June 2014

[David M]

27 Large Heath polydama seen in just over an hour on 23rd June at this species' most southerly UK site - Cors Caron, near Tregaron, Ceredigion.

Handful of Large Skippers also present, 2 Ringlets and singleton Meadow Brown and Red Admiral.

[Hoggers]

I saw 25 White Admirals in Orlestone Forest today

And a Purple Hairstreak

Cheers,

Hoggers.

[dave brown]

Heath Fritillary at East Blean.
Visited early pm today but a little disappointed. The area around the car park is now very overgrown with very little Cow Wheat on show. There must be real danger that the colony around the car park is in danger of being lost or at best very depleted. We only found 7 there today, in comparison, 2 years ago we saw nearly 50. The ride leading away from the car park is also very overgrown and we saw none along there. It may be just a bad year for them, but the overgrown state and lack of Cow Wheat must be a contributing factor. Hopefully there are plans in place to address the situation this coming winter for this highly sought after and attractive species.

[jasonbirder]

Short afternoon visit to Bedford Purlieus - lots of Silver-washed Fritillary on show...mobile, active and conspicuous both around the trees and down on the Brambles.
Start of an emergence of Comma and Small Tortoiseshell - as many bright fresh individuals seen...also numbers of fresh looking Red Admiral...more than i've seen all year so far.
Plenty of Hairstreaks in the tops of the trees (Ash, Elm and Oak) none came down to low level and most remained as Hairstreak sp (Could have been White-letter or Purple) though the one i did see well enough (perched) to identify with binoculars was a White Letter Hairstreak (so I guess most of the others were too)
Finally, surprised by a late ♀ Black Hairstreak egg laying on Blackthorn...I was convinced she was a White-letter...and it was only as I watched her egg laying that the penny dropped and I actually looked at the white line and black teardrop markings.
A great site with loads of Butterfly activity (thanks to PhilB for mentioning it to me) I'll be back again to look for White-letter and White Admiral...

[Ian Pratt]

Dark green fritillaries hotting up on the Isle of Wight with 3 seen at Shalcombe Down and 4 silver-washed fritillaries at Walters Copse with at least 12 white admirals. Ian

[ChrisC]

first Grayling of the year, Stephens castle, Verwood. and my first silver studs.

[Neil Freeman]

In Weymouth this week on a family holiday, had a wander along the SW Coast path from Bowleaze Cove today. Hordes of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Marbled Whites, good numbers of fresh male Gatekeepers, Large and Small Skippers and Small Tortoiseshells also around.
Best of all, hundreds if not thousands of Lulworth Skippers seen between Bowleaze Cove and Redcliff Point in the bits where you can get a little way down the cliffs.
Full report will be in my diary next week when I get chance to catch up.

Cheers,

Neil

[Philzoid]

Reports from Wurzel of White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary sightings reminded me this week I had a good excuse to avoid expensive journeys to far flung places out west, and instead check out one of my 'local' sites, Bookham Commons. Although early for these species I thought there'd be a good chance of seeing at least one of them plus Wurzel has been streaking ahead of me in the species count recently so I needed to peg him back . The South-east is usually a week ahead of anywhere else and Bookham's speciality is that it usually gets the first sightings of Purple Emperor (so why not early SWF's )
Rather than take the Great Bookham side (my normal point of entry to see these two species) I ventured in from Downside end which I normally only choose when out looking for Brown Hairstreak in August. I figured that they'd be a good chance of finding them on that side of the Common too .

On the way through to Nightingale corner I met with a patrolling Comma which temporarily used me as a staging post before blasting off to intercept another . This was soon followed by a Small Tortoiseshell. Although nothing like the numbers seen when I venture west, it's good to see them seemingly making a comeback (they've been scarce in recent years over our way) .

This little 'spitfire' is the trimmed wing-tip version

Soon after other species began to catch my eye in particular the Ringlet which up until now I'd only seen one at Collard Hill a week earlier. Despite their apparent laboured flight they kept it up continuously and eventually when one would land it would be deep in the Bramble or Bracken . The Meadow Browns around did the same but somewhat faster , and with no Speckled Wood or Large Skippers showing I made my way over to a track which adjoins a large farm meadow.

The meadow can offer Small Coppers; Common Blues and other grassland species so is worth traversing the barbed wire fence. Inside were Meadow Browns which would drop out of site into the grass but would immediately take off when you approached the spot. A Ringlet trying to do a similar stunt was less successful and I was able to get this shot.

Female Ringlet perhaps newly emerged as not up to much flying

Next thing to catch my eye was what I initially thought a day-flying moth but realised on seeing it properly that it was a male Small Skipper rather faded (as if it had been bleached by the sun). It was strange to see such a faded one for my first of the year as reports are only just starting for this species .

