Where have all the butterflies gone?

[Ian Pratt]

Just returned from a lovely week in the Peak District and very surprised to see so few butterlies. The weather was perfect as was the habitat, but only saw ten species all week and then mostly single butterflies- more than three inividual butterflies a day was a treat!
Came back home via Gamlingay Wood on the Beds/Cambs border and saw fourteen species in one hour including silver- washed fritillaries which are new to the site and loads of skippers- large, small and Essex. Marbled whites very good.
Just across the road in fileds near my home on the IOW this morning taking the dog for a walk and in ten minutes saw six species including over twenty marbled whites.
What is up in the Peak District?

[grumpy]

Hi Ian, where did you visit in the Peak District? . I live in Derbys, one of my favourite spots is Coombs Dale a lovely limestone dale , there are plenty of butterflies there !


Dave C

[Piers]

Dave C,

Are the dark green frits out in the Derbyshire Dales yet?

Piers.

[dilettante]

Came back home via Gamlingay Wood on the Beds/Cambs border and saw fourteen species in one hour including silver- washed fritillaries which are new to the site and loads of skippers- large, small and Essex. Marbled whites very good.

Could you share your list? Gamlingay Woods is quite near me, but I tend to only go at bluebell time. Good to hear the SWF is there.

[celery]

Piers enquired
Are the dark green frits out in the Derbyshire Dales yet?

I saw a single dark green fritillary at Lathkill Dale, near Bakewell, last Monday (27th June). It didn't stop to have its picture taken.

I did a 10 mile circular walk around the meadows, villages and dale and saw the usual suspects in terms of species (meadow brown, large skipper, whites, small tort, red admiral, comma, speckled wood, common blue, brimstone), but very few of any in terms of quantity.

This has been the common experience at all my local sites in Notts, Derbys, Lincs and Leics since the masses of orange tips and peacocks in April... I'm having to travel further afield to get my 'fix'...

[Piers]

Interesting (but disappointing for you), thanks Celery.

[grumpy]

Hi Piers, yes this poor pic (didnt realise at the time its wing was deformed) was taken at Coombs Dale 13/06/11 Saw around 5 individuals the same day. Reports suggest they are out in larger numbers at other sites now. Not had chance to go back yet, my Landy is in for M.O.T. !

[Piers]

Thanks for the update Dave, glad to hear that they are still doing ok in the Derby Dales.

Piers.
Ps: good luck with the MOT..!

[Ian Pratt]

Saw 2 DGFs along the Monsal trail on Friday 1st July.
At Gamlingay Wood I saw the following:
Skippers- large,small and Essex,
SWF,
White- large, small, marbled and green-veined,
Comma,
Red Admiral,
Speckled wood,
Meadow brown,
Small heath,
Ringlet.
Hope that helps.

[EricY]

On sat july 2nd I saw at least 8-10 DGF's in the bracken each side of the Burbage brook bridge that the A625 crosses the brook. Sun 3rd saw 3 high up on the moors where a little stone walkers bridge crosses Burbage brook. Both these site I would count as moorland & not dales. Eric

[Ian Pratt]

Hi Ian, where did you visit in the Peak District? . I live in Derbys, one of my favourite spots is Coombs Dale a lovely limestone dale , there are plenty of butterflies there !


Dave C

We visited Deep Dale, Chelmorton Low, the Monsal trail, Blacka Moor and Wyming Brook reserves, Ladybower and Derwent Reservoirs, Mam Tor, Lose Hill and Castleton, Fernilee Reservoir, and Buxton!
We saw 12 species but only a few of each often only one or two:
Dark Green frit,
Small tort,
Red admiral,
Large and small white,
meadow brown,
ringlet,
painted lady,
large and small skipper,
speckled wood and
common blue.

[Butterfly Gardener]

I think the poor weather is playing a part in this. They dont feel like coming out when its cloudy and neither do I, therefore I dont see as many butterflies.

[Ian Pratt]

What was surprising in the Peak District was the weather which was perfect for me and the butterflies and great habitat- grassy meadows filled with flowers and no sign of pesticides or agricultural run-off. As I said earlier, when I visited Gamlingay Wood last Sunday I saw more butterflies in the first ten minutes there than I had seen in the Peak District in a week.

[grumpy]

Hi Ian, thanks for the list of species seen on your Derbys visit. A visit to Coombs Dale may have added Wall Brown,Green Veined White, Brown Argus, Small Copper,Comma and brimstone. We suffer from a restriction in species being further north, a fact which gives me much grief in that I have to travel to see things that other folks take for granted. It is only relatively recently that we have added Ringlet, Speckled Wood and Essex Skipper to our list. In the same time frame the Wall Butterfly has disappeared from the low lands, I remember as a lad seeing them regularly around Ilkeston where I grew up , The Small Heath has also disappeared from many sites where it was common in my childhood, this may be due to the old reclaimed colliery sites becoming overgrown and the foodplants being shaded out. I look forward to a time when I may not have so far to travel to see White Admirals flitting about the woodlands , I believe they are not too far away now ! Hope your next visit this way proves more fruitful


best wishes

Dave C (grumpy)