When is a ringlet not a ringlet...

[Trev Sawyer]

When it's one of these
Photo taken by my daughter at Belfairs Wood near Southend today.
We had literally just got out of the car and it was the first butterfly we saw...
I was shaking so much, I cocked-up with my photos, but fortunately Karina came to the rescue with my little Olympus mju.



Trev

[Martin]

When it's a White Admiral ab. obliterae

Well done Trev (on the spotting, not the photography )

Martin.

[Shirley Roulston]

Very nice photo, they are supposed to be in North Wales I been told. Can you tell me what the area was like that you found it? Is it a Ringlet or a White Admiral? From Shirley

[Trev Sawyer]

Hi Shirley,
Yes, it was an aberrant White Admiral (obliterae). It was actually spotted on the edge of a wood where the species had not been seen for a number of years (Belfairs Wood near Southend). A number of 'normal' ones appeared there too this year and I think the species has increased it's range a little this season. I saw 2 aberrant versions on the same day in Fermyn Woods a few years ago (and I believe this wood produces quite a few for some reason). Habitat was typical... the edge of a wood (or along rides in the wood), where they can nectar on bramble and stay close to their larval foodplant (honeysuckle). They do look very similar to a ringlet, but fly in a much more determined fashion and always have that wavy white line around the perimeter of their wings (and orange-tipped antennae). We were fortunate that this butterfly decided to land near the ground, as unlike Ringlets, White Admirals have a nasty habit of not doing this Happy hunting.

Trev