Bugboys mission

[David M]

Those recent Wood White and Brimstone images are first class, Paul.

Always good to see butterflies such as these in wings-open action.

[bugboy]

Thanks for the comments. I do often wonder what the evolutionary advantage is of keeping the males alive long after they’ve done their duty for the species?

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May 2023

Tuesday 30th. May ended with another trip into Sussex meeting up with Neil again to have one final day with Dukes at one of the later sites. Unfortunately, this was in the middle of that never ending northerly wind so where there should have been hundreds of them, there were just tens. We stopped of a small site first, one that’s still in the early stages of being colonised only to find that some questionable site management had all but obliterated the population, we did a pretty thorough search but non were found. The other less fussy spring species were around in varying numbers though.

The main site was unfortunately very exposed to the wind so the few brave Dukes that we found were very much restricted to some sheltered pockets, still enough attractive individuals to be found though.

The best spot of the day was actually a Moth, a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth but unfortunately neither of us got a shot off before it buzzed off like a sandy coloured bee.

It was again the usual suspects as a support cast, also sheltering as best they could from the strong, persistent breeze.

And I had repeat performance from some hormonal Brimstones

Caption competition?

[Wurzel]

More great Dukes and Brimstone courtships Bugboy I did a little reading and it seems that some males can mate more than once - so by hanging around they increase the likelihood of their genes surviving into subsequent generations. Mind you the Green-veined White females that show the 'bog off' posture are just being fussy as they can mate with several different males as they will receive a 'nuptial gift' from the male (between 15-25% of it's body mass) which they can use to further increase egg production. So having children literally costs male Green-veined Whites an arm and a leg (and then some)

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Just seen your Brimstone sequences Paul, some great captures of the behaviour. I have seen this a few times this year but they always went down somewhere inaccessible.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Really impressed by that Brimstone, open-winged, in flight sequence, Paul.

Quite how those males believed a female could be receptive on the cusp of June will remain a mystery.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel. The males can mate more than once but what about the females? Peacocks do this as well, the males hang around long after the females have been mated and it’s known these males can only mate the once.
Thanks Neil, I’ve seen it countless times but like you they nearly always go to inaccessible places or fly off out of sight.
Thanks David, I guess it’s possible that the female Brimstone might mate a second time, quite often during these interactions it does look like the attention is going both ways, even though I’ve never seen any culminate in a mating.


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June 2023

Friday 2nd. This was my half day and I’d planned to visit the Glannies at Hutchinson’s Bank before something else unexpected turned up there. One of those unexpected butterflies was apparently flying around but since I was there for the Glanville’s I didn’t spend much time looking and what time I did was decidedly half hearted, I have little doubt in my mind as to how they came to be there. An odd advantage of the situation though was that despite the many people, I had the Fritillaries pretty much to myself and I made full use of this.

As usual the first one seen turned as I entered the site along the bottom path, but some dog walkers made sure this encounter was short lived.

I did a circuit of the site, seeing plenty of other species (which I’ll save for the next post) and lots of people standing around in the fields, but no more Glanville’s.

The main event, at least for me, was in one of the upper fields where I came across a few flitting from flower to flower. I picked up a rather nice female and concentrated on her.

It took about 15 minutes before one of the males found her and I was treated to another display of a hormonal male butterfly showing me all his best moves, to no avail.

Near the end of his ‘romancing’ he either got lucky or the female pulled a clever fast one. It looked like he’d finally latched on to her and so settled down, only for the female to unattach from him and shoot off, leaving him somewhat confused as to what had just happened.

Success.... for a couple of seconds!

I ended the visit with some more enjoying the evening sun.

It’s a sticky subject as to why I would ignore the BVW but pay lots of attention to Glanville’s (and I’m sure some would say hypercritical), but since the Glanville’s have been here for several years now and are more or less looking after themselves with the help of habitat management rather than just being dumped, that’s where my line is drawn in the sand.

The other notable encounters will be outlined in the next post.

[bugboy]

June 2023

Friday 2nd cont. Other than the Glanville’s, there was a plentiful supply of other butterflies being ignored by the BVW hunters! The first interesting find was a particularly dark Dingy Skipper, had I been in south-east Europe I may well have it down as the Inky Skipper although that butterfly has far less markings it would seem. Tolman states that dark individuals of Dingy Skippers are associated with colder conditions so I’m not sure what happened here, it was a wet spring but certainly not excessively cold.

