My wildlife and photography highlights blogs of 2021: Post fourteen-A new style one on ten of my standout butterfly, moth and flower moments and points from August to November
The weekend I saw Silver-spotted Skipper, Clouded Yellow and Purple Hairstreak at Old Winchester Hill and Stockbridge Down, with a visit to Magdalen Hill and standout flower moments too
One of the pivotal and most joyful moments of my summer in which we started to put the icing on the cake of our butterfly year seeing my first super Silver-spotted Skipper and Clouded Yellow two of my favourite species of the year on a scorching and gloriously sunny August Saturday morning at the beautiful Old Winchester Hill. There was also a wealth of wonderful wildflowers at Old Winchester Hill which we enjoyed such as marjoram, wild basil, scabious, cow parsnip and viper’s-bugloss. We enjoyed a hot walk at Magdalen Hill that day too where flowers such as sainfoin, rosebay willowherb and my first ever nightshade, bellflower and traveller’s joy were amazing to see. I saw and photographed an incredible amount of butterflies that weekend with hoards of them about which was fantastic also seeing Purple Hairstreak the next day at Stockbridge Down in my best ever year for them and Chalkhill Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper, late Dark Green Fritillary on the Sunday, Small Tortoiseshell and Green-veined White starred across the weekend too with more amazing flowers at Stockbridge Down such as marjoram, ragwort, eyebright, harebell, mullein and red bartsia too. I took the first picture in this photoset of one of the Silver-spotted Skippers.
A blog on it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/659532523456561152/14th-august-2021-part-1-of-2-silver-spotted
White-letter Hairstreak and Hornet Mimic Hoverfly at Farley Mount, with brilliant flowers like my good summer run of marjoram
In a fantastic summer for White-letter Hairstreaks for me as well seeing a few this was a phenomenal moment when at Farley Mount I saw one closer than ever before and got to take photos with my macro lens with it brilliant for a species usually seen high up on a tree line the second picture in this photoset one of these. It was a generally fantastic day where I also loved seeing my first ever hornet mimic hoverfly a divine species on a quintessential summer day of wildlife seeing flowers such as my first lesser stitchwort, more marjoram a flower I found so rich and pretty to see so much this summer and more with dragonflies and butterflies such as Silver-washed Fritillary, Red Admiral and Brimstone seen well too.
Blog on it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/660301847127605248/220821-white-letter-hairstreak-and-more-at
My first ever Brown Hairstreak at Shipton Bellinger and moths on two visits there
One of my best moments of another amazing butterfly year and 2021 generally when on two late August visits to a new place for us Shipton Bellinger near Hampshire’s border with Wiltshire we saw our first ever Brown Hairstreak butterfly. A butterfly we had hoped to see for a while and our first new species since 2019, always a massive moment but this one more so as it took my butterfly year list to 45 making it my joint highest ever butterfly year list alongside 2019 a deserved big headline to look back on this extraordinary butterfly year for me and the Brown Hairstreak was a gorgeous species which we saw so well. We also saw brilliant moths and flowers on the two visits there, my first ever Straw-barred pearl, Bird-cherry ermine and The White-point and much wild basil, centaury, red bartsia, scarlet pimpernel, St. John’s-wort, thistle, eyebright and also some wayfaring tree berries. I got the third picture in this photoset of one of the Brown Hairstreaks.
A blog about it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/660885573793431552/290821-my-first-ever-brown-hairstreaks-and-more
Red bartsia dominates through the summer
One of the key flowers I learnt and enjoyed seeing this summer was the unique shaped and rich coloured red bartsia. I first saw them at Durlston on one of our biggest trips of the summer and then saw them on many a meadow afterwards, and particularly enjoyed seeing them on my Lakeside lunch time walks as part of a sweet varied group of colourful summer species for weeks on end when lots of other flowers started to come to an end becoming so used to this charming species. I took the fourth picture in this photoset of some at Lakeside.
A blog on it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/659265742853799936/110821-butterflies-berries-and-bartsia-at
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing moth in my room
A key part of my summer was the deeper learning and appreciating of moths especially those coming in the house which my old style patch butterflies and others 2 highlights blog overlapped into via the list of key species, but the Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing was the only one of the few species coming in that I had in my room making it more personal. And it was one of my most electrifying moth moments ever seeing stunning flashes of orange as this top species flew about prominently in my room and it excited me so much getting macro pictures of it. In a brilliant couple of days of moths it was thrilling and lived long in the memory. I got the fifth picture in this photoset of it on my bin.
Blog about it: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/658804389973229568/05082021-and-06082021-part-1-the
Small Dusty Wave, Square-spot rustic and Willow Beauty moths in the house on one day, with Morning-glory plume and The Spectacle in around that time too
On one phenomenal day in a brilliant run in early September it felt like that moment my moth year peaked with Willow Beauty and Small Dusty Wave two I recognised from last year in the house. There was a Square-spot rustic for the second time around that week in too which looked glorious bounding through the living room, and Morning-glory plumes visited very frequently around that time I do love seeing them with a Spectacle moth in at one point in the run too. Quirkily a snail in the house that night made it a mini safari in our living room. The sixth picture I took in this photoset shows the Willow Beauty.
Daily blog about it: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/661890882427125760/09092021-marvelous-moths-brilliant-birds-and
Silver Y and L-album Wainscot moths in the house
A memorable moment in late September when a second Silver Y moth was in the house this year one of my standout species this summer seeing them so well many times. It afforded me very exciting and intimate views and photo opportunities which I enjoyed I took one of my favourite macro moth photos this year of it. Not long after that an L-album Wainscot was in my bedroom which I found a uniquely coloured, charming and real notable moth for me this year and very much enjoyed seeing it and taking the seventh picture in this photoset of it.
Blog about it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/663255077673467904/friday-24th-september-2021-jay-ring-necked
Devil’s-bit scabious in late summer/early autumn
A fantastic run where it seemed everywhere we went in the New Forest was adorned by a charming and very pretty and well coloured key flower for the area that I enjoyed learning last year on a forest heath devil’s-bit scabious. I spent so much time admiring them again and feeling captivated by their beauty this year. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of one at Andrews Mare.
A blog mentioning it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/662695019300405248/180921-cadmans-pool-in-the-new-forest-and-home
Seeing butterflies late in the season like Speckled Wood and Red Admiral
As we got towards and into the autumnal times I very much enjoyed some occasions, mostly in precious strong bits of sunshine where I saw butterflies immediately locally at Lakeside and other places. When you see butterflies late on after the real peak season its always an extremely precious moment to make the most of these charming, beautiful, colourful and exciting insects which embody spring and summer so much being about. It’s a great chance for reflection too and I think this can be something easy to overlook over this time period so I celebrated it a lot this year. Species which I enjoyed seeing late on this year included Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Peacock and Comma having memorable and cheery moments with all of these lovely species. I took the ninth picture in this photoset of a Speckled Wood at Lakeside Country Park.
A blog on it at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/665607450208124928/20102021-red-admiral-mushrooms-and-more-at
Light Brown Apple moth at home
A sweet little moth I noticed in the living room in October which I enjoyed seeing it has quite a delicious looking colour. I had an intimate moment when it came onto my finger as I let it out a few nights later which was so lovely. I took the tenth picture in this photoset of this.
Blog at the time: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/665607450208124928/20102021-red-admiral-mushrooms-and-more-at
