December 2020

[David M]

Always an outside chance, especially during the first few days.

Looks like 1st of the month is mild and sunny for many so good luck!!

[PhilBJohnson]

3°C (BBC weather app, at the time)
A yellow “sporty” stripe along it’a back, could look a bit like the mid-rib of a native Mediterranean Aubretia leaf.

They might not move around much, when it gets this cold & were possibly, more likely to be less exposed under a leaf (as well as on one).

Pieris rapae (Small White Larva) on Aubretia, about 1metre from warmer house.

[PhilBJohnson]

December 7th 2020 - Video Link:

https://youtu.be/Wwrl0vy2NmQ

"A caterpillar that had successfully pupated looked like it found, a slightly warmer, wooden beading on a window frame. It was noted that this species (Pieris Brassicae) rarely pupated on metalwork or stonework that might have been relatively colder, because of heat conducting properties. A significance in science might have been, to better understand our butterfly species, how they were very sensitive to micro-climatic temperature changes, with a UK wide climate that had averagely changed (heated).
An estimated butterfly hatching date, if the pupa was not interfered with or "preyed upon" (eaten by something else), was thought to be near the end of April 2021, weather dependant."

[Wolfson]

Large White lava still going strong in Penzance this morning.

[David M]

Large White lava still going strong in Penzance this morning.

Good to see, Wolfson. I suspect they'll continue to be active given the mild conditions.

[Crispin]

The warm weather brought a Peacock out from hibernation on Sunday but I haven't seen a winter Red Admiral yet.
I think today was the warmest 14th December in over 25 years locally.

I wonder how the offspring of all those third-generation Wall Browns around in September and October doing?

[badgerbob]

In answer to Crispin, last week I had my largest December count of Wall Brown larvae. 10 in about 15-20 minutes. The 3rd brood was particularly large in the area and due to the mild weather we have in the South these days there seems to be no problem with the larvae growing enough to survive the Winter.
The larvae are generally harder to find before the new year as they are so small. By mid February they are much easier to see.

A December Comma appeared last week also on my local patch.

[Lee Hurrell]

I saw a Red Admiral today, near Winchester; my first ever December butterfly (in the UK). It was 11 degrees and sunny.

[David M]

I saw a Red Admiral today, near Winchester; my first ever December butterfly (in the UK). It was 11 degrees and sunny.

That doesn't surprise me, Lee. I notice that the maximum temperature today around London is 15c!! It's been especially mild even here in south Wales for a week or so now, so if the sun comes out then so will a few Red Admirals.

[millerd]

...I notice that the maximum temperature today around London is 15c!!...

As ever with such mild winter temperatures, there wasn't a hint of sun here all day on 21st, despite it being 14 degrees. It was interesting to compare it with 6th June this year when despite a couple of hours of summer sunshine, the maximum temperature was precisely the same. The sort of day when by just looking at the weather alone you wouldn't be able to say with any certainty at all what time of year it was!

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Friday 11th - surprise Red Admiral seen in the car park of my workplace at around 2pm, fluttering around the perspex smoking shelter and occasionally settling on warm surfaces:

Managed to get a short video with the help of my mobile phone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tju5CH5uNA

[badgerbob]

The final day of 2020 and the ground was crisp and white with a heavy frost.

However, the sun was beaming down and with the wind being from the North I perhaps stupidly thought I might see a butterfly on my local patch that would be sheltered from the wind.

A Wall Brown larva was found first, the previous day I had found 9 of these, suddenly a Peacock fluttered past me. This was only 20 metres away from where I saw a Peacock on January 1st 2019. Fortunately, the butterfly settled a few times basking in the bright sunshine.

I wonder how many people can say they have seen a Peacock on the first and last day of any year. I was hoping to see it again on the 1st January this year but the weather was very cold and cloudy.

Peacock. Seaford 31/12/2020.

[David M]

You have narrowed down your seasonal 'absence of butterfly' gap almost to a singularity, Bob!

Mine is currently 20 December to 17 January but yours is 31 December to 1 January, which leaves hardly any room for improvement really, apart from the times of day.

Quite eye-opening however that it was a Peacock that you sighted. That's a New Year surprise few of us have ever had the pleasure of.