I guess even moths may be hard to come by these next few weeks, so I guess we'll all need to prepare for an enforced 10 week 'sabbatical' till the lengthening February days bring the promise of a return for our winged friends again.
Neil Freeman
Re: Neil Freeman
Lovely December moth, Neil. It looks suitably well-wrapped up for the time of year.
I guess even moths may be hard to come by these next few weeks, so I guess we'll all need to prepare for an enforced 10 week 'sabbatical' till the lengthening February days bring the promise of a return for our winged friends again.
I guess even moths may be hard to come by these next few weeks, so I guess we'll all need to prepare for an enforced 10 week 'sabbatical' till the lengthening February days bring the promise of a return for our winged friends again.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks David. Yes, it is that time of year now when running the moth trap often results in a blank, especially in the kind of weather we are having now. Nevertheless, I will still put it out on the occasional suitable night through the winter to see if anything turns up.
Cheers,
Neil.
Now for the first of my looking back at the season reports.
Looking back at 2020 Part 1 - Spring.
The 2020 season certainly turned out to be a bit different for most of us, especially the early part which I will be looking at in this first retrospective report for the year. The big elephant in the room is obviously the COVID-19 pandemic with its associated restrictions and I will mention this where it affected me although I will try not to dwell on it too much.
As always, my thoughts are mostly based around my observations around my local patch plus some trips further afield that I eventually managed to do later in the year.
To start with, following a mild and wet winter during which we only had a few light snow showers here and not many frosts, the first week or so of spring began with a continuation of this wet and mild theme.
My first butterflies around here often appear sometime during the second half of March and this year was no exception with my first sightings on March 21st when a walk down to the area of rough ground by my local park produced more than half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells plus a few Commas and a single Peacock. This was my highest ever tally of first sightings and was an indication of what was to follow over the next few weeks. This period often presents opportunities for some of my favourite ‘butterfly on blossom’ shots and this year was no exception.
As we carried on from March into April, we had a lot of clear nights and frosty mornings, in fact we had more frosts during this period than we had throughout the winter. These clear skies often carried on through the day with the middle of April in particular being unseasonably warm and dry, although by the end of the month we had returned to more normal unsettled conditions with a lot more cloud and some spells of heavy rain.
During this period, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was initially working from home, and then put on furlough.
This gave me more opportunity than I would have normally had to visit my local spot by the park, this being where my daily exercise walk took me on most days. It was soon apparent that both Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks had come out of hibernation in good numbers. In the last couple of years, both species have been a bit scarce in the summer brood and there has been a lot of speculation as to whether this is because they are going into hibernation earlier. This appears to be supported by previous observations and the numbers now appearing would also back this up.
Commas were also seen on most days but in comparison with the Tortoiseshells and Peacocks these were far fewer, although I now actually think that their numbers were about average, just seeming to be lower at the time compared to the other two.
The last week of March produced my first Small White and Orange-tip of the year but then a run of cold dreary days meant that we were into the second week of April before I saw any more examples of either of these.
Speckled Wood also appeared during the second week of April with the appearance of these in my garden always being an event I eagerly look forward to.
By the middle of April, Brimstones and Green-veined Whites were appearing in numbers along with the first Holly Blues, although the latter remained very thin on the ground around here this spring with just a handful seen.
My first Large White did not show up until 21st April with this completing the ten species that I would expect to see locally by this time of year.
So far, apart from the Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks appearing in particularly good numbers, Orange-tips were also having a good year around here, but the other whites were not so numerous, with just one Large White seen by the end of April. Speckled Woods seemed to be having an average spring brood and Comma numbers also seemed to be about average.
We had another spell of dull and cloudy weather with some heavy rain at the end of April and this continued into early May. The skies then cleared again, and we went into another run of warm and dry weather. This was accompanied by a nippy wind at first but by mid-May we were into a very warm spell although the clear nights still led to a couple of light frosts first thing in the morning.
Up until now, all my butterflying had taken place within walking distance of my house, although to be honest that is usually the case with me during this early part of the season. Although the travel restrictions were still in place, it was now being said that we could drive somewhere to take our exercise walks, as long as it was a ‘reasonable’ distance and the journey did not take longer than the exercise.
I figured it was now time to check out some of my other local spots around the outskirts of Solihull, all of which require a short drive of 10 minutes or so to get to, so during the second week of May I began to visit my spots at Castle Hills, Bickenhill and Blythe Valley. On the 17th May Castle Hills produced my first Small Coppers, Common Blues, Brown Argus and Small Heath of the season, with all except Small Heath soon following at the other two sites.
Small Copper and Brown Argus both looked to be having good spring broods here with multiples seen at both Castle Hills and Blythe Valley whereas in most years I am lucky to find them here at all in the spring. Common Blue numbers were low, although they were flying at all three sites whereas Small Heath are only found at Castle Hills where numbers seemed about average.
In mid-May the travel restrictions were relaxed further which meant that I could now drive the 45 minutes down the M40 to Bishops Hill and catch up with Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, Green Hairstreak and Small Blue. These are all species that do not occur around Solihull and I had been thinking that I would be missing all these this year. As it turned out, my visit to Bishops Hill on the 18th May would turn out to be the only time that I saw these four species in 2020.
