June 2010 Sightings

[felix123]

Summer is here at long last !

Good luck,

Felix

[IAC]

Hi all,
On the Berwickshire coast yesterday between Eyemouth and Burnmouth. Wall Brown 30+, Green Veined White 20+, Small Heath 10, Small White 6, Orange Tip 3, Large White 3, Small Copper 3, Common Blue 1, Northern Brown Argus 1, Small Tortoiseshell 1.
Technically this should be in May sightings......sorry


Cheers,

IAC.

[lee3764]

Hi all
My Wife & our 2 x young children today visited the edge of Penhale Sands, Perranporth, North Cornwall & saw the following mostly under cloudy skies or light sea fog!

Mostly cloudy but saw 1 x Silver Studded Blue (a pristine & absolutely perfect male & 1st of season!), 2 x Dingy Skippers, 6 x Orange Tips, several (25+) unidentified whites, 7+ Brown Argus, 2 x Small Coppers, 30+ Common Blues, 2 x Silver Hook Moths (1 of which I photographed in perfect condition!), 1 x Yellow Belle Moth flying in sunshine.
Then went on to Beacon Farm, Beacon Road, St Agnes where I spent 2 great weeks as a 9 year old in May/June 1974 on holiday & managed to park on the farm & saw 1 x large Red Admiral & 3 x Speckled Woods by the farm cottages. This was the first time I had returned there in 36 years & was pretty much as I remembered it all those years ago when I saw my 1st ever Green Hairstreaks but didn't see any today as the cloud came over! A very nice walk remenissing anyway!!
Then down to Chapelporth beach where it was Sunny & I believe I saw a Painted Lady flying strongly but it was ice creams all round & handily dodged paying for parking!
Lovely day & hope to trek futher afield tomorrow to look for Wood Whites in Devon.
Cheers all,
Lee Slaughter.
>

[SteveA]

Numbers of Heath Fritillaries are way way down on last year at the Essex sites; I counted only 23 at Little Havens EWT today (counted 341 there on 6th June last year) with most along the sides of the path that disects the clearings around the pylons, there were none at all in the main clearing which had the bulk of the fritillaries last year.

Belfairs Woods/Dodds Grove could only muster 6, 2 along the main ride in Belfairs NR and 4 in Dodds Grove. Again last year hundreds were already out and about; perhaps given a week or so numbers will pick up. Also here was a Brimstone.

SteveA

[Jack Harrison]

The impression I had yesterday in Hockley Woods (circa 8 Heath Frits seen) was that judging by their pristine condition, this season has scarcely begun and numbers might well increase significantly over the next few days. In general (most species), flight times this year are running as much as two weeks later than in 2009.

Jack

[Matsukaze]

Britain's strangest Small Blues, the ones at Odd Down Park & Ride, are now on the wing. At least seven present today including a mating pair.

[state-studio]

A beautiful day. We saw Duke of Burgundy - several pairs and a Green Hairstreak! Also Common Blue, Red Admiral, Large and Small White -all at Denge Wood. Vast amounts of speckled yellow moths too.

[lee3764]

Hi all,

Visited Cookworthy Moor Plantation Forest near Halwill Junction, Devon today & saw 16+ Wood Whites (all fresh!), 1 x Grizzled Skipper, 10+ Common Blues, 1x Small Copper, 10+ G.V.Whites, 8+ Speckled Woods, 1x Green Hairstreak. Windy but sunny all day & a little bit fed up with wall to wall sun today. So bright you really needed sunglasses on all day (which is no good for spotting butterflies on the wing!) especially for driving. Wood Whites still coming out in Devon as all in pretty much pristine condition!
We walked the legs off our two little boys aged 4 & 6 (Michael & Robert) as well as showing them the difference between Wood Whites & Green-Veined Whites & then drove to Tavistock toy shop late afternoon & treated them to a toy each as a reward for their good behaviour today!!!!!!
Drove 100+ miles so knackered too! Roll on the June rains!! (only joking!!).
Lee Slaughter (Cornwall).

[millerd]

Back to the Heath Fritillaries - I was with Jack in Hockley on the 2nd and saw one or two more, maybe 10 altogether. I visited on the 11th last year, when there were dozens, perhaps hundreds. One difference I noted was that the bramble was not yet in flower (unlike 2009) - perhaps they wait until there is ample food available. Apart from some of the cow-wheat just coming out into flower, nectar sources were few and far between.

I took my 5-year-old to the seaside today. A compromise deal, in that the seaside in question was Ventnor... In the ten minutes he allowed for chasing butterflies, we saw a dozen or so Glanville Fritillaries along the path snaking up from the harbour area. Many were distinctly past their best! Still, that's a first for me.

Dave

[felix123]

One difference I noted was that the bramble was not yet in flower (unlike 2009)

There are a couple flowering here in Lyme Regis!

Felix

[Ian Pratt]

First Painted Ladies this year seen by me about 400 metres from home on the Isle of Wight this evening.

[David M]

Spent 2 and a half hours at Woodside & White Rocks near Monmouth today. Was warm but not terribly sunny and I was a little disappointed with butterfly numbers. I managed to see a few Wood Whites but I almost gave up on Grizzled Skippers. I left Woodside and went into the adjacent White Rocks which had a perfect clearing full of wild strawberry. I hung around for an hour or so and managed to find two. Didn't see any Pearl Bordered Fritillaries though, which are alleged to be present at this site. The full tally is:

1. Common Blue 30+
2. Speckled Wood 5-10
3. Large Skipper 5-10
4. Wood White 4
5. Green Veined White 3
6. Grizzled Skipper 2
7. Large White 1

There were lots of moths about today, one particular species (small with brown and orange wings) was an incessant nuisance as it kept attracting my attention due to its Skipper like flight.

