July 2013

[Zoylander]

At least 30 White-letter Hairstreak along the Elm hedge at Alners Gorse, North Dorset yesterday. Also Purple Hairstreak, White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillaries and Marbled White.

[George]

Hi Jack,

Apparently DG Fritillary were last seen on Mull in 2009 - map shows area just south of Tobermory and around Fidden on the Ross of Mull. Link here http://www.southwestscotland-butterflie ... lary.shtml

We visited end May and found a fantastic place for butterflies near Burg on the Ardmeanach peninsula http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/Burg/ - Green hairstreaks and Pearl bordered (or maybe small pb they flew too fast to see!!) but if it is warm there should be a lot of others too. You can park in the NT car park but please check out if it would be suitable for you - the butterflies we found not long after the coffin stones. Also along here you can see the slender scoth burnet moth.

This year was the first time we had been to Mull and had seen sunshine!! There is a good colony of Green Hairstreak and Marsh Fritillary at Grasspoint too.

If you can get in touch with Alan Spellman http://www.mullbirds.com/Butterflies.html he has some images of DG Fritillary on his website.

Good luck - Mull is one of my favourite places in the UK!!

[nomad]

I managed to see several Purple Emperors at Bernwood yesterday but no butterflies were grounded. I watched a female Emperor egg laying in a sallow. Sitting by the pond I was surprised to find two Purple Hairstreaks mud puddling, I believe very strange behavior for this camera shy butterfly.

Head in the mud

Second butterfly

Turning showing colour change.

[CJB]

Hi Nomad,
Great PHS pictures;
I can't believe you found them on the ground! I spent most f the weekend stuck up young oaks, trying to get near them and failed dismally!!
I did manage to get a 'record shot' but that was as good as it got.
Flutter on!
CJB

[RobS]

Yesterday at Botany Bay saw a large crowd gather waiting for an audience with HIM, the purple emperor.Although plenty were flying in the trees,none were keen to land, until butterfly wrangler and part-time conjurer Neil Hulme produced a pristine example from nowhere.Apparently it just "landed on my trousers" and was "attracted by the smell".Im saying nothing...
Neil's trouser department then became the most photographed area in the woods...and prompted Neil into talking about his other speciality..the famous "Elephant Impression".
After about 10 mins Neil very carefully managed to transfer the Emperor from his clothing to the floor to allow some more photos.However its wings remained firmly shut so we waited patiently for HIM to open up and show us all his blue jewels.Before the butterfly had showed the "money shot ",the professional photographer in our ranks (who shall remain nameless) opened the "china shop door" and doing his best Bull impression,rushed in.Im not expanding on this.
Emps was not impressed and sought solace in the high branches of the nearest sallow.BY GEORGE.We all laughed
Was good to meet lots of great people yesterday.Good to put faces to names and good to learn some tricks from the professionals.

Neils prop Emperor.

cheers
rob

[Debbie]

After catching up with wonderful Uk butterflies posts whilst I ate my butty; I then did some day dreaming about being out butterflying.

I was just getting my afternoon cuppa when a beauiful ringlet flew in my office and said hello - I then opened the door and out it flew to go and do his / her butterflying.

[David M]

Plenty of butterfly activity at the Alun Valley High Brown site this morning in south Wales.

Difficult to give precise estimates, but given that Dark Green males are starting to look very faded now I'd say at least 60% of the Frits observed today were High Browns.

I managed to positively identify 8 HBFs, along with 4 Dark Greens, but I actually saw over 40 in total, including my first female HBF of 2013:



Species seen (in order of abundance):

Meadow Brown
Ringlet
High Brown Fritillary
Large Skipper
Dark Green Fritillary
Speckled Wood
Small Tortoiseshell
Green Veined White
Comma
Brown Argus
Red Admiral
Small White
Small Skipper
Large White

[Ian Pratt]

Some recent photos:
Dark green fritillaries - above Barmouth in Wales
White admiral- Walters Copse IOW
Gatekeeper- Branstone, Sandown IOW
Large skipper - ditto.
Ian

[badgerbob]

Another look for the White Letter Hairstreaks today saw only one down nectaring on the creeping thistle. 5 were seen in the tree-tops. Today however the Essex Skippers have started to emerge in the small colony there with both males and females seen. Some very smart Commas seen and also some Banded Demoiselles. A great couple of hours!!

