www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Wow. For June, that appears ridiculously severe. As you say though, these conditions are fairly regular and no doubt insect populations have such things factored into their genes.

If I remember correctly, 2006 was a pretty good summer in the UK and I guess that's the way it turned out in central Europe?

If your French is up to it (or your German or Italian), and if you're interested, the monthly Swiss weather summaries are published here: http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/fr/ ... uelle.html.

Crikey. I could understand the French version. Vive la Bruni (is that correct use of French?)

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:

Vive la Bruni (is that correct use of French?)

I guess it's a question of taste, Jack...

'Vive la brume' might fit our recent weather better, thought that's not a sentiment I would ever echo!

Guy

to mis-translate an English idiom, it's been "singes en laiton"

Mike

(from eBay)

Guy

MikeOxon wrote:to mis-translate an English idiom, it's been "singes en laiton"

Mike

Quite right, Mike, although tonight Swansea has seen a major change. We've got heavy rain and the air smells lovely - like the immediate aftermath of a thunderstorm.

I've read reports that temperatures next week could rise considerably so we might yet see things return to normal very soon.

School all morning, then down to the Valley in the afternoon. After heavy rain yesterday, the last of the cloud is finally clearing from Switzerland, making way for a week of unbroken sun beginning tomorrow. I can almost hear those chrysalids cracking open ... This afternoon was mixed - warm, with passing cloud, often thick haze and periods of good sunshine. It was too late in the day for territorial Camberwell beauties or green hairstreaks, which are most easily seen in the mornings, but I did add three species to my year list, namely wood white, holly blue and violet fritillary. The first two were singles which never stopped; but this violet fritillary did put down, albeit in a windy corner which made photography very difficult:



Other species out and about were small white, green-veined white, Bath white, orange tip, brimstone, both swallowtails, peacock, comma, small tortoiseshell, Queen of Spain, speckled wood and grizzled skipper. Apart from holly blue, no blues were on the wing - a situation which will doubtless change from tomorrow, when the hot weather moves in. I didn't see any large tortoiseshells, but given the muggy and overcast weather, and the fact it was the afternoon, this is not so surprising. They too are easiest in the mornings, when they defend their territories.

It is lovely to see swallowtails and scarce swallowtails on these spring walks. Usually, the scarce swallowtails are to be seen gliding around Prunus bushes but today both spent most of their time taking minerals on the track.





Last week only male orange tips were to be seen. Today I found a female too:





The other day, while standing at the bus stop, I noticed that the valley floor had changed in colour almost overnight from a kind of sickly green (where the snow wasn't still lying) to a bright, spring green. There are fields already covered in velvety young wheat and new growth is everywhere. Spring has come.

Guy

I was depressed before I looked at the pictures just reading this "making way for a week of unbroken sun beginning tomorrow"

ChrisC wrote:I was depressed before I looked at the pictures just reading this "making way for a week of unbroken sun beginning tomorrow"

Yes, if only we could vouch for the same!

Grim till the latter end of the week according to the forecast.

It might be pertinent to quote Michael Portillo here, as quoted in today's Torygraph:

Writing in the May 16th issue of Reader's Digest, Mr Portillo said the sight of the Queen and Prince Philip enduring a downpour on the royal barge during the Diamond Jubilee highlighted how our climate shaped us as a nation.
He said: "Without that typically inopportune torrent she couldn’t have demonstrated her uncompromising concept of duty, nor could her subjects – lining the river banks like drowned rats – have displayed their unforced affection for the Crown.
"Other countries with more even climes must have gulped with envy as the heavens opened upon our party, regretting that their own festivals, held in dependably dry conditions, make no demands upon the national character."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weath ... -hand.html

Guy

Quite. When I was based in Aden (Yemen), sun was taken for granted. It was a question of 28 degs in the cool season, 33 C in the hot. It was SO BORING only enlived by very rare sandstorm and on ONE OCCASION IT RAINED for a few minutes.

During my two years there, I saw just two butteflies, a Danaus chrysippus (African Monarch) and a small unidentifed yellow, possibly Elphinstonia charlonia (Desert Black Tip)

Jack

I'd be happy with charlonia, Jack - but not at the price of just two butterflies in two years!

I always seem to be rushing this year. I spent the morning in Italy, at my nettle tree site, but had to get back home in time to feed the cat, change, and get off to church (where I am alternately the pianist or minister, depending on the week). That meant leaving the site at 12h45.

Last year, on 31st March, the site was already alive, with lush vegetation and butterflies galore. This year is significantly behind that schedule, two calendar weeks later. The vegetation is still rather yellow, with last season's dead grass not yet overcome by this season's green. The buds on the nettle trees are almost all still tightly furled and there are very few nectar plants in flower. Indeed, when I arrived, greeted by a single small tortoiseshell, a single large tortoiseshell and a holly blue, I wondered if I would see anything at all that wasn't already flying in Switzerland. But as the morning developed, things did start to fly. First, a small copper. Then, as if their alarm had gone off, all the green hairstreaks suddenly reported to their stations. One minute nothing. The next, four green hairstreaks were tumbling and spiralling above the broom. From then onwards, green hairstreaks were constant companions:




(that's the kind of picture I wanted of avis ...)



