March 2009 Lepidoptera Sightings

[Charles Nicol]

Glad you liked the pics Denise. I'm so glad i made the effort to go back yesterday... today the weather is awful

Charles

PS there are some more of the pics from yesterday at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captaincatkin/

[Denise]

Glad you liked the pics Denise. I'm so glad i made the effort to go back yesterday... today the weather is awful

Charles

PS there are some more of the pics from yesterday at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/captaincatkin/

Pics 398 and 408 are stunner's.
You've really lifted the bar the last few months Charles. Good on you.
I've yet to see Small Tort this year

Denise

[Charles Nicol]

Hey Denise thanks for your kind comments.

You may not have seen any Small Tortoiseshells but you must have been the first person in the country to see a Speckled Wood this year !!

[Dave McCormick]

Hi Charles,

I noticed in one of your pics, one of the small tortoiseshells looks very light coloured compared to normal. Would this be down to age or something else?

[Charles Nicol]

Hi Dave

I noticed this too. It is quite striking in comparison to the other one. My first thought was perhaps this was a gender thing with the slightly smaller & paler one being the female.

Charles

[eccles]

My little spot in Willsbridge Valley has been good for comma for many years. It's been good to see a resurgence in small tortoiseshell, with 3+ spotted here. Also a further 2 seen near Hencliff Wood in the Avon Valley.
Regarding brimstones favouring ivy, they hibernate in it, so it makes sense to hang around for a while in case the weather turns colder, sending them back there for shelter.
I shot this nice condition peacock yesterday in my local spot.
Sony A700 with Sigma 105mm EX Macro.

[IAC]

Hi all, Some excellent photos so far ....and its only March....realy enjoyed those photos from Charles..Torts on catkins...spiffing stuff....very windy today, no Butterflies for me...sadly...in all last week about a dozen Small Tortoiseshell and 5-6 Peacock....very good for the time of year..last year my first butterfly was a Comma April 1-2....Here is a Peacock from last week. Cheers IAC.

[LCPete]

Just seen two days ago my first butterfly of the year a comma at Chester zoo . Things are looking up
Pete

[Charles Nicol]

Just seen two days ago my first butterfly of the year a comma at Chester zoo . Things are looking up
Pete

do they have a special cage for them ?



charles

[eccles]

[Paul]

Amazed to see this emerge out of the washing today, dried outside
yesterday... presume must have found a spot to roost and was not noticed when clothes taken off the line..... though not such a good choice, as it's now a bit battered ... ( would rather it had been a Large Tort!! )

[Pete Eeles]

A "whiter than white" white then?

Seen this morning on the ivy outside my window - the first sighting I had was earlier this week - but today I managed to get a photo!

IMG_4078.jpg (76.29 KiB) Viewed 502 times

Cheers,

- Pete

[eccles]

Nice one Pete. No blues or speckles around here yet, but I counted 2 commas, 1 small white, 3 peacocks and no less than 7 small torts on my local patch today. This one was ovipositing.
Snapped with Sony A700 + 55-200 zoom with Canon 500D close up lens attached.

DSC04912.jpg (208 KiB) Viewed 433 times

[geniculata]

nice one peter and eccles,
haven't seen a holly blue yet, but wait in anticipation as its one of my favorite species, and cracking small tort sighting, ive only seen one so far but it seems that there has been a better start than last year for this species down here in hampshire!

gary.

[Pete Eeles]

That's good news about the Small Tort - I saw my first of the year today in my home patch - the first I've seen in the area for almost 2 years! So my hopes are up

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

A negative report from 29th March but I hope valuable.

Here on high ground Sooth Cambs, temperature reached only 8°C in bright sunshine and virtually nil wind. A local walk where in the right conditions at this time of year, I would ALWAYS expect to see Brimstone, Peacock and Comma. But it would seem that 8°C is just too cold.

Jack

[NickB]

...meanwhile down in the Fen from the Cambridgeshire heights (where I get a nosebleed!)
...here in Cambridge it was slightly warmer and saw 4 Small Tortoiseshell, a Peacock and a Large White (my first of the year).
(Keep waiting for the Holly Blue to emerge; nice one, Pete. Didn't we see him as a baby )
N

LW_1_MRC_29_March_2009_low.jpg (196.09 KiB) Viewed 382 times

Borrowed a Nikkor 105mm Macro, 1/800th @ f10 -0.3ve

[Jack Harrison]

Cambridge City was only about 1° warmer today but it confirms what I have always thought, about 9° or 10°C is a minimum for most specie to be active. Notable exception is Red Admiral which will fly in much lower temperatures (I have seen one active in bright sun with a shade temperature of a mere 2°C.

By the way Nick, I recognise that Large White. I knew him as a caterpillar on my cabbages last summer

Not sure about "Champion" of anything. Still waiting to hear from the branch hierarchy if it's now "over to you Nick".

(No idea how my earlier post became so corrupted - re-submitted)

Jack

[NickB]

By the way Nick, I recognise that Large White. I knew him as a caterpillar on my cabbages last summer
Jack

Jack, as members may know is the Large White, as well as the ChalKhill Blue, champion of our BC branch
N

[Matsukaze]

Not much around in east Somerset yesterday, despite the constant sunshine. Only one species - Comma - but at least there were plenty of them along the woodland glades and rides, far better numbers than last spring.