Browns by today's standards - yes I agree. But when I was a young butterfly nut in the 60's, we hardly paid them any attention, so common they were

Absolutely. And they were common inland...unlike now.

[Andy Wilson]

I went for a walk at Seaford Head this afternoon, not with butterflies as the objective, but mainly to escape the oppressive heat further inland. However, almost as soon as I arrived, I saw a Clouded Yellow, my first of the year. This was followed quickly by 2 more, and I saw a total of about 8 in the course of an hour. It was nice to break my duck in grand style!

There were also plenty of Common Blues and Meadow Browns, which were good to see in this otherwise poor year, and quite a lot of Small Heaths.

[Andy Wilson]

I visited Paradise (aka Friston Gallops) once again this morning. The sun was shining out of a clear blue sky and there was a gentle sea breeze starting to blow in from the south.

On my last visit, I said that Meadow Brown numbers were declining. I need to withdraw that comment, because they now seem to have had a resurgence. In the course of an hour and a half's walk around the site, I must have seen several hundred. People commented earlier in the summer about the shortage of Meadow Browns, but on this site at least, it seems that a lot of them delayed their emergence until the weather got better. Many of those I saw today were quite fresh, and if the weather holds, they will be on the wing well into September.

There were large numbers of Small Heaths too, and in some areas there were swarms of half a dozen or so, chasing each other (or perhaps it was several boys after one girl). If anything, I would say there were more Small Heaths than Meadow Browns.

On the Blue front, there were good numbers of Common Blue, and also some Chalk Hill and Adonis Blues. However, Chalk Hill numbers are now well down, having peaked (if that is the right word) probably some time around the date of my last visit on 8th August. Hopefully, they laid enough eggs for the colony to recover to the sort of numbers we have seen over the last few years.

The Adonis Blues were in the northern section of the site, where the males were flying around restlessly close to the ground, presumably searching for females. I also saw one male Adonis in the south-west corner of the site. Fortunately, this one seemed to be more interested in drinking than looking for the ladies (I know the feeling), so I got several photos of him.

Adonis Blue (m)

Finally, I saw about 10 Clouded Yellows around the site. As usual most were dashing around at high speed, but I did manage to get some pics of a couple of individuals.

Clouded Yellow (f)

[Andy Wilson]

If anyone read my Personal Diary last year, they will know that I tried to see all the native Fritillary species. Well, I have to confess very belatedly that I totally failed. I never got to the south-west to see High Browns, and I didn't even get a decent photo of a Dark Green, although I saw a few in the distance on the South Downs. It seems to me they should be called High-Speed Fritillaries

So now it's my 2017 mission, and at least I have started the season with a nice fresh Pearl-Bordered Fritillary last Friday at my local stomping ground of Abbots Wood. Conditions were cloudy and rather cool, so the single individual I saw was quite torpid and he let me get some good shots.

Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Abbots Wood

Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Abbots Wood

[Wurzel]

High Browns are a bit of a trek Andy but try PMing DavidM he's got excellent inside information about the Welsh site Good luck with you quest - are you counting Duke of Burgundy as an honorary Fritillary?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

In truth, you need fairly cloudy conditions to chase down High Browns and Dark Greens reliably....either that, or you arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

It helps if you have a local site where both are plentiful. I thank my lucky stars that I have one fairly close to me, but it is, sadly, the only one in the whole of Wales.

[Andy Wilson]

High Browns are a bit of a trek Andy but try PMing DavidM he's got excellent inside information about the Welsh site Good luck with you quest - are you counting Duke of Burgundy as an honorary Fritillary?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of Aish Tor in Devon for the High Browns, but as you say, it's a bit of a trek from East Sussex. As for the Duke, I suppose I could include him, even though we all know he's not really a Fritillary. I know a couple of good sites in West Sussex which I'll visit in the next few weeks.

[Andy Wilson]

After Wurzel's suggestion that I should include the Duke in my fritillary quest, I went to Kithurst Meadow last Friday. Conditions were a bit cool and windy but there were a few sunny intervals. My wife spotted the first one, which went quickly to ground and let me grab some nice shots.

Duke of Burgundy

This site really is a cheat, because you can drive up the hill and the meadow is right below the car park. It really is a picture at the moment with cowslips growing everywhere. The best place for Dukes is in the sheltered bottom north-west corner.

[Andy Wilson]

I attended Neil Hulme's Fritillaries for the Future event with some other enthusiasts at Rewell Wood yesterday afternoon. Conditions were cool and overcast at first, but we spotted a few Pearls roosting and got some good close-up shots of them. After an hour or so, the sun came out and the butterflies became a lot more active. We saw several in the scallops off the main east-ride ride, which is a public bridleway, but Neil also showed us a few more "secret" locations deep within the woods. Thanks for a great afternoon, Neil.

