millerd

[David M]

You sure are in an exceptional spot, Dave.

I haven't seen a Comma since August and I might struggle to catch up with any before next April such has been their scarcity.

[trevor]

Well found Dave . At this rate there will only be one Butterfly free month, January.
Even then, who knows if the mid-Winter month is mild.
Dave Cook, of Black Hairstreak fame, found a fresh Clouded Yellow on 30th November.
This is remarkable as it is not one of the five hibernators.

Congratulations on your new, late, personal record.
Trevor.

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel and Bugboy - it was indeed a distinctly pale-looking Comma, and not much like a hibernator. Bearing in mind the date, though, that's what it had to be!

Thanks, David and Trevor - this really should be the last of what has been an exceptional autumn... But you never know...

Meanwhile, back to my Review of 2018, which has now been extended by a month!

APRIL

After the late start to spring, April arrived and within a couple of weeks it felt like summer, with the temperature peaking around here at 29 degrees on 19th. I spent most of my time on my local patch, seeing each new species appear: Orange Tips on 14th, GVW and Holly Blues on 17th, Specklies and Red Admirals on 19th and Large Whites on 22nd. Highlights included numerous courting Small Tortoiseshells early in the month...

...the first Orange Tips, true indicators that it really was spring...

...and shiny new Holly Blues, the first of many.

Also of interest on 18th was a Comma laying eggs - the earliest I have observed this.

This was on a nettle, but the following day I saw one lay on elm as well.

The unusual heat around the middle of the month actually depressed the numbers of butterflies seen, and many sought out the shade during the afternoons, like this Brimstone.

As the end of the month approached and the good weather continued, the first excursion away from home beckoned. On 21st, I made a day of it and took in Mill Hill in Sussex, and then Denbies Hillside in Surrey on the way back. At the former site I found good numbers of Grizzled Skippers...

...and at the latter Green Hairstreaks.

For the remainder of the month, I stayed local and the weather returned for the time being to what you might expect in late April. However, there were still some points of interest: a very fresh-looking Red Admiral and a mating pair of Large Whites on 22nd...

...a very nice GVW on 23rd...

and a GVW egg on 25th.

I noted at the time that this latter day was "Blue Heaven" - not wrong: around this time, Holly Blue daily counts were peaking between 25 and 30, and photos were relatively easy to come by.

The last few days of April were relatively cool and quite wet, so I'll move on to May... In many ways the most congested month for new sightings, and 2018 was no exception.

Dave

[Wurzel]

A great look back Dave and what a funny month April was - snow to start with and then compressing everything in Great set of shots, the OT;s in particular are making me crave spring The colour on that final Holly Blue shot - sublime

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Beautiful shots, Dave. Can't wait till it all starts again. Lovely though the Holly Blues are, I think that Green Veined White stands out most (with the mating Large Whites a close second).

[Neil Freeman]

Cracking reviews so far Dave, and interesting to compare with my own experiences up here. Looking forward to the rest

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Thanks once again, everyone. Now to continue the review!

With May pretty congested, it deserves to be split into a few separate portions.

EARLY MAY

The weather came good again as soon as the month started and numbers built quickly on my local patch with 87 butterflies of nine species seen during a walk on 3rd. Nothing new as yet, but Orange Tips and Holly Blues dominated with GVW not far behind.

Females of various species were appearing now as well...

There was courtship and the first Orange Tip eggs.

On 3rd, I visited the southern part of Bedfont Lakes Country Park, and was very pleased to find Green Hairstreaks, including a female that was extraordinarily approachable as she set about laying on dogwood. If disturbed (as inevitably she was), she would be back within a second or two.

Over the next few days I ranged out a bit further, specifically with the Duke of Burgundy in mind, taking in Noar Hill on 4th, and the Chiltern trio of Totternhoe, Dunstable Downs and Ivinghoe Beacon on 6th. I was successful at each site, though it was interesting that Dingy Skippers were not yet out at any of them. However, at Noar Hill was the first Neil Hulme sighting of the year - a first for me at this location.

The Ivinghoe individual was a bit of a curiosity.

On 8th I had an another trip down to Denbies Hillside: here the first Dingies were out...

