![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
April 2010 Sightings
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Yeah - Common Heath...
She led him a merry dance...several small flights and a crawl through the grass, male close behind...
..flicking wings with antennae...he nearly got her...but she flew off again...
...and again...
..followed by more display and flicking before they flew off..
N
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
"Conservation starts in small places, close to home..."
- Lee Hurrell
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- Location: Hampshire
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Saturday 17th April 2010
First Speckled Wood today and in my front garden!
First Large White too.
Horsenden Hill, Middlesex (lunchtime)
Orange Tip (male) x 1
Brimstone (male) x 2
Small or GV White x 3
Peacock x 17(!)
Comma x 2
Also 3 Jays flying togother. I've never seen more than 1 before.
My Front Garden, Greenford, Middlesex (afternoon)
Speckled Wood (male) x 1
Small White (male) x 1
Small or GV White x 2
Peacock x 4 North Downs, Kemsing, Kent (5-5.30pm)
Orange Tip (male) x 1
Large White (male) x 1
Peacock x 7
Comma x 2
Also a sea of Cowslips and Violets, quite something to see. Sunday 18th April
North Downs, Kemsing, Kent (1-1.30pm)
Brimstone (male) x 14 (!)
Brimstone (female) x 6
Peacock x 11
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
I saw male and female Brimstones nectaring on Primroses and Violets.
More photos to follow in my diary.
Cheers
Lee
First Speckled Wood today and in my front garden!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Horsenden Hill, Middlesex (lunchtime)
Orange Tip (male) x 1
Brimstone (male) x 2
Small or GV White x 3
Peacock x 17(!)
Comma x 2
Also 3 Jays flying togother. I've never seen more than 1 before.
My Front Garden, Greenford, Middlesex (afternoon)
Speckled Wood (male) x 1
Small White (male) x 1
Small or GV White x 2
Peacock x 4 North Downs, Kemsing, Kent (5-5.30pm)
Orange Tip (male) x 1
Large White (male) x 1
Peacock x 7
Comma x 2
Also a sea of Cowslips and Violets, quite something to see. Sunday 18th April
North Downs, Kemsing, Kent (1-1.30pm)
Brimstone (male) x 14 (!)
Brimstone (female) x 6
Peacock x 11
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
I saw male and female Brimstones nectaring on Primroses and Violets.
More photos to follow in my diary.
Cheers
Lee
To butterfly meadows, chalk downlands and leafy glades; to summers eternal.
- Vince Massimo
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- Posts: 1856
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- Location: Crawley, Sussex
Re: April 2010 Sightings
A lot of people are reporting their first sightings of Speckled Wood today. I can also report that the pupa I found in my shed on 1st November 2009 hatched this morning, revealing a perfect female butterfly. I watched as she dried her wings and made her maiden flight, after first allowing me to get a few photos.
A fuller account of the development of the pupa and extra photos will be posted shortly under a seperate topic on the "Species" forum.
Cheers,
Vince
A fuller account of the development of the pupa and extra photos will be posted shortly under a seperate topic on the "Species" forum.
Cheers,
Vince
Re: April 2010 Sightings
my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia ![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
- Pete Eeles
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Re: April 2010 Sightings
Hi vawn - are you sure? Meadow Browns won't be out for a few couple of months, and I assume your Buddleia has yet to flower?vawn wrote:my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
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- Jack Harrison
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Re: April 2010 Sightings
vawn:
Jack
I did notice the smiley!my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia
Jack
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Must be a new species of buddleia (not to mention Meadow Brown)!!vawn wrote:my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Hi All,
From Walton Common near Clevedon yesterday 1st sightings (for me) this year of Green Hairstreak & Grizzled Skipper.
![Image](http://xmh.smugmug.com/photos/841836900_PWYeu-L.jpg)
![Image](http://xmh.smugmug.com/photos/841836936_zViPs-L.jpg)
From Walton Common near Clevedon yesterday 1st sightings (for me) this year of Green Hairstreak & Grizzled Skipper.
![Image](http://xmh.smugmug.com/photos/841836900_PWYeu-L.jpg)
![Image](http://xmh.smugmug.com/photos/841836936_zViPs-L.jpg)
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Hi,
At Denham County Park Peacock, Orange Tip 7, Comma 3. At Denham Quarry Orange Tip, Comma, Speckled Wood.