Pale but otherwise seemingly in good nick

. Next Skipper was a Large in familiar colours

After further searching and no sightings of SWF and WA I made my way home, pleased to have seen some nice Ringlets and get my first Small Skipper of the year. Don't know whether I'll be quite so enthusiastic about seeing Ringlets in the next couple of weeks though.when Purple Emperor season gets going (and all normal butterflying behaviour goes out of the window )

Phil

[David M]

A first ever visit to Daneway Banks, near Sapperton, on Sunday proved to be a highly enjoyable experience.

15 Large Blues spotted, with obscene numbers of Marbled Whites being the other notable feature.

[ayjay]

Jammed into one of these this afternoon, I was some way off the beaten track in Holmsley Enclosure, (New Forest), it dropped into the grass in front of me looking dark and interesting, then it opened it's wings and posed for about ten seconds before lifting off back into the trees.

Plenty of Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Small and Large Skippers on offer: also a couple of SW Fritillaries, a bit too revved up to stop for a photo.

My first Hairstreak, (of any colour).

[MikeOxon]

Lucky you, ayjay I've been trying to get an open-wing shot of a male PH for years.

Mike

[Cotswold Cockney]

Needing a couple of drive-on ramps prior to doing an oil-change on one of the family's cars this afternoon, I removed their wood covers where they've been stored against my garage wall to discover a resting fresh example of this rarely seen beautiful moth. Less than thirty seconds later I was ready with my camera just as it took flight. A female Blackbird which visits the garden frequently no doubt has youngsters to feed and saw the opportunity and chased the moth the two of them less than three metres away flying around me. Can't have that, I jumped between the chaser and chased and the moth now with warming up wing muscles was able to make its escape. Hopefully to safety.

In sixty years of observations, I have only seen this fine moth with the unusual name of Old Lady three or four times. The first specimen I saw was a dead one in an empty near derelict shop window in the middle of Gloucester during my school days in the 1950s. There was also a dead Cream Spot Tiger there too. Another fine moth I've rarely seen.

A lifelong friend and keen moth enthusiuast who manages the extensive grounds of Stratford Park on the Painswick Valley side of Stroud sometimes runs mothing nights for the locals to attend. I've attended one or two and two years ago, he "sugared" several mature trees in this now impressive semi-Nature Reserve he manages and we were rewarded with an "Old Lady" feeding on one of the sugared trees. They are very alert at such tines on warm summer nights.

I like Old Ladies ... To see one in my small suburban garden was a great surprise and special delight. It's boyant flight is more like that of a large brown Butterfly than a moth. In much the same way as it's relative, the Red Underwings, when disturbed during the day appear at first glance to be a large Red Admiral butterfly.

[Ian Pratt]

June has ended well for me with good small tortoiseshell, peacock and cinnabar moth caterpillars just a stone's throw from my house. Also me and my shadow performed by Mr Peacock!
Ian

[daveboyle]

Spent most of today at Honister Pass - I left the campsite at Chapel House Farm a couple of minutes after 8:00, and had seen Mountain Ringlets by 08:40!
Unfortunately the sun wasn't out as much as the forecast promised but it was amazing watching dozens of Mountain Ringlets erupting out of the grass whenever it did pop out. The best area seemed to be just beyond the stile at about NY211121 where I counted 30 in the air at once

[Testudo Man]

Took my young son to Lullingstone Country Park this last Sunday(29/6/14). It was the 1st time we had visited this location...it was also the 1st time that we sighted/photographed the Dark Green Fritillary too.
Not too far from home either, a 30 mile round trip was all that was needed.

Windy conditions, but good amounts of sunshine. Large numbers were seen, also very good numbers of Small Skippers, along with the more common species being noted. We also had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth put in a brief showing, so what a great days butterflying to end the month of June.

Cheers Paul.

[millerd]

Long-tailed Blue seen at Collard Hill today according to the Large Blue blog:
http://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/author ... eranger01/

Seems rather an unlikely place for one to turn up (nowhere near the coast and rather new-looking to boot).

Dave

[David M]

At least 5 High Brown Fritillaries seen at the south Wales site between 10.45 and 12.30 today. 7 identifiable Dark Greens observed too, along with a solitary Small Pearl Bordered.

[William]

Don't know whether anyone knows, but a Long - Tailed Blue has been sighted at Collard Hill

https://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/

Quite a sighting, particularly at this time of year, with a stunning photo to boot!

BWs

William

[Susie]

Don't know whether anyone knows, but a Long - Tailed Blue has been sighted at Collard Hill

https://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/

Quite a sighting, particularly at this time of year, with a stunning photo to boot!

BWs

William

That has to be an introduction doesn't it?

[William]

Long-tailed Blue seen at Collard Hill today according to the Large Blue blog:
http://ntlargeblue.wordpress.com/author ... eranger01/

Seems rather an unlikely place for one to turn up (nowhere near the coast and rather new-looking to boot).

Dave

Sorry Dave - didn't notice your post in my enthusiasm to share the news