Painted Lady influx!!!

[Dave McCormick]

Another 70 or so today, but they all look on their last legs, all faded and looking worn, but still got the speed though.

[Padfield]

Through the UK Leps forum has come news of yet another impending wave. These are apparently massing in southern Italy, so maybe the Germans, Swiss and Austrians are in for a treat? Look out for them Guy!

It's been calmer recently, but yesterday there were four on the tarmac outside my house when I came back from school and I wondered whether another wave was imminent! This sugggests they might have been the frontrunners of the next invasion. I'll keep you posted!

Guy

[alex mclennan]

I've just returned from an 'island-hopping' holiday off the coast of South Croatia. Each of the islands we visited held large numbers of Painted Ladies partucularly Korcula where there appeared to be thousands of them. Although this was a culture/history type holiday, I generally managed to 'escape' for an hour or so each day to see what I could find. One afternoon on the island of Brac, I wandered over some scrub land near the hotel to find lots of great sooty satyrs. I had only ever seen one 'tatty' individual before (in Bulgaria) so I was delighted to see these. And on the last day, I found a couple of fresh Southern Gatekeepers, a life tick for me. I think I might have to investigate a proper 'butterfly' holiday to this part of the world!
Alex

[Padfield]

A colleague who was trekking at 2800m near the Simplon this last weekend says there were literally thousands of large(ish), dark butterflies swarming over, heading north from Italy. I guess they looked dark because he was well above the snow line (as Paul will remember from when he visited me recently - we encountered plenty of snow and ice at the Simplon).

Guy

[barryj]

My dad and I have seen loads of these painted lady butterflies but most of them are really bashed I'm surprised there still alive.
barryj

[alan jenkins]

As Barry says above all around Newtown yesterday we saw Painted Ladies but its true they were either old or had been travelling for a long way but it was still nice to see them.
From Alan Jenkins

[Gwenhwyfar]

Found my first ever Painted Lady Larva at Bentley Wood today!
First of many I hope.

[Susie]

Well done! I keep looking but have yet to see one.

Still seeing the odd painted lady flying around.

[Pete Eeles]

Nice find Lisa - I managed to find 19 Painted Lady larvae today (in the course of a 2-hour walk) and none of them are as advanced as your critter!

I also found 28 Peacock larval webs - they seem to be having a good year.

Late summer is going to be awesome - Painted Lady, Peacock and (hopefully) Small Tortoiseshell everywhere!

[EDIT: Quite a few Red Admiral about as well, which surprised me. I saw over a dozen. Also a nice male Reed Bunting singing his heart out - but I guess that's off topic ]

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gwenhwyfar]

I wondered how far you actually walked in two hours, I'm picturing you with your head stuck in every thistle and nettle you come across!
Sounds very much like me when I go out!

I found 3 Peacock Larval webs as well yesterday and a newley immerged Scarlet Tiger Moth, still trying to dry out.

Still seeing Painted Lady around, even if there are several shades lighter than they should be - like this one.
What a mess!

[Pete Eeles]

I wondered how far you actually walked in two hours, I'm picturing you with your head stuck in every thistle and nettle you come across!
Sounds very much like me when I go out!

We were out walking the dogs - a 4 mile walk centred on South Stoke just north of Goring. If I had my way, we'd have probably wouldn't have gotten further than the first lane, since it had 5 Peacock larval webs along it! Apparently - my running commentary of every beast and plant we come across can be "a little wearing"

Cheers,

- Pete

[Shirley Roulston]

Having searched in vain for any caterpillars of the Painted Lady I read in a Collins Butterfly and Moth book, that the caterpillar feeds on various Thistles, Nettles, Mallows and many other plants, it draws leaves together with silk and feeds inside this protective tent, so they will not be easy to find.
Shirley

[Pete Eeles]

But the main foodplant is Thistle - and it's pretty easy to scan an entire plant in seconds to determine if there's a larva present - they're pretty conspicuous!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gruditch]

I've checked the thistles in 3 different paddocks, in the first, I found a larva on the very first one I checked. In the 2ND it took 7 plants to find one, and in the 3rd, ten plants. As with your lot Pete, they were all no where near as advanced, as the one Lisa found at Bentley.

Gruditch

[James M]

Finally saw one on Sunday, is was an extremely battered indiviual I hardly recognised it as a Painted Lady!

[Shirley Roulston]

Pete, you were spot on with the Thistle theory, it was so hot this afternoon but this evening it was cooler and I found one in a little type of tent and one climbing up the stem. Also were two Ladybirds doing their own thing and a lot of Blackfly which were being eaten by ants.

Shirley

[Gruditch]

Do the Ants not farm the Aphids / Black fly

Gruditch

[Shirley Roulston]

I am also confused but I am quite sure that we will be informed about it to-day.
Anyway, to allow the Thistles and Nettles to grow proved worth it, next door farmer wanted to sprayed the lot and I said they were for the butterflies and I was right.
Shirley

[Piers]

Do the Ants not farm the Aphids / Black fly

Gruditch

Gary's right - ants actively farm aphids in order to benefit from the sweet secretions produced by the aphids when stimulated by the ants (ants will stroke the aphids with their antennae and the aphids produce 'honey dew' in response. Ants will actively defend their flock from predators and can sometimes be seen carrying the aphids around gently in their jaws. If a hoverfly larva approaches (they consume aphids like a vacuum cleaner) the ants go ballistic!

Felix.

[Shirley Roulston]

Thanks Felix, I did not know that, really it was very interesting.
Shirley