March 2011

[Vince Massimo]

Blimey!............30 consecutive posts on a sightings forum without a photo.

Here's one from Tuesday 8th March taken at one of my local reserves. Not a Large Tortoiseshell, but still a very lovely bright individual.

Small Tortoiseshell

I have also been searching for Brown Hairstreak eggs in this part of Surrey, but have found none. I did however discover the eggs of the Blue-bordered Carpet Moth, which also lays on Blackthorn. These can initially be confused for Brown Hairstreak, but once closely inspected, have a number of significant differences.

Brown Hairstreak Eggs

Blue-bordered Carpet Moth Eggs

Not expecting any more sightings now for a few days.

Vince

[Piers]

Great photographs Vince, I have wondered in the past how many brown hairstreak ova counts have been skewed by the presence of blue-bordered carpet ova (a fairly widespread species) erroneously presumed to be those of betulea.

Felix.

[Gibster]

Check Vince's Blue-bordered Carpet eggs. Pretend they are super-glued into position. Now imagine peeling them off the twig, leaving just a hollow rim of egg shell stuck in place. That's what I've been commonly finding on Elm whilst (unsuccessfully) searching for WLH eggs these past few weeks. Any ideas, or are the possibles just too numerous?

PS - agreed, they're excellent pics!

Gibster.

[Piers]

WLH ova are so very difficult to locate in the wild (having spent countless hours at known sites and locating just a hanfull per hour), they are so well camouflaged to be untrue. I have a whole bunch at home on some elm twigs, which shall emerge any day now and even though I know exactly where each one is, they are close to impossible to spot even when I am looking directly at them..!

[Susie]

The easy way to remember whether it is brown hairstreak or blue bordered carpet egg is that the latter looks like a tictac (not that any of you will need a way of remembering but it is useful when explaining to beginners).

[Piers]

In which case surely the size is a dead give away?

[marmari]

Although the Large Tortioseshell (s) seem reluctant to show themselves on the Isle of Wight for the moment,this Peacock was on hand to brighten up the woodland.

[Susie]

In which case surely the size is a dead give away?

Oh dear, Felix!

[David M]

Although the Large Tortioseshell (s) seem reluctant to show themselves on the Isle of Wight for the moment,this Peacock was on hand to brighten up the woodland.

Great spot, Marmari.

[NickMorgan]

I'm starting to get jealous of your hairstreak eggs and butterfly sightings. There have been a couple of butterflies reported on the wing up here early this month, but I haven't seen anything myself.
I'm keeping an eye on the remaining small white chrysalises on my house, but otherwise haven't found anything of interest so far.
I have been looking for orange tip chrysalises close to where the caterpillars were last summer. Any tips on where are good places to look? I have searched fence posts and elder bushes close to the food plants, but with no luck.
Anything else that I could be looking for up here while I am battling through the snow and sleat showers?

[Piers]

Hi Nick,

If the larvae were feeding upon garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata, see if you can find any of last years stems. They shall be dried and withered by now. Searching these old stems is a good place to start...

Late last summer I found several using this method in areas where I had observed females oviposting earlier in the year.

If however they were feeding upon cuckoo flower Cardamine pratensis then your task is less easy. The larvae can wander some distance in order to find a suitable position for pupation.

Good hunting,

Felix.

[NickB]

First Brimstone today in the Cemetery at lunchtime .....

[Charles Nicol]

First butterfly of the year today !!

Comma or possibly Small Tortoiseshell by the Bridge Hotel Huntingdon

Charles

[marmari]

Just my second butterfly sighting of 2011,on the Isle of Wight

[Dave McCormick]

Hi Nick,

If the larvae were feeding upon garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata, see if you can find any of last years stems. They shall be dried and withered by now. Searching these old stems is a good place to start...

Late last summer I found several using this method in areas where I had observed females oviposting earlier in the year.

If however they were feeding upon cuckoo flower Cardamine pratensis then your task is less easy. The larvae can wander some distance in order to find a suitable position for pupation.

Good hunting,

Felix.

I have been searching for OT chrysalis for past 4 years and never found any yet. Most of the sites I have searched have had cuckoo-flowers used as I have found loads of eggs in the areas, sometimes young caterpillars but never chrysalises, searching under flower heads is easy for the eggs, last May I found a lot at lough Neagh, each flower had around 3 eggs which I thought was odd. Where do OTs usually pupate? Is it low down or higher up?

Meant to search my relatives bog and farm today, weather was against me, only weekend I get free to do this and it rains/sleets...so much for that seems the weather is always against me when I have time free to go to sites and look for butterflies/moths but with the Tsunami in the Pacific, lucky this is all we get.

[Bill S]

Who ordered the Brimstones!?!

Not that I'm complaining, these are the first butterflies I've seen this year, and I saw 6 in a five mile drive between villages just now.

It's starting...


Cheers

Bill

[Gibster]

One male Brimstone at Brooklands, Surrey today!!!!

Gibster 1 - Sami 0

[EricY]

Yesterday friday 11th had a Brimstone alongside the Little Ouse river nr Santon Downham Norfolk, another couple said they also saw one some distance away on the village entrance road. Unfortunately the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers did not show very well! Eric

[ChrisC]

at least 2 (possibly 5) brimstone, a small tort and a peacock passed through the garden this morning, quite surreal with brambling still on the feeder. the season has definitely started.
Chris

[FISHiEE]

4 Brimstones for me too today in the Forest of Bere Mid-teens forecasat for next week woohoo!