Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Mottisfont 25-06-2023

Normally I can rely on Mottisfont to produce the goods – in previous years it’s had Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus, Marsh Fritillary and even a Cloudy along the Lavender but just recently it’s been struggling to produce the goods. So today I was hoping that it would rectify this and get back on track as a useful compromise; quality family trip with some good butterflying.

We arrived early to avoid the ‘rush’ as people clamoured to see the roses in full bloom but as we strode along the gravel lined path a White flew across the main lawn. We called in at the stable yard for a toilet stop and so I took the opportunity to have a little look and see what there was about. Along one side of the block are two parallel rows of trees. Up through the middle there is a path but on either side around the feet of the trees had been left untouched and so was now a tumble of wildflowers peeking up through waist high grasses. I paused here as a Ringlet and Meadow Brown sat atop a Queens Lace flower. As I positioned myself for a few photos I became aware that the butterflies were all up from their slumbers and raring to go for the day as there were more Browns flying along these unkempt verges along with a few Smessex. A quick look along he bank of the Ha-Ha showed a similar mix in greater numbers.

My wife called out and so I re-joined the girls and we continued on up and into the Walled Gardens. The first section had still been given over to vegetables and various Whites fluttered about but never stopping for long enough for me to get any photos. On into the second section with its fur lawns – the hardest part to work as the butterfly always seems to land on in an adjacent section so you end up walking all the way round and arrive just in time to see it take off and fly to the section you’d just departed from. Luckily there was only a Small Tort here and it was just passing through. The final section is also divided up into various beds but there are many more paths meaning that with a bit of leaning over or nipping along one of the said paths you can usually get onto something so long as it stays down low. So proved to be the case…eventually. At first there were several Whites fluttering about and the odd Meadow Brown but again nothing was sitting. The White in particular proved problematic as they would drop down, grab a sip of nectar and then fly upwards and over the wall. In the end it was a Smessex that played nicely and whilst it enjoyed some Lavender enthused nectar I manged to get close enough to both identify it as a Small as well as get a few shots.

After this we made our way out and found a shady spot to have lunch. Once everything was consumed and cleared away I left the girls to let their dinner go down and made my way towards the Ha-Ha. I approached it from the field side, rather than jumping down from the lawn and on the way there were all manner of Browns – Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets as well as plenty of Smessex Skippers and even the odd Silver-Y moth. When I reached the bank the number of Browns petered out slightly and instead the Smessex took over, oh and a single Common Blue. All were exceedingly flighty and fast moving in the growing heat. The butterflies seldom sat still but if they did it was deep down in the shade of the grass right near the soil. It was proving hard and frustrating and I seemed to spend all of my time watching golden blurs. One would look like landing and then another would appear coming in the opposite direction an then both of them would change gear and disappear off at an incredible rate of knots. However eventually my persistence and what little patience I had remaining paid off. One of the Small Skippers landed just long enough for the autofocus to find it. A few minutes later a second started taking nectar from a Bindweed flower. This was great to watch as the butterfly clung on gingerly to the side of the massive petal, teetering on the edge, and sent out its proboscis full stretch to reach the nectar below without falling head first into the flower.

Into the Sarlacc Pit!

After I’d re-joined the girls we set out across the fields, the tall grasses on either side swayed and whispered in the breeze. When we reached the next field the girls went directly to the Fisherman’s Hut whilst I went the long way round, following the field margins. Again there where the masses of Browns and small golden blurs of Skippers and gain none would sit still. In fact if it hadn’t have been for a pair of Common Blues I mightn’t have photographed anything. Mind you as is often the way one was in a much better state of repair than the other and you can guess which one fed nicely whilst the other zoomed about causing mayhem but never falling under the light of my lens?

