January 2021

[David M]

A very Happy New Year to all decent, proper and honourable forum members.

Let's hope things improve markedly in 2021, and some of you may even be lucky enough to see a butterfly in this most difficult of months...

[PhilBJohnson]

Happy New Year.
I hope you are all keeping well and stay safe.
The larva of the Small "Brassicacious" White (on Aubretia).
I think, it is a first one I have taken a picture of, in the month of January, outside of pupal form.
In sheltered places, or microclimatically warm places, I think it might have an ability to over-winter as a caterpillar, in amongst Aubretia, or alternatively be warm enough to make it to pupal form, before Spring. What I am reasonably sure of, was that the butterflies responsible, laid eggs in September and caterpillars had experienced instar developmental slowdown since, due to average temperature decreases in the autumn/winter.
This was something I now have observed over the last two years. Yesterday in Lincolnshire, there was a snow dusting (or covering) on the aubretia.
Temperatures today, when picture was taken, about 3 degrees.
Nasturtiums (South American Native) further down a garden in Lincolnshire, flopped several weeks ago.

Pieris rapae January 3rd 2021 Aubretia

[MrSp0ck]

The Glanville larvae are awake at Hutchinsons Bank, 3 webs in the hot spot in the cutting, other webs were not active at 2pm, but the sun was going down. Larvae were active January 29th in 2020, so noticed 8 days earlier this year, but was my first visit to the site this year.

[Lee Hurrell]

The Glanville larvae are awake at Hutchinsons Bank

Fantastic. I will check on my local Marsh Fritillaries soon.

Is it temperature that brings them out?

[MrSp0ck]

I know glanvilles are ready to wake up from the start of the new year,Im about to check the webs again at mid-day, to see which ones are active, if its just the sheltered webs, or all of them. At least at Hutch we can easily monitor the webs, i think the IOW ones are less easy to monitor. It will be intersting to see if Marsh are also active.

The Beast from the East got the Glanvilles as they were active, and the cold 2013 spring practically wiped them from the mainland and nearly the IOW. When the larvae wake up they can survive the cold a lot less than in December.

i will probably have better photos later too.

[millerd]

I believe their body temperature has to reach a certain point before they are able to feed. Their dark colouring (both Glanvilles and Marsh Frits are largely black) makes the most of solar radiation to facilitate this. Consequently a chilly still day with lots of sunshine probably heats them up far more than a relatively mild day which remains steadfastly breezy and dull. At the moment the power of the sun is increasing day by day, even if the temperature remains stubbornly low, so these larvae are ever more likely to wake up when the sun shines despite the chill in the air.

Dave

[MrSp0ck]

While monitoring the cutting at Hutchinsons Bank for Glanvilles, you can see why they like the bank, gets warm and sunny even in January, the favoured spot gets a bit of shade, its being tackled soon. Then my First Butterfly of the Decade and year. A Peacock in warm gate area at the Fairchildes entrance, a good spot for Peacock, Comma, Brimstones and Orange Tips.

[Wurzel]

Small White in Salisbury by the main PO sorting office was on the deck so I offered it my finger and it’s now sitting out the rain/hail shower in my wood store First butterfly of 2021- tick

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Lee Hurrell]

Small White in Salisbury by the main PO sorting office was on the deck so I offered it my finger and it’s now sitting out the rain/hail shower in my wood store First butterfly of 2021- tick

Goodness!

[bugboy]

Small White in Salisbury by the main PO sorting office was on the deck so I offered it my finger and it’s now sitting out the rain/hail shower in my wood store First butterfly of 2021- tick

Goodness!

Poor little blighter, bet its regretting that decision to wake up early!

[David M]

While monitoring the cutting at Hutchinsons Bank for Glanvilles, you can see why they like the bank, gets warm and sunny even in January, the favoured spot gets a bit of shade, its being tackled soon. Then my First Butterfly of the Decade and year. A Peacock in warm gate area at the Fairchildes entrance, a good spot for Peacock, Comma, Brimstones and Orange Tips.

Great stuff, Sp0ck.

Been so mild this last few days I'm not too surprised, but nice to see in any case.

[Wurzel]

Yeah he's still out there Lee and Bugboy, perched on a block of wood inside the wood store out of the damp looking a little shell shocked

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Small White in Salisbury by the main PO sorting office was on the deck so I offered it my finger and it’s now sitting out the rain/hail shower in my wood store First butterfly of 2021- tick

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

That's a bizarre first sighting, Wurzel. Usually it takes a couple of days of warmth to trigger emergence from the chrysalis - maybe it was somehow moved from its pupation location to an artificially warmed spot.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

I know glanvilles are ready to wake up from the start of the new year,Im about to check the webs again at mid-day, to see which ones are active, if its just the sheltered webs, or all of them. At least at Hutch we can easily monitor the webs, i think the IOW ones are less easy to monitor. It will be intersting to see if Marsh are also active.

The Beast from the East got the Glanvilles as they were active, and the cold 2013 spring practically wiped them from the mainland and nearly the IOW. When the larvae wake up they can survive the cold a lot less than in December.

Amazing that a species with such a fondness for warmth can be active in deepest winter. So far, things look to have worked out okay, with a cold snap in early January giving way to mild conditions. As you say, what we don't need is a period of unseasonal cold weather once spring has begun. Three years on and I don't think some montane species on the continent have properly recovered from that Siberian blast back in March 2018.

Good luck with the monitoring and fingers crossed.

[Neil Freeman]

...with a cold snap in early January giving way to mild conditions...

Apart from a couple of days earlier this week when the temperatures lifted a few degrees, but it was very wet and windy, that 'cold snap' has lasted most of the month so far around my part of the midlands. A snow blizzard on Wednesday night gave way to another wet but colder day on Thursday and then clear skies on Thursday night resulted in quite a frost on Friday morning.

Friday continued clear and chilly most of the day but some bright sunshine led to a few butterfly sightings being reported from elsewhere around the midlands with Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone all reported from Northhamptonshire.

More snow here last night with a cold weekend ahead and maybe more snow on Sunday viewtopic.php?t=5424&start=3460#p160387 before it looks to be going milder (and wetter) again next week.

Cheers,

Neil.