April 2010 Sightings

[NickB]

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

[Lee Hurrell]

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

[Vince Massimo]

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.

Speckled Wood Pupa 1-Nov-09

Speckled Wood Female hatched 18-April-10

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

[vawn]

my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia

[Pete Eeles]

my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia

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?

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

vawn:

my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia

I did notice the smiley!

Jack

[David M]

my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia

Must be a new species of buddleia (not to mention Meadow Brown)!!

[xmilehigh]

Hi All,

From Walton Common near Clevedon yesterday 1st sightings (for me) this year of Green Hairstreak & Grizzled Skipper.

[sahikmet]

Hi,
At Denham County Park Peacock, Orange Tip 7, Comma 3. At Denham Quarry Orange Tip, Comma, Speckled Wood.
Cheers
Sezar

[Vince Massimo]

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

[Gibster]

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!!!

[Pete Eeles]

vawn:

my first meadow brown in my garden on the buddlia

I did notice the smiley!

Jack

I clearly hadn't drunk my first coffee of the day when I replied

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

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

Thanks for the update, Vince. Always nice to hear of a happy ending!

Cheers,

- Pete

[vawn]

in my garden today, my first common blue and cabbage white

[55bloke]

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]

in my garden today, my first common blue and cabbage white

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...

Guy

[Zonda]

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

[55bloke]

Clouded Yellow? Brimstone, more likely?

[Charles Nicol]

Went back to Burwell Cutting. This time there were plenty of Green Hairstreaks flying around the thorn bushes.

Charles

[NickB]

Clouded Yellow? Brimstone, more likely?

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....?
N