July 2023

[Charles Nicol]

a lovely Summer's Day at Sundon.

i saw these two fritillaries

are they both the same type ?

thanks for you help

Charles

[Vince Massimo]

Some people may be aware that I have a very small seaside garden in Lancing on the Sussex coast in addition to my home garden in Crawley. Today was a very productive day with 12 Small White, 2 Large White, 5 Red Admiral, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Peacock, 2 Comma, 1 Gatekeeper, 1 Meadow Brown, 1 Marbled White, 2 Skippers (including 1 Essex Skipper), 1 Small Copper and 1 Brown Argus. Then at around 3.40 a Swallowtail appeared. It flew around for a while before settling on my Fennel and laying two eggs.

Swallowtail - Lancing, Sussex 7-July-2023

Swallowtail egg-laying (egg 1) 7-July-2023

Swallowtail egg 1 - Lancing, Sussex, 7-July-2023

Swallowtail egg-laying (egg 2) 7-July-2023

Swallowtail egg 2 - Lancing, Sussex, 7-July-2023

Said Fennel - Lancing, Sussex 7-July-2023

My garden is only 60m from the back of the beach, so I am in no doubt that this is a true migrant. It was a sunny 23C at the time and a South-easterly wind had been blowing all day.

Vince

[Charles Nicol]

A great find Vince ! hopefully some new ones will emerge by the end of August.

[bugboy]

It would seem like a very good year for gorganus in the UK what with the many sightings down in Kent which I believe to be a mixture of immigrants and homegrown. I imagine you'll try and follow these when they wander off to pupate if they get that far

[aeshna5]

Seemed to be incredible numbers of Purple Hairstreaks yesterday in Copse Wood, part of the Ruislip Woods NNR, Middx. Small groups all along the paths either imbibing moisture/salts from the ground or on low vegetation. The most I've ever seen & the most numerous of 16 butterfly species recorded.

On FB another observer mentioned unprecedented numbers in another Middx wood, while on the Surrey Butterfly FB page a similar story there too. I wonder what has caused this "bloom" of Purple Hairstreaks this year?

Pleased to see 3 White Admirals, 5 Silver-washed Fritillaries & 3 Purple Emperors too. Higher than normal numbers of Red Admirals. Suspect many arrived this week as I've seen them everywhere this week along with perhaps smaller numbers of Large Whites.

[Ian Pratt]

Silver-washed fritillary video here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lepreskil ... datetaken/

[Pete Eeles]

Then at around 3.40 a Swallowtail appeared. It flew around for a while before settling on my Fennel and laying two eggs. My garden is only 60m from the back of the beach, so I am in no doubt that this is a true migrant.

That's amazing, Vince! Congratulations!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Stevieb]

Yesterday was my first time around my local patch for a while. Pleased to note large numbers and variety of species. The flowering brambles were alive with Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. Sandridge Hill, Wiltshire.

Small/Essex Skipper (11)

Large Skipper (5)

Brimstone (1)

Large White (4)

Small White (7)

Purple Hairstreak (1)

White-letter Hairstreak (3)

Red Admiral (9)

Painted Lady (2)

Small Tortoiseshell (1)

Peacock (2)

Comma (13)

Silver-washed Fritillary (14)

Speckled Wood (2)

Marbled White (6)

Gatekeeper (50+)

Meadow Brown (40+)

Ringlet (4)

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

7th July

[zigzag_wanderer]

Three from work this week.

I reckon the middle one is a Brussels Lace (Cleorodes lichenaria), but very happy to be corrected if not.

S'cuse the state of my fingernails.

[David M]

Yesterday was my first time around my local patch for a while. Pleased to note large numbers and variety of species....

19 species (if my maths is right) is some going for a local patch, Steve.

[bugboy]

Lots of Thymelicus Skippers down at Durlston Country Park today, like me dodging showers and torrential downpours. Mostly Lulworths, still plenty of fresh ones so a fair bit of life in their season yet. Also lots of Marbled White, fresh male Gatekeepers and a decent smattering of Small Blue. Also seen Meadow Brown (lots), Small Heath (3), Common Blue (1), Red Admiral (1), Small White (1).

