Neil Hulme

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Wurzel. I knew you wouldn't clam up at the chance of a mollusc-based wordplay.

Thank, Goldie and David. That Brimstone certainly lifted my spirits. Any fellow SAD sufferers will know how diabolical this winter has been. Bring me sunshine!

BWs, Neil

[trevor]

HI Neil,

I am taking the fact that you have started posting again as a pointer that the new season is not too far away.
I can almost smell your ' preparation ' for His Majesty wafting through the mid Summer air !!.

Keep well,
Trevor.

[David M]

I can almost smell your ' preparation ' for His Majesty wafting through the mid Summer air !!

I take it then that you are familiar with Neil's moleskin trousers?

[Neil Hulme]

First Comma

Yesterday (29 February) I was surprised to see my second species of the year in our central Worthing back garden, when this Comma spent fifteen minutes sunbathing on the same Fatsia plant that was visited by a Painted Lady on 6 January.

[trevor]

What a welcome sight.
Do you realise that your closed season only lasted for two months !.

Hope your project is going well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Crickey Neil everyone is playing catch-up now, two species already Hopefully the season will start soon over here in Wiltshire...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Great to see your Butterfly photos Neil they cheer me up because it's snowing here. Goldie

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks all.
Trevor: All going well apart from the captive breeding programme - the overwintering caterpillars didn't much like the hot December.
Hopefully some positive news to announce in the not-too-distant future.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Here We Go Again!

A good haul of butterflies today, while diligently helping my daughter with her school assignment ("Looking for Signs of Spring"). At Houghton Forest we saw 2 Brimstone, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock. At Ferring Rife we counted 12 Small Tortoiseshell. She should get an A* for that lot. The previous day I saw 2 Brimstone while driving through Findon Valley. It looks like it’s going to really kick-off this week if the weather forecast holds good.

[Jack Harrison]

If Mia wants an A+++, then a very good sign of spring is the increase in posts on ukb.

Jack

[trevor]

HI Neil,

Let's hope the wild caterpillars enjoyed the warm December !!.
I have been wondering what effect the warm winter/ cold, wet early spring, will
have on the general Butterfly population this year. Few of us alive today have seen
conditions like those of recent months.
Well done with your weekend haul.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

[Neil Hulme]

More Work For Fritillaries

Colin Knight, Paul Day and I joined South Downs National Park ranger Graham West and a dozen volunteers to improve habitat for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary (PBF) at a small site north of Midhurst on Tuesday (15.3.16). Amongst the South Downs volunteers was Arthur Greenwood, who floats between the BC Surrey, Hants and Sussex Branches, and who used to monitor this site back in the 1980s, when the PBF was a much more widespread and numerous species.

Our team focused on a strip of sweet chestnut that I had helped coppice last week, which has stubbornly refused to produce much violet since being cleared four years ago. The bracken and leaf litter here had built up to form an excessively deep blanket, so the arduous process of raking a large area began (no recent breeding here).

It soon became obvious that the mounds of cleared material were becoming too large to ideally be left on the slope, so I headed for the local builder’s supplier to pick up a Hippo Bag (other brands of large, vinyl, folding, builder’s refuse sack are available). This proved ideal for the task (modelled by Paul and Arthur) and before too long the slope was clear.

Hopefully, this clearance and disturbance of the ground will encourage violet to become better established, but some consistently violet-free areas are being seeded and plugged. We also spent some time clearing a ditch and bank structure at the base of the slope, as these features are favoured egg-laying sites for PBF.

Fritillaries for the Future project http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/Fr ... uture.html

[Neil Hulme]

Hairstreak And Adders

Work has kept me indoors for far too long over the last couple of weeks, but on Sunday morning I gave in to the call of spring and headed to Mill Hill for an hour. I saw my first Green Hairstreak of the year and a few Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock, but no sign of Grizzled Skipper yet.

I saw five different Adders, every one being black, including this specimen which is ready to slough its skin.

[Goldie M]

Neil! your so lucky, the Butterflies seem to have vanished up here.
The Adder looks quite scary, I've never seen one yet and don't really want to Goldie

[bugboy]

You're seeing Green hairstreaks and I'm only just seen my first Speckled Wood of the year!

[essexbuzzard]

Glad Mill Hill is off and running,though I thought a grizzled skipper might have been seen by now, perhaps they are a bit late because of the rain. Slightly better weather forecast this week should tempt the first ones to emerge.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Goldie. They look a lot more menacing than they really are - unless you're an invertebrate or small mammal. They are much more scared of us and it takes a lot of stealth to get close to them. They only bite us when really pushed, and prefer to run away.

Hi bugboy. I'm still to see a Speckled Wood, but I bagged a few more season's firsts today!

Hi Mark. Grizzlies are now flying at Mill Hill. I loved reading your Scottish reports. Beautiful as parts of Scotland are, I could never move back up there, now that I suffer so badly with SAD!

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Top Tips

Today (12 April) I met up with Jack Harrison, who is visiting Sussex from his new home in Nairn, Scotland. We had high hopes of bagging an early (for this now late spring) Orange-tip, so agreed to meet at a small, damp meadow at Wiston. After over an hour I had only added a single Green-veined White to the increasing tally of Brimstone, so suggested we head inland to the lanes around Five Oaks and Billingshurst, where the slightly warmer climate might have prompted an earlier emergence.

On arrival at a favourite flowery meadow things did not initially look promising, with only Brimstone and a few Peacock and Red Admiral around. Then, in the far distance, I spotted what I guessed was my first Orange-tip of the year. As I closed in on it I noticed another white butterfly rise up from the base of a hedge, and the two were soon tumbling around each other in courtship. They swiftly joined and sat motionless for twenty minutes, before the male headed off looking for more females. This was only the second time I’ve actually seen Orange-tips couple, although I’ve found a few mating pairs by chance. I later saw a second male, but the emergence has clearly only just begun. Bearing in mind that this was our sole opportunity to meet up, both Jack and I were very happy with the result - definitely quality rather than quantity.

After fully intending to head home to tackle chores, I couldn’t help but make a flying visit to Mill Hill. Despite the weakening sunshine I spotted two Grizzled Skippers. I later discovered that a reasonable number had been seen by other observers earlier in the day. Spring is finally here.

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Neil . As Salisbury is generally two weeks behind everyone else I'll start looking in earnest next week - thanks for the heads up

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

So pleased for both you and Jack (who had a fair round-trip to make) that Orange Tips were sighted - and a mating pair to boot!

Lovely images once again.