Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. That damage was quite possibly caused by brambles, there are some large patches close to where he was flying.

Thursday 17th September.

Having found the Small Coppers at Blythe Valley yesterday (Wednesday 16th), I thought I would have a look at another local site this morning to see if I could find any more. The spot I chose to visit was a stretch of public footpath through some meadow areas just outside of Solihull. I had walked this footpath back in July and found good numbers of second brood Small Coppers here (reported on page 167 of this PD) so I figured there was a good chance of one or two third brood examples being about today.

The path runs from Catherine-de-Barnes, a village just outside of Solihull back towards the town itself and as I didn't want to walk all of it this morning I parked at the Solihull end which is closer to where I had seen most of the Small Coppers previously.
I arrived just before 10.00am and set off along the path with it still feeling a bit cool. There was a mixture of about 50/50 cloud and sun but a cool easterly breeze was keeping the temperature down a bit and with the sun lower in the sky at this time of year it takes a bit longer to start warming things up. Nevertheless, as I slowly wandered along the path and it slowly warmed up I spotted a Small Copper, and then another one, and then a bit further along another one, and then two chasing each other about. During the next hour or so I ended up counting at least nine with maybe one or two more, mostly males in varying conditions including some that looked nice and fresh, plus a couple of large females as well.

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

There were quite a few molehills along the side of one meadow and some of the Small Coppers were basking on the bare earth of these and on other patches of bare ground to warm up.

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Coppers - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

Small Copper - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

As with most of my local spots at this time of year, other butterflies were thin on the ground with just a couple of Small Whites and a single Comma being seen.

Comma - Public footpath Solihull 16.09.2020

I then doubled back to the car and decided to try another local spot.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Some lovely autumnal colours there Neil . Commas seem to have vanished off the face of the planet though, they are normally to be found gorging on overipe Blackberries on most days at this time of year but the one I saw yesterday was the first I've seen for several weeks! It was however very fresh so perhaps there'll be a glut of fresh emergents down here in the coming weeks

[David M]

That's a delightful set of Small Copper images, Neil. I'm pleased to report numbers are good round my way too, so hopefully they'll hang on for a few more weeks to provide a little autumn colour to enjoy.

Nice that you saw a Comma. Apart from the early part of spring I haven't seen that many this year.

[Wurzel]

Delightful range of variation there Neil Really like the second one basking on the footpath and the last one - the way the orange on the fore wing goes right to the edge of the wing - really makes the orange stand out Nice to see a Detective Inspector in your constabulary too

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the comments Bugboy, David and Wurzel
I don't think that any Small Copper is exactly the same as any other one, there is always some degree of variation even if it is sometimes slight. This is also true with many other of our butterflies when looked at closely, a fact that makes me somewhat cynical of trying to give every slight difference a name.

Thursday 17th September - continued.

From where I had parked for the public footpath, it was just a short hop onto the M42 and along to the next junction to Bickenhill where I arrived 10 minutes later.
As soon as I parked up and got out of my car I was greeted by a male Speckled Wood that came to investigate the intrusion into his space and then settled in the adjacent hedgerow.

Speckled Wood - Bickenhill 17.09.2020

I then wandered around my usual circuit but it was obvious that things are nearly finished here with no more than a dozen butterflies seen despite it now being a nice and sunny late morning. These consisted mostly of a few Small Whites plus a couple of Green-veined Whites.

Green-veined White - Bickenhill 17.09.2020

A single Small Copper was found in one of the usual corners.

Small Copper - Bickenhill 17.09.2020

The Comma I had seen earlier in the morning at my last stop was the first I had seen for some weeks and I found a couple more here. One was alternating between basking on the path and going up onto some nearby brambles to nectar on the over-ripe blackberries and the other was on another nearby patch but deep within the brambles and wouldn't come out for a photo.

Comma - Bickenhill 17.09.2020

I have not seen a Comma for a while now although that is fairly normal for here with a gap between from when the summer brood tails off and the autumn emergence. They were a bit thin on the ground around here in the spring although the summer brood seemed to do better with reasonable numbers showing up at most of my local spots so it will be interesting to see if any more show up this autumn.

After doing the one circuit here I returned to the car and headed home to catch up on some more household stuff.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[millerd]

I don't think that any Small Copper is exactly the same as any other one, there is always some degree of variation even if it is sometimes slight. This is also true with many other of our butterflies when looked at closely, a fact that makes me somewhat cynical of trying to give every slight difference a name.
Neil.

I entirely agree with you, Neil. Small Coppers especially are enormously variable and the contrast between shining orange and black spotting highlights this - which is probably why so many "abs" have been named for this species. It does however mean that a nice selection like yours provides quite a bit of interest!


I've also seen hardly any "autumn" Commas this year (nor the usual Red Admirals that appear at the same time). Maybe they hibernated early?

