June 2010 Sightings

[NickB]

..... We may well follow in your footsteps (and hopefully be just as lucky!)in the very near future.

Hi - you have the next two weeks I reckon to be sure; the peak will probably be in the next week....
Good luck.....Monk's Wood is also close - they are flying there too.
Roger Orbell showed us around and there are two main areas where they may come down, both off the main ride past the crossroads, just past where the grounds rises, on the right. They are in small numbers throughout the woods wherever the blackthorn thickets are vigorous.
They are frustrating tho'....
N

[NickB]

Took a rest from blackthorn thickets today as quite dull and cloudy (BH NEED sun to get mobile) and caught this little beauty in the cemetery, in between doing my (much needed, neglected) cleaning and washing....

and, I know gardeners and brush-bashers hate bindweed, but the CB in the cemetery LOVE the stuff, little else being around at this time....I watched this guy cruise around visiting several lesser bindweed flowers over a few minutes....

[SteveA]

a couple of hours spent in Hockley Woods, Essex today revealed a count of only 31 Heath Fritillaries. This is marked contrasts to the 'hundreds' here last year.

Some of the clearings are becoming overgrown so hope that the butterflies find the very good looking wide ride at the east end of the wood.

The only other butterflies seen were 1 Large White and 2 Holly Blues

[Gruditch]

Nice CB Nick.

Silver-studded Blues are starting to emerge in the New Forrest. This week was the peak of their season last year, but so far this year, there are still only males on the wing.

Regards Gruditch

[Susie]

There was a Meadow brown in the garden today.

[Rogerdodge]

The north Cornish coast has still very good numbers of SPBF, with Wall in diminishing numbers - probably one of the best years I can remember for these. Saw my first Meadow Brown and Grayling of the year, as well as remarkably fresh Painted Lady and Small Tort. Common Blues are in huge numbers as well.
I visited a Large Blue re-introduction site without any success. That delight will have to wait until Tuesday when I vist Collard Hill.

[NickB]

There was a Meadow brown in the garden today.

Forget to mention it - two in Brampton Wood yesterday....first of the year...
Thanks Gary - get them early
N

[felix123]

I was very annoyed yesterday seeing cows grazing in my local field which I usualy see lots of common blues and yesterday I saw not even 1!!

Are cows a problem??

Felix

[Gibster]

Had about a dozen Heath Fritillaries in Blean Wood yesterday, a brand new species for us!!! Our first, a female on hogweed and bramble flowers, was at the edge of the Hicks Forstal Road car park and took...ooooh...twenty seconds to locate after we left the car. What an obliging lifer! Through the woods we had two pairs in cop

We got chatting to a guy from Southampton who reckons numbers are well down on this time last year. Also saw a Holly Blue on daisies (which threw us at first, lol!), a Large White, a pristine Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, a couple of Silver Y and we glimpsed a juvenile Nightingale (in bushes next to the car park!) Just follow the croaks, clicks and the emphatic, penetrating 'huueeeeeet!' calls to view it.

maybe at Martin Down (if anyone wants to PM me directions at this site????.......)

[Padfield]

Are cows a problem??

Overgrazing will kill anything, but well-managed grazing can maintain excellent habitats - certainly far better than the building developments that tragically follow in my part of the world when they redesignate agricultural land as development land (so they can sell it at higher prices). Hay meadows (scythed rather than grazed) are better for many species, but grazed meadows are good for others. Grazing changes the fertility and flower balance of the meadows. Only this spring I photographed one of the rarest butterflies in Switzerland while standing with one foot in a cowpat and one eye on the herd of cattle just up the hill from me.

Guy

[SteveA]

Had about a dozen Heath Fritillaries in Blean Wood yesterday, a brand new species for us!!! Our first, a female on hogweed and bramble flowers, was at the edge of the Hicks Forstal Road car park and took...ooooh...twenty seconds to locate after we left the car. What an obliging lifer! Through the woods we had two pairs in cop

We got chatting to a guy from Southampton who reckons numbers are well down on this time last year.

The main Essex colonies are well down on last year, ie. 300 this time last year in Hockley Woods, only 31 there yesterday. Similarly the other major sites of Dodds Grove and Little Haven EWT ar also way way down in numbers, perhaps the harsh winter has done them no good.

