July 2012

[Philzoid]

Probably the last chance for a grounded Emperor had me up to Straits Inclosure Alice Holt on Saturday. Unlike the previous week the numbers of spotters were down reflecting perhaps that PE season is past its peak, at least for getting grounded individuals. About half-way along Straits a group has assembled and were looking up at an oak where a solitary Emperor was perched high up (promising signs perhaps?). After viewing through bins I made my way to my usual station, and waited . Unlike the previous Sunday however, nothing was flying so I amused myself with a few pictures of skippers, SWF and a Green-veined White

GVW on Rumex

After a couple of hours or so I met up with a group who had come over from Cornwall Soon after and close to midday we were joined by Tuts who had not had any sightings at Abbots. Then things started to kick-off . Firstly we witnessed first one then at least two male Emperors "Sallow Searching" (for females) Soon afterwards and close by, a female (who had presumably given the males the slip) was spotted in and amongst some more sallows. As we watched we were able to see how she would move around the outer edges and then fly right into the centre of the tree. Keeping track wasn't easy but the butterfly would also spend time perching on the outer branches and I was able to get this shot with the help of Marks monster heavy lens (my close focussing lens felt like polystyrene when I got it back ). We soon could see that there were two females moving around the sallows .

Empress on look-out duty

For the visitors from Cornwall this was their first ever encounters with Purple Emperor and they found it a very enjoyable experience ... as we all did .

Golden-ringed Dragonfly: No apologies for another picture of this stunning insect

At around 14:00 activity had died down so I made my way out and took this Red Admiral as a parting shot.

Grounded Admiral

Roll-on next year .

[Jack Harrison]

Newly hatched caterpillars must be put out a bit though ...15ft up

The larvae hibernates when tiny so falling/crawling to the ground in the following spring is no concern. Such a tiny creature would fall at a slow terminal velocity and would not be injured if it hit the ground at that speed. Insects are not thought to be afraid of heights/falling as are bigger animals such as ourselves.

http://www.physicsforums.com makes it clear (?!)

At terminal speed, air resistance balances weight, so: CDAv2=mg

The "killability" of a fall relates to the total kinetic energy per unit mass of the body absorbing the kinetic energy. This is simply proportional to v^2. But from above formula, v^2 is proportional to weight over area. Since weight is proportional to length^3, and area to length^2, v^2 is proportional to length. An ant is one thousandth the linear size of a man, so its fall from a height sufficient to achieve terminal velocity has only 1/1000 the killing power of a fall of a person from ESB (Empire State Building).

Jack

[Philzoid]

Thanks for the physics lesson Jack (mind you I hated Physics at school )

Do they use a 'bungee rope' too like many other larvae

[Vince Massimo]

I've been trying to encourage Green-veined Whites to lay eggs in the garden, but so far have seen nothing but Small Whites. The latest visitor just laid 10 eggs on Hairy Bittercress. I generally do not give a second thought to pulling this up, but now need to be careful of any such plants growing in a sunny location. The eggs were all placed on top of the leaves, but when she then moved on to lay on Garlic Mustard, the egg was placed on the underside.

Fresh Small White ovum on Hairy Bittercress - Caterham, Surrey 29-July-12

This also explains a mystery from last year when I found a half-grown Small White larva on the bare earth. There was no sign of its usual foodplants nearby so I now assume that it must have just consumed the last of the small Bittercress plant on which it was feeding and was looking for a new foodsource.

Despite this being a very common species I am still learning

Vince

[Essex Bertie]

Insects are not thought to be afraid of heights/falling as are bigger animals such as ourselves.

quote][/i]
Jack

Thanks Jack & Philzoid, that's genius.
So, if it's easier to fall than to crawl, maybe she was being really clever and aligning herself directly over a patch of violets!

Rob

[Cotswold Cockney]

When the sun went in, she then 'rested' at least 15 feet up on the bow of an oak, but closer inspection of the photograph appears to show her ovipositing here too, which seems unusual?

Female SWF's do lay on tree-trunks presumably because there is a greater chance of predation on the ground or that the situation offers more protection from the elements? Either way its fascinating to watch it happen , .... I've only got to see this once.
Newly hatched caterpillars must be put out a bit though ...15ft up .

