Neil Hulme

[Neil Freeman]

Superb report on the fortunes of the Duke of Burgundy in Sussex Neil, I can feel the emotion coming through in your words...and congratulations to all involved on a job well done.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

A totally fantastic result covered in your report and I can totally feel and share your emotion Neil Stupendous work by all involved

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks to you all for your generous words.

Jack: I should probably just call myself 'The Duke', after David Dickinson, who I can out-mahogany by the end of May each year.

Vince: The combination of very high numbers, an atypical enthusiasm to disperse, and unusually favourable weather throughout May, all suggest that we may be seeing that rarest of commodities, an upwards spiral. I very much hope that 2017 sees a further chapter in the regional recovery of this species - that is unless we see a summer drought, which is one of the few factors that might possibly spoil the party.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Forty Five Years On

With all of the excitement of recent weeks, yesterday (29 May) seemed like the ideal opportunity for some shameless nostalgia. Until my mother's loss of mobility about eight years ago, I used to spend a great deal of time butterflying with my father, Eric. After a life-changing double hip replacement my mother has now regained significantly more independence, allowing us the occasional chance to team-up again.

Now in his eighties, very steep slopes are not quite as easy as they once were for him, but I was determined to get my father out to see the unprecedented (in modern terms) numbers of Duke of Burgundy now flying over some of our old haunts. After a little map reading, involving a fairly relaxed interpretation of the position of PRoWs, we approached the Downs from a very different direction to that which I've become accustomed. We worked out that it had been at least forty five years since we had last entered this coombe together, looking for Green Hairstreaks.

Although I later returned to record numbers, our joint visit was entirely about the experience. However, my father probably saw as many Duke of Burgundy in a couple of hours than he's seen in a lifetime. The butterflies were very kind to us - they literally swarmed. Brown Argus, Common Blue, Green Hairstreak, Dingy, Grizzled and Large Skippers, Small Heath and Small Copper were all present, but there was no doubt about who was in charge. One of my favourite recollections of 2016 will be the sight of a Peacock being escorted off the premises by a string of six male Dukes.

I soon spotted a mating pair, which posed beautifully for us, while all around was a blur of high speed activity. I later found another three pairs, proving that the emergence is far from over. We saw a few newly minted males, and pristine females seemed to be everywhere. This magical couple of hours passed too quickly. 2016 is going to produce quite a few memorable days, but I doubt that any will beat this one.

[dave brown]

For pure nostalgia that is the sort of day that will be banked in the memory for ever and brought back into play on those special occasions. There is nothing like sharing magic with your father.

[Susie]

Precious memories.

[Goldie M]

That's ever so nice Neil, I bet your Father was in his element Unfortunately, today , not a single Duke at Gait Barrow. We could do with some of your Dukes up here, they look fantastic pairing off like that, great shots Goldie

[bugboy]

Sounds like a perfect day in every respect to me

[selbypaul]

This is why I love your posts Neil. Some very special memories.

[badgerbob]

Good to see your Dad out there enjoying the butterflies Neil.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, all. Days like that serve to illustrate the importance and depth of our relationship with butterflies, which is why it is so important to look after them. Psychologists and philosophers have always struggled to define 'happiness' .... surely the answer is just 'butterflies'.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

They Think It's All Over ...

Today (5 June) I headed out with the intention of saying my annual farewell to the Duke of Burgundy, as I was sure that the recent and quite prolonged spell of poor weather would have seen most run out of steam. As I systematically visited colonies spread along the Downs near Storrington, that initially seemed to be the case. Numbers were well down and only a few battered and faded old males were left, typically refusing to go down without a fight. However, as spring slips into summer they've found new species to rough up. Instead of Dingy, Grizzled and Green Hairstreak they are now pursuing Large Skipper and Painted Lady.

As I reached the fourth colony of the day I got quite a surprise. Here, the season was far from over and amongst the 42 individuals I counted there were three mating pairs. One of these was particularly interesting, as both Duke and Duchess had one foot in the grave. This was the first time I've ever seen evidence of a female Duke of Burgundy being mated for a second time. Although multiple pairings in the females of a few species, such as Green-veined White, are well documented, this behaviour appears to be very rare in the majority of certainly short-lived species. I have only ever seen old females of Common Blue and Small Heath in cop, once before in each case.