[David M]

Back to check on Aberbargoed Grasslands again and despite fairly poor temperatures, butterfly numbers were pretty good. I explored a bit further this time and managed to locate Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries in a marshy area at the south end of the site. The full tally was:

1. Large Skipper 15-20
2. Common Blue 10-15
3. Marsh Fritillary (very worn by now) 9
4. Small Heath 4
5. Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary 4
6. Large White 3
7. Speckled Wood 3
8. Dingy Skipper 2
9. Small Copper 1
10. Small White 1
11. Small Tortoiseshell 1

Cool weather must keep them placid - I could have picked this one up!

Seemed fairly oblivious to my presence

Trying to get the most out of 15 degrees!

Small Heath in the grass

[NickB]

In my local cemetery, over the last 2 days, my first Red Admirals for about a month (and then it was only a pair). At least 2 individuals, which look like setting-up territories, since one was in the same place today....
..and since Saturday I have seen Large Skipper in there too....

..on Ox-Eye Daisy, which we planted in our meadow restoration
BTW Gary, I hope to get something half as good as your SSB this weekend, if the weather holds out - heading for Buxton Heath I think....should be about peak emergence.

[NickB]

Further to Felix's question....

Are cows a problem??
Felix

As Guy says, any sort of overgrazing will not be good for butterflies. In fact, herdsmen used to deliberately overstock in some situations, but not because they wanted their animals to eat the butterflies' food plants, or anything like that. Most butterfly food plants are not necessarily very palatable, especially to things like cows. Herdsmen would use their animals to trample the area, to reduce plants, like Horse-Shoe Vetch, which do not like being trampled, and increase the areas of grass. So it was a natural method of creating better pasture for the farmer. On the other hand, Nature Trusts now often own herds of animals themselves, since they have to manage old pasture and grasslands and cattle or sheep can be a very cost-effective way of making sure the grass is cut! The key thing is to use the right sort of animals in the right numbers to do the job required. In many cases, grasslands are managed to encourage the right mix of flowers and other plants. The fact that they can be good for butterflies is almost incidental. My son cuts his ancient meadows on a Wildlife Trust Reserve in June for hay - not a particularly good time for butterflies, but perfect to reduce the fertility of the soil and ensure the target species of plants thrive.
N

[felix123]

Thank you Guy and Nick for that info it was very interesting.

This week is ment to be a great one here weather wise and I hope to get out on the weekend to go butterfly hunting.

There are apparently preety bad storms in south europe have you had it Guy??!!

Felix

[Padfield]

There are apparently preety bad storms in south europe have you had it Guy??!!

The weather in Switzerland has been spectacularly awful since the beginning of May and the forecast for the foreseeable future is cloud, rain and storms. I've never known a year like it.

Guy

[Gibster]

Thankfully no such problems with the weather in Dorset today. Visited Hod Hill (except we clambered up Hambledon Hill first before realising our mistake, lol!) where the ramparts provided us with at least 7 Marsh Fritillaries(plus three dead ones in spider webs), 30+ Adonis Blues, 10+ Meadow Browns, 10 or so Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Dingy, 5 Grizzled and a couple of Large Skippers, a fresh Speckled Wood, 20+ Small Heaths, a Small Blue, 3+ Brown Argus, various moths, a Golden-ringed Dragonfly and - most unexpectedly - a male Banded Demoiselle!
You have to hand it to the Romans, they showed amazing foresight re butterfly habo creation!!!

[Jack Harrison]

You have to hand it to the Romans, they showed amazing foresight re butterfly habo creation!!!

I think the fort pre-dates the Romans even though they might subsequently have made use of it.

Jack

[Chris Pickford]

I spotted 4 or 5 Small Blues this weekend on a patch of kidney vetch a mile or so from my house (S. Oxon). All were rather worn females busy egg laying.

Not an enormous number, but more than I've seen there for a year or two.

Chris

[Bioboy]

Spotted my first White Admiral of the year today. Bookham Common, Surrey - track between 100 Pound Bridge and Meritt's Cottage.

Rob