Week 32: Brickworks Brown Argus Colony

I wasn’t expecting much this week (and was actually just glad when it finally stopped raining!). Rain all day Monday. Rain most of Tuesday and fairly cool, breezy, cloudy days following. I spent a little time at Roughdown Common on Wednesday, trying to relocate or add a Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) to the Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) of last week. I dread to think how many Common Blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus) I chased down only to be disappointed. I couldn’t find the Brown Argus again nor add anything else to it.

Thursday, I thought I’d give Bovingdon Brickworks a try. Having spent a couple of hours hunting Brown Argus the previous day, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when, within a few minutes of arriving, I’d found one at the Brickworks. One turned into two, which turned into three, which continued to rise until I was trying to follow/check/photograph at least six different butterflies. The conditions were such that they weren’t settling for long and so my best bet for identifying each individual was to photograph them the moment they stopped moving and then analyse the shots when I got home. Most of the specimens were quite worn so I was really chuffed to find one which was in good condition.

Bown Argus (Aricia agestis) [Specimen 1]

Below are the other five individuals that I was able to track down (with their identifying marks/damage highlighted). I know that at least a seventh got away and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few more besides. The fresher Specimen 1 is quite interesting and it does make me wonder if it is from a second brood, from on site. Either way, it is an extremely scarce species locally, not reported at this site previously and I am very much hoping that this small colony is a sign of things to come. It is located in the area of the Brickworks that I only discovered recently (see modified Buddleja location map here).

Specimen 2

Specimen 3

Specimen 4

Specimen 3 & 4 (Male & Female)

Specimen 5

Specimen 6

Whilst my head is full of Brown Argus and Common Blue butterflies (what a nice picture that conjures up! Butterflies for brains), I thought I’d put together a quick guide to separating the 2 species, especially the female Common Blue from the Brown Argus. The Common Blue butterfly, featured below showing the upper wings, is one I photographed alongside the Brown Argus on Thursday. It’s very worn but you can just make out the remnants of blue scales and, of course, the lack of dark spot in the forewing. The dark forewing spots alone aren’t diagnostic for Brown Argus so it’s important to note an absence of blue scales and/or the underside spot arrangement.

Ok, enough of Brown Arguses! What else? As I walked through the woods, on my way to the rest of the Brickworks, a little Nuthatch was calling from the trees and I could also hear at least 2 pairs of Bullfinches. The Emporer dragonfly that’s been patrolling that area for the past few weeks flew in close to take another look at me. Elsewhere, the number of Speckled Woods (Pararge aegeria) on site is impressive. There must be at least 30 individuals. I was also excited to find 5 Red Admiral butterflies (Vanessa atalanta), all in excellent condition. I’m guessing these are second brood rather than the original migrants of early summer.

Finally, I should round things off with this week's Oak photograph. It feels rather uninspired but the light/weather/my energy etc haven't permitted anything else…

Week 29: Watch Out, Frogs About!

It is now peak season for Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) migrant butterflies and they could turn up anywhere. I spent a morning at the Brickworks searching. If nothing else, I hoped I might come across a partial second brood of Dingy Skippers or my first Hawk-moth species but I struck out on all counts, and, instead, as I walked the shaded path back towards the Buddleja, I narrowly avoided the utter horror of standing on a substantial soft-bodied creature. A glistening, vital Common Frog (Rana temporaria). Unfortunately, it didn’t unleash its long, sticky tongue to catch any insects whilst I was watching but it did hang around for some photographs.

At both Dellfield and the Brickworks, there are good numbers of Common Blue butterflies (female, below, left) and each site had at least one fresh Small Copper butterfly (below, right). Other flutterers included Meadow Browns, Speckled Woods, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, one or two Small Tortoiseshells; Southern Hawker and Emperor dragonflies; and a couple of very worn five-spot Burnet moth species.
 
Every pair of socks I own and quite possibly my walking shoes as well is in danger of hot-housing the development of miniature wild flower and grasses meadows. No matter how carefully I tread, or the number of times I stop to empty my shoes, I always come home from Box Moor outings with shoes and socks full of seeds from the meadows and moors. I don’t think that’s quite the intended outcome but short of wearing wellies all summer (and cooking my feet) it's unavoidable.

Out on Bovingdon Reach this week, during another inadvertent seed collecting mission, a juvenile Green Woodpecker was digging for ants. A small group of House Martins were catching insects over the meadow and back at Dellfield, a juvenile Great spotted Woodpecker stayed still long enough for me to grab a distant shot. It's great to see both woodpecker species have bred successfully this year. Earlier in the week, I’d caught a female Green Woodpecker perched on a fence post at the pond on Preston Hill. The very short video clip below is a little shaky as the camera was resting on the fence railings (no tripod to hand).