I caught up with the girls and then we finished off the walk in the cool shade of the river side. A Comma flew past on the other side and the odd Specklie played in the dappled light but it was all still surprisingly quiet. As I drove home I was left wondering when Mottisfont would become more productive which to be fair was a little harsh – there had been plenty of butterflies there, they just hadn’t played ball.
Off to Mottisfont
It proved hard work once again
Now nothing would stop!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 26-06-2023

It had been a while…or had it? At this time of year some days blur into one due to a combination of work fatigue and species coming onto the scene in quick succession. As I was still trapped at work I tried to make the most of it by getting out at lunchtime. I did the usual summer walk, walking past first the relative calm of the Nursery followed by the noisy Primary kids screeching and wailing like Banshees next door. Then it was time to wade through the long grasses and wishing at time that I had a Machete to hack a pathway through. As I toiled away a few Marbled Whites danced effortlessly across the tops of the grasses mercilessly mocking me for being tied to the ground whilst a few Small Skippers did that thing that they do; zipping here and there at record breaking speeds. As I broke free of the tangled, waist high jungle into the closely cropped section there were more Small Skippers, flying along the margins as well as the odd Meadow Brown braving a diagonal crossing. On the other side of the large Bramble there were a few more Marbled Whites sitting atop various flowers whilst the Small Skippers frequented the Thistle patch. An aged Large Skipper, possibly the ‘usual’ one sat in the sun at the very back of all this.

From here I worked my way down the hedge, stopping now and again for this and that. I tried to keep a running tally in my head but it got very confusing very quickly as there was so much activity. The Hedge literally was crawling with butterflies. As I watched I started to notice a pattern of resource partitioning. The Marbled Whites would fly in from the field and briefly land on the top most flowers until they were displaced by one of the many Meadow Browns which held the territory here. The Small Skippers occupied the lower reaches, flirting along the margins between hedge and grass verge whereas the Small Heath invariably stuck to the path. The only point of difference was a single Small Tortoiseshell which shone out like a jewel amid the Browns and beiges. This ‘pattern’ was obvious to me but as the majority of butterflies were either Meadow Browns or Small Skippers then I can’t be sure how statistically accurate this was. Also I’m quite good at seeing stuff that isn’t there

Lunch time walk again
With Resource Partitioning
Ummmmm…or maybe not?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 28-06-2023

Back at work and another day looking for Essex Skippers, another lunchtime spent try to peer upwards at butterflies from beneath which would mean another evening nursing an aching upper back and wondering if it was indeed possible to get repetitive strain of the neck? Still I often find my first Essex at work and so it was away and off to the Pits…

Once there I was greeted by the usual flurry of activity. With Meadow Browns erupting form the grasses in their flappy fashion a little like they were filmed in slow motion. The Marbled Whites, fewer in number, made up for this by flying much more obviously along the tops of the grasses or along the tracks and pathways. The Ringlets, possibly so as not to overheat favoured the shade at the base of the turf or bushes or hung out under overhanging branches. Finally the Skippers; the remaining Large plodding along whilst the fresher Smessex/Smalls zipped about all over the place flush with the vigour of youth.

Down the Main Hedge there was more of the same but as it was shaded due to its aspect the Ringlets started to show more. Also the Hedgies started to show up, sitting on leaves imperiously or battling it out with incomers to maintain their territory. This was all good fun to watch and then I found the star of the show. It was a definite Small Skipper clinging to the seed head of some grass. However it wasn’t adopting any of the usual poses; X-wing, wings closed overhead, three quarters or the rarest, flat and moth like. Instead the wings were pointing down from the body looking like I’d captured it in mid-flight. It would then bring them up, level with the thorax before lowering them again. To my mind it looked like it was flexing its muscles a la Arnie.

I paused occasionally on the walk back in adding a Small White and a Small Tort to the list, neither of which were stopping but instead I finally pinned a Marbled White down – they seem to be extra flighty here?

Usual fare at lunch
But a flexing Small Stands out
A Schwarza-skipper?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

That Small Skipper does look very fresh so it could well be stretching its flight muscles ready for its maiden voyage.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy

Work 05-07-2023
Would today be the day? Would an Essex come my way? Who could say? Would one be standing there amid the hay?

