June 2022

[Bertl]

Of course it was Saturday that I visited the site....

[PhilBJohnson]

White Admiral & Silver-washed Fritillary -Butterfly Surveying
What I learn't from conversations and my own experience at Bookham Commons, Surrey, was that wild White Admirals, although having a completely different life cycle to a Silver-washed Fritillary, tended to emerge from pupae, at about the same time (within days, or on the same day) as the first male Silver-washed Fritillary were seen. Most females were seen, a considerable time, later.
Although sharing another completely different life cycle, a Purple Emperor, needing a bigger body for maturity, but also being single annually brooded, life cycled slightly slower, in a warm (or hot) main larval & pupal developmental growth periods, so generally, emerged from pupa slightly later. At Bookham Commons, depending on micro-climatic temperatures, wild Purple Emperor were seen, about 5-10 days after the first Silver-washed Fritillary & White Admirals, were first seen.

Friday June 17th 2022 Old Wood, Skellingthorpe (Owned and Managed by The Woodland Trust)
Weather forecast was hot in the morning and to reach over 30ºC after lunchtime
This was my video diary of June 17th 2022:
https://youtu.be/H9jyIOgBBcM
All my youtube videos were made for kids.
Silver-washed Fritillary was a first for us at Old Wood, Skellingthorpe.
When males are first seen on hot June days, they can be really fast, pass you and be 100m away within seconds or minutes. My Wife said that one was like a Ferrari.

A field trip video diary data was hurriedly put together, to possibly be of some help, for the Lincolnshire Butterfly Conservation sightings page:
https://butterfly-conservation.org/in-y ... -sightings

Please remember that any unofficial population releases of a Purple Emperor might be illegal and might considerably annoy some Official Land Owners, or Landscape Managers.
For the sake of Butterfly Conservation, promote partnership working (within the law) and work to improve relationships.

Chambers Farm Wood, Lincolnshire
"The car park is closed for engineering works until mid-July"
https://www.forestryengland.uk/chambers-farm-wood

With average temperatures in Lincolnshire being a few degrees cooler in the South, first wild sightings were generally, several days after, first sightings in the south.

To help understand a fresh Purple Emperor's emergence timing, this blog was worth a visit:
http://apaturairis.blogspot.com/2022/06 ... tings.html
Some at Knepp, apparently had emerged on, June 17th (My birthday)

My perspective and kind regards,

[Testudo Man]

Another session at Lullingstone Country Park, in Kent (back on the 14th) chasing those pesky DGF's!
Arrived on site late after work (6.30pm) didnt leave until sundown, so many of the images were golden hour/sunset shots.
As usual the DGF's were the last to go to roost, an because of the high temps, were still super active.
Some highlights, no images have been cropped, cheers Paul.

Male DGF at sunset.

Male Marbled White.

Female Marbled White.

Male Small Skipper at Sunset.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Went out to the garden just now and there's a sleepy doe in there.

One benefit of a scruffy garden maybe.

[zigzag_wanderer]

She's still there.

Bit more lively now and a bit closer, so rather than go outside I resorted to paparazzi style through-the-catflap shots.

They love geraniums and dogwoods.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Needn't have bothered with the paparazzi shots, she's not bothered even if the back door's wide open with an old fella looking straight at her.

With the loss of a lot of their local habitat to development maybe they are having to become that bit bolder.

Anyway, deer shots over I promise. She's decided she's had her fill from our garden and departed the scene gracefully anyway.

To get back to insects if not butterflies, I did see a female Heteropelma amictum parasitic wasp on that same dogwood earlier today.

[David M]

Took trip to a NBA site on Speyside on Sunday and wasn't disappointed. Photos weren't easy with the high winds. Counted between 20 to 30 on the wing

Love this butterfly. Great to know they're about in decent numbers, Bertl.

[Pauline]

I applaud your garden Zigzag and have enjoyed seeing your shots of the deer. It made me smile imagining you trying to take shots thru the cat flap! Thanks for posting something a bit different.

