On Monday 16th I visited Bentley Wood for more Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Cool conditions meant they were more obliging for a photo. There were still a couple of Dukes still in the clearing, along with a couple of Grizzled & Dingy Skippers and several rather faded Pearl-bordered.

From there I took a walk to the ponds and back via a different route in the south of the woods. Small sunny glades held good populations of Speckled Wood while the Pearls could still be found everywhere – including this still rather fresh individual

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

On Tuesday 17th I took my first visit of the year to Martin Down. Again conditions were less than perfect with grey cloud and strong winds, so butterflies were thin on the ground. My main reason for visiting were the Adonis Blue, which were past there best.

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

The weather hadn’t really improved much by Wednesday, but Sue & I decided to pay an afternoon visit to Broughton Down. On arrival we were greeted with a downpour, but the Common Blues weren’t hunkered down as expected. Quite a few were perched at the top of grass stems seemingly enjoying the buffeting of the wind

Common Blue

Common Blue

Common Blue

Common Blue

Common Blue

On Thursday I returned to Martin Down, this time intent on observing the behaviour and hopefully photographing the Small Blue. Conditions were much improved with plenty of activity leading up to the ditch.

Grizzled Skipper

Small Blues were everywhere and obviously the dominant species, although they were proving difficult quarries among the dense vegetation of the ditch.

Small Blue

Further up there were a healthy population of Green Hairstreak, Grizzled & Dingy Skippers, Brown Argus and Small Heath among the Common Blues. I only saw 2 Adonis on this occasion.

Brown Argus

While making my way back down the hill, I was informed that there were huge swarms of Small Blues to be found in the central scrub area. It was indeed alive with them, but I had run out of time and had to collect Sue from work. However we returned late afternoon to give the area a good going over.

Small Blue

After the spending the morning chasing around the ditch, these were far more obligingly perched at a decent height, although still scatty. Our main prize came when a mating pair were spotted flying in tandem around the higher branches of a gorse bush. They eventually landed, but in the most awkward position. Not to be defeated, I braved the gorse and nettles to grab hold of their chosen branch , gently lowering it and passing it to Sue who held it in place while I got my shot

Small Blues - Mating Pair

Friday 20th we had booked a trip to the Isle of Wight for our yearly Glanville pilgrimage. Once again the wind proved intolerable and although the sun was warming up nicely, the stiff breeze had all but ceased activity in Brook Chine with only 2 individuals present.

Glanville Fritillary

We took the short trip to Compton Chine where the geography of the cliffs provided a small area of shelter allowing for good photo opportunities as the Glanvilles nectared on the thistles

Glanville Fritillary

Glanville Fritillary

They certainly didn’t seem to be as plentiful as last year, but I’m reliably informed – like most species this season – that their peak had come early.

Glanville Fritillary

Glanville Fritillary

After a short tour around the island we returned to Compton later that afternoon to grab a few more opportunities

Glanville Fritillary

The sunny conditions mean I’m out as much as possible to make the most of this bountiful season. For a change Sue & I visited Clive Farrell’s home in Dorset on Saturday 14th for a real butterfly feast.

Clearwing

We joined a small group from Poole RSPB and were first shown around the three glasshouses inhabited by a grand selection of tropical butterflies

Clearwing

Anyone familiar with tropical butterfly houses are aware that conditions are warm & moist, providing a real challenge for the photographer. Of course faced with the excitement of the day both Doug & I were totally unprepared for this and impatiently waited the 15 minutes or so to allow the cameras to acclimatise.

Once the mist had cleared from the lenses (and my glasses) we were presented with endless colourful opportunities and were at a loss of where to look first.

I have to admit we totally missed the commentary and both had to be dragged away to continue the tour

We needn’t have worried as there was plenty of time to return at our leisure later on in the day

Stepping out into our own climate felt like diving into the plunge pool at a Turkish baths and it took a while to realise that Dorset’s weather was reasonably warm, if windy

Marsh Fritillary

Next up were the wonderful shallow pits planted with a bountiful array of wild flowers, specifically for our own native species.

