The 58 - Episode XI - Almost there

Sunday, 14th June 2020

Five to go!

A week has passed since the trials and tribulations of locating a White-letter hairstreak. Plenty of time for blood pressures to return to normal and do some sensible planning for finding the last few species.

Of the five that remained four can normally be found at the right time of the year in some well documented "hot-spots". 

The fifth, Clouded yellow, was more difficult. As a migrant it does not have regular, reliable haunts, but most sightings are in the south of England, which, of course, is not very helpful when planning where try and find it. The plan adopted was to "Hope for the best" whilst we were out and about.

Our next trip was to Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve. This site is the chalk grassland that you pass through as the M40 rises up to Stokenchurch shortly after passing the Oxford exits. It is a spot where you will often see Red kites as you drive along (keeping your eye on the road of course).

The site is in two halves with the motorway keeping them apart. We visited the area to north of the road.

David joined Jim and me for this outing, and just as well he did, for reasons that will become plain later.

On arrival, after booting up and gathering our possessions, we inspected the vegetation around the car park and were very surprised to find the rare bee-fly Villa cingulata. So intent was it on feeding that it did not object to us taking photographs.

Photograph: David Williams

We had two targets for the day - Chalkhill blue and Silver-spotted skipper, which are both known to inhabit this site and should be on the wing.

No sooner had we reached the grassland than we were seeing blue butterflies - but were they the correct blues. 

They were quite lively, so a good amount of time was spent chasing them up and down the slope as they flitted from flower to flower. Eventually we tired and waited for them to come to us. 

And when they did they were:

Number 54 - Chalkhill blue

We soon got our eye in and were able to spot them quite easily. We even came across a mating pair who were quite unconcerned about our presence.

One down, one to go - unless a Clouded yellow put in appearance.

Our attention now turned to finding a Silver-spotted skipper.

Random scanning for them did not work so we decided on police search tactics and started processing up and down the slope in a line.

This did not work.

Time for a breather and to admire some of the flora that graces this grassland.

Back to the search.

David spotted one.

He managed a quick photograph of the butterfly.

It spotted David.

And was gone long before our hero got to the spot.

Frantic searching in the neighbourhood did not re-find it.

After some further aimless meandering in the hope of spotting the elusive beast we perched ourselves by the path at the top of the site and had lunch.

Fortunately David (again) was alert and spotted something land a few feet in front of us. From my viewpoint I could see a wing but no detail. However David and, most importantly, our hero got a good view and were able to confirm that it was:

Number 55 - Silver-spotted skipper

Photograph: David Williams

Success. The two target species found and now we are down to the final three.

We continued to wander about the site for a while. A Forrester  attracted our attention (I am not sure which species):

And the large fly Phasia hemiptera was seen on an umbellifer.

Six days later I returned with our hero to Oxfordshire. This time to the RSPB reserve at Otmoor. This reserve is sandwiched between the M40 and the northern suburbs of Oxford. 

The reason for this visit? To see Brown hairstreak.

We visited this site in a previous year and not 100 yards from the car park we came across the target butterfly surrounded by half a dozen photographers.

Would it be so easy this year, the year of the Quest.

The quick answer is NO!

The butterfly is "normally" found on a lane that runs alongside the car park and then for a further quarter of a mile or so alongside the reserve.

Walking slowly down the lane scanning the tree tops and hedgerows for any sign of a butterfly, we passed the spot of the previous year's sighting... and passed everything else as we reached the end of the lane.

Hmm!

A decision was needed - do we carry on further into the site or do we retrace our steps?

To be honest I cannot remember what we did apart from dithering for a while. We may have gone  on a little way but we then returned along the lane.

It was a good job that we did as we spotted someone peering at the hedgerow. Never one to hold back, our hero asked this person what he had spotted, and he pointed out a speck in the hedgerow that through binoculars could be seen clearly as:

Number 56: Brown hairstreak

Not the best photograph but it is a cropped zoomed snap of a dot.

Here is a better photograph that our absent colleague Bob took a previous year when it was more willing to pose for the paparazzi.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And for good measure an egg of a Brown hairstreak

Two more to go.

Needless to say no Clouded yellow were seen.

Ten days passed, July turned into August, and our hero decided to fly solo and visit Arnside Knott which is in Cumbria, bordering the southern shores of the River Kent estuary as it enters Morecambe Bay. I have no details of how the day progressed but he did find:

Number 57 - Scotch argus

Unfortunately Jim was unable to get a photograph so here is one taken on another occasion:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Yet again no Clouded yellow were seen.

One to go - and that will be the subject of the final episode.

There are not so many photographs in my weekly round-up. Clearly the poorer weather recently has not encouraged our contributors to get out their cameras.

To start, a female Banded demoiselle spotted on the banks of the River Severn:

Photograph: Peter Hodgkison

A bug that has recently arrived in the county - Closterotomus fulvomaculatus:

Photograph: John Martin

Towards the end of May these eggs were spotted:

Photograph: Tony Jacques

Tony, mistakenly thought they were the eggs of a Lepidopteran species and monitored their progress. He was taken aback when out popped a Dock bug nymph.

Photograph: Tony Jacques

Proof that Tortoise shieldbug continues to flourish and spread in Telford is provided by a photograph of a nymph from Coalmoor:

Photograph: Neil Nash

And now what really are the larvae of a Lepidopteran species, Peacock butterflies:

Photograph: Peter Hodgkison

A moth, a Small ranunculus:

Photograph: John Martin

Finally, a couple of weeks ago I suggested a project to the Joy of Wildlife group - to find some Laburnum and give it a shake and catch what falls out. The insect I am hoping will be found is the psyllid Floria variegata:

Photograph: Mike Shurmer

I have had some responses, all bar one a success. Thank you to those who have given it a go. But there is plenty of scope for others to try. The insect is very easy to identify:-

Description (adapted from British Bugs): About 4 - 4.5 mm in length; relatively long wings the apical third of which are suffused grey and the rest is slightly opaque; the wings are typically inclined upwards towards the tip when at rest; colouring is normally green or orange and most antennal segments are dark apically. (See link - Floria variegata).

The photograph above is excellent at it show these features clearly.

Keep well.