northern brown argus

26th May

It has been too sunny lately to keep this blog up to date - unusually there has been so much spectacular weather I have been out taking photos (when not working) rather than inside writing it up. So things get a wee bit blurred as to what happened in what order. The following photos are the first 2 days (I think) that I photographed Northern Brown Argus in Holyrood. It is a fabulous butterfly even though only half a size up from the Small Blue, the smallest of the UK butterflies. Generally no larger and sometimes smaller than a small copper. And of a similar nature - quite feisty and territorial.

Mairi at venue 1

I heard from Andrew and Unda that an NBA (singular) had been spotted near the hairstreak gorsebush on the Queen's Drive. In blowy rainy weather. Next day was sunshine again so there was bound to be loads? Well maybe. I passed Mairi on my way there. We checked out an NBA venue from last year at the bottom of the stone shoot but there was nothing there. Mairi stayed in that area mingling with the Small Heaths and I went round the main road after checking up near the Rad Road barriers where there are small coppers (and the first common blue of last year.) I felt venue 1 might have suffered from continuous traffic in the way of picnickers and boozers. It provides shade from the prevailing wind - a reason it proves popular with butterflies and boozers alike. And I fear the human traffic might just have crushed the invisible butterfly generation since last year. It has been singularly absent of much flutterby life recently. Unlike the verges on the main road where lots of cranesbill and ragwort entertain a near constant party of small coppers and fly-by-whites.

lots of Mother Shipton moths

ahh a couple there already, wonder who it is?

We had been speaking about butterflies for some time before I asked the gent if he was aware a green hairstreak had been spotted earlier in the season. He replied he was and that it was himself who was first to see it. "Ah - you must be Phil." He confirmed he was. He had remained unknown to me until this point as he is twitter only and not on facebook. I congratulated him on the hairstreak - a first ever in Holyrood Pk. as far as I am aware. I only saw the one in the gorsebush, but it was a different one to his (photos showed different markings or damage to wings) which in turn was different to the 2 found up on Crow Hill. (One by Richard one by himself again.) So possibly 4 different GHs means there is likely a colony in the vicinity rather than just a singular explorer. He thought it too early for NBAs but I told him one had already been seen at this venue. Meanwhile there were only small coppers. But on a sunny day, nobody was complaining.

first ever thing to approve of this Hoka colourway

Nice to see Janet out training and going well.

Then around 50 minutes after I arrived at venue 2 I saw an NBA. Possibly encouraged into the air by a low flying small copper it buzzed like a grey moth in circles with the copper until both settled on greenery nearby. I remember looking for NBAs with Iain and Ian last year on the road up from Burnmouth. And when one appeared I dismissed it as a drab moth. They are so small that from any distance they look insignificant. However close up they are spectacular and have an oily blue iridescence on their brown uppers when fresh. Things of great beauty. But tiny! And quite difficult to photograph. Possibly on account of the blasting sunshine this one was reluctant to open its wings. I was totally stoked and took loads of fairly rubbish photos, telepathically urging it to go sit on the cranesbill which would make an excellent backdrop for a photo.

After a while I was getting sunburnt and decided to leave. But I met Richard who was on his way to venue 2 so went back with him to show him where I'd last seen the NBA. We both took more photos. I did wonder what had happened to Mairi who failed to show at all. My FOMO thought she must have got involved with something massively impressive to pass on the near certainty of NBAs, but I think she was distracted by the challenges of Small Heaths of which there were a good many near the Radical Road.

NBA and copper on same bramble

I left again and took a diversion over Crow Hill. I hoped for Painted Ladies and Red Admirals but it was a bit blowy and there wasn't even walls and small torts.

cinnabar waving hello!

There were a few nice distractions on the way home including bumping into Ken who has been keeping a low profile on facebook. We had a look for NBAs near where he is pictured below. Just below that fence, in the ditch that acts as a stone trap, I'm going to call that venue 3. It doesn't really have a location any more specific than that, although there is a notch in the crags high above there. We checked out a patch of kidney vetch and yellow flowers halfway up the hill. While there was nothing there, the patch of kidney vetch almost directly below the fence was to prove significant in a day or 2. Venue 3 - watch that space!

2 days later on the 28th May I was back out hunting.

Eóin on his bike

Back at venue 2 and I was hoping for some open wing action. As soon as I'd left last time apparently it hopped up onto the cranesbill and opened its wings. Richard almost seemed to take a delight in telling me! It was often close tp doing that but not as well as in Richards photos. Curses! I spent quite a while (again) waiting for the ideal pose but it didn't materialise.

Nice to see Oli on his way past.

great to see such a cracking butterfly in Holyrood!