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of shots Neil I was lucky enough to find an Autumnal Comma at the weekend - I generally don't see that many in the autumn, probably because I can't get out as much, but maybe because they know something I don;t and so are nicely tucked away in their hibernation spots early before the really lousy weather hits?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

...As soon as I parked up and got out of my car I was greeted by a male Speckled Wood that came to investigate the intrusion into his space and then settled in the adjacent hedgerow.

That's a habit of theirs with which I'm most familiar, Neil. They're almost car park attendants at some of the sites I visit.

There may not have been many butterflies during your visit, but you've seen two species I've hardly encountered at all this month - Green Veined White & Comma. Over here, it's been a bit of a Tortoiseshell/Small White fest, with precious little else.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the comments Dave, Wurzel and David, appreciated as always

It seems that Commas are thin on the ground everywhere this autumn.

Tuesday 22nd September.

With a change to much cooler and more unsettled weather forecast from mid week onwards I figured I would pop out this morning to have a look around my local site at Castle Hills at Solihull. The footpath that I would normally have used is now blocked off by the work going on for the new JLR distribution centre, whether it will remain closed when this work is complete remains to be seen. All was not lost though as there is another public footpath which crosses the site further down and from which I can connect to my usual circuit.

Speckled Woods were easily the most numerous species seen today with about a dozen seen scattered around the various paths. These were mostly males that had seen better days but a couple of females were looking to be in better condition still.

Speckled Wood - Castle Hills Solihull 22.09.2020

Speckled Wood - Castle Hills Solihull 22.09.2020

A few Small and Green veined Whites were seen but none of them settled for long on what had turned into a warm and sunny morning.

A single Comma was spotted making it just my fourth Comma seen so far this autumn.

Comma - Castle Hills Solihull 22.09.2020

I am not seeing many Red Admirals this autumn either with a single one seen here this morning being my first for a while now.

Red Admiral - Castle Hills Solihull 22.09.2020

There is lots of ivy in flower here at the moment but the Red Admiral above was the only butterfly seen on any of it.

A single male Common Blue completed the tally for the morning.

Common Blue - Castle Hills Solihull 22.09.2020

I am not sure if he was a third brood or a late second brood. Some flight times this year have been all over the place and I suspect that brood timings, for some species at least, are not as clear cut as we sometimes think they are, or are becoming more blurred with climate change.

With the weather turning this week, that may well be the last time I get a chance to look for butterflies around here. I may still see the odd Speckled Wood or Small White in the garden but without the Clouded Yellows and Wall Browns of more favoured areas this is the time of year when my season usually comes to an end here.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[trevor]

Some glowingly fresh Small Coppers there Neil.
Especially the 2nd and 3rd images down from the top of your post.
Autumn has ( momentarily? ) caught up with us in the South ie. cold wind and rain.
Still, up until Wednesday I think most areas had a good run for their money.

Hope I don't have to put the camera away just yet!.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Lovely Autumnal selection Neil I've also lost track of which brood things were from this year - things were a bit chaotic this year with some being early, others normal time That second Specklie is really lovely looking, I think it's the massive 'eyes' on the hind wing, they draw you in

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

...I am not seeing many Red Admirals this autumn either with a single one seen here this morning being my first for a while now.

They've increased in number round my way this last 3 weeks or so, Neil, but they are about in single figures mainly, rather than the 20s and 30s I'm more used to at this time of year.

I daresay if you can find a good patch of flowering ivy in a very sheltered position you may strike lucky.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Trevor. I am sure you won't have to put your camera away just yet, your season lasts a good bit longer down there than mine does up here. Mind you, I never actually put mine away even when I run out of butterflies to photograph .

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, there were lots of early sightings this year, especially in the first half, but then the weather collapsed in June and complicated things somewhat for the later broods.

Thanks David. I have been paying particular attention to the flowering ivy around here but there is nothing on any of it apart from bees and wasps.

Garden Moths update – September.

September typically sees a transition from late summer to autumn and this year is no exception with a series of weather fronts bringing wet and windy weather over most of the country. As well as the nights growing longer, they are also becoming colder with a few dropping down to single figures around here.

I have had the moth trap out a few times in the garden although the increasing number of cold or windy (or both) nights means that the frequency has dropped a bit this month, as it usually does for me here.

I was away (in Dorset) at the start of the month but on running the trap from the beginning of the second week I was still catching a similar mix of late summer species as I was seeing though August, although overall numbers started dropping as usual.
As the month progressed I began to see more examples of the Autumn generation of species I was seeing earlier in the year including Common Marbled Carpet and Spruce Carpet.

Common Marbled Carpet, an attractive form of this very variable moth - Coverdale 07.09.2020

Spruce Carpet - 28.09.2020

Another species of carpet moth that turns up at this time of the year is the Red-green Carpet which I often see in the spring when the females take to the wing again after hibernation. The main flight time however is from September to November when both sexes are on the wing. The males then die off and only the females enter hibernation and lay their eggs when they re-emerge in spring.

