May 2009 Sightings

[FISHiEE]

Painted Ladies are taking over here now in Kent. Reckon I saw close to 200 today!!! Previoust highest record was around 20! Can't move for the things. They're everywhere! Reckon I saw close to 50 just flying across the road in front of me in a half mile walk from the woods to my house. Anywhere where there are buttercups they're all over them. It's like being on mainland Europe

[alex mclennan]

Had my first large skipper of the year in Bedford this afternoon.
Alex

[Shirley Roulston]

Only 2 Painted Ladies to-day and 1 G.V. White, the weather was nice this morning but a chilly wind and has come back.
Shirley

I stand corrected, this butterfly is a 'Small White'.

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Shirley - your photo is of a Small White (not sure if this was the "Green-veined White"!).

Cheers,

- Pete

[Perseus]

Hello,

24 May 2009
An influx of Painted Lady Butterflies occurred with three seen by the early afternoon and three later on in Shoreham. The small verge area at Buckingham Cutting on the southern side produced a dozen or so Small Blues scattered over a larger area than the three days ago plus a male Common Blue a few Treble-bar Moths and a Silver Y Moth.
The lower slopes of Mill Hill hosted 41 Adonis Blues (including two females) in a 20 minute saunter over the one acre transect, one Brimstone Butterfly, one male Common Blue (and another two on the return by the ridge route), and what at first glance appeared to be Grizzled Skippers, but close inspection revealed these to be three of the attractive Mother Shipton Moths. There was at least one Silver Y Moth over the fading Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the lower slopes.
Ten butterfly species and three day-flying moths.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2009.html

[Rogerdodge]

A couple of nice visits to Bentley Wood with excellent company (Gary, Lisa & Peter Eeles) saw some very faded old PBFs, loads of SPBFs and a solitary, sleepy, MF.
Also (elsewhere) found Burnt Orchid and Gary kindly put me onto White Hellaborine.

Also, managed to collect 7 (yes SEVEN) tics - all tiny, and only one had buried itself deep - all the others just had a light grip!!

Roger

[Pete Eeles]

Good to see you too Rog!

I have a MF shot just like that (but not as good)!

So, when Gary put you onto White Hellaborine, did he take a photo before you climbed off?

Great SPBF shot.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Susie]

Male orange tip (seemed very small), large, small and green veined white, brimstone and painted ladies in the garden today.

[NickB]

Went to Totternhoe on Sunday - more Small Blue than you can shake a stick at! A few Dingies, Green Hairstreak, Brimstone and assorted Whites; only one faded Duke. Keeping an eye on my ST larvae in the cemetery - they're growing...

[NickB]

... and Gary kindly put me onto White Hellaborine.
Roger

Herbal remedy, Roger ?
(Did they work, Gary?)

[Ian Pratt]

A couple of nice visits to Bentley Wood with excellent company (Gary, Lisa & Peter Eeles) saw some very faded old PBFs, loads of SPBFs and a solitary, sleepy, MF.
Also (elsewhere) found Burnt Orchid and Gary kindly put me onto White Hellaborine.

Also, managed to collect 7 (yes SEVEN) tics - all tiny, and only one had buried itself deep - all the others just had a light grip!!

Roger

Great SPBF-love the background.

[geniculata]

some quality images there rogerdodge,

heres a few from this weekend taken locally in the forest and coast.

gary.

[Rogerdodge]

It is a good thing it wasn't a Man Orchid that Gary put me onto..........

Thanks for the kind comments on my photos.
Gary's are, of course, better

Roger

[Gruditch]

Nice shots Roger, were you there when Pete splayed his legs, very impressive.

Here's my take on the only MF we found.

Gruditch

[Gwenhwyfar]

Glad I missed Pete splaying his legs!
Here's my take on the same shot, come on Pete and Roger where's yours!

[Ian Pratt]

Seen this weekend at Noar Hill (DOB and common blue),Hod Hill (MF), Powerstock Common (Painted lady) and Afton Down (Small blues mating).

[Pete Eeles]

Here's my take on the same shot, come on Pete and Roger where's yours!

Here's my attempt - splayed legs making all the difference

Cheers,

- Pete

[IAC]

Hi all,
On the coast between Coldingham and Eyemouth Berwickshire yesterday 16-20 Wall Brown, very significant numbers for the first time here. In past years only ones and twos reported. So this species is becoming very established in the north.
Cheers IAC.

[Rogerdodge]

Here's my take on the same shot, come on Pete and Roger where's yours!

Well -here is mine - not a lot in it I reckon, but Gary's is by far the best!
Roger

[hammer]

Went to Goring at the weekend, beautiful weather and scenery, managed to see two firsts, green hairsteak and small blue, i was hoping to see adonis blue but maybe it was too early for them there.
Other highlights were grizzled and dingy skippers, holly and common blues, small heath and lots of painted ladies.

Colin.