Glanville Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2018

[Wurzel]

Glanville Fritillary - Favourite Photo of 2018

Week 6

And so the Favourites thread continues on into the G's. Next week the Thread may start a little later depending on how the Winter Social goes

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Unsurprisingly, none seen in the UK in 2018 but, contrary to what is normal, I saw dozens in the Alps in early July, which was indicative of the late season there.

Plenty of fresh specimens in the French Pyrenees in May too, including this example:

[Chris Jackson]

Still from the south of France.
A token photo of this species as my focus has wandered to other domains.

With so many aspects of butterflies and their early stages and their host plants and environments, it is easy to miss out on basic photos of the adults themselves.
Chris

[Medard]

One of two seen on a track at Landes de Bilais, Loire -Atlantique. 05-05-2018.

[petesmith]

This one was photographed in the Burgundy region of France at the end of May, Glanvilles being just one of 14 species of fritillary on the wing at the time.

As David says, they were very common in the Alps in early July. Here are three mud-puddlers:

[Wurzel]

Glanville Fritillary

This is a bit of a cheat really as I didn’t see this species in the UK in 2018 and so I had to wait until my family holiday to The Dordogne to get the chance to see a Glannie. I was quite surprised at how common they (and most other species) were and so I thought that I was going to have a hard time picking my favourite. However when I looked back through my photos from the seven or so days it became apparent very quickly that there was really only one individual to choose from. So my selection process went from choosing from in the 10’s to choosing from 3! I had to choose this one because instead of the usual gingery or orange colour it was a beautiful sandy, cream tangerine colour, something I’d not seen before.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MrSp0ck]

One of the few mainland GF photos taken in 2018, at Hutchinsons Bank, there were also a few at Wrecclesham as well. 2019 looks like it will be a better year for GFs again on the mainland, as long as another "Beast from the East" doesnt come at the end of February like last year a few days after they woke up from hibernation. The total UK and Channel Islands was 334 in 2018. we will see the breakdown in March when the site data goes onto the ukbms website for 2018.

[Jack Harrison]

I am still unclear (no doubt already been discussed) how they got to Hutchinsons Bank and Wrecclesham.
Introductions or simply overlooked until quite recently?

Jack

[MrSp0ck]

Wrecclesham they escaped from an allotment where a dealer breeds butterflies sleeved on his plot, and moved the 100 yards or so onto the sand pit. Hutchinsons Bank is probably one of the original sites as petiver worked the area and and various local sites in 1717 when he found colonies and named it Dulwich Fritillary, at that time Dulwich was one of the nearest well known towns with a high population of naturalists, and remember Darwin also lived within 4 miles of Hutchinsons Bank too, Some larvae were released in early 2011 onto HB and have been naturally breeding the last few years. The first White Admiral was from Wickham near Croydon [West Wickham/Sparrows Den/ThreeHalfPenny Wood] in 1717, and European Swallowtail in Addington the same year, one of the first UK sightings.

[David M]

Wrecclesham they escaped from an allotment where a dealer breeds butterflies sleeved on his plot, and moved the 100 yards or so onto the sand pit. Hutchinsons Bank is probably one of the original sites as pettiver worked the area and and various local sites in 1717 when he found colonies and named it Dulwich Fritillary, at that time Dulwich was one of the nearest well known towns with a high population of naturalists, and remember Darwin also lived within 4 miles of Hutchinsons Bank too, Some larvae were released in early 2011 onto HB and have been naturally breeding the last few years. The first White Admiral was from Wickham near Croydon [West Wickham/Sparrows Den/ThreeHalfPenny Wood] in 1717, and European Swallowtail in Addington the same year, one of the first UK sightings.

Thanks for that, Mr Sp0ck. Very interesting.

I should also point out that until 2013 a colony was flying at Sand Point, near Weston Super Mare in Somerset, but that seemingly died out due to the very wet and dull winter/early spring conditions in 13/14.

