Jack Harrison

[Jack Harrison]

My captive Large Whites haven’t done very well, but this might reflect what happens in the wild.

15 larvae collected one of which was quite small. That one simply vanished. 14 left.

Six of these died at the pupation stage – they shriveled up without pupating. Eight left.

Three of these did pupate but look bloated and sick and rather grotesque. Maybe parasitized. Five left.

These five changed into healthy pupae. They are now in a dark corner in the shed. I have no idea whether they will emerge this year or hibernate. If by November it is obvious that they are hibernating, then they will join the Orange Tip pupae in the fridge and be brought out to warm up in mid-April next spring. If they were to be left in the shed, they undoubtedly would emerge too early. This fridge technique is tried and tested and to date has been 100% successful. I already have two Tortoiseshells in boxes in the fridge that had earlier come indoors with hibernation in mind. In early autumn, I will probably capture a couple of Peacocks that clearly are ready to hibernate. It is always a joy to see these adults wake up on the first fine spring day.

At risk of sounding melodramatic, being 80 years old now I am aware that I might not make it to next spring. Among my best laid plans, 75 year old wife Stella has the instructions as to what to do with my butterflies in the event of me not still being here. There is of course the minor matter of my own “natural” disposal at a woodland site but that is far less important than my butterflies.

Jack

[Padfield]

Hi Jack,

Whatever your state of health - and I wish you many more years of happy hunting - I think it highly commendable that you have left provision for your livestock in the event of your death! I did the same with my stick insects even when I was a child. Like you, I hope, I outlived my protégés, but they bred so fast (no males necessary in the stick insect world) I eventually released them onto our bramble to live out their dotage, knowing they would not survive the winter.

Guy

[Wurzel]

A very responsible thing to do Jack. A third success rate from caterpillars to pupae sounds pretty reasonable. Wishing you all the best so that you can witness your protegees emergences

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Jack Harrison]

You people in the south wind me up with your reports of Long-tailed Blues, second brood Small PB Frits, Chalk-hill Blue abs. So my turn from the north to get my own back: Scotch Argus, perhaps our most numerous species.

18th August - coming to the end of their short flight season.

Jack

[Wurzel]

If revenge is a dish best served cold Jack then that shot is pretty glacial I've not seen a Sassenach Argus let along a proper Scotch Argus

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Jack Harrison]

Wurzel.
Should you want to enjoy Scotch Argus next year, first few days of August are ideal. Flights to Inverness (where hire car) from Gatwick or Bristol.

Two additional bonuses. My son might be your driver; normal route into Inverness (in SW winds) passes over my house.

I can of course point you to guaranteed Scotch Argus sites but you might want find your own. Three years ago a visitor from London was able to see Scotch Argus within four hours of leaving home.

More exciting than all these northern browns, again a Small Copper in the garden this lunchtime. They crop up two or three times a year. I have no idea where the colony is but in this predominately arable area, my guess would be field margins.

Jack

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the information Jack - I don;t think I'll be able to put it to use yet as I've still got the girls at home for a few more years and that's where my cash seems to go Great news about the Small Copper

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

You people in the south wind me up with your reports of Long-tailed Blues, second brood Small PB Frits, Chalk-hill Blue abs. So my turn from the north to get my own back: Scotch Argus, perhaps our most numerous species.

18th August - coming to the end of their short flight season.19-08-18-019-Scotch-Argus.jpgJack

Touché, Jack!

I get envious about the chalk downland species too, although my area, like yours, DOES have notables of its own, e.g. Marsh, Small Pearl Bordered and High Brown Fritillaries.

[Jack Harrison]

North Scotland 20th August

Astonishing numbers of Peacocks.

Neighbour’s large Buddleia had perhaps 40 plus a few Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells, Small and GV Whites and amazingly two Small Coppers.

But most frustrating was a fly-by of what I am 99% convinced was a Comma, a species I have been expecting to turn up here.

Peacock resting on wall.

I go back to the 1980s when I lived in the Aberdeen area. Peacocks were very rare and I saw only one in the five years I lived there. Going back even further – 73 years to 1946 – I can still recall the excitement of seeing a single Peacock in east Norfolk. They were not common in those days.

And – at risk of boring the pants off you – more nostalgia. On this date, 20th August 1965, I achieved the first leg of three in my quest to qualify for my diamond gliding badge. It took a few more years to get all three diamonds. Today, I don’t think anyone bothers to chase diamonds. Gliders and navigation aids not to mention weather forecasting are so much better now. But way back in the 1960s/1980s, to have just one diamond was considered to be quite something. To have all three (Boasting).

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

My Small Coppers

I have overlooked the obvious : they are probably breeding in my garden.

