millerd

[bugboy]

Lucky bugger Dave, although I did have a bloody good day myself, one of my epic jaunts out came up trumps

[Goldie M]

Weathers broke here Dave, so I'll have to bide my time waiting for the Orange Tips but you've got some lovely shots there, 5 species up on me Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Dave Although as usual the OTs are playing hard to get Mind you it still counts

Have a goodun

[millerd]

Good - the consensus is that the Orange Splodge counts! Thank you all for your support and kind comments.

Orange Tips around here are more dependent on garlic mustard than cuckoo flower. There is one solitary patch of the latter, which has been overgrown by brambles and is in the shade this year. It is out, but unlikely to attract nectaring butterflies and probably not egg-laying females. The garlic mustard is nowhere near flowering, and unfortunately is due for an "off" year after a good one in 2016. I don't expect many Orange Tips for a few days yet.

However, I spotted one (and a Brimstone) in the middle of Staines this afternoon.

Thursday 30th March. A day out of summer, with temperatures above 20 degrees and hazy sunshine. After leaving Staines (that often raises a smile... ), I had a wander round my local patch between 4 and 5 this afternoon. The sun was fading fast, but I came across a Holly Blue flying around almost as I stepped out the front door. However, the main feature of the walk was the sheer number of Commas. I lost count after 20 - even when the midsummer brood is at its height I rarely see so many. Courting, fighting, perching, chasing Peacocks, pottering about - they were everywhere.

I found a courting pair - the female led the male to a discarded beer can initially (read what you will into that) but he eventually lost interest and they went back to basking fairly close to each other.

female

male

Good numbers of Peacocks were around as well today, including that rare sighting - a dead butterfly. It appeared to have been caught by something that had subsequently spat it out.

No Small Tortoiseshells, curiously - their usual spot was occupied by two Commas and a Peacock. Finally, I encountered one Red Admiral and one Speckled Wood. The latter posed, but the former was too busy swooping up and down his stretch of path.

Dave

[bugboy]

That's an impressive haul Dave and some of those Commas look freshly emerged . They must have entered hibernation very soon after emerging last year.

[David M]

Your neck of the woods certainly looks to be 'Comma Corner', Dave. I'd love to know why they're so numerous this spring following their paucity last summer.

Was it down to the dryness of the winter perhaps?

[millerd]

It's really hard to work out, David. Thinking back, I reckon that perhaps a larger proportion than usual of the spring brood were not hutchinsoni, so went straight into hibernation - I do remember seeing more of these around in midsummer than usual (in fact normally there are none round here). As for the summer brood, the late summer better weather may have favoured them, so that when they too went into hibernation the total number slumbering in the undergrowth was larger than usual.

They still seem to be waking up and coming out. Also, as Buggy mentioned, they seem in excellent condition.

Dave

[David M]

Interesting observation and totally plausible. Of course, that begs the question: why did the non-hutchinsonii emerge in such a greater proportion than normal? Was it in response to the run of poor springs prior to last year?

That's why butterflies are such fascinating subjects...there are always so many unanswerable questions surrounding their lifecycle and behaviour.

[peterc]

Hi Dave,

I suspect it has something to do with the unfavourable weather in the spring and early summer. I remember not seeing my first Orange-tip until about 8 May last year and it took a while for the summer to get going. As far as the Comma is concerned, if at some point during the larval stage (I am not sure when), the day-length shortens the larvae will develop more slowly until emerging as normal dark-form adults in late summer rather than develop to emerge as hutchinsoni adults in late June or July.

If this year continues in a positive vein we may well see a higher proportion of hutchinsoni adults than usual. In my opinion this year has started almost perfectly: not too mild in January and February and mostly dry - in the south-east anyway .

ATB

Peter

[Wurzel]

An amazing tally of Commas Dave I still can't work out whether the male was trying to ply the female with Tyskie (it tastes better from a bottle) in order to have his wicked way or was he in need of some Dutch courage? You're doing well with Orange-tips there's only been one record from Wiltshire so far...

Have a goodun
Wurzel

[millerd]

There were more Orange Tips around today, Wurzel. Unfortunately I have a major camera malfunction so no shots at all today.

Friday 31st March. I had another walk locally this afternoon after the cloud pushed away eastwards and the sun shone enthusiastically. It was pretty windy, though so numbers of butterflies were down a bit. Nevertheless, the Commas were there, certainly double figures, plus a Peacock, a Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood. However, the sun also brought out four male Orange Tips in various places, and as they had just woken up, they were keen to nectar and presented several quite good photo opportunities... but no camera.

Oh well, maybe a new one is required.

