Monday 2nd August 2010

Forty minutes at lunchtime to get some butterflying in - my target the Silver-washed Fritillary that had sped past me on Friday.  First port of call was the buddleias by Gallagher's Underpass on the NE edge of Oaken Wood, Barming - a blind Hedgehog made a sad sight (sorry no pun intended!) and a single Red Admiral and a couple of Peacocks didn't make me feel like it was going to be a lucky day. Good numbers of Migrant Hawkers were on the wing, with four individuals draped on one Chesnut tree.

I decided to take a different route from normal and took the 'north' track/road that, predictably,  leads along the northern edge of the wood.  I dipped into a clearing just SE of the woodcutter's yard and saw a butterfly drenched buddleia that was asking to be checked.  More Peacocks, a couple of Commas, Speckled Wood and a masses of Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns.  Then the Silver-washed Fritillary appeared, absolutely bombing it along the woodland edge, straight past the buddleia and then up and over the 40ft Chesnuts!   I watched him until he disappeared, but caught sight of a speck flitting around one of the oaks that I check every year for Purple Hairstreaks. 

Yep, that was what it was -a Purple Hairstreak, at last! How could I have missed them for so long?  As I got nearer I started to see more, including a couple nectaring at ground level.  A new, long-awaited addition to the patch.

Moving on, I checked where I'd seen the SW Frit on Friday, and he was still there!  Mobile as ever, only briefly touching down on a Buddleia to tussle with a nectaring Peacock and a very worn White Admiral.

Another White Admiral was seen near Gallagher's underpass on my way back to work, and a pair of Jays flushed a small group of Bullfinches from one of the coppiced hedges.

Kate - great to hear from you and thanks to Peter to confirming ID!  How's the weather in Washington State?!