April 2020

[David M]

Sadly, what's happening is no April Fool.

Looks like local visits are all that will be possible.

[Jack Harrison]

I took my first batch of seven Orange Tip pupae out of the fridge today and they are now in a shaded part of the shed. All looked healthy. Emergence anticipated towards the end of April.

Warmer weather forecast for next weekend. My three hibernating adult Small Torts will be allowed to warm up (probably Sunday) and I look forward to the pleasure of seeing them fly off. They will be instructed NOT to make unnecessarily long flights. (as per Govt guidelines )

Jack

[Lee Hurrell]

Spring is officially here with my first Orange-tip of the year. Seen today on a lunchtime stroll alongside the River Itchen in Winchester.

[MikeOxon]

I've just seen my first Holly Blue fluttering around my Abingdon garden. With more warm weather forecast for the weekend, perhaps my hitherto rather quiet garden will start to spring into life.

Mike

[Chris L]

I am optimistic that I will have seen more than 4 species by Sunday evening then. So far I have Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Tortoiseshell.

[Padfield]

First orange tips in our Woodbridge (East Suffolk) garden today:





This brings the garden tick-list to 9 this year. The tenth will surely be green-veined white, which I haven't seen yet.

Guy

[NickHull]

Great stuff Guy. Nice to see you are coping; some of us out here are succumbing to the effects of cabin-fever, tho' I can only speak for myself
So far only 5 species in the garden; waiting for Orange-tip. At 150+ miles further south and similar distance from North Sea, Guy will understand why we are waiting. Luckily I do have a garden where garlic mustard grows and had plenty of visiting female OT's and subsequently caterpillars last year. When the OT's emerge, Spring has officially sprung.
Meanwhile a Brimstone flew by as the sun went behind the clouds and briefly stopped in the garden...

[Chris L]

Furry little butterflies the Orange Tip aren't they.

Rubbish day for me on my daily permitted exercise. 7 Peacock, 4 Tortoiseshell and 1 Brimstone.

[Padfield]

Rubbish day for me on my daily permitted exercise. 7 Peacock, 4 Tortoiseshell and 1 Brimstone.

That was four more small tortoiseshells than I saw today!

As you get your nose in, you'll know exactly where to look for what, and when and how. That experience only comes with time - and lots of walks! And don't forget, every record counts. Your local recorder will want to know about those 7 peacocks, 4 small tortoiseshells and 1 brimstone. It's by no means rubbish.

Guy

(And yes - a lot of butterflies are furry. It helps keep the flight muscles warm when the sun goes in.)

[Chris L]

The bar was amateurishly raised very high in my mind Guy and it was set far too high. Having looked at what other folk were reporting on this forum and the promise of some sunshine here, I thought it would be a day for more species than the 4 seen so far in 2020 and lots of butterflies in general. As it transpired it was a lot cooler than I expected and the sun pretty much disappeared within 2 minutes of me leaving the house. It actually felt a bit bleak out there.

The bar is set quite high for tomorrow too...

Rest assured, everything is meticulously recorded.

[MikeOxon]

It was quite warm in my garden this afternoon, although clouds kept casting their shadows. A Peacock visited the Edgeworthia chrysantha, now well past its best but still providing some welcome nectar.

I took this shot in full sunshine and used the small flashgun on my Olympus (equivalent to the pop-up flashgun on many cameras) which did a good job on the dark shadows. I often think a flashgun is at its most useful in direct sun!

garden, Abingdon - 4th April 2020
Olympus E-M1-ii with 40-150mm lens - 1/250s@f/13 ISO 640 (with fill-in flash)

Mike

[NickHull]

(And yes - a lot of butterflies are furry. It helps keep the flight muscles warm when the sun goes in.)

Indeed. From Finland to France, Green Hairstreaks seem particularly hairy, but my winner has to be in the same family, Tomares ballus, Provence Hairstreak, Mr. Hairy-legs himself.

[aeshna5]

In my small west London suburban garden yesterday a female (my first female of year) Brimstone spent c40 minutes feeding at various yellow Wallflowers, a my first male Orange Tip paid a brief visit, a male small white fed at flowers of Hidcote Comfrey (loved by Hairy-footed Flower Bees) & a couple of Peacocks whizzing around.

[Lee Hurrell]

Along The Itchen Way in Winchester yesterday, I saw my first two Speckled Wood of the year and my second Small White. Double figure counts of Brimstone and Peacock, along with five each Comma and Small Tortoiseshell.

[David M]

...Tomares ballus, Provence Hairstreak, Mr. Hairy-legs himself.

Yes, Nick, I know of no butterfly more hirsute than this. Mind you, it can be pretty cold in France and Spain in March so best to be prepared....

[Jack Harrison]

Sunday 5th April - Air temperature 15C and bright but not full sun.

Two Torties that had been in the fridge since late last summer were brought out today to warm up. A third had briefly woken up behind some curtains indoors on New Year’s Day and it too spent the rest of the winter in the fridge until today. All three were healthy.

One soon shot off at high speed in a north-easterly direction. The other two lingered a bit longer but they too were gone when I checked 20 minutes after release.

That little piece of nature’s magic cheered me enormously today.

Jack

[bugboy]

A Large Tortoiseshell (originally misidentified as a painted Lady) has turned up in a garden in Brighton today. I do hope there's not going to be an influx now, that would be the ultimate sods law event !

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... ater&ifg=1

Not sure how many of you will be able to see the link, I think its a closed group.

[Jack Harrison]

I couldn't access but try a screen grab Bugboy.

Jack

[bugboy]

I couldn't access but try a screen grab Bugboy.

Jack

Here's the image Jack,

No doubt about it's identity!

[Allan.W.]

Another Large Tort ; was seen and photographed at Denge Wood ,Kent on 21st March. Found by Dereck Smith.
Allan.W.