Monday 20th July 2020

I got a tip off from someone on FB that White Letter Hairstreak could be "easily" seen in north Kent.

It would involve an hour's drive, and possibly a wild goose chase.

But what else are you going to do?

We were up and about at half six: shall we have coffee and go, Jools asked.

Yes we shall.

So it was, shortly after seven, we were driving to the A2 and then up to Canterbury and Faversham. Quiet at first, then crazy traffic on the motorway towards Chatham and Gillingham.

North of the Medway, we turned off and drove onto the Hoo Peninsular, then down a country lane to a nondescript housing estate, parking opposite some posh house with their dogs giving it both barrels with their howling.

There were no yellow lines, so we parked, I got my camera, and we walked up the track to the old recreation field, which now seemed to be a meadow, having just been cut and the hay being allowed to dry. A family of four magpies watched us cross into the woods the other side, and then continued their rattling calls.

Just in the woods there was a path, and on either side there were young elm saplings planted, and if we were lucky, we could actually see a White Letter Hairstreak or two. Which would be nice.

We walked down a few hundred yards until the elms ran out, then back and forth searching and searching. I am pretty sure I saw one, high up in the boughs of a fairly mature elm, but I can't be sure.

Sigh.

However, it wasn't wasted totally, as as we were walking back again, a Silver Washed Fritillary landed at eye level, and fed for 5 minutes, displaying upper and lower wings for me to snap. As I took shots, a female Common Darter landed between me and the SWF, allowing me to get some head on shots of the dragonfly, as it cleaned its face before flying off.

A chap walking a puppy stopped to chat. And we talked for half an hour about butterflies, plants, mining in Kent and family history. So nice when something unexpected like that happens.

I sigh once more and we walk back to the car.

I am a glutton for punishment, and next on the list is the fabled, even more so than the WLH, the Purple Emperor. Which is one of the largest resident butterflies, and is found at one site in Kent, maybe two, but best known at a wood near Tonbridge.

Thing about the PE is that they spend most of the day in the tops of the trees, like the WLH, feeding off honeydew, and come to ground level rarely. But why not?

It took half an hour to drive down the leafy lanes of north Kent, through Igtham Mote and beyond. All stockbroker's houses and the such. Not for the likes of us. But worth another visit when the world returns to normal. Whenever that may be.

Dene Park is a wood, formally part on an estate, the house of which is some distance away. But looking at previous sightings, around the car park was as good as anywhere, so once we arrived, I got the camera out and we walked a large circuit.

Over and over again.

I see no PE. But I do see a new species of Damselfly: a white legged damselfly, which I ID'd straight away. And I get shots.

I also find a mating pair of Gatekeepers, flying around with one dragging the other backwards, in cop. I followed them for ten minutes, hoping they would land somewhere where I could get a clear shot. This is as good as it got.

After an hour, I give up. I mean we could have walked in circles forever, and as a friend spent two hours searching the site two days previously, and saw nothing. So, might as well do something constructive.

Saying that, the final call was the Green Flowered Helleborine, Kent's most underwhelming orchid, and that's against the Twayblade and Musk, so it must be poor.

And it is.

Growing on one small site, a former bus stop on an A road, looking all the world like weeds. Green leaves, green stems, green flowers (obvs), and like some orchids, self pollinates, meaning the flowers rarely open. But we live in hope they will one year, for us.

Every years I say the same, last time to visit these. And then here I am year after year.

What can you do?

We arrive at the lay by, and straight away I can see the orchids, all leaning over, looking pathetic, covered in ants, as usual. And none are open, or close to it.

In a new move, we search up n the bank behind, where I know there are other spikes After half an hour of searching, we find two more pathetic spikes.

Not open.

Back to the car.

And back home, via the M20, down to Maidstone, Ashford and Folkestone.

Not a bad day, even though I found none of my primary targets, lots of great shots.

We have lunch.

Try to stay awake, I mean this rock and roll lifestyle is a killer.

I was going to sort the lawnmeadow out, but after the rain on Sunday, it needed to dry.

We have coffee.

And another coffee.

The afternoon ran into the evening. And there was football to watch; Brighton v Newcastle, which was a dreadful game, but it is sobering to think that Newcastle have more than double the points Norwich have, and Bright eighteen more points. We were really that bad.

Sigh.

We went to bed early as we were to get up in the middle of the night for some comet action.