The great Dark-Green Frit hunt

Having encountered Dark-Green Fritillaries on a handful of occasions in and close to Brackley in recent years, I was frustrated I couldn't find where they were coming from! So I was pleased that in late summer last year, I was told of a location near Croughton, where someone had reported several in 2022.

Sussing the area out in May / June suggested it looked promising and it was great to enjoy upwards of 200 Marbled Whites and plenty of grassland butterflies there. However, with Dark Green Fritillaries very much on the wing elsewhere, I was struggling to find any as June wore on.

Due largely to the run of recent wet weather, I'd not been able to return thereafter - peak time for DGFs! However on Sunday 23/07, the morning rain, turned to a hot, mostly sunny day, if a bit breezy! Having a couple of hours free, I thought it was worth another crack for DGFs, before most likely, they'd be gone for another year.

On arrival, it was teeming with butterflies, as it was the last time I visited, however the species make-up had evolved, with Marbled Whites now very down in number, however Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Skippers were abundant. Second brood Brown Argus were on show, actually outnumbering Common Blues. A Small Copper stuck to it's particular territory like glue and was a nice surprise - they are all too uncommon in recent years.

A good stomp around revealed a lovely spread of Field Scabious and Thistles, luring in a nice variety of butterflies, as well as quite a few Silver Y and Burnet Moths.

After a full circuit, in the corner of my eye, I noticed something big and orange on a scabious right in front of me. At long last - a Dark-Green Frit! It was so great to finally find one - I think I'd just been unlucky up until that point. I managed to follow it round for quite a while and when I lost it, soon bumped into it again.

Having walked one more circuit and racking up an impressive 19 butterfly species, I encountered yet another DGF, this time in a far tattier state. A pleasing end before driving home.

On the bird side of things, it's definitely, slowly getting interesting again as autumn begins rumbling into life. Waders are now moving - I had 16 Green Sandpipers at the Green Sand hotspot of Bicester Wetland on Friday 21/07.

Been to Grimsbury a few times racking up Common Sand and LRP, though best bird was a juvenile Redstart in the SW corner, which I caught up with on 17/07, showing bloody well for a Redstart!

When it hasn't been raining, I have spent some time in the garden and there's finally been an increase in butterflies! Best being a female Common Blue and an Essex Skipper, as well as an impressive 11 species on 20/07. The Foxes continue to show and Swift numbers have reached big numbers - easily up to 80 in recent days. Presumably swelled due to juveniles now being on the wing and perhaps at times added to by birds moving through (?)