I made my way slightly earlier as despite National Strikes today I was expecting a cacophony of Year 6 pupils to turn up in my Lab with a single desire “to blow stuff up!”. Before the onslaught of the Year 6 Transition event I sought some much needed peace so I was away to the Pits and beyond. I also was hoping to finally peer at a Smessex and catch a glimpse of ink dabs instead of indicators that would mean I’d found an Essex. As I made my way across the small fields I looked ahead and saw the wind whipping in the trees – it was a bit breezy and so I forewent the usual check of the long grasses at the edge of the Pits and just noted down the Smessex (probably all Smalls) and odd Meadow Brown. I paused when I reached the large Bramble bush as the thistles that the Smessex like to frequent were on the lea wardside and so had a modicum of shelter. They were alive with, what at first were Smessex but on closer examination proved to be Smalls. I counted 9 before another couple flew in from further round the Bramble and put them all up. Rather than flying off directly and then veering suddenly they all seemed to favour dizzying runs, twisting and turning between the taller blades of grass. This technique was certainly successful as I was unable to keep my eye on any of them and so I repaired to the other collection of thistles on the other side of the Bramble bush.

As I started to wade into the thistles a couple of Marbled Whites showed themselves on the edge so I grabbed a few shots and continued picking my way into the forest of thorns. There were plenty of Skippers about but all the ones I was able to get a close look at proved again to be Smalls. I managed a few shots and also a few more of the Marbled Whites before a pristine Small White dropped in. Next up to fall under my lens’s glare was a gorgeous mocha coloured Meadow Brown and then I reverted to peering at Skippers (which like the OT sprint and the neck crunching looking for Hairstreaks is becoming a bit of a seasonal tradition). I was just wondering if I would ever find an Essex when one of the skippers caught my eye. Something about it looked different to the others I’d seen, it looked less orange-orange and more sandy-orange. As I leant in I could make out ink dabs, the perp was an Essex. Brilliant and so I leant in further but only managed a few shots before it was off. Still, job done, I’d actually found an Essex and luckily one of the shots also showed the shorter, thinner and straighter sex brand. I also managed to find a Hedgie and a sunbathing Meadow Brown lurking in amongst the grasses before I moved on.

At the corner there were two different Hedgies. As I clicked away I realised that all three that I’d seen had spotting on the fore wings, ab.excessa, which is quite unusual. Normally I find the occasional one yet here I had a 100% success rate for ab.excessa. I wondered about the reason for this (the very hot weather at the end of June possibly?) as I carried on along the hedge. My musings were cut short however as a Skipper darted out from the long grasses in the hedge ahead of me and set off across the recently mown turf. It nose-dived a few times and also did the occasional belly flop, landing with both sets of wings stretched out wide before quickly pulling them in and up in usual Skipper pose. It looked exceedingly fresh so I wondered if its difficulty with flight came about as it was recently emerged and the wings hadn’t fully hardened. I offered it my finger and after getting a few shots for my ‘in the hand' collection I placed it back on a grass stem with strict instructions that it needed to learn to walk before it could run, or in this case, let its’ wings harden before it could fly.

Pleased to have found some Essex (there will be more now I’m sure) I made my way back in to face the over excited, 10 year old, pyromaniacs!
Peering time is done
Finally got my Essex
Only 5 to go!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

A nice little retrospective there, Wurzel. The trouble with the Smessex is that when you've just finally got the hang of differentiating between the two species, their season is over.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave Yep and then you have to go through the whole rigmarole of getting your eye in the next season it's kinda fun though really

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 07-07-2023

Having found my first Essex’s a few days before I reasoned that there should be a few more showing themselves now and so they were my main target when I left the block just as the bell rang for lunch. Over at the Pits the usual butterflies were flying but they were exceedingly active so much so I had some difficulty in pinning them down. A few Marbled Whites flew past in a more direct fashion than the flappy Meadow Browns and there were Smessex everywhere, buzzing around my feet. Instead of trying to check every one I was happy to leave most as Smessex and so I looked out for those that looked fresher but also a less vibrant orange and sandier coloured. This approach worked first time of asking I found myself looking down the viewfinder at an Essex, confirmed when he angled his wings slightly and I could see the short, thin and straight sex brand. Brilliant and I’d saved myself a crook in the neck!

