1st August - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

I thought I would try my luck for the last butterfly species of the year.  Due to circumstances I decided on Old Winchester Hill.  The weather was mixed, some cloud and also sunshine, but what would determine if the butterfly showed was the temperature and this was showing around eighteen degrees when I arrived, not really warm enough, but it might warm up with some sunshine.  Coming out from the car park the view across to the west.

I set off along the top path, there had been a report of a Brown Hairstreak so I was checking the Blackthorn and surround vegetation, but without any luck.  There were though plenty of butterflies about amongst the thyme and hemp acrimony.

A male Common Blue resting on a grass leaf while the sun was behind clouds.

A Red Admiral on the hemp acrimony.

A Large White on Yarrow.

I was able to get an interesting angle on the Large White, looking down head on.

A female Common Blue on hemp acrimony.

I crossed the path to the other side where there is a substantial amount of bramble.  A very smart Comma.

An all brown female Chalkhill Blue, looking in good condition amongst the grass.

Painted Ladies have been quite regular here this year so it wasn't a surprise to find one amongst the grass.  This one though showed very well.

A pair of Red Kite flew over and were then followed by a couple of Raven, they look like young immature birds.

One checked me out as it passed overhead.

A Yellowhammer called from the top of a Hawthorn Bush.

I walked around to the hill fort and then took the path down the south slope.  Suddenly I started to see Chalkhill Blues everywhere.  I was a little surprised as they appeared much earlier this year and I thought they would be on the wane now.  But scanning across the grass they seemed to be everywhere and there were easily hundreds of them.

Plenty of females to, with many searching the grass, probably to lay eggs.

The slope was alive with butterflies, after the Chalkhills the next numerous was the Meadow Brown.  This pair were seemed to be engaging in courtship, but it never came to a climax.

There was quite a few Large and Small Whites and a few Common Blues.

But I was here for the Silver-spotted Skipper, but despite an extensive search in the area I could find one at all.  Eventually with the cloud cover almost complete I gave up and walked back up the slope and onto the moat around the fort.  The recent rain seemed to have encouraged the flowers, with Wild Parsnip, Thyme and Ragwort all now in flower.

I walked around the fort in chilly conditions, the sun gone the breeze was cool.  Needless to say there were very few butterflies about, all I could find was this Common Blue male on some trefoil.

I walked around the fort and then around the circular walk slope and down the steep hill to the copse without seeing any butterflies.  Walking through the copse there was a couple of Speckled Woods.

Coming out of the wood it felt a little humid at the bottom of the slope and there were a few Common Blue and Brown Argus about.  This a nice male Brown Argus.

The path meanders gently up a slope and I was checking both sides.  This paid off when I found a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, my first of the year nectaring amongst the ground thistles and other purple flowers.  A Challenge at the best of times, but it was rather gloomy now.

The moth also stayed very close to the ground meaning that there always seemed to be some stems and leaves in the way.

High shutter speed just managing to freeze the wings.

A coiled proboscis.

The moth led me a merry dance, never really staying on anu one flower for a good amount of time.  In the end it moved on and I lost it.  Still always nice to see.

I continued up the slope with the skies clearing and the sun coming back out, typical!  Still I had had enough.  I will have to come again as I still want tos the Silver spotted Skipper, it would complete the set of Hampshire butterflies this year.