March 2020

[David M]

Can we please have an end to these Atlantic storms so that the butterfly season can get off to a proper start?

It's been 3 successive weeks, with floods and gales, not to mention a serious virus working its way round the globe.

A few days 'normality' would be nice.

[petesmith]

David - I second that emotion! It's been shockingly bad for ages; I think I am developing a case of SAD...
On the plus side, the vegetation (in central Lincolnshire at least) seems to be quite advanced, with blackthorn in flower and hawthorn coming into leaf, violets fully out etc. So hopefully, given some respite, and a bit of warmth, things should accelerate pretty soon. Fingers crossed.

[David M]

David - I second that emotion! It's been shockingly bad for ages; I think I am developing a case of SAD...
On the plus side, the vegetation (in central Lincolnshire at least) seems to be quite advanced, with blackthorn in flower and hawthorn coming into leaf, violets fully out etc. So hopefully, given some respite, and a bit of warmth, things should accelerate pretty soon. Fingers crossed.

That's the frustrating thing, Pete. There are spring flowers everywhere right now because of how mild it's been, but unfortunately butterflies can't properly take advantage of them until the gales and the rain stop.

It's been over three weeks now - surely it can't last much longer?

[Pete Eeles]

The boys are back in town A couple of Large Torts have been seen in Portland:

https://twitter.com/PortandWey/status/1 ... 5110593536

Cheers,

- Pet

[bugboy]

The boys are back in town A couple of Large Torts have been seen in Portland:

https://twitter.com/PortandWey/status/1 ... 5110593536

Cheers,

- Pet

This population was introduced in the autumn of 2018 it would seem

[Pete Eeles]

Yeah — the comments are very strange, with lots of mixed messaging. Bl**dy annoying when some of us are genuinely trying to understand immigration patterns and residency.

Cheers,

- Pete

[David M]

The boys are back in town A couple of Large Torts have been seen in Portland:

https://twitter.com/PortandWey/status/1 ... 5110593536

Cheers,

- Pet

This population was introduced in the autumn of 2018 it would seem

Large Tortoiseshell would be a difficult species to introduce.

That said, I believe it has been reported from this site two years running (at least).

I still earnestly hope that we can add this magnificent species back to our UK fauna within the next few years. 100 years ago it was far less worthy when sighted than today's humble Comma.

[bugboy]

The boys are back in town A couple of Large Torts have been seen in Portland:

https://twitter.com/PortandWey/status/1 ... 5110593536

Cheers,

- Pet

This population was introduced in the autumn of 2018 it would seem

Large Tortoiseshell would be a difficult species to introduce.

That said, I believe it has been reported from this site two years running (at least).

I still earnestly hope that we can add this magnificent species back to our UK fauna within the next few years. 100 years ago it was far less worthy when sighted than today's humble Comma.

Reading between the lines it seems to be a local enthusiast so them turning up the same place year on year wouldn't be too surprising. It would be a very odd place for them to naturally occur. I've never been but it doesn't seem to be optimum LT habitat. One comment I read said there's just a single Elm Tree in the vicinity!

[Pete Eeles]

Apparently, the individual on Twitter is NOT suggesting he’s released anything, just replaying a theory that the individuals being seen were from a release, and then another implying that they’d bred locally. The rumour mill in full flow

Cheers,

- Pete

[bugboy]

I've been following a few threads on Facebook. I remember seeing a few discussions last year when they were active there along the same lines. It's all rather murky sadly

[David M]

Is this simply an instance where adults have been released on several occasions? If there are precious few LHPs in the vicinity then one would have to question any suggestion that they have colonised this area naturally.

[petesmith]

That's the frustrating thing, Pete. There are spring flowers everywhere right now because of how mild it's been, but unfortunately butterflies can't properly take advantage of them until the gales and the rain stop.

It's been over three weeks now - surely it can't last much longer?

Finally David - a "warmish" (9 degrees) late morning, no rain, virtually no breeze, and a Comma turns up in my garden, my first UK Butterfly of the year. A very welcome sight!

[essexbuzzard]

Having seen the large Tortoiseshell in Europe a number of times, I can confirm the open, windswept habit on Portland seems a most unlikely place for LT to colonise naturally, at least from a breeding point of view. A one-off migrant wouldn’t be out of place there, however.

[MrSp0ck]

One must remember that Large Tortoiseshells in Europe feed on other species rather than Elm, eg Blackthorn, and the early report from Portland was that it was flying around Blackthorn on the edge, if i remember correctly, it also occured during the influxes that were elswhere along the South and East Coasts.

So Elms would not have to be in the vicinity.

The Larval Foodplants

The females lay their pale green eggs (ova) in a continuous band around the upper twigs of elm (Ulmus spp.), sallow (Salix caprea and Salix viminalis), pear (Pyrus spp.), Malus, Sorbus, Crataegus, Populus, and Prunus spp. trees

[CallumMac]

Apparently a Camberwell Beauty was seen yesterday at The Vyne (National Trust) in Dorset...

https://twitter.com/ItsMeTinaD/status/1 ... 1053110274

Looking very tatty and a possible overwinterer?

[Chris Jackson]

For the record, today in Marseilles (Friday 6th March) I saw my first male Orange Tip of the year.
This is quite early. My sightings are usually from mid March at the very earliest.
Two weeks ago temperatures rapidly shot up to 23°C but since have dropped back to the norm (lo of 6°C and high of 13 or 15°C at best + sun sometimes). In March in the south of France we experience the UK equivalent of "April showers", which currently corresponds to the tail end of the storms you are having in the UK.
Perhaps this OT sighting down here means that Spring is just round the corner in the UK.
Chris

[Matsukaze]

First of the year today - a brief view of a vanessid flying through the garden - possibly a Small Tortoiseshell.

[Chris L]

My interest in butterflies only began in August 2019 and I have just experienced my first butterfly-free winter. It is a long period to get through when you are keen to embrace the hobby. With bright sunshine here in South Derbyshire yesterday I felt that the day would yield my first sighting of the year and so it came to pass. A slightly bewildered looking tortoiseshell flew around my garden a few times.

[badgerbob]

It really felt like Spring yesterday here in Seaford.

With thoughts of the odd butterfly being on the wing I ventured to High and Over to carry on hunting for Wall larvae, unfortunately there were no butterflies flying around, but I did get my highest count of larvae so far this year with 11 Wall larvae found as well as several various moth larvae.

So far I have found at least 16 different Wall larvae since mid December and as the days warm up and the larvae grow more this number should increase.

Wall Brown larvae. 6/3/2020. Seaford.

[David M]

...virtually no breeze, and a Comma turns up in my garden, my first UK Butterfly of the year. A very welcome sight!

That's the key to it this year, Pete! Sadly, being near the SW coast of Britain means that hasn't happened for a while here.

Great that your first of the year was a Comma. Think I've only ever had that pleasure once.