PhilBWright

[PhilBJohnson]

May 15th 2018
Melissa and I went to Anderby Creek in love of the Green Hairstreak Butterfly.
Last year Butterfly Conservation in Lincolnshire (which we are both members of) went on a field trip on 14th May there, so we retraced some steps.
There were plenty of territorial chases where some males were perched on wild rose and Hawthorn, where they were also nectaring (May Tree).
It was thought that males emerge first, find a territorial perch about head height and wait for a passing female.
These two came together on Ivy foliage in full sun after a very short 'fluttering 'courtship.
Interference from another Green Hairstreak while mating lead this pair into a retreat position under wild rose foliage after a short flight together:

15:28pm

Habitat - Sand Dunes
This butterfly species was thought to have evolved a relationship with a specific species of ant to complete it's life cycle.

[Goldie M]

Lovely second shot of the mating HS's Phil and you've caught their lovely bright colours too Goldie

[PhilBJohnson]

Thank you 'Goldie M',

"Back lit ('not') for extra warmth in the sun (wings together)

[David M]

Witnessing mating Green Hairstreaks is not a common event so well done there, Phil!

[PhilBJohnson]

Thank you very much, David.
Here was the video:
https://youtu.be/3f0U4gW6M9I

[David M]

Love it, Phil! Thanks for sharing.

[PhilBJohnson]

[quote="PhilBWright"]The White Admiral in Lincolnshire
The Lincolnshire 'Black & White Admiral species' has been important in recent history (up to 2017) as being in The northern most limit of it's range in the UK.
My colleague Peter Cawdell saw his first White Admiral Butterfly in LIncolnshire on 12th or13th June in Southrey Woods, Bardney (near to where I have worked with him).
"The season was very early this year as also shown by Rob Hill's first sighting of a Purple Emperor butterfly at Bookham Common in Surrey on a date "seasonally earliest" in living memory. Rob has the knowledge to find and record those wild butterflies first, as he has photographically proven year on year".

Peter Cawdell's early Lincolnshire sighting prompted me in some planning, to study the early emergence of The White Admiral butterfly in Old Wood, Skellingthorpe owned and managed by The Woodland Trust.

My presence was noted in Old Wood, Skellingthorpe on 15th June.
Here is an early Lincolnshire Lemenitis camilla filmed for UKB & BC, also eventually I hope, The Woodland Trust who manage this site):
https://youtu.be/wKzmIg_O4dQ

[PhilBJohnson]

It's June! 'If you go down in the woods...'
We have been working on this video from last June:
https://youtu.be/wKzmIg_O4dQ
Not long to go now before we see the "Black & White Admirals"
(Black Admirals were sometimes mentioned, referring to unusual aberrations, where white markings were less significant).
Were there any Black Admirals in Office in the British Navy, at that colonial time of butterfly naming?
I asked this because there wass a big difference in amount of whiteish colouration between a Limenitis camilla and another butterfly named something "white".

[David M]

Delightful footage, Phil. White Admirals must be the most graceful of all our endemic species. They glide around without a care in the world.....except for bramble blossom!

[PhilBJohnson]

Celebrating Longevity
5th June 2018 Lincolnshire
"It was nice to see an over-wintered Peacock Butterfly at Chambers Farm Wood and this 'Old Wings Brimstone' at the Butterfly Conservation Reserve, Snakeholm Pit"

An Over-wintered Male Brimstone June 5th 2018

[David M]

A June Brimstone is a precious thing, Phil - he must be nearly a year old!

[PhilBJohnson]

White Admirals
Our best efforts from last year, just finished processing:
https://youtu.be/ahT09XV6Hv8
This year, HM The Queen of England's Official Birthday is tomorrow (June 9th 2018).

[David M]

Thanks for posting that, Phil. It's lovely to watch them in slo-mo....such graceful butterflies and they seem to navigate their way through the small gaps in the leaves with ease.

[PhilBJohnson]

June 10th 2018
Melissa and I were very excited to visit the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserve and visitor centre, yesterday at Hickling Broad, situated off Stubb Road, Norfolk.
It was a good opportunity to speak to local people about the wildlife.
We saw our first Painted Lady of 2018, an old over-wintered Peacock Butterfly, Red Admirals, Speckled Woods and Swallowtails (that still appeared fresh). Some people reported that there were more on the wing at the same time last year. We hope this single picture is immediately helpful:

[PhilBJohnson]

June 10th 2018 Hickling Broad Nature Reserve, Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Thanks to my Wife and Family for early birthday treat!
This was our first trip to see English Swallowtail Butterflies on the Beautiful Norfolk Broads.
Hickling Broad Video:

https://youtu.be/_B0657t6tFY

Please Enjoy

[PhilBJohnson]

June 22nd 2018 -Chambers Farm Wood, Lincolnshire.
'Back to record photos' with my Bridge Camera as we could not get my iPhone to work for me or us, to our satisfaction.
A Peacock Butterfly from the 2017 brood (or warm house reared), was the latest one I have ever seen in June.
A late male Orange Tip seen also, elsewhere in the Chambers Farm Wood:

22nd June, Peacock. My Wife looking the wrong way.

22nd June (normally spring brooded, Orange Tip Butterfly)

[PhilBJohnson]

Black Hairstreak. June 24th 2018
We hope you enjoy this short video. Melissa and I have much to learn about this butterfly:

https://youtu.be/03kVw-F_-rc

[Neil Freeman]

Just watched your video of Hickling Broad, great stuff

We were there the day after you (Monday 11th June) during our recent few days in Norfolk and it brought back some great memories

Cheers,

Neil

[David M]

Those are phenomenally late sightings for both those species, Phil. I bet you didn't see any Orange Tips in June this year?

[PhilBJohnson]

Thank you Neil and David. I think that was the second last, male Orange Tip Butterfly that I saw in Lincolnshire in summer 2018, David.
If you had female Green-veined White butterflies in your garden, touching leaves repeatedly looking to lay an egg, I noticed that watering 'the boarders' early morning, helped to provoke extra interest (as it had not rained recently).