The second half of May was very warm and sunny with no rain for days. This, along with earlier periods of warm weather, was leading to an early season and by the end of the month the first of the summer brood Speckled Woods and Small Tortoiseshells were starting to appear, a good week or so earlier than is usual for around here.
My first Painted Lady of the year showed up (in my garden) on 28th May although it would be well into the summer before I would see another one.
The last day of the month also produced my first Large Skippers and Meadow Browns of the year. Large Skippers often appear here around the end of the month, but we are usually well into the first or second week of June before I see any Meadow Browns here.
So far, I had been lucky and only missed a couple of species that I had hoped to see this year. One of these was Pearl-bordered Fritillary which by all accounts had a good showing in the Wyre Forest and were still flying when the travel restrictions were lifted but by then were well past their best. I had also hoped to see Marsh Fritillary and SPBF down in Cornwall in May but this trip was cancelled due to Covid - or rather I should say that this trip was postponed as we have shifted it to the same dates in 2021 so one to look forward to.
That brings me up to the end of May. The next report will take us into June and the longer - although not necessarily warmer - days of summer.
To be continued…
Neil.
Cheers,
Neil.
Now for the first of my looking back at the season reports.
Looking back at 2020 Part 1 - Spring.
The 2020 season certainly turned out to be a bit different for most of us, especially the early part which I will be looking at in this first retrospective report for the year. The big elephant in the room is obviously the COVID-19 pandemic with its associated restrictions and I will mention this where it affected me although I will try not to dwell on it too much.
As always, my thoughts are mostly based around my observations around my local patch plus some trips further afield that I eventually managed to do later in the year.
To start with, following a mild and wet winter during which we only had a few light snow showers here and not many frosts, the first week or so of spring began with a continuation of this wet and mild theme.
My first butterflies around here often appear sometime during the second half of March and this year was no exception with my first sightings on March 21st when a walk down to the area of rough ground by my local park produced more than half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells plus a few Commas and a single Peacock. This was my highest ever tally of first sightings and was an indication of what was to follow over the next few weeks. This period often presents opportunities for some of my favourite ‘butterfly on blossom’ shots and this year was no exception.
- Peacock - Wagon Lane 26.03.2020
- Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 24.03.2020
During this period, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was initially working from home, and then put on furlough.
This gave me more opportunity than I would have normally had to visit my local spot by the park, this being where my daily exercise walk took me on most days. It was soon apparent that both Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks had come out of hibernation in good numbers. In the last couple of years, both species have been a bit scarce in the summer brood and there has been a lot of speculation as to whether this is because they are going into hibernation earlier. This appears to be supported by previous observations and the numbers now appearing would also back this up.
Commas were also seen on most days but in comparison with the Tortoiseshells and Peacocks these were far fewer, although I now actually think that their numbers were about average, just seeming to be lower at the time compared to the other two.
- Comma - Wagon Lane 26.03.2020
- Orange-tip - Wagon Lane 09.04.2020
- Small White - Wagon Lane 09.04.2020
Speckled Wood also appeared during the second week of April with the appearance of these in my garden always being an event I eagerly look forward to.
- Speckled Wood - Coverdale 12.04.2020
- Green-veined White - Coverdale 14.04.2020
- Brimstone - Coverdale 23.04.2020
- Holly Blue - Coverdale 14.05.2020
- Large White - Coverdale 21.04.2020
We had another spell of dull and cloudy weather with some heavy rain at the end of April and this continued into early May. The skies then cleared again, and we went into another run of warm and dry weather. This was accompanied by a nippy wind at first but by mid-May we were into a very warm spell although the clear nights still led to a couple of light frosts first thing in the morning.
Up until now, all my butterflying had taken place within walking distance of my house, although to be honest that is usually the case with me during this early part of the season. Although the travel restrictions were still in place, it was now being said that we could drive somewhere to take our exercise walks, as long as it was a ‘reasonable’ distance and the journey did not take longer than the exercise.
I figured it was now time to check out some of my other local spots around the outskirts of Solihull, all of which require a short drive of 10 minutes or so to get to, so during the second week of May I began to visit my spots at Castle Hills, Bickenhill and Blythe Valley. On the 17th May Castle Hills produced my first Small Coppers, Common Blues, Brown Argus and Small Heath of the season, with all except Small Heath soon following at the other two sites.
- Small Copper - Castle Hills 17.05.2020
- Common Blue - Castle Hills 17.05.2020
- Brown Argus - Castle Hills 17.05.2020
- Small Heath - Castle Hills 17.05.2020
In mid-May the travel restrictions were relaxed further which meant that I could now drive the 45 minutes down the M40 to Bishops Hill and catch up with Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, Green Hairstreak and Small Blue. These are all species that do not occur around Solihull and I had been thinking that I would be missing all these this year. As it turned out, my visit to Bishops Hill on the 18th May would turn out to be the only time that I saw these four species in 2020.
- Grizzled Skipper - Bishops Hill 18.05.2020
- Dingy Skipper - Bishops Hill 18.05.2020
- Green Hairstreak - Bishops Hill 18.05.2020
- Small Blue - Bishops Hill 18.05.2020
My first Painted Lady of the year showed up (in my garden) on 28th May although it would be well into the summer before I would see another one.
