May 2013

[sahikmet]

Awaiting for eggs to hatch, good year for holly blues. Sezar

[Jack Harrison]

Mull 13th May

On west of Mull near Ulva Ferry, one nectaring GV White in brief sunny spell when temperature a mere 10C.

Jack

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Paul and Jack
Many thanks for the id and info on Yellow Archangel

[Jack Harrison]

A photograph at last of a Mull butterfly.

And a splendid Wheatear surveying his demesne.

Jack

[David M]

Your spring Green Veined Whites are much more heavily marked than ours, Jack.

[NickB]

Before the rain this morning, 4 HB, a couple of Small White and about 8 Speckled Wood, including some females...

[adrian riley]

Your spring Green Veined Whites are much more heavily marked than ours, Jack.

This is because they are of the subspecies thomsoni Warren.
Cheers, Adrian Riley http://www.bugalert.net

[Jack Harrison]

David M wrote:"Your spring Green Veined Whites are much more heavily marked than ours, Jack". Adrian replied: This is because they are of the subspecies thomsoni Warren.

I am familiar only with the summer brood in Ireland, presumably Pieris napi britannica. They too seem to be more heavily marked than English GV Whites. No personal observations of the spring brood in Ireland.

I notice that there are no images un ukb for summer brood from Ireland. I have some hidden away on my computer so will search them up some time. But I have many things on my plate at the moment, for example trawling through 150 years of rainfall records as part of my research into the climate of Mull (nothing much in the literature by way of climate summaries). I sometimes have the feeling that I am wasting my time with this project. Mull is WET. Full stop. (but of course, not everywhere is equally wet).

Jack

[NickB]

Ah, yes - the Wet, sorry, West Coast of Scotland; hence, when the sun does shine, the beautiful, lush-green forests and cloud-shrouded mountains make us sigh with pleasure and provides numerous land, sea and cloud scape photo opportunities....
It also provides the ideal conditions for many ssp's to flourish, as with Jack's thomsoni Whites......
...but also midges, the like of which I have never experienced anywhere else; to swarm, so densely, as to dim the lights in the camp site, next to the idyllic loch, where they all bred..... .
(It was a lesson well-learned - camp away from the water, in as exposed a place as possible and use all means at your disposal to repel them.
Chemical warfare is not against the Geneva convention - at least not using smoke-coils and Norwegian Nights repellent, a mixture of coal-tar and pine-extract, which seemed to do the trick. Note to those thinking of camping on the West Coast in July....... )
N
Edit: BTW, Jack - an exercise bike is v.g. for cycling away injuries: set yourself up in front of the window, binoculars and camera mounted on the handle bars and you're away...
The good thing is, you certainly don't need to wear lycra....in fact, I would advise against it, for all concerned....Have fun!

[David M]

Your spring Green Veined Whites are much more heavily marked than ours, Jack.

This is because they are of the subspecies thomsoni Warren.
Cheers, Adrian Riley http://www.bugalert.net

Thanks for that, Adrian.

Quick hour out this afternoon saw 7 Speckled Woods and one White of each (Large, Small and Green Veined).

Conditions are fine when the sun is out but when the clouds roll in (which is regularly) it still feels like mid March.

When is it going to end? (I seem to be saying that every year).

[badgerbob]

One of those days when you know its a waste of time going for a butterfly walk when you have to wear a winter thermal and a windproof jacket. My only chance was Greenway Bank and The Comp at the back of Seaford where a bit of protection from the wind was hopeful. Halfway along The Comp the sun showed better and a few Speckled Wood started to show with 6 seen. On Greenway Bank a couple of Grizzled Skipper appeared. I then followed another Grizzled Skipper into a sheltered area where another suddenly joined it. They then fell to the ground and the male attached itself to the female very quickly. They remained paired up for 27 minutes when the female called it a day and lifted her abdomen and pushed the male away with her back legs. He soon departed but she remained and posed nicely for me. I then saw a Dingy Skipper fly across the path and landed high on a dead flower head. It remained here for all the remaining time I was on the bank and is probably still there now with it settling in its roosting pose. In all 9 species of butterfly seen including my first Small Copper of the year and a couple of Green Hairstreak. Some Common Heath moths also were pretending to be butterflies!! Not a bad day for a waste of time!! My best day of the year so far.

[David M]

That's mightily impressive, Bob, given the conditions.

Great image of the mating Grizzlies - don't think I've ever seen that before.

[sahikmet]

This afternoon good crop of butterflies. Orange Tip (3), Green-veined white (2), Holly blue (1).
Cheers Sezar

[badgerbob]

Last year there were several Garlic Mustard plants on the road near the house with Orange-tip eggs. Just before the dreaded council mowers got to them I brought them home and watched them grow. Only one larva turned into a pupa where I could see it and today it hatched into a female butterfly despite the pupa being upside down where the wind had broken the support. Not upto Vince's quality but still great to see. Unfortunately I was at the doctors when it actually emerged but it was still sitting by the pupal case when we got home.

[Stampy98]

An all too brief visit to Rodborough Common this afternoon between 1 - 4pm. Conditions were good for photograhy i.e. sunny spells and cloud.

I only has time to check one area. Numbers were poor but dukes behaved nicely. Totals included:

3 duke of burgundy
12+ dingy skippers
2 green hairstreak
4 orange tip
3 large white
1 g v white
1 small pearl bordered fritillary (freshly emerged)

Gareth

[P.J.Underwood]

Just to provide some cheer.Wood Whites at Botany Bay-at least a dozen seen with Pauline this afternoon.
P.J.U.

[Willrow]

An all too brief visit to Rodborough Common this afternoon between 1 - 4pm. Conditions were good for photograhy i.e. sunny spells and cloud.

I only has time to check one area. Numbers were poor but dukes behaved nicely. Totals included:

3 duke of burgundy
12+ dingy skippers
2 green hairstreak
4 orange tip
3 large white
1 g v white
1 small pearl bordered fritillary (freshly emerged)

Gareth

Great to have you posting on UK Butterflies Gareth, a warm welcome.

I spent a dismal day on Rodborough Common and Swellshill last Friday in cold windy conditions, my search for DOB turned up nowt, the day was rescued by finding a small colony of Green Hairstreak and counting the incredible Roman Snails...how about that

That's quite a good list considering, I might just nip back over on the weekend...weather depending of course. Nice to hear you got a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, things are looking up

Best Wishes,
Bill

[Jack Harrison]

Stampy98 An all too brief visit to Rodborough Common...1 small pearl bordered fritillary (freshly emerged)

That 's a good find. I used to live in the Cotswolds and once saw Small PBFs somewhere near Nympsfield (can't recall just where) but never at Rodborough.

Jack

[A_T]

my first Large White of the year this morning - a much underrated butterfly IMO

[Mildheart]

Nice male Orange-tip on the verge near where I live yesterday evening. Spring butterflies are my Achilles heel so I was pleased with this.