The Lizard - Second Brood Small Pearls
My main target on this trip was second brood Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. My understanding is that The Lizard and some other locations in West Cornwall and on the towans of the north coast are still the only locations where these have a regular second brood, which can often be larger than the first brood. Other locations, including further inland in Cornwall, may have a second brood but this is often just partial or completely absent. Given the fact that I haven't been down here for three years and considering the poor weather that many areas , including Cornwall, had earlier in the season, I was curious to find out if I could still find them as easily as I did in past visits.
My first chance was on the afternoon of the Monday (August 5th). The morning had been a bit murky with low cloud and a drifting sea mist so we did a bit of touristy stuff which kept Jane happy. Later in the afternoon it cleared up a bit, still cloudy but with a varying thickness that sometimes allowed the sun to be seen as a faint disc above the clouds. It was quite warm too with temperatures varying from high teens to 20 degrees or so, although there was also a stiff breeze.
One of the spots where I had reliably found Small Pearls in the past was around Enys Head which is on the east side of the peninsular roughly half way between Cadgwith and Poltescu. I could have walked there from our B&B but decided to drive round to the National Trust car park at Poltescu from where I could walk to the coast path and have a shorter walk to Enys Head, thereby giving me more time to explore the area around the head.
I soon started to see lots of butterflies, mostly Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns and Large and Small Whites but didn't pay these much attention as I can see these at home. Arriving at the head itself it was apparent that the exposed slopes were catching the full force of the wind and any butterfly taking to the air was immediatly whisked away. In conditions like these you need to work any sheltered hollows and the leeward side of rocky outcrops and in doing so I was pleased to find my other two targets, but more on those in my next report.
To the south side of Enys Head there is an undercliff area which I had actually never checked before, having found SPBF on the slopes of the head itself easily enough. With the wind blowing across the head today, I figured that this area looked more sheltered and had a promising look so I zig-zagged my way along some animal tracks down to it.
- Area to the south side of Enys Head.
There were lots more Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns plus a few Common Blues down here and then I spotted a brighter orange butterfly, a male SPBF.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Enys Head 05.08.2024
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Enys Head 05.08.2024
In the end I found another couple of males, both looking a bit worse for wear and a nice looking female before making my way back up and slowly wandering back to the car.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Enys Head 05.08.2024
The next day (Tuesday August 6th) was a much brighter and warmer day with lots of blue sky once the early cloud had moved on. We went into Lizard village and walked down to the lighthouse on the morning and then in the afternoon Jane said I could disappear off somewhere. I decided to go to Kynance Cove, or rather the undercliff area to the south of the cove which has always proved productive in the past.
Kynance Cove itself was heaving with holidaymakers, which I suppose is only to be expected on a warm sunny afternoon in peak holiday season, and the coast path to Lizard Point was also very busy, but once down in the undercliff area I was on my own.
- Undercliff Area to the south of Kynance Cove.
This area was exactly as I remembered it from my last visit three year ago and I soon spotted Small Pearls flitting about in the warm afternoon sun. There was a light breeze which combined with the occasional cloud slowed them down enough for them to land and bask enabling me to sneak up and get some photos. It was difficult to tell exact numbers due to how any one individual could be seen to fly over the whole area but I reckon that a conservative count of 12-15 would not be far wrong. Most were males in varying condition from well worn to fresh looking and there were also a few nice females to be found.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Kynance Cove 06.08.2024
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Kynance Cove 06.08.2024
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Kynance Cove 06.08.2024
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Kynance Cove 06.08.2024
One male in particular caught my attention as being more faintly marked than usual.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Kynance Cove 06.08.2024
On Wednesday afternoon I returned to the area around Enys Head which I had visited on Monday. Once again it had turned windy and with this wind having changed to come from the south, the undercliff area was now more exposed. It was another cloudy afternoon and had turned a bit cooler and this time I only found two Small Pearls, a worn male that could easily have been one of the worn ones I saw on Monday and a female that was definitely a different one to Mondays female.
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Enys Head 07.08.2024
- Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Enys Head 07.08.2024
The weather on the Thursday (8th) was wet and murky with mizzle and light rain all day so I didn't get chance to look at any other locations. The Small Pearls certainly seemed to be doing well enough by Kynance Cove but I didn't really see enough to judge how they were doing elsewhere. Still, I was well chuffed to see those I did and to catch up with a species I had not seen for three years.
As mentioned above, I also saw my other two targets here and elsehere so these will feature in my next post.
To be continued...
Neil.
I've said it before but I love that Essex shot, peering out from amid the petals 
I wonder what the factors are that trigger such a reliable second brood in that part of Cornwall. It's reliably mild (and wet) all year round - the more so the further southwest you go - so perhaps that's a part of it.
Cracking Small Pearls Neil