Finally, this week's Oak photograph…

Week 19, Common Blues: Intimate Moments

After a sunny Sunday, the forecast is for a fairly breezy, wet week. It’s going to require a bit of luck to catch a dry spell of weather at the same time as I’m free to get out around Box Moor. So, in an attempt to maintain summer optimism whilst waiting for a break the rain, here are a few shots to be going on with. A mating pair of Common Blues from the Brickworks on Sunday morning. They really meant business, remaining firmly connected in flight (impressive!), at rest (easy) and whilst clambering over plants (also impressive, although, I'm not sure who leads and who walks backwards).

[Better reproductions can be found in the Flickr set here].

And, finally, preserving their modesty with the proverbial fig leaf...

Week 18: The Butterfly Effect

There has been an awful lot to catch my eye, spark my interest and tickle my fancy this week! I’m quite glad of the forecast rain today. It gives me the opportunity to put together a post.

The butterfly effect. Going to sleep last night, the lasting vision, burned into my retinas, was that of a tiny butterfly, on the top of a flower, blowing gently in the breeze. Unfortunately, in the field, that vision is all too often accompanied by mild impatience and the taste of helplessness (please let this little creature stay put), with anticipation that said flower might finally come to rest, allowing the chance to take a shot. It may not be chaos theory but, capturing the moment is downright tricky, especially if a butterfly decides to flap its wings.

When it comes to photographing these lovely insects, I am a novice. It seems to involve a heck of a lot of patience and luck. I have been pursuing Orange-tips all spring, without success. This week, it was the Small Coppers that led me on a merry dance (quite literally) around Dellfield and Bovingdon Brickworks. I dread to think what I looked like to passing dog-walkers, as I ran around in circles, weaving this way and that, following tiny (invisible?!) flying objects! However, when you do come across a butterfly, or group of butterflies, which are inclined to settle in one spot, it is pure heaven. Such was my good fortune on Tuesday afternoon.

The main meadow at Bovingdon Brickworks (the one with the mound of earth in the centre) held at least 7 Common Blue butterflies, all in one small area. This meadow, and the one to the north-west of it, are covered in Bird’s-foot Trefoil, the favoured nectar plant of the adults and the primary foodplant for the larvae. Through the afternoon, the sun was hidden behind clouds, which meant the butterflies were less energetic. In what felt like the blink of an eye, I had whiled away an hour in the company of predominantly settled Common Blues. I had the opportunity to photograph both male and female and to gain upper and underwing shots.

Common Blues (almost a mating pair, female, left; male, right) on Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Male upperwing

Female upperwing

Male underwing

Female underwing

[If you’d like to see higher resolution images of the Common Blues, they are in a set on Flickr, here]

The good weather carried on into Wednesday so I decided to return to the Brickworks. I’d seen a Small Copper the previous day and hoped to relocate it. However, before I even arrived at the meadow’s entrance gate, in an area of dappled shade, I came upon a duelling pair of male Speckled Woods. I watched them tussling in flight until the interloper eventually capitulated and flew off. The victor quickly took up his favoured, sunlit spot in the nettles to wait for passing females. As for the Small Copper, I did eventually find one at the Brickworks but only managed a record shot. In the afternoon, I thought I’d try my luck at Dellfield and when I’d finally given up and was heading home, I stumbled upon a settled Small Copper. It absolutely made my day.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Butterflies weren’t the only insects on the wing this week. Whilst trying and failing with the Small Copper at Dellfield, I came across my first migrant moth, a Silver Y (Autographa gamma). The “Y” refers to the prominent creamy/white marking on each wing resembling a “Y” or the greek letter “gamma”. There were also a couple of Grass Rivulet moths (Perizoma albulata) and numerous Burnet Companions out around Dellfield (where there’s plenty of Red Clover (larval food plant)). There was also a Cinnabar moth and 2 or 3 Burnet Companions out at the Brickworks (the Bird’s-foot Trefoil being another preferred larval food plant for the Companion).

[Dellfield] Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma)  [For a higher resolution, see Flickr image]

[Brickworks] Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)

[Brickworks] Burnet Companion moth (Euclidia glyphica)

A couple of other fun finds at the Brickworks were a Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly and the aptly named Swollen-thighed Beetle. The Chaser took me completely by surprise (I was nowhere near a pond!) and I only managed 2 photographs, from a distance, with the wrong lens, before I lost it again. The Beetle was feasting on the buttercup pollen and it's the massive thighs which indicate gender.

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (female)

Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) (male)

Birds of note at the Brickworks on Wednesday morning were a singing male Cuckoo, a couple of Bullfinches (a male flew over my head) and a Nuthatch in the woods by Shantock Hall Lane. I also came across a ragged looking female Whitethroat, perhaps busy raising a brood. The Common Frog spawn seems to have disappeared from the flooded gully so I shall stop reporting on that.

Ben and the team ran the moth traps this week at the Brickworks and Gadespring. They attracted more than 100 species, staying up into the early hours of the morning! That’s what I call dedication! You can read the full report on Ben’s blog here.

If you’ve not had a chance yet to vote in the readership poll, in the previous post, there's still time. It would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Finally, this week’s Oak photograph. What a difference a few leaves makes!

Left, 23 January 2014; Right, 19 May 2014