Another silly year?

[Padfield]

Grizzled skippers were flying near Martigny today, at two separate sites. I photographed three (just record shots) but altogether there were doubtless more - it's difficult to tell with such buzzy insects.

This is over a month earlier than last year (my first sightings April 12th, though had a possible on March 15th and met some naturalists who had seen one settled that day), which I thought was a ridiculously early year, and certainly my earliest sightings ever. They were at sites I have checked regularly for the last few years.





I also saw small whites, green-veined whites, small tortoiseshells, Queen of Spain fritillaries, a comma, a peacock and probably about 15 large tortoiseshells - perhaps more. Large tortoiseshells are continuing their meteoric rise and I expect the same thing will happen in the UK.

Here's a large tortoiseshell and a small tortoiseshell for comparison, both taken today:




I met up with Matt Rowlings, who added clouded yellow and Camberwell beauty to the list, making a total of 10 species between us for 2nd March.

Guy

[Paul]

Fantastic Guy... ....I don't expect anything here for 6w yet.... has your winter been warmer than usual??

[Padfield]

It was a very cold December, followed by a pretty average January, followed by a warm February.

I have noticed that the butterflies always manage to synchronise themselves with their foodplant. Potentilla recta was in full flower yesterday on south-facing banks and the grizzlies were taking advantage of this.

I won't be able to go down to the valley again for a couple of weeks as I have a ski marathon next weekend and then it is the last week of term. But my sallow is now fully out so if we get some sun things might start happening here, up the mountain, before long.

I think you'll be seeing things well before 6 weeks, Paul...

Guy

[Padfield]

It really does seem the seasons are shifting. Until last year I had never seen large tortoiseshell at my home altitude (1200m) until the end of March or the beginning of April. Last year I saw one on 13th March. Today, 15th, this male spent the morning flitting around my sallow:



He came to ground just occasionally:



I've been living in the region for many years now and never known such an early start as either of these last two years.

Guy