...along with the first Small Heaths...

...and numerous Green Hairstreaks and Grizzlies too.

As if that wasn't enough, on 9th May, Bugboy and I had been invited by Trevor to sample the spring delights of Sussex. This proved to be a long and very packed kind of day, taking in Trevor's local patch in Hailsham, Abbots Wood (twice), High & Over, and ending up in fading light at Mill Hill. Abbots Wood provided some great views of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, particularly in late afternoon...

...and the Grizzlies roosting in multiple at Mill Hill at the end of the day were particularly memorable.

Dave

[trevor]

A great review, Dave, and some lovely images.
The one dampener on your visit to Sussex was how quiet the old railway
was on that day. A few days before, that location was heaving with Butterflies.
But as your images show, we had a cracking early evening with the Pearls.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Love that third shot of the pearls Dave, i'm sure it posed for that shot Goldie

[Benjamin]

Great reports and pics Dave -

I particularly like your hairstreaks - your shots have inspired me to make a bit more of an effort with them next year......

[Wurzel]

Cracking new installment in the review Dave Cracking shots too - especially the mobbing OT's and the 'centrefold spread Pearl I've manged one of those with a Small Pearl but not with Pearls yet
Interesting looking Duke too - is that an incomplete wing pumping/drying?Mind you that wouldn't explain the large white mark on the fore wings ?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Trevor - it was a great day out.

I was lucky with that one, Goldie. The butterfly lost its balance while I was composing a shot and spread its wings to try and regain it.

Green Hairstreaks make a great subject Ben, and Mill Hill is not a bad spot to find them amongst everything else it offers in the spring.

Thanks, Wurzel - I think the Duke may have emerged like that, but it didn't affect its ability to fly as far as I could see.

MID-MAY

The next few days were spent locally, with Orange Tips just after their peak numbers and nothing new appearing just yet. However, there were new Small Whites in the mix of white butterflies...

...and this female Orange Tip stood out too.

However, on the 14th the lure of something more exotic beckoned and I set off for the first visit to Chiddingfold of 2018. Heading in from the Botany Bay entrance, as soon as I had crossed the little bridge I encountered (as well as good numbers of Wood Whites) the unforgettable sight of Pauline in the ditch. Our first meeting out in the field as well. I found the Wood Whites indulging in various aspects of behaviour: courtship, nectaring and puddling for salts.

On the way back I went the long way via Denbies again, where I saw my first Common Blue of the year...

...and several sets of courting Brimstones.

The 15th saw more first sightings, this time on another trip to Mill Hill. This terrific site produced Adonis Blues...

...Brown Argus...

...Small Coppers...

...and Wall Browns

- as well as many others. I particularly liked this pair of Grizzlies.

On 17th May I headed north instead, for look around various Chiltern sites, with Small Blues particularly in mind. Totternhoe was the first stop, but though none of the main target species were seen, I did find a lovely new Duchess still unafraid of the world. With it posed on a finger, you start to appreciate just how small this butterfly actually is.

The next stop was a new location for me, the old chalk workings near Pitstone. with large areas of kidney vetch, it was not surprising to find dozens (if not hundreds) of Small Blues.

There were numbers of other species, including Grizzlies, Dingies and Green Hairstreaks. At my final stop on the tour, Aston Rowant, the first Brown Argus and Small Heath were appearing, but not much else as yet. A visit to my local patch at the end of the day showed that the latter species had emerged here too.

Staying close to home, on 18th May I walked to Harmondsworth Moor and then back via my usual haunts. New today was a Small Copper - I hadn't seen a first brood individual here for some years, so it was a most welcome sight.

There were also several ageing Small Tortoiseshells, the first since April's good showing. They seem to disperse quite widely after the initial post-hibernation nectaring and courtship.

With the weather so good through this period, and more new species appearing, there was no reason not to go somewhere every day. This would continue until the end of the month - but that requires another post.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots Dave, I love the Wood White shots they're such delicate Butterflies, I'd love to visit Mill Hill has well it sounds great Goldie

[Wurzel]

Another great report with cracking shots - faves this time must go to the Small Blues, you got the fine dusting of scales perfectly I reckon I'll be seeing a familiar site soon

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Another lovely presentation, Dave. Seeing spring butterflies in such mint condition is lifting my mood considerably!

