millerd

[millerd]

Saturday 24th August reached 31 degrees at Heathrow. At that sort of level, the butterflies start to hide away, and if they are out in the open, they are very active and tricky to approach. I went out on my local patch quite early but found that this was already the case. I managed a small selection of the fifty or so seen of a dozen species.

Dave

[ernie f]

David - Great open-wing pics of Grayling.

Re the male. He was behind you. Rest assured, if you turned around - he would still be behind you!!!

[Neil Freeman]

...it's worth looking more closely at some of them and seeing just how much variety there can be within a single species...

Indeed Dave, over the past couple of years I have really started to notice how variable some species can be.

Great reports as usual. That Bank Holiday weekend certainly was a scorcher, we even topped 30 degrees here on the Monday.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great set of reports Dave - that open winged Grayling is a cracking shot, as is the Small Heath in the subsequent report I reckon Ernie is spot on with where the male was, although I didn't have the Grayling down as a bit of a pantomime butterfly

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Ernie - very good! The chances are, though, you were probably right... Earlier on, one persistently settled on my back and there was no way I could twist myself to record the event. What a great species they are - I love the way they bound around the place, especially when the sun shines.

It certainly got hot round here, Neil, topping 33 degrees for the next three days running. However, I managed not to be here...

Cheers, Wurzel - Graylings are certainly entertaining, whatever genre they fit into...

On Sunday 25th August, I decided somewhere coastal would be cooler, with refreshing sea breezes to make things more bearable. With reports of Long-tailed Blues coming in thick and fast, I thought I would head for somewhere slightly different, where in fact it all kicked off back in 2013. I therefore drove down to the southeast corner of Kent, parking by the memorial at St Margarets and walking along the clifftop path along to Kingsdown Leas.

So much for sea breezes - the temperature was even up to 31 degrees at the top of the cliff, the Channel was millpond calm, and a brown haze could be seen just above the horizon drifting gently over from the continent looming indistinctly 35 km away. About halfway along the path, I came across the first clumps of Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea (BLEP). Much of this had gone over, and some (along with other vegetation along the edge) appeared singed by salt water. There had of course been a very windy spell only a couple of weeks before, and a lot of salt spray would have blown up here.

Nevertheless, some of the BLEP was in flower, and required a closer look. Before very long, I found the first LTB egg.

Close by were a group of local butterfly enthusiasts who reported seeing adult butterflies (including a mating pair) the previous day. They did take an interest in the egg I'd found though, and nearby I found another one.

I left them hanging hopefully around the same spot, and carried on, checking out further clumps of BLEP. There were several false alarms - other blue butterflies were flying, and took an interest in the peas from a nectar point of view. There were Adonis...

...and a pair of Common Blues that appeared to be sheltering from the heat.

After finding a third egg along the way...

...I came to the last big patch of BLEP. Here finally, I found a Long-tailed Blue. In fact there appeared to be two of them tussling with each other. I took a couple of distant shots to be sure, and couldn't believe my eyes when examining the photos - the butterfly I had photographed sitting on a bramble was actually a Purple Hairstreak!

Left wondering what a Purple Hairstreak was doing right on the coast, with no obvious oak trees in sight, and flying so late in August, I did however have the other butterfly to consider. This time the shots confirmed that it was what I'd been looking for. And there were two of them as well. This time I watched the pair perform the spiralling soaring flight I have seen described by Neil H., disappearing almost out of sight into the blue sky above. They were very active in the hot sun, but regularly performed a circuit around the patch of BLEP and bramble, and occasionally would settle on one group of flowers not too far from the edge. Eventually, after one or two incidents of swearing at hidden bramble runners, I managed a few shots - my first ever of this species.

Like everyone else, I am now looking forward to the next brood. The weather has been reasonable, and the forecast for the next ten days at least is very good - if anything the worry might be that the lack of rain down here in the South might dry up all the BLEP before the LTB larvae have eaten what they need! Fingers firmly crossed.

