June 2009 Sightings

[sahikmet]

Hi last week at Norfolk, in six days managed to see three Swallowtails, one was very obliging managed to get some pictures. There were lots of Small tortoiseshell.

Cheers

Sezar

[Vince Massimo]

Hi all,

I am busy exploring my new area, having now perminantly moved from Sussex to Surrey. Today I walked a small hillside on the outskirts of Woldingham Garden Village. It reminded me of a small and overgrown version of Collard Hill. Over the course of 1 hour I saw 15 Marbled White, 15 Large Skipper, 8 Ringlet, 4 Speckled Wood, 20 Meadow Brown, 2 Brimstone (M), 5 Common Blue including a fresh and exquisitely marked female and 2 Small Blue. There were also countless Five-Spot Burnet and Burnet Companion.

Doubtless more reports to follow as I discover other sites.

Cheers,

Vince

[Lee Hurrell]

At Virginia Waters in Surrey today:

Red Admiral x 2 (first ones I've seen this year...)
Comma x 2 (Adrian Riley's new book states all specimens flying in June are of the Hutchinson's form but I'm not sure on this one, any ideas anyone?

Ringlet x 6

Meadow Brown x 15

Speckled Wood x 2
Large White
Small White
5 or 6 spot Burnet
and something unidentified that was big, dark and very fast....

[Gruditch]

Linford Christie

Gruditch

[markhows]

Large Heaths today at Meathorp Moss

Mark

[Simon C]

Large Blue seen at Gilling Down on Suturday. Nothing like the numbers seen at Collard Hill (although to be truthful I found the numbers there rather disappointing) but the solitude of Gilling Down more than compensates.

Simon

[eccles]

Great to know that LB are managing to spread from Collard Hill, which as you say is getting very popular nowadays. Although it's good that butterflies are becoming a source of delight for more people, there appears to be a small contingent whose fieldcraft skills are non-existent and whose main purpose is to get the photograph to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. Their overenthusiasm means that sooner or later the main hill may end up having restricted access in some form or another to preserve the main colony and allow it to continue to expand into other areas. This expansion has already happened on the reserve itself with other far less busy parts having numbers of LB, for instance the slope to the south of the top path around 100 yards from the main gate at the crossroads. The grass here is longer than at the main slope but there is just enough ground disturbance around cattle tracks to allow the foodplant to grow in small pockets along the track edges.

[Dave McCormick]

One humingbird hawkmoth today...odd behaviour, anyone understand this? It was fling along a wall (where there is loads of red valerian right along the wall) but instead of feeding on it, it was feeding on whatever was in the craks in the wall (moisture perhaps?) now I did not see any reason why it would be doing this as I did not find any moisture in the wall. Odd

[Perseus]

Hello,

22 June 2009
A cycle ride from Old Shoreham to Annington Sewer along the Coastal-Downs Link Cyclepath produced frequent butterflies including at least two of my first Ringlet Butterflies of the year and six other butterfly species.

Correction:

Original
12 June 2009
On the Coastal Link Cyclepath just south of the Toll Bridge, Old Shoreham, the flying insect fluttering and being blown about in the breeze was not a butterfly but a Beautiful Demoiselle (a damselfly), Calopteryx virgo.

Correct version:

12 June 2009
On the Coastal Link Cyclepath just south of the Toll Bridge, Old Shoreham, the flying insect fluttering and being blown about in the breeze was not a butterfly but a Banded Demoiselle (a damselfly).

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: June 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/June2009.html
.

[Ian Pratt]

Seen this evening on Brading Down Isle of Wight. Soon the chalkhill blues will be here roosting in the same way.

[eccles]

Despite overcast conditions there were good numbers of pristine condition marbled white today at Hazelbury, mostly males, plus lots of ringlet and hundreds of burnets, mainly six spot with a scattering of NB five spots.

[Jack Harrison]

Sussex Kipper (Neil Hulme) in action, 23rd June Southwater Woods.