[millerd]

Thank you all - looking back through the sunlit spring photos is very therapeutic as we approach the shortest day...

LATE MAY

As Wurzel guessed, it was time for one of the high points of the year for me, the excursion down to that increasingly well-known hill not far from Warminster in Wiltshire. I beieve several of the adjoining chalk hills are also blessed with strong and varied butterfly populations, but this is the one that has become the place to which pilgrimages are undertaken. Last year I saw Trevor and Katrina here; this year on 19th I had arranged to meet Wurzel and Philzoid, and once there I also bumped into Lee Hurrell.

The hill didn't disappoint: it started quite chilly, and initially only Grizzlies, that most hardy of spring species, were in evidence.

However, they were soon joined by Dingies, Green Hairstreaks, Small Heaths, Brown Argus...

...and a few Small and Adonis Blues...

...but it was after 10 before the stars appeared - the Marsh Fritillaries. The sunshine made them quite active, but at least a few coud be persuaded to pose.

I was also pleased to see a handful of Wall Browns along the bottom of the hillside, including one that hung around in the shade along the path back down to the car.

The final point of interest was the largest Orange Tip any of us had seen - but it refused to stop to allow its stature to be recorded for posterity. Another great day out.

On 20th, I founds Adonis numbers were growing down at Denbies, but the trip was spoiled somewhat by the encroachment of a group of travellers onto Steers Field. I decided to carry on across the Mole Valley and visited Juniper Bottom, part of the huge Box Hill estate, somewhere I hadn't been for a few years. The highlight here was a group of newly emerged male Common Blues, along with a few Grizzlies and Dingies.

I should include this on my spring itinerary more often.

The 21st saw a trip to Aston Rowant, but no Adonis had appeared here yet. I returned to my local patch late in the day to find the first Common Blues and Brown Argus had emerged - lovely new butterflies.

Over the next few days here, the numbers of both built to a peak on 30th - curiously a day with almost no sunshine.

I returned to Bookham Commons on 22nd, mainly to look for Small Coppers. I wasn't disappointed in this respect...

...but the highpoint at Banks Common was seeing around half a dozen Dingy Skippers.

On the blackthorn where the Brown Hairstreaks pose in August

The meadow here is full of trefoil, but Dingies are not a species I'd seen here before, and the Surrey record keepers have taken an interest.

The pace picked up a bit again, and I had two more days out in quick succession. First up on 25th was the Eastern Clearing at Bentley Wood where the immediate surprise was the first butterfly to appear: a Marsh Fritillary. I had never seen one here in many years of visits.

Pearl-bordered appeared as well in the brief sunny interludes.

The following day, the weather promised better, and I put myself in the care of TfL for the day and headed for Hutchinsons Bank, and the outside chance of a Glanville Fritillary. All there was at the end of the day was a maybe moment (my money was on a Painted Lady, but the onsite local view from MrSp0ck was more towards the fritillary). Nevertheless, this site is always worth a visit for the sheer numbers of Small Blues, plus many other chalk downland species.

My highlights were this puddling trio: two Smalls of differing sizes and a Holly...

...and my first Large Skipper of 2018.

On 28th I was at Box Hill again, where very good numbers of Adonis were now flying.

There were also plenty of Common Blues, including this female ab, paired with a normal male.

I then stayed local for the end of the month, seeing my first Large Skipper here on 30th...

and my last Orange Tip of the year on 31st (quite an early finish). By the end of the month Common Blues and Brown Argus were, as mentioned earlier, really doing well, and amongst the blues were some striking females.

Finally, on 31st, I popped along to Harmondsworth Moor again - there wasn't a great deal flying in comparison to previous years, but I did find a female Brown Argus egg-laying, and defying accepted wisdom by depositing the egg on the top of the leaf...

Not to be outdone, later the same day the Holly Blues on my local patch were also egg-laying.

