May 2010 sightings

[hammer]

Went to Lardon chase, Berkshire looking for adonis blues unsuccessfully, but i met a woman doing a butterfly transect who kindly showed me where to find them. There must have been 50+ on a very small area of south facing chalkland at the Holies, and it was magical.

[Perseus]

Hello,

12 May 2010
The expanse of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was only just beginning on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, visited by 13 Dingy Skippers and my first four male Adonis Blues of the year.

Mill Hill and its Butterflies
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009Article.htm


First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2010.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2010.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2010.html

[Perseus]

Went to Lardon chase, Berkshire looking for adonis blues unsuccessfully, but i met a woman doing a butterfly transect who kindly showed me where to find them. There must have been 50+ on a very small area of south facing chalkland at the Holies, and it was magical.

P1010188.JPG

_MG_5029.JPG

_MG_5026.JPG

The top two are Adonis but the bottom one is a Common Blue.

Correction: I think the bottom one may very well be an Adonis Blue afterall. ID can be tricky.

[Perseus]

Hello,

14 May 2010
At this time of year the St. Mark's Flies, Biblio, make a bit of a nuisance of themselves and they were common on and around the Buckingham Cutting (at the top of The Drive, Shoreham) although not so common on Mill Hill. Twelve species of butterfly were seen in a couple of hours of weak sunshine including my first Wall Brown Butterfly of the year, my first chocolate-brown female Adonis Blue Butterfly, my first Brown Argus, and my first male Common Blue Butterflies of the year, all on Mill Hill.




The other species seen were a Small White, frequent Large Whites, a Green-veined White, a male Orange-tip, a Grizzled Skipper, half a dozen Dingy Skippers, occasional Holly Blues, and frequent Speckled Woods.

Mill Hill and its Butterflies
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009Article.htm


First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2010.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2010.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2010.html

[Perseus]

Hello,

23 May 2010
With the sun coming out, so were the butterflies. From the southern steps leading down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was visible but a few days away from its peak. Venturing down to the lower slopes, there were sufficient butterflies around that I immediately knew there would be a problem counting them unless I kept notes. Most of these were male Adonis Blues and I kept my count to the 1.2 transect area completed in 25 minutes. The transect tally recorded was exactly 100 males plus two females, including a mating pair. Later (after I had stopped counting) four mating pairs were seen. Fourteen species in a couple of hours was the most variety seen in a day this year.

Small Blues could have been added, but I did not see them until the following morning.

Mill Hill and its Butterflies
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009Article.htm


First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2010.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2010.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2010.html

[Gruditch]

Hi Perseus, Nice to see you back.

We braved the bad weather this morning. The combination of the high winds, and the fact that it was bucketing down. made it a bit tricky, but the light was great. There were if you looked hard enough, plenty of photograph opportunities.

Regards Gruditch

[SteveA]

Not had any opportunity for any butterflying this year, with exception of Holly Blues in the garden, until today so pleasant to see the first Heath Fritillaries of the year at Hockley Woods, Essex with 4. The overcast conditions, and then rain, meant that they were not on the wing and many other were probably present but not seen.

[IAC]

Hi all,
A very reasonable season up here in South East Scotland. Good numbers of Large, Green Veined and Small White as well as the Orange Tip. Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock peaked fairly early, but it is still possible to find intact specimens from time to time. Comma have come on leaps and bounds with there best start to a season ever.
As summer progresses the first signs were Small Copper and Speckled Wood. Speckled Wood I have now observed locally for the first time..fives and sixes in suitable habitat...not common, but with luck there numbers will increase. Small Blue emerged on May 18th, and now are around twenty strong. This is the last stand for Small Blue in the Borders..we are searching for another colony..but as yet with no luck. Small Heath are doing well on the coast and on higher ground, alas, the lowland areas are becoming Small Heath free zones as more grassland is swallowed up yearly.
The Wall Brown on the Scottish east coast are settling down very nicely, many sightings now along the rocky Berwickshire coastline. Red Admiral are scarce so far this year with only the odd coastal sighting. Northern Brown Argus have yet to emerge this year as are Common Blue. I would think it will be a matter of days.
Lots still to look forward to in the shape of Grayling, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Large Heath, Small and Large Skipper etc. But I am frustrated at not finding Green Hairstreak this year after a tireless search. I am wondering now if the habitat requirements in this particular area are different from the upland, Bilberry, scrub suggested.


Cheers,

IAC.

[Jack Harrison]

SteveA posted:

I am impressed with your optimism in today's poor weather to go and look for and find Heath Frits. Thanks for the info (and fine pictures). I'll be going to Hockley Wood next week.