Small Blues were numerous, and baiting a patch of bare soil with some of my squash soon attracted a small gang of them. A mating pair were also found.

Grizzled Skippers were also around and considering it was now June, some in very good condition. I think the weather this year has caused them to have an unusually prolonged emergence rather than simply causing a poor one.

Like the Dingy, this female was also notable for being rather dark, and she chose a bramble leaf on which to deposit one of her eggs whilst I was watching the Small Blues enjoying my damp patch!

A more ‘mundane’ species was next to be notable, it being the first time this year a Large White has sat long enough to get a snap.

I'm actually quite happy I didn't put much effort in looking for the BVW!

[MrSp0ck]

I have little doubt in my mind as to how they came to be there. An odd advantage of the situation though was that despite the many people, I had the Fritillaries pretty much to myself and I made full use of this.

The London Wildlife Trust were also about to put out it was likely to be a release, but withdrew this, when they looked into it further, as all the evidence pointed to offspring from a female that came in in 2022 and went un-noticed. The conditions for migration were ideal at the time with a lot of other migrants also coming through. The BVW in Dover this year also points to a migration occuring.

There was no evidence of a release, and BVWs were seen emerging on site.

It seems a big opportunity was missed because people saying it was a release when it probably wasnt, so many people missed out because they thought it was a release and didnt visit.

we will be looking for larval webs in the winter.

After June 6th they seem to have spread from the site after a couple of weeks.

[Wurzel]

"It seems a big opportunity was missed because people saying it was a release when it probably wasnt, so many people missed out because they thought it was a release and didnt visit." this is one of the problems with the other releases - it makes people question the authenticity of vagrant species and so stifles scientific monitoring

Cracking Glannies and Small Blues Bugboy That Dingy Skipper is much duskier than usual, cracking looking little individual that is (was by now ) I've not come up with any more ideas about why males hang around. Perhaps the ones pestering the females haven't actually mated and so are desperately trying to meet their biological imperative?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks for your contribution MrSp0ck. I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this, everyone’s entitled to an opinion. I base my opinions solely on the actual facts at hand rather than all the various opinions touted as (alternative) ‘facts’ you find on various social media platforms. The facts as I see them were that some Black-veined White emerged at Hutchinson’s bank, that’s it. There’s zero evidence for how they got there either way as far as I can tell. I’m not aware of any being recorded in the UK last year and there’s no evidence for large numbers being on the north coast of Europe despite reports to the contrary. The same fact can be put on the ones seen on the south coast, they were seen, that’s it. How they got there is open to discussion and being closer to the continent then genuine migrants is slightly more plausible, although once again the lack of numbers on the north coast of Europe puts doubt in that theory. It’s merely conjecture to combine the separate events into one theory.

So, we’re left with having to fill in the gaping hole between none recorded last year and some recorded this year. If we’re to believe that a wild female laid the eggs last year, then we also have to swallow the large pill that after crossing the channel she then flew across hundreds of miles of ideal habitat, across Sussex and Surrey, and managed to remain unseen last year during the tail end of Glanville season at a very popular butterfly site. The fact that 3 were picked out this year on UK soil before all eyes were alerted to their presence suggests that there’s no reason she couldn’t have been seen last year if she were present. Based on the very limited facts at hand, my opinion is that it's far more likely that at some point someone dumped some larvae at Hutchinson’s bank. Since it’s an opinion I’m more than happy to change it should more genuine facts on the subject surface but as it stands, I believe it’s very unlikely for the Hutchinson’s bank BVW’s to be a natural event.
Thanks Wurzel, it will remain one of the many mysteries in the world of nature

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June 2023

Tuesday 6th, Denbies. Unfortunately I was a bit late to catch the first brood Adonis in all their glory, although a few were quite fresh, the vast majority of what remained were a little past their best

And in some cases, quite a way…

I decided to mostly ignore any female Blues since Commons were also on the wing and I’d end up giving myself a headache trying to work out which was which but on the odd occasion one was fresh enough to be identifiable.

