More April Butterflies

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
As Angie's 'April Butterflies' thread has become so long that my 'mouse' is suffering unreasonable wear and tear in scrolling to the bottom, and is now beginning to squeak, I thought I'd start a fresh one. We still have a week to go before my favourite month of May and I suspect a heap of new stuff is likely to appear by then. A friend recently put me on to a great spot for Orange Tips, beside the upper River Arun on the outskirts of Horsham. I finally got some decent shots, having spent the previous week chasing them along road verges and around gardens.
Neil

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[Polly]

They certainly are "decent shots" Neil - great captures!

I was chasing a female orange-tip around Warnham NR, Horsham on Sunday (a sight to behold) and managed a few sharp but 'blown' shots.

I am not sure where the upper River Arun is; do you have a grid reference please?

Polly

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Polly,
Thanks for your comments. Grid Ref: TQ 178292. A lovely riverside walk with all the 'trimmings' such as Kingfishers. Try to be there when there's patchy cloud/hazy sunshine, as this slows them down a bit. Full sun and they just do that usual weak but seemingly endless flight thing!
Neil

[Polly]

Thanks Neil - I shall have to investigate the area.

Polly

[jfish]

Hi all

back working on the river trent yesterday (24th april) and spotted a large white at holme pierrepont gravel pits, nottingham and another at attenborough gravel pits, nottingham. Also spotted peacock basking in the sun between heavy storms at attenborough.

Cheers

Jfish

[Perseus]

Hello,

Great pictures of Orange Tips. Better than I have ever managed, being let done by faulty equipment, more than once, before another failure today.

25 April 2008
The first Dingy Skipper of 2008 was seen on the the lower slopes of Mill Hill around midday. One Grizzled Skipper was also spotted on a passage journey on a muggy day.



Another first were two female Orange-tip Butterflies positively identified from over the Waterworks Road, chased by a single male and very flightly, stopping only very briefly on Green Alkanet flowers, a least thrice after being disturbed by Rhingia campestris hoverflies. Other butterflies seen during the day were occasional Small Tortoiseshells, occasional Peacock Butterflies, two Speckled Woods, a few Small Whites and a Large White. Eight species.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: April 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/April2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

View and upload your Sussex Wildlife Images to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/sussexwildlife/

[jfish]

Morning

The warmer weather has spread north and the first butterflies have been spotted in my garden in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

Saturday - one Speckled Wood and one Comma
Sunday - one Holly Blue

Cheers

jfish

[Perseus]

Hello,

27 April 2008
With spots of rain and a relatively cool 13.8 °C, the butterflies remained moribund in the morning. There was a Small White over residential Shoreham, but there were none in flight on the approaches to Mill Hill. On the lower slopes, I disturbed just one Small Tortoiseshell, discovered two Grizzled Skippers, one resting on a tall dead plant, one Pyrausta nigrata pyralid moth, and a good condition Peacock Butterfly.
Five butterfly species

26 April 2008
The first butterfly seen on a mildly sunny day was a Large White over a garden near the Hamm Road allotments in Rosslyn Road, Shoreham. On my second trip out two Small Whites were seen near the same are in Gordon Road, followed in chronological order by a Holly Blue over Ham Road by the Police Station, a vansell blown about in the breeze over Adur Recreation Ground, a Small Tortoiseshell leaving the towpath by Shoreham Airport, a confirmed Green-veined White and a male Orange-tip Butterfly over the Garlic Mustard on the verges of the Coombes Road near where it crosses Ladywells Stream (north of Cuckoo's Corner). At Botolphs where the path leads through a wooded section towards the South Downs Way bridge over the River Adur, a Comma, Brimstone Butterfly and a Speckled Wood made an almost instant appearance in less than one minute. There was just one Small White Butterfly at Anchor Bottom flying up from the Dacre Gardens, and in the afternoon there was a paucity on the Coastal Link Cyclepath with two definite vanessids and I think it is safe to assume these were all Peacocks. There was a Large White Butterfly over the Waterworks Road and another one over the north of The Street, Old Shoreham, at the top by Frampton's Field.
UK Butterflies: Whites
Ten species, but only about 15 butterflies

First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: April 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/April2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

View and upload your Sussex Wildlife Images to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/sussexwildlife/

[Dave McCormick]

OK, slightly upset, but its ok. I saw a male holly blue on Sunday. Landed on my foot, but I was with someone special to me and wanted to spend more time with her and did not stop to get a shot. Oh well, always another time for getting shots. IU have rarely saw on that close to the ground before.

[Perseus]

Hello,

29 April 2008
On a tepid cool 11 °C day a passage trip on the footpath section of the the Waterworks Road (Old Shoreham, West Sussex) produced two fresh Large Whites, a female Orange-tip and a Holly Blue, all attracted to Green Alkanet flowers.

28 April 2008
There were two Peacock Butterflies and a male Orange-tip Butterfly over the Waterworks Road, the latter tending to fly under the canopy of the trees from 12 to 15 metres above the flowery verges.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: April 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/April2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

[Pete Eeles]

Just a thought Andy - but you might want to start a Blog to record your sightings

Cheers,

- Pete

[Perseus]

Just a thought Andy - but you might want to start a Blog to record your sightings

Cheers,

- Pete

Sightings are at:

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html