Jack

[millerd]

The weather's looking up for Wednesday onwards, so I may see you in Hockley on Wednesday or Thursday, Jack.

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

I’m planning Hockley Woods on Wednesday. Thursday or Friday is provisionally planned for Park Corner Heath.

Hockley is actually quite hard to find - well, the northern car park is rather hidden away in a built up area at TQ834923. Then walk south into the wood, down a dip and across a stream, up the other side and turn left into the obvious clearing at approx TQ837915. I believe it can be quite easily accessed from the east but I've not done that.

Drop me an e-mail Dave and I can confirm or otherwise on Tuesday.

Jack

[David M]

Went to Aberbargoed grasslands (near Merthyr Tydfil) today as it is one of the few places in Wales where you can see Marsh Fritillaries. Although it was sunny, there was a brisk breeze and temperatures were no higher than 16C. Thankfully, there are plenty of sheltered spots on this unusual grassland terrain, which features wild flower meadows, marshy areas, hedgerows and sparse woodland. The day's return was very satisfactory:

1. Common Blue 50+ (silly numbers in the wild flower meadows where the BF trefoil was growing)
2. Marsh Fritillary 14 (my first encounter with this delightful species. Easy to track/approach/photograph and very dainty unlike other Fritillaries I've seen and 1 extreme aberrant - see 'Identification' thread)
3. Green Veined White 10-20
4. Small White 5-10
5. Large White 5
6. Small Heath 4
7. Dingy Skipper 3
8. Small Copper 2
9. Speckled Wood 1

[Perseus]

Hello,

30 May 2010
Two more notable firsts of the year were three Silver Y Moths, Burnet Companion Moths and a Purple Bar (a carpet moth) on Mill Hill. On the transect 1.2 acres of the lower slopes the count in a timed 11 minutes was 122 male Adonis Blues and nine females, including a mating pair. This count extropolates to about 350 Adonis Blues on Mill Hill. Eleven species of butterfly and three macro moths were seen in about an hour.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2010.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2010.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2010.html

[SteveA]

I’m planning Hockley Woods on Wednesday. Thursday or Friday is provisionally planned for Park Corner Heath.

Hockley is actually quite hard to find - well, the northern car park is rather hidden away in a built up area at TQ834923. Then walk south into the wood, down a dip and across a stream, up the other side and turn left into the obvious clearing at approx TQ837915. I believe it can be quite easily accessed from the east but I've not done that.

Drop me an e-mail Dave and I can confirm or otherwise on Tuesday.

Jack

I have attached a couple of maps that make finding the Hockley Woods site easier.

Just after the Mount Bovers lane turnoff turn left onto Populars Avenue and then at the top turn left again and park at the end where the paved road becomes dirt track; Mount Bovers Lane itself is deeply pothold.

Take the dirt track towards the Belchamps Scoutts ground but stay left where the entrance to this is, which is signposted, stay on the main track. Where the is an obvious fork bear right, towards the visible stables. You will pass a pond soon on the right hand side just before you reach the main bridleway in the woods. Go left along the bridleway and after about 200+yards the area begins to open out on the left, marked x1 on my maps, where the Heath Frits are however the large clearing, marks x2 on my map, opposite the obvious bridletrack that cuts off right is the best, this is where my 4 were on Saturday and where the majority of the 300+ were last year.

This route takes only about 10minutes to walk and is considerably shorter than parking at the Bull Pub at the north end of the wood, where there are no Heaths present, though lots of dog walkers.

[Perseus]

What species? I know the answer but it benefitted from a double-take.

It is clear in the photograph, but in the wild on a breezy day, it was not so clear, or mostly because I am always having ID doubts.

[Pete Eeles]

Looks like a regular Adonis Blue to me.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Ian Pratt]

Daisy,daisy give me your answer do...!
Pretty grizzled skipper seen today at Shalcombe Down IOW.
Also small copper and wall brown.

[Perseus]

Looks like a regular Adonis Blue to me.

Cheers,

- Pete

You are, of course, right. But in the field, the size was the best indicator. The bright colours help as well.

And because it was shagging (or being shagged) by a conventional female.

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adonis-fem-pa ... ir1934.jpg[/img]http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adonis30052010.html

[felix123]

Off to the undercliff today hoping to see a wood white!

Wish me luck ,


Felix

[Dave McCormick]

I saw 6 Large Whites and 2 small whites (one looking worse for wear) in my garden this monring while I was heading out.