This is a further piece of welcome evolution in my current pared down and disrupted wildlife summer of 2022. After becoming a little intrigued by the broader wildlife potential of the Lye Valley when Common Frogs were spawning back in February (see here), I resolved to assess it for Odonata in season and with particular emphasis on one species, Keeled Skimmer.

In September of last year news broke on the thriving Oxon Dragonflies blog administered by our county recorder, confirming that breeding had occurred at the Headington site (SP546057) in both 2020 and 2021 (see here). The significance was this represented a notable county range expansion from KS’ historic Oxon stronghold of Cothill Fen to the west of the city. That was logical since both locations comprise remnant and nationally scarce alkaline fen habitat.

Keeled Skimmer (pictured above) is locally common in acid, boggy peat regions of south and south-west Britain, as well as similar localities in northern England and Scotland. It is a small, darter like dragonfly with a distinctive slender, tapering abdomen displaying a pale blue pruinescence in mature males. These establish small territories of which there may typically be around 15 in a 100 metre stretch of habitat. The flight season lasts from early June to late August.

After two days at home this sunny week, catching up on immediate chores following a week and a half away, I opted to test my fitness with a little local wildlife outing. The season’s first KS records had been published from the Cothill Fen complex, and I wanted to check things out for myself at the new site. Hence mid-morning found me taking things steadily along the boardwalk out to the area of LVNR that is known as “The Ponds”.

Before long up to 10 powder blue dragonflies became readily apparent mooching around the fen habitat. But I was perhaps a little early in the day to observe females that usually approach the male territories around midday. I had paid no attention to odonata other than Clubtails so far this season, and given recent distractions needed to re-acquaint myself with the diagnostics of both my day’s quest and the larger, heavier Black-tailed Skimmer to confirm the ID.

Returning home with record shots in the can I discerned yellow pterostigma (wing tags), wings held forward over the head, and the correct number of segments with no black tail or yellow edges to the abdomen. I had indeed recorded Keeled Skimmer in a different and evolved Oxon location, so mission had been accomplished. These were the only dragonflies encountered here today. For myself, I suffered no ill effects from the little excursion and in general have felt stronger each day in what is a period of convalescence.

When Tuesday 7th dawned with unexpected sunshine the next item on my local butterfly agenda beckoned quite clearly. And so I set out for a year’s first attempt for the Oxon / Bucks seasonal jewel that is Black Hairstreak. My choice of location as in the past two years was Bernwood Meadows (SP608109) on the border between those two counties.

Arriving around 9:30am at the 7.5 hectare, BBOWT-managed traditional hay meadow, it’s expanses of more than 100 wild plant species stretched out before me in all their beauty. It was an uplifting sight as for a week and a half I had been laid low by what I assumed to be a viral condition, though not Covid as I tested negative. This kept me in a state of daily exhaustion, with aching limbs and much more marked than usual asthma. But I still need to get out and do something each day and was not going to stand up this opportunity.

Walking out slowly to test my “fitness” towards the hotspot I usually check for today’s quest the meadows seemed very quiet for butterflies, and all I noted were one each of Small Heath, Common Blue and Small Copper. Then another butterfly almost flopped into the grass to one side of me, a very pristine Black Hairstreak (pictured above). I assume this was newly emerged by its appearance and because once it assumed the pose in the images herein it kept very still for a while. I was thus afforded a first ever opportunity to gain pictorial records of this more usually hyperactive species at ground level.

Eventually my subject flew away, having provided ample reward for my perseverance in locating it today. This was a third evolved item for the season on my 2022 BC UTB agenda, following those with Duke of Burgundy (see here) and Wood White (previous post), and just as pleasing as those earlier two. After around an hour on site and as the day became warmer, things were becoming more lively in terms of both butterflies and a variety of odonata, but I didn’t have the energy to check it all out.

This Black Hairstreak showed itself just in time, because the following evening I was hospitalised for the first time ever. After two nights in emergency assessment I landed on Friday morning (9th) at the most excellent Osler Respiratory Unit in Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. That is an elite facility, caring for just 24 patients each in individual en-suite rooms, and the care I received was fantastic. I have been diagnosed with an auto-immune / blood disorder called EGP Vasculitis, which fits with my history of chronic mild asthma and allergies. I was discharged on 19th and will remain an outpatient.

There is now very little I can add in this journal to on-line published information on the Black Hairstreak butterfly. But for those new to observing the species, who might have accessed this post via a web search, the following references from past years may hopefully offer some entertaining and informative detail.

A celebration of the Black Hairstreak – June 2017 – 146 views

Four Hairstreak butterflies at home and abroad – June 2018 – 144 views

The first precious jewels of summer – May 2020 – 70 views