The present exceptional circumstances have ruled out any butterflying abroad this spring, so I have found myself working through the British list once again. And that has proved to be more motivating than I could have imagined pre-Covid 19. Indeed prior to today I had managed to record almost everything that could be expected in a more normal season. The exceptions were Duke of Burgundy and Pearl-bordered Fritillary, that do not occur here in Oxfordshire.
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
So having left the first weekend since lock-down was eased in the British countryside to the general public, whilst myself opting to keep a lower profile, I now hit the road on a bijou day trip to Hampshire. Of the five PBF sites described herein in 2019, the one I enjoyed most was the “East Inclosures” of the New Forest national park, since it was the quietest. This area is accessed from the Standing Hat car park (SU314036) just outside Brockenhurst. My arrival there at around 10am this morning was timed to coincide with these delightful butterflies warming up with the day, before they become too hyperactive to record pictorially.
As soon as I walked into the forest here a first Pearl-bordered Fritillary crossed my path, then along the initial stretch of track out to the inclosures I counted four more. Soon after heading off that hard track towards the hot spot of a year ago (see here), I came upon a cluster of 10 all nectaring on Bugle and the first part of my dual mission for this day was soon accomplished.
Places I walked where Bugle was in flower were always the most productive in terms of observing Pearls today. That is one of a number of low-growing, forest clearing plants such as Violet, Primrose and Wild Hyacinth these butterflies depend upon in the ephemeral habitat they require of coppiced woodland where the undergrowth has been cut down for two or three years. When not nectaring males spend their time energetically flitting and gliding up to a metre above ground level in an endless search for newly emerged females. On finding one they will hover around the potential mate until either being accepted or rejected, and this was behaviour I witnessed several times today.
I was fortunate to have found this concentration so early in my visit, as the most productive spot of last year was far less so when I reached it this time. I then explored more rides coming across Pearls mostly in ones or twos in different places. The seven silver pearl markings that edge the underside hind-wings, and so account for this rather special butterfly’s name are visible in this sequence (below).
When I arrived here the forest seemed gloriously empty after the weekend, and for much of my three hours on site I had things largely to myself, save for the intermittent company of a Hants BC transect walker. But by 1.00 pm the location had inevitably filled up with general public. I moved on to a Duke of Burgundy site at Farley Mount near Winchester, but in contrast to a year ago found neither those or Pearls this time. So the former remains a butterfly I may not record for this 2020 British season.
Oxon spring butterflies, 2020
Over the preceding four days since the government lifted restrictions on internal travel I managed to add several spring speciality Oxfordshire butterflies for this year to the commoner species observed in my local countryside over the seven weeks of lock-down. At the weekend everyone I heard from or spoke to who had gone anywhere with a car park used words such as bedlam or pandemonium, as the British public poured en masse into the countryside. In an attempt to keep reasonably remote I chose to walk the South Oxon Downs above Aston Upthorpe, a classic butterfly area.
At Lowbury Hill (SU539825) I gained personal first site records of Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper, while Small Copper and plentiful Small Heath were also active. By late morning I was competing for space with motocross riders, and at one point was accosted by the loud occupants of an off road vehicle who just had to disturb me. Those activities are ongoing issues in the locality and the tracks leading to the Ridgeway area were badly rutted during the wet months of January and February this year.
Walking back to my own car through the open access land of Juniper Valley I found more Dingy and Grizzled Skipper, both of which are site specialities. Small Heath and Common Blue were each flying in numbers. A nearby motocross track is closed at present so people must be taking their bikes up onto the sensitive wildlife habitat of the high Downs. Vans and multi-occupied cars passed in the opposite direction once I had left the relative peace of the SSSI.
On 14th I visited another classic Oxon butterfly site Watlington Hill NT (SU702932) on the Chilterns escarpment, to seek out its speciality Blues. Common Blue and Brown Argus were both duly encountered, the latter mostly around some enclosures that have been created to protect Horseshoe Vetch from grazing rabbits. That is the food plant of Adonis Blue and I was delighted to secure a personal first site record of that iconic spring butterfly there.
Lastly, the second sequence of Orange Tip pictures (below) was recorded on a local footpath during a walk from home since my recent post on that butterfly (see here). During a somewhat surreal interval one encounter and picture opportunity such as this would often make the day’s outing seem worthwhile, which of course every local walk was.
The seven weeks of lock-down seem like no time at all to look back on, more like a hole in my memory, and filling each day successfully was motivating in itself. But anything I did prior to this unprecedented experience now seems a very long time ago.
Ramblings and Scribblings 