millerd

[bugboy]

Uh oh, I can see myself parting company another few quid in train fares.....

[David M]

Fresh Clouded Yellows in late October! Wonderful, Dave! Industrial elements aside, that looks to be a decent hotspot for butterflies.

[Andrew555]

Beautiful Commas and Red Admirals from your local patch Dave. Some great shots of the Cloudies as well.

[millerd]

Cheers, all. I was glad to get down to Southwick last Friday, as I was travelling up to Yorkshire on Saturday, and missed the two weekend days of good weather down south.

Sunday 21st October was actually pretty warm up north too, though the sunshine was limited where I was. However, two Red Admirals graced the ivy in my sister's garden in Wilberfoss.

A walk around Allerthorpe Common produced no butterflies, though there were lots of examples of amanita muscaria, including this one, which is just crying out for a little photoshopped door and windows...

We saw some folk coming out of the woods laden with baskets and bags of other assorted fungi, which I assume were of more edible varieties.

Dave

[millerd]

21st October (continued): On the way back from Allerthorpe, we stopped at Calley Heath, and were met by no less than three Small Coppers immediately inside the gate. A leisurely wander around the rest of the site discovered another four. Amongst the seven were a couple of quite fresh and very bright females, but most were worn to a greater or lesser degree.

One of the newer females was a nice blue badger, but had unfortunately lost a bit of one hindwing.

The other was interesting as it lacked a spot from each forewing, making it look particularly orange.

Good to see a strong third brood of Coppers up here as well as down south.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I reckoned that the Blue Badger seemed to show reduced fore wing markings Dave and then I saw the final one - really makes the orange fore wings stand out even more

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Those two were very orange indeed, Wurzel, even without direct sunshine on them. It was good to see some less worn individuals too, as all those down here are on their last legs now.

Wednesday 24th October. I wasn't free till late morning, which precluded another trip down to the south coast today. However, it turned into yet another warm sunny day so I had another look at my local patch instead - which wasn't such a bad idea as it turned out.

Five or six Red Admirals were enjoying various clumps of ivy, looking in some cases to be newly hatched.

Floating on a raft of leaves...

Three Small Coppers were seen altogether, but were so ragged that identifying any of them as the regular individual was well nigh impossible.

Unlike last week, four Common Blues appeared, two males and two females. One of the latter was a fairly fresh distinctly blue example, but she failed to pose nicely, being more intent on finding something to lay on.

While watching one of the Blues and one of the Coppers having a tussle, I noticed that they had been joined by another, smaller and more silvery butterfly. This turned out to be a diminutive male Brown Argus which had probably been out a day or two but not much more.

For me, the highpoint came while watching one ivy-festooned fence. I saw a flash of silvery blue, which resolved itself into a very active male Holly Blue: it eventually paused for a second or two near enough for a photo.

A fly-by Small White completed the outing: sixteen butterflies of six species altogether.

Dave

[ernie f]

Oh, wow. You are doing well aren't you? Clouded Yellows, Holly and Common Blues, Small Coppers, Red Ads, etc, etc. Is it really the last week of October?

And what about that fresh-looking Brown Argus?!?

[Wurzel]

That is a cracking set of butterflies Dave - how unseasonal is that Holly Blue?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Ernie - not a bad selection for the time of year, really...

Thanks, Wurzel. Well, the last Holly Blue here in 2017 was on 16th November, so it's early days yet.
Thursday 25th October: For various reasons I decided to stay local again today. The sun was out and though noticeably cooler, it wasn't really cold. I was rewarded with another sixteen butterflies, but there were eight species rather than six, which was an unexpected bonus.

I only found four Red Admirals today, and they were playing hard to get high up on the ivy.

I was then surprised by the appearance of a very worn Speckled Wood. It had the curious green patches which very old individuals seem to develop.

Another patch of ivy had another Red Admiral...

...and also a Holly Blue. Though in the same spot as the one seen yesterday, this was a much more worn individual.

However, the real surprise on this patch of ivy was the presence of a Small Tortoiseshell. I was only able to get shots from underneath as it was well above me, but as ever a welcome sight.

Next was a fly-by of another, much brighter, Holly Blue - which may well have been yesterday's - and also a Small White. Out into Copper territory, there were still two increasingly worn examples.

There were four Common Blues in this area as well, also generally rather ragged...

...but with the exception of one very new male.

Finally, to cap it all off, another new butterfly appeared. This was a female Brown Argus, matching the male I had seen yesterday.

Eight species, more than I've ever seen around here as late as this, and surprisingly not a Comma amongst them. It will be interesting to see how all these butterflies cope with the much colder weather ahead.

Dave

[trevor]

I've seen several fresh Common Blues recently, But no Brown Argus at all.
Great find and great shots. If some of what we are seeing at the moment
can find suitable shelter, we may see some of them again when the cold
snap ends in the middle of next week.

Trevor.

