May 2024

[millerd]

My second bite at the Cotley Hill cherry today resulted in a varied selection of Marsh Fritillaries (and an array of other species too).

Though no two ever seem to look the same, this one stood out as being a bit different.

A full report coming to my PD in a little while...

Dave

[bugboy]

My second bite at the Cotley Hill cherry today...

Dave

I could have waved to you if I'd known! Here's a little something I found a few miles north west of you

It will appear at some point in my diary but not for a while, I appear to have caught a case of Wurzelitis again

[David M]

That's a particularly striking aberration, Paul.

[Maximus]

I could have waved to you both from thirty miles south west Nice ab. BB

Report to follow in my PD soon.

[Katrina]

Nice find Paul!
Great shot Maximus!

[zigzag_wanderer]

On Friday I stuck to the local Weald rather than venturing up the Downs. No rain but sunshine was at a premium until later in the afternoon. Not many butterflies about: 7-8 each of Speckled Wood, Small White/GVW and Small Heath, circa 5 for Red Admiral and Brimstone, 3 Large White, 2 Holly Blue. No other blues seen.

There were a lot of Yellow-barred Long-horn moths about, including at least eight on one nettle patch .... although I doubt there's any truth in the rumour their antennae have been steadily shrinking since Radio Luxemburg stopped transmitting.

Demoiselles were out in force along the Herrings Stream and other local tendrils of the River Adur. Mostly of the Beautiful variety, but there is one small stretch, immediately to the west of the Cuckfield Road where Banded predominate every year, I guess the stream bed or flow there must be slightly different. I spent some time watching them - they are ferociously agile hunters, mayflies and their like were plucked from the air with consummate ease. I saw only two dragonflies, both chasers, one was a Broad-bodied and I think the other a Four-spotted.

Walking back over the Downs after archaeology yesterday (starting off around 4:30 pm), I saw hundreds of Small Heath, a good number of whites and Red Admiral, a handful of Brimstone and one Wall. Again, no blues....not even a late afternoon Holly. Yet to see a Painted Lady this year. Corn Buntings and Meadow Pipits still in decent numbers thankfully.

From the Downs, the wind farm and any boats off Brighton always appear to be floating in the sky to me. I need to get out more (oh, hold on...).

[Ian Pratt]

Seen yesterday at Mottistone Down Isle of Wight.

[Ian Pratt]

Why do Adonis blues love dog poo!

[David M]

Sunday 26th, Fairwood Common, Gower:

Marsh Fritillary 2
Green Hairstreak 2
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary 1

[Ian Pratt]

Recently I have been visiting gardens, nature reserves and downland in Kent and Sussex. I have been upset by the lack of butterflies and dragonflies. Is it the same in other parts of the country? Perhaps the very wet March and April have not helped.

[Katrina]

Beautiful Common Blue photo Ian.
I have not been out of sussex apart from Hutchinson’s Bank but small blues all over the place there.
I agree numbers seem down in Sussex

[David M]

Recently I have been visiting gardens, nature reserves and downland in Kent and Sussex. I have been upset by the lack of butterflies and dragonflies. Is it the same in other parts of the country? Perhaps the very wet March and April have not helped.

Yes. It's been dire round my way too, Ian. A second successive filthy March and poor April has clearly had an effect.

[Jack Harrison]

Old man's butterflying.  27th May

Like many mature people, I often have a siesta.  I woke at 2.30 pm to watch an Orange Tip egg laying on the Sweet Rocket (aka Dame's Violet) just outside the bedroom. 

It's not a fluke that the plants are growing there, but I had never quite expected this sort of good fortune.

Jack

[MrSp0ck]

Recently I have been visiting gardens, nature reserves and downland in Kent and Sussex. I have been upset by the lack of butterflies and dragonflies. Is it the same in other parts of the country? Perhaps the very wet March and April have not helped.

Things were late at Hutchinsons Bank, but now everything is out at once, lots of Glanvilles around at the moment, but with at least 54 larval webs there would be. Its the Small Blue capital for the UK, so they will be everywhere. Brimstones everywhere too. The layout at Hutchinsons Mirrors Mottistone Down very closely, a steep SW facing slope with flat fields at the base.

[Jack Harrison]

28th May. Up here, male Orange Tips still flying - very late by modern standards.

Jack

[zigzag_wanderer]

Was another soft day here yesterday (31st May). No butterflies, but I did see another Yellow-barred Long-Horn moth in the garden. A female this time, with much shorter antennea. Like Silver-Y it seems a good year for these little beauties. It may just be that I'm now looking for them.

At work last week, I saw very few butterflies, but a few moths, mainly Silver-Y and Cinnabar but also Brimstone, a "Geoff" and a Bee Moth. On Thursday I saw my first ever Snakefly. I thought it was an alderfly at first - we get plenty of those, but I'm glad I went to check. It reminds me a little of the (in)famous "surgeon's photo" of Nessie.

[millerd]

As we go into June, and comments are made about the weather so far this year, I thought a look at the actual figures for May would be interesting (those for my local patch near Heathrow anyway).

The average daily maximum temperature for May 2024 was 19.6 degrees. This is over a degree above the 1990-2020 average of 18.4 degrees. The figures for recent years were: 2020 - 21.1; 2021 - 16.5; 2022 - 20.2; 2023 - 18.6.

Sunshine hours for 2024 were 164.2, compared with the 1990-2020 average of 207.5.
The figures for recent years: 2020 - 308.6 (a record); 2021 - 131.9; 2022 - 155.3; 2023 - 196.6.

Rainfall (in mm) for 2024 was 54.4, compared to the 1990-2020 average of 45.9.
The totals for recent years: 2020 - 2.0 (yes, virtually none all month!); 2021 - 84.6; 2022 - 34.2; 2023 - 38.4.

Overall then, May followed the pattern established in March and April of being warmer than average, but wetter and noticeably duller.

However, memories are short, as just three years ago May 2021 was clearly far worse than May 2024 (though that one came after the truly exceptional May of 2020).

Obviously other parts of the UK will have different stories to tell, but I always like to contrast the realities of the stats with the perceptions one has of things.

Dave

[Benjamin]

Great stuff Dave!

I think this is very useful as memories are indeed very short - often only extending as far back as the previous week if the conversations I have with people are anything to go by! This does seem especially true when this amnesia gives us Brits an opportunity to grumble - we do love a grumble!

[millerd]

Cheers, Ben - I'm glad I'm not alone in wanting to cut through some of the misinformation we come across.

A broader factual view of the whole of this spring across the UK is at the end of this link:
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/n ... for-the-uk

Dave

[Ian Pratt]

Thanks for all the meteorological information. Despite this my experience is that there is a dearth of insects of all sorts here on the Isle of Wight.