July 2024

[Testudo Man]

In my opinion, all of your images show hutchinsoni individuals, Paul, for the reason Dave gives and also by jizz.

I've been trying to persuade people to call the 'normal' variety starski but it hasn't caught on! Hutchinson was the blond one ...

Guy

Thanks Guy, "every day is a school day". I confess to only shooting lots of pics of the Commas, because of the lack of hardly any other species on the wing at that time!...maybe it was a good thing, as despite the fact that the Comma is a "bread an butter" overlooked species, one which i hardly ever pay any attention to ...but perhaps, a species that deserves more attention than it gets.

I was born in 1963, so grew up on a diet of 70's/80's American cop shows...but i still had to read your "Starkers an Crutch" reference twice, before it sunk in.
Cheers Paul.

[bugboy]

In my opinion, all of your images show hutchinsoni individuals, Paul, for the reason Dave gives and also by jizz.

I've been trying to persuade people to call the 'normal' variety starski but it hasn't caught on! Hutchinson was the blond one ...

Guy

Thanks Guy, "every day is a school day". I confess to only shooting lots of pics of the Commas, because of the lack of hardly any other species on the wing at that time!...maybe it was a good thing, as despite the fact that the Comma is a "bread an butter" overlooked species, one which i hardly ever pay any attention to ...but perhaps, a species that deserves more attention than it gets.

I was born in 1963, so grew up on a diet of 70's/80's American cop shows...but i still had to read your "Starkers an Crutch" reference twice, before it sunk in.
Cheers Paul.

It's the day length that triggers a caterpillar to transform into a Hutchinsoni rather than a Starski so anything that emerges close enough to the summer solstice to be getting long days and short nights is going to be a hutchinsoni. The trigger telling the insect that there's plenty of time to fit in a second brood. As day length shortens then the Straski form takes dominance again. Of course there's likely a 'grey area' at some point where both forms may appear.

Ps. Guy, I've been using the Starski name on Facebook, doesn't seem to have caught on there yet either.

[Pete Eeles]

Ps. Guy, I've been using the Starski name on Facebook, doesn't seem to have caught on there yet either.

That's because most people are boring - and would prefer to use the nominate name, as in:

<genus><species><subspecies><form> (with the subspecies omitted if there are no relevant subspecies).

So:

Polygonia c-album f. hutchinsoni

and

Polygonia c-album f. c-album

f. starski might just be too amusing to some and make their heads explode

Cheers,

- Pete

[bugboy]

Ps. Guy, I've been using the Starski name on Facebook, doesn't seem to have caught on there yet either.

That's because most people are boring - and would prefer to use the nominate name, as in:

<genus><species><subspecies><form> (with the subspecies omitted if there are no relevant subspecies).

So:

Polygonia c-album f. hutchinsoni

and

Polygonia c-album f. c-album

f. starski might just be too amusing to some and make their heads explode

Cheers,

- Pete

It's the annual Small Skipper/Essex Skipper debacle that's making heads explode at the moment

[millerd]

It's the annual Small Skipper/Essex Skipper debacle that's making heads explode at the moment

At Aston Rowant today, all the Skippers seemed to be Small, including this one with distinctly black tips to its antennae (though you can't see the underneath of them here... ). The male sex brand is definitive, though.

I wasn't there for the Skippers, though, but for the first Chalkhill Blues of the summer.

Also seen: a single Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Large White, GVW, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Small Heath, Dark Green Fritillary and Red Admiral.

A more detailed overview to follow in my PD...

Dave

[Vince Massimo]

Just before midday I found a male Brown Hairstreak on the lawn of my Crawley garden. It had clearly just emerged because its wings were still too soft for sustained flight. I strongly suspect that it was the result of one of the eggs laid last year on my potted Blackthorn which was only 3 metres from where the butterfly was found.

Brown Hairstreak - Crawley, Sussex 18-July-2024

Vince

[Allan.W.]

In our local forest mid-day yesterday ,I stumbled across a Large Tort in classic rest pose about 3 metres up an Aspen trunk ,it had a very large "fat" body .......I reckon that it could be a female . It was about 700-800 metres from the LT that was seen back in late spring.
The same forest has turned up several LT,s in 24' ........and I reckon that they,re breeding.

Allan.W.

[millerd]

Great find, Allan! You did well to be looking up at just the right spot to see that one.

Nothing so exciting on the Surrey downs today - nice female DGF at Box Hill (but no Chalkhills yet)...

...and Chalkhill Blues (but no DGF) at nearby Denbies.

Dave

[Allan.W.]

Thanks Dave , I actually saw it twice 2 hours apart ,when i first spotted it it was about 3m off the ground ,done my usual circuit of the wood and two hours later it was still present........now about 30+m from the ground and still present when i left at 5pm......but not about today.
Allan.W.

[Pete Eeles]

Just before midday I found a male Brown Hairstreak on the lawn of my Crawley garden. It had clearly just emerged because its wings were still too soft for sustained flight. I strongly suspect that it was the result of one of the eggs laid last year on my potted Blackthorn which was only 3 metres from where the butterfly was found.

That's excellent news, Vince!

Cheers,

- Pete

[millerd]

In two very sunny hours this morning before it became really hot, I counted 19 species on my local patch. The grassland had just suffered its annual haircut, concentrating a lot of the butterflies into "refugee camps" where patches had been deliberately left for ground-nesting birds or were just too tricky for the mowing tractors to access. Amongst the still numerous Meadow Browns in one of these, I found my first Brown Argus from the second brood...

...and elsewhere a second brood female Holly Blue investigating a piece of goats' rue just like its own mother had probably done a couple of months or so ago. I didn't get a view of the upperside, but the black spots on the underside hindwing edge looked more prominent than usual.

