August 2012

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Susie,

Pauline is correct - Richard Roebuck has reported seeing a few male Brown Hairstreaks on the assembly trees (ash) lining the Downs Link disused railway line. No females sighted yet in Sussex. 'New' Peacocks and Brimstones are only just emerging on some sites, and male Purple Emperors are still around in 'visible quantities'. So the season is running a couple of weeks late still. Although we should see the first BH girls fairly soon, I doubt that good, multiple sightings will occur before mid August on our patch, with a peak in early September.

Neil

[EricY]

Warham camp yesterday morning provided me with the flavour of an experience an experiemce I only read about from our regular sthn downland members. Arr 9am & stayed untill 10.45. CHB's all over, guestimate at least 2/300 many females (non last week) & I photographed at least 5 different mating prs. A pleasure to see them dancing all over the banks. Also good number of Gatekeepers. Found a dark one I need id help with please? On to Wiveton downs 6 Grayling a few whites & a mating pr Wall. Cley beach rd I could not get an id photo of the 3 little skips I saw where the Essex were last year. Eric.

Best underside I could get of the dark one

upperside dark one

CHB f

CHB mating pr

CHB 3's a crowd

Best I could get of the mating Wall's, did not present themselves well

[Hoggers]

On my morning walk with the dog

we came across eight Brown Argus

A Red Admiral

And what I think is a Small Skipper ( I'll post two views for our Forum Experts!)

There were also 3 Green-veined Whites, a Speckled Wood, a Comma and a Peacock.

And when we got home we found this rather handsome Hover-Fly,one I've not seen before, in the garden

[Ian Pratt]

Many tens of thousands of Chalkhill blues on Arreton Down Isle of Wight this lunchtime. Never seen so many butterflies in the UK before at one time.
Ian

[badgerbob]

A brilliant day around my regular walk for my annual Wall Brown 2nd brood count with 41 seen. Another count next week as I believe numbers may increase further yet. The wild flowers were out in massive numbers and there were butterflies everywhere nectaring. Many fresh Small Coppers, Brown Argus, Silver Spotted Skippers and Small Blue as well as all the usual suspects. 4 Oak Eggar also seen as well as a Redstart and Wheatear starting their migration.

[Jack Harrison]

BadgerBob had

A brilliant day around my regular walk for my annual Wall Brown 2nd brood count with 41 seen.

Where was that please?

Jack

[ChrisC]

even numbers in the garden increasing, with 4 peacock , 2 Brimstone, comma, whites(not stopping) and a holly blue between 5-6pm this evening. as i type this 3 peacock still on the buddliea. Nectaring for 2 hours, is this normal? in fact i can now add red Admiral too.

are 2nd brood brimstone males paler than first brood? as so far i've only seen one "yellow" Brimstone but plenty of pale, assumed female.
Chris

[A_T]

Fenn's and Whixall Moss today - plenty of pristine Brimstones - my favourite butterfly. Also lots of Gatekeepers (seem to me to be having a very good year), a few Peacocks and Speckled Woods, plenty of the 3 Whites and Meadow Browns, a couple of Common Blues

[ChrisC]

oh i do like that middle Brimstone.
CHris

[Susie]

There was a perfectly fresh peacock on my garden buddleia yesterday.

[badgerbob]

Sorry Jack. My local patch is at the back of Seaford, Sussex.

[Paul Wetton]

The following has been copied from Birdguides information reports today regarding a sighting of a Long-tailed Blue butterfly:

"Insect News: A male Long-tailed Blue butterfly on south side of East India Dock Basin, Blackwall between entrance lock and wood today."

Guy said to keep a look out for this species as there were good numbers in Western Europe.

[Hoggers]

Peacocks have made a welcome return: I've seen four today

And Twelve Brown Argus

[a_j_steele]

Upper thames BC walk to find Brown Hairstreak failed to get the target species but got a good number of other species with Large, Small, Essex Skipper, Small Cooper, brown argus, GV, Large White, Peacocks, Comma brimstones, Speckled Wood and lots of Purple Hairstreak.

Stopped at Aston Rowant on the way home and had very good numbers of Silver Spotted Skipper along with Small Copper, Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blues (everywhere), Common blue, Large, Small White, Peacock, Brimstones and a possible Small Blue

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Eric (EricY) - Your Brown Argus (7th August) is a female.
Hi Hoggers - Your Small? Skipper (9th August) is an Essex.
Neil

[EricY]

thanks Neil, must try harder as I do not seem to get many of these difficult ones right! Eric

[EricY]

This afternoon I ventured out into our local wood for the 4/5th time to try for Purple hairstreaks. finally found them in a relatively young oak near to the old oak they were in last year. The old oak has been badly hit with mildew after all the spring rain. At least we still have some. One I observed was rubbing the hind wings together as it sat on a leaf. The sea mist was bad at Holme & quite cool, thought some of you would like the spider hunting wasp with a huge orange spider I saw dragging it off to its burrow, interesting to watch the struggle in the soft sand. Eric

Purple hs showing bit of wing

Purple hs taking something from leaf that appears to have been nibbled by possibly a caterpiller & therefor might be cat droppings.

Purple hs disputing leaf

believe this is Episyron rufipes with possibly a crab spider

[Lee Hurrell]

Peacocks have made a welcome return to Wrotham, I saw plenty of pristine individuals today

Lee

[ChrisC]

nice shot eric, the butterflies are nice too and i'd say araneus sp.

Chris

[Essex Bertie]

And when we got home we found this rather handsome Hover-Fly,one I've not seen before, in the garden

It's a female Volucella zonaria as there's a gap between the eyes.