Cheers
Sezar
At Denham County Park Peacock, Orange Tip 7, Comma 3. At Denham Quarry Orange Tip, Comma, Speckled Wood.
Cheers
Sezar
- Vince Massimo
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
- Posts: 1856
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- Location: Crawley, Sussex
Re: April 2010 Sightings
First Dingy Skipper sighted here in Surrey at another of my local sites, Farthing Down, Coulsdon. Alas, no photo.
Yesterday in the same location I had my first sighting of the year of a Red Admiral, which was almost as noteworthy.
Cheers,
Vince
Yesterday in the same location I had my first sighting of the year of a Red Admiral, which was almost as noteworthy.
Cheers,
Vince
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Finally getting in some decent butterflying in Surrey... picked up my first 2010 Speckled Woods, Holly Blue, Large and Small Whites over the past week or so, plus some very tiny Purple Hairstreak larvae on pedunculate oak buds. Hoping for Green Hairstreak on Epsom Common any day now, I haven't seen one there for about five years but the habitat management works have left the site looking eminently suitable in places. Fingers crossed!!!
Raising £10,000 for Butterfly Conservation by WALKING 1200 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats!!!
See http://www.justgiving.com/epicbutterflywalk or look up Epic Butterfly Walk on Facebook.
See http://www.justgiving.com/epicbutterflywalk or look up Epic Butterfly Walk on Facebook.
- Pete Eeles
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Re: April 2010 Sightings
I clearly hadn't drunk my first coffee of the day when I repliedJack Harrison wrote:vawn:I did notice the smiley!my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia
Jack
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
- Pete Eeles
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
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- Location: Thatcham, Berkshire
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Re: April 2010 Sightings
Thanks for the update, Vince. Always nice to hear of a happy ending!Vince Massimo wrote:A lot of people are reporting their first sightings of Speckled Wood today. I can also report that the pupa I found in my shed on 1st November 2009 hatched this morning, revealing a perfect female butterfly. I watched as she dried her wings and made her maiden flight, after first allowing me to get a few photos.
A fuller account of the development of the pupa and extra photos will be posted shortly under a seperate topic on the "Species" forum.
Cheers,
Vince
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
Re: April 2010 Sightings
in my garden today, my first common blue and cabbage white
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Been out to Roche Abbey near Rotherham this afternoon. LOTS of Peacocks, Commas and Torts, but also, my 1st Orange Tips of this year. Impossible to photograph though, as they never seem to land.I guess finding a mate is more urgent than finding food!
- Padfield
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Re: April 2010 Sightings
That's exceptionally early for common blue. I hope it's not insulting to ask if you're sure it wasn't a holly blue...vawn wrote:in my garden today, my first common blue and cabbage white
Guy
Guy's Butterflies: https://www.guypadfield.com
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The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Scuttled out to Durlston Country Park today, arrived at 2.00pm, and bought a two hour parking ticket. Heart sunk, when i spoke to one of the wardens, and he told me that the season there is extremely late arriving. Although he did inform me that the day before a Clouded Yellow had been seen there. I did a forty minute tour of the warm sunny spots, and not a sign of butterfly life anywhere. Returned to the car, gave my ticket to a young couple, and headed home. I did catch these frollicking in the cuckoo flower meadow in the morning tho. It turned out that all the Orange Tip females i reported seeing yesterday were in fact GVWs, being pursued by OT males. Sorry folks...... The caption for this shot is "I know it's not like your own bed dear."
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wGSRUg9JC5Q/S9HEU ... %20001.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_wGSRUg9JC5Q/S9HEU ... %20001.jpg
Cheers,,, Zonda.
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Clouded Yellow? Brimstone, more likely?
- Charles Nicol
- Posts: 1614
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: Cambridge
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Went back to Burwell Cutting. This time there were plenty of Green Hairstreaks flying around the thorn bushes.
Charles
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Charles
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: April 2010 Sightings
Well - given that Clouded Yellow DO seem to overwinter on the South Coast as pupae (albeit in very small numbers) and that a lot came over last summer, it is not TOO much of a leap to accept the odd fresh CY in that area....?55bloke wrote:Clouded Yellow? Brimstone, more likely?
N
"Conservation starts in small places, close to home..."