August 2009 Sightings

[Eris]

This little girl was egg laying in the flower meadow bit of the back garden yesterday...If you look really closely you can just make out those telltale blue scales that show she is a female common blue...Although it is really hard to see amongst all that brown colouration



Also am I right in thinking this chap is missing a spot?

[Jack Harrison]

I don't know about your male's spots, but these blue females seem to be doing exceptionally well this year - absolutely gorgeous. At Whitecross Green last weekend, the majority of females were blue with only the occasional brown one. Yet at Holme, Hunstanton yesterday, they were all brown.

I guess that Oxfordshire girls (to borrow the Kipper’s turn of phrase) have something about them that Norfolk girls lack!

It does make you wonder if butterflies have an aesthetic appreciation in the same way as humans do; would male Common Blues prefer the bright blue females? But conversely, a blue male chasing a blue female, might have gay tendencies

Jack

[eccles]

My theory is that CB female colouration is, in part, weather related:
Being lighter and more reflective, blue females may need to sit higher in foliage in order to get enough sunshine to reach optimum temperature. This makes them more visible. Males habitually chase other males away, so the blue colouration plus easier visibility may initially cause them to attempt to chase the brighter female off, but once closer he will spot the gender difference, change tack and attempt to mate with her. But in poor spring weather the brighter females will take longer to reach optimum temperature for egg laying and therefore be less prolific resulting in fewer of their offspring in second broods.
Or something like that...

[Matsukaze]

Hi Jack,

It's not exactly unusual to see male Common Blues chasing each other, but I don't think that sex is what they have in mind!

[Gruditch]

Cheers Kipper, but as it looks like the whole world, is now descending there at the weekend, I think I'll give it a miss, perhaps go and find some Adonis instead.

I lied,

Gruditch

This one is Lisa's

[eccles]

Nice catches, Gary and Lisa. Did you get them at Shipton Bellinger?

[Susie]

It's good to be home to Sussex sunshine and back garden butterflies! All the usual suspects were flying around the buddliea and vebena bonariensis today and a very worn brown hairstreak turned up and was nectaring on the hemp agrimony. It looked nothing like the pretty pictures that Gruditch posted but was still glorious in its faded grandure never the less.

[Neil Hulme]

Nice one Gruditch, lovely underside shot. If they're down low it's sometimes worth shading them (very slowly so as not to spook them), as often they will open up flat - after getting some good stuff first of course! I saw two different females at Steyning (W. Sussex) today, but they are just starting to show a little wear and tear. Still a chance of getting the odd mint condition job as the females tend to emerge over a quite a long period.
Neil

[Susie]

[Gruditch]

Cheers guys, our BHs looked a little dazed, newly emerged, yet had already met with a mishap, and lost the end of an antenna.
Yes Eccles, it was.

Gruditch

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Gruditch,
I noticed she had clouted her Deely Bopper - most infuriating! It's a real shame that these things go through such a complex and lengthy life-cycle, only to get ripped and torn so soon after emergence. I often shout at them "be careful!" - but they never listen
Neil

[Piers]

Comma ovipositing on elm hedge near home yesterday. Possible third brood? The males in the garden have set up territories and are battling like mad with anything that comes within a few feet of them.

Felix.

[Perseus]

Hello,

17 August 2009
I was shocked by the unmistakable sighting of a Brown Hairstreak Butterfly
on Mill Hill south of the upper car park. It flew of rapidly and was lost to
my sight in about 20 seconds, so this was my first ever glimpse of hedgerow
butterfly that lays its eggs on Blackthorn (Sloe). This has increased the
total species seen in Shoreham and all on Mill Hill to 33. Nineteen species
of butterfly seen on the day on Mill Hill and the Adur Levels including 54
Adonis Blues.

Mill Hill Reports 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009.html

First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

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: August 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/August2009.html

[eccles]

Hi Gruditch,
I noticed she had clouted her Deely Bopper - most infuriating! It's a real shame that these things go through such a complex and lengthy life-cycle, only to get ripped and torn so soon after emergence. I often shout at them "be careful!" - but they never listen
Neil

"Be careful" in "Butterfly" could mean something completely different, such as "Those blackthorns won't damage your wings at all, honest!"

[Dave McCormick]

Good day today. Yeah Painted lady numbers are way down here. Wet to Mountstewart gardens and saw:

1 Speckled wood Male
2 Male GV White
6 Holly Blues
20 Peacock (numbers are way up recently here)
15+ Painted Ladies
4 Large Whites
10+ Red Admirals

I was filming some peacocks, Painted ladies and red admirals. When I was fimlming a peacock on buddliea flower, a red admiral came and landed on my arm. It was a worn tatty male, but nice sight. I was also laying flat out taking a video of a painted lady and got up, looked underneath where I was sitting and found a red ant and black ant nest side by side. Lucky I never got bitten!

Currenly working on my Painted lady video. I did notice a very dark male Painted lady (its on video) will post link when its finished and uploaded. I thought the dark male was either a red admiral or indian red admiral at first, then realised it was a Painted lady.

No Small tortoiseshells around anymore, have not seen any in around 3 weeks. Could it be that the good numbers I saw a few weeks ago, fueled up and went into hibernation early? It is cooler here than parts of England and that could do it. Suppose this is wy I am seeing good numbers of peacock butterflies? Fueling up and getting ready for hibernation?

[Alex]

A very brief trip to Black Rock (Cheddar Gorge) today produced plenty of silver washed frits on the wing, including a couple of aberrations (see pic), which I assume are 'Valesina' sub sp?
Also in evidence, small coppers, common blues and a brown argus.

[Pete Eeles]

Yes - definitely the valesina form.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Lee Hurrell]

A fantastic day at Wilmington and Cuckmere Haven in East Sussex yesterday with 20 species seen in total, including 3 new to me

Wilmington (just above the long man)

Red Admiral x 1
Comma x 1
Peacock x 1
Painted Lady x 15
Common Blue x 30+ (some variation in female colour forms below)
Brown Argus x 1
Small Heath x 5
Meadow Brown x 50+
Speckled Wood x 1
Gatekeeper x 10
Large White x 15+
Small White x 5
Green Veined White x 3
Wall x 3
Chalk Hill Blue x 30+
Small Skipper x 1
Grayling x 1 (first for me)

Cuckmere Haven

Silver Spotted Skipper x 3 (first for me)
Adonis Blue x 10+ (first for me)
Chalk Hill Blue x 50+
Common Blue x 20+
Small Copper x 2
Small Heath x 5
Meadow Brown x 50+
Painted Lady x 10
Gatekeeper x 5

Some photos from the day:

[Zonda]

Brown argus in my own garden. All the marjoram i put in is paying dividends at the moment.

[Perseus]

Nice one Gruditch, lovely underside shot. If they're down low it's sometimes worth shading them (very slowly so as not to spook them), as often they will open up flat - after getting some good stuff first of course! I saw two different females at Steyning (W. Sussex) today, but they are just starting to show a little wear and tear. Still a chance of getting the odd mint condition job as the females tend to emerge over a quite a long period.
Neil

P1100628_edited-1.jpg

P1100640_edited-1.jpg

P1100605_edited-1.jpg

Hello Neil,

If I get time, I will go up to Mill Hill and try and find the vagrant (or introduced) Brown Hairstreak. Failing that , can I use one or more of your pictures on my web pages with credits as you need them please?

Found it: TQ 165113
http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=nb43+6 ... Q%20165113

Just as my bike has a terminal fault.


As Steyning is in the Adur valley, I can actually out your reports on the web page. Where is the site in Steyning, Grid ref. please?

First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

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: August 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/August2009.html