August Sighting 2010

[Zonda]

Two great shots Dave, looks a bit like Ragwort.

[Perseus]

Hello,

24 August 2010
Buffeted about in a Force 6 Strong Breeze gusting to Gale Force 8, the
conditions were far from ideal for butterflies after the recent rain. Adonis
Blues (80) and Meadow Browns (est 75) were very frequently seen on Mill Hill, (numbers on the 1.2 acre transect in 25 minutes), but Holly Blues (est 35+) were also frequent on the outskirts of north Shoreham. On the Mill Hill Cutting there were at least eight pristine male Chalkhill Blues and seven worn females in an area of ten square metres. Twelve butterfly species were seen
in two hours.

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: August 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/August2010.html
Sussex Downs Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111843132181316

[Gruditch]

(which I'm ashamed to say I cannot name).

I would suspect that that is Goldenrod, bl@@dy invasive stuff. And if memory serves, there was some,( thanks to some idiot fly tipper ) growing not far up that track.

Regards Gruditch

[Michaeljf]

I would suspect that that is Goldenrod, bl@@dy invasive stuff. Regards Gruditch

Yes - I thought Goldenrod when I saw the picture. Although it may be very invasive I haven't seen some for years. Obviously it doesn't like South Wales

[Perseus]

Hello,

Goldenrod not too invasive on chalk. It does not attract butterflies, and not many hoverflies although it has been noted attracting Volucella zonaria, which is an impressive hoverfly.

Torrential rain (Sussex) on a short visit to the Library and I got soaked through in a few minutes.

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Hoverflies2008.html


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: August 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/August2010.html
Sussex Downs Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111843132181316

[Gruditch]

Beg to differ

I have Goldenrod in two gardens I tend, both on chalk, and it is a nightmare if you let them seed. Although its by no means a favourite, I have seen one or two whites feeding on it.

Regards Gruditch

[Perseus]

Beg to differ

I have Goldenrod in two gardens I tend, both on chalk, and it is a nightmare if you let them seed. Although its by no means a favourite, I have seen one or two whites feeding on it.

Regards Gruditch

I am not disagreeing. In the wild, Brambles and a quite a few other shrubs are more successful. In a garden, it would probably be different.

Andy

[firstrees]

CLOUDED YELLOW in Wells Woods, north Norfolk yesterday.

It was in the meadow immediately south of the Dell- and not very active, in poor weather, with not many butterflies around.

It even permitted me to break off the leaf on which it was perched, to allow a better photo. I cannot recall a butterfly doing this before.

[Lawts]

This male Brown Hairstreak was nectering at Chambers Wood lincs. last Sunday - the only BH seen by me all day.

[NickB]

Beg to differ
I have Goldenrod in two gardens I tend, both on chalk, and it is a nightmare if you let them seed. Although its by no means a favourite, I have seen one or two whites feeding on it.
Regards Gruditch

I am not disagreeing. In the wild, Brambles and a quite a few other shrubs are more successful. In a garden, it would probably be different.
Andy

A couple from my local BC branch have spent a couple of summers recently working out in Hungary "brush-bashing" some meadows which have been completely overgrown by Goldenrod. I have seen a picture of literally fields of the stuff - very thick and about 3ft to 4ft tall completely swamping out anything else. Again, the meadows would have been grazed in a traditional manner up to 20 years or so ago. But now with rural depopulation and a move to the cities, such practices cease and centuries of such management has come to an end......

[Perseus]

Beg to differ
I have Goldenrod in two gardens I tend, both on chalk, and it is a nightmare if you let them seed. Although its by no means a favourite, I have seen one or two whites feeding on it.
Regards Gruditch

I am not disagreeing. In the wild, Brambles and a quite a few other shrubs are more successful. In a garden, it would probably be different.
Andy

A couple from my local BC branch have spent a couple of summers recently working out in Hungary "brush-bashing" some meadows which have been completely overgrown by Goldenrod. I have seen a picture of literally fields of the stuff - very thick and about 3ft to 4ft tall completely swamping out anything else. Again, the meadows would have been grazed in a traditional manner up to 20 years or so ago. But now with rural depopulation and a move to the cities, such practices cease and centuries of such management has come to an end......

It does seem to like disturbed soil. Ex-pasture qualifies as disturbed soil. Really, it has to be pasture or meadow. Chopping and changing is the worst of both worlds.