I carried on past the large Bramble patch and waded into the bed of Thistles. There were a few Ringlets here as well as more Marbled Whites than I’d seen in any other year. The former just kept on flying, enjoying the vim and vigour of youth whilst the longer emerged/older Marbled Whites paused for a drink, enjoying the proverbial ‘quick cuppa and put my feet up’. A Small Tortoiseshell also dropped in to imbibe looking stunning when it deigned to open up but still looking smart when it closed up shop.

I carried on along the Hedge and today went out into the Meadow to check out the stands of Ragwort which act like a magnet for butterflies in the absence of swathes of flowers or a Buddleia. When I waded into the little clearing which the Ragwort had created by outcompeting the grasses it was a bit bewildering as there was so much activity and it took me a moment or two to tune into what was going on. There were arguing Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites with singles of Hedgie and Small White occasionally joining the fray. Flying in and around all of this chaos were Smessex Skippers, too numerous and agile to count. I settled down to wait and see what would turn up at a clump of Ragwort and after the initial ‘spooking’ when everything disappeared the butterflies started to return. They were mainly Small Skippers but one stood out as again it looked a sandier colour I peered down at it and found it to be an Essex. Another caught my eye but from one side it was tricky to ID it as instead of a drumstick shaped end of the antenna with a black ink dab there was nothing, the tip was missing. Luckily I was able to get views of the antenna on the other side as well as the sex brand to confirm it as an Essex. Jo done I just stood back and watched with the occasional lean in for some shots. A most pleasant way to spend a lunch break.

Hurrah for Ragwort
Pit stop for Browns and some Whites…
…And Essex Skippers
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Work 17-07-2023

I was on Duty in the Quad and in between keeping an eye and catching up with a Colleague something caught my eye as it flew by. In the past it would have had a choice of both nectar sources and perching posts. However the old concrete spaces, hedges and borders have all been cleared and replaced with sterile mix of block paving and inky Tarmac. The butterfly flew round a few times, possibly looking unsuccessfully for an appropriate landing place before realising that the only suitable site was the sun kissed brickwork. It flew down vertically along the fae of the wall and then stopped, wings open wide to have a bit of a breather and a quick bask. Whilst it sorted itself out I nipped back into the Lab, grabbed my camera, and clicked away.

With nothing in the way of nectar it didn’t stop for long and soon was off, hopefully keeping mum to the other butterflies about the poor offering available in the refurbished Quad…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

School Pick-up 19-07-2023

As the day progressed I watched a Holly Blue fly across the new and improved Quad. So improved that the hedges and borders are gone, the Buddleia had been broken and removed and were once there was a smattering of weeds and bushes amid a collection of uneven concrete slabs we now have pristine tarmac and block paving. Needless to say the Holly Blue didn’t hang about but flew away as quickly as possible. I didn’t mind too much as the end was in sight and at the nd of the day I made for Five Rivers for the final visit there this Academic Year.

I didn’t have long so I stuck to the parking spots and worked my along the path behind the football pitches so that I arrived at Comma Corner directly. A few Whites took advantage of the nectar from the multitude of Bramble flowers that were in blossom as I manoeuvred along the bank parallel to the football pitches. A Holly Blue drifted past over the tops of the Creeping Thistles and I took this as my cue to slow down and start seeing what else was about. There were a few Meadow Browns but at this time of the year I was more interested in the Hedgies and in this little patch I counted 14 of them. One in particular stood out – it was a cracking looking ab.excessa. Of course as it was an aberrant and as it was in such a good state of repair it played very hard to get but I managed to get a few record shots with the occasional break to try for the Red Admiral that was also frequenting the Thistles.

I left it alone and set off to check out the rest of the site. I followed the bank and walked up the rise to the back spot behind the copse. There were a few more Hedgies hanging about here, but fewer in one group as they were pretty widely distributed. One caught my eye as it was much paler than the others and one of the three spots on the underline was more of a streak than a nice round dot, a little like the paint had run. I kept on round and walked up the bank to the other side of the copse and Bank 1, then onto Bank 2 and Bank 3 before returning with only the odd Meadow Brown and a Ringlet at Bank 2 to show for my troubles.