Dave

[bugboy]

Your one looks slightly better conditioned to my first ever one but yes, roll on two weeks time and with a few sunny days we should all be filling our boots with pristine LTB. I got my time off work approved too

[Wurzel]

Congrats on the lifer, your first LTB Dave I think it's an unwritten rule that anyone's first LTB isn't pristine I'm hoping that some will miraculously turn up in Salisbury - fingers crossed

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, both. It was quite an occasion, really - I think I saw one back in 2013, but didn't get a photo, and this time when that Purple Hairstreak appeared on the camera screen, I thought it had happened again for a moment. But it all came good, and species number 55 for 2019 was added. Here's hoping for a good emergence of local-grown butterflies shortly.

On Bank Holiday Monday (26th August) it was hot, and once again on a really hot day I found myself driving north to Yorkshire. It was still hot on arrival, with 31 degrees notched up in York apparently. The buddleia in my sister's garden was covered in butterflies, which boded well for the stay.

On Tuesday 27th, with it remaining sunny and very warm, I went out to look at a couple of the usual local sites I visit. Firstly was Calley Heath which is only five minutes away. I did some counting, and the site lived up to its reputation as a good one for Small Coppers.
Small Copper 12-15
Brown Argus 7
Common Blue 5
Speckled Wood 2
Red Admiral 3
Painted Lady 5
Meadow Brown 2
Small White 10+
Green-veined White 3
Large White 2
Small Tortoiseshell 1
Peacock 1
A few photos:

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave , I'm so glad you got your shot's of the LTB you must have been really chuffed I'll be in Kent in two weeks and I hope I'm lucky and find some, I'm afraid I'll have to twist a few arms to see them, everybody will be working, any way, fingers crossed I will. Goldie

[millerd]

I think your timing could be near enough spot on, Goldie! The weather forecast still looks good too, if you can believe what they are guessing at two weeks ahead... Maybe I'll bump into you down there.

After Calley Heath on 27th August, with cloud building ominously in the west, I carried on down the A1079 to Market Weighton and then a bit further east to Kiplingcotes reserve, the old chalk pit on the edge of the Wolds.

I encountered a whole series of Speckled Woods along the path from the car park to the reserve, along with Small and Green-veined Whites. Through the gate, and the bit of longer grass and flowers immediately to the left had Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells, Brown Argus and more whites. I was watching a Brown Argus persistently chase a Painted Lady off the knapweed flowers, and failed to get a shot of either. I relaxed and turned round and was stunned to see a Clouded Yellow patiently nectaring just behind me. Instead of dashing off as soon as I focussed any attention on it, it stayed put and when it did move it just hopped along to another flower. This was my first Cloudie of the year (2019 species no.56 too!) and in a most unexpected location.

Having spoken subsequently to Callum, I found out that a number of the species had been seen recently arriving off the sea at Spurn Head - which is not far from Kiplingcotes at all. It is likely that this individual (a male) was one of those, dispersing inland. Callum also mentioned that there were some others in Yorkshire too...

Once again, I made a count of what I'd seen overall:

Small Tortoiseshell 6
Painted Lady 6
Red Admiral 2
Speckled Wood 9
Meadow Brown 3
Brimstone 2
Common Blue 7
Brown Argus 5
Small White 10+
Green-veined White 4
Large White 2
Small Heath 2
Clouded Yellow 1

A few other photos from the site:

However, the Clouded Yellow was the outright star.

Dave

[millerd]

Callum had told me that a little group of Clouded Yellows had been seen at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Ripon City Wetlands. By chance, on Thursday 29th August I needed to be in the Wetherby area and was free from midday onwards. The target site was therefore not far away at all and hoping the weather would hold for the afternoon, off I went.

In fact it wasn't very kind initially, being windy and mostly cloudy...

...and aside from several Painted Ladies bowling along in the breeze all over the place, myself and a number of other hopeful souls started off disappointed.

However, the moment the sun appeared, so did the Clouded Yellows from their hiding places deep in the grass.

I think I saw five different butterflies, though it was tricky to eliminate double-counting - I did have three in view at once at one point.