- Painted Lady - Coverdale 28.05.2020
So far, I had been lucky and only missed a couple of species that I had hoped to see this year. One of these was Pearl-bordered Fritillary which by all accounts had a good showing in the Wyre Forest and were still flying when the travel restrictions were lifted but by then were well past their best. I had also hoped to see Marsh Fritillary and SPBF down in Cornwall in May but this trip was cancelled due to Covid - or rather I should say that this trip was postponed as we have shifted it to the same dates in 2021 so one to look forward to.
That brings me up to the end of May. The next report will take us into June and the longer - although not necessarily warmer - days of summer.
To be continued…
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Fantastic set of Spring images Neil 
Nice to think that they're only a few of months away now 
That Green-veined White is a lovely specimen so smoky and sultry - I can't what for March now 
Have a goodun and stay safe
Wurzel
Nice to think that they're only a few of months away now That Green-veined White is a lovely specimen so smoky and sultry - I can't what for March now Have a goodun and stay safe
Wurzel
Re: Neil Freeman
That's a lovely reminder of last spring as well as an appetiser for the next one, Neil! That period when the blackthorn blossom is out is one of my favourite times of year, which also coincides with the emergence of the pupal hibernators to complement the earlier adult overwinterers.
Must say that Painted Lady is a nice-looking example with those bold hindwing spots, but the Small Copper is, for me, the pick of the line up. It's absolutely immaculate and shows up really well against the buttercup.
Must say that Painted Lady is a nice-looking example with those bold hindwing spots, but the Small Copper is, for me, the pick of the line up. It's absolutely immaculate and shows up really well against the buttercup.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. Yes, lots to look forward to next year with it hopefully being back to more like 'normal' (whatever that is).
Thanks David. I'm already looking forward to that period with the first blackthorn blossom, one of my favourite times too.
Looking back at 2020 Part 2 – High Summer.
I have heard it said that a poor spring is often followed by a good summer and a that a warm spring is followed by a poor summer. Whatever the truth of this, it has certainly been the case around here in recent years with 2020 once again going downhill after a decent spring.
The first few days of June continued on from May with some lovely warm and sunny weather but after the first week it collapsed into a week or so of dull and wet weather with thunderstorms and some particularly heavy rain, not that we didn’t need it after the dry spring had left much of the vegetation here looking quite parched. After this, the rest of the month was very unsettled with lots of cloud and a cool wind keeping the temperatures down and although we did still get some sunny spells, flaming June it was not.
Large Skippers had appeared at the end of May and the first couple of weeks of June saw their numbers build up at all the usual sites around here with once again a few turning up in my garden. Although they seemed to have a decent emergence around here, their flight period proved to be fairly short one compared with some years.
Meadow Brown numbers also built up through June and were joined in the second week by Ringlets with lots of both species flying together at all my local spots over the next couple of weeks.
Fresh Speckled Woods had started appearing at the end of May, a little earlier than usual, and thereafter would be encountered nearly everywhere through the summer without the short gap between broods sometime in June that I often see.
The second week of June produced my first Small Skipper (14th June), my earliest sighting of these here by a good week.
Summer brood Small Tortoiseshells had started emerging earlier than usual with the first ones seen at the end of May and by mid-June these were flying in the kind of numbers not seen around here for some years.
These were soon joined by summer Commas and with a few old and faded spring examples still hanging on I saw these old hibernators and fresh new summer ones both flying at the same time at a couple of spots. I also noticed this year that these first summer Commas consisted of both hutchinsoni and normal forms flying together as opposed to all the first ones to emerge being hutchinsoni which is often assumed to be the case.
On the 9th June we visited Bishops Hill and Harbury Spoilbank, specifically to look for Dark Green Fritillaries, a species that I had never actually seen in Warwickshire before, although I have seen loads of these previously during our travels further afield around the country. We found a couple at Bishops Hill on a mostly cloudy morning but later in the afternoon a bit more sun at Harbury produced well over a dozen, mostly fresh males.
Later in June I began to see reports of Small Tortoiseshells starting to tuck themselves up in sheds and outhouses, seemingly going into early hibernation as has been observed in the past few years. I am still not clear exactly what was going on with this species this year but it appears that at least some individuals were going into early hibernation whereas others were staying out and going on to produce a second brood later in the summer/autumn. I certainly saw many more larval webs around my local spots than I have seen for a long time.
Red Admirals also started appearing in numbers through June, especially in some of the Warwickshire woodlands that we visited around the middle of the month such as Oversley Wood and Snitterfield Bushes.
These two woods also produced Silver-washed Fritillaries, although we only managed to find White Admirals at Oversley Wood this year.
Oversley also produced my first Marbled White of the year (15th June) and by the end of the month and into early July I was seeing these in good numbers around my local sites. I was particularly chuffed to find a wandering individual at my local spot at Wagon Lane, only the second time I have ever seen one there.
Essex Skippers always emerge a couple of weeks later than the first Small Skippers here and it is often well into July before I manage to confirm any. With the early emergence of the Small Skippers here this year I was not surprised to also find my first Essex Skippers also emerging earlier than usual with a few seen at Wagon Lane on 30th June.
The unsettled weather continued into July with most days feeling unseasonably cool although when the sun did break though we would get some decent warm spells.
