10th - 17th September - Corfu, Greece - Butterflies and Insects

I had the chance to find some butterflies around the gardens of the resort in Corfu over the course of the week we were away.  A surprise was to find this Silver-washed Fritillary, but I suppose with the warm weather their flying time is extended.

It was attracted to the verbena that was flowering under one of the many Olive Trees.

Here showing off the 'silver wash' on the under hind wing.

Also around the verbena were bees, these were quite distinctive with brown stripes on the abdomen.  These are called Brown-striped Digger or Carder Bees.  They are quite common and are found in the UK and most of Europe to the west of Russia.

Walking to my sun bed around the middle of the week I spotted this Hummingbird Hawkmoth around the verbena.

Any other year I would have been thrilled to see one, but there have been so many in the UK this summer.

Another butterfly that I would have been pleased to find was the Long-tailed Blue.  They could be seen around the flowers, mostly female with a few a males chasing them.  Again, in the UK, Long-tailed Blues have started to appear along the south coast with several being seen in Hampshire.

They are constantly flying about chasing each other, but eventually settle on a leaf.  They are lovers of warm weather and sunshine and this makes them so active.

The only other butterfly of note was another common butterfly seen in the United Kingdom, the Meadow Brown.  This though a female of the Hispulla transitional variation.

A very poor photograph of a Silver Y moth.

On the there was a Praying Mantis that took occupation of one of the lights along the path close to the restaurant.  I saw it first thing in the morning going to Breakfast and it stayed in the same place until rain came along late afternoon.  Almost motionless it was quite simple to photograph.

My favourite with the sparkling water providing the background for a silhouette.

On the second from last night the rain that washed the mantis away was a very heavy thunder storm and as a result on our last day there were more butterflies about.  I saw Berger's Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and a White Admiral that I could not be specific about.  Neither of these stopped for pictures.  But then in the afternoon just as we were thinking of going back to the room a Swallowtail came through and took a liking to the Bougainville and I was able to get some photos.

Unfortunately nothing new, but all were nice to see and in some really beautiful, well kept gardens.

7th August - Noar Hill, Hampshire

 Another day of sunshine, albeit a lot fresher and the sky looking that lovely azure blue.  I decided on a visit to Noar Hill hopeful that I might be able to find the elusive Brown Hairstreak.  I walked from the car to the other footpath that leads to the entrance on the west side of the reserve.  Above me were two juvenile Red Kites calling to each other.

Once through the gate you are immediately faced with Hemp Acrimony everywhere and there were a few white butterflies about, but the first insect that caught my eye was this large fly.  It is in fact a Hornet Plumehorn or Hornet Mimic.  Despite the size it is harmless to us and uses the mimicry to evade possible predators as it searches for nectar.  It can be distinguished from the real Hornet by the size of its eyes and the lack of a sting

First butterfly was a Cmma, looking rather worn.

And then as I walked into an open area a Small Heath.

At the first chalk pit I came across there was a lot of Hemp Acrimony and along with a couple of Red Admiral there was a Painted Lady nectaring.

Walking on there were more Painted Lady.  Here a slightly different pose.

And here showing the liking for the Hemp Acrimony.

There were good numbers of Common Blues from their second brood.  Here two males.

And a female.

As well as the Small and Large Whites there were a few Green-veined Whites, this one looking quite immaculate.

And for once I was able to get close in with a Large White nectaring on a Field Scabious.

The first Hummingbird Hawkmoth I came across was unusually stationary, settled on a leaf.

But a little further along I found one nectaring around the Thistles Thyme and Field Scabious.

I was now at the top end of the reserve with a lovely view across the harvested field though a gap in the bushes with small clouds floating in the azure blue sky.

Unfortunately there wasn't any sign of Brown Hairstreak, but I carried on walking the bridle way back towards the entrance.  I cut across to some more pits and again more Hemp Acrimony and again more Painted Lady.

They did seem to be everywhere, I counted eighteen on my walk around the reserve.

There were two Clouded Yellows that flew past me never to stop and then this moth which I have identified as a Sulphur Pearl.  This moth is right at the end of its flight period and feeds on the wild Carrot of which there was a lot on the reserve.

I walked around the same areas once again in the hope of finding the Brown Hairstreak, but without any luck at all.  They are appearing to be very elusive for me this year.  The last butterfly of the day was this Speckled Wood as I walked down the path back to the car.

It was lovely to walk through the wild flowers and the hordes of butterflies around this lovely reserve, it was just a shame the one butterfly I was hoping to find was not playing ball

1st August - Stockbridge Down, Hampshire

Another glorious day with clear blue skies and wall to wall sunshine.  The temperature though was more amenable with a light northerly wind.  Today was going to be about butterflies and an opportunity to visit a site I haven't been to for some time.  Sitting just outside the town of Stockbridge is an area of chalk downland that rises up to Woolbury fort an old Iron Age fort at just over 150 metres above sea level, commanding wonderful views to the east north and west.

