Green Hairstreaks & Holly Blue

Hemel (BMT): Just a few photos from today along the Bulbourne and at Roughdown Common

Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), growing along the river,  Bulbourne Meadow & Harding's Moor

At Lower Roughdown, I was really pleased to find a couple of the rare Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) butterflies. Purely by chance, I managed to photograph both of them. One had noticeable scuff marks across the underside of the right forewing.

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), specimen 1, Lower Roughdown

The second Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), specimen 2 (scuff marks on right underwing), Lower Roughdown

Another lovely butterfly to see today was a female Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus). I only saw one at Roughdown Common last year and, in 2013, only 2 were recorded on the butterfly survey. In the hours that I was on site today, it only settled once and briefly, so I had to be very quick to grab photographs!

There were at least 2 Willow Warblers, 4+ Chiffchaff & 3+ Blackcaps all singing close by. In the chalk bowel, there was a Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff and both had very odd songs, as if trying to add a little of the other's song into their own. I didn't have the time to wait and record them, unfortunately - one for another day or someone else to investigate. There were a couple of Mistle Thrush pairs, one adult from each pair was busy collecting worms, presumably for young.