April 2015

[David M]

Disappointing end to March, with wet conditions and gale force winds.

Here's to a much more benign April....

[millerd]

One Small Tortoiseshell today braving the wind and tucking into a hyacinth up at my sister's house in Wilberfoss, Yorkshire.

Dave

[kevling]

Took a friend to Luton Airport on 2nd April and in the sunshine, parked at the end of the runway to watch the departures.
Whilst there, I saw several Brimstone in the adjacent hedgerow. All looking very fresh and vibrant. Unfortunately no photos to accompany this post as they were rather flighty on this occasion. Nice to see though.

Regards Kev

[andy brown]

Hi,

No pictures but while working in the garden today Small White, Comma and Peacock, best haul of the year so far.

Andy

[MikeOxon]

Several Brimstones passing through my garden in warm sunshine around lunchtime today. Also one Peacock flew out from the eaves of my house.

Mike

[IAC]

Very close to 20oC yesterday up here in Eastern Scotland, and that finally released the torrent that had been fidgeting in hibernation this past few weeks with glimpses of Spring merely teasing. So today was quite full on with many reports of multiple Peacock Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. I had 7 Comma, 14 Peacock and 4 Small Tortoiseshell in the south eastern county of Berwickshire. Most of the Comma were visiting Sallow that had burst into flower right on queue. Happy days.

Iain.

[Greenie]

An afternoon visit to Hayes Common in unexpectedly good conditions , produced the following :
8 (min) Brimstone , including my first female , pursued by 2 males ,
10 (min) Peacock , several in aerial battles with others and with Commas ,
5 Comma , including courting pair ,
and 2 Small Tortoiseshell .
Also had my first Bee Fly of the year , and a buck and doe Roe Deer was a bonus .

[Matsukaze]

Five species in the garden today - Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Brimstone and Small White. It must be the first time I have seen my first Brimstone and Small White of the year on the same day.

On the Mendip scarp, Stoke Camp and Westbury Beacon's time has not really begun yet, but there were Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks to be seen there, with one of the Peacocks violently assaulting and chasing off a bumblebee.

[David M]

My first Small White of the year seen on 5th April, along with half a dozen or so Small Tortoiseshells and a couple of Peacocks and Commas in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

[Mark Tutton]

First orange tips of the year today at Butser Hill three males all too busy to stop for a photo and first female Brimstone.
Decidedly warm so first grizzled skippers won't be far away if the weather forecast holds true.
Kind Regards
Mark

[Testudo Man]

Glad to see the back of a cold March, and welcome a warmer April!...The week ahead looks good too, with warmer conditions forecast

6 butterflies seen today, Small Tortoiseshells, a Brimstone, and probably Red Admiral (no photos though).

But yesterday (5/4/15) i did have a couple of cameras with me

To start the day, i had a Peacock land in my garden, then off i went to a local woodland area, for a 5 hour session!
I sighted another Peacock plus 2 Commas. Along with Adult/Juvenile Adders, Common Lizard and Slow Worm.

Location- Kent...cheers Paul.

Some photos then. Nikon D7100 with nikon macro 105mm VR lens used. None of these images are cropped at all, just re-sized down.

A Peacock on my hand.

One of the Commas seen here with wings closed, a perfect camouflage.

Sorry about the next image being about Reptiles, but this is a rare sighting indeed. This image shows 2 juvenile baby Adders(Vipera berus) basking together!!! Its difficult enough to sight one of these tiny snakes on the woodland floor, so to see 2 like this is a real treat.
These snakes have not long emerged from their 1st hibernation, being born August 2014. If you compare their size, to the large leaves that they are basking on, then you can appreciate just how small they are!

[Matsukaze]

Are those beech leaves that the adders are on? Just trying to get a sense of scale.

[Paul Harfield]

I spotted my first Speckled Wood of the year today amongst the numerous Brimstone and Peacock in West End, Southampton. Also what looked like a Small White which flew past me without settling.

First Speckled Wood of the year today

[David M]

Nine different species seen at two different locations on this glorious, early April day.

