Zen and the Art of Seeking Out The UK’s Butterfly Species – Part 2

Part Two – Reaching The Zenith

To explain what might seem like a baffling choice of title, I thought it worth partially repeatingmy introduction from “Part One” of this feature (published in the previous edition of the Butterfly Conservation Cumbria Branch Spring Newsletter 2022),where I described “Zen” as a state of calm attentiveness in which one’s actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort.

For sure, the best motorcycling experiencescan approach this state, which I’ve found is certainly attainable by riding stunning roads such as the Route des Grands Alpes in the French Alps, the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, or even sweeping through the South Downs on the iconic A272 early in the morning heading East towards theheart of the Purple Empire of theKneppWildlands in Sussex.

In a play on words with the well-known book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,the “motorcycle” aspect was retained, but the“maintenance” aspectwas replaced with the “seeking of butterflies”, in itself an activity that approached “Zen” as we got more and more into it. That said, as we edged towards seeing all of the UK butterfly species,the state of “zen” became more like a crazy obsessionas we approached “the zenith”.

The idea originally came about back in October 2019whilst enjoying some drinks one evening with my childhood friend Simon Russell (known to friends as Fuzzy or Fuzz). During our drinking session, a plan was hatched to seek out the species of UK butterflies that we hadn’t seen, would like to see again, or weren’t sure that we’d seen.

It was our kind of project, so we chinked glasses in celebration of our new aim. For myself, I vowed to do it all by motorcycle, and Fuzz, being a motorcyclist himself, would also travel using two wheels on most occasions.The project was on.

We came up with our butterfly hit list* and researched places to find them, along with their flight times. Originally,we thought it good if “the project”could be done in a single year as Patrick Barkham had described doing in his book The Butterfly Isles(though without the motorcycle), but thisproved unfeasible for usdue to our various commitments of work, family and other stuff that we each had going on, and of course, the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.In the end, it would be done over three enjoyable summers (2020, 2021 and 2022).

By the time we’d reached theSummers’ end of 2021, the species left on our list were as follows; Cryptic Wood White (optional for Fuzz, but not for me), Chequered Skipper, Black Hairstreak, Mountain Ringlet, Northern Brown Argus and Large Heath. In terms of being certain about species that are tricky to identify, we also wanted confirmed sightings of the Lulworth and Essex Skippers, even though we were near certain we’d seen them in the past. Also for 2022, I “adjusted my targets” (which I know sounds like “management-speak”) to include a “grounded” Purple Emperor, and better sightings of the species we’d seen only fleetingly, such as the Brown and White Letter Hairstreaks. I also vowed to capture lots of images.

As we worked towards our goal, our 2022 travels would continue take us near, far and wide in search of the remaining species on our hit list – from Battlesbury Hill and Salisbury Plainin Wiltshire close to where I live for the Essex Skipper, to further flung areas such asFineshade Wood in Northamptonshire for the (reintroduced) Chequered Skipper, Whixall Mossin North Shropshire for the Large Heath, across the Irish Sea to Craigavon Lakes in Northern Ireland for the Cryptic Wood White, and to areasthat will be familiar to many Butterfly Conservation Cumbria members; Irton Fell for the Mountain Ringlet, and Latterbarrow for the Northern Brown Argus.

Space doesn’t allow for each story of our trips to be told, so I’ve selected fourthat I hope will be of interest and enjoyment, including our visit “up North” to Cumbria.So how did it all pan out?

Crossing The Irish Sea In Search of The Cryptic Wood White – May 2022

The forecast had seemed good, though the reality wasn’t quite as good as the prediction. I called it “nearly weather”; a bit too windy, a degree or two too cold, not sunny enough and nothing was flying. I thought that if it carried on being unfavourable, it was going to be a struggle.I had visions of coming all this way only to return home without the sighting.

There were hardly any gaps in the clouds, and it just wasn’t warm enough, and it concerned me that the forecast for the following day looked similar to the weather I was experiencing on a day when the weather was supposed to be better. It would require somedetermination and a bit of fieldcraft to get the job done.

I spent time loitering around the most promising areas,watching for gaps in the clouds, and waiting for that all-important rise in the temperature. And then it happened, for only two or three minutes, the sun fought through and as if by magic, a Cryptic Wood White and then a another took to the wing. And once you’ve seen it, you can follow it, even if it retreats back to pitching down in the foliage. I was happy, I’d done it, and I punched the air. Then it was about photography.