Red-green Carpet - Coverdale 28.09.2020

The first of the typical autumn species also started appearing, the most numerous of which is Lunar Underwing. I remember commenting before on the various colour forms of this species and have put together the combo photo below showing three different forms all caught on the same night (22nd Sept).

Lunar Underwing colour forms - Coverdale 22.09.2020

The Black Rustic is another typical autumn species that I usually get a few of. I love the subtle shades of black on these that always remind me of the underside of a Peacock butterfly.

Black Rustic - Coverdale 16.09.2020

I rather like the way the light has caught the eye on the Black Rustic below, giving it a red glow which combined with the black base colour makes it look almost evil, like a sort of vampire moth .

Black Rustic - Coverdale 16.09.2020

The colder nights also lead to reduced numbers of micros although there are still some around including Carcina quercana, an attractive little moth that graces the cover of the Field Guide to the Micro Moths of Britain & Ireland https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Micro-Mo ... 1472964527

Carcina quercana - Coverdale 07.09.2020

My tally so far this year is now at a total of 235 species, made up of 143 macro and 92 micro species. The forecast is not looking too good for trapping for the next week or so with most nights looking to be cold, windy and wet but with a bit of luck there should be a few more species still to turn up this year.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

A see what you mean about the Evil Black Rustic Neil very much ready for Halloween Really like the Carcina quercana - although to my eyes the main brown coloured areas remind me of the shape of a flattened toad on a road

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

...The Black Rustic is another typical autumn species that I usually get a few of. I love the subtle shades of black on these that always remind me of the underside of a Peacock butterfly.

Doesn't it just! Some of these supposed 'duller' moths can be rather attractive when you look closely. Then you have brighter ones, such as your carcina quercana, which reminds me of those rhubarb and custard boiled sweets that we ate when we were kids (don't know if they still make them).

235 species is impressive. What's the most you've had in a calendar year?

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel,

...although to my eyes the main brown coloured areas remind me of the shape of a flattened toad on a road

I have said it before but I will say it again, you have a fascinating ability to see strange things sometimes

Thanks David,

235 species is impressive. What's the most you've had in a calendar year?

I will need to check but I think this year is the most I have had. I will do a round up sometime during the winter and include a comparison.


Not much to report for his past week or so. It started raining heavily on Wednesday 30th September and for the next five days it carried on almost constantly, often with a cold wind. When it did ease off a bit it remained damp and gloomy...a horrible few days. This week has been a bit brighter with some sun breaking through occasionally but it has remained cold with a very nippy wind.
I have not seen a single butterfly for well over a week now, even the garden Specklies have called it a day although I can't blame them given the grotty weather here last week.

The weather has not been too good for running the moth trap either, the best (and only one this week) night being this Monday (5th October) when the overnight temperature just about stayed in double figures, although it started raining again sometime in the early hours and I got up to a wet trap and garden. The result was 22 moths of 10 species with 19 of 9 macros and the micros consisting of just 3 Light Brown Apple Moths. The best of these for me were NFYs of Red-line Quaker and Barred Sallow, both species that I usually get just one or two of each year.

Red-line Quaker - Coverdale 05.10.2020

Barred Sallow - Coverdale 05.10.2020

It is always good to see another nice fresh Red-green Carpet.

Red-green Carpet - Coverdale 05.10.2020

The rest of the catch consisted of;
Lesser Yellow Underwing (5), Large Yellow Underwing (1), Lunar Underwing (3), Shuttle-shaped Dart (3), Common Marbled Carpet (3) and Garden Carpet (1), all common and widespread species that I would expect to see this time of year.

Shuttle-shaped Darts female(L) and male (R) - Coverdale 05.10.2020

The weekend is looking to be a cold one so fingers crossed for a few better nights next week as there are still a few autumn species that I normally get that I haven't yet seen this year.

Bye now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

I have said it before but I will say it again, you have a fascinating ability to see strange things sometimes Cheers Neil it's down to a mis-spent youth poring over Peter Cross books - they were stunning and now ridiculously expensive Saying that I'm struggling to see the red on the Red-Green Carpet stunning moth but misnamed I feel

Have a gooun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. No, not very red, but there is some reddish brown which is apparently enough to give it the name. There are quite a few moths, and some butterflies, that play a bit fast and loose where colours are concerned in their names

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

...There are quite a few moths, and some butterflies, that play a bit fast and loose where colours are concerned in their names

Indeed there are, Neil. The whole 'carpet' family is a mystery to me, although there are some highly apt ones such as Silver Y and Box Moth!

I guess the most bizarre one amongst UK butterflies would be Duke of Burgundy.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi David.
The 'carpet moths' - those in the geometer family, not the very few micros whose larvae actually do feed on natural fibres, including those in carpets - apparently have wing patterns that reminded our forbears of carpets of the day.

I had this book as a present last Christmas which contains lots of interesting info on the names of butterflies and moths and where they (may) have originated.
https://www.nhbs.com/emperors-admirals- ... epers-book

Cheers,

Neil.