As it was so quiet I made my way back to the Thistle patch where the Hedgies were still hanging in large group and I managed to relocate the ab.excessa. It was a bit easier to photograph this time, showing off the spots on the forewing very nicely. Unfortunately my time was running away and so I made a hasty retreat back to the car noting a Specklie and a Comma along the way.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to make it back, possibly not until September which is a shame and I’ll miss my 20 minutes of butterflying at the end of the day.
Abundant Hedgies
Including an ab.excessa
A great school pick-up
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Stapleford 29-07-2023

We’d not taken too much advantage of our membership to the Wiltshire Walks App so we decided that today would be the day to remedy that. The weather had been a little bit ‘off’ but I didn’t mind too much as I was sitting on 49 species for the year and I’d had a good run previously.
So under slightly cloudy skies and with a slight cool nip in the air we parked up and set off back through the village and then out along a path across the fields making for the Pelican pub. I would have loved to have nipped in and settled in the snug but the app turned us right up the hill rather than over the road. A few whites had accompanied us as we’d wandered the first part but now as we wandered upwards there was a decidedly autumnal feel in the air and things went quiet until we reached almost to the top of the hill where the gradient became much gentler. This levelling out seemed to act as a catalyst for the butterflies and all of sudden where there had been none now there were plenty – mainly Hedgies and Meadow Browns but with the occasional Green-veined White. Further on where the path levelled almost completely a Red Admiral cut a dash as it passed by and a few more Whites flashed past. A Brimstone, usually quiet a hardy butterfly sat out the grey spell that we were experiencing but a Peacock went for it hell for leather. Slightly further along a Brown Argus sat patiently in the foliage and seemed eager to have its photo taken so I duly obliged feeling it would have been rude not to.

As we’d been walking along the top the hedges on either side had dwindled and thinned from tall, almost copse like to low, sparse affairs looking a little like a selection of bushes planted in a row but with strands of wire keeping them all in line. The wind whipped across the track here and even a large Dragonfly struggled to keep on course but luckily we’d reached a junction in the path and so turned right onto a winding path that led back downwards and into the shelter of the valley. As we followed it I noticed the opposite happening to the hedges – they became thicker and less ‘gappy’ and as we carried on down and down more and more shrubs and small trees started to infiltrate. About half way down there was a little ‘oasis’ in the hedge with three Brown Argus, a Red Admiral, Painted Lady and several Smessex all hanging around along a 4 metre stretch of the hedge. The Brown Argus were a joy to watch as they boisterously bimbled about the tops of the Knapweed whilst the Smessex were much more lethargic and looked very tired and worn. To be fair they much have been around as imagos to have reached the equivalent human age of about 70 so it was no wonder that were slightly slower than usual. The Painted Lady was also faded from age and had slightly tatty fringes but was still a welcome sight.

At the bottom the path bent to the right and ran along the edge of a wood planted on downward side of the slope. It meant that I had to look up hill and into the sun to spot any butterflies as the wood was very densely planted and formed almost a wall of green. Peering in didn’t produce any butterflies either as the leaf cover was so profuse that little to no light managed to penetrate to even the lower canopy and at eye level it was inky black. Luckily there were a few dog roses along the very edge of the treeline and there was also a metalled turning point and a set of double gates into the fields spot so while the girls had a drink and a snack I scanned around with my camera. First up I spotted something sitting about 8ft up on the tree-lined side. From afar it looked like a grey sycamore seed, the little ‘helicopters’ that rotor down in October, but as I got closer I could see that it was actually a moth. As I peered through my viewfinder it resolved further into not just a moth but a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, actually sitting still and without it wings a blur. After a few shots I turned round chuffed and spotted a brace of Red Admirals down on the deck in the turning point. A few clicks and then we were off once again. It always surprises me how sometimes butterflies just seem to turn up almost when you’d expect them to.

