I fancied something a little different on Sunday 04/06 and with the sun shining, I decided to get on the M40 down to Yoesden Bank in the Chilterns, to look for Adonis Blues and whatever else I could find! Yoesden is a lovely site on a sunny day, hidden away deep in the Buckinghamshire countryside, accessed by narrow leafy lanes and is always alive with life.
On entering the reserve, it quickly became clear that there were great numbers of Small Blues littering the grassland, springing up after nearly every step!
I was aware from reports online, that Marsh Fritillaries had been anonymously released here. Walking along the lower slopes I soon came across 2-3 fluttering around in the grass. Very bittersweet for me to be honest as it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy them again. However, has the potential impacts of releasing them at this particular site really been considered as part of this unpermitted release? Certainly a hot topic recently with the recent, mysterious appearance of Black-Veined Whites across a number of sites in southern England. Marsh Frits too have popped up in a few places in recent years, where not previously recorded.
I feel very uneasy with this kind of thing happening, as not only is it potentially putting sensitive ecosystems at risk, but also could be clouding the true picture of species distribution and hindering the ability to spot any key populations trends.
Anyways - back to my search for Adonis Blues! As I climbed the slope I was soon encountering several busy males, now very active in the mid morning sun. I stuck with one particularly fresh male for a while, that eventually allowed some nice views. A few females could also be found as continued around the warmer upper slopes.
There was plenty of other life to enjoy with my first Large Skipper and Meadow Browns of the year, plus a couple of Small Copper, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, a Brown Argus, Commons Blues and Small Heath. There were quite a few orchids knocking about too, with Bee, Chalk Fragrant, Pyramidal and Common Spotted all seen.
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