Lisa G Saw • September 10, 2023

A Day Trip To Wiltshire

April 2023 marked the end of my quest to see all the butterflies that live their complete life cycle in Sussex. The final species I saw, during the Easter weekend, was the Large Tortoiseshell. Following the exciting conclusion to my adventure, I wrote a post about Discovering the Butterflies of Sussex. In it I mentioned how chuffed I was with what I'd achieved and how I didn't really want to start the next obvious quest straight away, to see all the UK butterfly species. But, with the spring and summer months stretching out before me, it seemed silly not to make a start this year. Bob and I were still in the early stages of our budding romance, and the idea of spending a lovely long day out together was just too enticing to pass up. So, in late May, we headed over to Martin Down National Nature Reserve in Wiltshire, in the hope of seeing the Marsh Fritillary. It would be my first, but not for Bob. He's already seen all the UK butterfly species, except for the Cryptic Wood White, which is only found in Ireland.


We woke super early and reached the nature reserve by 8am. Unsurprisingly, we were the first ones there. It was still quite cool and a little windy, but nice enough to enjoy our breakfast sitting on a bench by the car park, overlooking the wildflower meadow and the hills just beyond to the south. We heard a Cuckoo calling nearby - an unmistakable sound of spring. Lovely! It was a great start to the day.

Before we set off along the path, I made sure the bottom of my trousers were tucked into my socks. This is a necessary step to prevent ticks finding their way to my skin. It's not full-proof mind! But it worked on this occasion!


Rather than walk along the main track, we followed a narrower path along the edge of the meadow, keeping our eyes open for anything of interest. I just happened to glance down towards the grass on my left and saw this gorgeous little Grizzled Skipper with its wings wide open, warming up. It was my first of the year. It's the second smallest butterfly in the UK and a real cutie, as far as I'm concerned!


Further along our walk, but still quite early, we saw some more of them in a more dense bit of vegetation. It was hard for me to get a clear shot of them with so much distracting background, but I was rather pleased with the second one shown here, which is quite nicely backlit. I enjoy taking these kinds of shots. I had to get down really low to be at its eye level, but by doing so, it makes me feel like I'm in its world.

A Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting were both heard, then seen, at the top of the hedgerow alongside the path. Shortly after, I spotted a male Goldfinch drinking from a puddle of water on the track. It was too quick for me, and flew off before I was able to get a sharp image. A male Stonechat was also teasing me. It was posing on the tops of the lower shrubs and trees, but never settling for long. I tried sneaking up on it, slowly and quietly, whilst Bob waited patiently back on the path. He wasn't bothered with getting a shot. But, as luck would have it, when I tried to get closer to the Stonechat, it flew away from me and landed much closer to Bob, posing nicely. He couldn't resist a quick snap and got the shot I wanted! Of course! I didn't hold it against him. That's the way it goes sometimes. I certainly couldn't complain, as a little later I was able to photograph this juvenile Stonechat that was far less flighty. It just looked stunning with the Hawthorn in full blossom all around it.

Lots of people have been noticing how amazing the Hawthorn blossom has been this year. I've never seen it look so good. Some trees were white and others a lovely soft pink colour. It was quite breathtaking!

Early in the morning I spotted a few Hairy Shieldbugs, which are a little different to the ones I usually see on my walks. I was also very pleased to see an Adder basking in the sun at the foot of the hedgerow. Bob spotted it first - he's got eagle eyes! It's just one of the many reasons why he's such a good tour guide! I was certainly happy to be having my own private tour with him. He's so knowledgeable! He explained that the snake was ready to shed its skin - referred to as sloughing - and that you can tell because of the colour of its eyes, which have turned opaque.

We finally reached the bank where we could potentially start spotting Marsh Fritillaries, but it was still quite cool and we didn't have any joy. However, the sun was shining and there were plenty of other butterflies to photograph. It was fabulous seeing them all flitting about just above the ground or vegetation. They were everywhere. I almost didn't know what to photograph. All of them were species I'd not yet seen for the year.


I started with the Grizzled Skipper, which I mentioned earlier. Then I moved on to the Adonis Blues and found a mating pair. Although this wasn't a first for me for this species, it's still such a thrill when I find two butterflies mating. I've only been fortunate enough to see it a handful of times, with only a few species.