Pearl-Bordered Fritillary

Pearl-Bordered Fritillary

Next on my Fritillary quest will be Glanville and Marsh, which will involve travelling outside my home county of Sussex, and then of course there are Small Pearls!

[Andy Wilson]

Over the last few days, I have visited both sites in East Sussex where Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries have been reintroduced. At least, these are the sites that have been publicised -- I wouldn't put it past our hard-working Fritillaries for the Future team if they had also introduced them to some other secret sites!

Anyway, last Thursday (1st June) I visited Park Corner Heath. It was mid-afternoon and the hot sun shone out of a clear blue sky, with temperatures in the upper 20's. Right by the information hut, I spotted a female SPBF fluttering low down, looking like she was egg-laying. Although close to the ground, she didn't stay still long enough to be photographed. Over on the other side of the site, behind "Peter's Seat", several males were criss-crossing in low-level reconnaissance flights. I saw a total of about 6 altogether, and only once did one of them stop briefly to allow me to photograph his underside.

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (m), Park Corner Heath

This afternoon (4th June) I visited Abbots Wood. Conditions were much cooler with a fresh wind, but still plenty of sunshine. I saw between 8-10 SPBFs including 2 females. Hopefully they will have mated and laid eggs for next year's generation by now, because some of them are already looking a bit faded.

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (f), Abbots Wood

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (m), Abbots Wood

[bugboy]

I have to admit I wasn't aware the SPBF had been reintroduced to Abbots Wood but I'm very glad it's back, certainly easier for me to get to than Bentley! Fingers crossed they are are here to stay

[Wurzel]

Great stuff with the Small Pearls Andy Essex Buzzard reported Heaths out in Essex and High Browns have been recorded in Devon - they're all coming thick and fast

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andy Wilson]

Thanks for the heads-up, Wurzel. The weather forecast looks good, so I'll be embarking this week on my annual pilgrimage to Canterbury to worship at the shrine of Melitaea athalia. Hopefully, I'll report back in a few days with some pics.

Good news too about the High Browns. I confess that this would be a lifer for me if I get to see one. Hopefully, I'll manage a trip to the West Country in the next fortnight, and (even more hopefully) I might see one. Large Blues are also out, so I'll try to (photographically) bag a few of them too!

[Andy Wilson]

I did my usual walk around the perimeter of Friston Gallops in the heat of the day today. In the sheltered south-west corner of the field, I saw my first Dark Green Fritillary of the year, nectaring on bramble and other flowers.

Dark Green Fritillary, Friston Gallops

Dark Green Fritillary, Friston Gallops

I saw several other species, including 100+ Small Heath which were abundant all over the site, and similar numbers of Meadow Brown which were particularly numerous along the path on the western side of the site. Large Skippers were also very common with 50+ seen. I also saw Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue, and some very faded specimens of Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak. Cinnabar and Six-Spot Burnet moths were also present, together with one Humming-Bird Hawk Moth.

[David M]

Lots of folk deriving great pleasure seeing SPBFs in the east of England so far this year. Long may it continue!

Well done with the Dark Green Frits too....I hope to catch up with this species at the weekend!

[Wurzel]

Great to see you've ticked off another Frit for the year - good luck with the continuance of your quest

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andy Wilson]

With reports of Heath Fritillary already out in Essex, a completely free day and a forecast of good weather, I decided that this was the day for my Canterbury pilgrimage. I wasn't disappointed

I arrived at the car park at East Blean Woods at about midday. Conditions were hot and sunny with the temperature in the high 20's. There were several other people about and I had hardly left the car park when I saw my first Heath Fritillary. However, it probably had seen me first and soon fluttered away. No worries, because I soon saw another, and after a while it became clear that they were all over the place. Almost everywhere I looked across the young Sweet Chestnut coppice, I could see one flying. Often they disturbed another, and you could see two, if not three, jousting with each other. I didn't do a scientific count, but I would guess that there were upwards of 50 individuals flying today. Most were close to the car park, but I did see a few other further afield. The site is certainly a credit to the people who are managing it.

The only problem was that, in these hot conditions, they hardly ever stopped moving, with their characteristic mixture of deceptive weak fluttering alternating with the occasional quick glide. Eventually, I got some shots of one or two when they settled. Later I came across what looked like a mating pair, but which actually turned out to be a "menage a trois", with a happy couple being pestered by another male interloper.

Heath Fritillary, East Blean Woods, 14/06/2017

Heath Fritillary (there are actually 3 in this picture)

Heath Fritillary orgy

Apart from the Heath Fritillaries, the only other species I saw were a few Meadow Browns flopping around, and 3 White Admirals (my first of the year).