We kept going down the track, past agricultural machinery and various barns and silos and eventually the path terminated at the road through a little village. While we walked along the short stretch of tarmac before veering off once more through the vegetated trackways a small shower passed over giving us a gentle dowsing and knocked any butterfly activity on the head while it passed and then the sky sorted itself out again. The path followed a small stream for a while and then cut across then arable field and at the top of the rise we paused, sitting backs against the hedge so that we could have lunch. As we ate the sly continued to clean itself up and the grey was replaced by white fluffy clouds which in turn were replaced by wisps of white amongst blue sky. As the sun gathered its strength the Whites came out and as I ate I perused the field and hedges below where I counted 14 Whites flying in different places. There were also three Brown Argus just along the bank from us and a Hedge Brown which seemed to have the entire length of hedge to itself.

After lunch the track kept taking us downhill where a Painted Lady flew past the large factory/barn along with lots of other Whites until finally the sun disappeared once more under the coming of cloud cover. This meant the final butterfly sighting was of a distant Brimstone and then we concentrated on getting back to the car. The last interesting sighting is of a family of Pheasant crossing the road and nipping into the field in front of us at the edge of the car park.
Autumn in July?
Strange but that is how it felt
On a Wiltshire walk
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Mum and Dads 26-08-2023

This was one of shortest Lost Posts and hence why it became one…

My sister and niece were getting ready to move back to the UK from Australia and while they settled and rebuilt their life they were going to be staying with my parents. Hence I found myself at their house helping them to clear out the loft ready to store my sisters’ things. In between trips up and down the ladder and to in and out to the skip on the driveway I found myself occasionally starring out of the window and luckily whilst it was still dry it wasn’t remarkably sunny so my sense of FOMO disappeared. It was during a quick break for a cuppa that my dad and I popped out into the back garden for some respite from the lifting and to get the dust from our lungs. As we came back from inspecting the cob wall I spotted something out of place on the pale yellow/cream paving slabs. From the end of the garden it looked like a black triangle but as I got closer I could make out the twin red epaulets and so I headed inside, grabbed my camera and clicked away at the Red Admiral that just sat there soaking up what little sun there was.

We were only outside for a couple of moments so it was no wonder that it was still there when I looked out of the conservatory window before once more heading up into to gloom and dust of the loft…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Good to see a Painted Lady in your dive back into last summer - there were precious few around last summer. That final Red Admiral is particularly vibrant, and is both bialbata and fructa (both of which are not particularly unusual variations so I hesitate to call them abs!)

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I hadn't twigged the second variation on that Red Admiral I hope the weather becomes more conductive to butterflying soon as I'm nearing the end of the Lost Posts ...

Martin Down 28-08-2023

Each year I set myself targets for the season and with some lucky timing I’d managed to get two species that I often miss out on (Blackstreak and Wood White) so I was sitting on 49 species for the year. I’ve reached this total several times before but each time I’ve missed out on Clouded Yellow hence began my quest to track one down and make a ‘nifty fifty’. There had been a dearth of reports and sightings had often been of single individuals, add to this the fact that there are often scarcer the year following on from a sizeable influx and 2022 had been pretty good and the omens weren’t looking too good. So I earmarked several sites where I’d seen them before in the hope that they’d frequent the same spots once more and having missed one at Shipton Bellinger and drawn a blank at both Perham and The Devenish I headed off to Martin Down.
I started at the Main Car Park and from there strolled along the stony track that bisects the large area of shrub and turned right working along the track which is a hotspot for Adders in the spring. There were Meadow Browns all over the place and the layer of sky from the tops of the grasses to about a metre up seemed to be alive with them. In amongst the flappy brown ones I could occasionally make out some smaller brown or ghostly blue Chalkhills. I settled into the ‘seek and photograph’ but it proved hard work as I couldn’t work out which individual to watch and wait until it settled. I changed tactics and instead worked from one clump of flowers to the next keeping my eye out just in case while I wandered between photo opps. My scanning proved fruitless for anything mustard yellow in colour so instead I settled down with a nice looking female Chalkhill with a white spot on all of her four wings. But alas just I was starting to click away it clouded over and the grassland suddenly took a quieter turn.

