November 2018

[David M]

Last chance this year to see 4, 5....or even more species in a day...

[Medard]

I can only manage one, a Red admiral Female ?? in my garden, looks in very good nick for the 1st of November.

[David M]

Well done, Jim. Went looking for them myself today at a good site for late season butterflies but saw none.

Think that Painted Lady on 21 Oct will be my last this year.

[Sharpbill]

Today Small Coppers were flying in 6 degrees day temp!! At an elevation of over 900 feet in the Pennine foothills on the Greater Manchester/Derbyshire border.

Today, November 2nd, I saw the amazing sight of at least 6 (possibly 7) Small Coppers. One freshly dead but 5 were very much alive and were seen simultaneously whilst roosting, nectaring and in flight. A couple of them chased each other and dropped down into the grass then the male began courtship wing-fluttering. Presumably this must be at least the 3rd generation. Some were very ragged but others in really good nick. (One of the ragged ones seems to be ab. caerulea-punctata)

They are hardy little creatures.

Cheers, John

[Vince Massimo]

We had the first frost of the season here in Crawley this morning, but the sun was shining and the wind was light, so I travelled down to the coast for a final day out. On the seafront at Lancing, Large White larvae could still be found feeding on Sea-kale or wandering around on the shingle barrier looking for a place to pupate.

Large White larva - Lancing, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Large White larva - Lancing, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

A search for pupae located 8 on the barrier.

Large White pupa - Lancing, Sussex

Large White pupa (context) - Lancing, Sussex

Then to nearby Mill Hill where the northern end of the sheltered lower path produced the following sightings:-
1 Small White (male),
4 Clouded Yellow,
6 Common Blue (including an egglaying female),
4 Brown Argus (3 females and 1 male, including a mating pair),
2 Meadow Brown (females)
2 Red Admiral.

Clouded Yellow - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Common Blue - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Brown Argus pair - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Brown Argus female - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Meadow Brown - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

Red Admiral - Mill Hill, Sussex 2-Nov-2018

The temperature reached approximately 12C at Mill Hill, but it felt much warmer at the bottom of the sheltered slope.
Thanks go to David Cook who kindly pointed out the mating pair of Brown Argus to me.

Vince

[Maximus]

Amazing fresh butterflies, Vince,(and larva), not bad for the 2nd of November! Especially after this mornings heavy frost.

Mike

[millerd]

Mill Hill really is an extraordinary spot. A mating pair of anything in November would be unusual, but Brown Argus... Amazing.

Dave

[David M]

Agreed! I wasn't expecting this when I posted the thread. It is, after all, November!!

[peterc]

In bright weather at around 14 c at 2 pm, in the field adjoining Watery Grove I found 2 Small Coppers (never seen them in November before). One of them at least could be around for a few days yet

ATB
Peter

[NickMorgan]

Great to see so many butterflies being seen up and down the country.
We haven't been doing too bad here for November in Scotland. We have been having frosts for three or four weeks, but the sun continues to shine. I have had a couple of Small Coppers reported to me on 1st November from a little colony that has done very well this year and I managed to find one there myself.
Two random Red Admirals were reported from different locations on the coast (a big difference from a couple of weeks ago when they were everywhere).
On the 2nd I saw a Comma, which has been frequenting some Ivy in a sunny spot along the river in Haddington.
I am still hoping that there may be a Speckled Wood out there somewhere in the next few says, otherwise I think things are more or less finished up here for the year.

[Allan.W.]

A single Meadow Brown reported at Dungeness yesterday (8th) Allan.W.

[Sharpbill]

This Small Copper was still on the wing in Greater Manchester on 13th November. Looks recently emerged.

Cheers John

[peterc]

A Small Copper still around in the field south of Watery Grove today. Probably the same individual as one of the two seen last week at the same spot.
Nearer home, I saw a Red Admiral feeding on dandelion.

ATB

Peter

[millerd]

Two brand new third brood Holly Blues, one of each sex, seen today (14th November) on my local patch at Stanwell Moor, Middlesex.

Full report in my PD.

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

How extraordinary, a case of nature gone wrong!

[MikeOxon]

How extraordinary, a case of nature gone wrong!

or, perhaps, a case of nature's constant opportunism - after all, if climate change is real, these are the adaptations that will succeed in the new environment.

[Deborah]

Happy to note that today in beautiful sunshine I've seen a Comma, a Speckled Wood, a Peacock and a Red Admiral! The temperatures for next week are expected to plummet - both daytime and nighttime - so I really am expecting this to be the final post in sightings for this year.

[Padfield]

In Woodbridge, Suffolk, a female red admiral laying this morning:





Guy

[David M]

Two brand new third brood Holly Blues, one of each sex, seen today (14th November) on my local patch at Stanwell Moor..

Amazing stuff, Dave. The markings on that female are notably dark. Is that a hallmark of the (rare) third brood, I wonder?