Cheers for your kind comments Philzoid
I'm glad that it's not just me that saw the variation in the Small Pearls. Looking forward to testing out theories this year - it's been quite mild so I reckon that if things stay this way we could have another browny-orange rather than red Small Pearl year
Cheers Neil
I was made up with the DGF - I've been trying for one of those for a few years now
Cheers Mike
'Just' the Browns, Hairstreaks, Duke and Blues to go now...
Browns
A tricky group to judge as they often so numerous you can’t see the wood for the trees or they are restricted to a particular and not common habitat or even they are very widely dispersed. All these factors mean that best guesses and gut feelings might not match up with other people’s perceptions...
26 Specked Wood, 1st May Enford (pull in)
This year was a lot like the last for me with Specklies in that they kind of crept up on me through the year. They were quite sparse during the early part of the year and then in subsequent broods their numbers built steadily though I’m not sure that they were any higher than last year. On later trips at the tail end of the season they were often the most numerous species around with one visit to Bolderwood in the New Forest yielding 6 or 7 over the course of an hour’s gentle stroll. I must confess here that after the initial sighting I did tend to ignore the poor old specklies unless one presented itself to me crying out for me to take its photo. Then later in the summer, early in the autumn, while other species were dwindling I was struggling to find butterflies to photograph there were the Specklies. This could be why I felt their numbers built though even though I wasn’t always photographing them I was noticing them.
Where the story differed was in that they were later, by a little over a month in fact for me personally so perhaps this could explain the lower numbers in the first brood? They were held up by the weather and then when it turned out nice they prospered a pretty common story for the earlier spring species.
27 Wall, 2nd June Marshie Site
For me this year was an amazing year for Wall Browns, in that I was lucky enough to find them at two...yes two different sites! I can usually scrabble together a single sighting but to stumble across two was just unbelievable. I was considering visiting Pennington and Keyhaven later in the summer as well but decided against it as I didn’t want to use all my “Wall Luck” up!
As usual for me both were total flukes. The first was on the memorable day out with Philzoid surrounded by Small Blues, Marsh Frits and battling butterflies. The second was at Lulworth during a stolen half hour on a family holiday visit. This must be the way for me to find Wall Browns – go looking for something else and one will turn up unexpectedly and try to steal the show!
From looking at other reports and sighting records they seemed to do well overall this year but this is one of those species that I find difficult to judge securely as they aren’t common and are so widely dispersed. I can only go on seeing them at two sites...I still can’t believe that!
28 Marbled White, 1st July Five Rivers
Things were definitely moving on by the time the Marbled Whites were emerging as they were starting to catch up on their emerging dates from last year, only 5 days later. Also it was another good year for them overall. Saying that I did notice that at some sites they were doing really well and at others they seemed slightly down. For instance they were definitely up at Larkhill and Woodhenge whilst at Martin Down they seemed to have dropped off ever so slightly. This may just be part of the natural rhythms of sites so I’m keen to check this year to see if they have a slight upturn in those areas which I felt were down slightly.
Having discovered the key to Marbled White shots was to make morning visits Larkhill and Woodhenge provided me with the majority of my shots this year including some that I’d hoped for but thought that I wouldn’t be able to get – my dew bedecked Marbs. I also noticed that some of the first females that I saw where very strongly marked on the undersides, some appearing almost lemon and cream though I econ this was just because of how fresh they were.
29 Grayling, 29th July Godshill
I managed to locate Graylings slightly earlier this year than last but I don’t put that down to their emergence changing, more likely it was because I was out looking for them earlier. My usual spot – the Triangle at Godshill was the site of my first sighting and whilst there I saw more than I’ve ever seen before so a good year for the Grayling I think. I don’t think I saw such a great range of colouration this year compared to last, most were of the brown or black variety but I didn’t find the grey individuals that I saw last year – some environmental response to temperature during pupation perhaps?
They are serious contenders for my favourite butterfly (though the Lulworth Skipper will probably hold out due to my Dorset roots) as I love practically everything about them – their cryptic patterning, their behaviours, their habitat and the timing of their imago with generally the best weather that this country gets. What made it a good yea particularly for me was that quite by chance I saw a couple at Studland whilst on my annual pilgrimage/family holiday. One practically greeted me upon our arrival at the car park and I got a few shots which featured in a ‘Where’s the Grayling?” post. A second landed on my left arm and then flew off when I tried to stretch it out so I could photograph it taking salts from my elbow. It did return but this time it landed on my right arm so I couldn’t get any shots as I can’t operate my camera with my left hand – it gets in the way of the lens when I try to press the shutter.
30 Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper 14th July Bentley Wood
Actually two days early than last year and what was quite coincidental was that last year I was looking for Purple Emperors when I saw my first hedge Brown and so it was this year too. They seemed to do really well last year so if felt like they were slightly down on that this year yet they were still doing well.
We generally visit my outlaws over at Ffos-yffin near Aberaeron just as the Graylings and Silver Spots are emerging. To keep my hand in and ward off the envy brought on by reading of others exploits with Chalkhills etc I spend my time chasing down every single Hedge Brown that I can find along the high and ancient hedgerows near their home. It never ceases to amaze me the level of variation that seems to abound in the one little area - it can’t be because of isolation as the whole countryside around is interlinked with mile upon mile of hedgerows/wildlife corridors. My best guess is that it comes down to probability – as the habitat is so good and there are plenty of Hedge Browns here there is a greater chance of something more unusual cropping up. If it does I’m there camera at the ready
31 Meadow Brown, 19th June The Devenish
Just under a week later this year and things seemed to be catching up by June – the usual quiet period between broods didn’t really seem to happen things just ran into each other and late caught up with those that were on time. It was difficult to tell whether things were on a par or better than last year but my overall gut feeling was that numbers were up. There definitely seemed to be more about but their ubiquity makes anything more than a best guess futile. Highlights for the year included various morning visits to Larkhill to find them dew bedecked and some seemed almost tearful.
32 Small Heath, 1st June Duke Site
I didn’t see my first Small Heath until a few weeks later this year than in 2012 though whether that was because I wasn’t looking in the right place or just because everything was still catching up from the slow start to the season I’m not too sure? Once they were flying I wasn’t in two minds about their numbers. On the one hand I’m fairly confident that they didn’t lose ground this year in that I saw them at all the usual sites and where I’d expect to see them and also there seemed to be more of them about. They were almost back to their annoying best competing with Ringlets and Meadow Browns for the role of ‘spookiest’ butterfly – not scary like, just very good at putting up other butterflies that you’re trying to photograph. On the other hand I still don’t think that they were up to their full strength so still down compared to where they were a few years hence. Hopefully though they have reached their low ebb and are now on the upward swing.
33 Ringlet, 23rd June The Devenish
Ringlets were a few days earlier this year than last but only because I was lucky enough to find the first for the county (and possibly the country?). That being said seeing the first on the county and it only being a few days earlier than my first sighting last year tells the true story that things were still not up to the same speed as in 2012. The drier year this year also seemed to slow their emergence and unlike last year they seemed to be around in smaller numbers but also lasting longer into the season. In fact I found a very fresh individual at Alners Gorse in the tail end of August, so fresh it was still a gorgeous chocolate colour and had its white wing fringes intact. I’m not sure if this was a second brood though that seems more likely than a very extended flight period.
Have a goodun
Wurzel