The Streak

Calling her Ethel obviously ... it was lovely to catch a glimpse as she landed on the leaf. They seem to prefer young blackthorn bushes in order to survive here in the oak and ash  woodland with the adults feeding on the honeydew from the aphids and the caterpillars feeding exclusively on the blackthorn.

Having got the heads up that the brown hairstreaks, no elusive brown hairstreaks,  were in Grafton Wood a remnant of the royal forest of Feckenham from the Middle Ages I knew getting down there just had to be.  The weather was ideal. This is the only colony of the brown hairstreaks in the Midlands and is managed by Butterfly Conservation and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

I'd been there  a few years on the trot but two years ago not seen one and thought it wasn't looking good for them. Conversely today they were in abundance though of course so too were the lenses and the Tilley hats which were seen bobbing up and down behind bushes hither and thither in the wood. 

Really enjoyed my afternoon and it just got better with a message pinging in from my dragonfly expert  that a brown hawker was at a lake,  landing regularly within lens range, only 12 miles away. Would have been rude not to have got it on camera! 

By the end of it all I was shattered and so was Tilly who had refused to get out of the car at the onset and hunkered down in the passenger seat ready for an adventure. We will both sleep well! 

Out tonight for a lovely meal with Rob in Cheltenham though sitting outside made me realise how fast the nights were drawing in.