millerd

[bugboy]

A few are due!

[Wurzel]

"A few are due!"definitely for both the radiata and the luscious Holly Blue

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Some striking images of an array of interesting butterflies, Dave, especially those close encounters with the Purple Hairstreaks. That final female will be hard to top going forward.

[millerd]

Cheers, all of you - I've struck lucky with a few things recently and very few days have been describable as run-of-the-mill. Even the good old Holly Blue manages something new...

On that subject, I'm beginning to think the distinction between the broods in terms of the female colouration may be somewhat blurry. Tradition has it that the second brood has much more black on the wings, but I'm not sure that this is very consistent. That last one for example doesn't look much different from some of the first brood seen in May and June. I feel a rainy day sift through photos coming on...

On 13th July, I had arranged to stay with my sister near York for a few days. Unfortunately, this turned out to be precisely when the weather nose-dived. Before leaving home under increasingly cloudy skies, I had a quick look locally again - after all I expected to return to large areas mown to within a few inches of the ground, and fewer butterflies. I grabbed a few quick shots, packed my bags and set off.

I had seen from traffic reports that it would be better to go north up the A1, not the M1, so my butterfly-brain engaged and suggested a minor detour near Peterborough to Bedford Purlieus, a piece of woodland habitat. The target was White-letter Hairstreaks and with a bit of sunshine they would be flying, as would a few other species like SWF. As I arrived, any sunshine departed. I spoke to a local enthusiast, who gave me the all-too-familiar line "There were quite a few around earlier"...

Oh well. It was not cold, and there was some brightness along with a bit of drizzle, so I did find butterflies. A distant shot was all I managed of what looked like a fresh female SWF.

Gatekeepers were plentiful, with a bit of variety too.

very spotty - I suspect it has a name

Large Skippers and Commas of both types continued the orange-and-brown theme...

standard form

f. hutchinsoni

...broken a bit by a couple of new Brown Argus.

In the end, after several wanders up the main ride and back (and a detour to avoid a large and poorly controlled dog), I had all but given in on the WLH front. Heading slowly back to the entrance to the wood, I suddenly spotted a worn dark triangle on the copious marjoram flowers.

Success - just...

Naturally enough, the sun reappeared not long after I was back on the A1, but not to worry - it was good to be reacquainted with a spot I hadn't been to for a few years (and where I remember I saw my first ever WLH a few years before that).

Dave

[millerd]

The weather for my stay in Yorkshire was mixed, to say the least. The first day was chilly and wet, and the next was stormy, but a bit warmer when the sun came out. We took a chance on the weather radar, which seemed to show that a dry and sunny interlude might happen if we drove up to Flamborough Head. After a drive through torrential rain, we arrived on the coast at the end of what must have been a sunny spell, as folk were sitting outside the tea room looking perfectly dry and comfortable. However, the rain, thunder and lighting then proceeded to pass over - but fortunately fairly quickly, leaving us with some long sunny periods and some great cloudscapes over the sea

...and storms all around (Scarborough seemed to have disappeared into a black hole... ). I was quite impressed with this "castle in the air", resembling Glastonbury Tor fashioned from cumulus.

The sort of thing that might have inspired knights of old to set off on quests for the Holy Grail.

There were even a few Red Admirals flying around, but a more unusual (for me) sighting was of seals beaching and basking in the burst of sunshine.

The last day of the break was an improvement, and butterflies even appeared in my sister's garden. The influx of Red Admirals hadn't apparently reached this far north (just the one), and nor had any Peacocks emerged yet. However, there was a bit of variety.

Holly Blues always feature here, and this was the first I'd seen nectaring on a pansy.

It moved to a more usual perch

and then stopped to bask in the sun.

The weather had effectively ruled out any more interesting local excursions, and another wet and stormy afternoon precluded any side trips on the way back. The shower-dodging part of summer 2023 had begun...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking ab.excessa Dave You could be right about the Holly Blue...the field guides need a bit of an update I reckon. For instance the Brown Hairstreak - I remember reading something along the lines that you won't see males, and if you do they won't open up - pretty much most of my shots this year are of males and most opened up

Have a goodun

Wurzel

p.s. love the Castle in the sky

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel. I reckon there's a fair bit of so-called established lore about a whole raft of species that needs a bit of a re-write! Some of it will be because the species' phenology has indeed changed over time, but some will be down to one Victorian's observation on a sunny Sunday in 1867 being taken as gospel for the next 150-odd years...

And yes, it was a good cloud...

17th July, and back to my home patch, where as expected the Big Mow was just being completed when I went out for a look. I had decided to count butterflies to see what difference had been made: in the end it was mostly as I expected. The Essex and Small Skippers had been knocked for six, Brown Argus and Common Blue emergence had been stopped in its tracks, Meadow Browns were somewhat reduced and everything else... was surprisingly largely unaffected.