Common Blue

The riot of colour provided endless nectaring opportunities for several of our meadow butterfly species and day-flying moths

6-Spot Burnet Moth

Once again we had to be dragged away to continue the tour and were shown around the magnificent grounds created with the butterfly in mind. Quirky sculptures and imaginative landscaping provided a surreal experience.

Once we’d reached the ponds the official tour was wrapped up and we were free to explore at our leisure. After a quick survey of the ponds for dragonfly activity, we returned to the warmth of the glasshouses.

By now temperatures had increased significantly meaning it wasn’t just the cameras which had to acclimatise!

Without the earlier crowd our subjects appeared to relax a little allowing us to snap away to our hearts’ content

A truly enjoyable day!

This unseasonal weather has not only meant an early season for our butterflies, but an early season for dragonflies too. As I have a passion for both I usually shuffle both to make the most of individual species seasons. This normally means I can choose a week of each, but with so many early dragonfly emergencies I’ve saved the butterflies for significant events.

So the morning after my last posting I headed over the border to Hod Hill in Dorset to catch the fresh Marsh Fritillaries.

Marsh Fritillary

This is an excellent site although does require a stiff climb to reep the benefits. A stiff breeze and overcast conditions meant the butterflies were keeping low down, reluctant to fly. A lot of enthusiasts prefer such conditions for photography as it’s easier to get the shot when they’re docile.

Although I can see the advantage I do prefer them filling the skies with colour and providing a challenge. To me a shot can give more satisfaction if you have to work for it.

Marsh Fritillary

Nevertheless the cool conditions did offer the perfect chance to capture the beauty of a fresh individual.

Talking of fresh, a bonus this morning was my first sighting of a Brown Argus

Brown Argus

Just the one, but a fabulous opportunity. Other notable species were Grizzled and Dingy Skippers and a few Small Coppers

Dingy Skipper

Small Copper

Just as I was about to move on another first sighting for the season was an obliging Small Heath

Small Heath

So despite the less than ideal conditions my first visit to Hod Hill this year was a success.

As mentioned previously the next few days were spent in search of dragonflies, but that didn’t mean that a butterfly opportunity passed me by.

Orange Tip

It’s always a pleasure to have the opportunity of a perched Orange Tip and even though I have Comma photographs coming out of my ears I still find them hard to resist!

Comma

To end the month Sue & I spent the afternoon at Noar Hill to make the most of the Dukes

Duke Of Burgundy

This time we did a full transect of the area and everywhere we went the Dukes were in abundance

Duke Of Burgundy

Again a strong breeze was present to dampen the warm sunshine and fresh individuals were having to hold on tight

Duke Of Burgundy

Also on the wing were several Dingy Skippers and Green Hairstreaks, the first time I’ve personally seen them at this site. Noar Hill is a great favourite with many Hampshire enthusiasts and the secret is spread far & wide with many visitors from far and wide enjoying it’s delights on this fine Saturday afternoon.

My challenge last year was to photograph every Hampshire species. Having acheived this goal this year’s objective was to stray further afield. It was while we were in Somerset for dragonflies that I had a chance to photograph a mating pair of Green-veined Whites

Green-veined Whites - Breeding Pair

I can thoroughly recommend the Somerset Levels. Although our main objective were dragonflies, the lush flower-rich water meadows are also a  haven  for many species of butterfly.

Another delightful sight just across the Hampshire border is Troublefield, a small riverside reserve managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust. Again a haven for many species of dragonfly, the flower-rich water meadows are alive in spring and summer with swarms of butterflies.

Green-veined White

Although I’d seen a few on the wing, this was the first chance I had to capture a Common Blue

Common Blue

It’s still early in the season, but the lush vegetation is sprouting wildly and in a couple of weeks these lush water meadows will be swarming with many species. Also on the wing this day were Commas, Peacocks, Red Admirals, Small Whites, Large Whites and Orange Tips.

And so to this week and on Monday my objective were the Wall Browns at Keyhaven.