I looked up and did a little cloud watching, noting a few patches of blue approaching from the south and so I decided to make my way to some of the other ‘Cloudy hotspots’ on the reserve hopefully arriving with the sun. It didn’t quite work out that way as the cloud took its sweet time in dispersing and so when I reached the small field behind the Butts it was that weird light which is seemingly bright but yet still dull at the same time? I tried to make the most of it, hoping that the butterflies would still be active enough to appear every now an again. There again were Meadow Browns and Chalkhills, less of the former and more of the latter, as well as Small White, Brown Argus and Small Heath. On the other side of Butts despite the dullness there were plenty more Chalkhills flying around like spectral projections of long passed blue butterflies. There was also an Adonis looking much brighter and therefore a little unreal. As I carried on towards the half way point there was more of the same and then where the Dyke ends as the other track bisects it at the half way point there were a couple more Adonis in the hollow and a Specklie along the line of trees and shrubs.

Ever onwards I moved and I started seeing more and more Adonis amidst the other butterflies as the sun started to come out for increasing periods. There were a few Common Blues about as well as some Small Heaths and a lovely looking Meadow Brown which would have made a cracking shot had a twig not gotten in the way. By the time I’d reached the Terraces I reckon there was a 1:10 ratio of Adonis to Chalkhills although what with the Chalkhills coming to the end of their flight whilst the Adonis were building up a head of steam I was sure that this was soon to change. The breeze which rattled down the Down made photography slightly trickier than usual but I enjoyed my time bimbling along the Terraces and clicking away at this and that. This was all very pleasant but really I was procrastinating as there was final spot to check which had held Cloudies in the past and that was the grazing meadow right at the top of the Down. Steeling myself I set off scanning left and right but mainly right so as to check the Dyke. Alas there were no mustard yellow butterflies just the occasional white, blue or brown. When I eventually reached the top I spent a while scanning about, willing a Cloudy to appear but my time was running out and so reckoning that today was not going to be the day I wearily retraced my steps all the way back to car. Maybe the next visit would produce the all-important Cloudy?

Mission: ‘Martin Down’
With plenty of cloud cover
Alas no Cloudy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

A great selection of Chalkhills, Wurzel - and I fully empathise with the long long frustrating wait for a Cloudie last year. My one (and only) didn't turn up until 28th October...

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

The Cloudie I saw from the car in Salisbury last year must have been sent to tease you.
I can just imagine it flying around your house while you were at work!
For the record I only saw two in the whole of 2023.

When will Spring spring?.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave They were hard work last year that's for sure A little bit like this year...we seem to get one 'good day' in every 14 at the moment
Cheers Trevor I reckon that you're right Trevor, it was probably hanging out with the Hoons doing 'Doughnuts'

Walk to the shops and on… 29-09-2023

When I’d woken the sky was clear and blue, it was nice and warm, but I couldn’t get out as the dreaded ‘W’ word was getting in the way so I spent the morning slaving away over a laptop and test papers single handedly keeping the red ink suppliers in business. Eventually, with eyes burning and fingers cramping I grabbed my ca era and made a break for it. Ostensibly I was heading to the shops but I took the decidedly scenic route…
This meant wandering through the housing estate and following the road that runs parallel to the rail tracks which are located on the other side of a monstrous fence. The advantage of this is that the Buddleia and Ivy is left to run rampant and so there is nectar and cover in abundance which hopefully the butterflies take advantage of. This was certainly the case as three Red Admirals soared across the road in different spots during the start of my journey and a Small White flew weakly on the other side of the road preferring the much lower nectar sources of Lavender and Boules Mauve that lined the paths. I followed the Small White as it offered the best opportunity of getting some shots and later, whilst dreaming of Southern Small Whites I noticed the concave discal spot and the fact that there was the faintest black marking down the termen in line with this discal spot…it was a case of close but no cigar.

