March 2014

[nomad]

Nice to see a nice warm weekend without any rain, saw the five hibernators including the Red Admiral. Spent a few hours by some early flowering Blackthorn. Most of the butterflies were rather high up, but managed to get a few decent images. Regards Peter.

[adrian riley]

Hi, Gang
Bugalert will re-start posting national daily sightings of Butterflies and Dragonflies on April 1st.
Until then, all the previous records may be browsed as usual.
In the meantime, I thought you should be aware that a Large Tortoiseshell was reported on March 5th in Suffolk at Felixtowe (near Mac Donalds). OS Ref TM 288 339.
Happy hunting,
Adrian
http://www.bugalert.net

[John W]

A Comma and 3 or 4 Small Torts in Stanmer Park, Brighton at lunch time today. First photos of the year

Cheers
John

[NickB]

Yesterday was another good day - saw lots of Peacock, Comma and ST on prunus and blackthorn but no Brimstone....

[Testudo Man]

Another good day for butterflies today (13/3/14).

Several Comma, Peacock, and finally a couple of Brimstone too.
The highlight of the day was when i had just finished work (approx 4.00pm). I had been watching a Small White for sometime, but since my bridge camera was in my car, and i was up a ladder! i had no chance of capturing a pic of it.
Then as i fetched my camera, 2 small whites began to duel! I did shoot a small film of the duel, so i will have a go at uploading that?!

Location Kent (approx 10 minute walk from my home).

Heres a photo to start.

[kevling]

Whilst walking home from work yesterday in a very sunny Ipswich, I was greeted with the site of a dozen Small Tortoiseshells in a local park. All of them within an area of just a few square metres. It reminded me of a summers day in 2013.
Also saw a Peacock and my first Comma of the year. No Brimstones yet though.

Regards
Kev

[John W]

Just noticed on the BC Sussex sightings page that a Large Tortoiseshell was seen (and photographed) at Beckley Woods in Sussex on Wednesday!

http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.html

Cheers
John

[Matsukaze]

8 torts in garden, nectaring on winter-flowering bell heather. Also a peacock on grape hyacinth.

[Ian Pratt]

Commas and peacocks only at Walters Copse Newtown IOW - sadly no large tortoiseshell yet!

[andy brown]

Today in the garden digging the veg plots, tidying and planting spotted 4 Peacocks, 2 Tortoiseshell, I Male Brimstone and 99% sure a Holy Blue, I do have them breading in the garden so fairly confident my eyes were not playing tricks.

Ta

Andy

[Neil Freeman]

Along with all the Peacocks, Commas and Small Tortoiseshells around Solihull today I saw my first Small White.

Neil F.

[Philzoid]

This weekend brought a taste of summer before winter is officially over. On Saturday I was determined to make the most of it but it was 4:00pm before I eventually dragged myself away from the computer. Armed with my trusty Canon fitted this time fitted with the 18-55mm kit lens (the Tamron had been sent off that morning for repair) I took a stroll down the towpath of the Basingstoke Canal that leads to Woking. Expecting to see butterflies but seeing none I tried out my camera set up on a few other things some that moved and some which didn't.

Willow Catkins favoured by bees

At the point where the towpath meets the canal bridge at Maybury I decided to leave and check out an area of Horsell Common where I helped (a little ) in 2012 with volunteers from the Common Preservation society to lay a path known as the Alec Bedser trail named after the famous cricketer Sir Alec Bedser who with his twin brother Eric spent their whole life in the area. The trail is an easy-access circular path which takes in pine and birch woodland and a cleared area of heathland surrounding a Bronze age barrow or burial ground. it is hope in future that these managed areas in Horsell Common will act as a wildlife corridor for species such as the Silver-studded Blue butterfly.
Anyway, no silver-studs no butterflies: only the ticking sound of the pines and their seeds glinting in the sunlight as they wafted down into the heather ready to put us volunteers through hours of back-breaking scrub bashing in a few years time . The suddenly, I put one up ... definitely a nymphalid but it flew so fast and went straight up into a pine tree and out of sight. Oh well better luck tomorrow I thought and made a point to remember to get out that little bit earlier.

Bee fly (early?)

Moss sporophytes in the late afternoon sun

My kids can spot Wally but they can't see the wildlife

On Sunday Sharon took the kids swimming just before lunch so I was given my chance to try again. Immediately on entering the path that leads to the canal I spotted a Small tortoiseshell basking but as I carefully approached it spooked . Thankfully it didn't fly far but landed out of sight on the wrong side of a sapling. As it took off another larger butterfly also took to the air and landed beside the Small tort. I could see movement partially hidden by the trunk and it looked like the the larger butterfly was courting the smaller one. Wishing I hadn't sent my lens 70-300mm Tamron back , I had to get in close before I could see that the other butterfly was actually a Peacock It was definitely showing an interest in the Tortoiseshell. I was able to get this shot before the Small Tort decided that he wasn't into inter-specific nookie (or whatever) and made off. The Peacock then went after it but quickly gave up the chase and returned to a gliding flapping and circulating flight around the path area seemingly agitated that its advances had been spurned.

