February Butterfly sightings

[Dave McCormick]

Zilch here yet, but I'll keep a lookout and hope to see something soon.

[eccles]

A slightly tatty looking peacock briefly seen near Blagdon Lake, Somerset today.

[Trev Sawyer]

Two Peacocks on Saturday out cycling near Cambridge
...no pics tho' they didn't hang around...

Hey Nick,
Presumably, they pedaled off, ringing their bells as they went?


Trev

[Charles Nicol]

Two Peacocks on Saturday out cycling near Cambridge
...no pics tho' they didn't hang around...

Hey Nick,
Presumably, they pedaled off, ringing their bells as they went?


Trev

Did they look like this ?

peacockonbike3.JPG (34.28 KiB) Viewed 1166 times

Charles

[Matsukaze]

I remember some photos from late last summer of Peacocks (mostly) in an appalling state, with shredded wings and missing many scales, probably because they had emerged from the pupa in the worst of the summer rain. Are these likely to be the same tatty Peacocks people are seeing now?

[tmhotten]

Near the end of the month but the beautiful spring weather is bound to produce some hibernators so I wasn't surprised to see a male Brimstone flying at Wisley Gardens. Quite what he would make of the Blue Morphos in the Glasshouse is another matter.

Terry Hotten

[jellyang]

I spotted a very confused looking Peacock today. It fluttered quite close to my Grandaughters face.
We have had some reasonable days here in Norfolk but today was overcast , breezy & quite chilly.
Still it was a nice suprise!


Angie

[Crispin]

Small White - University of Sussex, Falmer.
Also a Brimstone (m) Kingston near Lewes, E Sussex

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
I spent a very pleasant afternoon walking around some local woods with a West Sussex County Council Ranger, looking at ways of improving some areas for the benefit of Pearl-bordered Fritillary. In the warm, sunny conditions we saw our first butterflies of the year - a pair of Comma getting frisky. Battered or not, this one put a big smile on my face!
Neil

[Vince Massimo]

We had the warmest day of the year down here in Crawley on Friday 27th February (14 Degrees) and therefore a lot of butterfly activity. In total there were 7 on the wing - 3 Red Admiral, 2 Comma, a Male Brimstone and a possible Peacock. I also have a Peacock still hibernating in the shed.

[Jack Harrison]

a pair of Comma getting frisky. Battered or not, this one put a big smile on my face!

My train of though is getting thoroughly confused. So apologies for the muddled thinking.

Haven't spoken for a while. How is the new lady fried Neil?

Jack

[Dave McCormick]

Went out today as it was the warmest day this year here as far as I know. The sun was shining and hoped to see a butterfly of somekind. Saw none at all even though though minus the odd rain shower the weather seemed right to see butterflies, not sure why I never saw any. I got caught in rain showers as they passed, but I got this rainbow though (I ran into a middle of a large field and shot it while getting rained on):




Edit: Its March now, not february. Hoping March is more eventful on butterflies than february for me.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Jack,
She's taking a serious interest in butterflies (even came out hunting Brown Hairstreak eggs in January) and has already declared Adonis Blue as her favourite. That's just from looking at photos (which seldom do the species 'justice'), so I'm sure that the real thing will have her bowled over.
Neil

[Jack Harrison]

Adonis Blue is one of my favourites but sadly, we don't get them anywhere near here.

Once she "notices" (although undoubtedly seen before) a male Orange Tip, she will be really hooked. I think that is my absolute favourite simply because it means that spring really has arrived. Six weeks to go I reckon.

My Orange Tip pupae are still hibernating in the fridge. I don't bring them out until well into April as otherwise they are apt to emerge unsuitably early. I once deliberately kept one pupa in the fridge over two winters and it happily emerged the best part of two years after it was an egg. I wonder how many years would be possible?

Jack

[FISHiEE]

Why do scientists bother ploughing millions into Cryogenic Freezing when we already have your fridge Jack?

[Dave McCormick]

Adonis Blue is one of my favourites but sadly, we don't get them anywhere near here.

Once she "notices" (although undoubtedly seen before) a male Orange Tip, she will be really hooked. I think that is my absolute favourite simply because it means that spring really has arrived. Six weeks to go I reckon.

My Orange Tip pupae are still hibernating in the fridge. I don't bring them out until well into April as otherwise they are apt to emerge unsuitably early. I once deliberately kept one pupa in the fridge over two winters and it happily emerged the best part of two years after it was an egg. I wonder how many years would be possible?

Jack

its the conditions around the pupae that can make the OT's overwinter two yeara before they hatch out as adults. I am still waiting for mine to emerge this month, but I am not sure how long an egg could survive. I know the green oak tortrix can surviv 7 years as a pupae before it hatches as an adult, depending on contiditons outside.

I have had my OT pupae since last July or start of August. When do you think it will emerge as an adult?

[Jack Harrison]

Dave

I have had my OT pupae since last July or start of August. When do you think it will emerge as an adult?

I have found if kept in a garage with occasional light when doors open but out of direct sunlight, OTs often emerge two or three weeks earlier than their wild cousins - which isn't a lot of good when I release them (nectaring plants of course coincide with natural emergence). I can't predict precisely when I'll bring mine out of the fridge as this depends on the weather. I guess around mid-April and then with gentle warming up (in the semi-lit garage) they will emerge some two weeks later at the same time as the wild ones. They will then be released more or less where they came from but with such a widespread species as OT exact release location isn't all that important. But it certainly would be very important for a local species not to release in a place where they don't occur naturally (unless special introduction measures, permission, etc)

Jack