David M

[millerd]

A definite for that very late Clouded Yellow, David, especially coinciding with the Brimstone. Well worth the unseasonal excursion I'd say. Nice shots of both, too, considering the male Cloudie's tendency to keep moving when the sun is out.

Cheers,

Dave

[Allan.W.]

Excellent returns for your trip out David ,can,t remember the date of my last Brimstone but easily 6 weeks ago ,and a November Cloudie ............Great find ! . Allan W.

[Padfield]

It looks as if Cardiff is turning into the Rhône Valley, David! Amazing sightings for mid-November in the UK.

Guy

[David M]

Well worth the trip out, David, a November Cloudie is most welcome...

I was happy enough with the Clouded Yellow I saw in October, Trevor. The November one was a massive surprise.

[bugboy]

Welcome to the November Cloudie club

[Goldie M]

That's a fantastic find David, nothing but rain here and one great storm in the night a week last Saturday which kept even the neighbours up with lights on every where Goldie

[David M]

Tuesday 15th November – Admirable.…

After the excitement of seeing a Clouded Yellow in Cosmeston meadows, I drove down late this morning to where I’d seen my previous latest crocea on 10th October at Nicholaston Burrows.

I saw a butterfly within two minutes of walking down the path towards the dunes at the bottom end of a residential garden where there was a nice looking nettle patch which was clearly of interest to this female Red Admiral:

It was very pleasant on the dunes, with temperatures around 14c:

Despite this, I only saw one more Red Admiral out in this exposed tranche of coastline, so I walked back past the ivy stands amongst the trees along the path where again there was no butterfly activity.

Once back at the bottom of the garden where I had earlier seen my first Red Admiral, I noticed another, different individual:

Amazing just how much ‘pulling power’ a little, wild area can provide:

Within the confines of the garden, there were several late-flowering nectar sources, and as I scanned my eyes across the lower end, I noticed another Red Admiral feasting from some bowles mauve:

Three Red Admirals within a few metres of one another in mid-November (and 4 in total) was an unexpected return, and probably the last time I will see this kind of number till 2023.

[David M]

A definite for that very late Clouded Yellow, David, especially coinciding with the Brimstone. Well worth the unseasonal excursion I'd say. Nice shots of both, too, considering the male Cloudie's tendency to keep moving when the sun is out.

Thanks, Dave. I don't think I've ever travelled that distance at any time after early October but it was definitely worth it. The Clouded Yellow was very much on the move, flying up and down that bank along the hedgerow almost constantly. The Brimstone, by contrast, was much more docile.

Excellent returns for your trip out David ,can,t remember the date of my last Brimstone but easily 6 weeks ago ,and a November Cloudie ............Great find !

Cheers, Allan. I’m always delighted to find a Cloudie in Wales even in August, so seeing one in mid-November was uniquely special.

[David M]

Saturday 19th November – Still going.…

A mild, pleasant morning in Abergavenny tempted me down to Castle Meadows and Linda Vista Gardens to see if there were any butterflies still about.

The gardens still had some nectar sources in flower but in spite of me doing a full circuit, I couldn’t find anything flying.

I moved onto Castle Meadows and spent a little while looking around this steep, south facing bank:

Something caught my eye – it wasn’t a butterfly; rather it was a dragonfly, the latest I’ve ever seen one on the wing in this country:

The walk across to the far side of the meadows and back was a nice one, but disappointingly there were no butterflies to be seen even though the temperature was around 12c and the sun shining.

I thought I’d have one last look in Linda Vista Gardens but there was nothing doing…until I headed back to the entrance gate whereupon a Red Admiral flew right past me. I jogged down the slope to see if I could locate it but it had disappeared.

Then, walking back out I took one last look at the ivy growing around the perimeter wall:

There, clear as day, was a black and red blob on one of the leaves towards the right of this spread of ivy:

I watched it for nearly 10 minutes but it never moved, seemingly at peace with the warm sunlight it was basking in:

Hopefully it avoided the attention of predators after I’d left, as well as the spell of cooler and wetter weather that was forecast for the next few days.

[Goldie M]

That wall looks interesting David , I wonder if it attracts Wall Butterflies , maybe it's too high. not enough ledges for them.Goldie

[David M]

It looks as if Cardiff is turning into the Rhône Valley, David! Amazing sightings for mid-November in the UK.

Sure was a month ago, Guy.

More like Scandinavia right now though!

[Benjamin]

I do enjoy the passion in these late season diaries - none has more than your own David. You spend a good part of the year surrounded by the very best that Europe has to offer and yet this does nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for late season encounters back on home soil - love it.

[David M]

Welcome to the November Cloudie club

An honour to be in it, Paul!

That's a fantastic find David, nothing but rain here and one great storm in the night a week last Saturday which kept even the neighbours up with lights on every where

Thanks, Goldie. Been a strange pattern of weather so far this month. Back to wind & rain here in south Wales after a week and a half of sub-zero nights.