There was still life in the last colony I visited, with several males still in pretty good shape. Over the five locations visited I counted a total of 93 individuals, which for June is remarkable. For me, the title of 'Butterfly of the Year' is already won. Nothing can hope to challenge the 2016 Sussex Duke of Burgundy season. The clock has been turned back for this species by at least 25 years.

I then headed to a site near Madehurst, to look at the rare orchids on display, including Frog and white forms of the Bee, and the Five-spot Burnet moth (subspecies palustrella). What I didn't expect to see was a Duke of Burgundy! Days like today remind me how very fortune I am to live in Sussex, and so close to the wonders of the chalk hills.

Duchess

Duke

Recently emerged female with middle-aged male

Experienced Duke and Duchess

White Bee Orchid

Frog Orchid

[Neil Hulme]

The Good And The Bad

Tuesday (7 June) was probably my last opportunity to monitor Duke of Burgundy numbers in Sussex this year, although I'll almost certainly pay a farewell visit to the most enduring colony, just to complete a Duke season that I'll remember and cherish for the rest of my days. My personal, running total for the year stands at 1355 counts which, when converted to an approximate hourly strike rate, is easily more than double my previous best years (2011 and 2014).

I watched a virgin female being run to ground by a string of four males; quite rightly, the fastest and fittest won. This was the sixteenth pairing I've observed this season, equalling my pre-2016 lifetime tally. As I wandered over the open slopes, well away from the lekking areas, I came across numerous females, laying eggs as they dispersed far and wide. The prospects for this species in Sussex have improved immeasurably over the last decade.

However, 2016 has not been so kind to most species. In fact, try as I might, I can't think of another which has done particularly well, even by modest 21st Century standards. Few have even attained a rating of 'average'. Many of our species are still sufficiently widespread and numerous to bounce back from a year (or should I say winter) like this, and many will do so quickly, particularly the multivoltine.

But it worries me greatly that the species which are currently vulnerable, whether nationally, regionally, or locally, are less likely to weather the storm which is blowing. This 'storm' is the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, courtesy of climate change. 2012, the summer that never was, wreaked havoc. I believe it was largely responsible for the subsequent extinction of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary in Sussex. Lying in wait, I suspect, has been the tropically warm December of 2015. If you are a plant, or if you are butterfly species which over-winters in the larval stage of your life cycle, how do you react to that?

Having spent many years working on Duke of Burgundy as a volunteer, my focus has now shifted to encompass Pearls (PBF) and Small Pearls (SPBF), due to my BC Fritillaries for the Future Project Officer role, so I know how bad the 2016 figures for Sussex are going to be. PBF did well at Abbot's Wood, and is currently secure at Rewell Wood, but elsewhere the news is far from good.

On Monday (6 June) I visited Bentley Wood, to catch up with a few species I have to travel for, such as Marsh Fritillary and Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, and also to spend time observing egg-laying preferences in SPBF. Watching about half-a-dozen female SPBF at work here last year provided some useful data, but this time I was clearly too early in the flight season.

On the bonus side, I bumped into bugboy as soon as I arrived in the Eastern Clearing, who very conveniently pointed out a docile, female SPBF (many thanks). A quick squint revealed that her wings were still damp, so it was just necessary to stand back and wait for the inevitable. She was grabbed without ceremony on a male’s third pass over the area. Fortunately, I was elsewhere when an outbreak of selfish behaviour occurred over ‘photographic rights’.

Despite it being a late season, what I saw worried me. According to the BC Hants & IOW website SPBF has been on the wing here since at least 26 May. Several observers have reported “five or six” individuals in the Eastern Clearing. I hope they are correct, but I came away only sure of having seen two males and a female. I sincerely hope that there is a significant number yet to come. A trek to more distant parts of the wood failed to turn up either SPBF or Marsh Fritillary.

One issue, the importance of which it is perhaps easy to overlook, is the alarming scarcity of nectar sources in the clearing, particularly the favoured Bugle. SPBF requires a lot of energy to sustain its busy lifestyle, and a shortage of nectar is likely to have a negative impact on the fecundity of females.

