best part of the day: drem again and postman's walk

30th July

I felt there was still work to be done. Richard let me know that when I left Postman's Walk last trip, there were far more holly blues further along the field edge towards Aberlady. I like that part of the world and had some time off work, so jumped on the train to Drem again on Friday 30th in search of holly blues, specifically female HBs which have a longer band of dark grey on the wings than the Spring brood. Unfortunately when I got off the train the sun wasn't shining. HBs are quite fussy about weather and won't make an appearance so readily if it is cold or windy or overcast. I decided to drag my feet and actually walked, not ran, to the wildflowers at Luffness. It is less taxing but kinda boring, like watching a film at half speed. You see more but it takes twice the time.

I took several versions of this shot over a few trips

2 goldfinches and a linnet (or yellowhammer)

lacy phacelia and wildflower mix at Luffness Mains

With the lack of sunshine there were fewer butterflies on the wing. There were some huddled in among the flowers and if one was to wade through or near the flowers, the occasional butterfly would fly out. And then land again, where you could take their photo!

Luffness Mains Farm seem genuinely interested in the environment

gvw

With everything moving slower today, including myself, it felt much more dreamy and possibly quite mindful. I was trying to pass time, rather than hurry to a destination. I remembered the forecast had been better for later in the day and felt optimistic that if there wasn't much about now, there was a better chance later, if I could just hang around. I checked out all of the plants after crossing the road and taking the back trail into the Luffness House grounds. There were several large whites about, the highest tariff whites and some beautiful specimens worth a photo or 2. And they weren't being too flighty. Nearly every purple thistle seemed topped by one. Or a green veined white.

gvw

large and perfect white

nuthatch

There then follows a bit of a hike for about a mile or less, through the woods. I heard a tapping and fantasised about it being green woodpeckers, a rare and highly prized photo opportunity. After standing under trees for ages seeing nothing, I saw the 2 culprits - a pair of nuthatches, hopping about the trees and occasionally doing woodpecker-like drilling (but slower) into the branches.

Soon I was at Postman's Walk. A few speckleds but as I feared not much sign of Holly Blues. I was having a nice time but felt conditions weren't up to much. I decided to go have lunch along the road a bit and then return later. Before leaving I came across a single holly blue butterfly. I suspected male and it refused to open its wings to prove otherwise until it eventually flew off.

udea lutealis
quite common but doesn't appear to have a common name

the only blue at postman's

There is a spot along the road to Gullane where I like to visit that is good for butterflies and made a decent place to eat my sandwiches. There were a couple of common blues from either end of the age spectrum, some meadow browns and small heaths, a small copper so beautiful a small heath fell in love and tried to pester it and I was lucky enough to find a wall. This male came and sat a little way away from me and I had to use full ninja stealth mode to creep over and get a photo before it scooted off. Maybe the lack of sunshine left it feeling subdued but I felt super-lucky to get a couple of close up photos.

soldier beetles partying
aren't they always?

small heath going pop eyed over this copper!

another similar beauty

wall - unusually cooperative

meadow brown

small white

another udea lutealis

aging ringlet

new cb

old cb

On the way back down the road there were 2 cinnabar caterpillars trying to cross the pavement heading towards the fairly busy road. I redirected the first back into the golf course. The second I just left as it was going at a good rate and was intent on going that way - who was I to play god? I wished it luck.

At the bottom of the golf course road there are a few cottages and at the end of their gardens a few buddleia. The "butterfly bush" is sometimes covered in butterflies, more often, none at all. I think it maybe takes a while for them after flowering to ferment or go through some process that makes them attractive to butterflies. It is so difficult to get a defining answer from the butterflies themselves.

On a subsequent trip to Drem I arrived back at the station with time to kill before the next train arrived, so checked out the buddleia behind the platform across the road and in a field nearby. (But still within earshot for the platform.) There were more butterflies on that shrub than I had seen all day. Had to have been 20~30 and 3 or 4 species, and I only got some non close-up photos before I heard the train arriving.

Anyway back at Aberlady the buddleia had a Red Admiral and a few brand new peacocks. That particular area is rich with nettles and brambles so not ideal and my legs were jangling with nettle rash afterwards. And one looks or feels a bit like a burglar casing the cottages, peering over the fence with a long lens.

buddleias - worth a look
but watch out for the nettles and brambles in the grass

meanwhile back at Postman's Walk the sun was making an appearance!

I felt sure things were on the improve but initially only speckleds.

and lots of other insects

I have been enjoying taking pics of crane flies recently. Not as glam as dragonflies but they do have an elegance of design and look like a cross between an insect and a fountain pen.

And then from the other side of the small lane I saw it. A small powder blue shape 5 yards away on the ivy. I crammed up against my side of the ivy wall and aimed my camera, max zoom at the wee beastie and while I was taking photos she opened her wings and ta-daa, I got the shot I'd come for! Female holly blue, wings open, showing the band of grey colouration on the front wings and chevrons on the hind. I was well chuffed.

more how it looked without the zoom from the other side of the lane

just focussing on this shot when it flew off

there were several HBs flying about in the air, jousting with each other

Then I noticed this tiny and elderly (white fringe all but gone) but still beautiful Holly Blue on the camomile daisies that grow on the path. She was taking her time going from daisy to daisy and I got down low to the path and took loads of photos from a short distance away. I was pleased with the depth of detail in the results. And the daisies make a more lively background visual than just the usual ivy leaves. Mission accomplished.