The summer species already mentioned were all flying in good numbers around my local sites and were joined on 10th of July by Gatekeepers which emerged with a bang around here, one day there were none and then all of a sudden they were all over the place.
A couple of days later, summer peacocks started to appear and over the next couple of weeks emerged in large numbers to join the Small Tortoiseshells, making it a very memorable summer around here for these two vanessids.
The summer broods of my local lycaenids also started to emerge around this time although these were to be a bit ‘patchy’ this year. Small Coppers did well at some sites and Common Blues at others, but neither species managed to do well everywhere.
After a promising spring brood, Brown Argus returned to being a bit hit and miss around my local sites although I was pleased to find a couple just down the road at Wagon Lane.
Green-veined and Small White numbers built up again through July, but Large Whites were still thin on the ground and remained the least numerous of the whites around my patch throughout the summer.
At the end of July and into the first week of August, after having a couple of trips earlier in the year cancelled due to covid, we managed to get away at last. This was a week’s family holiday down on The Lizard in Cornwall with our daughter Sarah and the grandkids. Of course, I managed to squeeze in some good butterflying with the highlight of this being the good numbers of second brood Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries that I saw, mostly along the coast to the south of Kennack Sands but also at the usual spots between Kynance Cove and Lizard Point. Most of these were fresh males with just a couple of very fresh females seen later I the week which indicated that they were still early in this second flight period and I reckon that numbers would have been even higher in the following week or so.
Other species that were seen in good numbers everywhere on the Lizard included Red Admirals and Common Blues with Wall Browns and Graylings occurring in good numbers at a couple of spots. Large Whites were also far more numerous down there than around my local patch, I assume due to recent migrants adding to their numbers. A few old and faded Dark Green Fritillaries were still flitting about down there too.
I also saw my only two Clouded Yellows of the year on the Lizard, plus half a dozen or so Painted Ladies, the latter being pretty scarce this year after last year’s amazing numbers. This is something that I have noted before with Painted Ladies, a good year for them is often followed by a poor one.
Back home, the second week of August saw some thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and the rest of the month consisted of bands of rain crossing the country interspersed by some spells of drier albeit still quite cloudy and cool weather. This seems to have become a pattern over the last few years with the remnants of the Caribbean hurricanes reaching us as stormy weather during August.
Whilst we were down in Cornwall, there had been good numbers of male Brown Hairstreaks seen low down at Grafton Wood in Worcestershire and so I was hoping to get over there later in the month. Unfortunately, by the time I made it, this good showing had finished, and the females seemed to be staying high up in the trees, no doubt sheltering from the unsettled and rather breezy weather we were then having. I did manage a couple of sightings but nothing that came anywhere close for a photo.
That brings me up to the end of August and the end of meteorological summer. It was still a strange year in many respects. Travelling was no longer restricted but I still felt reluctant to travel too far away from my home patch for just day trips and apart from our week down in Cornwall I stayed close to home for most of this period.
At the start of the summer, many species had been emerging early, albeit with shorter flight periods than usual. So much so that some, such as Marbled White and Ringlet, were all but finished here by the time the Big Butterfly Count started. I have since read that, according this count, both Marbled White and Ringlet numbers were down this year, but that is only down to the count starting too late to properly catch either species. To be honest, for a number of reasons, I feel that this count is more useful as an awareness tool for the general public than as a good source of accurate data. Oh well, I guess the true numbers will be more apparent once transect data and such like are analysed.
The next report will take us into Autumn and the winding down of the season.
To be continued…
Neil.
Thanks David. I'm already looking forward to that period with the first blackthorn blossom, one of my favourite times too.
Looking back at 2020 Part 2 – High Summer.
I have heard it said that a poor spring is often followed by a good summer and a that a warm spring is followed by a poor summer. Whatever the truth of this, it has certainly been the case around here in recent years with 2020 once again going downhill after a decent spring.
The first few days of June continued on from May with some lovely warm and sunny weather but after the first week it collapsed into a week or so of dull and wet weather with thunderstorms and some particularly heavy rain, not that we didn’t need it after the dry spring had left much of the vegetation here looking quite parched. After this, the rest of the month was very unsettled with lots of cloud and a cool wind keeping the temperatures down and although we did still get some sunny spells, flaming June it was not.
Large Skippers had appeared at the end of May and the first couple of weeks of June saw their numbers build up at all the usual sites around here with once again a few turning up in my garden. Although they seemed to have a decent emergence around here, their flight period proved to be fairly short one compared with some years.
- Large Skipper - Blythe Valley Park 05.06.2020
- Ringlet - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020
The second week of June produced my first Small Skipper (14th June), my earliest sighting of these here by a good week.
- Small Skipper - Castle Hills 14.06.2020
Summer brood Small Tortoiseshells had started emerging earlier than usual with the first ones seen at the end of May and by mid-June these were flying in the kind of numbers not seen around here for some years.
- Small Tortoiseshell Wagon Lane 13.06.2020
- Comma - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020
- Dark Green Fritillary - Harbury Spoilbank 09.06.2020
Red Admirals also started appearing in numbers through June, especially in some of the Warwickshire woodlands that we visited around the middle of the month such as Oversley Wood and Snitterfield Bushes.
