haar-t of the city

 

14th August

As the heatwave continued we got a couple of days of coastal fog drifting up from the Forth. I hoped it would be no worse than a diffuser over a flash. Indeed there were just as many small coppers hopping about Whinny Hill as we walked about there. Not quite so many tourists and festivallers on the summit of the Seat but still fairly mobbed. 

fresh small copper

There is a short sharp climb just before this patch of blaeberries and heather towards the top of Crow Hill and I'm never sure whether they are particularly lovely in colour or whether I am experiencing a mild cardiac incident and everything seems heightened as a result. I think it is a combination of both, and always rewards the strenuous effort at that point. It is approaching the time of year when painted ladies, red admirals and wheatears are rumoured to appear in (ahem) single figures at the top of Crow Hill, which at least gives the impetus to head up there and experience the heady rush of an aneurysm or similar.

Crow Hill with AS summit in background - we largely shun the actual summit and the 60 overseas visitors taking selfies there most days. The wildlife does as well with all the graylings, walls, and vanessids preferring the less rocky second top of Crow Hill. Although so far the walls and graylings have the place to themselves. 

grayling

With all the long distance scenery muffled behind a sheet of tracing paper we were focussing on the nearby stuff like flowering heather and a pigeon with a wonky beak looking more like a crossbill. 

crossbill

kestrel

speckled wood

We descended to Duddingston Steps where we'd seen holly blues. Sure enough they were taunting us by flying loops round where we were standing (near the top of the steps) but then landing over the wall behind masses of ivy. 

meadow brown does chameleon impression

wall on wall

common darter just over wall

female holly blue

About 20 yards from the bottom of the steps we saw a holly blue doing circles and then landing in the foliage. Had it not being flying we would have walked past without noticing it as it was very well camouflaged on the glossy leaves. Mary didn't see where it landed and grew very frustrated as I took a million photos and then described exactly where it was. I showed her the photo of it on the back of my camera. I described its position exactly. I pointed directly at it. Still she could not see it. I got a stick and pointed it directly at it. Eventually she saw it and surprisingly it remained there, wings open, for long enough to get photos. It was a good demonstration of how although they are not green they can totally disappear on a glossy green leaf - looking exactly like the light reflecting off the top of a dark green leaf. This one was in good shape too, looking a lot fresher than the males which have been around for a week or 2 longer and have lost their white fringes. 

worth having a quick look at the bottom of the Duddingston Steps
although Mary had insect bites from backing into that hedge for 10 mins

Then in to Duddingston Kirkyard. It is worth a quick whiz round 1/ for the gravestones which are ancient and amusing and 2/ as it has a café entrance for Dr Neil's Garden café, which saves walking another 60 yards to the large gate which has been open lately but was closed for ages and you had to go 1/4 mile further to Duddingston Rd West to get in. We have made a number of trips to Dr Neil's lately. It is always beautifully maintained and like a mini botanics; although it has been a while since we had any OMG moments or decent photos there. I have on previous occasions met commas on the flowering heather, rafts of damselflies, and peacocks and admirals on the buddleia and warm walls up at the back. But nothing much recently, except a fly through by holly blues which did not land or settle anywhere near enough for a photo.

I wouldn't be surprised if this exquisite sign was made by Chalk and Grime, 2 artist pals from another lifetime many years ago. They also did a couple of low relief plaque sculptures nearby.

another common darter

dabchick?

There are a couple of benches up the back; the bit facing Holyrood Pk. Mary and I have stopped on several occasions for a seat and a munch of a sports bar while looking for holly blues which have been seen around the ivy laden walls on 2 sides of the area. There is a buddleia but it finished flowering much earlier in the year. Occasionally peacocks and admirals bask on the walls above the succulent section.

misty view over Duddingston Loch

We walked back round past Samson's Ribs, where to our surprise and delight there was another female holly blue casually nectaring on the valerian. She did not sit with her wings open for long. We got a few photos before she took off - we watched as she flew quite some distance heading west into tree cover. Another example of the expansion of the Holyrood / Duddingston HB colony. A very nice way to finish the outing. Right, home for a late lunch!

7.5 miles