October 2015

[David M]

Feels more like 1st August right now. Let's hope this week long warm spell leads to a few exotics, e.g. Long Tailed Blue!

[Jack Harrison]

1st October near Nairn NH858535 (Kildummies)

Revisit. I don’t think GV White as posted in this thread viewtopic.php?f=60&t=8606
but very worn Small Whites (I think – confirmation please). And today, not particularly over the old bean field but roadside. Several seen.



(I did say worn! But he could still fly quite well.)



Jack

[David M]

Certainly 1 & 3 are rapae, Jack, but number two looks like a Half White.

[Jack Harrison]

Here's the habitat.



The splendid car in the picture is due to be replaced shortly by a PETROL ENGINE Skoda (none of that diesel rubbish).
Yet again yellow as that colour makes it easy to find in a car park. Hope you don't all buy yellow!

jack

[David M]

Notable sighting from my workplace this lunchtime - a Green Veined White!! What has happened to this species lately? They're practically absent.

[Allan.W.]

Hi All,
Had our usual weekend trip to Dungeness(Kent) today and the weather was with us,the fog having cleared by the time we reached the point, we had a look at a couple of small clumps of everlasting pea near,Denge quarry,on the way, well you never know !! but unsurprisingly no luck ,stopped for a while at the old water tower,behind the Dungeness ARC pit ,(an RSPB ,reserve),a bricklaying masterpiece ! built from the old Pluckley(Kent) bricks ,Had Small Coppers in mind ,but sadly didn,t see any,it looks ideal,must try for earlier broods next season, Did find an unusual parasitic wasp on the tower ,which I think could be a male Dolichomitus Imperator ,also several 2 spot Ladybirds,and the one pictured ,which I think is a Harlequin, on to the point,had more luck butterfly wise here, and after a slow start,we finished with 22 Small Coppers,4 Small Heath,1 Battle worn
Common blue,2 Red ads; 1 peacock + 2 each Small and Large White, most of the Coppers were seen in the Moat area ,we also noted a single Hummingbird Hawk,its been a good year for them. hope you don,t mind, but I,ve posted another couple of view shots taken at Dungeness,the one from the lighthouse,shows the moat ,top left hand corner,just above the car park ,is the sight of the old Dungeness branch line station, the old line is traceable to the top of the picture travelling through the "trapping area/Desert" to the right of the car park is part of the loop of the Romney,Hythe and Dymchurch light Railway . Regards Allan.W.

[Testudo Man]

Tough to spot any real numbers of butterflies for me lately!

This last Sunday, i sighted just the 1 Small Copper, 1 Comma, an a couple of distant "Whites" (ether LW or GVW).
Plenty of Dragonflies on the wing though, an still a few October Damselflies about.

Location- Kent, cheers Paul.

I wish i could shoot similar Butterfly images of these migrant Hawkers in Cop. Image is not cropped.

This macro/close up image is not cropped either.

[Paul Wetton]

Hi Allan

Your ladybird looks like Harlequin Ladybird H. axyridis f. conspicua

[Allan.W.]

Hi Paul,
Thanks for confirming the Ladybird species ,much appreciated !!. Regards Allan.W.

[EricY]

Hi Allan,
I am no expert but I think your wasp is Pimpla rufipies, looks exactly like one I found here last week. One of the many Ichneumon wasp family. Eric

[Allan.W.]

Hi Eric,
Do you know what Eric ,I think you are spot on !! So much for my own id ! I,ve had a look on the computer ,at "Pimpla Rufipes "and they do look identical, and what a great name !! Thanks very much for the id. Regards Allan.W.

[peterc]

It may not be too late to find that elusive Brown Hairstreak. A couple of females seen in Carmarthernshire, of which one was fairly fresh as well, on Thursday and yesterday. Do ageing Brown Hairstreaks look more grey/dark brown in flight? And has anyone else seen any recently? Seemingly, a pretty poor year for them so far.

See http://betulae.blogspot.co.uk/ .

ATB

Peter

[David M]

It's not a huge surprise to see Brown Hairstreaks this late in Wales. I saw one myself on 5th October 2013 at the main West Williamston site.

More unusual is to hear that one of them looked fresh!

[David M]

A trip to the National Botanic Gardens of Wales this afternoon, near Cross Hands, provided half a dozen Red Admirals, five Small Tortoiseshells and singleton Speckled Wood & Painted Lady.

[Testudo Man]

This last Sunday (11/10/15) wasnt too bad for sightings.
I saw 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large White, 1 Small White, 2 Small Copper, 2 Comma and a fresh looking Speckled Wood.

Location- Kent.

Cheers Paul.

Small Copper, looking a little worn, but the other one was "fresher".

This Speckled Wood looks to be very fresh, most i see this time of the year are well worn.

Nice to see a Hornet too, they are formidable creatures.

[Jack Harrison]

12 &13 October Ireland counties Meath and Cavan

Small Tortoiseshells in much evidence. On one large plant of Verbena bonariensis near Kells at least half a dozen Torties, one Red Admiral and a necataring Speckled Wood. Most of the Torties wre stunningly fresh suggesting that it is double brooded here (unlike north of Scotland).

Surprisingly, no Peacocks (except one possible when I was driving) this visit to Ireland although they certainly occur here: I have seen in the past in spring.

Jack

[NickB]

Hopefully, Jack's Peacocks will be tucked-up, full of nectar waiting to greet him in the spring again....
Over here, grey and damp. A few days ago, single RA, Sp Wood and Small White; been a good end of the season for the Small White, as they were visibly absent earlier.

[Allan.W.]

Today after doing a few jobs around the house we looked across towards Dungeness,and it looked as though the early cloud was now beginning to clear,so around about mid-day we made our way there,when we arrived we were dumbstruck,to see that the light railway station, has completely gone! the café,has closed for the winter,and the station has disappeared,suppose they,ll re-build over winter. Parking near the moat,the weather was now quite warm,we spotted
our first Small Copper, and it looked fresh ,walking a little further we bumped into Hoggers,who,d done pretty well,re-finding his 4 week warrior,still holding territory,and a very late Meadow Brown,good to have a chat.Hoggers suggests that the immaculate Coppers ,could be part of a 4th brood. good to see him again. Tantalisingly,a Blue shot by Lynne and I, and tore around but wouldn,t settle,probably a Common ,but who knows ! Moving on we found a couple of blue spotted Coppers,in very fine fettle, in all we counted 9 Coppers in the moat
along with 7 Small Heath,1 immaculate female Common Blue,1 peacock,and amazingly 2 male Brown Argus,one that was tiny ! Lots of Robins in the Moat,and my first Redwings of the Autumn, A couple of Ravens flew over our Heads,being harried by a Peregrine,who eventually saw them off !! lets hope for a few more fine days before the frosts kick in,
we haven,t had one yet,in our part of Kent. Regards Allan.W.

[Scott Barron]

An hour walk at Upton Towans in Cornwall this afternoon (18th October) produced Red Admiral (2), Speckled Wood (1) and three pristine very fresh looking female Meadow Browns.

[Brian Arnold]

The weather in Swanage, Dorset was looking quite nice this afternoon, so I popped over to Ballard Down to see what was flying. I saw a Clouded Yellow (possibly more than one), Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Large White, two Peacocks, and two Speckled Woods. The Clouded Yellow was patrolling up and down the hillside for a couple of hours, appearing for up to a minute, then disappearing for a few minutes before returning again. It only settled briefly a few times. A couple of pictures attached. The Small Copper was maybe the same one I saw at the site 9 days ago - the bird bite mark looked similar to the one I saw on my last visit to the site. Regards, Brian Arnold (Swanage)