Wall Brown - Male

The ancient highway between Lower Pennington and Keyhaven is the prime location for this species and from experience I’ve found the late morning to be the best time. As usual their preference is to perch on the ground and from a photographers point of view this is far from ideal.

They also ‘hear’ the camera and the electronic gears of a lens cna result in them closing their wings

Wall Brown - Male

I do prefer to use manual focus when using a macro lens, but in the case of the Wall this isn’t always possible given the short time they perch.

Besides the main track I thoroughly recommend a walk around the sea wall. This can easily be included to offer a satisfying circular route and increases your chances of sightings. Yesterday I saw more Wall Browns along the sea wall than on the main track, including my first evr sighting of a lone female

Wall Brown - Female

In the afternoon Sue & I visited Bentley Wood to capture the beauty of fresh and vibrant Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries.

Small Pearl-bordered FRitillary

There were several to be seen in the Eastern Clearing, all over and easily noticeable from their now fading larger cousins, although we had to wait a couple of hours before they slowed down a little for photo opportunities.

Small Pearl-bordered FRitillary

I did have a theory that at this time of year all butterflies ‘go to bed’ at around 4.00pm, but in the case of the SPBF this theory was soon put to rest with several individuals giving me the chase well after 5.00pm. At least the Grizzled Skippers behaved themselves

Grizzled Skipper

This obliging individual was more than happy to stay put and rerady to roost allowing the photographer to choose his composition perfectly posed and a far cry from the chase up & down hill I recently experienced at Magdalen Down.

The larger PBF’s were looking decidely tired and faded, a far cry from a week previously when almost every pocket of clearing in the woods were swarming with fresh & active individuals.

It was also a delight to see Dukes at this location in reasonable numbers along with several Brimstones still in good condition.

For the next post I’m hoping to report on the Glanvilles with a proposed vitit to the Isle of Wight, although they have been seen and photographed on the mainland this past week, most notably in Dorset.

In fact the first part of last week was spent scouting a few favourite locations for my other passion, dragonflies. Dorset is leading the way here with the New Forest only just beginning to wake up. However on Thursday I decided to have a butterfly day.

So early morning I arrived at Magdalen Hill Down in the hope of photographing a few Dingy Skippers before they warmed up. As is the case with Dingy’s, this is easier in theory than in practice. The unforgiving lower slopes of the hill further hampered progress, but I persevered and at least managed to come away with a shot or two.

Grizzled Skipper

Having decided to return later, I made my way up the hill to the new section passing several Orange Tips, Holly Blues, Brimstones, Small & Large Whites until I reached the upper path where the Holly Blues were more accessible

Holly Blue (Female)

Both males and females were in good numbers, perching agreeably and even opening there wings to make the most of the sun. But it was the Green Hairstreaks which, like last year, provided the best spectacle with several males involved in aerial combat before perching perfectly for photo opportunities

Green Hairstreak

Having had my fill I decided to make my way back down the hill, stopping briefly to photograph a feeding Brimstone

Brimstone (Male)

By now the Grizzled were in full swing and provided a merry chase up & down the incline, but I made the most of the opportunity before moving on

Grizzled Skipper

Afterwards I paid a brief visit to Bentley Wood, mainly to check out the ponds but keeping my eyes open for signs of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. On my return I heard reports that they had indeed been spotted in the Eastern Clearing. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to check them out for myself, but vowed to return in a day or two.

So to Friday – start of the holiday proper. I invited a couple of friends for a butterfly bonanza here in Hampshire as frankly the New Forest and Dorset were going to be a nightmare with the holiday traffic. I promised a grand day out at Magdalen and both my guests were more than satisfied with their first visit to Magdalen Down.

Both my guests had several opportunities to satisfy their photographic needs and were truly impressed with the sheer wealth of butterflies on offer. I myself took a backseat having had my fill the previous day, however I did take the opportunity to capture a feeding Small Copper

Small Copper

In the afternoon I decided to take them to Noar Hill in search of the Duke of Burgundies and Dingy Skippers. This altogether proved a better decision than Bentley Wood and we weren’t disappointed. Barely had we left the gate when the first Dukes showed their glory

Duke of Burgundy

Followed shortly after by the Dingy Skippers

Dingy Skipper

A very satisfying and rewarding day was had by all and my guests returned westwards to brave the traffic having been very impressed by what Hampshire had to offer for butterfly enthusiasts.

