March 2020

[Wurzel]

Butterfly Number 3 - Brimstone this afternoon high up on a neighours hedge. I was questioned by the Neighbourhood Watch whilst observing it - they thought I was casing the joint Still when they'd finished interrogating me and they'd moved along I manged to get a few shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pete Eeles]

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.

Excellent work, Bob!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

First Geeen-veined White of the season has been seen: https://twitter.com/RichardFoxBC/status ... 1440943104

Cheers,

- Pete

[Buchan Boy]

A Peacock waking up in my garden today,North Sussex,10.5 degrees C, stiff Westerly, it took to flight,after about a ten minute warm up,remarkable.

Crawley Peacock

Crawley Peacock 2

Dave

[Padfield]

In sunny Woodbridge, Suffolk, three species were on the wing, including my first comma and brimstone of the year. The brimstone - a roding male - didn't stop but a peacock and comma did. The former spent some time nectaring on hyacinths in the shade:





The comma just wanted to catch the sun:



Guy

[bugboy]

Of the mark (by the skin of my teeth today) managed just a single embarrassingly ropey picture of a Peacock. Had the weather not descended into yet another monsoon session in the afternoon I would probably have had better luck !

[Glostopcat]

My first butterfly sighting of the year, a male brimstone in my back garden in Cheltenham this morning

[David M]

..A Peacock waking up in my garden today,North Sussex,10.5 degrees C, stiff Westerly, it took to flight,after about a ten minute warm up,remarkable.

Fabulous opportunity for you, Dave. So nice to see a few on the wing right now during this continued blustery spell of weather.

[Medard]

Here in Somerset,spring is in the air
One Brimstone, one Small Tortoiseshell seen this morning.
Westhay NNR the G-c-Grebes are nest building. https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/p57 ... #he5c030e2

[millerd]

My first butterflies of the year today on my very soggy patch near Heathrow. After a very warm but cloudy day yesterday, the sun shone and the temperature rose again, prompting the appearance of no fewer than seven Brimstones, including four seen at the same time. A Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell were also seen, but not in reach of the camera.

Dave

[Vince Massimo]

In Crawley today, a male Brimstone avidly searching a bank of ivy for females (only a very poor photo obtained). Also, whilst returning rescued Brown Hairstreak eggs to the wild, I found several empty eggs which hatched in April 2019 (having been laid in August 2018). Such is the toughness of the eggshell that some of these can still be found intact.

Brown Hairstreak egg (hatched in April 2019) - Crawley, Sussex 11-March-2020

Vince

[David M]

My first butterflies of the year today on my very soggy patch near Heathrow. After a very warm but cloudy day yesterday, the sun shone and the temperature rose again, prompting the appearance of no fewer than seven Brimstones, including four seen at the same time. A Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell were also seen, but not in reach of the camera.

Great stuff, Dave. Looks like things are about to brighten up even here in south Wales. If this wind drops I'm sure my own first Brimstone isn't far away!

[Padfield]

Five species flying today in Woodbridge, Suffolk: Red admiral (1), peacock (2), comma (3), brimstone (1) and my first small tortoiseshell of the year (1).





Guy

[David M]

Five species flying today in Woodbridge, Suffolk: Red admiral (1), peacock (2), comma (3), brimstone (1) and my first small tortoiseshell of the year (1)

Just seen the weather, Guy, and with 15c reached in some eastern areas, I'm not surprised there were a few butterflies around your way.

Five different species in a day in early March is still good going.

[MikeOxon]

I had just started to write "No luck with photography so far", when my wife called that there was a Red Admiral basking on an arch in the garden! It was in an awkward position but I managed to get some shots by holding my camera high above it and hoping for the best. The air was cool and the butterfly kept flicking its wings, as though trying to generate some muscle heat. Then it was off to an even more inaccessible place ... but I had 'broken my duck'

garden, Abingdon - 13th March 2020
Olympus E-M1-ii with 40-150mm lens - 1/1000s@f/8 ISO 800

Mike

[Testudo Man]

Friday the 13th...unlucky for some

1st 2020 sighting for me, of a non hibernating species (ive seen both Peacock an Comma) this week, but was very surprised to find this Small White in my garden this morning. It was on the lawn, in the long grass blades (yes, I still haven't cut my lawn this year yet) because my lawn is too wet/muddy!
My small dog will eat/bite at anything I show an interest in my garden, so I let the butterfly climb onto my hand, then took it to a better place in the garden, to try to dry out, an maybe nectar some.
Im sure this beats my earliest sighting of a non hibernating species by just one day?? but I will have to check over my records.

I really did just stumble on this sighting, I could have easily missed this little beauty...what a lucky find for sure.

Location - in my Kent garden, cheers Paul.

On my hand, image is not cropped.

Placed the butterfly on a safer/better perch. Image is not cropped.

[David M]

Great sighting, TM. Quite a few of us haven't seen any of the adult hibernators yet so your luck was most certainly in!

[essexbuzzard]

At last,things kicked off in Essex today.
Comma x 3
Peacock 3+
Small Tortoiseshell x 4.

More on my pd.

[aeshna5]

Finally- a couple of butterflies yesterday- 2 very mobile male Brimstones at Barnes , west London. Pleased to see both at the same time otherwise I'd probably have logged it as one sighting, given how mobile they were!

[Padfield]

This brimstone was trying but failing to self-isolate this morning:





Finally, success ...



Other butterflies in the garden (Woodbridge, Suffolk) were peacock and comma:





Guy