Just to point out, the Devil's Dyke in question is the one in Newmarket on the Cambs/Suffolk border. It's SW-facing and the branch manage the grassland twice a year. This Sunday is the next work party, so we are hoping that the weather holds. It will be a bizarre feeling if we actually see one in ea...

Saturday 25th October - 5-6 males and 1 female Chalkhill Blue reported on Devil's Dyke!

It's a variable caterpillar and there are others close to it, but I think you're right. The faint central line looks key

I've checked the modest list of UK beech-feeders in Manley's book without success. So one of the many hundreds of Geometer moths is the best I can do, sorry.

Hi Neil, Yes, that makes sense. Must confess, I hadn't appreciated that Chalkhills overwintered in the egg. I did think that some very cold August nights followed by weeks of warmer weather could have triggered something, but any larvae would have had to progress at a phenomenal rate to reach the ad...

I've had an email from the observer:
".... Last male seen on Aug 27 when I saw 26 butterflies. Two tatty females on Sep 3 then nothing until Sep 30 when I listed 1 tatty female. .... there was another recorder there yesterday from Northants who also saw the butterfly. "

Allan,
Second brood Small Copper was virtually non-existent. I don't think I saw any. But the past month has seen really good numbers and my top 4 transect counts over the past 6 years.

Cheers
Rob

Hi Allan, Yes, I saw three dozen Clouded Yellows on the Essex sea wall today, east of Burnham-on-Crouch. There's lucerne growing in some fields, which helps! All the ones I got close to looked very fresh. There were also 8 fresh Small Tortoiseshells - can't work out what brood they would be. Also 20...

Fair comment, Guy, based on initial singleton. I see that the transect walker has returned today, perhaps out of excitement and recorded 2 fresh males. I've checked the UKBMS table for the last couple of years and the normal count can run to the end of September, but I suspect that these would be wo...

Thanks Gents. Looks like both instances could refer to the legendary summer of 1976. I know they've got a long emergence period and the Dyke has a huge population, but the past month's butterflies points to this being a second brood individual. We've had a full third brood of Wall Brown and partial ...

We've had a report of a pristine male Chalkhill Blue on Devil's Dyke, Newmarket Thursday 2nd Oct. This came from the regular transect recorder. Not a species that I would have expected a second brood. Does anyone know of any previous examples?

Rob

I was expecting things to quieten down today on my Essex sea wall transect, but not a bit of it. Small Coppers still going strong - best ever brood by far after a non-existent second brood. Clouded Yellows, 3rd brood Common Blues, including a female, and Small White females. Also Small Heaths - agai...

Thanks Monet & Neil. I was making another assumption that it was a new arrival off the North Sea, but as you suggest, no reason why it wasn't hibernating in this location.

cheers
Rob

Just had a report of an alleged Scarce Tortoiseshell by a 'reliable observer' at Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex 'about 2 weeks ago'. No further details. Timing seems a bit problematic as i assumed they would be in hibernation by now - does anyone have any comment?

regards
Rob

I've not seen these myself, but looking at 'Manley'', the caterpillar looks like 'The Spectacle' - a known nettle feeder. In 'Ball & Morris', the hover fly is Sericomyia silentis - common in Hampshire and often found away from its breeding habitat (acid wetland or heathland).
Cheers

Hi Malcolm, You've probably stumped the experts on here with the absence of a photo. There are some species of butterfly that I always think look fresh when in flight, but when you are lucky enough to photograph them and view them later, you realise they are quite old and worn. The Clouded Yellow is...

The Mullein moth caterpillars are often found on buddleia, but I can't find a picture on the internet of their eggs. But I'm not convinced these are Lepidoptera- shape looks odd and a spun leaf seems unusual.

Setaceous Hebrew Character has possibilities, but it's always a hard call with a lot of the noctuids.

Not quite in the same league, but for the past 2 years, we've had Chalkhill Blues in Essex - just a few singletons on the high ground along the northern edge of the Thames flood plain. So these have travelled tens of kilometres from Kent, over the Thames. Whilst on a boat in the Blackwater Estuary (...

Could be an Angle Shades, not sure. But that is a common one that feeds on many foodplants - see http://ukleps.org/CommNamesAlphabetical.html