May 2024

[Bertl]

It was a lovely sunny day in Grantown on Spey and there were a few butterflies on the wing including orange tip, speckled wood, comma, peacock, green veined white and small copper.

Most of them were too active for me to get any decent photos apart from a couple of small coppers.

[Wolfson]

The spring brood of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is well under way in west Cornwall. Yesterday morning’s light winds made photography much easier.

[millerd]

Adonis Blues were easy to see on Denbies Hillside this morning.

Though the males do vary a bit in shade and marginal markings, this one had the most pronounced series of marginal black dots I have ever seen.

As a particularly extreme variation it may qualify as ab. puncta

Also seen: Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Peacock and Brimstone.

Dave

[David Lazarus]

Site visit 19/05/2021 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadow

On a scorching day 131 butterflies were seen of which 105 were Small Heath, would you believe.

Small Heath
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadow West

There were also many small moths in the Meadows, the day-flying moths Burnet Companion, Common Carpet, and Grass Rivulet:

Burnet Companion
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadow West

Common Carpet
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadow West

Less Wall Brown along the bridleway than last week and they were reluctant to open their wings:

Wall Brown
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

Wall Brown
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

one of the males had a line rather than a dot on the underwing, which was a bit different:

Wall Brown
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

One of the highlights was finding a beautiful female Orange-tip nectaring on a mustard plant:

Female Orange-tip
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

and then continuing with the main activity of the day:

Female Orange-tip ovipositing on mustard
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

There were also some tatty-looking female Green-veined White but there was a fresh-looking one that caught my attention:

Female Green-veined White
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Johnson's Meadows

And there were notably less male Orange-tip and Green-veined White searching for a mate, and when they did find one it was not always successful:

Green-veined White
19/05/2024 Langdon Hills - Willow Park

Red Admiral 1
Brimstone 3 females
Large White 2
Orange-tip 2 females and 3 males
Green-veined White 2 females and 4 males
Wall Brown 3 males
Speckled Wood 3
Small Heath 105
Holy Blue 3

and there was one Small Copper and a Painted Lady in nearby Langdon Hills - Dry Street Pastures along with more Small Heath, Burnet Companion, and Silver Y [30 across the 2 sites].

[Bertl]

PBF and GVW at Deeside near Ballater

[zigzag_wanderer]

Bertl: You've certainly got some lovely butterflies up there.

David: Well done on tracking down your Essex grizzlie ! Also top stuff with your earlier collection of day-flying May moths.

I took another wander down to Wolstonbury yesterday. Common Carpet and Brimstone numbers slightly down on the previous week, Small Heath and Red Admiral definitely up. Still no Common or Adonis Blue, but there were around 10 Small Blue and a single Brown Argus. Also 4 or 5 Wall. Few more Dingies about, but I've yet to see a Grizzlie this year. I did see my first Small Copper of the year at work today though and there were quite a few Cinnabar too.

[millerd]

Small Blues appear to be doing really well this year at Pitstone Local Wildlife Site (aka the old chalk quarry).

More to follow from this morning's visit in my PD in a little while.

Dave

[Charles Nicol]

Only two Grizzled Skippers at Little Paxton today... but i did see my first Brown Argus of the year

[aeshna5]

Paid a visit across town to Hutchinson's & Chapel Banks, my first dedicated butterfly trip of the year. Overall butterfly numbers seemed lower than normal despite warm, sunny conditions for a second day.

2 Green-veined White
2 Small/GV White
17 Brimstone
3 Speckled Wood
7 Small Heath
male Common Blue
14 Small Blue
5 Holly Blue
3 Green Hairstreak
Comma
3 Glanville Fritillary
Grizzled Skipper
7 Dingy Skipper
2 Duke of Burgundy.

Also Mother Shipton & several Burnet Companions, Common Carpets & Mint Moths.

[David Lazarus]

The first Common Blue seen in Chelmsford for 2024:

Common Blue male
20/05/2024 Baddow Meads

And, perhaps more importantly, the first recorded sighting of a Wall Brown in Chelmsford possibly for quite some time - hopefully the start of Wall Brown being seen more often inland within Essex:

Wall Brown male
20/05/2024 Pheasanthouse Farm, Danbury Ridge

And, a stunning fresh Small Copper in Lingwood Common topped off a great day:

Small Copper male
20/05/2024 Lingwood Common, Danbury Ridge

[Testudo Man]

Last Sunday was spent at a local Kent site, arrived at 3.00pm (3+ hours out in the field). Target species were - Adonis/Small/Common Blues, also Brown Argus.
All were seen, but not many numbers!! Adonis - 3 males/1 female...Common Blues - 5 males/1 female...Small Blues - 5+ seen...Brown Argus - 2 mating pairs, 5+ others seen. Other species of note were - Dingy Skippers - 5+, Grizzlies - 5+. Speckled Wood - 3. Small Heath - 5+.