The lone, accessible nettle tree where I watched a female celtis ovipositing last year was unattended this morning. But there were plenty of nettle tree butterflies on nearby, less accessible trees. At one point I had four in my field of vision, all perched on buds sunning themselves. Unfortunately, I was looking at them into the sun, or sideways to the sun, from a wall over an abyss and there was no way I could either get close or get a decent angle on them. For this reason, I only got record shots. Nevertheless, it was a great delight to watch them and gain a little more familiarity with this species' habits. I had the impression this was just warm-up time. None showed any signs of ovipositing - I don't know what sex they were - even though they clung to nettle tree buds, nor of nectaring. It seemed to me they were not long out of hibernation and for the time being just wanted to gather on their host trees. It's a shame I had to leave so early as I might have seen different behaviour in the afternoon.





This is the wall I was standing on to photograph them:



They were in the trees to the right - so not much room for manoeuvre!

In some nearby grass I found a single sooty copper and probably two male chequered blues ('probably', because it is possible it was a single individual - it was very restless and never settled long enough even for a distant, record shot). Two or three nettle tree butterflies dropped in and one even posed - but I missed the shot, going for the close-up instead of a good long-shot. Other species flying were brimstone, orange tip (constantly present, roding along well-worn routes, after about 11h00), small white, green-veined white, wood white, comma and red admiral (a singleton, my first red admiral of 2013 away from the Mediterranean).









Walking back to the station I saw two nettle tree butterflies near town, away from any obvious habitat. I'm sure nettle trees could grown in the Rhône Valley and this species could thrive in Western Switzerland. The only Swiss sites are further East, in the Ticino.

In terms of sun and warmth, this was the first day of spring. I expect a huge acceleration of the season over the next week, with many more species on the wing by the weekend.

Guy

Excellent report, as ever, Guy. I think we had our first day of spring today too; I managed to see several Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock today. But we're at least 2 weeks behind schedule for sure, and it's fascinating to see what's happening in central Europe also, so thanks for keeping us informed! With Blue Tits now confirmed as nesting in the box in the garden (for the first year ever), all frog spawn safely removed from our goldfish-infested pond, Sallow in flower and Blackthorn about to burst into flower, things are definitely feeling more positive - spring is most definitely in the air

Cheers,

- Pete

Those Green Hairstreak shots are excellent, Guy. What kind of equipment are you using to produce such quality images?

I never seem to be able to take an image which anything like reflects the irridescent green of the underwings. For me, this species is a most frustrating subject.

Guy. What kind of equipment are you using to produce such quality images?

Guy will answer but it isn't an expesnive DSLR

Jack

I'm glad spring has arrived in the UK too, Pete! I have to say, it was all pretty bleak when I was there at Easter.

Thank you for the comments, David. As Jack says, I don't use a DSLR but a compact camera - a Canon Powershot SX130 IS to be exact. It was selling for 150 euros the last time I looked ... I can't say I'll never change to a bigger camera but I certainly don't have any intentions to do so at the moment.

I find green hairstreaks to be very photogenic, though it did take me a long time to learn how to photograph them. The irridescence comes from the texture, not the colour, so to do them justice you have to work at a level of detail that reveals this. That is why, exceptionally, I posted the second picture at 800 pixels across. Only if something of the scale structure comes through will the butterfly have the right feel.

I hope butterflies in the UK will now have the opportunity to follow their European cousins and start emerging in significant numbers. The season really should be starting now ...

Guy

Absolutely stunning shots of Green Hairstreak You say you use a compact - is it just a question of pointing and shooting or do you use any particular set up?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Absolutely great Green Hairstreak pics there,Guy!
Last year was dire for Greens in GB,i'm eagerly awaiting a better season in 2013!
Your diary is great,a pleasure to us all!

Thank you for your very kind comments, Buzzard and Wurzel.

I was pleased with the green hairstreaks yesterday, it's true. They were beautifully fresh and posing perfectly. Yes, Wurzel, it's just point and shoot - but for what I call my 'good' shots the camera is just a few centimetres from the subject. This is not a technique I particularly encourage because it is very invasive and risks disturbing the butterflies. I have self-imposed protocols to protect the butterflies' interests, namely, I back off as carefully as I approach, so I leave the butterfly where I found it, and I leave any butterfly completely alone if I have disturbed it three times. I consider it very important that the photographer does not add to the myriad other difficulties and challenges in a butterfly's life!

The nettle tree pictures were taken on 40x zoom, hand-held. Although they're rubbish, they do illustrate the butterfly and show how useful and versatile a compact can be. With a DSLR and tripod, a good photographer could have had lovely pictures of these. Each camera has its strengths and weaknesses. I go for cheapness and portability, with good close-up shots, and leave the good longer shots to others.

Guy

EDIT - I should add, for anyone else using a Canon compact, that green hairstreaks HAVE to be taken with point metering, not the centre-weighted average that is the default every time you turn the camera on. It is very important to get this right because compacts have a low dynamic range and if you over-expose, the beautiful green is completely blown.

Guy
Lovely shots and interesting subjects. A bit like you I like the results / cost ratio of more basic cameras and intend to replace my current camera next month with another bridge model. I just couldn't see at this time the benefits I would obtain spending 5 - 6 times the money.
Phil