june 2011

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Malcolm,
Good to see you back on UKB ..... and good to catch up with you both again. PM me if you come to Sussex for the summer woodland experience. Fantastic LB shot - I love the geometric cobweb.
Neil

[Malcolm Farrow]

Thanks Neil, much appreciated. Looking good for the end of next week - will be in touch.

[admiral halsey]

Langdon Hills, Willow park. Saw about fifteen Meadow brown, 10 Common Blue, 1 Comma, 8 Speckled Wood, a five spot Burnet, a Small Heath, and with almost every step in the meadow I disturbed several Burnet Companions totalling scores. I had to share the beauty below. I couldn't believe my luck in seeing it, and and with stealth and a little luck I captured it. Anyway, it's a broad bodied chaser. Could someone confirm the Skipper below, possibly Essex or Small (I saw 2 about 1/2 mile apart). Also saw, (and had!) a handful of fairy moths.

Rich

[EricY]

I did a walk this morning down the west track at Holkham & out past the Joe Jordan hide to the dunes. Nearly at the dunes I saw a White admiral (photo attached) this is a known site for them. Also a Broad bordered bee hawk moth but was unable to get the camera on to it. Also saw 3 Red Admirals, several spec wood & a skipper that flew off quickly. Eric

[NickB]

On transect at the Fleam Dyke: Large Skipper 4; Meadow Brown 5; GV White 1; Small White 2; Brimstone 4 (3 female); Comma 1; Small Heath 2; Speckled Wood 1; Common Blue 1.
Outside transect - 2 more Brimstone, Small White and Small Heath, plus a Red Admiral and another Comma.
Not been a great year for Small Heath and Common Blue around here, so far as I have seen
N

[celery]

Langdon Hills, Willow park. Saw about fifteen Meadow brown, 10 Common Blue, 1 Comma, 8 Speckled Wood, a five spot Burnet, a Small Heath, and with almost every step in the meadow I disturbed several Burnet Companions totalling scores. I had to share the beauty below. I couldn't believe my luck in seeing it, and and with stealth and a little luck I captured it. Anyway, it's a broad bodied chaser. Could someone confirm the Skipper below, possibly Essex or Small (I saw 2 about 1/2 mile apart). Also saw, (and had!) a handful of fairy moths.

Rich

SNAP! Quite literally, though mine was at Bingham Linear Park, Notts. on Sunday... celery

[NickB]

...here's a male from Monk's Wood ...

Broad-bodied Chaser - male

N

[Piers]

Not been a great year for Small Heath and Common Blue around here, so far as I have seen

Not brilliant on the South Wilts Downs either Nick, and now the emergance is getting old I am surprised that the adonis blue numbers have been fairly modest, even on the best down land sites; certainly when compared to the promise that came with the quantity of individuals that flew in the second brood of 2010...

Piers.

[NickB]

Looks like chalk-habitats (like many of the sites local to Cambridge) and other grasslands have not fared well in the dry conditions, either, if my local cemetery and LNRs are taken as an examples for Cambridge. In S Wilts, Piers, you have had a bit more rain too, than over here in the East . We do worry what the Chalk-hills will be coming out to, since I was greeted with very dessicated conditions on the Fleam today, if they have survived in any numbers, that is. I do worry, too, that current grazing levels on many NRs are way too high for the dry conditions; and, with grazing often undertaken in butterfly breeding seasons, the combined result in many areas is easy to predict . I don't think I have read a BC Conservation or Species Report that doesn't mention their concern about grazing, which is seen by many ,in the NRs and WLTs, as the "correct" way to manage their reserves..... I don't visit many WLT or NRs for their butterflies, certainly where there is extensive grazing, that is for sure.
N

[admiral halsey]

Langdon Hills, Willow park. Saw about fifteen Meadow brown, 10 Common Blue, 1 Comma, 8 Speckled Wood, a five spot Burnet, a Small Heath, and with almost every step in the meadow I disturbed several Burnet Companions totalling scores. I had to share the beauty below. I couldn't believe my luck in seeing it, and and with stealth and a little luck I captured it. Anyway, it's a broad bodied chaser. Could someone confirm the Skipper below, possibly Essex or Small (I saw 2 about 1/2 mile apart). Also saw, (and had!) a handful of fairy moths.

Rich

SNAP! Quite literally, though mine was at Bingham Linear Park, Notts. on Sunday... celery

Nice! I got a better picture, but couldn't crop it to uploadable size Took another walk this evening. Saw a solitary red Admiral (evading my lens sitting deep in a clump of nettles!). Still several Coomon Blue active, accompanied by a number of meadow Brown and plenty of Burnet Companions

Rich

[celery]

I took a similar trip as that made by nfreem (reported on Page 1 of this thread) out to Wyre Forest on the Saturday just gone (4th June).

Cloudy with heavy showers and brief periods of sunshine. I spotted the reported small-pearl bordered fritillaries (about a dozen) in the meadows around Knowles Mill. Also seen were common blue, small copper and green-veined white... plus literally thousands of chimney sweeper moths and a few dozen burnet companions. Made a quick stop at the Black Stone picnic site, near Bewdley, on the way home to look at the spectacular poppy fields.


small pearl-bordered fritillary


you wouldn't want to make him angry...


small copper


chimney sweeper moth


field of poppies at Back Stone.

cheers, celery

[Susie]

That poppy field photo is stunning.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Celery,

I also stopped off briefly at Black Stone to have a look at the poppy field, its a wonderfull view.
I took a couple of photos but I wasn't happy with them when I got home, just didn't do justice to the sight . I think I tried to capture too much and ended up messing things up.

