Sunday 26.5.2013 Rake Bottom
After having decided to abandon my plans for a 'full' butterfly day last Friday
Sunday was my rescheduled attempt at a full day in beautiful sunshine
Unfortunately I had some prior commitments so realistically I only had until early afternoon. Keen to make the most of my time, I dropped my two boys up at the local skate ramps at 8.30am leaving my wife in bed
and set off on my way. My targets for the day were Duke of Burgundy, Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper. I have never seen Duke of Burgundy or Dingy Skipper and Green Hairstreak is a species I have only ever seen once when I was a boy, so that would also be like a first sighting. I decided to visit Rake Bottom for the first time. Rake Bottom is a narrow, very steep sided, L shaped valley near to Butser Hill which promised all three species plus a few others hopefully
- Rake Bottom
- Rake Bottom
I managed to find the Northerly access route without too much difficulty, arriving at about 9.15. This should have led me onto the site via the valley floor avoiding steep ascent and descent. Unfortunately I took a wrong turn along the track and ended up unnecessarily climbing the valley side
A local directed me back down the slope again, but exercise never did anyone any harm did it
Along the track leading to the site my first butterfly of the day was a solitary Speckled Wood closely followed by a couple of Large Whites. Whilst descending the track leading back down the valley a couple of Skippers flashed past me without stopping and I then spotted a Small Heath. I walked almost to the end of the valley before I saw my next butterfly. This one was different and it settled a little way ahead. I went over to investigate.This was my first Duke of Burgundy, a slightly worn specimen, but a beauty none the less
- Duke of Burgundy Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
- Duke of Burgundy Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
- Disfigured Duke at Rake Bottom
There still did not seem to be many butterflies around at this time, but it was still fairly early. I found another Duke in the same area basking in the sun and spent a little time observing. I then thought I would climb to the top at the end of the valley. At the top I found a Peacock gliding around some nettles and a couple of Blues blew past me in the wind too quickly for id. When I went to descend the valley it was certainly much harder work than coming up and required some nifty footwork to avoid going for a tumble
Once down on the valley floor again the action had started to hot up. There were more Dukes on the wing now ranging from fresh to ragged some engaging in aerial combat. Then I spotted my first Grizzled Skipper of the day closely followed by my first ever Dingy Skipper
The more I looked, the more I saw but Dingy Skippers were certainly more numerous on the day. The Dingy Skippers vigorously chased off anything that came too close. At one stage I was confronted by the unusual spectacle of a Dingy Skipper chasing off a fluttery Cinnabar Moth which had flown into the area. I was also surprised at the amount of variation in markings on the Dingy Skippers. I found several 'hotspots' where Dukes, Dingy Skippers and Grizzled Skippers were sharing the habitat. This left me with just the Green Hairstreak to find.......
You may be surprised to hear that I am colourblind, with a particular difficulty with green and brown. I can not think of many other pastimes that would be as severely handicapped by colourblindness
So looking for green, brown and even red butterflies, particularly at rest, is not always straightforward. Even several Commas on a Blackberry bush in late Autumn do not stand out to me as perhaps they would to somebody else. Anyway, back to the point, finding Green Hairstreaks at rest in amongst green leaves poses a difficult challenge for me. Rake Bottom has a line of shrubs on either side at the base of the valley sides which seems to be mainly Hawthorn and Elder, on which I had been advised was the best place to find Green Hairstreaks, I went to investigate. Would you believe it, as I approached the first shrub, a small green butterfly flew up and then settled back in almost the same place at about head height. Luck was certainly on my side today, this was my first Green Hairstreak and quite a fresh one
. I spent quite a while watching just inches from the bush, my face at the same level as the Green Hairstreaks chosen tier. I found this species quite predictable, basking at a peculiar angle (side on) for a few minutes and then fluttering around only to return to almost the same position. With luck on my side it was not long before I found another fresh looking example. I have to be honest and say that the Hairstreaks gave me the most pleasure today
- Green Hairstreak Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
- Green Hairstreak Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
- Green Hairstreak Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
I started to slowly make my way back along the valley finding several good areas on the way. In one particular area where Dukes, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers were cohabiting, I spotted some yellow fluttering looking very butterfly like about the same size as a Duke of Burgundy. On closer examination they were a couple of beautiful Speckled Yellow moths.
- Speckled Yellow Rake Bottom 26.5.2013
At the other end of the valley by the gate I spotted another Duke, the only one seen at this end and a male Orange Tip also flew through. I made my way along the track back to the car feeling very satisfied and having achieved my goals for the day
As always, though, I wished I could have stayed longer. Just for good measure a male Brimstone flew by as I opened the car door, just to finish off the day.
Total count for the day (conservative figures):-
Duke of Burgundy 14+
Dingy Skipper 11+
Grizzled Skipper 7+
Small Heath 2
Green Hairstreak 2
Brimstone (male) 1
Orange Tip (male) 1
Speckled Wood 1
Peacock 1
Large White 2
Cinnabar 2
Speckled Yellow 2
This brings my species tally for the year to 16
However, we did not see another in this area and in fact saw no other butterflies here at all, just a solitary Cinnabar moth.
After being disappointed in the meadow I turned my attention to some high cliff areas to the west.