It's definitely a lot easier to distinguish the difference between the sexes when you find a pair together. The male is the paler of the two on the underwing. You can see a slight hint of the fabulous blue on his upperwing and it's blue furry abdomen. I really like the lovely brown colour of the female's underwings. She's also brown on top, so very different to the male.


In this same area, we also saw Brown Argus. The first photo is of a female. She looks lovely and fresh, with no niks or marks on her. The shape of the abdomen is a great way to tell the difference between the sexes with most species of butterfly (when their wings are open). The female you can see has a slightly thicker, rounder and shorter abdomen than the male. Notice how it doesn't quite reach the end of the hindwing.


The male, seen in the second photo, has a much thinner and longer abdomen, which extends beyond the edge of the hindwing. It also doesn't look as fresh, though it's not in bad shape. The male of the butterflies species are usually first to emerge, so they can mate with the females as soon as they emerge.


You might be wondering how to tell the difference between male and female Brown Argus with the female Adonis Blue, since I mentioned it's brown on the upperwing and no photo is shown. Firstly, the Brown Argus is much smaller. Secondly, they have very distinct orange lunules at the edges of all the wings, whereas you'll find a tiny bit of blue next to the orange in the hindwing of the Adonis Blue females.

We finally reached the bank where we could potentially start spotting Marsh Fritillaries, but it was still quite cool and we didn't have any joy. However, the sun was shining and there were plenty of other butterflies to photograph. It was fabulous seeing them all flitting about just above the ground or vegetation. They were everywhere. I almost didn't know what to photograph. All of them were species I'd not yet seen for the year.


I started with the Grizzled Skipper, which I mentioned earlier. Then I moved on to the Adonis Blues and found a mating pair. Although this wasn't a first for me for this species, it's still such a thrill when I find two butterflies mating. I've only been fortunate enough to see it a handful of times, with only a few species.


It's definitely a lot easier to distinguish the difference between the sexes when you find a pair together. The male is the paler of the two on the underwing. You can see a slight hint of the fabulous blue on his upperwing and it's blue furry abdomen. I really like the lovely brown colour of the female's underwings. She's also brown on top, so very different to the male.

In this same area, we also saw Brown Argus. The first photo is of a female. She looks lovely and fresh, with no niks or marks on her. The shape of the abdomen is a great way to tell the difference between the sexes with most species of butterfly (when their wings are open). The female you can see has a slightly thicker, rounder and shorter abdomen than the male. Notice how it doesn't quite reach the end of the hindwing.


The male, seen in the second photo, has a much thinner and longer abdomen, which extends beyond the edge of the hindwing. It also doesn't look as fresh, though it's not in bad shape. The male of the butterflies species are usually first to emerge, so they can mate with the females as soon as they emerge.


You might be wondering how to tell the difference between male and female Brown Argus with the female Adonis Blue, since I mentioned it's brown on the upperwing and no photo is shown. Firstly, the Brown Argus is much smaller. Secondly, they have very distinct orange lunules at the edges of all the wings, whereas you'll find a tiny bit of blue next to the orange in the hindwing of the Adonis Blue females.

We continued to follow the path alongside the ditch and shortly after, I spotted my first Small Blue of the year. It's one of my favourite butterflies. I'd only seen them a few times before. There had to have been over a hundred seen thoughout the course of the day. I stopped to photograph the first few, but then I became more selective. It became a bit of a running joke with us, 'Oh look! Another Small Blue! And another!' What was lovely on this occasion, was seeing multiple ones together, including a male trying to win the attention of a female. Again, when you see both the sexes together, it does make it a lot easier to distinguish between them. The female is larger and fresher looking. The male, bless him, is looking a bit past its best!

We continued to follow the path alongside the ditch and shortly after, I spotted my first Small Blue of the year. It's the smallest of our British species and one of my favourite butterflies. I'd only seen them a few times before. I was now seeing loads. There had to have been over a hundred seen thoughout the course of the day. I stopped to photograph the first few, but then I became more selective. It became a bit of a running joke with us, 'Oh look! Another Small Blue! And another!' It makes me laugh now to think how difficult I'd found it when trying to see my first Small Blue. I was clearly looking in the wrong places! It definitely helps when you know of little hot spots for certain species.


