While I was at Bishop Middleham quarry, I had a conversation with a man who was surprised when I said I was looking for Brown Argus butterflies as well as the Northern Brown Argus. He didn’t think we had both species as he said, and I quote “oh you have Brown Argus here as well” I of course said we did. He went on to say that, there were only Northern Brown Argus and the way you could tell was that Northern females lay their eggs on top of the leaf of the food plant and the only eggs he had found were on top. I mentioned the white spot on the wing and he replied that it was not indicative of Northern Brown they can have the black spot too. Now I don’t know enough to argue so I left it there. Unfortunately I didn’t get his name or where he was from (he sounded as though he was from Yorkshire) but it was his first time at the quarry and he was there to collect eggs and some females for a project he was doing. I don’t know if he had a licence for this but he did say he had studied these butterflies for fifty years. Oh and I missed the Marbled Whites at Wingate by a couple of days they are out now so I can see a return visit is on the cards.
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