1st July - Abbotts Wood and Broxhead Common, Hampshire

Whilst it is not strictly the middle of the year (due to February that doesn't occur until midday on the 3rd July), we have moved into July, the seventh month and a day of significance for me as I finally retired on the 30th June after 44 years of unbroken work, a new era and one I intend to enjoy.

So on Saturday I was heading back to Abbotts Wood.  There had been overnight rain and it was still raining when I got up, which meant that Ian and I were meeting much later than we would normally do.  Pulling into the car park it was overcast, but there were patches of blue sky dotted around and I was of the belief the clouds would clear through the morning.

We set off down the main track and as we came out of the cover of the trees Meadow Browns and Ringlet were the first butterflies seen in the grass at the side of the track.  Brown butterflies are always the first to fly in the morning.  In places the Ringlet were settled on the bracken and leaves catching what radiation there was.

At the first crossroads along with the "browns" there was also a White Admiral also warming up on the leaves.

On the bramble on the other side was a Silver-washed Fritillary, the bright tangerine colour standing out in the dark vegetation.

Small Skippers were also warming up.

One nectaring on the thistle flowers.

We reached the assembly point and the clouds started to part and there was sunshine.  With this came action at the top of the oaks, at least three Purple Emperor could be seen flying around the leaves checking them out for any females.

We walked along the track to see if there were any coming down, but once again they were flying around the tops of the trees.  One settled and we were able to pick it out amongst the leaves.

They were also joined by a smaller butterfly but another oak specialty, the Purple Hairstreak.

The Purple Hairstreak is widely distributed throughout southern areas wherever there are oak trees; even a solitary tree may support a colony. It is frequently overlooked as adults remain largely in the canopy where the main adult food source is honeydew; they fly more commonly in the evening of a warm summer's day. They are only driven down to seek fluid and nectar during prolonged drought

This photograph showing how they can merge into the leaves.

We made our way back to the assembly point and we continued to see the Purple Emperors at the top of the trees but still they did not come down lower.  We were though entertained by Small Skippers and Silver-washed Fritillaries.

The Silver-washed Fritillary was not as bright as those seen earlier, this was a female.

Standing out against the dark background.

Bramble the main flower that was attracting them.

A close up of the head, eyes and proboscis.

A view of the beautiful silvery green wash on the under wing that gives the butterfly its name.

Cloud came over and there was even a short shower, once this cleared there was some sunshine once again and this brought out the White Admiral.

As we passed midday the emperors had not shown down on the ground, we needed to get lunch from the cars and I could see Ian was reluctant to leave just in case they did come down.  I offered to go and bring them back so left him staring at the oaks.

As I walked back I came across a Comma on the bramble.

Another White Admiral with a damaged left wing that didn't seem to impair its flight.

And a close up of a Silver-washed Fritillary nectaring on the bramble.

On the way back I came across a Marbled White in the grassy area on the main bend.

As I was photographing the Marbled White my phone went off.

The message said Ian had one on the ground about 100 metres from the assembly point.  I rushed off leaving the bags at the crossroads and made my way to Ian where he was looking up at the tree.  Fortunately Ian had managed to get the Purple Emperor on the ground and had seen the wings open and the flash of purple, I was relieved and pleased that I had decided to go for the lunch.

The Purple Emperor was now sitting in the Oak, not to high up this time.

Some different views and photographs from those seen on Thursday.

Eventually it flew off and we decided to walk back, a butterfly flew around the oak leaves and settled.  I thought it might be another Emperor, but as it moved around it was clear to see this was a White Admiral.

Back at the assembly point a mating pair of Green-veined Whites, interestingly the first I have seen in the county this yearr.

Walking back along the track we had two female Beautiful Demoiselles and this Common Darter.

We also had some good views of Purple Hairstreak in the oak leaves.

It was clear we were not going to have any more groundings and It was good that Ian had finally managed to see one on the ground at last.  As a result we decided to move on, there was another butterfly we hoped to see and there was a site about 10 minutes away so we made our way back to the car park.

We were off to Broxhead Common an area of heath with an abundance of bell heather that provided for a colourful scene.

The first butterfly seen was a Small Copper, a smart individual, probably coming from a second brood.

We were here though for the Silver-studded Blue and as the sun came out they suddenly appeared.

We are reaching the end of their flight period and many of the butterflies were worn and faded.

The Silver-studded Blue gets its name from the light blue reflective scales found on the underside of most adults and which are quite visible when light reflects off them. As with many other species of blue, the males are blue while the female is a less-conspicuous brown.

A female.

A light blue butterfly seen flying over the heather had us chasing after it.  It was larger than the studded blues and was much paler.  Eventually it settled and we were able to identify it as a Holly Blue.  Albeit a strange place to find this species.

A singing male Linnet on a dead tree in the middle of the heath.

We had expected to see Gatekeeper in Abbotts Wood, so were pleased and surprised to find some here around the heather.

When the sun was behind the clouds all would be quiet on the heath, but as soon as the sun appeared the Silver-studded blues would emerge in numbers and fly around the purple bell heathers.

This a female.

While this a male

This delightful butterfly is found in close-knit colonies, with individuals rarely flying any distance. Most colonies contain less than a thousand adults. However, a few colonies are huge, with the number of adults measured in tens of thousands, providing an amazing spectacle. Most colonies of this species are found in southern England, although there are several other notable colonies in the east of England and Wales. 

It has been a while since I have managed to see this butterfly which is crazy as this site is only 20 minutes from home.  It was nice to photograph them here, next year I will have to ensure I catch them when they are not so worn.

The end of another successful day, there will be more butterflies to catch up with over the next few days.