August 2023

[Bertl]

Plenty of red admirals, peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies in my Aberdeen garden today..........alas no sign of the painted lady butterfly!!!

[millerd]

Brilliant Dave ! once in a lifetime find ! Allan.W.

Thanks, Allan. Believe it or not, I found the same aberration in a Silver-spotted Skipper about six years ago, but it's not as spectacular as it is in a blue butterfly species.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

...A bilateral gynandromorph no less...

The Holy Grail

The fact that it's a species with pronounced sexual dimorphism just makes it even better!

[Jack Harrison]

As I alluded to in an earlier comment, there are some specimens of Homo sapiens that show the same characteristics.
For many, not really the Holy Grail.

Jack

[Stevieb]

My first visit out for a while with 17 species seen though surprisingly no Peacocks or Red Admirals. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire

Brimstone (4)
Large White (5)
Small White (8)
Green-veined White (2)
Small Copper (5)
Brown Argus (16)
Common Blue (28)
Chalkhill Blue (17)
Adonis Blue (27)
Painted Lady (1)
Small Tortoiseshell (5)
Dark Green Fritillary (1)
Speckled Wood (6)
Wall Brown (14)
Gatekeeper (9)
Meadow Brown (18)
Small Heath (35)

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

22nd August

[David M]

My first visit out for a while with 17 species seen though surprisingly no Peacocks or Red Admirals. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire

More surprised by the appearance of a Dark Green Fritillary than the absence of Peacock & Red Admiral, Steve. That's phenomenally late!!

[David M]

Sunday 20th, Llanrhidian, Gower:

Red Admiral 18
Speckled Wood 12
Large White 7
Common Blue 6
Small White 5
Comma 2
Meadow Brown 2
Holly Blue 2
Green Veined White 1

[Stevieb]

More surprised by the appearance of a Dark Green Fritillary than the absence of Peacock & Red Admiral, Steve. That's phenomenally late!!

Indeed David. My previous latest was 8th August!

[bugboy]

Well I've officially given up trying to keep my PD up to date (unofficially I gave up months ago!) I just don't have the time, and also Wurzel is just 1 day behind me now! Anyway some highlights from the past couple of days down in Sussex. Yesterday I spent the day in the Amberley/Burpham area but made a pitstop at Pulborough before heading home, I got there later than planned so I was too late to find any Hairstreaks but I was lucky enough to come across a fresh male Cloudie (taking my yearly total to 53 species) and since it was late in the day he was hungry and settled often.

Today I went up to Malling Down overlooking Lewes. I've not been here for a few years. I managed to find 15 - 20 Silver-spotted Skippers, the place used to be heaving with them so I'm not sure if peak flight is over but the sword does look taller and more overgrown than I remember. I also came across a couple of male Adonis and I had another male Cloudie flyby.

Both days were awash with Small Heath, they seem to have had a mass emergence in recent days and the second wave of Meadow Browns are doing well as well

[Vince Massimo]

August sightings from Crawley:-

I was quite pleased to get 9 species in the garden on 7th August. Minimum counts were: 3 Large White, 2 Small White, 1 Brimstone, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock, 5 Gatekeeper, 2 Speckled Wood, 4 Holly Blue and 1 Small Copper.

Small Copper - Crawley 7-Aug-2023

Later in the month I also had visits from Green-veined White, Comma, Brown Hairstreak and Silver-washed Fritillary.

Brown Hairstreak - Crawley, Sussex 9-Aug-2023

There also seems to be a lot of Gypsy Moth activity here. It all started with a lone larva on 26th July, then an empty pupa found under a rockery stone on 14th August. On 21st and 22nd August, a female egg-laying on Kniphofia and lots of patrolling males. Then 18 empty pupae and several egg batches in a surface-water drain. Today males are still flying in the rain.

Gypsy Moth larva - Crawley, Sussex 26-July-2023 (camera phone)

Gypsy Moth pupae - Crawley, Sussex 22-Aug-2023

Gypsy Moth male - Crawley, Sussex 21-Aug-2023

Gypsy Moth female - Crawley, Sussex 22-Aug-2023

Gypsy Moth eggs - Crawley, Sussex 23-Aug-2023

Gypsy Moth eggs - Crawley, Sussex 22-Aug-2023

It is seen as a pest in some parts of the world where large numbers of larvae can defoliate trees and shrubs.

Vince

[David M]

...I was quite pleased to get 9 species in the garden on 7th August...Later in the month I also had visits from Green-veined White, Comma, Brown Hairstreak and Silver-washed Fritillary...

Admirable garden tick that, Vince.

