David M

[David M]

You're right, David - having a lot of Holly Blues to choose from really does enhance the chances of getting shots as good as yours are. I generally find the best opportunities for getting good photos of females are when they are laying. They tend to take a breather between bouts and will often bask while doing so. Both sexes will also bask open-winged when the weather is cooler and there is sun with passing cloud. You can stand for a long time next to a butterfly waiting for the sun to pop out again.

Yes, Dave, you're right. Part cloudy and cool conditions are good, as are activities such as mating or laying eggs. In some ways, this species is quite 'Hairstreak-like' in its behaviour, meaning that you need patience and/or good fortune.

Interesting Holly Blue behaviour….

On the subject of Holly Blues, it was my great fortune to find not one, not two, but three mating pairs whilst at Cwm Ivy last Tuesday.
In spite of this woodland area being a paradise for them, I had never seen this before.

The first two pairs were in cop in full view of the maelstrom of males circling around, and every now and then one would descend to check things out:

Strangely, this behaviour remained watchful, rather than participatory. At no stage did the additional male make any attempt to physically interrupt the paired couple:

At all times, the wings of both the males and females remained tightly shut, although I did get a glimpse of the apex of this female’s upf as this pair moved along the branch of this evergreen:

[trevor]

I wonder how many people have seen a pair of mating Holly Blues, let alone three.
Quite a remarkable find and something else for me to look out for.

Superb shots too!.
Stay well,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Good finds, David! Mating Holly Blues is something I have still to see on my local patch (that as you know has no shortage of the species!).

Cheers,

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

I wonder how many people have seen a pair of mating Holly Blues, let alone three.
Quite a remarkable find and something else for me to look out for.

Superb shots too!.
Stay well,
Trevor.

Indeed, something I too have yet to see.

I particularly like the shot with the pair and the open wing male, either of which would have made a good shot in it's one right

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Thanks, all.

Yes, finding any mating pair would have been notable, but three was off the scale. This is the fourth spring I've been visiting this site, and I haven't seen anything like that before. I suppose if you go often enough you eventually get lucky.

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots David, it's great you found them in Pairs has well Goldie

[Pauline]

Great sequence showing interesting behaviour. The boundary hedge at Shipton is good for mating pairs but I haven't seen that sort of interaction before with Holly Blues.

[David M]

Thanks Goldie/Pauline. Yes, it was a fortuitous period, as was this....

Interesting Brimstone behaviour

On Sunday 22nd March, whilst spending time in the woodland glade at Cwm Ivy on the NW Gower coast, I saw large numbers of Brimstones. Amongst them was this female:

Knowing it was early in the season I suspected there was a chance she might not be mated, so I decided to follow her wherever she went, unless, of course, she disappeared somewhere inaccessible.

She made a couple of short flights in the glade, and within a couple of minutes a male homed in on her.

They spiralled up towards a large clump of ivy surrounding a pine tree trunk and a second male soon flew over to investigate. This second male was flying around wildly, but the other male and the female were stationary. A distance shot with my zoom proved they were in cop:

The persistence of this additional male made their perch untenable though, and after three minutes or so they floated down to the woodland floor:

Here they remained, seemingly reasonably well hidden. I took a few images and then stood back. What followed was quite a surprise. Just about every male that flew along this glade somehow ‘spotted’ this pair and began to investigate (and in some cases, to interfere with the pair):

I can only assume these males were able to detect the pheromones as the pair were not in a prominent position from a visual perspective.
Some males were exceptionally persistent, but at no stage did either of the mating pair attempt to move; they simply allowed the marauder to exercise his curiosity until he gave up and flew off.

After half an hour or so, I moved off but returned an hour later and the pair were still in the same spot. Half an hour after that I returned again but they had gone.

So, if this is typical behaviour then Brimstone courtship (assuming the female is unmated) lasts all of two minutes. Whether the ideal location is high up in a tree, in shrubs or near ground level I couldn’t say, but once grounded, they remained fixed in place despite the interference from other males.

[Pauline]

Another really interesting sequence David. In all the years I have been watching butterflies I have only ever seen 3 mating pairs of Brimstones and they have all been hanging upside down from leaves, well-camouflaged, about 2' from the ground.