What was lovely on this occasion, was seeing multiple ones together, including a male trying to win the attention of a female. Again, when you see both the sexes together, it does make it a lot easier to distinguish between them. The female is larger and fresher looking. The male, bless him, is looking a bit past its best!

We continued along the path, but there was still no sign of our target species for the day - the Marsh Fritillary. I wasn't worried or disappointed, as there was still lots of time. I remained hopeful. There was in fact a second target species for the day - the Burnt Orchid. It was another species I'd not seen before and Bob knew it's a good site for them. Bob knows how much I like to find things for myself, so he didn't point them out to me when we were very close, but he did say there was something of interest close by. Well, it didn't take long to spot them, as they were on the bank right beside the path. There were small little clusters of them dotted along the route. I love this deep colour red, so they're one of my favourite orchids.

By now, there were a few more people around, either wanting to see the orchids or the Marsh Fritillary. The latter was still being elusive, but we continued looking, walking on the bank above the ditch. It was now late morning and a lot warmer than when we'd started out.


Suddenly, I spotted a fairly large and orange butterfly with its wings wide open on the top of a plant up ahead of me. My heart leapt. Could it be what we'd patiently been waiting to see all morning? Quickly, I took a photo so I could ID it, in case it vanished. Success! At last! I'd found the first Marsh Fritillary of the day. I was thrilled! It was in really great condition, possibly newly emerged. It posed quite a few times for us, and although it flew off occasionally, it never went very far so we were able to spend quite a bit of time with it. We were also quite pleased that no one else was around at that time, so we could really enjoy the moment, just the two of us. Although, a pesky little Dingy Skipper managed to photo-bomb one of my shots!

By now, there were a few more people around, either wanting to see the orchids or the Marsh Fritillary. The latter was still being elusive, but we continued looking, walking on the bank above the ditch. It was now late morning and a lot warmer than when we'd started out.

Suddenly, I spotted a fairly large and orange butterfly with its wings wide open on the top of a plant up ahead of me. My heart leapt. Could it be what we'd patiently been waiting to see all morning? Quickly, I took a photo so I could ID it, in case it vanished. Success! At last! I'd found the first Marsh Fritillary of the day. I was thrilled! It was in really great condition, possibly newly emerged. It posed quite a few times for us, and although it flew off occasionally, it never went very far so we were able to spend quite a bit of time with it. We were also quite pleased that no one else was around at that time, so we could really enjoy the moment, just the two of us. Although, a pesky little Dingy Skipper managed to photo-bomb one of my shots!

This is a male Marsh Fritillary. Even though its abdomen is slightly more bulbous, like the female in other butterfly species, with the Marsh Fritillary, the female's abdomen is much broader than this. In this photo you can see the distinct line of orange along the rear edge of the abdomen, which the female doesn't seem to possess.

As usual, I was keen to get a few underwing shots as well as the more common pose with the upperwings fully open on display. It was also fabulous to see it nectaring.


We briefly saw one other Marsh Fritillary whilst photographing this male. The two of them briefly whirled up into the air and then the interloper vanished. By the time we'd had our fill of watching this male, we were ready to move on and eat our picnic lunch. We didn't see any more Marsh Fritillaries in this area and so began our return walk back to the car. Aside from regular sightings of 'yet another Small Blue', we also had a glimpse of a Green Hairstreak near the Burnt Orchids. This was where Bob spotted some Field Fleawort, a rarity in the UK.

On the return leg, a field was being ploughed on the other side of the ditch, outside the nature reserve. It was drawing the attention of a few Red Kites, which flew overhead. It was lovely to see them quite close.


Although there had been more people near the orchids and along that stretch of the path, it was otherwise very quiet on the reserve. It was lovely just ambling along the path, hardly passing anyone, having the peace and quiet to appreciate our surroundings. It was very hot by the afternoon and I was growing weary by the time we came to the end of the ditch. We still hadn't had any more Marsh Fritillary sightings by then, but I was very happy with our encounter with the male. I could go home happy.

On the return leg, a field was being ploughed on the other side of the ditch, outside the nature reserve. It was drawing the attention of a few Red Kites, which flew overhead. It was lovely to see them quite close.