[millerd]

Thanks, Trevor - I have a feeling that yesterday was probably the last day this year I'll see such variety round here... Still, it has been really good while it's lasted.

Friday 26th October: Another local walk in much cooler and windier conditions, but with a bit of sunshine around lunchtime. I saw only six butterflies today - three Red Admirals, two Common Blues and the same Speckled Wood I saw yesterday. The ragged Small Coppers had disappeared, and to be honest I can't see those two Blues lasting much longer. They looked distinctly unhappy today.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great set of images form the last couple of posts Dave - you did your usual trick and crammed in a two or three while I had a night or two 'off' The Small Tort was a great find as they've been a bit thin on the ground this year but the star butterfly ad to be the Brown Argus - with a little touch of snelleri?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Eight species, more than I've ever seen around here as late as this, and surprisingly not a Comma amongst them. It will be interesting to see how all these butterflies cope with the much colder weather ahead.

That really IS quite notable, Dave, and even more so for the fact that it could have been more. Autumns really ARE becoming milder in the UK, and these figures are evidence of it.

PS – that earlier fungus is one of the finest I’ve ever seen.

[millerd]

Cheers, David. That really was a textbook (or should that be fairytale) example of a Fly Agaric.

Thanks, Wurzel - I was very pleased to see both those species, and a fresh male and female Brown Argus on such a late date is most unusual. You're right - just a hint of white around the dark spots on the forewing.

Monday 29th October: There was me thinking things were over round here. Certainly the last couple of days reinforced that opinion, with low temperatures, wind, and even rain yesterday morning. Scraping ice off the windscreen again first thing today didn't bode well either. However, the sun shone and the wind wasn't too strong, so I set off around my local patch - though more in hope than expectation, truth be told.

I soon spotted a Red Admiral on the usual ivy, which doesn't really count as a surprise. It was a beautiful new individual, a recent local emergence I would say.

Another likely patch of ivy was bereft of butterflies today, though it still hummed with bees. Eventually I plodded up to the Small Copper territory, and suddenly there was the familiar sight of a Copper and a Common Blue whirring around each other. Both butterflies looked familiar, and I can't imagine how many times these two individuals have interacted in this way.

I need to study the photos to establish the continuity, but there is a possibility that this Small Copper could be the one first seen on 19th September. It has certainly been around in this spot for a while. As I reluctantly left the Copper and the Blue sparring away, I came across a male Small White bowling along in the wind.

Finally, nearly back home again, I disturbed another Red Admiral from some south-facing new nettle growth - a bit of a search didn't come up with any eggs, but I shall look again at this spot which does appear favourable.

Only five butterflies, but four different species. This is by some way the latest date I have seen Common Blues and Small Coppers on my local patch, and equals the latest date for a Small White (in 2017 oddly enough). The Brown Argus I saw on 25th was also a record latest showing.

Dave

[trevor]

Incredibly, that Red Admiral is very fresh. It won't have long to feed up
before hibernation or departure South. A great find.

Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Catching up on some posts, I was surprised your still seeing Butteries Dave that will make your season longer.Goldie

[Wurzel]

A fantastically velvety Red Admiral Dave Mind you the other species definitely look how I feel at the moment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you everyone - most of the Red Admirals I've been seeing have appeared very fresh. I think they are still hatching, offspring of the ones I was seeing in late August and September I suppose.

Wednesday 31st October. A sparkling ground frost this morning, with the air temperature pretty close to freezing as well. However, the breeze that soon got up had some warmth in it, and when I went out to the local shop (not just for local people... ) at 1100, it felt quite pleasant. From here, I accessed my normal walk by a different path, and a different patch of sheltered ivy. I soon spotted a Red Admiral flying around the top, and then another butterfly, which settled high up as well. I was very surprised to find that it was a Painted Lady, looking from where I was to be quite a new individual. This was only the fourth one I'd seen here all year, and I didn't expect to see one so late on, and especially after the recent cold nights in particular. I'm sure I read somewhere that they couldn't cope in any life stage with temperatures below 4 degrees. The downside was the lack of a decent photo opportunity: I managed a couple of record shots before the butterfly took off and soared away in characteristically powerful flight.

can it be...?

it certainly is!

Over the rest of the walk, I saw another four Red Admirals - the only one that in anyway posed near me was of course the really worn one. All the others were bright new examples.

On one ivy patch I was also pleased to see a beautiful fresh dark Comma, as over the last quite productive week I'd strangely not encountered any others.

On the way to the Copper patch, I passed a Speckled Wood heading purposefully the other way, but on arrival there was a battered Small Copper still flying quite strongly around. Though clearly immune to whatever the elements could throw at it, it had no Common Blues to chase today.

So, five different species today and a total of ten since 24th. That has to be a first round here for the last week of October.

Dave

[bugboy]

It was decidedly warm today wasn't it, I found myself having to shed a few layers in my wanderings this afternoon. The weekend isn't looking to shabby at the moment either, perhaps some November butterflies