However, regarding my quest to see all the British Fritillary species, I didn't have time to go west for Marsh Fritillaries, so I've probably blown it this year. The same applies to Glanvilles. Last year I saw them at Hutchinson's Bank, but reports from there this year seem to say the colony is very much down on numbers. Anyway, that's cheating I need to plan a trip to the IOW next year.

Hopefully, I will soon get a free window to travel to see High Browns. Does anyone have any reports from the sites in the south-west?

[David M]

Hopefully, I will soon get a free window to travel to see High Browns. Does anyone have any reports from the sites in the south-west?

Andy, the first ones were spotted last weekend at the site in south Wales, so given the warm conditions lately I'd expect them to be about in SW England too. They'll probably peak between 21st and 28th June this year.

[Andy Wilson]

Continuing my fritillary quest and my desire to see the High Brown for the first time ever, the excellent weather forecast persuaded me to make a last minute decision to head west to Devon and Somerset last Friday (16th June). Due to heavy traffic, we didn't arrive my first site of Aish Tor until about 5 pm on Friday, but as the weather was warm and sunny, I was hopeful that any butterflies present would gradually settle down as the heat declined. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of activity, but we did see about 3 fly-bys of "Large" Fritillaries. The last one did look rather brighter and paler than the others, but there was no chance of a definite ID.

Disappointed, we retreated to stay with family near Yeovil and drew up plans for Saturday. Our first site was the Heddon Valley. If you've never been here, it's a wonderful place and well worth the trip even if you didn't see a single butterfly. We consulted with a National Trust Ranger who gave us a leaflet for their special butterfly walk. For some reason, we started doing it backwards and went down the easy path towards Heddon Mouth, but then turned left on to the south-west coast path which climbs steeply up on to the cliffs to the west of the mouth of the river. This went up through precipitous slopes covered in bracken, but disappointingly, we didn't see many butterflies other than the odd Speckled Wood.

We finally reached the highest point of the route where the butterfly walk leaves the coastal footpath and heads back inland. One bit of advice here -- these paths are very steep and it's quite strenuous. I'm used to the Cornish coastal path, but North Devon, where Exmoor meets the sea, is on a different scale. Anyway, as soon as we started the gentle descent back inland, we started to see "Large" Fritillaries -- probably 10 in all, but they were all flying at high speed in the warm sunshine and were also assisted here by a refreshing sea breeze which had sprung up. Some came quite close to us, and if I had to guess, I'd be pretty sure that all of them were Dark Green Fritillaries. The flight and their general behaviour was typical of what I see with this species on the South Downs. There were also a few Wall Browns here, together with the odd Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell.

We descended further and eventually came to the lane which goes down Trentishoe Coombe. There's a large area of south-facing bracken-covered slope here which is much more sheltered than the higher areas. Nothing was obvious at first, but we stopped and gazed up at the slope. Eventually, it became clear that there were several fritillaries up there, lazily flitting around and sometimes going to rest. One or two descended tantalisingly close to the lane, but frustratingly none came within camera range. I decided there was nothing to it but to try to clamber up on to the 45 degree angled slope and take my chance with the bracken, brambles and thistles -- not to say ticks and other nasties. Of course any time I got within range of a butterfly, it took off and lazily glided several metres further away from me. In the end, all I got were a few long-distance shots of one individual, which I have blown up and cropped. I hope it's not just wishful thinking, but from these rubbish pictures I am fairly sure that this individual was a High Brown. The others were all behaving similarly, and very differently from what I normally see with Dark Greens, so if I am right, I saw 5 or more individual High Browns on the slope during the period I was looking.

High Brown Fritillary? Heddon Valley, 17/06/2017

High Brown Fritillary? Heddon Valley, 17/06/2017

Having got at least some shots, we decided to retreat for a late lunch at the excellent Hunters Inn by the car park (highly recommended!). The afternoon was drawing on now and we had to get back for our relatives' evening BBQ, but on the way back we stopped for half an hour at Haddon Hill, and to my delight we spotted a Heath Fritillary -- just the one, but the first time I have ever seen this species anywhere other than Blean Woods in Kent.

Heath Fritillary, Haddon Hill, 17/06/2017

Heath Fritillary, Haddon Hill, 17/06/2017

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Andy.

You'll be pleased to know that there's enough visible detail to confirm High Brown.

The Heddon Valley is a great place - I know the route you took well - but can be very hard work as I'm sure you now know. Another option, for future reference, is the meadow at the end of the National Trust car park by the Hunters Inn where High Brown are regularly seen. Taking the easy option you would of course missed the view - and exercise !!!

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark