| The Hunt for the elusive Duke |
| by Mike Slater |
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Above: Duke of Burgundy were everywhere
(Photo by Heather Warmington) |
Above: The Duke posing for the camera
(Photo by Steve Cheshire) |
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On Sunday 18th May, nineteen intrepid members from Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire arrived at Prestbury Hill the Butterfly Conservation nature reserve in Gloucestershire to find the Duke of Burgundy. Many of those at this event had never seen this butterfly before.
Despite the walks leader being in a t-shirt the omens were not good, only 9 degrees centigrade with a wind chill factor of 3.
By the time the group had made the sheltered valley, the sun made a brief appearance and the first Duke of Burgundy was spotted. By the time the party had reached a cleared area at the end of the cutting the Dukes were everywhere, possibly fifteen bussing around with the added bonus of a female egg laying. Further along at the top of the valley, yet another Duke was seen but this time the rare aberrant form 'gracilens.
The party then went out of the reserve into a shrubby area noted for Dukes. The area didn’t disappoint except for one member scaring off the Adder before everyone could see it. Not daunted the party took lunch while watching the first Brown Argus of the season.
The party made its way via the Cotswold way to the mast site. Some of the group were entertained by a Small Blue egg laying, three Cistus Forester moths and a Wood Tiger moth.
By the end, a very good day was had by all with amazingly, the Duke of Burgundy being the commonest butterfly seen.
For the record, the following butterflies and moths were observed: |
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Above: A not so small... Small Blue
(Photo by Steve Cheshire) |
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Butterflies
Duke of Burgundy - 30-40
Speckled Wood - 4
Green Hairstreak - 4
Brown Argus - 1
Dingy Skipper - 12
Small Heath - 10
Holly Blue - 1
Painted Lady - 1
Brimstone - 1
Green Veined White
Peacock - 1
Orange Tip eggs |
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Above: Duke of Burgundy aberrant form 'gracilens'
(Photo by Steve Cheshire) |
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Moths - Southern Area (SO990235)
Burnet Companion - 10
Celypha lacunana - 1
Clouded Silver - 1
Coleophora spinella (case) - 1
Common Carpet - 5
Common Heath - 20
Cydia succedana - 15
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet - 2
Drinker Moth (larva) - 1
Falseuncaria ruficiliana (1m) - 15
Green Carpet - 2
Mother Shipton - 3
Mottled Umber (larva) - 1
Pyrausta nigrata - 2
Red Twin-spot Carpet - 5
Scarce Footman (larvae) - 2
Scrobipalpa acuminatella (1f) - 1
Small Purple-barred - 4
Syndemis musculana - 2 |
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Above: Cistus Forester Moth
(Photo by Steve Cheshire) |
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Moths - Northern Area (SO991247)
Burnet Companion - 3
Cistus Forester - 3
Common Heath - 5
Monopis weaverella - 1
Pyrausta nigrata - 3
Rhopobota stagnana (1m) - 1
Small Purple-barred - 1
Wood Tiger - 1 |
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