I carried on along the road, scanning the tall hedge on my right as I walked and the second half of the estate threw up 3 more Red Admirals scattered along its length. The butterflies would fly out from their lofty perch, examine me as they’d swoop past and realising that I was neither another Red Admiral nor a threat would return to perch close to their original position but always too high for my lens to reach sensibly. I had better luck at the end of the estate as a Red Admiral fed at about chest height from some Buddleia in the small play park. Luckily for me it was empty as I always feel a little uncomfortable taking shots with small children around. Having posed for a little bit this Red Admiral also exhibited similar behavior to the others and was soon tucked up high and out of sight. As I wandered down the final bit of sloping path at the end of the estate a brace of Whites fluttered along the line of the top of the bank.

I crossed over the road and followed the path under the underpass and out the other side onto the Town path proper and checked out the various bramble bushes that line the riverside like a boundary hedge. A Specklie flew past and and paused briefly. Well I say a Specklie, looking at it more closely while I clicked away I reasoned that it was more likely 2/3 of a Specklie…so a Speck would be a more accurate name for it. As I carried on to the Wooden Bridge I spied two Whites playing along the path. I managed to grab a few shots of one which was looking a little faded but had massive markings whilst the second was paler still with more elongate markings. I turned my attentions back to the first white only to realise that it had nipped off and a fresher individual had replaced it.

I really should have retraced my steps along the river and thence to Waitrose at this point but as I drew near to the Wooden Bridge an irresistible force dragged me over and down into the dappled shade of the riverside path and onto Five Rivers. It must have been my subconscious taking over my body so who was I to argue with it? A trio of Specklies bade me on my way and as I broached the overgrown and briar festooned Glades I was welcomed by a male Large White. A little mooch around the Glades saw me finding 3 more Specklies, two of which were arguing over one of the little alcoves and still bashing seven shades out of each other this late in the season.

Leaving them to their pugilism I cut up towards Comma Corner and followed the track to the back of the Copse. The remaining thistle heads were surprisingly empty albeit for a Meadow Brown which looked gorgeous in the afternoon sun. Once around the back I had a quick look in the Nettle Bed-cum-compost bay and a blindingly ginger Comma stood out like a sore thumb against the greenery. It was so ginger at first I wondered if it was a late, late H.Comma but the various other colours blending in form the margins dispelled that though immediately. I didn’t things would get much better than this and so I decided to leave on a high and retraced my footsteps threading my way through the Glades and back to the Wooden Bridge, Several Whites fluttered about on the riverside plants and the original Specklie waved me off from its sentry point from whence it still stood sentinel.

Finally I made it into Waitrose and I spent the whole time wondering if I should have gone south for Cloudies – but luckily when I got back home and checked various sources none had been reported so I decided to maybe give it another week…
Off to the shops but…
…waylaid on route to Waitrose
By a nice Comma

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Specklies, Commas, Small Whites, a Red Admiral Wurzel? Are you sure that report wasn't from today? Oh no - just spotted the Meadow Brown...

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I wish...I'm still waiting for a 'White' proper (I've come to the conclusion that Brimstones don't count )

April 2024

Here's hoping that we start getting more than one sunny/dry/conducive to butterfly day a fortnight

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Pumpkin Picking 15-10-2023

Last lost post (which in my mind sounds like the start of a word puzzle…what’s next? ) came in mid-October during a family visit to the local Pumpkin Patch. It was surprisingly sunny and warm when we made our way over after lunch so I took my camera just in case. When we got there the shadows were already starting to lengthen and with them the odds of grabbing a butterfly. I needn’t have worried for almost soon as we were among the Pumpkins I had to park the wheelbarrow and swing my camera round from my neck as I’d spied the familiar silhouette of a Red Admiral; as autumnal a sign as yellowing leaves, mellow fruitfulness and Pumpkins! I grabbed a few shots and then got back to the Halloween prep with the rest of the family. The Red Admiral or another flashed by a few more times during our visit but it definitely felt like the wind down had begun…

Autumn marched onward
With one last Red Admiral
At the season close

Have a goodun

Wurzel