The site is well known for butterflies and is owned and managed by the Natural Trust.  I arrived in the car park just before 9:00am and then set off, after crossing the road, to the west following an area of grass and wild flowers including knapweed, ground thistles and scabious.  My first butterfly of the day was a Small Heath, this was to be the first of many of this small butterfly.

Meadow Brown were numerous too as I walked around the west perimeter.  Small Whites were busy around the the thistles.

The views were amazing looking out across the fields to the west, all looking parched and scorched after harvesting from the hot weather.

Walking up the tracks and heading towards the Iron Age fort there were many rabbit holes and scrapes, the grass kept very low by the rabbits grazing.  This was the view as I headed north.

I very quickly came across a lot of Chalkhill Blues.  This butterfly is a typical chalkland butterfly and in good years there can be clouds of them flying just inches above the ground around your feet.  This was definitely the case today.

Meadow Browns were as numerous, and they would take off as you walked through the grass.

As I made my way up to the fort I passed through a small copse where of course there had to be a Speckled Wood.

Hawthorn bushes and scrub including Buddleia were scattered around the fort and here there was a Red Admiral and Peacock plus Small White and a single Large White.  But the best butterfly was a Clouded Yellow that defied the rules of a Clouded Yellow and settled for me.

Along with our other regular migrant butterfly, this year has been excellent for seeing Clouded Yellow.  I can't recall in all the time I have been watching butterflies ever seeing so many.

I followed the perimeter of the down from the top by the fort all the way towards the south east and finally the bottom area that runs parallel with the road.  This is deemed to be the best place for butterflies and so it proved.  Even more Chalkhill Blues.

This one a female with a brown underwing, but the same pattern of spots.

The male for compariosn.

In flight the males look a pale blue as the weave through the grasses and flowers.

The female is brown on the upper wing.

A male and female together.  I watched these two as the male pursued the female, I wasn't sure at first if she was repelling him or is was part of the courtship, but in the end he flew off leaving the female to sit on the thyme.

In amongst the Chalkhill Blues was an Adonis Blue, that like the Silver-spotted Skipper is not found in great numbers here and in fact did not stop for a photo.  There were also a few Common Blues.

A surprise around bushes that run along the bottom of the slope was a male Beautiful Demoiselle.  These lovely damselflies seem to turn up anywhere.

Although not guaranteed here I was hoping I would find a Silver-spotted Skipper, the last of our skippers here in the United Kingdom to emerge and a definite Chalkland species.  Whilst not abundant here they can be found.

This meant any small butterfly zipping about got my immediate attention and so was the case with these two Small Coppers.

Always a lovely butterfly to catch up with.

More Small Whites.

And of course the other migrant to these shores and in good numbers this year, the Painted Lady.

I had now circumvented the down and reached the area I had first searched when I arrived.  There were now a lot more butterflies about, numbers dominated by the Chalkhill Blue, but something caught my eye flying low over the ground and not bothering with the many flowers.

It was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

I followed it around watching what it was doing and it appeared to be hovering and then moving the abdomen into the small plants mixed in amongst the grass. 

I could only think it was laying eggs and later I found out that the plant they lay eggs on is Bedstraw and there was plenty of Lady's Bedstraw about a small plant about five centimetres high with small yellow flowers.  Once again turned the shutter speed up in an attempt to capture the wings and this time it turned out much better.

Here you can see the moth bending the abdomen towards the flower stem.

Probably the sharpest.

And again showing the action.

The moth had to fight off the attentions of a Meadow Brown and I eventually lost it.

I decided to make my way back along the bottom, have some lunch and then do one more transect.  I wasn't giving up on the skipper yet.

THere were a  few more Small Coppers that had me interested and a Brown Argus, but finally a butterfly pinged across in front of me and settled on a knapweed.  I checked with my binoculars and confirmed it was in fact a Silver-spotted Skipper and was able to get this shot before it sprung away once again and out of sight.

This skipper is a chalkland specialist and a butterfly that loves the warmth.  Conditions here were ideal, but unfortunately this was the only one I was able to find.

As I walked the transect I came across the two migrants once again.  The Painted Lady.

And my fifth Clouded Yellow of the day, never before have I seen more Clouded Yellow than Painted Lady.

Looking west once more the sky was covered with Rooks, they had been feeding in the fields and also using the cattle water troughs.

With the clouds building up from the west I turned to black and white to capture the scene.  This medium enhances the clouds in the sky and also the scorched, dry look of the ground.  What a summer we are having.

Looking east along the bottom of the slope parallel with the road.

So successful day and great to be back at Stockbridge it really has been too long.

The butterfly count from the walk today, eighteen species