Peacock 'courting' Small Tortoiseshell

Next butterfly spotted was a Brimstone, in fact every hundred yards or so a Brimstone would come barreling past, checking out all the nooks and crannies but never once alighting for more than a split second. So I continued my search for more obliging species to photo. The next butterfly was another Peacock and although I got a shot off it was just out of reach of my camera set-up .

Curious to know if the butterfly from yesterday was still hanging around I made my way back to the Common .. and there it (or his mate) was, literally in the same spot where I'd spooked it, a Comma . Then there were more Commas all getting into frenzied aerial duels with each other and seeing off Peacocks which strayed into their flight zone. Those involved in courtship flights spiralled upwards and into the pine trees, while others in territory disputes would return to alight on the ground and wait to launch themselves at the next interloper. It was fantastic to watch.

Bronze-age Barrow and Horsell Common

Peacocks plentiful too on the Common but difficult to photo

On my way home I hoped for a Red Admiral to equal Wurzel's five species on a day in March, but it was not to be . A record shot of a Brimstone in flight ended a great day's butterflying .

Phil

[David M]

Saturday 15th March saw sunny, blue skies and 14c on the Gower, so I spent an hour checking out the sheltered woodland glades behing the Gower Inn in Parkmill.

6 Small Tortoiseshells seen, 2 Commas, 2 Peacocks, 1 Brimstone and my first Red Admiral of 2014:

Sunday 16th March saw me cutting back hazel regrowth as part of the habitat management plan at the High Brown Fritillary site near Bridgend. Again, the weather was decidedly pleasant and I was treated to 2 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Peacock and another Red Admiral.

Most surprising of all, however, was the Small White that flew past my windscreen whilst I was waiting at traffic lights in Ewenny. Easily the earliest sighting of this species for me, and over a month earlier than the first one last year.

[NickB]

Still Comma and ST in good numbers today....

[nomad]

On Sallow catkins last weekend. Cold again today.

[NickB]

Three each of Comma and Small Tortoiseshell today; a displaying pair kept me amused for many minutes until she seemed to make her mind-up (either way...) and flew off, male in hot pursuit..
...en amour, plus ca change.....

[Lee Hurrell]

Around Howell Hill in Ewell, Surrey today; plenty of Brimstone, Comma, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and my first spring emergee - a male Small White

Still catching up, but reports and some phone pictures to follow in my diary, in due course.

Lee

[Philzoid]

29/03/14
Some more good weather at last, evidenced when I counted my garden moth trap take and got 8 species including 18 Common Quakers and this early bird:

Double-striped Pug, first of many to come

As the suns' rays burnt off the dew and the Magpies patrolled the lawn looking for stray moths I spied a Peacock gliding around the garden, my first garden butterfly of the year . This reminded me (as if I should need reminding) to get out and check my local area of Horsell Common reached via the Basingstoke canal towpath.

So around lunchtime I was off to the place where I spotted the Commas just under 2 weeks ago. On the way I encountered Peacocks and Brimstones the latter never stopping their relentless flight checking out all the nooks and crannies but always on the move . Once I got to 'my spot' on the Common there didn't seem to be much activity apart from the odd Peacock gliding by. Distractions nevertheless came from the massess of pine seeds gently floating down, their wings catching the sun giving the impression of flying insects. So with nothing to do initially I kept myself amused by photo-ing frilly fungi.

Bracket fungus on Pine Stump

It wasn't long before I spotted Commas, occupying the same area as before and as pugnacious as ever chasing everything that moved, which was usually a patrolling Peacock but even the odd flying pine seeds came in for some attention . It was strange that you could get very close to a resting Comma but if a butterfly some relative distance away came by, the Comma would be off in a flash to intercept it. The Peacocks chased too but were less interested in the Commas than the Commas were in them.Brimstones were also checked out but got much less harassment than the Peacocks

Comma using Common Ling heather as a vantage point

Realising I had some jobs to do back home I reluctantly made my way back along the Canal towpath reflecting on the fact that perhaps I had been too optimistic the other week about Small Tortoiseshell making a comeback in our area . I hadn't seen a single one that day (and so far this year not a single Red admiral too) . Hopefully Red admiral numbers should pick up in the next couple of months as the canal path is always a good place to see them as well as Speckled Wood; Orange-tip; Green Veined White and Holly Blue.

Found on the walk back when checking out some stigmella leaf mines

Just before I left the path I put up a Brimstone which had been feeding on dandelion. Fortunately as it made its way under some bramble, it settled again on another dandelion, and I was able to get this shot, my first Brimstone spring shot for the year .

Male Brimstone taking a break (at last)

Phil

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Cor! well done snagging that Brimstone Phil, I've not been close enough to one for a photo yet.

[David M]

Lovely morning in Abergavenny so I thought I'd check out Castle Meadows to see if there were any early Orange Tips/Speckled Woods.

Sadly, there weren't any, but I did see 12+ Small Tortoiseshells, 6 Peacocks, 1 Comma, 1 Red Admiral and a White which I couldn't positively identify.

Some Cuckoo Flower HAS emerged however, so I reckon next weekend will see OTs on the wing.