[millerd]

Plenty of Purple Hairstreaks low down this morning at Bookham. The early mix of hazy sun and cloud was favourable to them opening up.

Returning home, after the rain had passed I found a second brood female Holly Blue already laying on the minuscule ivy buds.

I think the egg is the green splodge next to the butterfly's lowest foot.

After all that exertion, she came out into dappled sunshine.

Well on course for the usual third brood by the look of it!

Full reports of both outings at some not too far off date...

Dave

[Vince Massimo]

It would seem like a very good year for gorganus in the UK what with the many sightings down in Kent which I believe to be a mixture of immigrants and homegrown. I imagine you'll try and follow these when they wander off to pupate if they get that far

Thanks Charles, Paul and Pete.
It was a dream come true. Being so close to the sea, I planted the Fennel four years ago, more in hope than in expectation and actually had my camera in my hand when the butterfly flew in. I will try to monitor the eggs and report progress, but the first job will be to sleeve them in order to deter the local Sparrows.

Vince

[Jack Harrison]

Good luck with your Swallowtails.

Good garden butterfly here in north-east Scotland today, 9th July - Meadow Brown on Scabious   They are not rare but seem to be rather localised.  I live out in the countryside, so I presume it came from the rough field just beyond the fence.  I see Ringlets far more often in the garden and, in season, the occasional Scotch Argus.

But the stars of my garden today were fresh Tortoiseshells enjoying the Scabious planted beside the shed.

Jack

[millerd]

Chalkhill Blues are just emerging at Aston Rowant on the Chilterns, one of 21 species counted up there today (though many of these managed only one or two examples).

In amongst these, a few Dark Green Fritillaries were still flying (or in this case, sitting around in the grass... ).

Dave

[Bertl]

Visited St Cyrus nnr yesterday again. An abundance of DGF and grayling butterfly on the wing. Also seen tortoiseshell, red admiral, green veined white, small heath, ringlet, meadow brown and common blue.

[Stevieb]

19 species (if my maths is right) is some going for a local patch, Steve.

It's a cracking little site David, and only 2 minutes drive from home.

[Ian Pratt]

I saw 19 species on my local patch today but it included an emperor dragonfly and a common blue damselfly!
I have had some difficulty in the past distinguishing Essex and small skippers.
However, I can highly recommend the book below which has helped me greatly. (There is a second edition now so you may be able to find a cheap first edition for sale on line.)
Apart from the black undersides on the antennae of the Essex skipper, the male sex brand on the male Essex skipper is short and broken unlike the long and curved sex brand of the male small skipper. Also,the dark marginal border of the Essex skipper extends along the veins in the female.
I hope this is helpful to folk.

[millerd]

...I can highly recommend the book below which has helped me greatly. (There is a second edition now so you may be able to find a cheap first edition for sale on line.)...

I have a well-thumbed copy of this book, and it's well worth getting as a quick and very portable guide containing photos of every European species and a whole lot more from adjacent areas. It just amazes me that the authors have managed to successfully find every one of these butterflies, some of them in extremely inaccessible locations. I now need to track down the second edition to see what's been updated...

Sunshine and respectable temperatures on my local patch near Heathrow today. Over the last few days I've managed to clock up 22 species here (with a maximum of 20 on Saturday) - none of them unusual, though, and some in very low numbers. There were not quite as many Red Admirals today as there have been, with a mere 80 counted, but the Peacock emergence (these must be locally hatched!) tends to reinforce the view that nettle conditions this spring have been ideal: I counted 43 individuals alongside the Red Admirals. There were other highlights too:

Dave

[Crispin]

This year seems to be amazing for Small/Essex Skipper.

I have recorded more on the Malling Down, Lewes, East Sussex transect since 1987!

Are others recording larger than normal numbers os Small/Essex?