- Red Admiral - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020
- Silver-washed Fritillary - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020
- White Admiral - Oversley Wood 15.06.2020
- Marbled White - Bickenhill 02.07.2020
- Essex Skipper - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020
The summer species already mentioned were all flying in good numbers around my local sites and were joined on 10th of July by Gatekeepers which emerged with a bang around here, one day there were none and then all of a sudden they were all over the place.
- Gatekeeper - Blythe Valley Park 10.07.2020
- Peacock - Bickenhill 16.07.2020
- Small Copper - Henwood Lane 22.07.2020
- Common Blue - Blythe Valley 17.07.2020
- Brown Argus - Wagon Lane 23.07.2020
At the end of July and into the first week of August, after having a couple of trips earlier in the year cancelled due to covid, we managed to get away at last. This was a week’s family holiday down on The Lizard in Cornwall with our daughter Sarah and the grandkids. Of course, I managed to squeeze in some good butterflying with the highlight of this being the good numbers of second brood Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries that I saw, mostly along the coast to the south of Kennack Sands but also at the usual spots between Kynance Cove and Lizard Point. Most of these were fresh males with just a couple of very fresh females seen later I the week which indicated that they were still early in this second flight period and I reckon that numbers would have been even higher in the following week or so.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Carleon Cove, Lizard 01.08.2020
- Wall Brown - Enys Head, Lizard 07.08.2020
- Grayling - Enys Head, Lizard 03.08.2020
Back home, the second week of August saw some thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and the rest of the month consisted of bands of rain crossing the country interspersed by some spells of drier albeit still quite cloudy and cool weather. This seems to have become a pattern over the last few years with the remnants of the Caribbean hurricanes reaching us as stormy weather during August.
Whilst we were down in Cornwall, there had been good numbers of male Brown Hairstreaks seen low down at Grafton Wood in Worcestershire and so I was hoping to get over there later in the month. Unfortunately, by the time I made it, this good showing had finished, and the females seemed to be staying high up in the trees, no doubt sheltering from the unsettled and rather breezy weather we were then having. I did manage a couple of sightings but nothing that came anywhere close for a photo.
That brings me up to the end of August and the end of meteorological summer. It was still a strange year in many respects. Travelling was no longer restricted but I still felt reluctant to travel too far away from my home patch for just day trips and apart from our week down in Cornwall I stayed close to home for most of this period.
At the start of the summer, many species had been emerging early, albeit with shorter flight periods than usual. So much so that some, such as Marbled White and Ringlet, were all but finished here by the time the Big Butterfly Count started. I have since read that, according this count, both Marbled White and Ringlet numbers were down this year, but that is only down to the count starting too late to properly catch either species. To be honest, for a number of reasons, I feel that this count is more useful as an awareness tool for the general public than as a good source of accurate data. Oh well, I guess the true numbers will be more apparent once transect data and such like are analysed.
The next report will take us into Autumn and the winding down of the season.
To be continued…
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
Fine selection of species, Neil. Your observations regarding the season largely correspond with mine, with many species emerging earlier than normal due to the warm April & May, and burning themselves out rather more quickly than usual.
I too noticed Small Tortoiseshells behaving strangely. The first brood emerged in mid-May but had largely disappeared 3 weeks later. There was then another resurgence in August which again dropped away by mid-September.
I too noticed Small Tortoiseshells behaving strangely. The first brood emerged in mid-May but had largely disappeared 3 weeks later. There was then another resurgence in August which again dropped away by mid-September.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks David. It will be interesting to see how many Small Tortoiseshells re-emerge here in the coming spring.
Looking back at 2020 Part 3 – Into Autumn and Winding Down.
At the end of August and into the first few days of September, Jane and myself managed to get away for our second trip of the year, staying for a few days in the same farmhouse B&B not far from Corfe Castle that we had stayed at last year.
On the way down we stopped off at Fontmell Down which was the only place that I managed to catch up with Silver-spotted Skippers in 2020. It was getting on in their flight period and there were only a few still flying but nevertheless I was chuffed to see them considering this was a species I was thinking I might miss this year.
There were also good numbers of Adonis Blues flying at Fontmell which added another species to my 2020 tally. These are always one of my main reasons for heading down to Dorset at this time of year as I never seem to get the chance to see the first brood.
The following few days in Dorset produced more Adonis Blues at all the usual sites albeit not in the kind of numbers I was seeing down here a few years ago.
Other species seen down there in good numbers included Small Coppers, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Meadow Brown and both Small and Large Whites.
As has been the case over the past few years, I also found a late Marbled White, this time along the bridle path up to White Horse Hill at Osmington.
Overall, the total numbers of butterflies that I saw down there were similar to last year, that is not as high as I was seeing a few years back. I reckon the dry weather during the first half of the past couple of years has not helped with some species larval foodplants drying out on the more exposed hillsides.
Unusually for my Dorset visits, I did not see any Painted Ladies or Clouded Yellows this time, nor any Hummingbird Hawk Moths either. I put this down to the wind direction which was coming from the north or north-west during our stay. In fact, the only vanessids seen in reasonable numbers were Red Admirals which turned up at most places each day.
Back home, through the rest of September, things were definitely winding down. Speckled Woods were putting on a brave late showing but most were now looking well past their best and numbers were not as high as I often see at this time of year.
