Wrekin Forest Volunteers: The 58 - Episode III - A couple of the more difficult butterflies

19 Apr 2020

The 58 - Episode III - A couple of the more difficult butterflies

Sunday 19th April 2020

Yet another Wednesday blessed with glorious weather has been and gone, another Joy of Wildlife outing missed due to the current situation. This is not a complaint only an observation. The only complaint I do have is that the weather is openly mocking us as our movements are severely restricted.

On with the story ...

The nineteen butterflies that had been seen to date on the epic quest had not been particularly scarce or hard to find, inasmuch as they could, with perseverance and luck, be found in Shropshire or nearby. This was about to change.

One thing a quest of this sort requires is dogged determination to carry out the necessary research. Firstly, you need to know all the information about flight periods and possible sites of our rarer butterflies. The flight period is very important as, if you look for, say, a Silver-studded blue in September you are unlikely to find it, and the quest will fail. Secondly, you need to scour the internet for any scraps of information from others about sightings and where they were. Thirdly you must not be shy in quizzing others, when out and about, to glean what they have seen and most importantly - where they saw it.

We were now in mid-May and there were two rarer butterflies that had, in theory, emerged or were about to take flight - Duke of Burgundy and Marsh fritillary - plus the commoner species - Adonis blue. None of these are found in our neighbourhood so they needed trips to known sites.

As mentioned in my last report, when we went to the Wyre Forest to see the Pear-bordered fritillaries, we had a chance encounter that resulted in us to travelling to the intriguingly named Incombe Hole.

Why, you may ask?

To see the Duke of Burgundy.

No, not a member of the nobility, but a butterfly.

In previous years we had been to Prestbury Hill overlooking Cheltenham to see this butterfly. These trips were successful but numbers were very low. Incombe Hole held the promise, according to our informant, of a more abundant population.

Where is it?

The site is close to the village of Ivinghoe, south west of Dunstable, at the northern end of the Chiltern escarpment close to the Ivinghoe Beacon.

The "hole" is a dry valley etched out in the last glacial period.

There are a few paths down from the surrounding plateau; most of them steep. We took what looked like the easiest one.

Within minutes of reaching the grassland at the bottom we were rewarded by the sight of a Duke of Burgundy butterfly, number 20 for the year.

We had found our target species, we could go home, or to the pub or somewhere else. But we stayed.

It was not hard to find the Duke of Burgundy butterflies, there were lots of them. Our informant was lauded.

Not only did we find our target species but also many Grizzled skippers, lots of Dingy skippers (so many, in fact, that as we found another butterfly, we were heard to mutter with disappointment "Oh! It's only another Dingy skipper .", and plenty of others including a bonus:

Number 21, a Brown argus.

Incombe Hole is also a site for Pasque flower. Unfortunately we were too late to see them in flower.

As I was stumbling down the side of the valley after photographing the plant our hero and his companion had found a hoverfly associated with ants nests. By the time I got there it had gone.

"It will return", they assured me

And it did to keep a watch on an ants nest. I managed a photograph, not the sharpest by any means but just about OK.

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum:

It was with reluctance that we left this brilliant site and fought our way home through the late afternoon traffic, passing, as we crawled along through Dunstable, the wonderful sign pointing out the way to the
"Baptists Chapel
Recycling Centre"

After a day off to recover from one trip we set out on another. To yet another curiously named site - "Strawberry Banks", a well known site for the second of our "more difficult" butterflies - Marsh fritillary.

Strawberry Banks is a couple of fields of limestone grassland on a slope surrounded by woodland and scrub near to Chalford in Gloucestershire. The fields are thought to have once been used to grow strawberries, hence its name, but there were none to be seen when we were there.

The visit did not get off to a great start. Although the marsh fritillary were supposed to be out there were none to be seen. However we did find a bonus species:

Number 22: Small blue

Photograph: Bob Kemp

There were also plenty of Small heath.

But of Marsh fritillaries, there was no sign.

We split up Bob was at one end of the field and I was at the other. Our hero wandered up the hill and had a sit down as the "fret-level" rose.

Were we too early?

Were we too late?

The I saw that Bob was tracking something. Not only that but he had attracted a crowd who, much to his annoyance, had decided to "help" him track it. Which, of course, made it harder to track.

Yes, it was a Marsh fritillary. Success. But had our hero seen it?

I continued my own search and very soon stumbled on more of the butterflies.

Number 23: Marsh fritillary

Despite shouting and frantic arm waving, our hero kept his distance and showed no inclination to come and see what we had found. Had he abandoned hope?

Eventually we re-gathered and it turned out that our hero had been content to watch the fritillaries as they flew about him, making their way from the top of the hill to the bottom, which is where Bob and I were finding them.

Another successful trip. The quest was still going well, although we had seen the first signs of stress when the Marsh fritillaries took a while to appear.

As we left we spotted a Birdsnest orchid in the woodland next to the fields.

You have to admit, it is not the most attractive plant.

We had a few days break until we ventured out on our next trip to the south. This time we went to Stinchcombe Hill, near Dursley, again in Gloucestershire, in the hope of finding an Adonis blue.

Stincombe Hill is part of the Cotswolds and towers above the surrounding countryside with sides of limestone grassland that slope steeply down to the lower lying countryside below.

The top is a plateau where the locals have placed a golf course.

Still, it is serviced by a large car park and there are several rights of way over and around the summit plateau.

We spent our time on the slopes picking out paths that, as much as possible, followed the contours of the hill.

One of the first species we found was a Cistus forester.

I know the forester moths are very hard to distinguish, but, fortunately, we met the ranger of the site, who happened to be a keen and well-travelled lepidopterist, and he told us what it was.

We found a blue butterfly, but away it flew before we were able to get close enough to identify the species. It was pursued, but in vain.

More moths of interest were found in the grass.

A Burnet companion.

A Mother Shipton with the hag-like profiles on its wings.

And a Wood tiger.

BUT, apart from the flyaway blue - NO BUTTERFLIES.

Again the "fret-meter" began to rise.

Then a success ...

Number 24: Painted Lady

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

These two photographs are not of the one we saw but from later in the year.

Painted ladies seem to be feast or famine. Often we will go long periods without seeing any then there will be an eruption and they are everywhere. Last year there was an eruption. Later in the year we went to Spurn Point. Why? Because its there! Where we found hundreds of Painted ladies feeding on the large patches of Sea aster.

Anyway, back to Stinchcombe Hill.

We persevered and finding a sheltered spot in full sunshine we concentrated on that area.

Finally we were rewarded by finding …

Number 25: Adonis blue.

A second photograph is of one found later in the year.

And that seems a good point to leave the tale for this episode.

Next time ... Our intrepid hero goes solo on an epic journey to try to find Chequered skipper.

Did he succeed?

Before I finish. I continue to be the very grateful recipient of photographs taken while others are out and about taking their permitted exercise or clearing their gardens, sheds and garages. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

First a quiz.

What is this?

Photograph: Les Hughes

When asked, I did not have a clue! But I have now been told.

Do you know what it is?

All being well, i.e. if I remember, I will tell you in Episode IV.

An Ashy mining bee