Neil Freeman

[Wurzel]

I agree with the others that Latticed Heath is one tidy looking moff Interesting to see you're still finding Commas and that your Peacocks are nowhere near as tatty as the ones I'm seeing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Dave, yes, it is a cracking spot, nice and compact and the Small Blues and the two Skippers can all found in the same general area. Also Green Hairstreaks although they can be a bit more elusive there.

Hi Goldie, I see Callum has posted the location of the Cumbrian Small Blues...not sure how far that is for you.

Thanks Callum, Andrew and Wurzel. There were a few Latticed Heath flying but they don't often pose that nicely, they usually settle further down in the grass and can be very flight and difficult to approach.

Friday 25th May - Poplar Hawk Moths

Anyone who read my personal diary last year may remember that I had a female Poplar Hawk Moth to my garden trap in August who laid about a dozen eggs in the trap.

The female from last August

Eleven of these eggs subsequently hatched and I decided to rear them through. As the name suggests, the main larval food plant is various species of Poplars but also frequently Sallows and Willows and as I had easier access to sallow this is what I raised these on.

Poplar Hawk caterpillar early October last year

Poplar Hawk caterpillar early October last year

Poplar Hawk Moths main flight season is usually May to July with a partial second generation in the south in August-September but in recent years this has become a regular event further north and I believe that the female that laid these eggs was most likely an example of this second generation.
One concern that I began to have as we went into October, and the larvae were still growing, was that the leaves started falling from the trees and this included most of the sallows that I had access to around here. Fortunately, before the leaves were all gone, the larvae had all pupated successfully and were put into a plastic box in a cold part of the garage for the winter.

Towards the end of April I bought the pupae out of storage and laid them out in a netting cage ready for emergence.

Pupae ready for laying out in cage.

This week, on Tuesday night. the first adult emerged, a male...followed the following night by a second one, a female...and last night (Thursday) another male.

Poplar Hawk Moth male - day after emergence 23.05.2018

Poplar Hawk Moth female - day after emergence 24.05.2018

After taking a few photos I released the males as this species will mate readily in captivity and I wanted to avoid inbreeding and was hoping to trap a different male to pair her with.

Last night I ran the trap in the garden and had a male Poplar Hawk, the first to the trap this year. I checked he was definitely not one of the released males by comparing markings, one of the reasons for taking photos of them both before release.
I find it fascinating that the reared moths have emerged this week and I have trapped the first one this year at the same time in the garden as although it is cold in my garage, the reared moths would not have been exposed to the same conditions that the wild ones would have been through this past winter.

Earlier this afternoon I put the captured male in the cage with the reared female hoping they would pair tonight but they haven't even waited that long...

Poplar Hawks paired, not a good photo but I didn't want to disturb them too much - 25.05.2018

A horrible wet and miserable day today, tomorrow is looking a bit better but the forecast for Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday keeps changing the amount of sun/rain/storms to expect. Guess we will only know on the day.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Probably missing Corrie to post this Neil but couldn't wait to ask if you have any more shots of the development etc as I am sure I'm not the only one who would like to see them. Incredibly interesting post. Thanks for ID btw

[David M]

Well done for looking after those hawk moths, Neil, and splendid images of rarely seen behaviour too if I may say!

[millerd]

Fascinating stuff, Neil. Another big fat green larva that is so well-camouflaged on sallow leaves! Well done on getting them right through their life-cycle so successfully!

Dave

[Andrew555]

Great work Neil, really good to see.

[Neil Freeman]

Thank you Pauline, David, Dave and Andrew for your comments

I don't have any other photos of the Poplar Hawk development unfortunately, at least not any worth posting. To be honest, they are one of the easiest Hawk Moths to rear and have previously been well documented.

Saturday 26th May.

After some heavy rain on Friday night, Saturday morning was wet and miserable with continuing light rain and drizzle until around lunchtime when the clouds began to clear, and by early afternoon it was warning up and feeling quite pleasant. I decided to pop back to my local spot at Castle Hills by Solihull to have another look to see if any Common Blues or Small Heath had appeared since I went last weekend.

By the time I got there, just after 2.00pm, the clouds had just about disappeared and the temperature was up into the low twenties although it was a bit breezy. Green-veined Whites had increased in number with a good number of males actively chasing each other about along the edges of the meadows and a few Orange-tips were still around albeit looking worn and faded now.

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Orange-tip female - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

I had a good look around for Common Blues without much success and was just beginning to think that they were still not out here when I spotted a nice fresh male in one sunny corner.

