June 2024

[Jack Harrison]

22nd June.  Large White - by no means common up here (I only see two or three a year) - spotted by my wife in the garden, who called me to look.  She is not a butterfly 'nut' but had correctly identified it.  Moreover, it was on Sage flowers, a plant that I had wanted to cut down (to encourage fresh growth) but she persuaded me not to.  It is now a mass of flowers, with buzzing bees and of course, the occasional butterfly.

Jack

[David Lazarus]

Site visit Great Holland Pits 22/06/2024

Target species was a White-letter Hairstreak which duly appeared within 10 minutes of being there, along with the first of three White Admiral:

White Admiral
Great Holland Pits 22/06/2024

However, the three Hairstreak were active during the morning in the canopy but would not come down despite waiting well into the afternoon.

But another couple of White Admiral and three Large Skipper made the trip worthwhile:

White Admiral
Great Holland Pits 22/06/2024

Spoke too soon, part two

... waiting for the first Small & Essex Skipper

Spoke too soon ... a few hours later an Essex Skipper made himself known and allowed me to take some decent photographs for the first sighting of the year. Once again Essex reliably emerged prior to the Small Skipper - well it is Essex.

Back home with bright evening sunshine, I popped over to the meadow in Meadgate Fields to find a Small Skipper had emerged the day after the Essex:

Small Skipper male
Meadgate Fields Open Space 22/06/2024

and a beautiful Comma capped a wonderful day:

Comma
Meadgate Fields Open Space 22/06/2024

[millerd]

Heath Fritillaries are still emerging at Pound Wood in Essex...

...and at nearby Hadleigh Country Park I managed a few WLH and a sighting of an Essex Buzzard too.

Returning home via Box Hill under cloudier skies, there were plenty of Marbled Whites, but still no DGF. This one sat strangely upside down against the light making for an unusual image.

More to come in my PD as and when.

Dave

[David Lazarus]

Site visit Maldon Wick NR 23/06/2024

So proud that I finally got my first photograph of a White-letter Hairstreak, and what is more, a superb in-flight action one too. Not an easy shot to capture using an iPhone 11 Plus with the subject 6 metres high above

White-letter Hairstreak male
Maldon Wick NR 23/06/2024

Off to Stour Wood, Wrabness today to see if one will actually come down for me. You never know, there is an off-chance of the first Silver-washed Fritillary and Purple Emperor of 2024 too - now that would be super-fortunate after the spring we have had.

[Lawts]

Hi, was it Durlston you were at, and were there plenty of Lulworth's out? I'm planning a trip down to see this butterfly this year. Thanks.

I visited Lulworth itself, parked in the village and walked up Bindon Hill and along and down to the Cove and there were very good numbers of Lulworths. I'm not sure about DurlstonI always have it in my mind that it's a 'late site' but they have been recorded at Ballard Down in good numbers. Check out the Dorset branch site as that has reasonably up to date sightings.
https://www.dorsetbutterflies.com/sight ... htings.php

Possibly the easiest place to find them is Corfe Castle in the National Trust car park on the steep bank up to the railway tracks. One year I went and I'd photographed 3 within 30 seconds of leaving the car

I'm sure you'll find them!

Have a goodun

Wurzel
[/quote]

Thanks very much for the info.

[Jack Harrison]

24 June. My first Ringlets of the year up here near Nairn, north Scotland.

Some 75 years ago in south England they were July - lingering into August - butterflies. Of course, global warming has been very significant but I don't think we should discount the less-polluted air these days as a factor behind these earlier emergences.

Jack

[Butterfly_Julian]

An hour wander around the Silver-washed Fritillary area of Stour Wood , Wrabness this lunchtime found 4 on the wing along with White Admiral.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Just back from a week's holiday staying near Dolgellau. We didn't go anywhere specifically looking for butterflies, but we walked through plenty of likely terrain in much sunnier weather than forecast, but saw very few. Something like 3 Small White, 2 Meadow Brown and a Speckled Wood and that's the total for the whole week ! The Mawddach Trail for example had lots of ideal Speckled Wood territory, but none were seen there (plenty of singing Willow Warblers along it though).

I did see a few day-flying moths about. This Olethreutes arcuella was in a beautifully sunny glade in the woods along the Torrent Walk near Brithdir (I only managed one poor snap before it was off though). I also saw a Protodeltote pygarga (Marbled White Spot) and lots of Glyphipterix thrasonella along the boggy path up to the abandoned gold mine buildings beyond the waterfalls above Ganllwyd.

Reasonable numbers of bees, beetles and hoverflies about (although I'd expect to see and hear more of the latter). Some Large Red and Common Blue damselflies around Llyn Cynwch, but no dragonflies seen all week.

Some views out of the B&B bedroom window definitely went some way to compensate though.

[millerd]

There was a cuteness competition amongst the Skippers on my local patch late this afternoon. Not quite fair as the first two were probably out today, but the last one was getting on a bit.

Small:

Essex:

Large:

Dave

[David Lazarus]

There was a cuteness competition amongst the Skippers on my local patch late this afternoon. Not quite fair as the first two were probably out today, but the last one was getting on a bit.

I do like a Skipper cuteness competition Dave, and what delightful examples you have posted.

Site visit Stour Wood + Copperas Wood 24/06/2024

No joy persuading White-letter Hairstreak to come down for a happy snap as I could not find the Elms, let alone the butterfly.