Although there had been more people near the orchids and along that stretch of the path, it was otherwise very quiet on the reserve. It was lovely just ambling along the path, hardly passing anyone, having the peace and quiet to appreciate our surroundings. It was very hot by the afternoon and I was growing weary by the time we came to the end of the ditch. We still hadn't had any more Marsh Fritillary sightings by then, but I was very happy with our encounter with the male. I could go home happy.

Then Bob suggested we go left and follow a small track before making our way to the main path, back towards the car. He'd seen a Marsh Fritillary along there on a previous visit. Would you believe it? One was almost waiting for us, perched on a flower. I don't think either of us were able to grab a shot before it flew off and disappeared. But, it was reassuring there was another flying about. We loitered there for a while, hoping it would return, but it didn't. However, we did spot a Small Blue resting on the strap of Bob's rucksack.


We then retraced our steps back to the path. This time it was me that suggested we explore the same area we had done at the start of the day, where many of our early butterfly sightings had been. Once again, we were rewarded with a fabulous sighting of another Marsh Fritillary (top photo). It didn't take long before we were seeing lots more. Now it was a lot warmer, there was much more activity and we couldn't believe how many we saw in the area - we think there were at least 10 individuals.

Then Bob suggested we go left and follow a small track before making our way to the main path, back towards the car. He'd seen a Marsh Fritillary along there on a previous visit. Would you believe it? One was almost waiting for us, perched on a flower. I don't think either of us were able to grab a shot before it flew off and disappeared. But, it was reassuring there was another flying about. We loitered there for a while, hoping it would return, but it didn't. However, we did spot a Small Blue resting on the strap of Bob's rucksack.

We then retraced our steps back to the path. This time it was me that suggested we explore the same area we had done at the start of the day, where many of our early butterfly sightings had been. Once again, we were rewarded with a fabulous sighting of another Marsh Fritillary (top photo). It didn't take long before we were seeing lots more. Now it was a lot warmer, there was much more activity and we couldn't believe how many we saw in the area - we think there were at least 10 individuals.

It was a real turnaround, having struggled to see just two, to seeing about eight in the space of about an hour. It was wonderful walking around the banks in the area, despite the heat, capturing lots of images of these orange beauties. I was particularly pleased to have a few nice shots of them nectaring on flowers. Unfortunately, I wasn't that close to the individual that landed on a Common Spotted Orchid. Someone else was lucky enough to be closer to take that shot, which hopefully they were pleased with.


Eventually, after our long day out in the sun, we decided we'd had our fill and were ready to walk back along the path towards the car. Eager to rest and relax, I suggested we sit down on the bench again, where we'd had our breakfast at the start of the day, and enjoy some snacks before the long drive home. At first, it was lovely and peaceful. This time it was the sound of a Turtle Dove that made me smile - a sound I don't get to hear so often any more in springtime. But, no sooner had I mentioned us having a little mindfulness moment, someone started their car and music blasted out from their stereo. It was a bit of an assault on our ears! We laughed at the timing! Thankfully, they didn't stay too long.


It really was a perfect day! The only other thing that blighted the memory of it was the fact my car wouldn't start. Not great timing, especially considering it was late afternoon on a Friday before a Bank Holiday weekend. Thankfully, though, after waiting about half an hour, when I tried it again it started. Phew! I didn't dare risk turning off the engine, so we loaded everything up and headed home. Despite that glitch - it was a wonderful day spent in Wiltshire!

Marsh Fritillary

Swallowtails in Norfolk: Part 2

By Lisa G Saw • June 30, 2025
In the first part of this blog post - Swallowtails in Norfolk - I wrote about our first two days spent mostly at Strumpshaw Fen, where I successfully saw my first ever Swallowtail butterfly. Following this, we had two more days exploring the area. I still hoped I'd see more of this beautiful native species at some of the other reserves. DAY 3 The forecast for this day wasn't great, but at least dry. There wouldn't be much chance of any sunshine until the afternoon, when it would warm up a bit. So, we decided to head to Buxton Heath, on the other side of Norwich. Bob knew it was a good site for the Silver-studded Blue butterfly. It's a species we have in just two locations within Sussex - both of which we've been to. It's a species that thrives on heathland and can be found in good numbers in the right habitat if it's managed well - with grazing or periodic burning in patches. It turned out the forecast wasn't very accurate. When we arrived, it was already brightening up and our chance of finding roosting butterflies disappeared very quickly. However, it was lovely exploring somewhere new and aside from one other couple and a man working there, we didn't see anyone else for the three hours we were there. We left the car park and headed towards the northern corner of the heath first and in next to no time, Bob spotted one flying. I stopped and looked down and saw there was another right beside me. I used my bins to take a closer look and suddenly noticed there were ants crawling around it. Instantly, I knew this was something special. The butterfly had only just emerged. I quickly took some photos but was having real issues with my camera. I was so disappointed not to get any good photos. The butterfly is out of focus but the ant is sharp!!! Hmmm! Not what I was going for! This close relationship with ants occurs with a few of the blue species of butterfly, such as the Large Blue, Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue. It's the first time I've ever seen the ants in attendance of a new emerged butterfly, so I was thrilled at least to have seen it.
Swallowtail

