April 2012

[MikeOxon]

I added Speckled Wood to my 'garden list' today. That brings the garden total this year up to 8 species: (Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood). I suspect that it will now hold at that value for a while, as snow is forecast for Wednesday!

Mike

[marmari]

I have received an email this evening to say that another Large Tortoiseshell sighting has been made at Walters Copse this afternoon.
Photos were taken, and a possible second sighting too by the same person.

[Gibster]

Large Tortoiseshell also seen and photographed at Porthellick, St Marys on Isles of Scilly yesterday.

Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust put it on Twitter as a "tortoiseshell butterfly", and Sami notified them of the correct identification!!!!

Gibster

[Wurzel]

Peacok and Comma at Llanerchaeron today - but that was it, and possibly will remain so for the next couple of days if the Met is too be trusted...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I have received an email this evening to say that another Large Tortoiseshell sighting has been made at Walters Copse this afternoon.
Photos were taken, and a possible second sighting too by the same person.

Whisper it quietly, but are we maybe on the verge of seriously reassessing the residency status of this much admired species in the UK?

[Orchidlover]

I'm new here and joined to help my butterfly identification.

A new ( to me and my garden) butterfly visitor yesterday which I now know is a Speckled Wood



also a photo of my supervisor on her nest



Gina

[Lee Hurrell]

Welcome, Gina. You'll find it a friendly place!

I look forward to more garden reports and photos.

Best wishes

Lee

[Mark Tutton]

Hi All
not sure wheteher this has been picked up yet but yet another Large Tortoishell has been spotted - and more importantly photographed - this time in Hampshire. It was spotted in Havant by a respected local naturalist Brian Fellowes. The location was a small group of trees in a largely built up area which is only about two miles from my home. i have visited two or three times in good weather but no joy.
I am unsure whether it would be likely to hang around in such an unlikely environment. will keep my eyes peeled though.
See http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.htm
Fingers crossed mark T

[Hoggers]

Sunny Folkestone today at The Warren and I saw a Speckled Wood, four Small Tortoiseshells, eight Small Whites, a Peacock and three male Orange Tips. Also a Grey Seal close to the shore.

[NickB]

Well, despite the sun, a cool breeze kept temperatures down over here. On my morning walk and bike ride this afternoon outside Cambridge, I scored nil butterflies
Some compensation though, from watching the Marsh Harriers that have returned - at least six. Especially as they are displaying; pairs soaring high and rolling and cork-screwing together, or, stuka-like, folding their wings and hurtling straight down, only to pull-out and stall gently as they land in the middle of a reed-bed. Stunning stuff

[David M]

I'm new here and joined to help my butterfly identification.

A new ( to me and my garden) butterfly visitor yesterday which I now know is a Speckled Wood

Welcome (nice to see another south Walian on here!)

That Speckled Wood's a particularly bright specimen. Excellent shot.

[NickB]

Welcome light rain here, especially after the recent high temperatures.
In the last 12 months to 31st March, we have only had 62% of our long-term mean rainfall in Cambridge, with very dry winters and early springs for the third time in a row.. Last April we had only 1.7mm of rain; today we've already had 2.7mm, so thankfully that record has gone.....still need more though....

[Orchidlover]

Thanks for the welcomes. Nothing so far today in a very cold and wet garden. I did have a pair of Coal Tits on the windowsill for a few minutes and I can confirm that we have a pair of Blue tits in my nest box.
The speckled Wood from yesterday was actually posing for the camera. I managed to get a few photos but the one I posted here was by far the best.

Gina

[Debbie]

Hello Gina,

What a lovely picture of a speckled wood.

So far in Shropshire my sightings todate are: 2 peacocks, 1 t'shell, 1 brimstone and 1 male orangetip racing past the car.

and like most people we now have a very cold wind and a dusting of snow.

dms

[RobS]

My first ever Orange tips today in Woodley,Berks. ive been looking forward to seeing them ever since my interest started back in the summer last year.Such a beautiful butterfly that has established itself near the top of my "favourite butterfly seen so far" list.A later visit to the millennium arboretum in Wokingham produced a few more too scudding around the brambles underneath the M4 embankment.
Today also produced 2 Garganey,a duck which i havent seen for years.Im a very happy (easter)
bunny.
Cheers
Rob

[Hoggers]

Sunny and fairly warm here in Ashford,Kent today : A Holly Blue spent the afternoon flitting around in my garden ( my first of the year ) and this morning I saw a Speckled Wood, an Orange Tip and six Small Whites while walking the dog.

[Gibster]

Despipte the -4C start to the day, by late morning I was seeing butterflies in central Croydon. First a male Holly Blue, then three male Orange-tips. Glad they survived the sudden temperature drop!

Gibster.

[edgueinart]

went to Mill hill today and saw my first Grizzled and Dingy skipper,Small Heat,Peacock,Speckled Wood and a Large White.Great day!!!

Small Heat

Grizzled Skipper

Dingy Skipper

[NickB]

Although the sun was out this morning, overnight temperatures close to freezing and a chill northerly wind kept butterflies in short supply,
By lunchtime, things had warmed-up and I did see a Small Tortoiseshell, but the cloud came-in and the sun went.
Shaking the bushes in a couple of hot-spots revealed a single Green Hairstreak, my first this year.....
If it warms-up, I will be back next week...
N

[Wurzel]

Green Veined White, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood at Martin Down today and that was it!

Have a goodun

Wurzel