Any outdoor event planner worries about meteorological conditions which, to state it mildly, have been poor over much of 2015, April excepted.
Yet a well attended event in favourable weather went ahead at Crom on August 1st and it was well worth the risk for everyone who travelled to this beautiful location on Lough Erne, County Fermanagh.
Butterfly Conservation Northern Ireland’s Catherine Bertrand opened proceedings by revealing the moth trap catches of the previous night. Happily a target species, the Brown Scallop was recorded as were a number of Drinker moths and Clouded Borders. A Buff-tip was an unexpected but welcome surprise; this moth is more typically found in May and June. Following release of the moths and introductions the group departed along a path that took us to some interesting features; a pair of ancient Yews and a castle built during the Ulster Plantation (1609-1618). Under the plantation rules, a planter granted 2,000 acres had to construct a stone castle and accordingly a castle was built in the early years of the plantation. After passing the ruins of the castle (a new castle was built in 1840) we located Peacock larvae on the edge of a deep nettle patch. Interestingly, these were probably less than half grown, probably reflecting the cool conditions this summer and probably the latitude; the Peacock larvae in southern counties such as Kildare and Carlow are nearing full size or have pupated.
Our first sighting of a Silver-washed Fritillary, one of our two target species was obtained on south facing flower rich scrub/meadow edge. A female posed nicely for eager photographers. We did not know if this was all we would see as rain soon fell.
However, it abated and lunch followed in a sheltered walled garden which has largely reverted to natural vegetation. Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown and two handsome Silver-washed Fritillaries were found, feeding chiefly on Creeping Thistle. An interesting plant, Maidenhair Fern, was found sprouting from the stonework of an ornamental garden centerpiece.
We resumed until we reached a large clearing in the Oak/Hazel/Common Ash/willow wood and here things got lively. A male Four-spotted Footman, a rarity in Northern Ireland and not especially common further south was found climbing a grass stalk, in immaculate condition. A vista of hot orange soon presented itself. From where we stood, Andrew Harding counted 27 Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies, mostly freshly minted. Feeding avidly they allowed close approach; so much so, that most of our time was spent in admiring and photographing them. Again, the location of Crom, inland and to the north influences phenology; these butterflies were new emergents while in the Raven many of the Silver-washed Fritillaries are tattered and worn. Many were feeding on Marsh Thistle and Angelica which they shared with thickets of Soldier Beetles and Ringlets. When the sun was hidden, some fritillaries took to the tree canopy while others basked on bracken.
There was still some unfinished business. We still had to find Purple Hairstreak. John O’Boyle and Jesmond Harding displayed their acumen with stick throwing, attempting to dislodge a Purple Hairstreak from a tall oak. Still no luck. Then Clifford Sharp spotted a female, flashing royal purple, flying across to the oak we were agitating. Then sightings followed, when the butterflies hopped from one area of the canopy.
Finally, even though I certainly could have stayed in that clearing for the rest of the day, we headed back, some of us taking tea in the Visitors’ Centre. We got a great day out, met many new butterfly lovers and renewed acquaintances with our fellow lepidopterist organisation in Northern Ireland. We were made so welcome and the warmth and friendliness shown greatly enhanced our pleasure in seeing butterflies in this beautiful and important region in Fermanagh.
Thanks to BCNI for inviting BCI members to their event.
Photographing a Silver-washed Fritillary. ©J.Harding.
Plantation castle ruins. ©J.Harding.
Ornamental boathouse, now housing bats. ©J.Harding.
Lakeside Purple Loosestrife. ©J.Harding.
Four-spotted Footman. ©J.Harding.
Silver-washed Fritillary head on. ©J.Harding.
Three's a crowd. ©J.Harding.
A few nights ago I went for a walk to see Jerry, the watchman who manned the gates at our complex last year before suddenly being moved to another property without notice. He used to work as a cook in the British Embassy in Muscat, Oman. Anyhow I found out which gates he was manning this year and set off to find him. His new location was only a fifteen minute walk from our apartment down a dirt track and over a causeway. Before long I could see Jerry on the path ahead. He came to greet me like a long lost friend and asked me to bring Norma along next time. We chatted and I headed back down the road towards home.
After a minute or two I met three young men enjoying a beer or two who were river fishing and invited me to look at their catch. Along the bank there lay a hessian sack a quarter filled with river crabs. These are much smaller than any crabs that we would eat but they assured me they were very tasty and offered to give me enough for dinner. I thanked them kindly but refused.
Not far from these young men was a large arched gateway with huge metal padlocked gates, so I asked what lay behind the neglected construction. An anxious look came upon the face of the fisherman. Oh dear, he said, that is a very bad place and he warned me not to go there. He told me that it was the main entrance to a new five star hotel but that work had stopped because a man had cut down the Banyan tree. This tree was home to a snake and now the snake had no house he explained. The site had been abandoned and the gates locked about eight years ago and the construction workers refused to return.
When I asked what would happen he told me that the land owner would have to get the Hindu priest to come in and exorcise the area to clear it of the bad spirits. It would take some time and no one wanted to work there until the site was made good again. The owner could also build a shrine to the snake and do puja there daily until things were back to normal but it could take many years.
Banyan tree
We asked our driver VJ about this site a few days later and he confirmed the story adding that the healthy man who had felled the Banyan tree had suddenly become ill and had died thus adding credence to these unfortunate events.
Many of the shops and houses here have small dolls, usually made from black fabric with white painted features, hanging at the property entrance. One house close by has four colourful pottery cobras above the doorway, in order to ward away the bad spirits. In this respect beliefs are very much the same as those in Morocco.
This is a photo of a doll, but unusually, this one is grey.
Black ones below for sale.