[David M]

Friday 25th November – Swansong?.…

Temperatures reached around 11c by late morning, so I thought I’d stretch my legs again around Castle Meadows with the hope that a butterfly might fly across my path.

I walked all the way up the northern perimeter and back again, so by the time I had entered Linda Vista Gardens it was almost 1pm.

I was back by the ivy-clad wall where I had seen a Red Admiral six days earlier:

Incredibly, just as I was about to call it a day, I noticed a fluttering insect by this willow tree, which promptly landed on one of the broader branches:

There it remained for the whole 10 minutes or so I spent watching it:

I checked my images upon returning home, and it was definitely not the same individual I had seen very close to that spot a few days earlier.

[David M]

I do enjoy the passion in these late season diaries - none has more than your own David. You spend a good part of the year surrounded by the very best that Europe has to offer and yet this does nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for late season encounters back on home soil - love it.

There's a different kind of pleasure associated with butterfly hunting in November, Ben...almost a 'windfall' type of gratification, in the sense that you're not really expecting it and it just lands in your lap, if you know what I'm saying!

That wall looks interesting David , I wonder if it attracts Wall Butterflies...

Probably did 40+ years ago, Goldie, but I've never seen a Wall Brown in the Abergavenny area since I started visiting in 2003.

[Goldie M]

Thats a shame David, some one told me to try the Church yards, I think I'll stick to Reculver even though they get lost amongst the Vegetation Goldie

[David M]

The nearer to the coast you are, the more likely it is for Wall Browns to be present, Goldie. There's a cemetery in Swansea just half a mile from the sea and it's one of the best spots locally for this species.

A look back at 2022

Another strange sort of domestic butterfly year with two heatwaves, one in July and another in August, an early and then fairly dry spring, an October that felt more like August followed by record breaking temperatures in mid-November!!

With Covid on the retreat, much of my time was spent out of the country from April through to early August, but there was sufficient opportunity to get to see over 40 British species, with the first ones coming, as appears to be the new norm, at the back end of February.

February

A fly-by Red Admiral got things moving on 17th, but the next day saw severe, gale force winds that brought quite a few trees down, so I was surprised that things had improved to such a degree that a mere week later, on 25th, I was able to find Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral on a mainly sunny day with temperatures reaching 10c:

Two days later, a further Red Admiral was seen at Cwm Ivy, along with evidence of the ferocity of the previous week’s storm:

[David M]

A look back at 2022

March

The month of March got off to a uniquely surprising start as on 4th, whilst walking on the path at the lower end of Kilvey Hill, I chanced upon a Speckled Wood, the earliest I’ve seen in the UK by some three weeks!

A cloudy period ensued, but there was an opportunity to briefly venture out locally on 13th, where I saw my first Peacock of the year:

The following day was the first really mild, pleasant one of the month, so it was no surprise that there were Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, a Brimstone and my first 2022 Commas at Castle Meadows in Abergavenny:

The following day was equally pleasant, so I headed off to Kilvey Hill again where I managed to finally get an image of a settled Brimstone:

Seven Small Tortoiseshells was a pleasing return:

Even more pleasing was my first Small White of the year, this very pale female:

The 22nd was the first time I saw good numbers of butterflies, with over 50 on the wing, 39 of which were Brimstones. Peacocks, Commas, Red Admirals, Speckled Woods and a Small Tortoiseshell were recorded, although it wasn’t until the following day when I caught up with my first Holly Blue of the year.

The fine weather continued, to the point where Small Coppers had emerged by 27th – I came across two in Dan-y-Graig cemetery:

Later that day, I found my first Large White of the year at Cwm Ivy:

On 28th, there were over three dozen Holly Blues in the woodland Glade at Cwm Ivy, including this lovely female:

I visited the same site again on 29th, where I got lucky with a couple of pristine female Holly Blues basking on the brambles at waist level in part cloudy conditions:

Green Veined White was also seen (but not photographed) on 28th, meaning that for the first time I had racked up 11 different species by the end of March.

[Goldie M]

WoW! David, fantastic shots of the Holly Blue and I love the shot of the Small Copper on those Christmas balls even if it was March Goldie

[David M]

Thanks, Goldie. Conditions were perfect for the Holly Blue - light cloud and fairly cool.

A look back at 2022

April

I was in Greece from 4th to 11th, so I only had a single opportunity to find my first Orange Tips and that was on 3rd, where I duly saw just one male, although he escaped my camera lens.

This divine Peacock didn’t though:

And as the cloud descended, this Speckled Wood began to roost under some bramble scrub:

After I returned to the UK, it was 15th before things were suitable for butterfly hunting, and I was delighted to find this female Orange Tip in light woodland near to my home:

The following day, I visited Cwm Ivy and finally managed to finally get a male:

I also caught up with Green Veined White:

A big surprise on that day was finding my earliest ever Dingy Skipper:

The next day was equally pleasant, so I headed down to Merthyr Mawr, near Porthcawl, for my annual Grizzled Skipper fix:

From the 21st, I was abroad again in Spain, so my next opportunity at home wouldn’t be until 7th May.