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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3589486" data-attributes="member: 12449">6-8 July. Like London Buses!You wait ages and ages for one, then suddenly a whole bunch of them come at once! And so it is with Black Hairstreaks and Tufted Marbled Skippers - six years without one in Lithuania for the first, never seen one in Lithuania for the second, then in the space of four days, I find no less than three Black Hairstreaks and five Tufted Marbled Skippers! Visiting sites in the Vilnius, Ukmerge and Kaunas areas, classic days they were, butterfly numbers high and species diversity very good, a total of 53 species seen. In addition to the butterflies mentioned below, I also encountered nine Large Coppers, ten Geranium Argus and first hints of second generations of several common species, Brimstones, Wood Whites and Holly Blues included. 6 July: Started off in woodlands and meadows a little to the south of Vilnius, primarily looking for Large Wall Brown, which duly obliged (two individuals). More remarkable though, my visit also resulted in my second in the run of Black Hairstreaks, a species I had never seen before at this site. Season's first Niobe Fritillary also seen, two on an area of heath. Plenty of other butterflies also flying, including three Glanville Fritillaries, my first Essex Skipper of the year and Moorland Clouded Yellow.7 July: Amazing day, common butterflies and rare in abundance. Wandering an area of riverside meadow in the Ukmerge area, the sheer volume of butterflies was staggering, an estimated 160 Lesser Marbled Fritillaries at a single locality, another 90 in further areas, Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Pearly Heaths and Chestnut Heaths all abundant, plus three White-letter Hairstreaks and Black Hairstreak number three, a fine individual sunning alongside a glade. And 15 minutes after the hairstreaks, in the neighbouring glade, a Tufted Marbled Skipper on flower tops, a very nice individual allowing photographs. The ghosts of past days without a camera were cast aside! Three Glanville Fritillaries graced a neighbouring hillside.A detour on route back to Vilnius added another Tufted Marbled Skipper and, nearby, a few additional species of note, most particularly four Knapweed Fritillaires, my first two two Purple-shot Coppers of the season and an unfortunate Alcon Blue that had been taken by a Crab Spider.8 July: Rounding off these three excellent days, I popped over to Kaunas to drop off a friend at the airport, then skipped off to woodlands a little to the north. Massive emergence of Purple Emperors and Lesser Purple Emperors, dozens of them puddling on the tracks and gliding about ...in a relatively small area, I managed to count a minimum of 47 Purple Emperors and 18 Lesser Purple Emperors, truly impressive! Also dozens of other species, including still 25 Woodland Browns, at least 15 Large Chequered Skippers and two Ilex Hairstreaks. Better still, bumped into yet another two Tufted Marbled Skippers, both feeding on flowers on roadside embankments.Highlight of the day however was undoubtedly a certain butterfly I had been searching for over the previous weeks - highly restricted in Lithuania, I finally found a single individual in an area of wet woodland glade with regenerating shrubs ...briefly alighting on the track aside a bunch of Purple Emperors, the butterfly in question was a superb Scarce Fritillary. Regrettably no photograph, up it went and sailed off into the shrubland. Searched extensively, but no further sign. Also added my first Turquoise Blues of the season en route home, four feeding at a traditional site not too far from the capital. Always happy to see these, one of the most exquisite butterflies in Lithuania in my opinion. BALTIC YEAR LIST    85. Purple-edged Copper    86. Turquoise Blue    87. Lesser Purple Emperor    88. Niobe Fritillary    89. Scarce Fritillary    90. Large Wall Brown    91. Essex Skipper</blockquote>

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