October 2009 Sightings

[Zonda]

It's winding down now Misha. That's a lovely green moth Dave, thought you might be interested in this Red sword-grass at Portland yesterday. Are they common or rare?
http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/aa_latestnews.htm

[Denise]

Belated report from my brother on the Isles of Scilly last week.
Numerous Painted Lady on all the islands until Thursday, when they all (except a few) left.

Denise

[Mikhail]

Zonda, the Red Sword Grass is relatively common in the north and west, but rare in the south. Occasional records from the south coast may be migrants.
Denise, interesting that Painted Ladies have largely gone from Scilly as well as from Bournemouth. Strongly suggests to me mass emigration.

Misha

[geniculata]

out of interest misha and zonda,

ive attached a pic of a red sword grass caterpiller that i found in the wootton coppice inclosure this summer in the forest.

gary.

[Zonda]

Nice one Gary. The knowledge that some of you folks on this website have, is astounding. If i'd have seen it, i wouldn't have a clue. Probably would have said to the wife,,,"Hmmmm! I think its a small white dear."

[Pete Eeles]

I can't believe how mild the weather is at the moment! Anyway - a very fresh Painted Lady seen in Thatcham today at 1100. And plenty of Common Darters at Greenham Common.

Cheers,

- Pete

[NickB]

Yes - even without the sun 14C here - a couple of Red Admirals flying round ivy. Only one PL in the last week...
The other night -

outside my back door ...Peppered Moth??

[Dave McCormick]

Nick, looks like Peppered Moth to me, might need a second opinion though.

[Cotswold Cockney]

Yesterday afternoon, at 1 p.m., a Humming Bird Hawk Moth spent about ten minutes nectaring on flowers in my garden. I was able to get quite close to it and felt it was a tad undersized by about a few millimeters in wingspan. My son cut back the Red Valerian severely in the summer as the poor plants had been stripped of most of the foliage by manys dozens of moth larvae. I would guess they are Lesser Yellow Underwings and most reached maturity leaving the poor plants as stunted bare stalks. For the past month or so, these plants have been putting on a fine show of flowers having fully recovered from the larval attacks earlier... Good eh... It is the first time I've seen this moth active on a cloudy but quite warm day. In the past, I have seen them take shelter in walls and grassy banks when the Sun suddenly is clouded over.

The moth also visited the spindly flower stems of the Vebena bonariensis several times. This plant has been in flower most of the warmer months and was visited by a fine, large and freshly emerged Painted Lady the day before the Hummer appeared. Continuous sunshine that day and I half sighted a Hummer very briefly whilst working on one of my cars.

Today looks like being another fine one ~ will look for more garden activity ~ small group of Long Tailed Tits have passed through my garden each of the past few days ...

In a 'normal' season, I do not like this time of year with most things in decline and far too long dark nights. This Autumn's fine weather with still much to see and give pleasure both in the garden and elsewhere helps to make the winter that much shorter. In the past, i have photographed Red Admirals on a mild December day nectaring on the Lilly of the Valley like flower clusters on my Strawberry Trees. Arbutus unedo on which i have raised numerous examples of Europe's largest butterfly, the Two-Tailed Pasha Charaxes jasius.

I caught my very first Humming Bird Hawk Moth as a twelve year old schoolboy back as long ago as 1954..... It was the first one I'd ever seen. I simply used a clean jam jar and placed it over the hovering moth whilst it was in front of the large bell shaped red Petunia flowers. It continued hovering inside the jar until I released it. Many many sightings since, this delightful moth never fails to give pleasure when i see them in the garden.

Thirty years ago, an aged relative lived in a small cottage close to the shingle beach at Budleigh Salterton in South Devon. One visit there saw about a dozen of these hawk moths over the large Buddleias in her back garden. I sometimes observed Clouded Yellows coming in from the sea there and not stopping at all but continuing to fly strongly inland. A very strong flyer is the Clouded Yellow when on the move....

[Susie]

It's grim up north. Just a fleeting glimpse of a red admiral yesterday near Lincoln.

[Dave McCormick]

It's grim up north. Just a fleeting glimpse of a red admiral yesterday near Lincoln.

Worse here, bad rain, supposed to rain up to monday, think butterfly season is over here. Waiting until dry weather comes to get moth trapping again, caught the addiction this year thats for sure.

[NickB]

It's grim up north.

I don't know what you mean - today was just like a Yorkshire summer day ...
N

[Gwenhwyfar]

Warm & sunny here today, hard to believe it's
the 31st October.

Saw 2 Red Admirals and the ivy it was on was swarming with bees.
Also 1 Painted Lady.

[geniculata]

what a beautifully seasonal picture lisa,

i love the structure of the ivy flowerheads
i only saw one speckled wood on a walk near boulderwood in the forest this morning its in the pic attached, honest!

[Gwenhwyfar]

Thanks Gary I forgot to mention. I took when we were down at Bucklers Hard this morning.
I guess we have to take your word for it, about the Speckled Wood! but a stunning Autumnal pic all the same

Nice to see you at the BC Members day!

[Susie]

Back in sunny West Sussex this afternoon (my back garden to be precise) Red Admirals, Commas and Painted Lady still around

[Zonda]

Today in the Zonda garden, and dining on ivy and a late Scabious or two, were Painted Ladies, at least four. Red Admirals at least four. Peacocks, probably two, and a couple of Tortoiseshells. The pics are part of a test i'm putting my new Sigma 150-500mm through. All were taken at ISO 500, at 400mm zoom length, and cropped somewhat.

Sigma trials 002.jpg (144.93 KiB) Viewed 502 times

[attachment=0]Sigma trials 001.jpg

[Dave McCormick]

what a beautifully seasonal picture lisa,

i love the structure of the ivy flowerheads
i only saw one speckled wood on a walk near boulderwood in the forest this morning its in the pic attached, honest!

Nice autum pic...if its there, is the Speckled Wood near the bottom right of the pic, at the bottom of the pic below the tree at the front? If not, I have no clue

Nice pics Zonda. I like the Peacock

And Lisa, love the Red Admiral, reminds me of the one shown on Autumnwatch on the Ivy. I tend not to cut down ivy, maybe prune it if it grows to big, but it is useful for insects this time of year.

I notice there are a few painted ladies still about. Will these leave or will they not survive the winter or will they attempt to hibernate?

No butterflies here, been moth trapping and caeme across my first Vestal Moth, last seen in Northern Ireland in 2006 and the only known one in Northern Ireland to have a pink stripe, rest ever recorded here don't have pink stripe, more brown

Vestal Moth

[Jack Harrison]

Dave:

...my first Vestal...

I presume it was a one of sixteen Vestal Virgins leaving for the coast.

Jack

[Denise]

I had my first Vestal on the 25th, but it was not nice and pink like Dave's, it was a Whiter Shade of Pale.

Denise