Brilliant David ! enjoyed that June post ....................The "Arteraxes" Northern Brown Args are real beauties ,and you saw 3 species that would be lifers for me i'll have to suggest a nice little "holiday " up in the lakes to my wife ...............mind you we have been talking of a June trip to Norfolk !
Regards Allan.W.
Benjamin wrote: ↑Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:08 amI remember being in awe of that epic trip at the time David! What rewards with those three species within 24 hours though! Heading of at 2 30 to find rare mountain butterflies - it doesn’t get much better than that in my book.
I find time becomes almost irrelevant when you are in the 'zone', Ben. Watching the sun rise as you are driving along near empty roads is quite a rare pleasure.
A look back at 2021
June cont…
This frantic period, during my favourite time of year when days are fully light by 4.30am, was followed with an early morning trek on 16th to Green Down to see Large Blue. Arriving well before 9am, the time spent before the dew evaporated was probably my favourite hour of the year, with no discernable wind, warm temperatures and lots of birdsong. Thankfully, quite a few Large Blues put in an appearance which was made even more enjoyable because hardly any humans did likewise:
Several hours later I had driven over to Haddon Hill, where temperatures had risen appreciably and brought out numerous Heath Fritillaries:
A few days rest was most welcome before the main event of my local season was reached with the emergence of High Brown Fritillaries at Old Castle Down, near Bridgend:
Ringlets and Meadow Browns had now built in numbers, but it took until 26th June for me to see my first Small Skippers and Marbled Whites, on the NW Gower coast:
Despite cloudy conditions, I made my way to Pembrokeshire on 27th where I saw a small number of Silver Studded Blues:
Surprisingly, there were a few early Graylings on the wing too:
A breathless month was seen out with a trip to Cardiff on 30th where I saw a handful of White Letter Hairstreaks, including this individual which was posing at a much lower height than all the others:
Allan.W. wrote: ↑Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:26 pmBrilliant David ! enjoyed that June post ....................The "Arteraxes" Northern Brown Args are real beauties ,and you saw 3 species that would be lifers for me i'll have to suggest a nice little "holiday " up in the lakes to my wife ...............mind you we have been talking of a June trip to Norfolk !
Thanks, Allan. That artaxerxes form was a lifer for me too. Sure is a special derivative of a butterfly that I see almost wherever I go in Europe. Undoubtedly none are more striking than this one.
Goldie M wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:53 amHi! David, fantastic shots, now I'm Nostalgic ,missing the North, maybe because I've not found a place in the South yet
A couple of very acceptable High Brown shots there David.
We have booked a stay near Buckfast Abby on 2nd July, hoping to find some HB's
near the river Dart. If we are lucky an HB will be a lifer for me, and a few
images like yours will do fine!.
On 2nd, I journeyed to Lower Woods in Gloucestershire to try and see fresh White Admirals and Silver Washed Fritillaries prior to my departure for a week to northern Spain.
I found the SWFs pretty easily; both males and females:
White Admirals were rather trickier. I only found one, but it was mint fresh:
I returned from Spain on 12th and had to isolate, which wasn’t an enormous hardship as we entered into an oppressive heatwave, where even Swansea saw temperatures approaching 30c, with considerable humidity to match.
This all broke on 24th, so the day prior to that me and my neighbour undertook a marathon involving 3 sites. The first was Savernake Forest in Wiltshire for Purple Emperor. Arriving early was a good idea, as Purple Hairstreaks were seen imbibing from the damp leaves of the shrubs in the cleared area near the monument:
The next 3 hours were superb, as two Purple Emperors were using the pillar of the monument as a sentry post:
There were more to be seen grounded along the nearby path too:
After this uplifting ‘fix’, it was time to move on to Aston Rowant, where Chalkhill Blues were around in good numbers:
Clearly, Silver Spotted Skippers were only just emerging as I saw a mere two:
Essex Skippers were rather more numerous:
Hedge Browns were about too:
Dozens of Brimstones were avidly feeding up in preparation for diapause:
A diversion to Bernwood Forest was made prior to returning home. This saw two airborne Purple Emperors as well as a myriad of other species, many in extremely good numbers. The pick of the bunch was probably this valezina Silver Washed Fritillary:
trevor wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 1:57 pmA couple of very acceptable High Brown shots there David. We have booked a stay near Buckfast Abby on 2nd July, hoping to find some HB's near the river Dart. If we are lucky an HB will be a lifer for me, and a few images like yours will do fine!.
Thanks, Trevor. High Browns aren't easy subjects. Starting fairly early in the morning would be a good approach, or even during cooler, cloudier weather. I wish you luck. It's a beautiful species.
