We’ve had to pick and choose our moments to walk the transects this week because of ongoing rainy spells. That has increased the chances of us being on the hill at a time when Large Blues would be on the wing and we have enjoyed seeing them. It’s exciting to know that we are now approaching their normal peak emergence time in late June.
On the weekend Large Blues were around, most often around Collard Hill’s Eastern slopes. During a pretty quiet transect walk on Monday afternoon Susie was the first to spot this very nicely patterned Large Blue hanging upside down on grasses right at the bottom of the hill.
It was a beauty and we sat and watched it for a little while. Its wing markings were very clear and we think it must have been only recently emerged from its chrysalis.
The wild thyme is out in patches right across the hill. We thought it would be interesting to share pictures of how this anthill patch has changed between May and June.
It’s nice to be able to give an update on this anthill thyme, since David Simcox’s Collard Hill Update blog on 9 May. David looked forward to the thyme flowers emerging here to provide an ideal location for Large Blues to lay their eggs. This patch is indeed now very enticing for the Large Blues and we have indeed been able to watch them laying eggs here.
Video 1 – Large Blue laying Egg on thyme 1 June
The plants on the hillside are now looking healthy, although the ground is still cracked in places after that extreme dry spell in April/May. We need to take care when walking for our own sake as well as for the sake of that amazing tapestry of wildflowers and grasses right across the hill. It’s close to a meditative exercise, staying mindful taking each step and literally being aware of our ecological footprint.
On Friday, we had 95% cloud cover and winds constantly around 10mph, the conditions were challenging and just one Large Blue made it onto our check sheet that day. On Saturday though, things improved in terms of sunshine even though winds increased to over 15mph we recorded 14 Large Blues. On Sunday afternoon it was calm and warm. We recorded a modest 8 Large Blues across the hill as well as 7 other butterfly species (Large Skipper, Comma, Small White, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady).
I made a nice dragonfly discovery that day too and I was excited to see a female Scarce Chaser (not recently reported on Collard Hill) as well as a rather large late-instar Oak Eggar caterpillar.
For the Large Blues, sunshine seems to be the most important ingredient for high numbers to be active. Winds appear less of a deterrent to the Large Blues coming out. We’ve seen several with wings blown sideways but still basking in the sun! This one even choosing a selfheal flower instead of the wild thyme to perch on and catch some sun on that windy Saturday.
In a large patch of nettles at the bottom of the hill we watched this male Large Skipper waiting for a passing female alongside this gorgeous Comma charging up on a little solar energy. This was the second day in a row we had seen these guys in this patch and their colours were showing beautifully in the afternoon light.
It certainly feels like the recent rains may be challenging for the butterflies, but the vegetation that many species depend on is certainly loving it. Many flowering plants such as restharrow and bird’s-foot trefoil are coming through very well and will now be able to provide a good amount of nectar to many pollinating insects across Collard Hill.
Pick of the bird sightings this week must be this rare Willow Tit. A red listed species in the UK due to recent population declines. It’s great to see Collard Hill supporting a Willow Tit, perhaps even more exciting than the kestrel that we watched hunting right above us by the east boundary hedge!
Best wishes to you all for the Summer Solstice this weekend. We hope you all have time to get out and enjoy nature somewhere near you on the longest day.
James & Susanna 18 June 2020
The National Trust's Large Blue Blog 