The stars of September for me were Small Coppers which put on a really good show, especially for around here where the third brood is often just partial or sometimes non-existent.
A few Red Admirals and Commas were still flying through the second half of September but both species were very thin on the ground compared with some previous years.
A few whites were also still to be seen at most places but now only in ones and twos at each site.
A single male Common Blue was seen on 22nd September, whether a genuine third brood or a late second brood, I wouldn’t like to say. Either way, we certainly didn’t get the late season high numbers that were reported from other parts of the country.
The butterflies that I saw on 22nd September (Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Small White) turned out to be almost my last of the season, a single Large White in my garden on 27th being the very last one.
A week of cold, wet, windy and really gloomy weather at the end of the month finished things off around here and with no Clouded Yellows, Wall Browns or LTBs to extend things here, that was it for me.
In the end, I managed to see 37 species over the season, more than I had thought I would back in March and photographed all of them apart from the Brown Hairstreaks at Grafton Wood which stayed stubbornly out of reach. I could no doubt have added a few more by driving further afield more often, but even when the rules were relaxed, I didn’t really feel comfortable going too far just to tick off another species for this year, especially ones that I have seen plenty of times before. Besides, I found that with more time in hand due to being on furlough from work, I enjoyed spending more time around my local sites, especially those I had neglected somewhat over the past few years.
Anyway, I still really enjoyed my season this year and anything I missed this year gives me something to aim for next year.
It will be interesting to see what next year brings. The covid vaccine(s) offers a glimmer of hope but it looks like it will still be a while before things get back to normal, or at least something that passes for something like normal.
I guess that Christmas this year is going to be somewhat different for many UKB members, especially those that live in a high tier area, but wherever you are, I would like to wish everyone a…
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.
Looking back at 2020 Part 3 – Into Autumn and Winding Down.
At the end of August and into the first few days of September, Jane and myself managed to get away for our second trip of the year, staying for a few days in the same farmhouse B&B not far from Corfe Castle that we had stayed at last year.
On the way down we stopped off at Fontmell Down which was the only place that I managed to catch up with Silver-spotted Skippers in 2020. It was getting on in their flight period and there were only a few still flying but nevertheless I was chuffed to see them considering this was a species I was thinking I might miss this year.
- Silver-spotted Skipper - Fontmell Down 30.08.2020
- Adonis Blue - Fontmell Down 30.08.2020
- Adonis Blue female - Osmington 02.09.2020
- Adonis Blue - Bindon Hill 02.09.2020
Other species seen down there in good numbers included Small Coppers, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Meadow Brown and both Small and Large Whites.
- Small Copper - Osmington 02.09.2020
- Brown Argus - Osmington 31.08.2020
- Small White - Durlston 01.09.2020
Overall, the total numbers of butterflies that I saw down there were similar to last year, that is not as high as I was seeing a few years back. I reckon the dry weather during the first half of the past couple of years has not helped with some species larval foodplants drying out on the more exposed hillsides.
Unusually for my Dorset visits, I did not see any Painted Ladies or Clouded Yellows this time, nor any Hummingbird Hawk Moths either. I put this down to the wind direction which was coming from the north or north-west during our stay. In fact, the only vanessids seen in reasonable numbers were Red Admirals which turned up at most places each day.
- Red Admiral - Arne 03.09.2020
- Speckled Wood - Coverdale 14.09.2020
- Small Copper - Off Solihull Bypass 16.09.2020
- Comma - Bickenhill 17.09.2020
A single male Common Blue was seen on 22nd September, whether a genuine third brood or a late second brood, I wouldn’t like to say. Either way, we certainly didn’t get the late season high numbers that were reported from other parts of the country.
The butterflies that I saw on 22nd September (Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Small White) turned out to be almost my last of the season, a single Large White in my garden on 27th being the very last one.
- Large White - Coverdale 27.09.2020
In the end, I managed to see 37 species over the season, more than I had thought I would back in March and photographed all of them apart from the Brown Hairstreaks at Grafton Wood which stayed stubbornly out of reach. I could no doubt have added a few more by driving further afield more often, but even when the rules were relaxed, I didn’t really feel comfortable going too far just to tick off another species for this year, especially ones that I have seen plenty of times before. Besides, I found that with more time in hand due to being on furlough from work, I enjoyed spending more time around my local sites, especially those I had neglected somewhat over the past few years.
Anyway, I still really enjoyed my season this year and anything I missed this year gives me something to aim for next year.
It will be interesting to see what next year brings. The covid vaccine(s) offers a glimmer of hope but it looks like it will still be a while before things get back to normal, or at least something that passes for something like normal.
I guess that Christmas this year is going to be somewhat different for many UKB members, especially those that live in a high tier area, but wherever you are, I would like to wish everyone a…
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
A great set of catch-up reports Neil - really interesting to read them as the way you describe the weather and the waxing and waning of the butterflies was very familiar Brilliant shots to accompany it and that DGF from a post back practically springs out of the screen 
I too invested a lot more time in my local sites this year which was great I hope you and yours have a brilliant Christmas and a marvellous New Year - let's hope things take a turn for the better in 2021
Have a goodun and say safe
Wurzel
Brilliant shots to accompany it and that DGF from a post back practically springs out of the screen I too invested a lot more time in my local sites this year which was great I hope you and yours have a brilliant Christmas and a marvellous New Year - let's hope things take a turn for the better in 2021 Have a goodun and say safe
Wurzel
Re: Neil Freeman
A very enjoyable roundup of your year, Neil.