A look back at 2021
August
Having been in Spain, my first domestic outing in August was on 10th, and Hedge Browns were already looking faded:
It was nice to see a few Painted Ladies around the coastline though:
The weather remained largely cool and cloudy, although during a break in this I saw several species active on 20th, including this pristine Peacock:
I then spent two consecutive days looking for Brown Hairstreaks in Pembrokeshire. The first day, 22nd, was mainly cloudy, but I managed to find three females:
The following day was very sunny thankfully, and I found 7 females plus 1 male:
My last outing of the month was on 27th, where I found an encouraging 36 Small Tortoiseshells at Port Eynon:
Wonderful shots of Brown Hairstreak David. I have been lucky enough to find them in Cumbria on a few occasions but haven't managed to get an open wing shot.
The late season period will be remembered for spectacular numbers of Small Tortoiseshells. They were about in double figures seemingly everywhere, and reached almost three figures when I visited the National Botanic Gardens on 21st September:
Small Whites had a good September too, with plenty being seen on the coast and in my garden:
Commas did okay at the beginning of autumn, although they virtually disappeared after mid-October:
November was a record month for me as regards butterfly sightings, with almost 30 individuals seen of five different species. The bulk of these were Red Admirals:
However, on 4th November I also saw my latest ever Brimstone and Speckled Wood, and there was a Painted Lady on the hebe flowers at Limeslade Bay:
The other species seen was a Comma on 25th November in Worcester Woods Park prior to me attending an EBG Committee meeting. This proved to be my final butterfly of 2021:
Thursday 17th February - First sighting of the year....
With severe storms forecast for the following day, I took the opportunity to nip down to the woodland at the back of the Gower Inn, Parkmill, just before midday as conditions were sunny and fairly mild at 11c. There was a fair wind blowing but this is a sheltered spot and at just gone 12.45pm, as I was walking back to the car park, I spotted a Red Admiral flying in this area by the stream:
It flew over the stream and into a private garden so I was unable to follow it, but the satisfaction of finally seeing an active butterfly following a gloomy and depressing winter was, as ever, a great delight.
1. Red Admiral - 17 February, Parkmill, Swansea 2. Brimstone - 25 February, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea 3. Small Tortoiseshell - 25 February, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea 4. Speckled Wood - 4 March, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea 5. Peacock - 13 March, Parkmill, Swansea 6. Comma - 14 March, Castle Meadows, Abergavenny 7. Small White - 15 March, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea 8. Holly Blue - 23 March, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea 9. Small Copper - 27 March, Dan-y-Graig cemetery, Swansea 10. Large White - 27 March, Cwm Ivy, Llanmadoc, Swansea 11. Green Veined White - 28 March, Cwm Ivy, Llanmadoc, Swansea 12. Orange Tip - 3 April, Cwm Ivy, Llanmadoc, Swansea 13. Dingy Skipper - 16 April, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 14. Grizzled Skipper - 17 April, Merthyr Mawr, nr Porthcawl 15. Green Hairstreak - 7 May, Fairwood Common, Gower, Swansea 16. Common Blue - 8 May, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 17. Brown Argus - 8 May, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 18. Small Heath - 8 May, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 19. Small Blue - 8 May, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 20. Wall Brown - 12 May, Kenfig Dunes, Glamorgan 21. Duke of Burgundy - 14 May, Rodborough Common, Stroud, Glos 22. Adonis Blue - 14 May, Rodborough Common, Stroud, Glos 23. Wood White - 14 May, Haugh Wood, nr. Fownhope, Herefordshire 24. Pearl Bordered Fritillary - 14 May, Ewyas Harold Common, nr. Pontrilas, Herefordshire 25. Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary - 14 May, Ewyas Harold Common, nr. Pontrilas, Herefordshire 26. Painted Lady - 17 May, Fairwood Common, Gower, Swansea 27. Marsh Fritillary - 22 May, Fairwood Common, Gower, Swansea 28. Meadow Brown - 3 June, Crymlyn Burrows, Swansea 29. Dark Green Fritillary - 14 June, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 30. Marbled White - 14 June, Whiteford Burrows, Llanmadoc, Swansea 31. Large Skipper - 14 June, Fairwood Common, Gower, Swansea 32. Ringlet - 21 July, Old Castle Down, nr. Ewenny, Glamorgan 33. Hedge Brown - 21 July, Old Castle Down, nr. Ewenny, Glamorgan 34. High Brown Fritillary - 21 July, Alun Valley, nr. Ewenny, Glamorgan 35. Silver Washed Fritillary - 21 July, Alun Valley, nr. Ewenny, Glamorgan 36. Grayling - 22 July, Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea 37. Small Skipper - 22 July, Mumbles Head, Gower, Swansea 38. Purple Hairstreak - 25 July, Nicholaston Burrows, Gower, Swansea 39. Chalkhill Blue - 27 July, Swell's Hill Bank, nr. Stroud, Glos 40. Essex Skipper - 27 July, Swell's Hill Bank, nr. Stroud, Glos 41. Brown Hairstreak - 11 August, West Williamston, Pembrokeshire 42. Clouded Yellow - 13 August, Kenfig Dunes, Glamorgan
Last UK butterfly sighting: Red Admiral - 25 November, Linda Vista Gardens, Abergavenny
UK butterflies seen on the continent in 2022 but NOT seen in the UK:
43. Glanville Fritillary
44. Heath Fritillary
45. Large Blue
46. Large Tortoiseshell
47. Long Tailed Blue
48. Lulworth Skipper
49. Mountain Ringlet
50. Mountain (Northern Brown) Argus
51. Silver Spotted Skipper
52. Silver Studded Blue
53. Swallowtail
54. White Admiral
55. White Letter Hairstreak
UK species NOT seen in 2022: Black Hairstreak, Chequered Skipper, Cryptic Wood White, Large Heath, Purple Emperor, Scotch Argus
Non-UK species seen in 2022:
East Macedonia & Thrace, Greece:
56. Mallow Skipper
57. Southern Festoon
58. Eastern Festoon
59. False Apollo
60. Scarce Swallowtail
61. Eastern Wood White
62. Gruner's Orange Tip
63. Eastern Dappled White
64. Eastern Greenish Black Tip
65. Southern Small White
66. Mountain Small White
67. Eastern Bath White
68. Berger's Clouded Yellow
69. Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow
70. Powdered Brimstone
71. Grecian Copper
72. Eastern Baton Blue
73. Green Underside Blue
74. Mazarine Blue
75. Chapman's Blue
76. Large Wall Brown
77. Dalmatian Ringlet
78. Queen of Spain Fritillary
79. Nettle Tree Butterfly
80. Camberwell Beauty
Andalusia, Montes Universales, Los Monegros, Pyrenean foothills, Spain:
81. Rosy Grizzled Skipper
82. False Mallow Skipper
83. Tufted Marbled Skipper
84. Red Underwing Skipper
85. Iberian Sooty Copper
86. Provence Hairstreak
87. Chapman's Green Hairstreak
88. Black Eyed Blue
89. Common Tiger Blue
90. Lang's Short Tailed Blue
91. Southern Brown Argus
92. Southern Blue
93. Panoptes Blue
94. False Baton Blue
95. Monarch
96. Iberian Scarce Swallowtail
97. Knapweed Fritillary
98. Spotted Fritillary
99. Spanish Fritillary
100. Weaver's Fritillary
101. Spanish Marbled White
102. Spanish Gatekeeper
103. Spring Ringlet
104. Western Marbled White
105. Green Striped White
106. Western Dappled White
107. Provence Orange Tip
108. Bath White
109. Cleopatra
110. Spanish Greenish Black Tip
111. Sooty Orange Tip
Pyrenées Orientales, France:
112. Large Grizzled Skipper
113. Olive Skipper
114. Oberthur's Grizzled Skipper
115. Safflower Skipper
116. Provençal Short Tailed Blue
117. Osiris Blue
118. Provence Chalkhill Blue
119. Baton Blue
120. Escher's Blue
121. Amanda's Blue
122. Turquoise Blue
123. Chequered Blue
124. Violet Copper
125. Purple Shot Copper
126. Sooty Copper
127. Ilex Hairstreak
128. False Ilex Hairstreak
129. Blue Spot Hairstreak
130. Black Veined White
131. Clouded Apollo
132. Cardinal
133. Provençal Fritillary
134. False Heath Fritillary
135. Meadow Fritillary
136. Two Tailed Pasha
137. Southern White Admiral
138. Pearly Heath
139. Dusky Heath
140. Great Banded Grayling
141. Bright-Eyed Ringlet
142. De Prunner's Ringlet
Macedonia - northern Greece:
143. Yellow Banded Skipper
144. Sandy Grizzled Skipper
145. Tessellated Skipper
146. Orbed Red Underwing Skipper
147. Marbled Skipper
148. Scarce Copper
149. Sloe Hairstreak
150. Little Tiger Blue
151. Eastern Baton Blue
152. Idas Blue
153. Blue Argus
154. Geranium Argus
155. False Eros Blue
156. Anomalous Blue
157. Iolas Blue
158. Southern Comma
159. Lesser Purple Emperor
160. Eastern Knapweed Fritillary
161. Lesser Spotted Fritillary
162. Marbled Fritillary
163. Lattice Brown
164. Northern Wall Brown
165. Oriental Meadow Brown
166. Balkan Marbled White
167. Balkan Grayling
168. Eastern Rock Grayling
169. Woodland Ringlet
Piedmont Alps, Italy:
170. Alpine Grizzled Skipper