Even at the ripe old age many were, hormones were still running rampant (raging butterfly hormones, a recurring theme in my PD at the moment!)

Somewhat fresher looking were a couple of season debutants

Also looking fresh, but more surprisingly, were some Grizzled Skippers. At this rate I’ll be seeing Grizzled Skippers flying alongside Chalk Hill Blues!

Some Orchids I’d never seen before were pointed out to me, Man Orchids. I’m sure I’ve walked past this species on more than one occasion, just like I did today, they aren’t particularly conspicuous especially if your focusing on other stuff, but up close its plain to see how they got their name.

Returning to the Adonis, one of the last ones I found was an ab. krodeli.

[Wurzel]

That's a cracking ab Adonis Bugboy The first brood Adonis were a bit 'blink miss us' this year they sort of suddenly arrived on the scene and then proceeded to age very quickly Still there's always a second chance with them

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

The London Wildlife Trust were also about to put out it was likely to be a release, but withdrew this, when they looked into it further, as all the evidence pointed to offspring from a female that came in in 2022 and went un-noticed...

Put me down as very doubtful.

If the female "went un-noticed", what possible evidence could be available?

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, thanks Wurzel, I intend to put more effort into catching their second brood… assuming I don’t get side tracked by any other migratory influxes.
Good point David, hadn’t picked up on that hole in the story too.

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June 2023

Wednesday 7th, This years June gap seemed to be quite severe and my second day of this week of perfectly illustrated it. After the masses of butterflies only a few weeks before I was curious to see how Kithurst looked the after the main spring event. There wasn’t much to be found on the way, just a Brimstone.

And at the meadow which only a few weeks ago was alive with hundreds of butterflies, the only thing of note were a handful of Small Blues. A few unidentified Whites, tatty Speckled Woods and worn Small Heath were also seen.

Perry Hill was next, I hoped I’d find more since its quite a steep north westerly facing slope and perhaps a later site. There was indeed a little bit more variety but density was still rather low. Most of the activity was along the bottom of the slope, which afforded some protection from the very stiff breeze that was buffering the more exposed slope. Several Common Blue, mostly a little worn were active here and some freshly emerged Meadow Brown were playing hide and seek in the longer patches of grass.

Some fresh Small Heath were about

And completing the springtime feel were several Dingy Skipper (looking surprisingly fresh for the time of year) and a solitary Grizzled Skipper (looking about as aged as it should be for the time of year!)

Based on the scant evidence available, it would seem that Perry Hill is a slightly later site than those further to the north.

I finished the day with a wander through Burpham Meadows finding about half a dozen fresh, and very frisky, Red Admirals (only one sat for me) some more distant Whites a Holly Blue and Small Copper.

With the June gap in full swing it was time to focus on a few of the regional specialities that make June their home turf for the rest of the week. Next stop, Norfolk.

[Wurzel]

"assuming I don’t get side tracked by any other migratory influxes." one was reported on Facebook today - after a barrage of comments along the lines of "have you reported it to the county recorder?" he fessed up that he'd reared it in his garden from a pupae he'd bought on line - and so it begins
What could you possibly see in Norfolk I wonder?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

You saw some good stuff around that time, Paul, especially those mint-fresh Glanvilles.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, in the end it was more a case of what I was hoping to see rather than what I actually saw .
Thanks David, yes there was some good stuff around, with more to come too

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June 2023

Thursday 8th. The time had come for my now annual trip to Norfolk. I’d put if off by a week or so on account of some iffy weather and the late season so far. The region had been plagued by a blanket of cooling cloud for a few weeks now which hadn't helped get things going here. The days weather wasn’t perfect, cloudy to start with but ‘predicted’ to clear up later which I thought might put some others off and make any Swallowtails seen a little bit more amenable. Well, ‘what a difference a year makes’ goes the saying. Last year on my first visit I very quickly lost count of the number of butterflies I was seeing, largely due to the huge emergence of Small Tortoiseshell but I also had double figure Swallowtail encounters and in total I likely saw several hundred individuals. Today I was lucky to scrape into double figures and despite several circuits of Strumpshaw, I found not a sniff of a Swallowtail. I was far from alone in this either, I overheard a fair few conversations about the lack of them on the day and I only heard of the one sighting, and that was just a fleeting visit to the doctors garden by all accounts.