[MrSp0ck]

Sand Point is also interesting as it was the home of Lady Glanville, in the 1700s, so could have been an original site too and she sent the examples to Petiver later, The GF was widespread in that era. The hard winter of 2012/13 nearly wiped the GF off the mainland and sand point had the biggest survivng population of 6, in 2013, although not enough to keep it going. The Hurst Castle, and Wrecclesham sites are not monitored.

http://www.ukbms.org/SpeciesListbyYear? ... &year=2013

http://www.ukbms.org/SpeciesListbyYear? ... &year=2014

details from the areas Nailsea area website

Tickenham Court, built in about 1400, lies 1 km to the west of Moorend Spout (ST347715). This grade II listed building, which is now owned by Stewart Plant, is celebrated as the ancestral home of Eleanor Glanville (b. 1654), a pioneer entomologist. Eleanor was the daughter of a Roundhead major, William Goodricke, who left her a considerable fortune on his death. Within this legacy she inherited Tickenham Court, and it became her home. Her first husband, Edmund Ashfield, died young and Eleanor married Richard Glanville a Lincolnshire landowner, but this marriage soon broke down, when Glanville found a new partner.

[David M]

I defer to your excellent knowledge of these colonies, Mr Sp0ck. You are certainly right about the Sand Point colony, although it has been 'topped up' in the past and it would not surprise me if this were to happen again.

[Allan.W.]

I,ve been reading these Glanville posts with interest ,my only experience of Glanvilles was in 2007 on a family holiday
to the IOW ,we tried several likely looking areas but only managed to see a few on the cliffs near Freshwater .Around the same time we were put on to a mainland site ,at Milford on Sea near Lymington ,it was an excellent looking site ,with landslip ,very similar to the IOW ,while we were there we did see a chap that looked like a Butterfly type person at some distance at the bottom of the landslip ,but unfortunately,Lynne became unwell and we had to pack in . Any one know about this site ?? and whats the situation now ?
Regards Allan.W.

[MrSp0ck]

The colony at Hordle Cliff was great in the 1990s, I saw them there on 9th June 1996, they were easy to see from the car park off the B3058 and walk to the cliff edge, the butterfly held out there until about 2005 or later, but then it either moved along the coast to Hurst Castle, where it lasted until 2013. or died out.In the mid 1990s it was moving along the undercliffs towards Hurst Castle. The Habitat along the coast looks like it is suitable again, if another female comes over from the isle of wight, the needles are easily seen from the spot they were most common at.

Hordle Cliff 30th July 2004

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for that mr.Spock and the quick reply ! Do you reckon that the Glanvilles at this site came across from the IOW
or from a release . I would imagine that the area is pretty well watched by butterfly people, should more appear . I,m hoping for a trip across to the isle this coming season to re-aquaint myself with the Glanvilles.
Regards Allan.W.

[MrSp0ck]

It was considered a natural colonisation as the end of the needles is just across a small bit of water, and butterflies could easily be blown across. It was always a deserted part of the beach, even in summer peak deserted, and all the visits i had it was not full of butterfly people either. Im sure in April we will know the survival rate for mainland larvae on the monitored sites, so there may be chances again for sightings in June.

[millerd]

Broadening out a bit more, does anyone know the current status of the Glanville Fritillary in the Channel Islands? In fact, I recall hardly ever seeing any mention of butterflies here (or on the BC website) from this area on the doorstep of northern France. I'm sure I've read somewhere about Glanville colonies, as well as Large Tortoiseshell and Continental Swallowtail.

Dave

[MrSp0ck]

The Channel Islands Transect data for 2017 is on this link

http://www.ukbms.org/SpeciesListbyYear? ... &year=2017

which shows the bulk of the monitored population is there these days. Thats what bumped the total up in the total count.

[Jack Harrison]

Hurst Castle 2008

Just two or three seen. Thye might have arrived that day as there was steady breeze from Isle of Wight just a short distance (1.5 kms) across the water. But other reports suggested a small breeding colony.

Jack

[millerd]

The Channel Islands Transect data for 2017 is on this link

http://www.ukbms.org/SpeciesListbyYear? ... &year=2017

which shows the bulk of the monitored population is there these days. Thats what bumped the total up in the total count.

Thanks, Martin. Do you happen to know where in the CI "Trois Vaux" is? This population is largely overlooked in all our discussions of this species, yet seems to be the best of the lot in the UK and islands (at least it was in 2017 by a long way).

Dave