171. Short-Tailed Blue
172. Alcon Blue
173. Damon Blue
174. Silvery Argus
175. Southern Swallowtail
176. Mountain Dappled White
177. Mountain Green Veined White
178. Mountain Clouded Yellow
179. Poplar Admiral
180. Cynthia's Fritillary
181. Niobe Fritillary
182. Lesser Marbled Fritillary
183. Titania's Fritillary
184. Scarce Fritillary
185. Grison's Fritillary
186. Almond-Eyed Ringlet
187. Piedmont Ringlet
188. Common Brassy Ringlet
189. Large Ringlet
190. Great Sooty Satyr
191. Woodland Grayling
Mercantour & Queyras, French Alps:
192. False Mnestra Ringlet
193. Arran Brown
194. Sooty Ringlet
195. Blind Ringlet
196. Dewy Ringlet
197. Marbled Ringlet
198. Balkan Fritillary
199. Mountain Fritillary
200. Shepherd's Fritillary
201. Rock Grayling
202. Darwin's Heath
203. Alpine Heath
204. Chestnut Heath
205. Peak White
206. Small Apollo
207. Glandon Blue
208. Alpine Blue
209. Meleager's Blue
210. Eros Blue
211. Foulquier's Grizzled Skipper
212. Carline Skipper
213. Dusky Grizzled Skipper
Hautes Pyrenées, France:
214: Pyrenean Brassy Ringlet
215. Gavarnie Ringlet
216. Gavarnie Blue
217. Yellow Spotted Ringlet
218. Water Ringlet
219. Geranium Bronze
Montes Universales, Spain:
220. Zapater's Ringlet
221. Southern Gatekeeper
222. Dusky Meadow Brown
223. Esper's Marbled White
224. Iberian Marbled White
225. Black Satyr
226. Tree Grayling
227. Striped Grayling
228. False Grayling
229. Hermit
230. Southern Marbled Skipper
231. Sage Skipper
232. Cinquefoil Skipper
233. Mediterranean Skipper
234. Spanish Argus
235. Mother of Pearl Blue
236. Azure Chalkhill Blue
237. Spanish Chalkhill Blue
238. Oberthur's Anomalous Blue
239. Ripart's Anomalous Blue
Last edited by David M on Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:33 am, edited 50 times in total.
Mainly sunny skies, fairly light winds and 9c temperatures are usually enough to tempt a few butterflies out in my part of the world in late February, and so it proved today.
I arrived at Lower Kilvey Hill around midday, and had barely stepped out of my car when I saw a male Brimstone flying around the primroses at the entrance to the path. I took a couple of ‘hit and hope’ shots of it in flight, feeling sure he would return to the primroses to feed. Sadly, he didn’t, and this image is the clearest I got, although being from distance I have added an arrow to show where he is:
At the end of the lowest path, there is an area of scrubby grassland, which is south facing:
I noticed something fluttering about 20 yards away and when I walked over, I saw it was a Small Tortoiseshell which flew onto this metal strip to bask temporarily:
After a couple of minutes it took off and settled on some greenery:
After walking back through the cemetery I drove to the light woodland near my workplace and saw this Red Admiral:
The cloud increased during this visit, so I called it a day, very satisfied with three different species on a February day.
Feb 28th was a lucky day for both of us David. Score 3 all!.
I risked a trip out this morning, but the strong sunshine was no match for the biting cold wind.
Well done on getting started for the year. Is that place the same as kilvey community woods?
I’d been hoping to get out looking for butterflies but the weather has been awful. Opted for a nice walk around the ystrad felte falls instead as that seemed more suited to drizzle. Hopefully by next Thursday or Friday South Wales will get a bit drier
Pleasantly sunny today but there was a fair wind blowing, meaning that my only realistic destination was the sheltered glade at Cwm Ivy on the NW Gower coast.
The effects of the even stronger winds 9 days previously were plain to see when I arrived at the entrance, only to find the gate had been uprooted along with this sizeable pine tree:
There was only one butterfly about; this Red Admiral that was happily ensconced in the sunlit areas of the glade:
I found it again half an hour later on this tree trunk:
In a month’s time, things should be buzzing in this glade, as the annual Holly Blue show commences along with the arrival of Orange Tips, Speckled Woods and Whites.
enjoyed that June post ....................The "Arteraxes" Northern Brown Args are real beauties ,and you saw 3 species that would be lifers for me 
i'll have to suggest a nice little "holiday " up in the lakes to my wife ...............mind you we have been talking of a June trip to Norfolk !