My so-called lawn has more weeds than grass – including of course sorrel (Small Copper foodplant). It is left to grow to 10 – 15 cms tall by which time it annoys me and is cut down to about 4 cms. Quite unintentionally, I might have created the ideal Small copper habitat.

Confirmed breeding species: Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Small White. Suspected: Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and now Small Copper.

Jack

[Matsukaze]

Jack, you would have enjoyed Draycott in the Mendips. The gliding club is on top of the hill, Draycott Sleights reserve with its Chalkhill Blues just the other side of the stone wall.

[David M]

Confirmed breeding species: Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Small White. Suspected: Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and now Small Copper.

That's pretty good going considering where you are, Jack. That was a serendipitous discovery regarding the shorn common sorrell. Must admit when I've seen female Coppers ovipositing it does usually seem to be on the short stuff.

[Jack Harrison]

25th August. Sunny Sunday, blue skies, 26C
Yellow Buddleia weyeriana is as good for butterflies as the common purple form and has the advantage of flowering later in the summer.

Jack

[Wurzel]

It also has the advantage of complimenting the colours of the butterflies nicely Jack - great shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Jack Harrison]

Large Whites - North Scotland

27th August, about 8 kilometres inland from the coast, single Large White female on 27th August. But information from another 4 kilometres inland – many caterpillars on garden Kale (photos sent to me confirmed i/d). The gardener does not spray the Kale.

So a hypothesis to explain the scarcity of Large Whites here.

This is mainly arable farmland (apart from the forestry plantations – unsuitable for Large Whites). Brassicas are widely grown and no doubt sprayed heavily with pesticides. So apart from a few isolated examples like that gardener, Large Whites don’t stand a chance on cabbage, cauliflower, etc. So only really nasturtium. The first hint of frost kills Nasturtiums but frosts are later on the coast, such as Findhorn (where I have found caterpillars). Even so, it must be a race of time to pupate before the food becomes unavailable so mortality must be very high. I am aware, including personal experience, that in the south of England, caterpillars can still be around in December on brassicas (and can apparently tolerate slight frosts). But they need to eat and that doesn’t seem to be possible up here.

QED? Or other ideas?

As for Large White life cycle here – it doesn’t seem to follow the conventional pattern of two broods. I don’t know what the life cycle is. Maybe it’s simply one long spread out brood.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

Well, Large Whites are breeding in my garden and I’m not entirely pleased about that. Obviously a batch of eggs was laid on one of my few Sweet Rocket (aka Dame’s Violet) plants. I can’t find a garden centre that sells them so I am having to laboriously build up the numbers from seed. As biennials (or short lived perennials) this is a slow process.

Primarily, the Sweet Rocket is for the benefit of Orange Tips – although it has to be admitted that the flowers are quite attractive. Orange Tips eat only seed pods but the eight Large White caterpillars I have fund have absolutely ruined the plants. I do have some Nasturtiums, but one large caterpillar will eat a big leaf in about two hours: I don’t have enough Nasturtiums.

So whether they like it or they are needing to feed on brassica leaves from the Farm Shop. They don’t seem to enthusiastic about Purple Sprouting and have wandered to all corners of the box they are in.

Had they been left outside on the Sweet Rocket, undoubtedly most if not all would have starved to death. My method might not work – I don’t know. Watch this space.

Jack

[Sonam Dorji]

Hi Jack,

Sorry to hear about Large White ruining you plants. Hope it goes as per your planning. Do keep posting. Would love to see plenty of Orange tips on your doorsteps!!

rgds
,Sonam

[David M]

Well, Large Whites are breeding in my garden and I’m not entirely pleased about that...

Shame there isn't a way for you to safely send them to me, Jack. South Wales has seen a near absence of this species in 2019 and in all honesty, if a few were found flying around our vegetable patch I'd be far from disappointed!!

[Jack Harrison]

Update on Moray (and area) Large Whites.

I am not collecting any more caterpillars and my final eight are in position to pupate. They all look healthy and if they do pupate that will make 14 out of 25, a success rate in excess of 50%

Today in a different part of Findhorn (The Findhorn Foundation) about a kilometre from the coast, I found about a dozen large caterpillars but did not search very thoroughly so there must have been many more. Several were on Nasturtiums but many were on [obviously unsprayed] nearby Brassica plants. My big puzzle is why, with caterpillars numerous, the adults have been – as is the case in most years – scarce? Poor observation I presume.

Jack

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Jack, do you have a local garden centre or small holding that has brassica plants for sale? My local centre is selling plug plants ready for planting. If so, your caterpillars could move onto these if the nasturtium are killed by frost.

Good luck, regardless.