18th August - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

It poured with rain first thing in the morning, so much so that I never thought it would be possible to get out today at all.  After the success of yesterday's butterfly trip to Shipton Bellinger I was keen to add too more special late summer butterflies to the year list.  It was also a chance for Helen and I to have a walk in an location that despite its relative closeness to Four Marks, we have not spend time at.  I think we are pu off by the steep inclines and slopes for walking on.

The rain though eased away and was replaced by clear blue skies, that became blue skies with white fluffy clouds.  Everything was back on, so late morning we set off on the short journey to Old Winchester Hill.

Old Winchester Hill is a chalk escarpment surmounted by an Iron Age hill fort and a Bronze Age cemetery. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve.  A circular footpath takes in steep slopes and woodland, or you can keep on level ground by following the hill fort route at the top of the hill.  We opted to take the main path that follows the level ground.

As you come through the trees the view out across Hampshire away to the south west never fails to impress

It is also so much better on a day of white fluffy clouds as it seems to lift the sky higher, and stretch the horizon.

As we walked the main path with wild flowers and grasses on either side there was a wealth of butterflies, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, and Small and Large Whites, but the stand out was the Painted Lady, at last I was seeing them in the numbers that had been forecast following the influx this year.  As you passed the flowering knapweed and wild carrot, Painted Ladies would fly up with that strong powerful flight that characterises them, no wind seems to hold them back, they are able to power their way through it.  As well as the flower heads they would be flushed from the open ground where they would settle with wings laid flat.

A pristine individual, probably one of the season newly emerged butterflies.Walking around to the Iron Age Fort we came across a lot more Painted Ladies.

The Solent Way drops down along the side of a field, but there is also a footpath that crosses the field to meet up with the Solent Way.  We only wanted to walk through the field so set off down the footpath and immediately came across Chalkhill Blues and a few Silver-spotted Skippers.  

The skippers were very difficult to find, and when I did find one it was gone before I got the chance to photograph it.  This was the only credible picture I could get.

This rare skipper is restricted to chalk downs in southern England one of the problems I had with getting close to them today was their habit of darting low over the short turf, and stopping only to bask on bare ground for a short time.  The skipper can be identified by the numerous silver-white spots on the undersides of the hind wings, which can be seen quite easily when it rests with wings in a characteristic 'half-open' posture, and it did, but not when the camera was close

The Silver-spotted Skipper has declined rapidly over the last 50 years but has re-expanded partially since 1980, and Old Winchester Hill and the other Chalk downland sites in Hampshire such as Broughton and Oxenbourne are reliable places to see this lovely butterfly.

The other butterfly present in good numbers was the Chalkhill Blue.  This butterfly proved a little easier to catch up with.

As its name suggests, the Chalk Hill Blue is found on chalk downland, although limestone downland is also used. The adult butterfly is most-often seen in bright sunshine, where the ground may appear to shimmer with the activity of hundreds, if not thousands, of males searching for a mate just a few inches above the ground. The distribution of this species follows the distribution of Horseshoe Vetch which, in turn, follows the distribution of chalk and limestone grassland. This species is therefore restricted to England, south east of a line running from West Gloucestershire in the west and Cambridgeshire in the east.

Females are similar to Brown Argus, which lack blue dusting near body, and to female Adonis Blue, which have dark veins extending into white fringe on wing edges. The male Chalk Hill Blue is paler and, apart from the Large Blue, larger than other blue butterflies seen in Britain and Ireland.

We wandered back up the hill, and up on to the old Fort.  In amongst the flowers on the side of the fort were one or two newly emerged Adonis Blue, and several Common Blue butterflies.

Old Winchester Hill occupies one of the most beautiful landscapes that the chalk ridge of the South Downs offers.  Away to the south, the Isle of Wight rises beyond a shimmer of sea.  While the vantage point over emphasises the beauty of the clouds against the patterns of the fields

Looking down the harvested fields create their own unique pattern on the landscape.

We walked around the ramparts of the old fort . The ancient occupiers of this site chose well, visitors, friend or foe could be seen in all directions. Situated on a spur it has well defined entrances where the ramparts rear upwards to give maximum defence.  The fort itself is encompassed by a bank and ditch and inside the fort, dips left from flint excavations and the rounded mounds of Bronze Age tumuli can be seen. Platforms on which huts and animal enclosures are still evident, although we did not go and investigate.

Some of the views along the ramparts and down over the surrounding slopes.  Looking down in the direction of the village of Exton

Notice the wealth of wild flowers growing amongst the grasses.  These were full of Meadow Browns, Small and Large Whites and of course Painted Ladies.

A close up of the wild flowers

Finally the view looking to the north west.  We were actually looking down on a juvenile buzzard calling repeatedly for its parent to feed it.

From the fort we returned to the car park by the way of the level main path, and then down to Exton where we had a drink in the Shoe Inn.  A very pleasant way to spend a late Sunday morning.  We should really come here more often