Neil Hulme

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Dave, and good to catch up with you. The most important thing is that your health is now improving.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

25 & 26 September 2022

I had to drag myself away from Worthing beach very early on Sunday afternoon, to head off to work, but I'm glad that I had just enough time to meet Old Wolf and Lawts. Both had made long journeys (especially Lawts) to see the Long-tailed Blue and both connected with their target almost immediately upon arrival. I managed to determine the presence of seven (possibly eight) male LTBs before I left the site, but a female was reported after my departure.

Despite working on 26 September, I managed to squeeze in another quick visit. There were only a couple of short warm and sunny intervals, during which I saw five LTB males. Clouded Yellow numbers have risen again and two 'new' helice are now present.

[Neil Freeman]

Supurb stuff Neil, I've enjoyed reading about the goings on down there with the LTBs. Great photos as usual and some interesting insights to their behaviour.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

This is a fascinating behavioural study, Neil. I'm getting the impression that any LTBs that emerge inland are gathering on the coast to prepare themselves to cross the Channel, and whilst doing so, will mate prior to this emigration?

What would be likely to happen if, once in situ, conditions for crossing this stretch of water were unfavourable (e.g. strong winds or low cloud)? I'm assuming in such a case they would wait until things improved before flying south?

[Allan.W.]

Hello Neil,
And another question Neil ,to run along with Davids ,do you reckon that female LTB ,S once mated in this country and heading back across the water ,would they be able to find suitable BLEP or Bladder Senna in reasonable condition (after drought ) to lay their eggs ,or maybe they lay on an alternative ................. how about Goats Rue..............just a thought .
Enjoying your LTB posts I was hoping to get up to Kingsdown for a look ,but haven,t had a chance .........although i nearly nipped in after paying homage to the Queen of Spains at Walmer . Maybe this weekend !
Regards Allan.W.

[Matsukaze]

Hello Neil,
And another question Neil ,to run along with Davids ,do you reckon that female LTB ,S once mated in this country and heading back across the water ,would they be able to find suitable BLEP or Bladder Senna in reasonable condition (after drought ) to lay their eggs ,or maybe they lay on an alternative ................. how about Goats Rue..............just a thought .
Enjoying your LTB posts I was hoping to get up to Kingsdown for a look ,but haven,t had a chance .........although i nearly nipped in after paying homage to the Queen of Spains at Walmer . Maybe this weekend !
Regards Allan.W.

Just back from a couple of weeks in western France. In the north, the one Long-tailed Blue I saw was next to the only patch of everlasting-pea I found. Further south where it has been hotter and drier, they were much commoner and associating with a purplish legume at field sides (Lucerne?), although whether they were actually breeding on it I could not say.

Also plenty of Clouded Yellows there, but very few Red Admirals and no Painted Ladies at all.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Neil. It's always nice to get some pleasing images along the way, but it's elucidating the LTB's behaviour in the UK that's been my prime interest since 2013. I think we know far more than we did back then. I now have further possibilities to explain the observed protogyny in LTB (apparent in at least the breeding cycle at the species' most northerly limits of migration, but quite possibly everywhere), but I'll have to come back to this (Ben's questions) when the events are over for this year.

That's correct, David. It seems that the females are usually mated (probably the vast majority) before heading south across the water (advantageous, if achievable), whether that be at their place of emergence some way inland, or at the beach-heads where they congregate prior to making the final leap. That said, we know that some females also mate on making landfall (proven by observation, at least on the inward leg - see The Butterflies of Sussex).

Yes, there have been periods (e.g. 26 & 27 September) when the butterflies are clearly waiting on suitable weather. On cool cloudy days the number of LTBs on the Worthing beach site has remained stable, with no new arrivals from inland and no apparent departures south. Under favourable weather conditions, the number of LTBs present during the morning matches the number seen late afternoon on the previous day, then suddenly and rapidly rises soon after midday (as 'new' individuals arrive from inland sites), then falls away during the afternoon, as LTBs fly south.

There are clearly different strategies adopted by individual males. Some remain on the beach-head for a matter of only an hour two; others will remain here for at least five days, preferring to hold-out in the hope of intercepting virgin females. Interestingly, those adopting the latter strategy clearly do get lucky, as I've seen several of the long-stayers in cop. I've observed a similar split in male strategy at inland sites, where a proportion of freshly emerged males leave the location quite rapidly, while others remain faithful to their patch of pea/other, in the hope of grabbing virgin females as they emerge.

Hi Allan and Matsukaze. Yes, they will always be able to find foodplants during their long journeys northward and southward. This is a long-rehearsed pattern of behaviour, tracking environmentally advantageous breeding conditions along the S-N climatic gradient and taking into account latitudinal variations in flora and growing season - they simply venture increasingly further north now. Being so strongly polyphagous is highly advantageous in such a globally widespread and successful migrant species, with choices including BLEP, widely grown edible legumes, Bladder Senna, Wisteria, Broom and Lucerne.

I'd prefer to reserve any further questions until the winter, as LTB is still flying and it's a case of 'now or never' for observation and data collection. I know that some people are keeping an eye on my diary to decide whether a potentially long journey is worthwhile, so I'll do my best to keep this as up-to-date as possible.

BWs, Neil

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for your reply and thoughts Neil .Good to see that the LTB.s are still being seen in your neck of the woods ,very few reported from here in Kent ...............(although i do wonder if some have been kept quiet !) .got a couple of days still owing at work ........may just have a wander over the border .............weather permitting !
Regards Allan.W.

