Sunday 9th.August 2009

Spent most of the day 'family visiting' , but did get the chance to get out for a while this afternoon , just as the cloud started to roll in after a perfect morning . I headed for High Elms to check on the White Letter Hairstreaks .
On the way to the Orchid Bank , I stopped at the trees where the Silver Washed Fritillaries have been egg laying , and sure enough , I found 4 females laying on two trees , just in one glade .

Some are very tatty , but some , like this one still look in good condition . Once again , one of them tried to lay her eggs on my trousers , and I had to dissuade her , over to the trees . There was noticeably less activity with the males , but some were seen nectaring . On the Hemp Agrimony at the end of the Orchid Bank , not a single WLH was found , but , standing quietly amongst the plants , some other species came close .

Peacock

Red Admiral Comma

I didn't find any WLHs on the other stands of Hemp Agrimony either , but I was there later than when I usually record them . I then headed for Burnt Gorse , in the hope of another Clouded Yellow , perhaps . But that wasn't to be either . But I did find a different member of the Volucella , Hover Fly family . Usually I find V.zonaria or V,bombylans , but this time , it was Volucella pellucens , still complete with his cummerbund , from last night's do . A butterfly flew past me that looked really interesting , and after a bit of searching , I found her . Not a rare one by any means , but a beautifully coloured , freshly emerged Common Blue . This has got to be the 'bluest' female of this species that I have ever seen . A surprise find on the slope , was a day flying moth that I haven't recorded for several weeks now , Burnet Companion , and although the books say that the flight time is over , this specimen was still in very good order . I mist admit that my first impression was , 2nd. brood Dingy Skipper , as I have been looking for any on my last few visits , but the orange on the underwing blew that hope away . On the way back to the car , the 'A' word reared it's head again , with lots of spikes of orange berries on the Arum maculatum-Lords And Ladies or Cuckoo Pint .