Some highlight pics, cheers Paul. Only image cropped, the 1st "shimmering" Adonis, all other images not cropped.

The unmistakable shimmer of a male Adonis.

Small Blue.

2 mating pairs of Brown Argus.

Male Adonis.

[Bertl]

More PBF, GVW and speckled wood butterfly on Deeside this morning.

[Allan.W.]

Had no internet for a while now ,so heres a few highlights . At Dungeness huge numbers of Small Copper on the wing ,and they seem to be continuessly emerging ,on a two hour circular circuit we counted 315 ,heres a worn Radiata.

At the last local Grizzle site ,they,re still hanging on ....just ! of the twelve different individuals i,ve photographed ,all (bar one) have been Abberant
their hard to find,my best count has only been 3.....in about an hour and a half .
Things are gladly in hand for next season and hopefully some restoration is now on the cards.

Allan.W.

[Jack Harrison]

Splendid PBF photos BertI that make me feel quite nostalgic.

In the 1980s when I lived in Banchory, I would find PBFs to the west of Potarch Bridge on the Dee.  But a search about seven years ago drew a blank.  I believe that further up the valley above Braemar is more reliable these days but can't confirm.

Small PBFs were always found more widely.

Jack

[Bertl]

Thanks for your comments Jack.

There is a great spot to see them in the Cambus o may woodland.

I have been going there to see them for the past few years at this time in May.

I revisit early June to the same spot where the SPBF are on the wing.

Bert.

[Jack Harrison]

Thanks BertI.

But I doubt I could manage Cambus o May due to my limited mobility these days. But it's nice to know that PBFs are still in Deeside.
A spot for PBF I was told about iss Morrone Birkwood just to the west of Braemar.

Let me know if when you plan a visit again to Logie Steading. I was there today and even in the murky weather, the gardens looked stunning.
You obviously know the spot. Walking to the gardens and back from the main parking is on my range limits.

I am ever hopeful that Holly Blue might turn up there. Habitat is good.

Jack

[David M]

...At the last local Grizzle site ,they,re still hanging on ....just ! of the twelve different individuals i,ve photographed ,all (bar one) have been Abberant...

Those aberrants are fabulous, Allan, as is your count of Small Coppers!!

[Allan.W.]

Thanks David !................they,re still hanging on ......just ! Allan.W.

[David Lazarus]

The first Brown Argus of the year has emerged in Chelmsford - looks like a female that has already had a few scrapes:

Brown Argus female
23/05/2024 Baddow Meads

And it was in the company of a couple of male Small Copper who gave me a fantastic aerial display in-between nectaring on the Meadow Buttercups Ranunculuc acris:

Small Copper male
23/05/2024 Baddow Meads

This one was particularly small:

Small Copper male
23/05/2024 Baddow Meads

It definitely feels like the transition from overwintering species, Spring species, and those with Spring broods to the Summer species and migrants here in Chelmsford. Gone are the numerous Peacock we had this Spring, and the numbers of Green-veined White has diminished. I do not expect to see many more Orange-tip now which is a shame. However.......I did find an important example of a female Orange-tip nectaring on the early bramble flowers:

Orange-tip female
23/05/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

For those of you who have read my earlier posts regarding my sightings of female Orange-tip here in Meadgate you may know what I am on about. Her importance lies in the fact that she is the first and only female Orange-tip I have found within a 2 kilometre radius of Meadgate Fields Open Space this Spring with a black apical tip and discoidal spots. After finding only 5 female Orange-tip ab. decolorata within the site and one in Baddow Meads without finding a single example of the species, I have finally found one.

Not sure what that means, but I was excited anyway.

What I am also seeing is a new emergence of fresh Speckled Wood. For some reason, I came across a couple of males on three occasions spread out within Meadgate Fields Open Space - maybe they just like an occasional aerial fight - all fresh and looking very handsome [for now]:

Speckled Wood male
23/05/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

And lastly, another sighting of one of my favourite moths, the superb Latticed Heath:

Latticed Heath
23/05/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

There was another very creamy female Small White in the wildflower meadow here in my gardens, and there was a beautiful female Holly Blue which entertained me with wings wide open but out of reach of my mobile as if she knew something.

Meadgate, Chelmsford totals for a couple of unexpected hours of sunshine this afternoon:
1 Red Admiral
1 Small White female
1 Green-veined White male
1 Orange-tip female
6 Speckled Wood all male
1 Small Heath
6 Holly Blue 1 female
1 Brown Argus female
2 Small Copper male
1 Latticed Heath and a single Silver Y in the Box hedging I was clipping.... oops sorry lucky escape

[Bertl]

Small blue and my first red admiral of the season at Glamis this morning.