Swallowtails in Norfolk: Part 1

By Lisa G Saw • June 29, 2025
When Bob and I returned from Kent, having just seen the Heath Fritillary , we looked at the weather for the following week and we saw that it was looking very changeable every day, with cool windy and/or wet weather forecast. The Swallowtail butterfly ( Papilio machaon ) is our largest native species found in the UK and Bob informed me they won't be flying if the conditions aren't good. They like the warmth! Now was not a good time for our hot spell to be over! With only one more week of my break from teaching left, we had little choice but to arrange our visit for then, regardless of the weather. I booked some accommodation for us and we figured that if we went for more than a couple of days, we were bound to have at least one fairly decent opportunity to see the final species on my UK list that I'd not seen before. DAY 1 As usual for us, we set off fairly early in the morning since we had over a three-hour drive ahead of us. The plan was to stop at Weeting Heath Nature Reserve, just inside the Norfolk border, so we could break up the drive and enjoy some time out in nature. The main purpose was to see the Stone Curlew that breed at this site ( Burhinus oedicnemus ). They're a rare summer visitor to the UK and I'd not heard of this species before. They're not in any way related to the Curlew ( Numenius arquata ), which I have seen before - though they are also quite rare and endangered. Their name relates to their similar call. We sat in two different hides during the course of the late morning and early afternoon and for quite some time we didn't think we were going to get lucky and see the Stone Curlew - though we did see a couple of Curlews. At one point I nipped back to the car, and of course that was when Bob saw one! It was on the far side of the field we were overlooking, but where the ground dipped lower out of sight. He saw it just as I was returning to the hide. So, I quickly sat down and looked for it, but I didn't get a chance to properly see it. We decided to stay a bit longer, and so this time Bob left the hide to fetch our lunch, and that was when the Stone Curlew reappeared. It even flew a short distance, quite low, as it apparently had a nest nearby and it wasn't happy about the Rooks that were too close for comfort.  Don't hold your breath - the photo is pants! The bird was so far away and it was more of a record shot. However, I did enjoy watching it through my binoculars.

In Search of the Heath Fritillary

By Lisa G Saw • June 22, 2025
When Bob and I returned from our Isle of Wight trip to see the Glanville Fritillary for the first time, I was eager for the next challenge - seeing the Heath Fritillary butterfly in Kent. However, the weather wasn't quite ideal and I had to sit tight for another week before there was a good opportunity for us to head over for the day. Thankfully, it was a Friday, which meant there would be fewer people around, which we both prefer as it's more peaceful. It was still very early in the flight season with only a few sightings having been posted on social media, and this meant we might have a good chance of seeing some fresh butterflies, which is always lovely when they look pristine and fresh. Thankfully, we both don't mind the early starts when there is a good reason for it and it wasn't too ridiculously early on this occasion! It took us just over two hours to reach East Blean Woods car park, after a few detours and delays. We arrived just after 9am and only a few other vehicles were parked there. It was still slightly cool and cloudy, which meant the butterflies wouldn't be too active yet. This was ideal for us, so we could take plenty of photos. When we began the walk, I felt fairly oprtimistic we'd see some during the day, but I was prepared that we might need to look at various different sites in the area. I didn't expect that within 5 minutes of leaving the car park and having only walked 50 metres, I would spot the first one of the day, roosting on a bracken fern in the cool shade of the woods. It was a lovely fresh specimen and a wonderful start to the day. Within moments of me spotting this one, Bob saw another one roosting nearby. Fabulous!
Show More