I never know when or how my season is going to end. This year it has been exceptional with that field of Clouded Yellows which has kept me posting for longer than usual.
However, it is now time to turn my attention to general maintenance, both internal and external, and there is always plenty of that to keep me busy. In recent years I have commented that it has been a strange year weather-wise and this one has been no different. I am sure the extremes of climate create difficulties for butterflies and other wildlife, as well as ourselves. The year has also been exceptional on the personal front and it is that which has prevented me from exploring some new sites – something I like to try to do each season. To make up for that I have reared several species, learning quite a bit along the way.
I was disappointed not to have see the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary this season, but like some other species, it now seems to be outside of the distance I am easily able to travel for a while.
My favourite group are the Hairstreaks but it seems to be getting more and more difficult to see some of them. I do not think this was a very good year for the Brown Hairstreak or the White-letter Hairstreak. I appreciate this happens from time to time but I feel a little concerned about the future of the Brown Hairstreak in my area.
It has however been a great season for migrants. I have seen the gorgeous Clouded Yellow (including Helice) on many local sites and was able to watch one of them egg-laying. Likewise the Painted Lady which I am almost in danger of taking for granted! Hopefully I will get to see a LTB before long but at the time of writing this there has been no opportunity yet in terms of time.
Part of the excitement of each season for me is knowing that I shall almost certainly see something I haven’t seen before, without knowing exactly what that might be. One of the highlights of this season for me was being shown a Purple Emperor pupa which I didn’t post at the time (thank you). However, there appears to be no reason why I shouldn’t post it now, only to demonstrate the amazing camouflage. Still on the subject of the Purple Emperor, I had a wonderful couple of hours at Chiddingfold, where I saw 5 PE on the ground, including 2 at a time! One insisted (and persisted) on landing on me which always feels like a privilege.
Another highlight was photographing the 2nd brood Duke of Burgundy. Sadly this was over-shadowed by a court case that I instigated to protect my domestic animals; very stressful and very time-consuming.
Yet another highlight was finding my second ever Valesina in perfect condition. Monitoring her daily for over a week also gave me an insight into how her behaviour differed from the normal form of SWF. That is the beauty of butterflying for me – always something new to see, learn and experience.
This is the first season in a while that I have not purposefully put out my moth trap. I did however discover that by leaving a heat lamp on in my duck shed overnight I was able to see a small selection of the moths flying around here. I am still excited at finding that migrant moth Dewicks Plusia, at Old Winchester Hill and the Jersey Tiger moth which I recently spotted and had not seen before. I should add that I’m extremely grateful to those of you who keep me on the right track with their ID’s, especially Neil F.
I have put together a few montages which hopefully summarise my season through the photographs. The butterflies selected for this only represent a selection of those I saw, all at local sites. I hope they are of some interest.
See you next season all!