August 2024

[Devon Dave]

Got my first Brown Hairstreak of 2024 down here in Devon yesterday, but not sure if Male or Female as it did not open its wings before flitting off and not returning for full identification.But great to see one in the brief spells of sunshine we managed yesterday, like the return of a long lost freind.

[David M]

Fairly confident that's a male, Dave. Know what you mean when you say 'return of a long lost friend'.

[Wolfson]

I see a fair few Small Pearl- bordered Fritillary and appreciate how variable they can be but not encountered one like this before. Shame I didn’t see it before the damage.

[Testudo Man]

Last Sunday (4/8/24) was spent at 2 Kent sites, an 8+ hours out in the field. Good to see some more 2nd brood Common Blues on the wing, with several female an a mating pair too. A couple of brown female Common Blues seen, which is nice, as most are various colours of blue these days!
2nd brood Brown Argus seen, but very low numbers for this time of the year.
It was all about the Silver Spotted Skippers though, an at the 2nd site visited, up to 7 seen, of which all were males. SSS's are a favourite of mine, so i do go out of my way, to try to capture some nice images of them. Some highlight pics of the day, all images are cropped some, except the 1st SSS pic, which is not cropped. Hopefully i can return to this site on Sunday, to continue the 'chase of the Skippers'...maybe a few females will be on the wing too.
Cheers Paul.

Silver Spotted Skipper nectaring (male).

Another SSS nectaring (male).

A superb fresh 2nd brood blue female Common Blue.

A fresh female 2nd brood Brown Argus.

[David M]

...A superb fresh 2nd brood blue female Common Blue.,,

That's a good one!

[millerd]

A brand new Comma destined for hibernation seen this morning on my local patch just as it started to cloud over. It must have just emerged, as there was a drop of meconial fluid on the leaf just below the butterfly.

Among the 11 species seen altogether today were several new Holly Blues...

...and some fairly fresh Common Blues and Brown Argus.

Dave

[zigzag_wanderer]

No butterflies but there were definitely a few funnel clouds trying to become mini-twisters over Brighton on Wednesday morning as I was on my way to archaeology. I don't think any actually made it to the ground, but very interesting to watch them develop.

I got quite a good film of one. I was tracking a likely looking funnel cloud, which was like the inverted pyramid in my second snap and then suddenly saw a small column of twisting cloud form well below it (about 1/3 of the way to the ground), this twisting cloud then very quickly worked its way upwards to join the main cloud base.

Wonderful to see nature put on a show like that.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Here's some screenshots from the video I took.

[bugboy]

A disappointing couple of hours on Box Hill this afternoon looking for Silver-spotted Skippers, located just two who both scarpered before I could even raise my camera. Small Skippers are still relatively numerous with many still looking fresh.

[David M]

No butterflies but there were definitely a few funnel clouds trying to become mini-twisters over Brighton on Wednesday morning as I was on my way to archaeology. I don't think any actually made it to the ground, but very interesting to watch them develop...

Ominous stuff, ZZW. These things are to be feared.

Reach the ground and you are in big trouble if caught in their path.

[millerd]

They were a little while in appearing, but a few Brown Hairstreaks eventually popped up today at a well-known site on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border...

...along with more Walls than I'd ever seen at this location before...

...and even a few elderly DGF.

More in my PD in a couple of weeks...

Dave

[aeshna5]

We did a circuit on the northern part of Chobham Common.

Good numbers of Grayling (27 counted) only outnumbered by Gatekeeper (52).

Low numbers of other species with 6 Meadow Brown, 3 Small/GV White, 2 Large Skipper, 2 Peacock & singletons of Comma & Small Copper.

Good variety of Odonata including 3 Keeled Skimmers & several Emerald Damselflies which have probably fully disappeared from Middx.

Other insects noted included Stripe-winged & Mottled Grasshoppers, Bee Wolves & Sand-wasps.

Quiet for birds but Red Kite, 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrel & an obliging Hobby, several Stonechats, 2 Woodlark & a Raven over.

The Common looking at its best in full flower with Ling, Bell & Cross-leaved Heath & Dwarf Gorse.

[David M]

Never been so glad to see a Meadow Brown today!

First butterfly I've witnessed nectaring from flowers in my garden this whole summer.

Both Large & Small White on my neighbour's nearby buddleia.

You have to take what you can get this year!

[Devon Dave]

First sighting of the second brood of Dingy Skippers spotted in Devon on Friday 9th August being a welcome appearance after a shocking wet ,grey, cool summer down here.

[David M]

Sunday 11th, Port Eynon, Gower:

The agony goes on! Just 6 species...and no vanessids whatsoever!

Meadow Brown 48
Hedge Brown 20
Common Blue 20
Large White 15
Small White 13
Small Copper 1

[millerd]

Sunday 11th, Port Eynon, Gower:

The agony goes on! Just 6 species...and no vanessids whatsoever!

Meadow Brown 48
Hedge Brown 20
Common Blue 20
Large White 15
Small White 13
Small Copper 1

There has been a drop off in Vanessids round my way recently too, David. There have been precious few Small Tortoiseshells anyway this year, and the lack of migrants has all but removed Painted Ladies from the scene and has reduced Red Admirals to locally bred examples. These are currently between broods, as are the Commas - and the Peacocks have gone into hibernation.

I was looking back at the same time last year (mid-August) and came across your post from the same location as the one above - it makes an interesting comparison. Ten species instead of six...

Tuesday 15th, Port Eynon, Gower:

Meadow Brown 40-60
Common Blue 30-40
Small White 20-30
Hedge Brown 8
Large White 6
Red Admiral 2
Brown Argus 2
Wall Brown 2
Speckled Wood 1
Brimstone 1

Cheers,

Dave

[millerd]

In sunny and very warm conditions (even before 1000) at Denbies today, I managed to find a few Silver-spotted Skippers...

...and even fewer Adonis Blues.

Still plenty of Chalkhills, with several pairings and new-looking examples of both sexes, and even one or two Marbled Whites and a DGF.

However, a less expected bonus was a female Brown Hairstreak in a dogwood bush, probably hiding from the sunshine.

More to come in my PD in due course.

Dave

[zigzag_wanderer]

No butterflies but there were definitely a few funnel clouds trying to become mini-twisters over Brighton on Wednesday morning as I was on my way to archaeology. I don't think any actually made it to the ground, but very interesting to watch them develop...

Ominous stuff, ZZW. These things are to be feared.

Reach the ground and you are in big trouble if caught in their path.

It was certainly very surreal to step off the 24 bus and immediately be confronted by the very long funnel cloud seen in my first photo. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing nor get to my camera quickly enough ! I thought it was a full-on tornado at first because my view to the ground was blocked by trees. Even though the several funnel clouds I saw spawn weren't very wide, I'm sure they would have caused some localised damage if they had touched down.

I've read somewhere that we have the highest number of tornadoes per square mile. That must only be that if we have one, someone will spot it !

[Bertl]

Half a dozen peacock butterfly, a couple of tortoiseshell butterfly and a couple of comma butterfly seen on a visit to logie steading near Forres today.

No red admiral butterfly on the wing.

Comma wouldn't land close enough for a photo .

[David M]

Nice to see those Small Torts, Bertl.

I've seen just three all year in my local area. They are vanishing.