The whole Comma thing is fascinating, and it will be interesting to see how they do in the next brood. I have sometimes wondered whether Small Tortoiseshells follow the same pattern as Commas, only we don't notice the different forms as they look the same (if that makes sense...).

It certainly has been excellent weather where I am - seeing butterflies on seven days out of eight on my local patch is good for any time of year, let alone in March. No real hint of any change yet, either.

Dave

[bugboy]

I do hope the lack of a camera is very temporary, would have loved to have seen some OT's. Still none near me but its probably a good thing since the Garlic Mustard hasn't even started sending up flower shoots yet!

[millerd]

The lack of camera lasted the minimum length of time, Buggy - I managed by chance to find an almost identical one at a sizeable discount first thing this morning and was soon back in the field.

Saturday 1st April. By the time I had acquired the camera it was nearly lunchtime and there was a fair bit of cloud. Still, the new machine had to be tested. Close to home, there was first one and then another Holly Blue.

Soon after this, in the usual hotspot near the top of an ivy-draped holly tree, there were three more engaged in aerial battles. On the grass beneath the tree a Small Tortoiseshell was nectaring on dandelions.

Strange to think I hadn't seen either of these species yesterday. On round the circuit and I encountered a Brimstone as the sun went in. Sure enough, down it went and blended into the background.

I put up three Speckled Woods after this, one after the other, and each retreated higher up as they tend to do when the sun is in and it feels cool.

I returned home for a while and had a second bite a bit later when there was more sunshine. This time, the Commas and Peacocks were back, as well as a few Red Admirals. Some of the Peacocks looked amazingly fresh, considering they must be eight months old.

Not so this Red Admiral...

...and this one took a curious interest in a pile of fly-tipped rubbish.

The Commas still look pretty good.

Comma Corner had quite a few, as well as Peacocks, two more Holly Blues and three or four Orange Tips, though none of the latter came close.

However, the highpoint today here was species number ten for the year, with three Green-veined Whites seen. This is one of them

At several points it was difficult to know what to follow with butterflies whizzing around in all directions. Commas will chase anything.

Dave

[bugboy]

Glad to see you're back in the game but now I'm forced to leave a few of these on your page , your patch is most definitely a bit ahead of mine, time for me to venture a little further out this coming week

[David M]

Great to see Green Veined Whites are out, along with what I suppose will be increasingly regular Holly Blues. I guess the females will soon make themselves visible along with a few other new species that one can expect right now during an early spring.

[Wurzel]

Good to see you've got a camera again - and what a cracking start with your new device I thought I was catching you up but you've pulled away again with the Green-veined Whites - great set of shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Yes, David, GVW are very much out now, and I am eagerly awaiting the first female Holly Blue - as are all the males I saw today!

I think I shall have to venture further afield now, Wurzel, to add to the total. But where?

I'm just amazed at how much is flying here at the moment, Buggy. I clocked up nine species in about 30 minutes today, if that. Only the Small Whites were missing.

Sunday 2nd April. Just to show that Holly Blues really are on my doorstep, I managed this wide shot of one with the house number in it as well...

There were more than ever today on my local patch, well into double figures and actually exceeding the number of Commas seen.

The Commas appeared to be mostly females, too, and I noticed several laying eggs. This one seems to have an abdomen bursting with them.

Speckled Woods are becoming more numerous and they were popping up all along the path.

Still plenty of Peacocks and Brimstones, a handful of Red Admirals, and a couple of Small Tortoiseshells. However, there were more Orange Tips than yesterday, and the occasional clouds meant that they were stopping from time to time. I finally managed to get close to one or two; one in particular.

Towards the end of my walk I came across a white butterfly flying feebly across the grass. Suddenly, from over my left shoulder came another flash of white. I watched as the newcomer forced the first one down onto the grass and with no ceremony whatsoever proceeded to mate.

They were Green-veined Whites. They did not remain immobile for long, and took to the air a couple of times, being accosted by a male Brimstone at one point.

The female appeared slightly damaged; eventually the male took them off into the bushes.

Another terrific day.

Dave

[trevor]

All those Holly Blues and Orange Tips at your disposal........ any room for a lodger ?.

[bugboy]

I'm off the mark with Holly Blues now but still no Orange-tips for me. I shall be exploring further afield this week to up this years species count, hopefully I'll be in double figures by Friday. Seriously jealous of your local patch though

[Wurzel]

I have a couple of suggestions Dave Seriously there was a Greenstreak at my Marshie site today - that's a little over a month early from when I first saw them last year I only hope things stay good weather wise for long enough for the species to get established...

Have a goodun

Wurzel