May 2013

[ChrissyM]

Lovely sightings from everyone. Here in Shropshire I saw my first Speckled Wood and Orange Tip yesterday. The local meadow today was then tranformed...and I saw orange Tip, male and female, Green veined, Small white, a couple of Brimstones and Sm Tortoiseshells and Peacock. In the garden, the first Holly Blue. Nothing unsual but, some nice numbers....it felt like Spring
As an aside, the Small Tortoiseshell numbers on the local patch have been much greater this year in comparison to the previous five that I have been checking it out.

[Buchan Boy]

A lonely Duke at Noar,not for much longer I suspect.

[Willrow]

Things are certainly improving, here at Parc Penallta in South Wales today I saw my first Brimstone (4no) of the year, a solitary Speckled Wood, 10 Green-veined White, 6 Large White, 4 Small White, 2 Orange-tip, 4 Peacock, and 5 Small Tortoiseshell. All these in a two hour stroll would have been unthinkable this time last week, the vagaries of Welsh weather

Bill

[Jack Harrison]

2nd May

This (and other resolutions) satellite image shows how beautiful it ahs been. Here in Mull, it rained (again)

http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/imag ... .terra.1km

Jack

[essexbuzzard]

You had all the good weather in March,Jack!
The Orange Tips and Green-veined Whites have emerged at last in Essex. Like others around GB,i have been pleased to see good numbers of Small Torts.

[MikeOxon]

I made a return visit to my local nature reserve at Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon. for the first time since seeing five species there on 5th March. With hot sunshine, the butterflies were out in force: Brimstone, Peacock, Comma,and Red Admiral, as before, but now with the addition of Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Small White, and Large White.

Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon, 2nd May2013
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR zoom - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon, 2nd May2013
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR zoom - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

I'd welcome any thoughts on the following pic. I think it's a Small White but it has clearly suffered damage to the thorax and hindwings, probably on emergence. It seemed to be flying around quite well.

Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon, 2nd May2013
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR zoom - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

Mike

[LauraS56]

I had a male orange tip (my first of the year) near Lancaster yesterday (and a female about a week ago at Myers Allotment near Silverdale). Later on, went to Birkbank Bog to see if the green hairstreaks were out, but there was nothing (except a couple of lizards) and the bilberry not in leaf.

[Mildheart]

Mainly due to being stuck at work, I haven't seen a single living butterfly for a week now. I did see a dead one yesterday though, a female Brimstone that had got into my landlady's conservatory and presumably starved to death. A bit of a shame at a time when butterfly numbers are depleted anyway.

[sahikmet]

Today at Colne valley Orange tips male (2), female (3), very active. Brimstone, and Speckled Wood. Holly Blue (female). Cheers Sezar

[RobS]

The Duke of Burgundy emergence at Noar Hill continued to gather pace today as i managed to see 2 lovely specimens sunning themselves in the windless hollows of the reserve.I got there fairly early at 1000 but didnt have to wait too long before the first one showed itself.The far pit revealed the second one at about midday and it was quite content to pose for photos on a long grass stem,keeping still for about 10 mins before flying off.I was on site till about 3 and had no other sightings.Other people i had met had had either fleeting glimpses in the Triangle or no luck at all in some cases.Hopefully the weekend will see the pace of the emergence gather and the bank holiday Duke spotters will have reward for their endeavors.
Other species today: Peacock ,Orange tip (both sexes), Holly Blue and Brimstone.
Cheers
Rob

[RobS]

Duke of Burgundy at Noar Hill

cheers
Rob

[David M]

Lovely image that, Rob.

[Buchan Boy]

Green Hairstreaks are cool.
Until the wind gets in the way.

Devils Dyke

Devils Dyke

[RobS]

Green Hairstreaks are cool.

....And elusive where i was today.Which Devils Dyke were these shots taken at ?
cheers
rob

[Buchan Boy]

[/quote]

....And elusive where i was today.Which Devils Dyke were these shots taken at ?
cheers
rob[/quote]

This one is Sussex.There is another in Cambridgeshire........................and Hertfordshire.........wikpidia says so.

Devils Dyke

All that scrub at the bottom on the Northern side,that also follows round the dog-leg,contains the Hairstreaks,probably 30-40 all told.
There must be Grizzleds and Dingys there as well,looks perfect.
Is this your Devils Dyke

[David M]

An hour and a half on the lower slopes of Kilvey Hill in Swansea this afternoon saw good numbers of Speckled Woods and, to my surprise, TWO Small Coppers.

How glad I am to see this butterfly again after the battering they took during the worst of last year's abnormally cold April and early May.

No vanessids (again) and not even an Orange Tip (though Kilvey Hill's vegetation is quite dry on the southern side).

Species and numbers seen:

Speckled Wood 25-35
Large White 6
Small White 2
Small Copper 2

[NickB]

A Green Hairstreak from our Branch walk today on the Fleam Dyke. A good day with 7 people, 5 of whom had not seen GH before - they have now
We saw at least 10 GH, with at least 3 sparing pairs of males, along with Brimstones, Orange-tip, GV White, Small White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Holly Blue. The rain held off just long enough to catch me all the way home on my bike.......and then it stopped!

[Rosalyn]

A single Grizzled Skipper. Monks Wood fields Cambs. Rain, hail and lots more rain

[David M]

A single Grizzled Skipper. Monks Wood fields Cambs. Rain, hail and lots more rain

That GS looks positively minuscule against that dandelion!

[NickB]

A single Grizzled Skipper. Monks Wood fields Cambs. Rain, hail and lots more rain

Nice one - good to see them out.......
(I'm going to miss tomorrow - but will go to Over on Monday.....)
Have fun