Jack

[Rogerdodge]

Had a really good long weekend on Exmoor. Saw Heath Frit at 5 diffrerent spots - Bin Combe, Hannay Combe, Alcombe and Haddon Hill.
Heddon Valley came up trumps with - HbF, SwF, (tatty) SpbF, and DgF. You are in for a great week Nick!!
A few straggling Green Hairstreaks around, but the biggest surprise was the number of Small Heath - they were everywhere there was shortish turf in huge numbers.
Painted Ladies in good numbers still, and all looking well tatty and faded.
Took a trip to Langford Heathfield for the first time ever. Not a huge amount there, but it looks really great for the future. Enormous numbers of Ringlet and my first Marbled White and Gatekeeper of the year.
Where are all the nympalids? Not one Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tort or Comma all weekend?
Took no phots worthy of posting
Regards
Roger.

[SteveA]

Following Black Hairstreaks performing well at Glapthorne Cow Pastures on Sunday White-letter Hairstreaks now out in the usual locality on Benfleet Downs, coming down to eye level brambles. Marbled Whites still rather uncommon at this usually very good site.

[xmilehigh]

Fresh Looking Comma from West Yatton Down today.



Photo mangled by yours truly Sometimes flash seems to work and sometimes it just .............
Posted because the 'comma' is clearly visible & in almost all the underwing pics I have seen the white marking never forms a complete circle, not sure if this unusual or not.

[wavelea1]

It's Tues 23rd - it's v. warm but not much sun - fortnately (or it would have been unpleasantly hot) and it's Collard Hill

More than 10 Large Blues in good nick and several in poor condition but photographing them is a real challenge. Thanks again to Eccles and Xmilehigh for the best places to see them. In addition there is a Buzzard's nest in one of the trees (at least I think it's a Buzzard as we didn't see the adult just two juveniles), the Green Woodpecker was about and check out the Bee Orchid.

Mike

[Neil Hulme]

Hi All,
The 'Silly Season', the 'Purple Patch' - call it what you will - the Purple Emperor is once again the master of the Sussex skies! A privileged group consisting of Hannah Sandars, Andy Stokes, Tom Ottley and I all saw at least one of the two Emperors in Southwater Woods today. Unfortunately Jack (Harrison) couldn't follow us to the Dogbarking area, as his 'Geranium Bronze injury' prevents him from tackling wobbly stiles. The first was 'on the deck' in the eastern part of Marlpost Woods (11.55), followed by a second male at the Dogbarking Master Trees. Other highlights included an aberrant Silver-washed Fritillary (ab. ocellata) and a pristine, aberrant White Admiral (ab. obliterae, close to nigrina), although both refused to be photographed. Despite the untimely cutting of many ride verges, the woods are alive with beautiful butterflies. White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary numbers are building nicely and a few Purple Hairstreaks could be seen up high. After such a cold, hard winter we may see a good number of aberrations this summer - it's wise to look closely at everything!
Neil

[Ian Pratt]

First white admirals for me yesterday at Walters Copse Newtown Isle of Wight.

[Shirley Roulston]

At last I saw a beautiful Small Tortoiseshell from the kitchen window rush out and I had got the wrong camera, I'd taken the compact and somehow it wouldn't work, such a moment lost. Anyway the Meadow Browns are in the hay field and so is a snake I was told my a passing lady so now its wellis time. In the garden a nice Small White which was very nice to see, its nice to see something.

Camera used-Sony A100 with 105mm lens and I'm very pleased with both of them, hand held.
Shirley

[Piers]

Fresh Looking Comma from West Yatton Down today.


Posted because the 'comma' is clearly visible & in almost all the underwing pics I have seen the white marking never forms a complete circle, not sure if this unusual or not.

Hi Jerry,

This is indeed very unusual, and goes by the name of ab. o-album. You struck gold there...

Felix.