Your female Wall Brown is a lovely specimen, and always a prize
as they are usually much harder to find than the males.
Have a great Christmas, and a fulfilling retirement!.
Stay well,
Trevor.
Your female Wall Brown is a lovely specimen, and always a prize
as they are usually much harder to find than the males.
Have a great Christmas, and a fulfilling retirement!.
Stay well,
Trevor.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks Wurzel , I am looking forward to this coming season but I must admit I will still probably spend more time locally than travelling all over the country. I have a few targets in mind that I missed this year but we will have to see how things pan out.
Thanks Trevor, looking forward to doing things at my own pace...hopefully
I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.
, I am looking forward to this coming season but I must admit I will still probably spend more time locally than travelling all over the country. I have a few targets in mind that I missed this year but we will have to see how things pan out.Thanks Trevor, looking forward to doing things at my own pace...hopefully
I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
A nice few posts outlining your season, most species you saw mirrored mine as far as shortened/early flight periods are concerned so it must be nationwide and therefore climatic reasons for it 
Here's hoping 2021 is an improvement on this car wreck of a year and you can have a relaxing introduction to retirement
Here's hoping 2021 is an improvement on this car wreck of a year and you can have a relaxing introduction to retirement Some addictions are good for the soul!
Re: Neil Freeman
Love the Christmas Moth Neil, very envious of the Adonis shots I really like the one of the White Admiral, it brings back memories for me of Blean Woods , my WA was pretty beaten up by July, but at least I got a Shot of one, all the best for this year Goldie
very envious of the Adonis shots I really like the one of the White Admiral, it brings back memories for me of Blean Woods , my WA was pretty beaten up by July, but at least I got a Shot of one, all the best for this year Goldie Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks for the seasonal wishes, Neil. I hope you had as good a Christmas and New Year as is possible under the restrictions, and I hope even more that said restrictions will gradually ease over the next few months although right now everything seems worse than ever.
Not the best welcome to the world of retirement but we live in hope.
Not the best welcome to the world of retirement but we live in hope.
-
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Thanks Bugboy. 2020 was indeed a strange year but I have to admit, I rather enjoyed most of it. With an extended period of furlough from work it almost felt as if I was already on retirement, certainly a good practice run at it anyway
Thanks Goldie. All the best to you to and hopefully you will be able to get your move down south sorted.
Thanks David. As per my comment to Bugboy, I feel that being on furlough through the summer of 2020 has already given me a good practice run at retirement. Things are not looking good at present but I feel hopeful that by the time the proper butterfly weather arrives (usually mid to late March here), the vaccines will have helped to get things under control somewhat.
For my final look back at last season, I will do a bit of a round up on the garden moths.
Garden Moths 2020.
As with many things in 2020, it was also a bit of a strange year regarding the moths in my garden with total numbers of moths being down but numbers of species holding up well at 244, made up of 151 macros and 93 micros. These included 23 new records (11 macro and 12 micros) for my garden which brings my total garden moth trap tally to date up to 329 species (208 macro and 121 micros).
Hidden in the detail however were some widely fluctuating fortunes with some species doing better than others. This can be shown by comparing two common and widespread species over the past few years.
The first of these is the ubiquitous Large Yellow Underwing – the ‘Bobby Owler’ of my youth. In 2018 I recorded 207 of these, in 2019 I had 527, but numbers dropped again this year to 221. On the other hand, looking at the equally common Heart & Dart, in 2018 I had 198, in 2019 this rose to 201 and in 2020 I recorded 337 showing a large year on year increase.
Given my location, my moth of the year was probably the Toadflax Brocade that came to the trap back in May, but this choice could very easily have also gone to my first Pine Hawk Moth. Until recently, both of these species were confined to colonies in the south-east, but both are rapidly expanding their ranges across the country.
A few of the other new ones for this year,
I was also pleased to see the return of some of the more common Hawk Moths after seeing just one, a single Lime Hawk Moth in 2019. These included Poplar Hawk Moths (5) and Elephant Hawk Moths (4) although Lime Hawk was missing this year.
Some other species that turned up again after being absent for a year or two included Peppered Moth, Buff Arches, Scorched Wing, Pale Prominent and Buff Ermine.
In addition to the moth trap records I also had the first Hummingbird Hawk Moth that I had ever seen in my garden.
Speaking of day flyers, I took the plunge this year into trying pheromone lures for Clearwing Moths although by the time I started I had missed the flight periods of a few species. Nevertheless, I recorded five species in the garden which I was well chuffed with for my first attempts.
With the recent overnight temperatures being very cold and frosty, I have not bothered running the trap over the Christmas and New Year periods and the next few days looks to be just as cold. I am keeping an eye on the weather though - as I write this it is snowing again outside but not settling - and fully intend to run it again as soon as we have a likely looking night or two. It can be surprising what can turn up at this time of year given a temperature rise of just a few degrees.
Bye Now and Stay Safe,
Neil.
Thanks Goldie. All the best to you to and hopefully you will be able to get your move down south sorted.
