Sighting
18-05-2022
Dingy Skipper (14)
Grizzled Skipper (3)
Brimstone (5)
Large White (2)
Small White (1)
Orange-tip (2)
Green Hairstreak (4)
Small Blue (5)
Brown Argus (15)
Common Blue (37)
Adonis Blue (59)
Red Admiral (1)
Painted Lady (1)
Small Tortoiseshell (6)
Peacock (1)
Marsh Fritillary (9)
Wall Brown (10)
Small Heath (16)
13.30 - 14.45.
Ravilious and Dukes
Last autumn I visited an exhibition of work by one of my favourite artists, Eric Ravilious, at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. Lovely stuff! There I discovered he had done a painting on Huish Hill, a place I love to visit, during time he spent at Oare House during the early 1930s. The picture was not in the exhibition, and it is hard to find using Google, but eventually I managed to turn up an image of a picture called Huish Gap – and wonderful it is. I decided next visit to Huish I would see whether I could locate where Ravilious sketched the scene. This was that visit. I think I found pretty much the exact spot, but you can check the uploaded photo uploaded to the sighting site and see if you agree.
What has this got to do with butterflies? A few years back, whilst zigzagging across the slopes of Huish, a farm worker from the Huish estate came over on a quad bike to see what I was doing, having been sent by his boss. Once I had explained, he seemed happy, and we had a conversation during which he mentioned – and I got the impression he knew what he was talking about – that there were Dukes on the slope below Gopher Wood, west of Huish Hill. Gopher Wood can be seen on the right in the painting and photograph, which look south, and, comparing Ravilious’s picture from 1932/33 with today’s vista it is clear the trees have spread considerably down the slopes. Indeed, these days there is only a relatively small area beneath Gopher Wood where Dukes, if present, could thrive. And the trees continue their advance, they will surely be lost.
It is not possible to access the area, which is private, and although very tempted I have not (yet!) popped over the barbed wire fence to explore. I wonder if there are official records of Dukes from the site?
Simon Crampin
