This wonderful location is on my list of places to go during the summer to photograph butterflies. This year, I thought I would try a different entrance and so, parking up in a quiet street, I crossed the main road and set off down a dusty track. Actually, the track should have been dusty, but it must have rained heavily in Kent that morning and I had to walk round the edges of many large puddles. I considered going back to my car for my wellingtons, but decided it wasn’t worth it. First of all, I didn’t want to spend a hot day in heavy boots and I was sure there would always be a path around the puddles. I was to regret that decision for the rest of the day.
I had a vague idea of the paths through the woods and how I might eventually reach the triangular glade where I normally photograph the butterflies. However, I hadn’t planned on the endless delays caused by huge puddles covering the tracks. Some could be skirted with care, but I found myself getting muddier every time. Others were a good thirty feet long, with absolutely no way round.
It was very dark under the trees and the promised sunny spells failed to materialise. It was very humid too and that brought out a huge army of mosquitoes. I have never been bitten so badly in my life. Not only that, but all the butterflies were in hiding and in fact, there were very few bugs of any kind. Until I spotted this adorable weevil. I recognised him instantly as an acorn weevil and I was desperate to get some photographs. Only he was on a leaf over a very large and very deep puddle. Yes… that lovely chocolate sheen you can see in the image featured above is actually muddy water. I thought about it for all of two seconds before kneeling in the water, where I spent the next ten minutes photographing the weevil from both directions.
Moving on, with soggy legs in addition to wet feet, I eventually found three heath fritillaries napping in the open. One kindly agreed to pose for me on the end of some fresh bracken.
Many more butterflies emerged over the next few days, confirmed by photographs from other visitors in a Facebook group. I was keen to return and try again, but I was suffering badly from the mosquito bites – some of the larger ones spreading as much as 3 or 4 inches across my arms and legs. Too traumatised to risk it again, I will give this special place a miss until next year.
Sid
22 Jul 2021Every great adventure has a bright side and a muddy side… But those photos are awesome ❤️
Wellingtons are women’s best friends, for sure 😏
Ciao
Sid
Zooey
22 Jul 2021Thank you, Sid. I will make sure to put my wellingtons on next time 🙂
Steve Cullum
22 Jul 2021The things that we do just to get a photo 🙂 Excellent shots and those mosquitoes are a pain!
Zooey
23 Jul 2021Cheers Steve! I’ve reached the point where I simply don’t care any more 😀