No luck at Whitecross Green Wood

What a contrast. Spent the morning of Thurs Aug 7th at Aston Rowant NNR trying to avoid stepping on Silver Spotted Skippers and Chalkhill Blues and lunchtime at Whitecross Green Wood, on my way home. Finding Brown Hairstreak is a much more difficult challenge. The habitat looks perfect for Brown and Black Hairstreak, with ancient deciduous woodland and blackthorn along all the rides. However, I spoke to 4 or 5 local people, who knew the wood and the best sites to see Brownies, but all said that it was "hard work". On the day, only one "hairstreak sighting" high in an ash tree, but not by me. Nevertheless, I suppose it is the hours spent searching without luck that make the actual sightings so much more satisfying.

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