As soon as the sun went behind the clouds, one of the specimenspitched amongst the grass in a place I could get to, so I laid against one of tussocks and began shooting images, that was until I realised that the tussock was an ants’ nest. They were quickly all over me and I leapt up, brushing myself wildly as the ants showed me who was boss. I avoided lying across any tussocks thereafter.

After the morning’s hard-fought success, I had a lunch break at the sports centre café, and as I munched a sandwich, noticed that it seemed a bit brighter outside. It had definitely warmed up a bit, and though it remained mostly overcast, I saw probably fifteen specimens and captured good images by the end of the afternoon in the slightly improved conditions. I called Fuzz, giving him news of my success.

With the “pressure off” of having got sightings and photographs, my second day at the lakes would be whatever it would be. Before going to bed, I checked the forecast; it predicted less wind, but was likely to remain overcast.

I stirred early again, and quickly perceived sunny skies on the other side of the curtains. I got up quickly, wolfed down my breakfast, and commuted to the site in order to make the best of the unexpected conditions. I decided that if I had a good morning, I could go for a ride and explore in the afternoon.

It seemed that the forecasters had got this one wrong, as it was mostly sunny throughout the whole day, with the odd bit of cloud from time to time. The improvement in the weather made a huge difference to the sightings, and I noticed that they flew out in the open a lot more when compared to the Wood Whites we’d seen atBranscombe in Devon. I didn’t take many photos this time, as they were much more “flighty”, but hoped to get a mating which I could then concentrate on, though in the end there was no joy on that front.

It was actuallyquite spectacular; I probably sawseventy-five plus specimens. Fuzz would have been really into this. I calledhimand mischievously suggested that he fly out from Exeter to Belfast with his biking gear, from where I would pick him up. I know he seriously thought about doing it.

In the afternoon, I visited the Oxford Island National Nature Reserve on the South shore of Lough Neagh where I parked up and went for a walk on one of the trails. Amusingly, I chatted with a wildlife enthusiast in one of the bird hides, telling her that I’d been to Craigavon Lakes which I pronounced “Craig-Ay-Von”. She corrected me by telling me it’s pronounced “Crag-Avvon”. I was suitably chastened!

But my day wasn’t yet done; Iset off for a longer ride, heading East to Armagh, then into the Republic passing through Monaghan and Clones, and back into the North to Lisnaskea and Enniskillen, where I had just about enough time for a pot of tea before I was kicked outof the coffee shop at closing time. My return ride to Portadown was on flowing roads via Clogher and included a detour to Dungannon.

On the final full day, all I had to do was to get from Portadown to Belfast, which is around thirty miles by the most direct route; I could have returned to the lakes for more Cryptic Wood White encounters, or go for another ride as an alternative.

In the end I chose the ride, first through Armagh to Keady, and then into the Republic, passing throughCastleblayneyandLough Egish, briefly back into the North at Crossmaglen, back into the Republic at Dundalk, then around the peninsula to Carlingford. I crossed back into the North at Newry and had an enjoyable detour through the Mourne Mountains, dropped down onto the coast road just before Newcastle, and then on to Belfast. It was a good day; pleasant riding in a green and pleasant land.

Fineshading for The Chequered Skipper, Cow Pasturing and Monking for The Black Hairstreak – Late May 2022

Fine shade Wood is part of the original Rocking ham Forest and covers a large area, so I figured it would be easy to waste precious time looking in all the wrong areas.I sat in the café by the visitor centre and made an executive decision to join the free of charge Skipper Walk that was being run daily by Butterfly Conservation in the flight season (weather permitting). I wouldn’t normally do something like that, but thought it would be helpful in getting me up to speed with the best areas to look, and of course, to get the sighting.

The weather on the Saturday was “so so”; cloudy, but warm-ish, though the sun did break through at times. The Skipper Walk attracted a number of enthusiasts and was led by a young volunteer called Ellie, who guided the group around the main trails in the Westhay Wood section of Fine shade.

We saw Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, and late in the walk, there was one possible Chequered Skipper sighting seen by a couple of people in the group, but it vanished not to be seen again. By talking to others that I met, I learned that a few of specimens had been seen during the day, so it was promising. I tried again in the afternoon, but the weather had deteriorated a bit and it ultimately proved unsuccessful. Throughout the day of Skipper searching, it was great to hear Cuckoos calling out across the woods.