[SarahM]

How wonderful to get deer in your garden Zigzag. Lovely photos. Maybe there is a fawn hidden away. We saw Roe and Chinese Water Deer with fawns whilst staying in Norfolk. Always special to see.

Sarah

[zigzag_wanderer]

Thanks Pauline and Sarah !

Yes, it's always special to get a visit like that.

We back directly on to the London-Brighton mainline train embankment, which brings with it increased noise but also a nature corridor.

The deer probably see our au naturel (thanks for being kind Pauline ) garden as more of an extension to the wooded embankment than some of the more pristine gardens around, so seem quite happy to jump over the fence and tuck into what they fancy. Our two cats seem slightly fazed by it, but there is a mutual toleration.

We also had badgers visiting us since we arrived here in '98, but unfortunately they have been moved on and their setts sealed up ahead of the recent work to build the railway tunnel. We live in hope that they might find their way back.

In fact the Roe doe has returned to her original spot and looks set for the night. I've not see one stay so long before so it would be fantastic if there is a fawn close by as you say Sarah.

I said I wouldn't post another deer picture, but here's one below taken on May 11th 2019 of a male Roe. I include it just to show that my photographic prowess has at least not got any worse (although I think that's about as far as I can push that statement).

A large target but I still manage to get it out of focus and with its eye obscured by a dandelion head !

[Matsukaze]

A couple of Large Blues being well-behaved under cloudy skies at Collard Hill today. Plenty of Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Marbled Whites there, and my first Ringlet of 2022.

[Ian Pratt]

All seen today on the Isle of WIght. Painted lady, peacock,red admiral,silver-washed fritillary, small tortoiseshell, silver-washed fritillary form valezina, and white admiral. The valezina was very tame and almost sat on my hand.

[David M]

...The valezina was very tame and almost sat on my hand.

You lucky man, Ian. What a beautiful insect.

[Pauline]

Fabulous underside shot Ian. You've certainly done justice to that gorgeous butterfly

[aeshna5]

Yesterday in Osterley Park, west London a Clouded Yellow nectaring in the cutting garden. Though I'd seen hundreds earlier this year in both northern Greece & Albania where it was the most numerous species, my first UK one this year.

Further evidence of migration were a couple of Painted Ladies (have seen small numbers on several days recently) & possibly the Large Whites which have been noticeable by their absence previously.

Good to see so may Marbled Whites these days in London's meadows.

[Charles Nicol]

i went back to Totternhoe today. i visited an ancient spring then explored Sewell cutting. this was not as interesting as i anticipated, being mainly inhabited by Ringlets, Meadow Browns & Marbled Whites
i did see a spectacular Painted Lady on some thistles before entering the cutting. unfortunately she was camera shy

leaving the cutting i looked at Maiden Bower, the imposing circular fort dating from Neolithic times. dandelions were in bloom everywhere and there were numerous orange Skippers on them.

here is a picture of one of the green lanes i walked today

[Deborah]

White Admirals flying in local forest, but also two spotted on the edge of my garden yesterday.

[David M]

Tue 14th, Whiteford Burrows, Gower:

Common Blue 10
Small Blue 8
Speckled Wood 7
Meadow Brown 7
Marbled White 4
Small Heath 3
Dark Green Fritillary 1

[Crispin]

I haven't posted on here for some time but just wanted to confirm my observations.
Small Tortoiseshell seems to be having an ok year, I have seen more than I would typically expect, better than the last 15 or so years.
A poor year for Small copper so far.

Is this what others have noticed?

[millerd]

Small Tortoiseshell seems to be having an ok year, I have seen more than I would typically expect, better than the last 15 or so years.
A poor year for Small copper so far.

Is this what others have noticed?

Hi, Crispin.

I suspect that this may vary from place to place, but your observations of these species match my own. I have seen far more Small Tortoiseshells than in many previous years locally (near Heathrow), especially the recently emerged summer brood, and on my recent trip to Norfolk they were everywhere - maybe reaching three figures at Strumpshaw. Though on my local patch Small Coppers have been very average, at other sites where I expect to see them in spring (Staines Moor, Aston Rowant, Denbies) I've hardly seen any at all.

Cheers,

Dave