The birdlife tried it’s best to keep me occupied, a young male Marsh Harrier carrying lunch put on a nice display

A Wren was making a racket

And a grey Heron may have been having a bad hair day but it had no effect on it’s fishing skills, here it is making short work of a young Pike.

By far the best birdie sighting was a lifer, wild Common Crane and not just one, or even two but a pair with a young chick who was just about big enough to be able to catch glimpses of it as they walked through the lush vegetation.

As I've already said, on the butterfly front it was very much slim pickings, so much so I even spent time taking pictures of a dead Red Admiral I found on the path (a handful of live ones were also about).

A couple of Peacock were about

And a few Speckled Wood

But it really was a very disappointing showing, even the Odonata were poor, the Scarce Chasers which are normally anything but scarce were only just getting going, and I think I only saw two or three Norfolk Hawkers. Perhaps I should've given it another week before visiting Hopefully everything will bounce back next year.

Scarce Chaser

[Wurzel]

Sorry it didn't come off Bugboy but those Common Crane are a pretty good consolation prize I saw a few in Poland years ago and I juts love the way the head suddenly just appears up though the reeds

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

I remember you commented on my report on our visit to Norfolk that you hadn't seen any Swallowtails at Strumpshaw. We were in Norfolk about a week later and the Swallowtails were only just getting going then, notwithstanding a few earlier sightings. The long period of cool and cloudy weather had certainly put them back. Having said that I think that numbers were also down at most of their sites with Hickling Broad being the only one with decent numbers showing, everywhere else producing one or two at best.
I was also hearing from some of the rangers that the Milk parsley at some sites, including Strumpsaw, has been suffering from a mildew like disease which has been cause for some concern.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

..By far the best birdie sighting was a lifer, wild Common Crane and not just one, or even two but a pair with a young chick who was just about big enough to be able to catch glimpses of it as they walked through the lush vegetation....

Must be a good moment if it's a lifer for you, Paul. How rare are these birds in the UK?

Good that you saw a pair with a chick. That makes it all the better.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, they were a bit of a surprise, I didn’t know they’d bred there this year (although nest sites are kept quiet for obvious reasons).
Hi Neil, sounds like I definitely timed my visit wrong this year. I still think last year’s weather conditions also impacted numbers this year. Milk Parsley is a very finicky plant and there were large areas of Strumpshaw fen that became baked dry. It could be that any that didn’t completely die back due to the excessive heat was also more susceptible to pathogenic moulds like mildew. Hopefully the wetter summer we’ve had will allow them to bounce back next year.
Thanks David. Common Crane are rather rare, in the UK. They went extinct here about 400 years ago and only started breeding here again in the late 70’s/early 80’s when a small group set up home in the Norfolk fens. There’s now (depending on what website you look at) between 30 and 70 breeding pairs, mostly in East Anglia. Since around 2010, WWT have also been releasing captive reared birds on the somerset levels which are doing well.

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June 2023

Friday 9th. After the previous days less than standout events (on the butterfly front at least) I stayed closer to home and ventured into Essex to find some Heath Fritillaries. I’d been seeing posts on social media for at least a week of them at both their Kent and Essex sites so I was confident the day would be more successful. I started off at leigh-on-sea on the off chance the White-letter Hairstreaks were also out. They weren’t and like everywhere else at the moment, there was very little else out too, so I quickly moved on to Belfairs wood where there was also virtually nothing. Eventually I did find a solitary Fritillary, a male constantly patrolling and not settling for more than a second or two, so no pictures of them here today. I had similar luck at Pound Wood, minus the Fritillary, so now I was stuck with going home with an empty camera (unthinkable) or making my way to Hockley Wood Where I knew they were flying. Hockley is just a short drive from Pound wood in a car, 15 or 20 mins, but it’s a bit more complicated by public transport, either two buses or a bus and a train and the best part of an hour. It was the long days of June that swung it for me, and by 4pm I found myself at Hockley Wood in the company of what looked like the first wave of emergent, mostly males.

I spent most of my time at a clearing where an aberrant female had repeated visitations from eager males, non of whom were successful

She looks closest to ab. corythallia, worth the trip in the end.