On the Sunday, I was up early, and finding that the sun was out (at odds with the forecast of overcast conditions), I quickly upped sticks and went straight to Fine shade and into the Westhay section. I made it to what I considered was the most promising glade at 8.40am, and got the first sighting just before 9am where I captured pleasing images of fresh-looking specimens.

As I continued with the photography, two enthusiasts (“loiterers” as we refer to them)called Neil and Pete appeared on the scene; they were also searching for the Chequered Skipper. They were both very grateful that I was able to help them in their quest. We saw (I think) four specimens, and had two productive hours before retreating back to the café just as the Skipper Walk was setting off.

With the Chequered Skipper “in the bag” my thoughts immediately turned to the Black Hair streak, so I decided to head off to the Glapthorn Cow Pasture Reserve, just a few miles from Fine shade. It’s quite a small place, but I could see why it’s such a renowned site for this species; lots of Blackthorn (the food plant), Ash trees, nectar sources and sheltered micro-climates.

As I thought might be the case, I didn’t see any as it was slightly too early, but I suspected that they’d begin their emergence over coming days. Afterwards, I stopped in the pleasant town of Oundle for a snack and a check of my days’ images ,and then rode all the way home without stopping, happy with my weekend’s work.

I’d been in touch with Fuzz regularly throughout the weekend, and suggested to him that we ought to get up to Fine shade the following weekend to ensure he got his Chequered Skipper sighting. I suspected that it was peak season and that the time was now. The weather during the week ahead was forecast to be mixed, but improving again by the weekend, so we made our plan. With the benefit of that extra week, we’d also have a reasonable chance of an early Black Hair streak sighting, either at Glapthorn or at another site in that general area.

After work on the Friday, I fired up the bike (pre-packed and ready) and rode up to Corby, succumbing to some fish and chips at Faringdon between Swindon and Oxford en route. Though it was a Friday evening, the place seemed deserted, not untypical of market towns in the post-Covid world. It seemed sad, and unsustainable for the pubs and restaurants.

Fuzz would follow somewhat later, arriving just after last orders, though I’d bought him a pint in anticipation of this. I suggested we get up early and try to replicate my successful morning from the previous weekend.We had our beers and crashed out.

The morning was very similar to the previous Sunday; sunny and clear, but with more wind. We hurried to the spot, but for a while, nothing, except for a few moths and some Dingy and Grizzled Skippers (the wrong Skippers). It was tempting to move on elsewhere, but I said to Fuzz that we should stick around, and after half an hour, our patience was rewarded with a single specimen climbing onto a Bugle flower to feast on a breakfast of nectar.Fuzz was really happy, we did a high-five and he repeatedly thanked me for it. This was one species he really wanted to see.

Later, on the main path, we encountered a chap who’d spotted another specimen nectaring on bramble, which he kindly showed us. It stuck around for a while as we shot images and chatted with fellow loiterers who stopped by to have a look.The wind and rain over the mid-week days had taken their toll on the two specimens we saw, looking much less pristine than the those I encountered the previous weekend.

With the Chequered Skipper now “in the bag” for both of us, we agreed to move onto the Black Hair streak with immediate effect. Fuzz “feared” this species (i.e.us not finding it due to the secretive habits of Hair streaks in general), though I thought that if it was “right time, right place, right weather” we would find it. We travelled the few miles from Fine shade to Glapthorn Cow Pasture, but there was still no sign of any despite a concentrated effort.

In the evening, back at the Corby ring-road hotel, we trawled the internet. We checked the Northampton shire and Bedfordshire, Upper Thames, and Cambridgeshire and Essex Butterfly Conservation websites and social media profiles for any reports of the first Black Hair streaks of the year and to our delight, four specimens had been seen that day at Monks Wood, a National Nature Reserve near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.

We decided we would go there the following day, and if nothing was happening, we would return to Glapthorn in the afternoon to try our luck there.Monks Wood is considerably larger than Glapthorn, but thankfully the reporter gave detail on where in the wood he’d had the sightings, noted as Main Ride and Stocking Close Ride. We found a map of the wood online and headed to that area.

As we checked the Blackthorn along the ride edges, the actual reporter of the previous day’s sightings had returned to the wood for another look with a friend, so we hung around with them. Then bingo!

In the sporadic sun, we saw several specimens. There weren’t any opportunities for good photography, but we were very happy.As we left the reserve, the sun came out briefly, so we stopped to look at some Blackthorn on the woodland edge, and there it was; another newly emerged specimen. Their season was just starting.

