30 July 14 - Seeing My Last Regular Dorset Butterfly

I saw the last of the Southern UK breeding Butterflies back in the 80s, but there are a few species I've not seen since. In the last few years, I've focused on seeing the other UK Northern species (just Mountain Ringlet left to see), as well as looking for those species I've not seen since the 80s. Additionally, I've been trying to see all of the Dorset species. The only 2 regular Dorset breeding species I hadn't seen in Dorset up to the start of the year were Purple Emperor & Silver-spotted Skipper. Sadly, it looks like I started this quest a few years too late as Wood White appear to have died out in Dorset, in the last year or two. I succeeded with seeing a Purple Emperor back in mid July, but had to wait until now for Silver-spotted Skippers, as they are the last of the regular UK species to start flying. So I was keen to head to Fontmell Down having heard that the Silver-spotted Skippers had started flying there. It was also a chance to explore this great Dorset site for the first time. I would have liked to have got up there last year, but circumstances didn't allow it. There is a National Trust car park which I headed for, before heading out onto Fontmell Down.

Fontmell Down: The North slope of the Down is a mass of flowers

Fontmell Down: There are great views looking North

This is a great place for views over some superb rural parts of Dorset. But after the best part of an hour, I hadn't bumped into any species of Skippers. I figured I was in the wrong part of the Down & managed to get a response from my mate, Nick Urch, who had also out for the looking Silver-spotted Skippers. The fact I hadn't seen Nick was also an indication I was in the wrong area, but he might have already left before I arrived. Nick confirmed he had seen 4 Silver-spotted Skippers & gave the added directions to get to their favourite corner of the Down. Meeting up with Nick he pointed me in the exact area as he was leaving. There was a good selection of Butterflies on the wing in this area to keep me busy with the camera whilst looking for the main target.

Clouded Yellow: There has been a significant influx in Dorset in the last few days

Clouded Yellow: This is the regular colour form

Brimstone: The second brood have just emerged

Chalkhill Blue: Male. The broad white fringes are broken by dark lines. Whereas Common Blue has white fringes to the wings without any dark lines

Common Blue: Female

Common Blue: Female

Dark Green Fritillary: Getting faded & tatty now

Small Skipper: They have a plain upperwing compared to the other Skippers (except for Essex Skippers)

Small Skipper: Note, the orange tips to the antennae

After an hour of walking around & looking and getting distracted by the above species, I finally saw the first of 2 or 3 Silver-spotted Skippers that I saw.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

This was my 48th species of Butterfly in Dorset. I've seen the 45 current breeding species: Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange-tip, Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, Purple Hairstreak, Brown Hairstreak, White-letter Hairstreak, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Small Blue, Holly Blue, Silver-studded Blue, Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, Purple Emperor, White Admiral, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Marbled White, Grayling, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Wall, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper & Silver-spotted Skipper. Additionally, I've seen 3 vagrant species in Dorset: Monarchs in the Autumn of 3 years (1995, 1999 & 2012), 3 of the 5 St Aldhelms Swallowtails & a Large Tortoiseshell which spent several days at Durlston in July 2008.

2 July 14 - The Secret Of Chapmans Pool

The wind had dropped a bit from the previous day's searching for the continental Swallowtails at St Aldhelms Head, so I was back out again looking. I've already covered my success in seeing one in a previous Swallowtail post, but I didn't get chance to cover the other views & wildlife seen on the 2nd. So here goes. With more detailed directions from George Green on where he had seen his Swallowtail on the 30 June, I was back to look on the coastal footpath between Chapmans Pool & St Aldhelms Head. Chapmans Pool is the valley immediately West of St Aldhelms Head. After parking at the National Trust car park at Renscombe Farm, I took the diagonal path across the tops of the fields to get to the coast path. This is the quickest way, but it misses out the best birding parts of the Chapmans Pool valley. But today was all about the Swallowtails and not general migration birding. Walking along the top of the valley quickly brought me to the Royal Marines Memorial. It's a great place to spend a few minutes & enjoy the views, but also to remember the good work the Marines have done over the years to keep the UK safe. It's well located given there is a sizable Marines base in Poole & it's not uncommon to see them out training locally on their ribs.

The Royal Marines Memorial

The Royal Marines Memorial

From here it's possible to look down into the seaward end of the Chapmans Pool valley. There are some great views from the coast path in this area.

Looking West from near the Marines Memorial: No prizes for working out why Portland (in the far left of the photo) is one of the prime birding sites on the South Coast

Chapmans Pool: It's actually a sea cove. Like a mini Lulworth Cove, without the shops & houses

The Chapmans Pool clifftop path along Emmetts Hill looking from St Aldhelms: My Swallowtail was on the cliff top vegetation

Looking towards St Aldhelms: From Emmetts Hill clifftop path

The valley between St Aldhelms & Emmetts Hill: It's only a 70m ascent, but it is a best to enjoy the view part way up

Along the Emmetts Hill path, there are patches of rough grassland, patches of Thistles as well as some great short grassland which have the best areas of ground hugging flowers.

Small Copper: A great small Butterfly

Dark Green Fritillary: I need to get better photos, but was happy given the other two I saw I lost in flight without seeing where they went

Dark Green Fritillary

Swallowtail: Continental subspecies. Couldn't resist sneaking this back into the post. After all it was the reason for the visit. This is Individual B (as detailed in my Swallowtail mug shot post)

I returned to St Aldhelms for a longer look at the Swallowtails a few days later on the 6 July. I was focusing so much on the Swallowtails (see the Swallowtail mug shot post), that the camera wasn't used to photograph much else.  However, I did see 3 different Swallowtails that day, including the Individual B which was now looking a lot more worn.

Swallowtail: Continental subspecies. Individual D

Swallowtail: Continental subspecies. Individual E

Butterfly twitchers: At this point, the numbers of Butterfly twitchers (including myself) outnumbered the walkers 8 to 1

Additionally, I did managed to photograph a tatty Wall Butterfly, a Shieldbug & a Capsid Bug which I mistook for a Shieldbug.

Wall: Another of my favourite Butterflies

Boat Bug Enoplops scapha: A member of the Shieldbug family

Potato Capsid: I had thought this would be a Shieldbug nymph, but couldn't find it in my Shieldbug book. So ended up putting the photo on iSpot for some help. Within a few minutes a Yorkshire based wildlife ranger called Colin had responded with Potato Capsid which seems to fit the bill (thanks Colin). This is a common & widespread species of meadows & hedgerows in the UK. Whilst not a Shieldbug, it is in the Capsid Bug (Miridae) family in the suborder Heteroptera. The Heteroptera suborder also contains the Shieldbugs family along with another 40,000 species of Bugs (around the world)