After what had been a cold, damp spring, it was welcome relief that temperatures finally began to rise towards the end of May and I could finally begin to enjoy some butterflies, as spring and birding interest subsided.
Even then, sunny spells were at a premium, however thankfully I managed to catch up with Wood White in Bucknell Wood on 19/05, along with the encouraging sight of several returning Spotted Flycatchers.
I was chuffed to catch up with my first ever Green Hairstreak at Ardley ERF, near Bicester on 20/05, following Gareth Casburn's discovery of them there this year. Good to have another site on hand for these not too far from home! The site is very good for insects along the main track, providing nice photo opportunities of Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies.
I only had one fruiful visit to my local Grizzled Skipper site near Croughton, Northants this year on 02/06, producing just a single, brief sighting. Hopefully they're still doing ok there, though each year, the scrub encroaches still further and so sadly there will come a point when it will no longer be suitable I suspect.
I do love a Hairstreak and luckily managed to squeeze in a visit to Hewins Wood, near Calvert, after work on 07/06 in search of Black Hairstreaks. Luckily for me, the sun played ball for 25 mins and I managed to enjoy some good views, just a few metres from the car!
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