Thanks David. As per my comment to Bugboy, I feel that being on furlough through the summer of 2020 has already given me a good practice run at retirement. Things are not looking good at present but I feel hopeful that by the time the proper butterfly weather arrives (usually mid to late March here), the vaccines will have helped to get things under control somewhat.
For my final look back at last season, I will do a bit of a round up on the garden moths.
Garden Moths 2020.
As with many things in 2020, it was also a bit of a strange year regarding the moths in my garden with total numbers of moths being down but numbers of species holding up well at 244, made up of 151 macros and 93 micros. These included 23 new records (11 macro and 12 micros) for my garden which brings my total garden moth trap tally to date up to 329 species (208 macro and 121 micros).
Hidden in the detail however were some widely fluctuating fortunes with some species doing better than others. This can be shown by comparing two common and widespread species over the past few years.
The first of these is the ubiquitous Large Yellow Underwing – the ‘Bobby Owler’ of my youth. In 2018 I recorded 207 of these, in 2019 I had 527, but numbers dropped again this year to 221. On the other hand, looking at the equally common Heart & Dart, in 2018 I had 198, in 2019 this rose to 201 and in 2020 I recorded 337 showing a large year on year increase.
Given my location, my moth of the year was probably the Toadflax Brocade that came to the trap back in May, but this choice could very easily have also gone to my first Pine Hawk Moth. Until recently, both of these species were confined to colonies in the south-east, but both are rapidly expanding their ranges across the country.
- Toadflax Brocade - Coverdale 21.05.2020
- Pine Hawk Moth - Coverdale 08.06.2020
- Chinese Character - Coverdale 09.05.2020
- Tawny Shears - Coverdale 18.05.2020
- Large Emerald - Coverdale 23.06.2020
- Poplar Hawk Moth - Coverdale 21.05.2020
- Elephant Hawk Moth - Coverdale 08.06.2020
- Peppered Moth - Coverdale 21.05.2020
- Pale Prominent - Coverdale 27.05.2020
- Buff Ermine - Coverdale 02.06.2020
- Scorched Wing - Coverdale 23.06.2020
- Buff Arches - Coverdale 30.06.2020
- Hummingbird Hawk Moth - Coverdale 28.07.2020
- Lunar Hornet Moth - Coverdale 13.07.2020
- Yellow-legged Clearwing - Coverdale 17.07.2020
Bye Now and Stay Safe,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
A lovely collection of Moffs Neil, you're tempting me into purchasing some of those lures I keep finding my gaze being drawn back to the Scorched Wing - it shows similar markings and shape to some Slipper Limpetshells that my girls have picked upon the beach though that's probably just my weird eyes 
Have a goodun and stay safe
Wurzel
I keep finding my gaze being drawn back to the Scorched Wing - it shows similar markings and shape to some Slipper Limpetshells that my girls have picked upon the beach though that's probably just my weird eyes Have a goodun and stay safe
Wurzel
Re: Neil Freeman
Many thanks for that moth retrospective, Neil. You clearly are a great record keeper. Nice to know you had a few new additions during 2020, and some beautiful ones at that.
I still can't take my eyes off that Buff Ermine though. What a delightful insect.
I still can't take my eyes off that Buff Ermine though. What a delightful insect.
Re: Neil Freeman
Great shots of the Moths Neil, I was told once to put a cloth in wine or beer, hang it out on the line and it would attract Moths at night, I did this last year, what a Nellie I felt next morning, nothing, Goldie
Goldie -
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
Cheers Wurzel. I am looking forward to giving the lures another go this year but with a full season as I started using them part way through last year.
Thanks David. For my garden moth records I use a spreadsheet that was sent to me by my county recorder and which I fill in and to send him at the end of each season. Day flying moths from my local sites are recorded in the same way as my local butterflies via the Warks BC website.
Hi Goldie. 'Wine roping' along with 'sugaring' are actually tried and tested methods of attracting some species of moths.
https://butterfly-conservation.org/news ... ine-roping
I have not tried either myself yet but maybe one day.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks David. For my garden moth records I use a spreadsheet that was sent to me by my county recorder and which I fill in and to send him at the end of each season. Day flying moths from my local sites are recorded in the same way as my local butterflies via the Warks BC website.
Hi Goldie. 'Wine roping' along with 'sugaring' are actually tried and tested methods of attracting some species of moths.
https://butterfly-conservation.org/news ... ine-roping
I have not tried either myself yet but maybe one day.
Cheers,
Neil.
Re: Neil Freeman
I'll try again this year Neil, with the Sugar and see what happens I've had to put the house on hold for a while, I need an Hop in March, nothing too serious but it needs attention, then I should be okay. Roll on Spring Goldie
I've had to put the house on hold for a while, I need an Hop in March, nothing too serious but it needs attention, then I should be okay. Roll on Spring Goldie -
Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4443
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Neil Freeman
I might give sugaring a go myself this year Goldie, mind you I was going to last year as well but just didn't get around to it 
Sorry to hear you have had to put your move on hold, hope it isn't anything to serious and yes, roll on Spring
Cheers,
Neil.
Sorry to hear you have had to put your move on hold, hope it isn't anything to serious and yes, roll on Spring
Cheers,
Neil.