[Mildheart]

One male Purple Emperor yesterday on the ground at Bookham Common not far from the Mark Oak car park at about 5.30pm. Unfortunately it was in a very awkward place for photos and I only got about 30 seconds with it anyway before it got flushed by a dog. Another possible sighting of a large butterfly flying over a convenient pile of fresh dung, but just before then, a jogger had gone by. I suddenly realised why there are so few reports of grounded Purple Emperors from Bookham - disturbance!

Also a smattering of Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals, Large Skippers, two Red Admirals, and a female Brimstone which looked fresh. I've still been seeing tatty males recently - one at Botany Bay last Sunday and several in Norfolk the weekend before - the generations seem to be almsot overlapping!

Plus, at least one Southern Hawker, several Black-tailed Skimmers and a 'butterfly' that I confidently identified as a Ringlet before realising it was a Beautiful Demoiselle!

[Jack Harrison]

George suggested

the Ardmeanach peninsula [on Mull]

Extraordinary. I was independently given exactly that location by a local who knows of my interest. The description was of large “orange butterflies”. Certainly I won’t be walking anywhere near as far as the fossil tree but the area in and around the woods near the car park is apparently very good. Dark Green Frits will probably be going over but Graylings ought to be reasonably fresh. So thanks for your idea George even though I won’t be able to explore fully.

Can’t go until Friday. Tomorrow is the Highland Games In Tobermory. Unfortunately there isn’t a “throwing the walking stick” event for septuagenarians so I will be a mere spectator!

I went to Inner Hebridean islands of Muck and Eigg yesterday. Sadly the sun never popped out so no butterflies. But the birds are very tame – minimal human disturbance. Swallows by the hundred. These cute youngsters needed a rest after all that insect chasing.



Jack

[George]

Good luck Jack - hope you find the DGF near the car park!

[nomad]

Hi Nomad,
Great PHS pictures;
I can't believe you found them on the ground! I spent most f the weekend stuck up young oaks, trying to get near them and failed dismally!!
I did manage to get a 'record shot' but that was as good as it got.
Flutter on!
CJB

Sorry to hear you did not get your images CJB. Better luck next time. Yes it seems very unusual for PH to mud puddle and I am pleased that you liked the images. Walking in Savernake yesterday, a Purple Hairstreak flew onto a rather high nettle leaf. I managed to get a few shots before the butterfly flew back to the top of a large oak. Stll nice to see another fairly low. Pity about the shade from a higher leaf on the forewing.

Purple Hairstreak Savernake Forest, Wilts.

[Hugh Middleton]

My first White Admiral of the year in the Limewoods today.

Hugh

[Jack Harrison]

I have seen Purplestreaks on the ground, both occasions being in very hot weather. The most memorable was in Bentley Wood in the heat of early July 1976 when several were seen together. The other time would have been circa 1992 in Balls Wood near Hertford. When I first saw the distant butterfly fluttering around at ground level, I assumed a Holly Blue. Surprise, surprise when I got close enough to identify a PH.

Jack

[ChrisC]

I don't know about others but skippers seem to be having a bumper year in Ringwood forest. they were absolutely everywhere. Pleased to report 30+ silver studded blues including my first 2 females over there. Silver washed seem to be having a good year over at the wood too. off the back of a "bad year" last year god only knows how well the chalkhills will do after their spectacular showing. Fresh Brimstones and Peacock also about.

Chris

[Jack Harrison]

I love Large White butterflies as adults but the caterpillars can be an absolute pest on garden plants, particularly Nasturtiums.

Here on the Isle of Mull, Large White is an intermittent colonist normally being just a vagrant/immigrant. So for the first time – now that I live on Mull – I have been able to grow one of my favourite garden flowers, Nasturtium. Not a nibbled leaf in sight.



Mull is a Large White Free Zone.

Jack

[MikeOxon]

Mull is a Large White Free Zone.

At least it still exists - unlike Jura, which has disappeared from Google Maps

[Jack Harrison]

At least it still exists - unlike Jura, which has disappeared from Google Maps

Yes, I'd seen that. Rather funny.

Jack

[David M]

Visited Botany Bay between 9.15am and midday and saw two grounded Emperors and a few UKBers (Neil H, P J Underwood and Mark Colvin - very nice to meet you, gentlemen).

Lots of other species seen including my first Purple Hairstreak of the year - Silver Washed Fritillary, White Admiral, Small and Large Skipper, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Red Admiral, Comma, Brimstone, Green Veined White and a solitary Marbled White.