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots David, I've only ever seen them chasing after the female Goldie

[bugboy]

Great capture, that mating is worth several dozen Green-veined White in-cop pairs

[millerd]

That's terrific sequence, David. I think I've only ever encountered one pair of Brimstones in cop, and didn't see the preliminary chase. It does show that the elaborate dances we see later in the year with males chasing females high into the sky and back to the ground must involve females that have already mated. Unmated females lose this status in double-quick time! I've observed this extremely brief courtship in Large Whites and Orange Tips as well, so it is probably a Pierid thing. Does your experience of Continental Pierid species confirm this by any chance, David?

Cheers

Dave

[David M]

Great capture, that mating is worth several dozen Green-veined White in-cop pairs

Sounds crazy, but I'd trade that pair in for a few good Green Veined White shots this year, such is my frustration, Paul.

[trevor]

As with your Holly Blue mating pairs, your Brimstone saga is another case
of right place, right time. I've seen several chases with the Summer brood,
with up to five males in pursuit of a female.
You must be very pleased with your encounters so far this year. .

Keep safe & well,
Trevor.

[David M]

Another really interesting sequence David. In all the years I have been watching butterflies I have only ever seen 3 mating pairs of Brimstones and they have all been hanging upside down from leaves, well-camouflaged, about 2' from the ground.

Yes, I suspect most of the time this takes place amongst the greenery. I would never have spotted this pair had I not fortuitously latched on to that early female, and whilst the first interfering male was doubtless a nuisance to the coupled pair, he certainly did me a big favour!

[Neil Freeman]

Interesting sequence of the Brimstones David. I have only once seen these in cop and the pair ended up about 10 feet high in a shrub after a brief chase. This occurred a few years ago but I remember it was well into May which made me suspect it was not the female's first pairing.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

You must be very pleased with your encounters so far this year.

Yes, Trevor. Two forms of behaviour in common species I hadn't ever seen before.

Interesting sequence of the Brimstones David. I have only once seen these in cop and the pair ended up about 10 feet high in a shrub after a brief chase. This occurred a few years ago but I remember it was well into May which made me suspect it was not the female's first pairing.

To be honest, Neil, had it been May I wouldn't have bothered tracking the female, but given it was March, I thought it was worth the effort.

[David M]

Easter period....

Once again, Easter was pretty good weatherwise, and with a few days off work, and a couple of kilograms to shift now that I'm working from home, I set out on several long walks around my immediate area.

Last year, I found a lovely spot on Fairwood Common, which turned out to be very good for Green Hairstreaks & Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. Sadly, it has recently been burned (whether this is accidental or intentional I'm not sure):

Here's how it was:

The bird's foot trefoil is now emerging, meaning Common Blues are soon to be on their way:

Small Blues won't be far behind either, since kidney vetch is also beginning to flower:

Not huge numbers of butterflies on these walks, but all the usual suspects, with Peacock being undoubtedly the species most regularly seen.

I did manage to get my first image of a Large White this year though:

And I also pointed the lens at the occasional male Orange Tip:

[jenks]

Hi David and everyone on UKB,
Yes I know Fairwood Common and the adjacent Welsh Moor as a good place for Green Hairstreak, Marsh Frits and other butterflies. Probably wont get a chance to visit either this year, unfortunately. The Welsh news carried pictures of the common last week in an article on a spate of arson attacks on moorland and commons which was causing the emergency services extra work. I simply cannot understand the mind-set of individuals who carry out such attacks. Apart from the ecological damage caused, our emergency services are under extreme pressure at this particular time and do not need to be deployed on senseless man-made fires.
One of the silver linings (the only one ?)of Corona virus is that I have been exploring local footpaths and walks that ordinarily I would drive past. My exercise walk yesterday took me alongside the River Taff, along an old railway line, through woodland and onto a gorse clad hillside before returning to the main road and my home near Pontypridd. I saw 3 male Orange Tips, at least 5 Brimstone (including 4 males chasing each other along a ride), 2 Red Admiral,numerous Peacocks, Speckled Wood, Small and Green veined White and last but not least a Holly Blue. I had been scouring ivy clad trees and Holly without success and then just before I came back to the road one flew from near some gorse and into a tree. Birdsong along my walk was fantastic too and accentuated by the lack of traffic noise. Such sightings do lift the spirits.
Jenks.

[David M]

Thanks, Gareth. Sad to hear that this damage has been done deliberately and not as part of a managed campaign. I suspected as much, since the burned areas had a haphazard pattern, whereas in the past when it has been done rotationally, the affected areas were very self contained.

Thankfully, only a small percentage has been damaged, and I'm sure there will still be plenty of Green Hairstreaks, Marsh and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries in a month or so.