Yes, observed this several times. They seem to selected the lower areas of the main trunks of large trees laying in the fine Mosses which grow there. How the larvae find the Violets come spring is a mystery. Obviously some do.

Searching Sallows for PE ova in a West Sussex locality back around 1970, I observed a female SWF alight on my lower trouser legs and shape up to lay an ova there. I shooed it away. My trousers were wet from below the knee from walking in wet grass so maybe had a similar texture to damp mosses on tree trunks.

Some larvae, even large ones, when disturbed will deliberately throw themselves off their foodplant and drop to the ground. Defense mechanism ?

Tree trunks even during periods of prolonged rain will soon drain dry or drier when the rain stops. The ground below would remain wet for much longer and near permanent damp or wet conditions are very harmful to larvae, particularly hibernating ones.

[NickB]

Managed a quick trip out before work today - lots of Essex Skippers about, several Whites (various), a few aged Ringlets and still lots of MB. Managed to catch a Hedge Brown or two basking....

Female

Male

[EricY]

Found what I believe is the first Grayling this year @ Holme NWT. Butterflies are still scarse in this part of Norfolk, not see a blue of any type for ages. Eric

Grayling @ Holme NWT

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Philzoid which camera were they taken with? Is the moth the same ond that was on the home page of Butterfly Conservation a while back?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[A_T]

Stayed local today - lots of Gatekeepers, Whites and Meadow Browns. Also a few Small Tortoiseshells and aged Ringlets. Highlight of the day an immaculate Red Admiral.

On the downside been a while since I've seen a Speckled Wood round here (normally so reliable) - also this year locally so far no Large Skippers, Common Blues or Small Coppers.

[ChrisC]

Philzoid,i missed your small ranunculus, that's excellent news, they are spreading well, i caught my first back on July 27th 2002, almost exactly 10 years to the day to yours . in those days it was only just hitting the headlines. and the write up for it in the main moth book back then (skinner) still said extinct. it even made the herts and middlesex moth newsletter lol

" It was inevitable that the moth should spread out along the Thames into, and perhaps through, Middlesex, and so it has done. Chris Court had one in his garden trap at Hayes, Middlesex on 27th July 2002."

I was chuffed to bits. most nights during the flight period they used to come to the teucrium chamaedrys in the garden at dusk.

Chris

[David M]

On Friday 27th saw Chalkhill Blue at Lulworth Cove in poor weather conditions. Later that day a trip to Alner's Gorse saw plenty of Purple and White Letter Hairstreaks (though sadly they were all at distance) as well as SWFs (inc. one beautiful Valezina) and a White Admiral.

[NickB]

One of my Essex girls from today......

[Essex Bertie]

Searching Sallows for PE ova in a West Sussex locality back around 1970, I observed a female SWF alight on my lower trouser legs and shape up to lay an ova there. I shooed it away. My trousers were wet from below the knee from walking in wet grass so maybe had a similar texture to damp mosses on tree trunks.

The female on Friday circled me for half a minute - I thought it was a 'sweat thing', didn't realise it thought I was a Mighty Oak - lucky the folds of my stomach weren't on show
Rob

[David M]

One of my Essex girls from today......

Good spot! I must have checked out 30+ Skippers last Friday in order to reveal an Essex but all were Small Skippers, sadly.

[jenks]

Spent from 13.30 to 16.00 walking around Lisvane reservoir, north Cardiff, this afternoon. This now disused reservoir has surrounding grassland and meadow, and a patch of oak woodland on its north eastern border. Very breezy so not many butterflies about. Meadow Brown 12, Hedge Brown 3, Speckled Wood 1, Ringlet 1, Large White 1. No Purple Hairstreaks visible in the Oaks but they way they were being blown about that was no surprise. Several 6-spot Burnet moths on the grasses. Home then to see the Olympic swimming finals. One of Britains medal hopefuls, Ellen Gandy, failed to get a medal in the 100 metres butterfly; another example of what an awful summer its been for British butterflies. ( Sorry I couldn`t resist getting that in ! ).

Jenks.

