Temperatures this week are expected to be the highest of the year so far, hopefully this will bring the butterflies out. In hope I went back to Alice Holt, starting first at Abbotts Wood. It was still sunny as I walked down the main path, but gradually the clouds gathered and while it stayed quite close, humid and warm, it was depressingly overcast.
There were hardly any butterflies in the grass by the side of the path, and the first butterfly I saw was a Speckled Wood, settled on the leaves of the surrounding trees.
I reached the main assembly area and it was very quiet only a few Meadow Browns around the grass. The sun broke through and a White Admiral could be seen flying around the top of the sallows.
I walked up the track to the area of bramble and here there were more Meadow Brown and then a White Admiral flew in circling the bramble and then settled on a leaf.
Always a welcome summer butterfly. First views send thoughts of Purple Emperor, but it is smaller and the flight is more jerky and buoyant.
I stood around for a while, but it was clear nothing was happening, so I walked a side path towards Goose Green and then across the A325 to the Straits Inclosure. Walking down the path there were several Ringlet on either side, this one settled to show very well.
As you walk on, there is an open area on the right hand side and here was a single Marbled White. After chasing it around it finally settled on one of the tall thistles with a lovely dark background.
Another Ringlet showed very well at the Deer Look Out.
A single Large Skipper settled on the bramble under the power lines.
Two White Admirals flew around the bramble, this one settling on the bramble flowers and Dog Roses.
A large Hornet was hunting around the bramble, touching the flower heads to see if there was anything to catch. As I watched it, suddenly it stopped and settled on a leaf. I was able to get close and could see that it had caught a Hover Fly and was slowly devouring it.
I walked back through the open fields and across the two roads. On the path towards Abbotts Wood a Black-tailed Skimmer settled on the path. This is a female.
Walking around Abbotts there was hardly any butterflies now, the sun had gone and the cloud cover was almost one hundred percent. At the turn and main open area there was a small group of Broad-leaved Helleborines. Like those seen in Chappetts Close they were still to flower, the heads drooping characteristically.
I decided to go back to the car to have lunch, in a brief spell of sunshine a Beautiful Demoiselle settled on the leaves above me, the shadow of the insect showing very well.
At the turn I found a much better Helleborine, which will probably flower in a few days.
However, the Helleborine I had photographed early seemed to have been trampled by something.
In the car park there was a Firecrest singing in the fir trees. It would seem Firecrests turn up almost everywhere these days.
I walked back for one more time, it was still overcast and still very humid. Many more Ringlet were now flying through the grass and one settled on the bramble flowers, showing the rings that give it the name.
They have been around all day and were the most numerous butterfly. Their numbers were up significantly on my visit last Thursday, so it seemed I should at least take one photograph of this very common butterfly, the Meadow Brown.
No Purple Emperors today, would tomorrow be the day? They have been reported from Southleigh Forest near Emsworth, so there has to be hope.
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