Bewitched on the Downs

Blue butterflies weren't the only things on the wing at Ballard Down on Sunday - a few day-flying moths were also in evidence, the most numerous of which was the Mother Shipton, named after a 16th century Yorkshire prophetess whose visage is replicated in the wing pattern of the moth. She is said to have foretold, among other things, the Great Fire of London, the invention of iron ships and the defeat of the Armada, insights which saw her reputation deteriorate rapidly from 'soothsayer' to 'witch'. Seems a bit harsh. Good job she didn't claim to know about climate change, or the latter day equivalent of Donald Trump would have had her fried. Fortunately, Tudor overlords were more tolerant than modern day Presidential candidates, and, despite predicting the end of the world, she was left to die of natural causes in her 70s. Such is her legend that Mother Shipton is the only British moth to share its name with a cave-based visitor attraction in Yorkshire. Fact.

Mother Shipton - the hooked nose and protruding chin of the witch's face can be seen in the wing pattern  

Also on the wing was a smart Wood Tiger

I was surprised to find this Angle Shades roosting out in the open

And representing the micros, Pyrausta ostrinalis - related to, but a different species from, the Pyrausta purpuralis I saw on Melbury Down a few weeks ago

Had to phone a friend to identify this one: Cydia ulicetana, a common and widespread species in Britain, but not one I had photographed before

As well as blues doing the wild thing, these Dingy Skippers were also at it

Always a pleasure to see a male Orange Tip nectaring

Ditto a roosting Small Heath

It started to rain at Ballard so I retired to Wareham, picked up the family and we headed to Morden Bog for a late afternoon walk - a Green Hairstreak near Morden Park Lake was a pleasant surprise

It was perched up on Rhododendron...

...along with another of my favourite species - the Beautiful Demoiselle

This is the female of the species - perhaps not lovelier than the male, but still a stunner

 

Summer meets autumn coming back

High summer means butterflies and there has been a wide selection on view at Butterfly Conservation's Alners Gorse reserve in North Dorset recently. The smartest of these was undoubtedly:

Silver-washed Fritillary - female of the rare form valezina

Valezina underside

About 15% of females are said to be of this form. Compare to...

...a regular female Silver-washed Fritillary...

..and a male of the same species...

...males being identified by the parallel black bars on the forewing 

Silver-washed Fritillary underwing

Silver-washed Fritillary with Meadow Brown for size comparison

Purple Hairstreak - these can be seen flying around the tops of oaks usually, but occasionally they will come down to a lower perch.

Another Purple Hairstreak - this one on the favoured oak

The rarer Hairstreak - White-letter - wouldn't play ball on a morning visit on Saturday - this shot of one high in the canopy was taken on a late evening visit earlier in the week.

White Admiral - there were a few around but this one was the only one to land, and then only briefly.

Ringlet - one of the most attractive of the 'brown' family.

Commoner species included: Comma...



...Gatekeeper - this one a female...

...Gatekeeper - a male...

...and Meadow Brown.

Also on the wing at Alners Gorse was the Beautiful Demoiselle

The same individual but with the light behind me this time.



High summer also means the start of return wader passage - the rarest so far in Dorset has been a White-rumped Sandpiper which spent a few days at Lodmoor in Weymouth last week and stayed until Saturday:

White-rumped Sandpiper (left) sadly not quite as in focus as the Dunlin

An adult bird



Another imperfect flight shot - this time into the light, but clearly showing the white rump

Another comparison with Dunlin