[NickB]

One of my Essex girls from today......

Good spot! I must have checked out 30+ Skippers last Friday in order to reveal an Essex but all were Small Skippers, sadly.

Luckily, I have Large, Small AND Essex just round the corner - and it keeps me on my toes when all 3 are flying at the same time.
The Small are always out before the Essex, so that gives me a chance to sharpen my Small ID skills; the problem comes when the Essex are getting a bit tatty and there are still a few Small about....

[MikeOxon]

After some heavy showers around lunch-time, I visited the 'Juniper Valley' on Aston Upthorpe Downs, Oxon (around SU545835). There were plenty of Small Skippers and Chalkhill Blues, plus Meadow Browns and a few Ringlets, although very few Marbled Whites. I watched a pair of Chalkhills in cop and was fascinated to watch how the female led the pair on a circuit of the flower-head and then opened her wings for a while after completing a circuit! (read images across then down)

Aston Upthorpe Down, Oxon - 29th July 2012

Another photo of the (hopefully) happy couple:

Aston Upthorpe Down, Oxon - 29th July 2012
Nikon D300s with Tamron 90mm macro - 1/350s@f/13 ISO400

Mike

[Philzoid]

Cracking shots Philzoid which camera were they taken with? Is the moth the same ond that was on the home page of Butterfly Conservation a while back?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel. The pictures were all taken with the my Canon D1100 with the 50mm close focussing lens .. .starting to get the hang of it now since switching to manual focus and aperture priority. I've found a use for the panasonic:- moth pictures . Combined with the flash are better than Izzy's compact which is just as well because most of the butterfly pictures taken with it are rubbish
I haven't seen the home page of butterfly conservation so can't say. However there is a good chance it could be that because the Small Ranunculus is a rarity which I believe is making a comeback. My Townsend, Waring and Lewington book says "pRDB SE,SWales,(C)" Manley says "thought extinct fo 50 years before re-appearing in Kent; Essex and South Wales" and my Skinner says "formerley resident, now extinct"

Philzoid,i missed your small ranunculus, that's excellent news, they are spreading well, i caught my first back on July 27th 2002, almost exactly 10 years to the day to yours . in those days it was only just hitting the headlines. and the write up for it in the main moth book back then (skinner) still said extinct. it even made the herts and middlesex moth newsletter lol

" It was inevitable that the moth should spread out along the Thames into, and perhaps through, Middlesex, and so it has done. Chris Court had one in his garden trap at Hayes, Middlesex on 27th July 2002."

I was chuffed to bits. most nights during the flight period they used to come to the teucrium chamaedrys in the garden at dusk.

Chris

Thanks Chris, I just noticed your post as I was scrolling though to quote Wurzel's:- you've answered a lot of questions that were bothering me. Seems like a species that is making a comeback big time.
At the time I'd found it I hadn't realised that significance. Actually I was showing my camera pictures to someone I'd met at Straits Alice Holt and was whizzing through them to get to the Swallow-tailed moths and he said "that's a Small Ranunculus"! As someone who is just really starting to learn about moths I hadn't given it more notice/attention other than something (along with a Nut-tree Tussock) that I was going to have to identify later. I wished I'd taken more photos now.
Catch; photo; catalogue and release is the best way (for me anyway) to learn about the species, or at the very least, be able to identify them. At the moment after 2.5 months on of garden trapping, I've got 80 Macros and around 30 identified Micros (I did intend to just stick with the macros but couldn't help getting onto the micros, especially since a lot of them are much larger e.g. Small Magpie (Eurrhypara hortulata) and Mother of Pearl moths (Pleuroptya ruralis). Trapping is taking its toll unfortunately ... on the trapper . Quite often I'm half asleep at work

[Jack Harrison]

I note that several contributors, including me, are using Hedge Brown rather than Gatekeeper. I have always thought Hedge Brown to be a far more appropriate name.

So I suggest a few more evolutionary name-changes for some of our butterflies (some names have been used in the past).
From the "Free Dictionary"

In the interest of civility, forms involving Scotch are best avoided in reference to people.

Time to re-use old name Northern Brown instead of Scotch Argus ?

Jack