Andy

[Perseus]

CLOUDED YELLOW in Wells Woods, north Norfolk yesterday.

It was in the meadow immediately south of the Dell- and not very active, in poor weather, with not many butterflies around.

It even permitted me to break off the leaf on which it was perched, to allow a better photo. I cannot recall a butterfly doing this before.

Hello,

Well spotted. I have not seen a Painted Lady or Clouded Yellow this year at all yet in Sussex.

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: August 2010
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/August2010.html
Sussex Downs Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111843132181316

[firstrees]

That's interesting, Andy.

I've seen a few Painted Ladies over the summer, but not hordes. The attached photo was taken at Walsey Hills NOA, north Norfolk on 15 August 2010.

Do they normally migrate west across the North Sea, rather than north ?

[NickB]

Same here- very few PL this year. Saw a couple last weekend on the Fleam Dyke and a few more in the local Cemetery the previous week. Thought we may have been in for another big influx with the strong warm southerly winds we had - but it just seems a "normal" season...will see what this weekend holds - if it ever stops raining here in Cambridge, that is
N

[Dave McCormick]

Saw quite a lot of red admirals coming over Strangford Lough yesterday, probably migrants? Also saw 10 Small Tortoiseshell which was a good sign due to lack of very may about this year.

Beg to differ
I have Goldenrod in two gardens I tend, both on chalk, and it is a nightmare if you let them seed. Although its by no means a favourite, I have seen one or two whites feeding on it.
Regards Gruditch

Well the only good thing about goldenrod if it does manage to seed, seeds can take up to two years to germinate. I am growing some from seed and they were planted last year and have not shown much signs of life yet. I'll be sure to keep them in check if they do grow to make sure they don't take over.

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CLOUDED YELLOW in Wells Woods, north Norfolk yesterday.

It was in the meadow immediately south of the Dell- and not very active, in poor weather, with not many butterflies around.

It even permitted me to break off the leaf on which it was perched, to allow a better photo. I cannot recall a butterfly doing this before.

Nice find with clouded yellow, great shot too, one I have been wanting to see since 2006 when I first saw them, but had no camera then.

[Zonda]

Only seen two Painted Ladies myself, and one of those was quite early,,, up on the top of the Cerne Abbas Giant. Really makes you appreciate 2009.

[David M]

Only seen 4 PLs myself, though one of those was in the Isle of Man so there must be a fair number on the mainland.

[Michaeljf]

I've only seen 3 Painted Ladies in Britain this year, one at Bernwood Meadows (Oxfordshire) at the end of June and two last week at Grafton Wood (Worcester).

Very surprising considering how many we saw last year, and you wouldn't have thought there was much difference in the weather this spring compared to last spring. There was a very good article in 'Wildlife magazine' a few months back about the migration of the Painted Ladies (must see if there's a link online to the article) . Personally I wonder if the Volcanic cloud from Iceland stopped the migratory species in April/May, but it's probably more complicated than that!

Michael

Painted Lady, Bernwood Meadows June 2010

[Gibster]

We had a single Painted Lady on a roadside edge at Ecclefechan this morning (in Scotland, just a few miles north of the border) which can be added to one at Keyhaven, Hants and two at Collard Hill, Somerset earlier this year - so just a few short of last year's amazing total!!!! Also, over the past 3 days, good numbers of aethiops Scotch Argus at various sites in the Speyside area, particularly around Grantown-on-Spey where we also had Northern Brown Argus. Poor weather resulted in zero oblita Speckled Woods and, further south, we failed to locate any caledonia Scotch Argus - possibly they are mostly over by now? Or else we were just supremely unlucky? A good time was had though, this was our fourth and final Scotland visit of our Butterfly Blitz 2010. Mountain Ringlet is the only species we've completely missed so far, plus a few of the far-flung Scottish races. But it's been great fun thus far. Looks like Shipton Bellinger is odds-on fave for Brown Hairstreak, although we found eggs on Ashtead Common (Surrey) way back in January...plus has anyone got reliable Clouded Yellows yet..?

Happy hunting/finding everybody

Gibster & Sami.

[walpolec]

I've only seen one PL this year in Northants (or anywhere else for that matter). Feeding on thistle in early August. Didn't see any in 2008 and one or two (ahem) in '09.

Chris