On Saturday I made good on my promise to return to Bentley Wood for the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. They were in good numbers and very flighty in the spring sunshine.

Exhausted from the previous two days chasing Grizzleds, I decided the best course of action was to sit and wait and let them come to me. After an hour I struck lucky with the perfect opportunity

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Satisfied with the best shot I was likely to get that day I took a walk towards the ponds and noticed several more along the forest tracks, even a lone individual at the side of the lower pond.

We returned to the Eastern Clearing around 4.00pm when the distant sound of thunder and a slight smittering of rain had slowed the PBF’s down considerably and there were several more opportunities with several taking in nectar

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

So a fantastic three days and a real butterfly bonanza

Brimstone

However Thursday saw a real bounty at Magdalen Hill Down. We had barely arrived and we were greeted by our first Holly Blue of the season

Holly Blue

Again Brimstones far outweighed the other species but Orange Tips were in abundance, even stopping to feed

Male Orange-tip

However it was the sight of a lone Green Hairstreak which really started our day in earnest, nicely posed on a daisy. This turned out to be the first recorded sighting for Hampshire

Green Hairstreak

Several more were seen later in the afternoon battling among the higher branches of the trees. This was one of the species we hoped we would find on our visit, the other being a Grizzled Skipper. None to be found on the lower slopes, but perhaps we weren’t looking hard enough as on our return to the upper glade we spotted our first and only individual – again a first recorded sighting for Hampshire. Unfortunately it didn’t stay around for a photograph.

Another highlight of our day was meeting several members of Hampshire Butterfly Conservation who were there to meet Chris Packham for a BBC broadcast on habitat destruction and successful revival. Afetr filming we were lucky enough to meet and chat and news of a Painted Lady had been reported along the top path. Naturally we returned for more butterfly activity and although the hour was late and the weather cooling we were rewarded with our own sighting and a photo opportunity

Painted Lady

All in all a fantastic day with 13 species spotted and a chance to chat with like-minded people. Since our visit there have been reports of several more Grizzled Skippers seen along the lower slopes, so no doubt we will return shortly. There have also been reports of Duke of Burgundy at Noar Hill – another site on our list to visit soon. I will let you know how we get on

Brimstone

The following day was also fine and while out searching for the elusive Kingfisher along the Itchen Navigation at Shawford we were greeted with our first Orange-tip sighting of the season. As usual too fast for a photo, but a pleasure to observe. There were also several Commas and Small Tortoiseshells feeding.

Comma

Small Tortoiseshell

Saturday 26th saw our first Small White sighting at Swanwick Nature Reserve, while on Sunday I saw my first Large White at Keyhaven.

With the weather forecast looking dour for the next week I made the most of a warm Monday afternoon and took a short stroll around Durley Mill where along with the Commas and Peacocks I was rewarded with my first sighting of a Speckled Wood and my first photo opportunity for a male Orange-tip.

Orange Tip

That’s 9 species so far and not a bad count for March, although there have also been sightings reported of Holly Blue and Green-veined White, so a good omen for the season ahead.

My First Butterfly Of The Season

About an hour later I observed my first Comma flying high in the trees at Netley Common – too far out of reach for a photograph.

However yesterday was a different matter. On what promised to be the warmest day so far this year I ventured out to a local site, Millers Pond, which is about a mile away from me, and was greeted by an abundance of activity.

Brimstones were flying fast along the gorse hedges without stopping, Red Admirals were launching themselves towards me only to disappear again out of sight, Commas were battling above the Lesser Calandine flowers and a lone Small Tortoiseshell was feeding on the same plants.

