Butterflies of Rochester Forest...

To the south of Halling Wood there is a track where, in most years, butterflies seem inordinately abundant in June and July.  These are some photographs of just some of the butterflies I saw on this particular day...

Ringlet

Ringlets were in abundance in the brighter rides and pathways, though few were inclined to stay still long enough for a photo opportunity...

Comma...

The distinctive white mark that gives the Comma butterfly its name can be seen on the underside shot below...

Comma underside...

At the foot of the hill, there is an outcrop of Common Ragwort, to which Brimstones seem particularly attracted to...

Brimstone...

Ragwort itself acts as a food plant for larvae of the Cinnabar moth, a distinctive orange and black hooped caterpillar which can often be found on it...

Cinnabar moth caterpillars...

The Speckled Wood butterfly is commonly found throughout these woods.  The males seem territorial and pairs can often be seen barrelling around each other, trying to keep sole rights to their patch...

Speckled Wood...

A Red Admiral was also seen, basking on the dry soil.  Note the small white spot within the red band of each forewing: this is a common aberration, bialbata...

Red Admiral...

There is one short stretch of farm track where the Silver-Washed Fritillaries are often particular numerous. On this day, I counted nine of these fast-flying orange beauties, many of whom were feeding on or flying around one particular Buddleia bush...

Silver-Washed Frittilary, male...

The males (distinguishable by the four black lines of pheromone-soaked scales on their fore-wings), live a high-octane lifestyle, flying powerfully up and down the sunny woodland tracks and seldom coming to rest.  This one was refuelling before zipping off to fight his rivals or hunt down the less-active females...

Silver-Washed Fritillaries on the wing...

In the shot above, three males can just be made out, each a blur as they chased each other up and down the woodland track.  The darker-coloured females lead a quieter life, and can often be glimpsed flying in a more stately fashion around undergrowth at the bases of trees, looking for a suitable spot to lay their eggs...

Female Silver-Washed Frittilary...

White Admiral...

A couple of White Admirals were also seen, with their distinctive gliding flight interspersed with powerful wing-beats bringing them down from the trees to patrol the woodland tracks or to occasionally rest on the forest floor, where I snapped this one...

Also seen were two Peacocks, a few Meadow Browns, many Large Whites, a few Small Whites and Green-Veined Whites and quite a few Gatekeepers...and, (just briefly, as he settled on the ground just in front of me) a single male Purple Emperor!

This was the first one I have ever seen around here, and I would dearly love to get a photo of this rarity, a species that usually lives up in the tree tops and only rarely comes down to sip from mud puddles or animal droppings.

14 butterfly species in 500 yards of woodland track isn't bad going by any means....

Butterflies in Halling Wood, 26th June 2017...

Two less common species were present in good numbers this year in Halling Wood, particularly the Silver-Washed Fritillaries.  Given that these woods are a pheasant factory for the local shoot, how any caterpillars survived to make it to the adult stage is amazing.  The Silver Washed Fritillary caterpillar feeds on violets on the forest floor, and pheasants (not a natural UK bird) go mad for them.  I believe these feathered rats are the reason for decline of the fritillaries in general, particularly the High Brown, which tends to frequent more open habitat.

The more pheasants get blasted, the better, as far as I am concerned.

Female Silver-Washed Fritillary

Underside, showing the silver bands that give the butterfly its name

The male butterflies are not as easy to photograph. They are a brighter orange and the forewings have four or five broad dark veins. There were plenty of them but they are very wary, restless and active, constantly gliding up and down the woodland paths, chasing and fighting with each other and checking out anything that might be a female.  They are a spectacular sight. I saw this female crawling around some violets by a beech tree.  They lay their eggs on tree trunks near patches of violets, so I watched this one for a while but she got spooked and flew off.

White Admirals are my favourite butterfly, although they are quite scarce.  This one came down to drink from a mud puddle, though they are partial to bramble blossom.

Female White Admiral

The females tend to be slightly browner than the males and the hind-wing orange markings are more obvious.  They lay their eggs on honeysuckle, which is not too common in these woods.  They obviously manage though.

White Admiral, underside

White Admirals are sometimes called "gliders", as they beat their wings and then glide for long distances. They are fast and powerful flyers, and love flying up and down sunlit woodland paths.  They are a joy to watch.