[David M]

Tuesday 22nd:

Can't compete with Vince's Brown Hairstreak, but for much of the morning I had two different Small Tortoiseshells on the verbena in my garden:

[Pete Eeles]

August sightings from Crawley:-

I was quite pleased to get 9 species in the garden on 7th August. Minimum counts were: 3 Large White, 2 Small White, 1 Brimstone, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock, 5 Gatekeeper, 2 Speckled Wood, 4 Holly Blue and 1 Small Copper.

IMG_0019-01G.JPG

Later in the month I also had visits from Green-veined White, Comma, Brown Hairstreak and Silver-washed Fritillary.

There also seems to be a lot of Gypsy Moth activity here. It all started with a lone larva on 26th July, then an empty pupa found under a rockery stone on 14th August. On 21st and 22nd August, a female egg-laying on Kniphofia and lots of patrolling males. Then 18 empty pupae and several egg batches in a surface-water drain. Today males are still flying in the rain.

02-Gypsey Moth 26-July-2023.jpg
IMG_0408-01G.JPG
IMG_0348-01G.JPG
IMG_0396-01G.JPG
IMG_0437-01G.JPG
IMG_0371-01G.JPG

It is seen as a pest in some parts of the world where large numbers of larvae can defoliate trees and shrubs.

Vince

Have you bought a lottery ticket, Vince?! With Continental Swallowtail, Brown Hairstreak and Gypsy Moth, I am "well jell"

Cheers,

- Pete

[Allan.W.]

Some terrific Garden sightings Vince ! Talking of Gypsy moths ,i,ve been moth trapping in the garden now since 09' and in that time period i,ve caught 2 Gypsy moths ................both males ,i,ve also found 2 Larvae on a climbing rose in the garden.
Things have changed this year ,i,ve had 2 males at the beginning of the month ,and a couple of nights back ,was amazed to find 4 males in the trap ..............1 was huge !,and at a glance resembled an Old Lady moth......................still not seen a female though !
Allan.W.

[Devon Dave]

My best ever August day today, whilst out searching for Clouded Yellows, had an amazing experience when I came across a pristine Long Taled Blue just sitting on a Buddleia bush leaf in the open countryside, talk about "Out of the Blue ". See LTB Alert thread.

[Vince Massimo]

Thanks David, Pete and Allan. To be fair, I get a few Brown Hairstreak in the garden every year, but this year has been particularly good, with 4 sightings so far. Sometimes I also get a few eggs on my front hedge (Cherry Plum). Whilst I'm beginning to appreciate the significance of the Gypsy Moth activity here, I can't help but be a little envious of all the Jersey Tiger sightings, because I've never knowingly seen one.

I have added a poor record shot of one of my Brown Hairstreak visitors to my original report.

Vince

[David M]

My best ever August day today, whilst out searching for Clouded Yellows, had an amazing experience when I came across a pristine Long Taled Blue just sitting on a Buddleia bush leaf in the open countryside, talk about "Out of the Blue ". See LTB Alert thread.

Excellent, Dave. Nice to see they're around further west than their traditional epicentre.

[Devon Dave]

Thanks David, yes Mega surprise, a few were seen in Seaton Devon ( about 40 miles away) a few years ago now but they were quite tatty and weathered.But this was was so fresh and without damage.I have gone back to the site twice today between showers but no sign of it.
I will keep checking over the next couple of weeks weather permitting but think my chances of ever seing it again are quite slim.
A very special day to remeber for me,like finding a Bird of Paradise in an Icelandic Garden!

[David M]

..I have gone back to the site twice today between showers but no sign of it.
I will keep checking over the next couple of weeks weather permitting..

Good luck!

[Allan.W.]

Arrived at Dungeness fairly early this morning ,and decided to do a Copper count . Parked close to the Power station entrance road and decided to walk from the main road ,,along the Long pits ,across "the desert " and down onto the point ..........a fair walk ,probably around 3+ miles . There had been a bit of a fall of migrants (birds ) overnight and in one spot i saw several Willow Warblers ,2 Spotted Flycatchers ,a male Redstart and a Lesser Whitethroat of note .
Started seeing (and counting )Small Coppers almost immediately ,very little else around butterfly wise ,a few Common Blues and Brown Args mostly worn ,a few Meadow Brown ,2 Gatekeepers ,fair numbers of all 3 common Whites ,and Small Heath and a single Red Admiral ,but no sign of any Clouded Yellows or Painted Ladies ...........and no sign of yesterdays Monarch ,photographed in the moat . Out for just over 3 hours and i counted 304 Small Coppers .......................A proper "return to form " at Dungeness !
The first Copper is probably the most unusual of the visit ,possibly AB;Remota.

Allan.W.