We stopped in Oundle for hot beverages and milkshakes to reflect on our weekend’s success before heading our separate ways. I rode with focus and a warm glow back to Wiltshire, arriving in timefor a school reunion.

Closing In On “The Zenith” – Up North for The Mountain Ringlet, Northern Brown Argus And Large Heath – Early June 2022 (Queen’s Jubilee Weekend)

Flushed with our success, we decided to head back towards Kendal to stop at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Latter barrow Reserve in search of the Northern Brown Argus. It was warm, still and humid,but overcast, and though the site was full of nectar sources,there were few butterflies on the wing except some Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries which we enjoyed seeing. But no sign of the Northern Brown Argus. I became a bit concerned about finding this species, as the following day’s weather forecast had changed from being fine to rainy and cool, only perhaps clearing up in the early evening.

Back in Kendal, we had a good meal in our new favourite pub, the Shakespeare Inn, and decided that we’d have to “go birding” the following day in response to the weather, choosing the “no brainer” of visiting the RSPB’s excellent Leighton Moss Reserve. We had a really good day there, seeing many species such as Sand Martins, Sedge Warblers and Marsh Harriers, with the highlight being an incredible four Bitterns flying together over the reeds. Even the visitor centre staff were talking about it.

Our real mission, however, was the butterflies, and we really needed to track down the Northern Brown Argus whilst on this visit, as planning another trip up-North was going to be difficult for both of us to squeeze in. Given that “pressure”, we stayed at Leighton Moss until well into the afternoon, so that we could head to the nearby Warton Crag Reserve when it was forecast to clear up.

We enjoyed the reserve, and as forecast, the clouds were indeed breaking up. We were seeing very few butterflies, when I spotted what looked like a “blue that wasn’t blue”. We desperately tried to keep sight of it, and when it settled, we thought we’d done it. But no, it was a female Common Blue, the traces of blue colouration giving the game away. We kept trying for a while longer, but to no avail, so we headed back to Kendal to regroup. We had one more day, but at least the forecast was good for our last day of searching.

Our plan for the final day was as follows; visit Latter barrow first thing, then ride to Irton fell for another go at the Mountain Ringlets, and if we were unsuccessful at Latterbarrow in the morning, either revisit again in the afternoon or try Warton Crag instead, or even both. Depending on how we got on, and whether any time was left, there was also the possibility of a visit to Foulshaw Moss for the Large Heath.

We arrived at Latter barrow quite early and got to work. It was sunny and warm, and we searched diligently as the clock ticked. Suddenly, I saw something. I called over to Fuzz, who came running. I’d found it; a single Northern Brown Argus freshly emerged basking in the morning sun.

We followed it as it visited various nectar sources and we captured images, and also photographed the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries whilst there. We spent an hour and then rode on to Irton Fell, where we saw perhaps ten Mountain Ringlets, up from the five or so we’d seen a couple of days previously. They were very skittish and impossible to approach in the bright sun, so we watched them for a while and decided to head back towards Kendal; and there was still enough time to stop by at Foulshaw Moss.

On the way, we detoured into the historic little town of Broughton for tea and cake. Under the clear blue skies filled with cavorting Swifts, Swallows and House Martins, I thought it had a European vibe about it if you ignored the Jubilee celebration happening in the square below. I could imagine White Storks tending a nest on one of the chimney stacks.

With our target species successfully found, we hoped for a very early Large Heath, so could we ride our luck with our late afternoon visit to the Foulshaw Moss Reserve?The bird action was good, with Osprey, Marsh Harrier and Lesser Red poll topping our billing, but there were no Large Heath sightings. We would have to wait for a visit to Whixall Moss in Shropshire a couple of weeks later to get that “tick”.

Making Sure of it; Identifying The Lulworth And Essex Skippers– July 2022

The Tout Quarry Reserve is located behind a small industrial estate, and we found it to be a great place for butterflies. We got to work looking for Skippers, attempting to photograph any that we could find.

It would turn out that most of the Skippers we saw were Lulworths, with one sheltered gully being especially productive, providing us with the opportunity we needed to make a positive identification. We’d edged one step closer. But there was still one bit of unfinished business, the Essex Skipper, a species that we’d surely already seen, or had we…?