I spotted the SPBFs around Knowles Mill and also further along by Coopers Mill where I also saw a couple of 'tatty' PBFs. I then crossed over the brook and headed back towards the car park along the track of the old railway. About halfway along there is an open area through a gate. This was where I saw the really fresh SPBFs including the one in my photo on the first page of the thread.

Neil.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Celery,
a nice selection of pictures there. Almost tempted to go to the Wyre forest myself, in sunny weather That'll be in a couple of months then Michael

[Willrow]

First High Brown Fritillary of the year at the Alun Valley, Near Bridgend, South Wales, today. Surprisingly pleasant day, even with a bit of an edge still on the wind, the temperature hit 17c mid afternoon and I saw 6 or 7 in the two hours I spent there, as is usual with this species they were pretty active in the sunshine

Had a really frustrating time on the photographic side of things this past week or so, and little change today, I could'nt get anywhere near them for anything other than a species confirmation shot, and that was from about 10 feet away, so accept my apologies for the poor quality image. Note the pieces missing from the HBF's rear wing, quite a few Whitethroat feeding young here at present, they could be the culprits.

Dozen or so Small Skipper seen, half a dozen Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, few each of Common Blue and Green-veined White, otherwise still in the 'June lull'. Quite a lot of Cinnabar and Brown-silver Line on site also. Must pay another visit in the next few weeks for a good(ish) image.

Bill

[David M]

I'd heard they were out, Bill, and may pay a visit there myself very soon.

Were you on the south facing side of the valley or on the Down itself?

[Willrow]

I'd heard they were out, Bill, and may pay a visit there myself very soon.

Were you on the south facing side of the valley or on the Down itself?

South facing side David, on bracken clearings/slopes, down below the top fence (barley field). Check out the bramble flowers, they seemed to favour these, problem is they grow in among bracken, often making it very difficult to see them, then it's only a matter of trying to get a reasonable view or photograph - without disturbing or destroying the habitat - tough ask. Pretty sure that the recently strimmed paths will also offer some chances of good views and photographs over the coming weeks though. This is my first visit this year, the real 'hot spot' may still need to be discovered or announced.

Best of luck on your visit...and may the weather be with you

Bill

[Michaeljf]

Hi Bill,
I visited Ewenny last Sunday, unfortunately the weather rather petered out as soon as we arrived, and the most we saw was about 4 SPBF and some Small Tortoiseshells. I found a nice spot with plenty of Brambles and a good path around it, though I'm still not sure where David has gone and where I've gone are the same place! I think the species has quite a few 'hotspots' round there. As I reported last week, Richard Smith had already mentioned that a High Brown and several Dark Greens had already been seen. I popped out from work at lunchtime for an hour today, and there were quite a few common butterflies locally, the weather was surprisingly warm.

Shame the weather still looks a bit dodgy for the weekend, as all we need is a few hours of sun . The best day looks like Saturday at the moment. I want to go to Collard Hill but my loyalties are torn between that and Ewenny!
Michael

[Millar153]

I'm green-as-a-Green-Hairstreak with envy! Or empathic joy. 200 Heath Frits?! Wonderful photos.

Report from the magical land of Nornia (Northern Ireland) - somebody saw a Brimstone last month (very rare here), and the Large Heaths are coming out. Orange tips and Small Heaths exploded everywhere. Marsh Frits fine, no Dark Greens yet (except caterpillaries). Still waiting for the Commas to colonise... wish they'd hurry up.

http://www.bcni.org.uk/sightings.php?sp ... utterflies

And my relatively feeble report from Glencairn Park, Belfast, today, 10am, sun/cloud/showers, mild, cool breeze....

Orange-tips still hanging on (1m1f)
Small Copper very tatty (1)
Green-veined White still first brood (2f)
Speckled Wood (1) and Cryptic Wood White (1)

Yes - Cryptic! May I deviate?

Article on the Dublin Naturalists website decrees that it's no longer Réal's Wood White in Ireland but its recently-separated even-more-cryptic species pair the newly/soon-to-be christened Leptidea juvernica, the Cryptic Wood White! (Oh don't you just love their originality!!!!!!)

http://www.butterflyireland.com/News&Comments.htm

Maybe it's not officially Cryptic yet - but it is in my notebook! Here's my shot from May 8th.



Hoping to see some late Green Hairstreaks if the sun peeks out in the Mournes this weekend (pigs might fly).

Any verdict on the cryptic new name on the block? As you may have guessed, I'm excited! (Or am I due a rebuke for prematurity??)

Sam

http://millar153.wordpress.com/

[Willrow]

Hi Bill,
I visited Ewenny last Sunday, unfortunately the weather rather petered out as soon as we arrived, and the most we saw was about 4 SPBF and some Small Tortoiseshells. I found a nice spot with plenty of Brambles and a good path around it, though I'm still not sure where David has gone and where I've gone are the same place! I think the species has quite a few 'hotspots' round there. As I reported last week, Richard Smith had already mentioned that a High Brown and several Dark Greens had already been seen. I popped out from work at lunchtime for an hour today, and there were quite a few common butterflies locally, the weather was surprisingly warm.

Shame the weather still looks a bit dodgy for the weekend, as all we need is a few hours of sun . The best day looks like Saturday at the moment. I want to go to Collard Hill but my loyalties are torn between that and Ewenny!
Michael

Hi Michael,

Go to Collard Hill, the Large Blue have a relatively short flight season, and you also have to consider the advantage of Ewenny being almost 'local' and the High Brown Fritillary will be on the wing right through into August. Saturday is looking fair on the weather front too, with good amounts of sunny intervals albeit on the coolish side.

I'm hoping to use all that excellent information you so kindly supplied on Black Hairstreak at Oxfordshire tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed that they come out to play

Whatever you decide to do tomorrow, good luck and enjoy...is'nt butterflying just great!!!

Bill