I had just started back for the car, when I encountered a chap undertaking the regular butterfly transect (I didn't catch his name). As luck would have it, close by in the grass was a settled Clouded Yellow which promptly became the first ever of the species to feature on the transect record in five years of counting butterflies here!

Another excellent day. It is likely this little group were actually the offspring of an earlier wanderer, and were locally hatched. As up to a dozen had been seen altogether over a number of days, it is unlikely they would have travelled so far in such close association and would have dispersed.

Dave

[Wurzel]

A cracking set of reports from oop North Dave Those Cloudies are cracking looking Reading the incident of the transect walker makes me realise that I couldn't do that - I don't think I could be disciplined enough and ignore butterflies that weren't within a certain distance either side of the route It's also made me appreciate what the Transect walkers do a bit more

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to see a few Clouded Yellows, Dave. This warm, settled spell could bring in a few more.

Still lots to look forward to.

[millerd]

I have to agree, Wurzel - I could never abide by the rigid rules transect-walking involves. I admire those who carry out this important bit of work, which is rewarding and frustrating in turns I should think!

Good to see the Cloudies, David, especially in a different setting. I've still to see one down here in the south yet... Hopefully there may soon be some more new arrivals plus some more home-hatched ones too. The weather still looks to be favourable in the south and east for a several days yet.

I was not quite finished with Yorkshire yet. I will finish up with a selection seen in my sister's garden from the whole stay up there, but first there was a separate visit to Allerthorpe Common on Friday 30th August. This is a mixed area of woodland (both oak/birch deciduous and planted conifers - the latter are being widely felled at present opening up lots of space) and sandy lowland heath with gorse and heather. In the past, the open rides have been good for a variety of butterflies, but in recent years it hasn't seemed so bountiful. However, today, with the sun shining, and with the main ride sheltered from the worst of the wind, I managed to see the following selection along this stretch:

Painted Lady 6
Red Admiral 5
Small Tortoiseshell 12
Peacock 1
Small Copper 3
Common Blue 5
Gatekeeper 1
Meadow Brown 2
Speckled Wood 5
GVW 6
Small White 4
Brimstone 2

A selection:

Dave

[trevor]

Where do I start Dave ?!,
LTB's, all those Cloudies and a Small Tort. and excellent reports, and images of them all!.
I've yet to see a Clouded Yellow this year, like the Painted Ladies they seem to prefer the North this year.

As for the Brown haze at sea, I've seen this many times, and I put it down to intensive shipping in the Channel.

Trevor.

PS. The Wall Browns are showing well at H&O, but quick and frisky!.

[Wurzel]

Brill shot of the Small Tort Dave and the Painted Lady though the has to go to the 'excessa' Meadow Brown

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Yorkshire and the North generally have been very productive for me this summer, with those Cloudies an unexpected bonus, Trevor. Small Tortoiseshells were plentiful too,just to make you more envious.

It's a pity that Meadow Brown was not exactly whole, Wurzel, as it was strikingly marked...

Now for the Yorkshire garden selection, probably easiest to do by species. First up, the afore-mentioned Small Tortoiseshell. Seeing so many on the buddleia took me back years to childhood butterfly-gazing.

Dave

[trevor]

My East Sussex count of Small Tortoiseshells for the year so far has risen to five.
I have seen more in other locations, but not near home.

Good to see yours.
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Great to see those Clouded Yellows Dave, some lovely shot's of them as well, I wonder if they've arrived over the border into Lancashire yet I'll have to go to Brockholes again and see if anything turns up there
The Small Tortoiseshells have arrived here and in my garden every day but the Painted Ladies seem to have faded a bit now.
Goldie

[millerd]

There were far more Torties up in Yorkshire than down here in Middlesex Trevor, though there were a few around down here in the spring. There's a definite northern bias these days.

I hope some Cloudies find their way to you too, Goldie - if they can manage Yorkshire, I'm sure they can find Lancashire too! And yes, I've noticed the Painted Ladies fading out a bit over the last couple of days as well - maybe they are heading south again.

However, back in the last week of August, in my sister's Yorkshire garden, Painted Ladies put on a great show.

Dave