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GRAFTON WOOD

 

Situated 1/2 mile east of Grafton Flyford in Worcestershire, this is one of the few local places you can spot the rare brown hairstreak butterfly - if you're lucky enough.

 

I've visited Grafton Wood over the past few years with relative success. However, in 2014 I failed to spot a single brown hairstreak during my 4 or 5 visits and yet my three visits in 2015 all proved to be successful. Sometimes you're lucky. Sometimes you're not.

 

One of the better places to spot them - the orchard - has now been made off limits by the land owner (except for the Open Day, usually held on a Sunday in late August) and the best place now is by either of the two ponds in the wood.  Happy hunting!

 

 

2015

8 Aug - My first visit of the year proved successful with a male brown hairstreak spotted feeding on hemp agrimony by the pond. Brimstones aplenty were also present as well as purple hairstreak and white-letter hairstreak.

 

16 Aug - My second visit of the year was as successful as the first, albeit more eventful. A visit with Steve saw me fall in the wood and almost pass out when I cut my hand (OK, so I'm a big girl's blouse!) and on the way home his front passenger side tyre blew on the M5 resulting in a near 2-hour wait for assistance and a ride back home in a vehicle recovery truck. Oh, and on the butterfly front, a male brown hairstreak was spotted in the same place as last week, with the odd brown argus or two also sighted.

 

22 Aug - My third visit of the year and it's now 3 out of 3 for brown hairstreaks. Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead. None were seen by either pond today but the two photographed below were spotted in different locations within the wood. Again brimstones were also in abundance with the odd brown argus here and there too.

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