Yet, after being told there could not be a Silver-washed Fritillary at Great Holland Pits two days ago, when there most certainly was [but didn't have the photo to verify it] Stour Wood & Cooperas Wood provided me with the opportunity to get a few photos of this elegant glider:

Silver-washed Fritillary male x 2
Stour Wood 24/06/2024

Two males providing aerial battles and gliding prowess with the odd pit stop on a thistle during the morning at Stour Wood, one more in Copperas Wood, and a third sighting during the afternoon at Stour Wood - which was probably one of the two from the morning's activities.

No joy with my Purple Emperor search, but a single White Admiral was nice.

On the rail embankment between woods, there were 4 Large Skipper and 6 Small Skipper [no Essex that I saw] within the little meadow area, and Meadow Brown, Ringlet, and Large White around the place - not much else.

Large Skipper male
Stour Wood rail embankment 24/06/2024

And this poor fellow had been in the wars as he has already lost one of his diagnostic features:

Small Skipper male
Stour Wood railway embankment 24/06/2024

Well worth the trip to the far north of my range [North Essex] - One Tree Hill, Hatfield Forest, & the South Essex Woods for the rest of the week to see how it is all progressing now the sun has finally come out.

Update Site visit One Tree Hill + Northlands Wood 25/06/2024

I finally stumbled upon my prize at Northlands Wood when I disturbed a female ovipositing on a low branch across the path mid-afternoon:

White-letter Hairstreak
Northlands Wood 25/06/2024

Earlier, the open grasslands of One Tree Hill were full of Meadow Brown [400+], Marbled White & Small Heath [100+], Essex/Small Skipper & Ringlet [40+]:

Marbled White
One Tree Hill 25/06/2024

One particularly caught my eye:

Marbled White
One Tree Hill 25/06/2024

As I was leaving, a 5th instar Peacock larva crossed my path:

Peacock 5th instar larva
One Tree Hill 25/06/2024

A Purple Emperor hunt at Hatfield Forest tomorrow & hopefully lots of gliding Silver-washed Fritillary

[OwenE]

Hi, was it Durlston you were at, and were there plenty of Lulworth's out? I'm planning a trip down to see this butterfly this year. Thanks.

I visited Lulworth itself, parked in the village and walked up Bindon Hill and along and down to the Cove and there were very good numbers of Lulworths. I'm not sure about DurlstonI always have it in my mind that it's a 'late site' but they have been recorded at Ballard Down in good numbers. Check out the Dorset branch site as that has reasonably up to date sightings.
https://www.dorsetbutterflies.com/sight ... htings.php

Possibly the easiest place to find them is Corfe Castle in the National Trust car park on the steep bank up to the railway tracks. One year I went and I'd photographed 3 within 30 seconds of leaving the car

I'm sure you'll find them!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks very much for the info.
[/quote]


I was at bindon hill on Saturday. Huge numbers of lulworth skipper even in cloudy and windy conditions

[Butterfly_Julian]

A lunchtime wander around @EssexWildlife #greathollandpits today.
19 species on the wing.
16 WLH, 14 WA, 1 PE and various No's of SS, LS, SC, SH, C, RA, R, MB, SW, LW, SpW, B, GVW, CB, BA, HB

Highlight was the amount of White Letter Hairstreak , White Admiral and of course finding the Purple Emperor.

This really is a jewel in the crown of Essex wildlife Trust, and so beautifully looked after by Bob Seago.

[David Lazarus]

Site visit Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

The hunt for a Purple Emperor was successful when His Imperial Majesty deigned to grant me a morning audience, with my head bowed down in the mud and outstretched arms trying desperately to get a decent photograph of this stunning butterfly:

Purple Emperor male
Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

Having run after him along the ride 3 times hoping he would give me another meeting, I just could not get the right angle to catch the blue sheen in the sun, but for a first attempt I was very happy with my shots:

Purple Emperor male
Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

The open grasslands at Hatfield Forest were dominated by Meadow Brown [350+] in the scorching temperatures up to 30C with no breeze. The Marbled White were just starting to emerge [25] as were the Small Skipper [3]. The other grassland species, the Small Heath are past their peak and numbers are diminishing [21].

The woodland rides were the highlight for me, not just because I could keep in the shade, but because the cool, damp conditions were ideal for Ringlet, the most I have ever seen at a site [158] as well as 20 Large Skipper, another high for me. But it was too early for Silver-washed Fritillary, and no White Admiral sightings, or Hairstreak.

Ringlet
Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

Large Skipper
Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

And in one of the rides, I came across a female Meadow Brown at last:

Meadow Brown female
Hatfield Forest 26/06/2024

When I arrived back home I went to the oaks in Meadgate Fields Open Space, and the Purple Hairstreak were dancing in the evening sunshine - my first sightings of the year.

[millerd]

Purple Emperors are very much out at Chiddingfold, and the first SWF were also seen there today. No doubt there will be more examples in various PDs before long, but here's a teaser or two.

Dave

[bugboy]

Purple Emperors are very much out at Chiddingfold, and the first SWF were also seen there today. No doubt there will be more examples in various PDs before long, but here's a teaser or two.PE6 270624.JPGPE1 270624.JPG
Dave

Including your one I think we ended the day with 5 on the ground before most of us left after 2pm. A good day even if that ab was a no show.

[Bertl]

Took a wee jaunt to St. Cyrus nnr this morning.

Lots of common blue, ringlet, meadow brown and small heath on the wing despite windy conditions.

Did spot an NBA jousting with a common blue butterfly.....but it disappeared up the hill after the joust.....so no photo opportunity.

Seen around a dozen DGF as they whizzed past me at 100 mph......a couple did stop to rest but only with wings closed despite the sun being out.

Best photos attached.

Bert.

[David M]

Nice DGF undersides there, Bertl.