Quite a month! But then June would be rather similar...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Some lovely Blues in there Dave but the stars of the show have to be the Marshies - both sets Where the Marshies at Bentley have been hiding I don't know - if only the Small Pearls can do the same trick and reappear in a timely fashion

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Most of your recent posts have had a Springlike feel to them.
Although still distant, the Spring is something we can now look forward to,
with the passing of the shortest day. With that out of the way, I start to feel optimistic again!.

Have a great Christmas and a very active camera in 2019.

Trevor.

[David M]

More vivid colours to brighten up a grey winter's day, Dave. Some nice behavioural shots in there too....especially the ovipositing Holly Blue.

[millerd]

Cheers all - I seem to have left it a while before resuming the 2018 Review, and now 2019 is upon us. No butterflies seen this year so far as sunshine has been a rare thing here despite the mild weather - and now it's getting colder.

Better to return to the torrid days of June 2018...

EARLY JUNE

With the season turning into an early one, the first ten days of the new month became hectic, with more new species appearing almost daily. I stayed local on 1st, with some nice examples of new Small Heaths in increasing numbers.

However, the continuing fine weather on 2nd June enticed me back down to Bentley Wood for what turned out to be one of those rare things: a three-fritillary afternoon. The last of the Pearls were flying alongside a few more Marshies and just a couple of Small Pearls, one of which was distinctly undersized. A Grizzled Skipper also put in an appearance.

On 3rd, I made another trip up to Aston Rowant in the Chilterns. It was great to see good numbers of Adonis Blues (out later here than at sites further south)

plus the usual Brown Argus

...and Common Blues too, including this beautiful female.

I also saw the year's first Meadow Browns and a very ragged Green Hairstreak. Another tour of my local patch later in the day produced some more splendid female Common Blues.

4th June was unusual - I didn't see any butterflies - and on 5th (a cooler day - only 19 degrees) I stayed local, seeing mostly Common Blues...

...and this rather nice Brown Argus on its cranesbill foodplant.

However, with sunshine forecast for 6th, I was off on my travels again. I headed for Kent, and East Blean Woods, but as I drove east, I kept catching up with the north sea cloud that wasn't retreating as fast as I was driving. On arrival I had to wait a while before the sun broke through and worked its magic - Heath Fritillaries appeared in their dozens, with a few new emergees dotted around the clearings.

Well worth the drive to catch up with this species, which I hadn't seen for a few years. I returned home the (very) long way round, taking in Samphire Hoe near Dover. Despite strong sun, it was blowing a gale on this exposed bit of artificial coast, and I soon continued westwards. Eventually, in late afternoon I wound up at Park Corner Heath in Sussex, my first visit to this reserve. After some considerable searching I finally tracked down a handful of Small Pearls from the successful reintroduction to this bit of woodland, as well as bumping into Katrina.

A succesful day again. By contrast, 8th June was cloudy, though warm and bright. I headed north to Whitecross Green Wood in Oxfordshire, where I knew Black Hairstreaks were out in very good numbers. The lack of actual sunshine didn't seem to worry the Hairstreaks at all, and I saw dozens flying over the stands of Blackthorn. Getting close enough for photos was trickier, and there were many near misses before one stayed down as I approached.

Another was seen wing-rolling and displayed a teasing glimpse of upperside marginal markings.

Giving the car a rest on 8th, my local patch rewarded me with new Meadow Browns

and the first Painted Lady of the year here. It was nectaring avidly on brambles, and hadn't moved when I returned to it after a couple of hours.

Another expedition awaited on 9th, though only as far as Fairmile Common (near Cobham) to see the first of the Silver-studded Blues. Once again, numbers were good and they must have been out a few days (perhaps a fortnight earlier than most years). One of the first butterflies seen was an unusual female, with noteable patches of blue on the hindwings.

Quite a contrast to the standard version.

The males varied quite a bit, from this deep blue example...

...to those that were almost silver like this one.

Before heading for home, I quickly detoured to nearby Bookham Common, and found a couple of lovely newly-emerged White Admirals, and managed a shot of one from longish range.

10th June was relativel uneventful for a change - there were butterflies, but nothing of note. Perhaps this was the "June Gap" I've heard tell of? Looking at the next few days, twenty-four hours was as long as it lasted...

Dave