Jack Scout and Arnside Knott

 Cheated by the weather today. The forecast predicted a warm and sunny afternoon. It was wrong.

We began the day with a visit to Silverdale and a walk along Jack Scout, a cliff top area of calcareous grassland important for its plant diversity. It also has a small area of limestone pavement. It was beautiful with views across Morecambe Bay to Morcambe one way and Grange-over-Sands the other. The flowers, set against white limestone outcrops were spectacular: wild thyme, rockrose, centaury, harebell, mallow and spiked speedwell.

Jack Scout

Looking towards Grange-over-Sands

Limestone rock garden

Limestone rock garden

Spike speedwell

Harebell

Lichen

Small skipper

Small skipper

Rockrose and thyme

Once we had negotiated all of the confusing road closure signs, I dropped Heather off in Arnside and went butterflying on The Knott. It was very quiet with not a lot about. It was warm but overcast so perhaps that was the reason. I did get grayling, ringlet, meadow brown and dark green fritillary and even a very worn humming bird hawkmoth that crash landed onto the scree. 

After an hour or two ( and sans ticks, thankfully) it was time to retreat to Arnside and The Albion for the ritual pint overlooking the Kent Estuary before heading home for a BBQ.

Dark green fritillary

Meadow Cranesbill

Ringlet

Very worn humming bird hawkmoth

Grayling

Ringlet

Lake District, August 2019. Day 3

A good forecast again today so, after our usual lazy start, we set off for Arnside.  The plan was for Heather to wander down the estuary and draw I while went up the Knott looking for butterflies.  The sun came out and there were hundreds of butterflies on the wing:
Speckled wood
Grayling
Gatekeeper
Meadow brown
Scotch Argus
Ringlet
Painted Lady
Mother Shipton's moth.
Gatekeepers were the most numerous with numbers in three figures.  It was good to finally capture images of grayling I am pleased with.  Usually they settle on the limestone gravel and immediately drop their fore wings behind the back ones and totally fold up.  Today they were nectaring on Heather and allowed good opportunities.  The influx of painted ladies has arrived and there were good numbers, particularly on knapweed.  I was delighted, too, to see and make images of Scotch argus for the first time.
In the evening we walked across to Stavely for the folk festival to go to an excellent concert.

Lake District, June 2019. Day 3

The day dawned cloudless but with a coolth; there was a chill breeze blowing from the west.  We pottered lazily for a while until late morning when we headed to Arnside and up to the Knott car park where we enjoyed an early sandwich lunch. 

We took the low path from the car park leading, eventually, to Siverdale.  Shortly  however we took a left turn which headed uphill more steeply than I intend as Heather is suffering with her knees and I wasn't sure how much steep ground my fitness, or lack thereof, would allow.  I actually surprised myself as I felt quite strong again.  I have been noticing for a week or so now, how much better I am feeling since the cardioversion. Before long we reached a couple of benches where Heather chose to sit and draw while I wandered the hillside and up towards the summit.  My usual hunting ground of the steep slopes facing the Kent estuary were facing the cool westerly breeze and not much was to be found here  although my first two sightings were of grayling.  A good start, although, as usual, they would only settle on the gravel with wings closed, but I did manage a few images.  The best hunting ground today  though was beyond the trees backing the viewpoint where the scrubby meadows were sheltered and warm.  There were large numbers of small pearl bordered fritillary with plenty of small heaths.  I managed to photograph a superb brown argus but missed a speckled wood and female common blue.  Another butterfly hunter told me that high brown fritillary had been found recently but there were none about today.

Eventually I found my way back to Heather and sat admiring the magnificent views of Morecambe Bay,  the Kent estuary and the Langdale and Coniston fells in the Lakes.  Drawing finished, it was time to repair to Arnside for tea and excellent toasted tea cake.

Returning to the van we relaxed in the evening sun before cooking pasta bake for tea which went in the oven just as Beth and Alejandro arrived.

A Visit to the Lake District in June, Day 4 and 5

On Tuesday we had arranged to meet my brother and his wife at Lowther Castle for coffee as they were on their way up to Scotland for a few days.  It was good to catch up with them briefly and then we visited nearby Askham Hall Gardens which are excellent and well worth a visit.  From here we went to Kendal to visit another exhibition, this time of excellent landscape paintings by Julian Cooper.  An enjoyable day if somewhat pottery.

Wednesday it was get up and go again as we made a return visit to Arnside and the Knott for some butterfly photography.  We had picked today as it was the best forecast and butterfly photography needs sun and in this we were lucky.  Butterflies are easier to photograph when they are cold, but they are often impossible to find then as they tend to be tucked away somewhere sheltered.  The down side when the sun comes out is that they can be seen easily but if it is too warm they become too active to get close too.  A nature photographer is never happy - it is either too wet or too sunny, too windy or too hot!!!  That said, I had a fantastic few hours up here with plenty of butterflies: small heath, wall, speckled wood and best of all large numbers of small pearl bordered fritillary in pristine condition.  I had hoped for dark green and high brown fritillaries as well as grayling, but I was too early for these so I shall return in July.  as well as the butterflies I revelled in the close up detail of fallen juniper and yew trees, gnarled and weathered to a lustrous silver grey and I was fascinated by a wild strawberry growing in a hollow of a sawn off tree trunk.  While I chased butterflies, heather was able to enjoy herself drawing and what a place for it.  Arnside knott is  a steep little hill giving a feeling of being perched high above the village and the estuary of the River Kent with a view of the Lake District Hills beyond - perfect.

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