New for the year for me were Large White:

Orange Tip:

Speckled Wood:

Small Copper:

Other species seen were Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Small White & Brimstone.

[Cotswold Cockney]

Peacock immediately prior to take off flight.

Newly awakened hibernating Peacock inside my garage.

This has to be the best showing of late winter early spring for post hibernation Butterflies I can ever remember. Been much warmer the past two days, the temperature reading on my car's instrument panel showed 17c today. Maybe a tad warmer in more sheltered sunny spots. Plenty of Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and a small ( 2/3rd undersize male ) Green Viened White in the garden yesterday. All feeding on what I believe are Hostas and Viburnams. Today Peacocks again and Two Small Tortoiseshells on the single Viburnam cluster of blooms saw the smaller of the two ( male? ) constantly following behind the larger as it avidly fed trying to copulate. Have never seen this common species paired ever!

Opened my garage door today to find a fine Peacock perched inside on the window glass. Awaiting an opportunity to escape. Almost certainly spent the winter in the pitched roof loft. I see both Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells enter my double garage every late summer autumn period. Managed to get a picture of it on the door and my finger. It was doing that wing vibration habit possibly needed for wing muscle warming prior to flight. On my finger in the very warm sunshine it quickly flew off only to settle on the patio. See attached images.

Took the car and two family members to visit our own little nature reserve west of the River Severn. Main purpose of my visit was to see how my Celtis Trees are shaping up. Not too well. Unlike those I once had in my garden, they do not like the soil here and are only just starting to open their leaf buds. Growth is painfully slow compared to the same species in my garden. Two of the two dozen Alder Buckthorn second year seedlings I planted last year I was able to locate in the leafless tangles were quite dead! Buds missing and I suspect nibbled by the rabbit and hares in the field. Two small three year old Sallows and a single Oak all had their lower trunks just above ground level nearly shredded by something eating their bark. Should have put protective surrounds on them. Lesson learned. I have seen deer pass through ~ loads in Forest of dean as well as Wild Boar! An English Elm I planted as a rooted cutting twenty odd years ago reached nearly seven metres last summer. Unlike Wych Elms and another Elm Species planted the same time which are alive and well, that once fine English Elm is quite dead! A Wych elm was smothered in male flowers as was the other species of Elm which when I got it thirty years ago, I was told has some resistance to the dreaded dutch Elm Disease.

Several Brimstones and the two common species already mentioned seen on the wing. Two Brimstones seen at our little haven too as well as a couple of Commas and several of more the two Nymphalids very active in the sunshine. Also just as we were leaving, a small male Orange Tip.

Yesterday, again in warm sunshine, I arranged to meet someone travelling past Gloucester on one of the Motorway Junctions., I was there about twenty five minutes before they arrive and during that time soon lost count of the Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks out and about.

Look like my internal heat generator has not adjusted to the sudden warmer increase. I'm still a tad warm as I type this.

Looks like spring is at last sprung ...

[Rebecca]

Went out on a transect walk yesterday on New hill and Tannager on the East Polden ridge and recorded 32 butterflies, 2 small torts, 14 Brimstones and 16 peacocks. The carpets of primroses were very popular.
I was hoping to see my first Speckled wood or Orange tip of the year but will have to wait a bit longer.

[Tony Moore]

More of the same, but rather later ... NO butts at all by last Thursday and now a positive deluge of STs and Peacocks - I've never seen so many up here at this time. It augers well if we have a good summer.
Today, I also saw three Commas and a Small White. Green Hairstreaks next week I hope .

Tony M.

[millerd]

First Orange Tip near Heathrow this afternoon.

Dave

[Matsukaze]

Fewer butterflies in the garden today, but plenty on a walk along the paths encircling Halecombe quarry. Perhaps they have finished refuelling after hibernation and are now settling down to breeding. Many Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks, a couple of Brimstones and Commas.

[David M]

Another Speckled Wood seen at lunch time at work today!

They're out folks. Go find 'em!