However, the main highlight today was a Painted Lady, the first I'd seen since early May. It was very active in the sunshine, darting from knapweed to thistle and then setting off in long rapid arcs before finally heading off northwards. I was lucky to get a single shot considering how brief each nectaring stop was.

I'm guessing the plume of continental hot air has brought a few passengers with it - are there any reports of others arriving along the south coast?

Dave

[Bertl]

I haven't been out looking for butterflies for 2 weeks due to the crap weather up here in NE Scotland.......so was glad to get out this morning for a couple of hours before the wind got up and the clouds rolled in.

My first Grayling of the season seen at St Cyrus NNR.....half a dozen on the wing.

Cheers

Bert

[David Lazarus]

19/07/2024 Site visit - Hatfield Forest

After some disappointing site visits, in terms of numbers seen this week, with a really quiet morning at Great Holland Pits yesterday followed by an even quieter afternoon at Friday Wood, I finally had a great day out at Hatfield Forest. As the temperature was forecast to become 30C I got there at 08.30am and planned to walk the woodland rides only. The butterflies were active by the time I got there and within minutes I was seeing the first of 43 Silver-washed Fritillary:

Silver-washed Fritillary male & female
Hatfield Forest 19/07/2024

The composition of butterfly species was much the same in all the rides, with the only variation depending on how damp the ride was. Much of this wet woodland was occupied by Ringlet which remained the most numerous with 350+ counted, followed in descending order by Meadow Brown 150+; Gatekeeper 100+; Large Skipper 50+; Green-veined White 30+; Marbled White 30+; Large White 20+; with equal amounts of Essex & Small Skipper 20+.there were a scattering of Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Brimstone, and some low-flying Purple Hairstreak.

But the star of the show was this female Purple Emperor who I got close and personal with for over 20 minutes as she went about puddling in some wet mud:

Purple Emperor female
Hatfield Forest 19/07/2024

Another six provided me with some flypasts. A memorable day

[millerd]

...But the star of the show was this female Purple Emperor who I got close and personal with for over 20 minutes as she went about puddling in some wet mud...

What a splendid beast that Empress is, David! You really get an impression of the sheer size of the insect from those shots.

Cheers,

Dave

[Testudo Man]

Yesterday (Saturday) 2 local Kent sites visited, but it was real hard going! Target species were 2nd brood Small Blues, of which 8+ were seen. Brimstone numbers were starting to build, 10+ seen. Just 3 CHB's, an 2 Common Blues seen! All the other usual species seen, an nice to see a single Small Copper!
Some highlight pics of the day, only the open wing CHB was cropped, all other images not cropped. Cheers Paul.

Small Blues.

Mating pair seen here being pestered by 2 other males! just after a light rain shower.

Chalk Hill Blue.

Funky head on shot of a Comma, basking up high.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Went to Brighton on Friday in an attempt to finalise a passable wedding outfit for my niece's big day yesterday. I had a smart pair of trousers and shoes already, so the easy bit was M&S for a (non-iron) shirt and tie but then a bit of a trawl for a jacket to either match or contrast (enough) with the trousers. The trawl element was mainly to find one at a reasonable price !

As it was so hot, c. 15% of men had their tops off, not a look I favour nor one I could carry off myself, but the heat did also bring out the butterflies. In the centre and The Lanes, I saw 5 Red Admiral and 3 Small White, fluttering around the hanging baskets and flower boxes. I realise some of these sightings may have been the same individuals though.

When I got home I went for a late afternoon stroll. Still plenty of butterflies about, including a very fresh looking Peacock and a Small Copper. Lots of Red Admiral and Comma.

In the garden, a leaf-cutting bee has excavated a hole in the soil of a potted heuchera and is working very hard constructing her nest.

(And at the wedding yesterday, nobody noticed - or commented at least - that my jacket wasn't quite the same shade as my trousers).

[David M]

In our local forest mid-day yesterday ,I stumbled across a Large Tort in classic rest pose about 3 metres up an Aspen trunk...

Fantastic find, Allan. Great to see.

[Pete Eeles]

In our local forest mid-day yesterday ,I stumbled across a Large Tort in classic rest pose about 3 metres up an Aspen trunk ,it had a very large "fat" body .......I reckon that it could be a female . It was about 700-800 metres from the LT that was seen back in late spring.
The same forest has turned up several LT,s in 24' ........and I reckon that they,re breeding.

Nice find! It will definitely be worth exploring local elms next year for larval webs, given the number of sightings. Irrespective of the origin, it would be good to see more evidence of breeding.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Allan.W.]

Thanks Dave and Pete ,
As i,ve already mentioned there have been several sightings of LT ,in Orlestone ,East Blean (+full grown larvae ) and a garden in Mersham where a LT has been noted on 3 days,last seen flying around an upstairs room ,presumably looking to hibernate. Also found in the Park farm area ,Kingsnorth (Ashford) Kent ,where 1 (or 2?) were found back in the Spring.
Not really any Elm in the close environs( barring the small leaved variety ) of Orlestone forest (that I know of ) although it manages to cling on......just ! along the Royal mil;canal which is within about 2-3 miles as the crow (or LT)flies . I reckon that they have bred locally ........Guessing on Sallow .
If you're interested there are a few mentions of local (Kent)LT including feeding larvae pics on the "Kent Butterflies"facebook page ,you'll have to go back a bit though. I believe some other "UK Butterfly " are members ..........I'm not !

[Allan.W.]

Just thought of a couple of other LT possibles ,back in late Spring I flushed a very large Ginger coloured butterfly from a ride in a completely different section of Orlestone ,it got up from directly in front of me and tore off ,before i could get my bins on it .......fairly confident that this was a LT.
I also had two .......(best described as possibles) in the Deal area last week, inc; one in the garden of Walmer Castle .
Allan.W.