A whole lot of finger crossing

Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) by the A41 on 12^th May 2016

Yikes! Where did the last 12 days go?! Although butterfly numbers are low and late, I still seem to have spent inordinate amounts of time devoted to them. Last Monday, the 9^th, as part of the preparations for Duke of Burgundy (re)introduction, I scoured Roughdown Common and Bovingdon Brickworks for representative foodplants (Cowslip and Primrose) that females might choose for egg laying. It was then a case of labelling, photographing and mapping them all with a view to returning every 2 weeks to capture (photograph) their progress. The idea is that we’ll then have evidence to show that the sites can support the larvae right through to pupation….so long as these foodplants remain lush and edible (rather than desiccate in sun or drought). Fingers firmly crossed, prayers dispensed and mind set to "optimistic"!

Pyrausta aurata  (Small Purple and Gold or Mint Moth)  Roughdown 16/5/2016

Dingy Skipper, Brickworks, 12/5/2016. A male, indicated by the dark scent/sex-brands running through the forewings. These contain the androconial scales used during courtship

What else? Well, having religiously visited the A41 Bourne End/Boxmoor junction every weather-appropriate day since the beginning of May, the first Small Blues took flight on the 12^th. Just 3 of them and they were feeding feverishly on Grass Vetchling, Common Mouse-ear, Red and White Clover, Cowslips and Buttercups. Despite having no influence whatsoever on the survival of these little creatures, it hasn’t stopped me willing them through the winter, hoping all those tucked away larvae stay safe, and I felt as though I were greeting dear friends returned from a perilous adventure. I was so pleased to see them. Incidentally, 60-70% of the Kidney Vetch we planted at Roughdown and the Brickworks has taken, so, once again, fingers crossed for the future.

The best bird of the last week was the arrival of a Lesser Whitethroat jangling/rattling away at the western edge of the Brickworks. I wonder if it’s the same bird that turned up last year?

Not a Lesser Whitethroat but one of the many singing male Blackcaps around the Brickworks. This one hiding in a mess of Buddleja on Monday

On the botany front, I found a new patch of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) at the Brickworks. This, along with plenty of Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) and copious Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) is surely going to be tempting to any half-sane wandering Grizzled Skipper (a rare and restricted species in Herts and absent from BMT land). You guessed it, fingers firmly crossed.

Finally, I walked the Brickworks late afternoon yesterday. The Common Blue butterflies have yet to emerge and there’s still no sign of Brown Argus. The latter theoretically emerges the first week of May but my first sighting last year was the 10^th. This year, I’m anticipating that they’ll be slightly late but we’re definitely getting to the end of the window of expectation. All I can do is stay optimistic and hope for the best (no more fingers left to cross!).

Fancy a Strawberry… & Serenade?

Bovingdon (BMT): I spent a couple of mornings this week looking for Black Horehound (Ballota nigra) and the Horehound Longhorn moth (nemophora fasciella) at the Brickworks (try saying that when you’ve had a tipple or two!). Martin Parr, conservation manager at Maple Lodge, has found this extremely rare Hertfordshire moth at his reserve (details HERE). There are only 2 records of it pre-2006 (thanks Ben for the info), so, it really is a fantastic discovery. I am now very well acquainted with Hedge Woundwort (which sort of looks like Black Horehound) but haven’t found anything vaguely Horehound-y...yet.

Other than that, the Wild Strawberries (Fragaria vesca) were too good to resist this week. I confess, they tasted more like raspberries but perhaps they needed a few more days in the sunshine.

Left: One from the Sainsbury's bush. Right: Four from the Wild Strawberry bush

Three species of butterfly have looked particularly stunning this week. They’re freshly emerged, pristine and energetic: Marbled Whites, Ringlets and Small Tortoiseshell. I end up shaking my head in disbelief that something so perfect is created and destroyed within such a short time frame. The opulence of nature!
(Dave James inspired the shot below when he posted THIS on Twitter - superb photo, Dave!).

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

On Wednesday morning, I came across a male Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) serenading me and any old passing female (preferably with feathers and appropriate plumage) at the SW end of the Brickworks. It’s not an easy species to see or find locally, making it all the sweeter to experience. I recorded it’s vocal and hoped that when I returned in the afternoon I might be able to get some video footage. Unfortunately, it had either shut up, or flown off, and it wasn’t there the following morning.



Whilst I’m on the subject of singing birds, it’s been quite interesting to have 2 mixed singing Willow Warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) on BMT land this Spring. One in the chalk dell at Roughdown and one at the Brickworks. I think both birds are just good mimics, with Chiffchaffs on adjacent territory. I have tried a number of times to record each bird but sod's law applies. Every time I press record, the bird reverts to pure Willow Warbler. Every time I give up and walk away, the bird rattles off a cascading Willow Warbler refrain followed by chiming Chiffchaff notes. Flipping birds. Anyway, I finally managed to get a half decent recording of the mixed singing bird at the Brickworks recently.



Lastly a few nice moths this week: Cinnabar, Burnet Companions, a vibrant Common Purple & Gold (Pyrausta purpuralis) and 2 Triple-stripe Piercers (Grapholita compositella). I watched one Triple-stripe in action. The moth would land on large bramble leaves and then rapidly spin round in a circle, with its head at the centre. It was very odd and I can only assume that this process allowed the moth to pierce the leaf to feed on the juices? The larvae feed on Clover (Trifolium sp), where the eggs are deposited singularly on leaves.

Here's 3 semi-out-of-focus shots in the hope that quantity compensates for quality! Either way, they don't do this little 10mm moth justice. Up close, it's smart!

Triple-stripe Piercer (Grapholita compositella)