Managed to get a few photos too.

Wood White in a forest clearing

1st Large Skipper of the year for me

First Grizzled Skipper seen today

[Mark Senior]

A complete circuit walked around the outer ditch of Cissbury Ring yesterday afternoon produced 14 species ,
1 each of Brimstone , Large White , Speckled Wood , Painted Lady and Green Hairstreak
2 Brown Argus
3 each Small White and Adonis Blue
4 Grizzled Skipper
6 Wall Brown
8 Small Copper
12-14 Small Heath
15-18 Dingy Skipper
circa 150 Common Blue

[Gibster]

Just back from a superb coupla days in the Spean Bridge area of Scotland.

On the afternoon of 2nd (in dull, breezy conditions) we managed a grand total of ONE Chequered Skipper and ONE forlorn looking Green Hairstreak at the Allt Mhuic Reserve, both hiding in grasses. However, an immature Golden Eagle being mobbed by Hooded Crows was a rather decent consolation prize!

The 3rd June was gloriously sunny, possibly even too hot, and wandering through Killiechonate Woods we notched up 28 Chequered Skippers, numerous thomsoni Green-veined Whites including one weird abberation, a Peacock, a Large White and several Green Hairstreaks and Orange-tips.

Throw in a bucketload of interesting insects, plants, breeding Black-throated Divers and Goosanders, Dippers, Woodcock over the tent and all-round stunning scenery...yep, we had a great time!

Shame about the midges though....

Fuller details on our website...which should be done by end of tonight/tomorrow.

[David M]

Just back from a superb coupla days in the Spean Bridge area of Scotland.

On the afternoon of 2nd (in dull, breezy conditions) we managed a grand total of ONE Chequered Skipper and ONE forlorn looking Green Hairstreak at the Allt Mhuic Reserve, both hiding in grasses. However, an immature Golden Eagle being mobbed by Hooded Crows was a rather decent consolation prize!

The 3rd June was gloriously sunny, possibly even too hot, and wandering through Killiechonate Woods we notched up 28 Chequered Skippers, numerous thomsoni Green-veined Whites including one weird abberation, a Peacock, a Large White and several Green Hairstreaks and Orange-tips.

Throw in a bucketload of interesting insects, plants, breeding Black-throated Divers and Goosanders, Dippers, Woodcock over the tent and all-round stunning scenery...yep, we had a great time!

Shame about the midges though....

Fuller details on our website...which should be done by end of tonight/tomorrow.

Orange Tips have completely vanished down here. I guess the Scottish climate holds them back for a while up there?

Are Chequered Skippers always so numerous on that site?

PS: Any chance of a link to your website?

[NickB]

..found this Holly Blue - ovipositing on ...? *

(Not what I would have expected...)

Edit: * Black Medic, I think...... (often used by Common Blue) ..... first time I have seen them on anything else other than holly & ivy. It was in a meadow next to a wood...

[state-studio]

1 Green Hairstreak and several Duke of Burgundy seen at Denge Wood Kent on Thursday together with Holly Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, large and smalll white.

[lee3764]

21 members of Cornwall Butterfly Conservation (Cornwall Branch of BC.); thanks to all those people; attended an organised meeting at Carkeet Farm on Bodmin Moor today 5th June 2010 & in hazy sunshine saw the following...

70+ Marsh Fritillaries seen altogether across 3 fields!! (WHO SAID THIS WAS A RARE SPECIES???) 20+ Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries, 1 Small Heath, 3 Small
Copper, 25+ G.V.Whites. 19 oC temperature & breezye + hazy sunshine.
Thanks everyone.
Lee Slaughter (Cornwall Butterfly Conservation Fieldtrip organiser).

[Gibster]

Orange Tips have completely vanished down here. I guess the Scottish climate holds them back for a while up there?

Are Chequered Skippers always so numerous on that site?

PS: Any chance of a link to your website?

Hi David

In response...I've never seen Chequered Skippers before, but by all accounts the Allt Mhuic site is very good for them. We just had poor weather on the day. They are (apparently!) most numerous on the lower slopes just west of the carpark from alongside the trees, across to the stream and around the area with the stone walls - which is where we saw our... erm... one!

At Spean Bridge itself a walk through Killiechonate Woods will put you amongst good numbers of them. Next to Spean Bridge train station is a narrow bridge which leads to the golf club car park. Park here and walk uphill along the Circular Woodland Trail. After about a ten or fifteen minute amble this trail T-junctions at its summit. We went right which dead ends after half a mile. At this dead end is a heathery/moor-grass filled glade which held several skippers as did the path itself which is full of flowers. Backtracking, go past the original trail and continue along the track for maybe another half mile. Look for the skippers on the very short grassy edges as they nectar on the low flowers. We missed Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk here. Further downslope, back underneath the trees check any openings/glades especially those with bluebells. We found a shady glade full of bluebells and they were particularly numerous within. Otherwise just check the low growing blue flowers along the verges of the footpaths through the wooded areas. Very approachable too, even in the full heat of the afternoon sun. Judging by their pristine appearance, I'd say they are still peaking.

To check on my website just click on the blue symbol underneath my username and details on the right hand side of this text. I'm still updating the Scotland report and having probs uploading pics, plus I'm busy tomorrow daytime so don't expect it to be completed until tomorrow night at the earliest.

Hope that's of use? All the very best!

[David M]

Top quality stuff, Gibster, and thanks for the detailed reply.

I wish you well in your quest to catch up with all the resident British species in a single calendar year (if I had more time off and a few extra grand in my pocket I'd come and join you).

If you ever find Black Hairstreaks let me know!!