Comma

|The Commas proved to be the most prolific with 15 individuals spotted within a half hour window. They were also the easiest to photograph. Brimstones numbered 8 while Red Admirals numbered 2. However I was determined to obtain a photograph of the Small Tortoiseshell so returned to the same spot a little later and was rewarded with a perfect opportunity

Small Tortoiseshell

All in all a successful afternoon and a real delight to witness the first real display this season. It has been far too long…

Here are a few butterfly highlights from the past fortnight:-

Silver-studded Blue

Purple Hairstreak

Holly Blue

Holly Blue

Small White

Common Blue

Purple Hairstreak

Common Blues

Common Blues

Common Blues

Common Blue

Large Skipper

Meadow Brown

Meadow Browns

Gatekeepers in particular are in great numbers almost everywhere I go, and on the forest heaths Graylings are plentiful along with a few tired and tatty Silver-studded Blues. In fact the only species I haven’t seen this year are Clouded Yellows. Hopefully I’ll get a few sightings before season’s end.

Purple Hairstreak

Apart from the elusive Purple Emperor, the species I thought would be the most challenging are the Hairstreaks due to their dependence on the tree canopy. Only the White-letter proved to be most elusive, with sightings on only three days and only a couple of photo opportunities.

Brown Hairstreak

What I’ve really enjoyed – apart from the challenge of finding and photographing them – is getting to know their habitats, feeder plants and seasonality. Most are only around for a short period once a year, while others like the Wall, Small Blue and Brown Argus are enjoying second broods right now.

Brown Hairstreak

Just because I’ve completed my species list for this year doesn’t mean I’m going to get complacent and ignore those opportunities which present themselves. like this Peacock who refused to move off the path to allow my passage. I therefore had to give him a helping hand.

Peacock

The Silver-spotted Skipper is one of our rarer skippers and is considered local even at it’s noted Hampshire sites. As it was last on my list I visited one of these sites on Sunday for a reccie and followed it up Monday once I’d located their playground.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

They are notoriously fast flyer’s and can be difficult subjects to photograph so I sat back and observed their behaviour before attempting a shot. Although fast, they were relatively easy to follow and careful stalking allowed me to get in close. However my best opportunity proved to be a courting pair.

Courting Pair of Silver-spotted Skippers

Courting Pair of Silver-spotted Skippers

Once I’d acheived my shots I left them in peace to pursue the wealth of other species on the wing, including Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue, Large Skippers, Common Blues and even a few faded and tatty Dark Green Fritillaries.

The one negative about this site, and a few others I’ve visited lately, are the amount of mite-infected individuals. Not pleasant to see and I wonder if they do cause more damage than documented. A few infected individuals did seem to be suffering.

On Tuesday I went out early to witness the second brood of Wall Browns at Pennington. Arriving at 9.00am seemed to be the ideal time as within minutes I witnessed at least a dozen patrolling the path.

Wall Brown

Adrian Hoskings has noted they are one of the most difficult species to photograph – even to go so far as to suggest they may hear the mirror flip up on DSLR’s. I’m more inclined to believe they can detect the infra-red sensor just before the shutter release. They certainly do prove a challenge, but my frustration was more with them preferring to perch on the ground rather than a more pleasing background of foliage.

Wall Brown

There were a couple of opportunities when they did perch to nectar, and I even witnessed a breeding pair among the grass, but on both occasions I couldn’t reach them to get a shot as they were behind the barbed-wire fence and too distant for my macro lens to cope.

Wall Brown

After an hour of activity things became very quiet and sightings were very scarce, even though the sun appeared for more than a few minutes at a time. However there were other opportunities to be had including a  Meadow Brown perched with open wings.

Meadow Brown

Gatekeepers and Common Blues were plentiful among the Flea bane, a plant which always brings out the butterflies.

Gatekeeper

Common Blue

Before I left I had a final sighting of a Wall Brown, but this individual decided to perch with wings closed.

Wall Brown

My next excursion was Thursday where my main objective was dragonflies, but because of the dry weather recently these were few and far between. There was however some butterfly interest including a welcome sighting of some Holly Blues feeding on flea bane.

Holly Blue

I was even lucky enough to get an open-winged shot of a Holly Blue

Holly Blue

and another Meadow Brown

Meadow Brown

If only Graylings were as obliging…

Grayling