The Essex Skipper is supposedly quite common in many areas in the South, so should in theory be fairly easy to see, but it looks virtually identical to the Small Skipper, flies at roughly the same time of year, is found in similar habitat, and can be on the wing “side by side” at the same sites. It’s interesting to see on the sightings blogs, such as on Butterfly Conservation’s Wiltshire Branch website as to how these two species are reported by some recorders; often as “Small/Essex Skipper” rather than “Small Skipper” or “Essex Skipper”. The main differences for the purposes of identification are the antennae, which are really difficult to tell apart in the field. Photography is therefore a great help in distinguishing between the two species.

During the ongoing heatwave, I squeezed in a “solo trip” to Bentley Wood in Wiltshire where I encountered several enthusiasts, most of whom were searching for Purple Emperors, as was I. For a while, a few of us walked and talked our way along one of the glades as His Imperial Majesty, the Purple Emperor, rested some where out of sight in the stifling heat.

One of the assembled enthusiasts pointed to a Skipper that he’d viewed through a small scope that he was carrying, identifying it as “an Essex”. This specimen eluded my attempt at photography by deciding to whizz offnot to be seen again, so I couldn’t verify it. I had to trust that the fellow “loiterer” was correct in his identification, and of course Fuzz wasn’t there. For those reasons, it wasn’t satisfactory, nor definitive.

Fuzz and I discussed this and knew we’d have to go out in search for itif we were to complete our “project”. I knew that the Essex Skipper was probably present on Battlesbury Hill close my home, and the thought of positively identifying it became a mini-obsession with both us. On a rare Sunday afternoonspent at home (the 24th July to be precise) I watched the French Formula 1 Grand Prix, and noticed during the race that the sun had come out, after a dull and cloudy start.

Rather than watch the podium ceremony and punditry after the race, I grabbed my camera bag and headed for Battlesbury Hill, vowing to photograph every Skipper I could find. Iphotographed several, and concluded that they were all Small Skippers, except one, which I suspected was an Essex.

I sent images of this specimen to the Butterfly Conservation’s Wiltshire County Recorder Mike Fuller, who concurred with me that it was almost certainly an Essex; he said “I’d say it’s an Essex Skipper although not 100% certain, say 90%”.This was a great step forward. I now knew almost for sure that I could find the Essex locally to my home. I also asked Mike to recommend any other sites for this species; he said that it’s common on Salisbury Plain, and suggested trying the area known as The Bustard, between Shrewton and Larkhill.

The following weekend, Fuzz travelled up from Devonso that we could hunt down the Essex Skipper and get the job done. We had a meal on the Saturday night, and were slow getting going on the Sunday thanks to the amount of drink consumed, but it didn’t matter; the worst of the weather was in the morning.

We rode out to the area Mike suggested and parked up. There wasn’t anywhere specific that we had to go; it was just a case of going for a walk through the grassland. We took shelter under a tree as some drizzly rain blew through, and then got searching in earnest.

Before long we’d discovered our first Skipper, docile and approachable in in the overcast conditions. Our photographs revealed what we hoped to find, it was almost certainly an Essex, with distinctly black-tipped antennae as if dipped in ink, and we later found others. We high-fived each other.

After the weekend, I sent some images of our Essex Skippers to Mike. He replied with,
“Thanks for sending the pictures which I’m sure are Essex Skippers. Your pictures clearly show the black-tipped antennae.” I called Fuzz to give him the excellent news.We weretherefore very happy to report to anyone who would listen that our “project” was completed, officially rubber stamped as being Sunday 31st July 2022 at The Bustard on Salisbury Plain.

We’d had great fun doing it, we learned a lot of things, and we had reached “the zenith”.

*Our butterfly species “hitlist” contained as follows; Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Heath Fritillary, Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Glanville Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Silver Washed Fritillary (valesina form), Purple Emperor, White Admiral, Large Tortoiseshell, Wood White, Cryptic Wood White(optional for Fuzz), Purple Hairstreak, White Letter Hairstreak, Black Hair streak, Brown Hairstreak, Swallowtail, Mountain Ringlet, Large Heath, Scotch Argus, Silver Studded Blue, Large Blue,Northern Brown Argus, Chequered Skipper, Silver Spotted Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Essex Skipper.
In the “process” of seeing all of these species, we would also encounter all of the rest, namely Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Orange-Tip, Large White, Small White, Green-Veined White, Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Grayling, Dark Green Fritillary, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Small Copper, Green Hair streak, Small Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Adonis Blue, Chalk Hill Blue.