David M

[David M]

A very resplendent Painted Lady, David, especially as they've been so scarce this year. Obviously the scant few that arrived earlier in the year managed to produce a few offspring.

Thank you, Dave. Yes, I saw three Painted Ladies in early June but the next ones I saw weren't till late August, so one presumes the latter were the progeny of the former.

Sunday 13th September 2020 – Nicholaston Burrows….

The warm weather continued, so I thought I’d drive 15 minutes down the road to a site I hadn’t visited for quite some while, Nicholaston Burrows, a small dune system just to the east of Oxwich Bay which can be seen in the distance:

The commonest species during this walk were Small White (20-30) and Red Admiral (approx. 15). In fact, I counted 9 of the latter on one particularly sheltered patch of ivy in the light woodland at the top of the slope, as well as a solitary Small Tortoiseshell.

Also about in this area were a handful of Speckled Woods:

On the dunes I found a couple of faded Brown Argus, a few Large Whites and several Small Coppers, one of which was the finest caeroleopunctata individual I’ve seen in a long while:

The only other species seen was Common Blue; two tatty looking females and a surprisingly presentable male.

[David M]

Monday 14th September 2020 - Unseasonably hot....

It's not often the Swansea coastal strip basks in temperatures of 23c, but that was the case today at Port Eynon....and in mid-September too!!

Winds were light, so I trekked up to the top of the hill at the SW edge of the site:

It's always a little bittersweet when we get hot days such as these after the main butterfly season is over, and in truth there weren't huge numbers about. Perhaps they had dispersed given the fact that the temperatures were such that they didn't need to seek out the sheltered microclimates.

Around 40 Small Whites were seen, with probably a dozen or so Large Whites too, but apart from that there was little else - a couple of Red Admirals, three or four Small Tortoiseshells, a few ragged Meadow Browns and the odd tatty Common Blue along with a solitary Small Copper.

The notable sighting of the day was this Hummingbird Hawk Moth, which, rather unusually, decided to take a break from flying endlessly and rested for quite a while, wings folded, on a dead plant stem:

[trevor]

Superb image of that Hummingbird Hawk Moth, at rest David.
Quite a contrast to darting blur we are more familiar with.
I once found one at rest on the beach at Tidemills, East Sussex.

Keep well,
Trevor.

[millerd]

That is an excellent shot of the HBHM, David. It looks immaculate - I didn't realise how bushy the tail-tufts are... It makes a change from the usual in-flight shots too.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Thanks, Trevor/Dave. This is only the second time I've seen one at rest for any length of time and given its condition I'd say it was a recently emerged one. They blend in surprisingly well given how strikingly noticeable they are when in flight.

Wednesday 16th September 2020 - Botanic Gardens....

My neighbour and I took our annual early autumn trip to the National Botanic Gardens near Carmarthen today, as we both love the displays of flowers and the cafe (which serves an enviable vegan range which she likes). Of course, there are butterflies around too, although the building that houses tropical species is closed currently due to Covid.

Of the wild butterflies, there were, once again, plenty of Small Whites, with a few Red Admirals, Tortoiseshells and Large Whites, a Small Copper and a Comma, but the highlight of the day was seeing a male Brimstone, which doesn't happen very often for me in the month of September:

[trevor]

It's been an amazing Autumn for various late butterfly species, David.
So your Brimstone doesn't surprise me at all.
It was only this Monday that I saw a fairly fresh female Wall Brown.

Stay safe & well,
Trevor.

[ernie f]

David

Just catching up with your PD - I must admit to having to go back a bit. My favourite is your pic of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth at rest. That's quite a rare image! I bet you are pleased with that.

[David M]

Thanks, both. It's been a great autumn for the south and SE of England due to the numbers of Clouded Yellows and the regular third brooders, but we in Wales tend not to see these things, so it's been very much a case of 'business as usual' round here.

That said, Red Admirals have picked up over the last few weeks, and there have even been a few belated Painted Ladies, along with several Hummingbird Hawk Moths, which are always a delight to see.

[David M]

Sunday 27th September – Plenty of variety still…….

Another visit to Port Eynon dunes on a mild, pleasant, sunny day saw plenty of butterflies still flying.

Again, Small Whites were the commonest, with at least 40 seen, and Large Whites reached double figures, no doubt attracted by the copious valerian that's still in flower at this coastal site.

On the dunes, I saw two Common Blues. The first was a very faded female but this male is certainly a third brood specimen; he was immaculate:

A solitary Small Copper popped up as well as what will surely be my final Meadow Brown of 2020.

However, a visit to the churchyard in the nearby village was the highlight of the day.

This Comma was immediately seen basking on some foliage:

There were two different Small Tortoiseshells nectaring on the valerian:

This patch of south facing ivy was buzzing with insects. I counted 9 Red Admirals, a Comma and a Painted Lady:

A solitary Green Veined White brought the overall species count to 10, something I may not see again till next May.