[bugboy]

Since there was a large, Neil Hulme shaped hole (Edit: that should probably say gap, Neil hasn't fallen down a large hole ) down on the sea front this afternoon I'll just fill in the gap, not that there was much going on as far as LTB was concerned. Just 3 aged 'resident' males were seen after the mornings heavy rain passed through. I was there from 2.15 til 4.30.

From a photography point of view, the Clouded Yellows are still performing well with lots of 'courting' going on (courting only from the males perspective) allowing lots of crisp upperside shots to be got!

It will be interesting to see if the conveyor belt restarts with the return of warmer, settled weather next week. Unfortunately I have a dentist appointment on my day off so I will just have to watch prceedings from afar...

[David M]

...I'd prefer to reserve any further questions until the winter, as LTB is still flying and it's a case of 'now or never' for observation and data collection.

Understood, Neil. Many thanks for all the useful information thus far.

I shall look forward to your round-up later in the autumn.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Allan. I would wait on more news from Worthing before travelling, as the site has pretty much emptied out for now. However, I suspect more will congregate along the coast with a return to better weather.

Thanks, Paul. I made a very brief visit on Sunday, just after midday, before heading off to work. I also managed a count of just three. I've filled in the hole to meet our health and safety obligations.

Thanks, David. A brief catch-up summary is on its way.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

27-30 September 2022

On 27 September, under mainly cloudy weather conditions, a thorough search of Worthing beach (west of George V Avenue) revealed seven Long-tailed Blue, but nothing new to the site.

The weather improved slightly on 28 September, with a morning count of seven LTB falling to three by late afternoon. One was seen heading out to sea at 12.15pm. No 'new' butterflies arrived on site.

29 September was much more interesting, with a return to warm sunny weather and an influx of butterfly enthusiasts from far and wide - a highly enjoyable social event! A thorough search during the morning had revealed just the same three LTB seen the previous afternoon, but things started to happen at 12.10pm.

As I walked up a side-road running northwards away from the beach (The Waterfront), I caught a fresh male LTB red-handed, as it flew southwards down the road past Rowlands Pharmacy and the public toilet cubicle, and onto the pebbles. Another followed the same route just a minute or two later.

Throughout the afternoon I saw/photographed five individuals new to the site (bringing the day total to eight), including one at the base of the side-road beside the Sailing Club, and a pristine male found by others much later in the day.

The latter was still present early on 30 September, together with four others, but the weather then collapsed for the day, before a more thorough survey could be attempted.

UPDATE: A brief visit on Sunday 2 October revealed the presence of just three middle-aged LTB, including long-stayers. This tally was later confirmed by Paul Atkin. A couple of days of warm and sunny weather may now be required to generate further activity and make any long distance journeys to visit the site worthwhile.

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Neil. Because of the updates from yourself and others, I finally managed managed to join in the fun today!

[Neil Hulme]

I'm pleased to hear that you scored, Mark, and spectacularly so, if my sources are correct. You made it just in time, as I couldn't find a single Long-tailed Blue between George V Avenue and Goring-by-Sea when I searched yesterday (6 October); it appears that the site has 'emptied out', at least for now.

The last wave of primary immigrants hit the South Coast on 4 September, based on observations made at Bognor and Newhaven. The entire life-cycle was taking a fraction more than four weeks in the very warm conditions experienced during August, but will now have slowed significantly, perhaps to six or seven. We may therefore still be seeing LTBs emerging in mid/late October, given suitable weather.

I can be confident that a group of males arrived together in a Bognor garden at just after 5pm that day, due to the diligent observations made by the owners (who had LTB flying there for 36 consecutive days, before sightings became much more sporadic). If the butterflies were to leave the French coast following a similar timeframe observed for departures southward from Sussex, which cluster around midday, an estimate for average flight speed across the water can be made, based on the 85-100 mile journey involved; this works out at approximately 15-20 mph.

BWs, Neil

[millerd]

Thanks for the update, Neil - you may have saved me another trip down to the coast!

I'm looking forward to any analysis of the 2022 LTB season that emerges, and comparisons to the other good years we have had recently. Being able to witness the phenomenon of a species adapting to changing climate in this way really makes you realise how real global warming is - even though we have the joy of the experience of a charismatic new species. Not exactly new now though...

Cheers,

Dave

[Neil Hulme]

Season's Greetings to all UKBers.
BWs, Neil

[trevor]

And all the best to you and your family over Christmas,
and some wonderful butterfly experiences in 2023!
I think Worthing will stick in my mind for many years to come.

Trevor.

[David M]

Lovely graphic - thanks, Neil.

All the best for the festive period and throughout 2023.

[Allan.W.]

Hello Neil ,
Don,t know if you,re already aware of this ............ reading a birders blog a couple of days back ,i saw that a local Sussex birder had reported a flock of 70 (!) Hawfinches at Fairmile Bottom on March 5th ....................may be worth a look ,early morning in the Yews ................thought you may be interested . Regards Allan.W.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Trevor and David, for your festive messages - it all seems a long while ago!
Thanks, Allan. The presence of large numbers of Hawfinch at Rewell Wood (just above Fairmile Bottom) had not escaped me. I spend a lot of time in there, guiding management work for butterflies and other wildlife. One recently restored dewpond is already full of toads and we're just completing a new one. Hopefully not too long before the place is dripping with Pearls.
BWs, Neil