I’ll be watching the situation here with interest, and hope.

[bugboy]

Great to bump into you on Monday, just a shame it was under the cloud of worryingly low numbers of Fritillaries. I would say there were at least 2 females that day. the first one I photographed was found an hour before the one we saw mating and was seen quite a distance from that spot.

[Wurzel]

Beautiful shots Neil I echo your fears about certain species - Small Pearls and Pearls were nowhere near the numbers that I've seen previously at Bentley, also the other species just haven't been present there either, Grizzled and Dingy Skippers for example and no multiple Duke sightings On the couple of times I've been there recently most people seem to be of the impression that the management is wrong.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely image of the pairing, Neil. One wonders what needs to be done to encourage these Fritillaries sometimes. Goodness knows you've undertaken as much as you can but these insects are fickle creatures.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, all.

Wurzel - All of the species you mention have different autecological needs, but with some overlap between them, which is why they can all co-exist there. For them all to be suffering at the same time, as they currently are, therefore points to a more fundamental issue. I've seen unusually low numbers of both Grizzled and Dingy Skipper everywhere this year, on both downland and wooded sites, and on sites which are both actively managed and which look after themselves.

Butterflies (with the exception of Chalk Hill Blue and Red Admiral in Sussex) suffered an annus horribilis in 2012 but the majority somehow recovered very quickly. I think we are seeing another trough in the rollercoaster, but it's the resilience (or lack of it) of the vulnerable and feeble that worries me so much. In this part of the world SPBF and PBF are at the top of that list.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Changing Of The Guard

A late afternoon visit to the Downs at Storrington gave me the opportunity to spend a last hour in the company of Dukes this year. The suitably worn and faded male in front of me launched itself at a Large Skipper as I turned and headed up the steep bank.

As I reached the top of the coombe, pausing to catch my breath, my eye was caught by the characteristically floppy flight of a Meadow Brown - my first of the year. For me, this species marks the official start of summer.

[Andy Wilson]

Hi Neil. I was at Bentley on Wednesday this week, and I posted a report in my own personal diary. I must say I share the concerns about the paucity of SPBF. I saw enough to get a few decent photos, but I reckon I saw 5, possibly 6, individuals at maximum, and this was in the middle of the day when the sun did come out for a few long periods to make conditions quite hot and humid. There were very few nectar sources -- Bugle as you mentioned (although this was going over) and also Ragged Robin. The latter was growing in a few of the more boggy patches, but perhaps more could be done to encourage it. One of my SPBF's kept going back to the same flowers as it greedily tried to get more nectar.

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary nectaring on Ragged Robin

[Pete Eeles]

Fortunately, I was elsewhere when an outbreak of selfish behaviour occurred over ‘photographic rights’.

Thanks for your insights, Neil; although the news isn't always positive, I do enjoy reading your posts. Regarding your comment above, the following has been posted on the Hants and Isle of Wight website:

"What was a pity was that while trying to get these shots a couple of ladies came up and started to also get shots, which is fine but they were getting in my shot and I had to ask them to move a bit. I got a couple more luckily, good shots, then got out of the way to let them have a go. Dave was waiting patiently all this time and we were chatting to the two but one was taking ages and lots of pics. She then said once I get all the pics I can I like to try and move then to a better position! I quietly objected as I don’t agree with poking and prodding butterflies just to get a better pic. Also Dave was STILL waiting to get a pic but she started moving them around and poking them anyway. Surprise, surprise, after she got a couple more shots, they split up and flew off, thus spoiling it for anyone else and poor Dave from getting a decent picture at all. I really wish that people would NOT poke or interfere with wildlife just to get a better shot! Not to mention thinking of others and not ‘hogging’ an opportunity. If the butterfly is not in the greatest position then such is life. Get what you can and make the most of what you get."

I'm so glad I wasn't there since I'm sure that a camera lens would have parted company with its accompanying camera body. Absolutely disgusting behaviour. If any of these "ladies" is reading this - then you should be ashamed at yourselves for putting photography before the welfare of these (very) rare butterflies.

Apols for the rant in your PD, Neil.

Cheers,

- Pete