All the big Nymphalids are to be found on the edges, nectaring on brambles and buddleia, so they were unaffected. Peacocks do bask in the grass, and they continued to do so on the crew-cut sward but had lost their cover. Gatekeepers were also mostly in the hedgerows and were now more concentrated here, especially where wild flowers like fleabane had escaped the cut. Holly Blues pupate on the ground, and those that had earlier been feeding on the goats' rue as larvae presumably had the mower go right over them as pupae. They tend to nectar on bramble rather than meadow flowers, so again would have been unbothered. The butterflies of other species whose habitat had been drastically reduced were strangely concentrated in the small remaining areas with flowers and long grass. Overall, the main loss was in the vast array of nectar sources being much reduced, in any emerging butterflies being caught in the mow, along with any early stages active on their food plants.

Ironically, my count produced the highest total of the year, at nearly 600 individual butterflies, with 18 species represented. At the top of the tree came Red Admirals again, with 118 butterflies, closely followed by Peacocks with a perhaps more staggering 113 individuals. The former species had probably been augmented by immigration from Europe, but all the latter would have been home-grown: the total far exceeds any maximum count I've recorded in previous summers. Quite a contrast with the Small Tortoiseshell - using the same foodplant, and the same batch-laying strategy - so what made the difference?

Holly Blues also produced a high count - 42 butterflies today, almost all males, and many of them puddling on the numerous patches of damp ground. I found them singly...

...in twos...

...threes...

...fours...

...and even fives.

Broader areas contained over a dozen individuals, but not close enough to be photographed together in one shot.

With around 80 each of both Meadow Browns (a big drop on recent days) and Gatekeepers (slightly higher), and highish totals for all three Whites, the vast majority of what was seen today has been covered. In the "reserves" where flowers were left, there were the few Brown Argus and Common Blues...

...Small Copper, Small and Essex Skipper.

Other standouts? A nice Painted Lady...

...Comma...

...and a female Large White.

Dave

[Wurzel]

"down to one Victorian's observation on a sunny Sunday in 1867 being taken as gospel for the next 150-odd years..."

Love seeing the Holly Blues mud puddling...kinda reminds me of a certain event at the end of November

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave , some fantastic shots there That ab is lovely, I've only seen one Small Copper this year and that was in a sorry state, the Holly Blues have had a great year round here, never seen so many mud pudding though Goldie

[millerd]

Yes, Wurzel, a group of like-minded folk having a good old chat and supping at unusual liquids...

Thank you, Goldie - I'm pleased you've also been seeing lots of Holly Blues too. They often come down to damp bits of path here, but I've never seen quite so many doing it at once as I have this year. Delightfully interesting species!

18th July remained warm, but muggy and largely cloudy all day. However, it remained bright enough for my local butterflies - though numbers were a bit lower than the previous day. A selection of the variety the day offered:

A Brimstone roosting awaiting a sunnier moment.

Both male and female Gatekeeper.

Brown Argus and Common Blue.

A Holly Blue not puddling (possibly a female).

Not many more chances to catch this pose, an Essex Skipper.

A couple of Painted Ladies.

Two of the hundred Peacocks, the second one having striking blue markings even allowing for the difference in lighting..

A Speckled Wood.

Finally, often overlooked because of their sheer abundance, Meadow Browns.

Butterfly numbers would gradually start to decline after the peak of the last couple of days, which is almost always in mid-July.

Dave

[millerd]

After the catch-up with my local patch I headed out and about again. On 19th July, I returned To Aston Rowant wondering if anything by way of a Silver-spotted Skipper had joined the Chalkhill Blues. None had, but the Blues were in fine fettle.

There were females too, but they were much more difficult to track down, especially amidst the battalions of Brown Argus.

There were a host of fresh examples of the latter butterfly; the first one is an ab. snelleni...

...and some Common Blues as well, including this nice female.

The also-rans today:

on its last legs

the only skipper seen today

a great contrast with the flower

Dave

[millerd]

I did pop out to the nearest part of my local patch on the afternoon of 19th July, but it had clouded over, and I was limited to enjoying the multiple Commas, Peacocks and Red Admirals on the nearest buddleia.

20th July started very sunny, and I decided to brave the traffic and go down to Bookham again for perhaps some more hairstreaks. I was later in the day than last time, but they were not difficult to find down on the grass and the bracken. They all seemed to be females this time, and were rather more worn now.

White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries were definitely past their best...

...but there were fresh butterflies to be found.

You could almost feel the transition underway to late summer and the appearance in these woods of their final flourish of the year, the Brown Hairstreaks.

Dave

[Allan.W.]

That Brown Argus AB.Snelleni is a beauty Dave ,as is the Small Copper AB.Radiata from a few posts back (though closer to AB.Obsoleta ,for me ) ......................Nice finds and pics ...................Nice One !
Regards Allan.W.

[millerd]

Thank you, Allan - I went with radiata as there were still tiny hints of orange one the hindwings, but as with a lot of these variations you can find the extremes and everything in between as well.

20th July continued...