Common Blue male - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

This turned out to be the only Common Blue found today and still no Small Heaths here, although I did have a few false alarms for the latter caused by Burnet Companion Moths which can look similar in flight until you get your eye in.

I also checked the spot where I had seen a couple of Peacocks and a Comma last weekend and sure enough I found one of each there today. I initially thought that these were the same ones I had seen last week but looking closely at the photos afterwards shows them both to be different individuals.

Peacock - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Comma - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

I also saw another Peacock chasing a Small Tortoiseshell around in a different part of the site but lost sight of them when they went high up over a hedge.

I mentioned above that I saw a few Burnet Companion Moths and in fact I saw around a dozen of these as well as half a dozen each of Mother Shipton, Latticed Heath and Silver Y plus four or five Small Yellow Underwings. The Silver Y Moths were typically flighty when disturbed from the vegetation but I was pleased to get some half decent photos of the others as they can be difficult subjects with their habits of settling low down in the grass.

Burnet Companion - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Burnet Companion showing underside which can make them look like a Small Heath in flight - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Burnet Companion - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Burnet Companion - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Mother Shipton - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Mother Shipton - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Mother Shipton - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Latticed Heath - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Latticed Heath - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

The Small Yellow Underwing in particular is a tiny little moth and I wouldn't be surprised if these are often overlooked or mistaken for something like a Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata).

Small Yellow Underwing - Castle Hills 26.05.2018

Like many others, we had thunderstorms here last night with continuing showers and rumbles of thunder though the afternoon and into this evening.
Hopefully tomorrow is looking better and being Bank Holiday Monday I am thinking of venturing a bit further afield but haven't decided where yet.

Bye for now,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Fantastic set of Moth shots Neil, that Mother Shipton is a corker I'm surprised at how 'tidy' the OTs are still looking as down this way they're well past their best

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

You're still seeing Orange Tips, Neil - they've disappeared round here so that's worth a .

Some terrific shots of those "honorary butterflies" as well - they usually don't keep still and are very unapproachable, especially the Burnet Companion. So that's what the underside actually looks like!

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, lovely Moth shots, I actually had one of those Small Yellow Under Wings in my Garden but has I was trying for a shot it flew off Great to know what it's called I must look out for it again Goldie

[David M]

Your second Mother Shipton image absolutely captures the reason why the moth is given that name, Neil. Lovely pose.

[bugboy]

Great set of shots, my new zoom lens has helped me get some half descents shots of those Burney Companions but not as good as yours . I'm still seeing a few Orange-tip around here and there too.

[CallumMac]

I actually had one of those Small Yellow Under Wings in my Garden

A word of caution, Goldie - Small Yellow Underwing are similar in size and appearance to the Mint Moths Pyrausta aurata and P. purpuralis. These two species are much, much more likely to turn up in gardens than SYU because of a penchant for a range of culinary herbs!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mac, no Herbs to speak of in my Garden I wish I'd got a shot of it now Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel, most of the Orange-tips round here are well past their best now...it only seems like yesterday that we were looking forward to their appearance.

Hi Dave, glad you like the 'honorary butterflies'. Some of my mothing acquaintances would have it that butterflies are a type of day flying moth anyway

Hi Goldie, I would be tempted to think that CallumMac is right about the moth in your garden, Mint moths are very similar and far more likely to be seen in gardens.

Thanks David, glad you like that one

Cheers Bugboy, I took those photos at full zoom with my Lumix FZ200, even then I had to move very slowly to sneak up on them.

Hi Callum, yes, I agree...I have had a few Mint Moths in my garden but never seen a Small Yellow Underwing there.

Monday 28th May.

The band of storms that moved north across the midlands on Sunday certainly dumped some rain on us with apparently a months worth falling overnight which resulted in some quite severe local flooding in some parts of the Birmingham area.
Having spent most of Sunday doing some painting in the house I had earmarked the Bank Holiday Monday to go out somewhere but had not decided where. After weighing up a few options I decided on having a drive down to Prestbury Hill by Cheltenham where hopefully Duke of Burgundy would still be flying. I had realised that I had not seen this species for the past three years and although I had seen that they had been on the wing there for a few weeks I was hoping that there would still be some around. Also, being a Bank Holiday, I was keen to stay away from any motorways and I could do this by going cross country down past Eversham to Cheltenham.

