September sightings

[TedP]

Despite the Public Holiday Weekend weather there was still at least one second brood Swallowtail flying at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB reserve this afternoon. (Also Comma, Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood)
TedP

[David M]

Despite the Public Holiday Weekend weather there was still at least one second brood Swallowtail flying at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB reserve this afternoon. (Also Comma, Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood)
TedP

I didn't know British Swallowtails had a second brood.

[Michaeljf]

I didn't know British Swallowtails had a second brood.

It depends mostly on the weather doesn't it? The same applies to some of our smaller fritillaries (hmm...I now wait for the real explanation to come up!)

[sami]

hello all from Sunny Surrey!
Gibster and I hit Hampshire today. First stop: Shipton Bellinger, where the paths and hedgerows produced no less than 8 Brown Hairstreaks, a lifer for me. They weren't hanging around for photos tho so we headed to Noar Hill where they were much more obliging.
Several females and 1 male fell to the BlitzList photo album and one posed well enough for us to have a true encounter for several minutes. We read on our return that it's really quite rare to see males on these terms so we consider ourselves very lucky.
Brown Hairstreak is species number 55 for me this year.... species number 56 for Gibster as he clinched White-letter Hairstreak whilst I was slaving away at work
Other species today were: Brown Argus, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Brimstone, Meadow Brown and Small Tortoiseshell.
A great start to September!!!
Sami

[Jack Harrison]

2nd September (South Cambridgeshire)

Never before today had I seen a Common Blue nectaring on a buddleia.

Jack

[Lee Hurrell]

I'd never seen them nectaring on bramble (along with Brown Argus) until last month.

Lee

[JohnR]

In this part of Surrey almost everything has disappeared. Has anyone noticed a reduction in Whites this year? My cabbages are still intact

I caught this Comma having a taste of a rotten plum.

plum.JPG (115.6 KiB) Viewed 1401 times

[Matsukaze]

Plenty of Brown Argus tonight, most slightly worn, roosting on tall grass on the north-east margins of arable fields so as to catch the late evening sun. One or two Common Blue and Small Copper with them. Small Whites abundant, Speckled Wood numbers building up, vanessids noticeably absent.

Aquatic Speckled Wood a couple of days ago, fluttering down to rest for a while on a lily-pad on the surface of one of the slow-moving Levels rivers, before heading off for more suitable hedgerow habitat nearby.

[felix123]

Yesterday me, my brother and dad went to Cerne abbas hill in search for the 2nd brood Adonis blues and the Chalkhill blues.

I had lots of success with the AB(saw about 30-40 of them and managed to get one on my finger as it drunk the sweat of it ) but no success with the CHB and I have know idea why it is five out of five stars to see them at that site or is it to late in the year now?

Also at the site there where 17 Meadow browns, 30-40 small heaths, 5 brown argus, 2 common blues and at the Cerne abbas village saw a single male brimstone on a buddlea with its wings open show that beautiful colour of his.

I think thats the end of all my trips this year and what a year it has been! I would like to thank all of your help this year and without you all I don't know what I would do.

My plan for spring is to go to Powerstock common and find the Dingy skipper, Grizzled skipper and Green hairstreak!

Thanks again for all your help,

Felix

PS: Back to school on monday!!!WOW this 6 weeks of holiday has gone quickly!

[Padfield]

Has anyone noticed a reduction in Whites this year? My cabbages are still intact

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthn ... erfly.html

I've been out of the country, so I can't comment!

Guy

[Perseus]

Hello,

3 September 2010
There were still frequent butterflies around on the outskirts of Shoreham,
notable a dozen Chalkhill Blues and my first Clouded Yellow of the year on
the Mill Hill Cutting (SW), north Shoreham.

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

[Zonda]

Nice to hear about a Cloudy sighting. I'll be extra vigilant now. I scanned all my local sites with binoculars today, but nothing doing. Felix 123 you did well at Cerne Abbas, i didn't walk the second brood, but it must have been good. Well done.

[Perseus]

Has anyone noticed a reduction in Whites this year? My cabbages are still intact

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthn ... erfly.html

I've been out of the country, so I can't comment!

Guy

Hello,

Over the last ten years in Shoreham, Sussex, the most common butterflies have been Common Blues followed by Chalkhill Blues. In glut years they are joined by Clouded Yellows, Painted Ladies, Small Skippers and Small Tortoiseshells. Large Whites exceeded Gatekeepers this year, but this is not usually the case despite their short flight period. And we have lots of Large Whites because of the Sea Kale. In a good year the number of Chalkhill Blues in an hour will exceed all the butterflies combined for a whole year. No good years since 2003. The same could apply to Common Blues as well.

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

[NickB]

Very few Large White over here - loads of Small Whites, tho'....
Same in the cemetery - a few Small Whites today and a single Large; yesterday saw a Painted Lady & got this Small Copper...

N

[Zonda]

Nice one Nick,,,, looks really fresh. All of mine recently have been tatty.

[David M]

A brimstone at work!! Spotted a yellow insect fluttering along the line of shrubs at the back of the office this afternoon. The way I suddenly stood up and launched myself at the window probably made colleagues think I'd witnessed a fatal car accident.

I love Brimstones. Doesn't everybody?

[Lee Hurrell]

I do actually David.

They're one of the signs of spring, (my favourite time of year), and also a highlight of high summer. Plus of course a warm winter's day if you're lucky! Near year round delight.

I've seen a lot of them this year too, I was still seeing egg laying females in late June.

Cheers

Lee

[Michaeljf]

I love Brimstones. Doesn't everybody?

Yep, and for the same reasons. The only drawback is that I haven't seen any in my local patch for a couple of years, and I saw both Brimstones and Marbled Whites when I first moved here (2002). It may be that I don't go out into my local area so much these days, so I just haven't seen them. On the plus side, this year I saw a Ringlet in my local patch and it was the first time. That brings my local patch total to 22 species.

[Ian Pratt]

Painted lady een today near my home in fields - interestingly another PL was seen on two occasions earlier in the year ( 7 June 2010 and later in June) at exactly the same place!

[Crispin]

A superb day at Malling Down, Lewes.
Saw my first Clouded Yellow of the year and one Painted Lady

Loads of Adonis Blues, including mating pairs. Still several Chalkhill about.
Silver-spotted Skippers have finished - not seen one since last Wed.

Crispin