Having braved the M25 to get to Bookham, I avoided the issue now and headed to Denbies via the scenic route.

What followed was really the Chalkhill Blues Festival (with a few guest appearances). Numbers had built nicely since my last visit and there were good numbers of beautiful new male butterflies to admire. There is quite a bit of variety in this species (in which the Victorian collectors freely indulged, identifying countless "aberrations"). In the meantime, here are the support acts.

There were a couple of attractive female Common Blues...

...and another down in the grass egg-laying on tiny trefoil or vetch plants.

Now for the Chalkhills.

The following butterfly had broad dark forewing borders and was a distinctly deeper shade of blue.

The next one was an example of ab. suavis, with orange spots in the hindwing margins

Some underside views (nothing unusual among them)...

...and last of all, the only female that I was able to approach.

Another full day with some lovely butterflies. Fresh Chalkhill Blues are something special.

Dave

[millerd]

I don't usually flash forward in time to the present in my diary, but I'll make an exception. 20th August: Same venue, a month later... Still lots of Chalkhills at Denbies, but mostly worn now - and in among them was one that was different.

I'll say no more for now and plough on with past accounts of lepidopterous derring-do from the days in between...

21st July and back to the local patch - which after all may lack speciality interest but makes up for it in variety and at this time of year in numbers too.

I've been seeing far more Brimstones pre-hibernation this year than I usually do. One or two is generally it, but I counted nine today. They don't interact with each other at this time of year, but that doesn't stop Large Whites from chasing them: mostly they just nectar.

I may not have Chalkhill Blues nearby, but on the Blues front I see far more Hollies here...

...and probably more Common Blues too.

I managed a trio of Satyrids today - a shame there were no Small Heaths to make it four.

However, most of today's interest was centered on the various buddleia bushes. Some summers, these are almost deserted throughout, save for the odd Red Admiral and Peacock. Today, they were in universal demand.

bialbata with particularly large white spots

diophthalmica

After all that, the buddleia still had a surprise up its purple sleeve. Skulking around towards the back of one of the bushes was something large and orange-brown. It took me a while to work out that it was a species I'd not encountered here in the fifteen years I've been watching the butterflies: a male Silver-washed Fritillary.

I have been told by the good folk at BC (Herts & Middx. branch) that the nearest previous record they have was from Harlington, but this one may have strayed from somewhere in Surrey, Berks or Bucks - all close by. My guess is the woods across the Thames at Runnymede.

That made 24 species recorded here this year so far.

Dave

[Pauline]

That's a great find Dave - if things were different here I'd be asking you whereabouts on the hillside you saw it but as things are .......

[Katrina]

Great sighting!

[trevor]

A once in a blue moon sighting! Half male/half female?.
Top marks for capturing and sharing your find.

[millerd]

Thank you, Pauline. It's a pity you were unlucky and didn't track that Chalkhill down again today - not easy considering how many butterflies are out on that hillside at the moment.

Thank you too, Katrina - I was very pleased with the sighting as you can imagine.

Cheers, Trevor - yes, pretty well half male/half female, though by its behaviour and the shape of the tip of the abdomen, it possibly leaned a bit towards the female side. As you say, not an everyday sight...

Back to July again, and a day that epitomised the month in many people's memories I suspect. July 22nd was cool (19 degrees), cloudy (no sun at all recorded), and a cm of rain fell. I found a few hopeful butterflies waiting for the sun that didn't come today.

Dave

[millerd]

23rd July was a complete contrast to the previous day, with eight sunny hours and 24 degree temperatures. I set out to make the most of it and count the local butterflies again, reaching a total of nearly 400 with 16 species represented. Looking back, numbers have not reached those heights again this year. Here's what it looked like, with a few roundings and estimates of course.

Red Admiral 78
Peacock 68
Holly Blue 52
Gatekeeper 50
Meadow Brown 35
Small White 22
Large White 18
Comma 15
Brown Argus 12
Speckled Wood 8
Brimstone 6
Common Blue 5
GVW 5
Essex Skipper 3
Small Copper 2
Painted Lady 1

Brown Argus are definitely doing better than Common Blues here this year (and elsewhere too from what I've seen). This male appears to be chatting up a ladyfriend...

...and this new male was a really intense colour.

A new male Common Blue as well.

Among the Brimstones was this one with a noticeably larger hindwing spot than usual...

...compared to another nearby.

The buddleias hosted the usual suspects...

...and there was a nice example of a Red Admiral ab. fructa, where the red forewing band is clearly cut by a thick line of black scales.

One of the Peacocks was puddling...

...as of course were good numbers of Holly Blues.

Their total of 52 is possibly the highest I've ever counted. They were everywhere - even looking down on me when they thought I wasn't watching.

However, probably my favourite butterfly was a new Small Copper, sporting the characteristically dusky colours that often appear in the summer generation (and even more so in the heat of Mediterranean areas I believe).

It looked like a glowing ember that would brighten if you blew on it.

Dave