[millerd]

A very good count for the end of September, David - that ivy bush has a splendid array of butterflies. Fortunate to include a Painted Lady too - Clouded Yellow sightings have now exceeded those for Painted Ladies on my local patch this year, and overall on my wanderings as well come to think of it. The Comma is welcome too, as they seem quite thin on the ground this autumn.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Yes, 10 is pretty good on the cusp of October, Dave, even though all were common species, although I agree Painted Ladies have been far from common this year. Coming to something when there are more Clouded Yellows recorded in some parts!!

Thursday 1st October – Diminishing returns……

A return to Port Eynon just 4 days after my previous visit saw 6 fewer species. I had hoped to notch up an October Meadow Brown on the dunes, but the only butterflies flying there were 20 or so Small Whites and a Red Admiral nectaring on the ivy at the back of the site.

However, a short walk to the churchyard once again was a joy, with several Large Whites flying around the valerian blooms, including this lovely female:

A couple of Small Tortoiseshells were also enjoying the feast:

A handful of Small Whites were flying in this area as well as three more Red Admirals, which were again steadfastly glued to the ivy flowers.

[David M]

Thursday 8th October 2020 – in Abergavenny….

This week was spent looking after my friends’ guest house in Abergavenny whilst they were away on holiday.

The weather was so appalling early in the week that the chickens practically stopped laying eggs, but by Thursday things had improved so I nipped out to Castle Meadows:

It was fairly windy and I only saw a solitary Small White, but the more sheltered confines of Linda Vista Gardens were far more productive. This Speckled Wood (one of three seen) was basking on a leaf by the entrance:

I was delighted to find a smallish buddleia that was still almost in full flower:

A Red Admiral stopped here briefly before flying off, but this Comma wasn’t going anywhere:

There were a couple more Small Whites flying around as well as two male Large Whites nectaring from the verbena:

[David M]

Sunday 11th October 2020 - Last hurrah?....

Another visit to Port Eynon, but this time the only species flying on the dunes was Small White. I took the trouble to count them in the hour I was there, with a respectable 25 being the final tally (which included a couple seen in the nearby churchyard).

Just one Red Admiral was found nectaring on the ivy-clad wall at the back of the dunes:

The churchyard was still full of flowering valerian, but butterfly numbers weren't great.

There were solitary Large White and Small Tortoiseshell, but other than that the only butterflies were two Small Whites and a fairly impressive eight Red Admirals, including this one basking on a garden wall:

[David M]

Wednesday 14th October 2020 – Limeslade Bay....

A trip to M&S in Mumbles on a sunny morning gave me the excuse to visit Limeslade Bay to see whether there were any butterflies nectaring on the hebe shrubs which have taken root in this area.

I noticed a Small White before getting out of my car, then I spotted a slightly damaged Red Admiral feeding nearby. However, when I scanned the most sheltered area at the back along the wall, I was delighted to find another Red Admiral, this one in pristine condition:

Further along there was a Comma:

And at one point they fed almost side by side:

Higher up, a solitary Large White was indulging in the feast:

A pleasant surprise to find four different species in a 20m square area in mid-October.

[David M]

Wednesday 14th October 2020 - Oystermouth Cemetery.....

On my way back from M&S, I took a detour into Oystermouth Cemetery. Apart from a fly-by Red Admiral, no other butterflies were seen except for 4 Speckled Woods. Three of them were seen by the wooded area at the top of the site, but this one was holding territory in a sheltered, sunny spot as if it were late April:

[David M]

Saturday 17th October 2020 - More Speckled Woods....

Another visit to Oystermouth Cemetery saw three more Speckled Woods, the first one being seen next to the car park basking on the warm soil:

It looked in very good condition, as did one of the other two which I saw, once again, in the wooded area near the highest point of the site:

I searched this area where clumps of valerian are in bloom on many of the graves but saw no other butterflies:

[David M]

Thursday 22nd October 2020 – Life goes on….

I was briefly in Abergavenny again, so on the day of my departure I visited Linda Vista Gardens, on a reasonably mild and sunny afternoon.

As I was walking towards the sunlit area, I noticed a Red Admiral flying around a buddleia that was now 90% in shade. I tried to get closer but it spooked and zoomed off.

I had better luck when I emerged into full sunshine where the late flowering buddleia I had seen a Comma nectaring from two weeks earlier was still in surprisingly good shape:

This time, there were two Commas enjoying the late season feast. One of them was rather worn:

The other one, however, was immaculate:

I took a walk around the gardens, but was not able to find any Speckled Woods (they are usually quite reliable here; in season, at least!)
Unless something freakish turns up, I suspect the only butterflies I may see from here on in will be adult overwinterers.

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, there's certainly a lot of Sun in your shots, much more than there is here at present you've got some lovely shots of the Comma on the flowers which sets the colour of the Butterfly off nicely, Goldie

[trevor]

That's a great final(ish?) flurry David. As in the Spring, and at this time of year
we start to look out for Speckled Woods again. I am guilty of largely ignoring
them in between, though I do keep an eye open for spectacularly marked
female Specklies.

Keep safe and well.
Trevor.

[David M]

Hi! David, there's certainly a lot of Sun in your shots, much more than there is here at present

Seems like an age ago sadly, Goldie. It's done virtually nothing but rain ever since.