After the heavy rain on Sunday night, Monday morning started off dull and drizzly but the forecast for the Cheltanham area showed it starting to brighten up after midday. Also, Duke of Burgundy tends to be a late rising species with little activity in the mornings so I thought there was no point in rushing out too early and left home just before 09.30 and after a leisurely drive down arrived at 11.00.
As I approached Cheltenham I could see that the line of hills which include the Bill Smyllie and Masts reserves up on Prestbury Hill itself were still ominously shrouded in mist or low cloud and driving round the single track lanes to the parking spot at the top of the hill was an eerie experience with visibility down to just a few yards in front of my car. On a good day the views from up here are fabulous and you can see right across the Severn Valley to the Malvern Hills but today I couldn’t even see the start of the first path down the hill.

The mist that greeted me on arrival at Prestbury Hill

Nevertheless, I headed off to have a wander around in the hope that the forecast was correct and that it would clear up later. The path down the hill links up with part of the Cotswold Way and leads through some woodland from the Bill Smyllie reserve to the Masts Reserve. Walking through this stretch of woodland in these conditions felt quite spooky with the light and silence giving the impression that something could appear from out of the mist at any moment.

Your imagination could run wild in here.

Even in these conditions I was surprised to see a good number of moths flying on the grassy hillsides…but then again maybe not so surprising as many moths will happily fly in rain at night as long as the temperature is warm enough and there is no wind. These were mostly Common Heath but also some others which would always settle underneath a leaf where I could not see them. The Common Heath is not as common as its name suggests and I have yet to see any around my local patch where the Latticed Heath seems to take its place.

Common Heath - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

I was also on the lookout for roosting butterflies and managed to find a couple of Small Blues and Small Heath tucked away in the wet vegetation.

Small Blue sitting in the mist.

Small Heath half way up a small hawthorn.

After an hour or so the mist began to lift and whilst it was still overcast the air temperature rose a bit and a few butterflies began to stir with Dingy Skippers, Small Heath and Small Blues taking to the air or basking in the wet grass.

Dingy Skipper in the wet grass.

Dingy Skipper - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Small Blue - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Small Blue - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Later in the afternoon I also found a mating pair of Small Blues.

Small Blue pair - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

By early afternoon the mist had mostly lifted and the sun was starting to break through occasionally making it feel quite pleasant. Common Blues and Brown Argus were now also flying along with more species of day flying moth with Five-Spot Burnet and Burnet Companions in good numbers plus half a dozen or so Silver Y Moths and singles of Mother Shipton and Fox Moth also seen.

Common Blue - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

The best moths of the day for me were a Wood Tiger Moth and a Five -Spot Burnet ab. With conjoined spots.

Wood Tiger Moth - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Five-Spot Burnet with conjoined spots

A single Small Copper was my first of these this year plus a female Wall Brown surprised me by settling in front of me on one of the paths. I have read that Wall Browns can be seen here but this was the first one I had actually seen here.

Small Copper - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Wall Brown - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

So then, did I see any Dukes? In the end I saw about half a dozen all well into the afternoon once it had warmed up. They were mostly well-worn and faded indicating that they are near the end of their flight period here this year which as I mentioned earlier, I thought they might be. As is often the case I met a couple of chaps who came out with the ‘you should have been here last weekend, they were all over the place’ line.

Duke of Burgundy - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Duchess - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Duke of Burgundy - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Also seen but not photographed were a couple of Green Hairstreaks flitting about out of reach and flypasts of a few Large and small whites, and my first Red Admiral this year.

All in All it was a great day despite the cool and misty start which did have a strange attraction of its own and I ended up seeing a good number of butterflies along with some nice day flying moths.

Bye for now,

Neil

[ernie f]

Neil, what a wonderful day you had. A Wall, a Wood Tiger, mating Small Blues and an ab Burnet, not to mention the spooky woodland mist. I would be happy if I saw any one of these in a day.

[Wurzel]

Great report Neil replete with the "you should have...", I make it a habit never to start a sentence with those words Still got a cracking sequence of images

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Excellent resumé, Neil, as ever. Even when the forecast suggests mist will clear, it's never terribly reassuring when you're standing in the middle of it with visibility less than 50 yards!

Glad you got your Dukes.

[Goldie M]

Great day out to see all those Butterflies Neil and Moths too, I love that little Common Heath Moth, it's got so many shades of Brown, I've not seen the Mint Moth since to get a photo but I've seen quite a few more moths this year in the Garden than ever before. Great shot of the mating pair as well Goldie

[millerd]

That was a great variety of things you ended up with, Neil, after a less than promising start. It is definitely better to encounter everything just as the sun comes out and the temperature slowly rises - if you'd arrived in full brilliant sunshine, everything would have been manic.

Dave