www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

David M in South Wales says:

This is getting depressing now.....

But absence of butterflies is not really a good enough reason to feel depressed.
There are FAR better reasons to become depressed ( I know - they are called Divorce Lawyers, Accountants, Civil Servants and sundry other Bureaucrats all after your money)

Just seen a single Speckled Wood and a single Holly Blue in a one-hour amble in good weather and good habitat. Wow. But that is an improvement over a similar walk this time last week!

Jack

A sunny day so took the opportunity to go to Fenns and Whixall Moss. Still felt like a spring day rather than summer. No Ringlets or Meadow Browns yet.

Common Blue 6
Brimstone 8
Green Hairstreak 7
Large Skipper 5
The Large Heath were in good supply - saw more than 10. Very tricky to photograph as they seldom alight and the one you're tracking always heads off into dangerous boggy areas. And when they do settle it's usually amongst grass. This rather poor photo is included purely as a matter of record

Apologies for late post.
Fathers day and good weather to boot meant time for anther recce at Wrecclesham to check on whether the Heaths were about. In the end all the Orange butterflies I checked turned out to be Glanvilles, perhaps the Heaths will be later .
Although sunny the windy conditions made photography difficult. Those Glanvilles that patrolled the windswept track down to the lake were particularly hard as they would fly for a couple of yards then the wind would catch them and they'd be gone. When they landed the butterflies would seek some shelter and this raised the chances of the inadvertent grass blade spoiling what would be otherwise good shots. On occasion the wind would drop and a good picture was possible. In addition to the Glanvilles I encountered a fresh female large Skipper who was also sheltering from the wind. I was even able to get close to a Beautiful Demoiselle in a sheltered spot and get a first time photo. Impossible to photo were the numerous Cinnabar moths. Blurred images were the order of the day. Around the back of the site was a field sheltered by a row of trees and although I saw 3 Glanvilles there I expected more. Also seen was this Green Hairstreak, flitting amongst the grass and so easily lost when taking back to he wing. For over 2 hours searching I would say I saw around 15 or so Glanvilles. Most were slightly faded, but baseing their condition on those seen last year I would say they'll be around for a couple more weeks at least. The only other butterflies seen was a single male Common Blue and a (the) Speckled Wood on the entrance in.

My next port of call was Denbies. This was a bad choice as the wind was much more blustery and some cloud had returned. Very few butterflies were seen (No Marbled Whites, too late for first brood Adonis and too early for Chalkhills; no skippers except Large, no Small Copper, no Common Blue, perhaps I was expecting too much . By 17:15 after leaving Denbies the threatening cloud cover had gone, the wind had dropped and the sunshine was back (often the case I find with Denbies ). I took this last opportunity to go to Box Hill zig zag where my daughter Isabella soon found me this lovely Small Blue. A walk up the hill revealed as few meadow browns (all males) settling down amongst the grasses for the evening. All in all a great way to spend Fathers day

Slop Bog last night had a Lattice Heath Moth, Roe deer and a single Red Admiral - not one Silver Studded Blue . Not sure whether it was because I paid an evening visit and they're morning butterlies like the Green Hairstreaks or becuase they haven't emerged yet - the usual phenology reckons main flight time is the third to last week of June so perhaps in a few days IF we get some good weather

Absolutely cracking photos there Philzoid Here's hoping the Heaths are later

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Whilst driving to work this morning on the Radio Shropshire it mentioned about a new butterfly discovery in Shropshire.


A quick look on the net brought this up.

Wildlife enthusiasts were attending a free butterfly course, run in conjunction with Butterfly Conservation, when they unexpectedly stumbled across a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene).

The discovery was made at Ellesmere Moors, where habitat restoration work has recently been undertaken through the LEADER-funded community project. This beautiful species had not been seen around The Mere for 20 years and it was thought to have been lost from the area.

Debbie

Just a quick postscript to my Norfolk rant -

I've just seen on UK Dragonflies that there is a picture of Swallowtail taken on yellow iris from Hickling at the weekend. So for anyone heading that way Hickling might be the best bet.

It might also be worth mentioning for anyone going to Upton Broad looking for Norfolk Hawkers that the paths are extremely muddy. Wellies essential.

Debbie wrote:Whilst driving to work this morning on the Radio Shropshire it mentioned about a new butterfly discovery in Shropshire.


A quick look on the net brought this up.

Wildlife enthusiasts were attending a free butterfly course, run in conjunction with Butterfly Conservation, when they unexpectedly stumbled across a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene).

The discovery was made at Ellesmere Moors, where habitat restoration work has recently been undertaken through the LEADER-funded community project. This beautiful species had not been seen around The Mere for 20 years and it was thought to have been lost from the area.

Debbie

At last! We have some good news to counteract the bad.

Nice to run into Jack today over in Monk's Wood as I approached a Black Hairstreak hot-spot.....
Following several hours of searching we did have a season-first.... It tells you what a season it has been when a male Meadow Brown elicits such excitement ....
No sign of any Black Hairstreak yet....
N

Today in 5h at Park Corner Heat:
Speckled Wood=15+
Brimstone=2
Grizzled Skipper=1
Small Tortoiseshell=2
Meadow Brown=2
S.P.B.F.=3
Silver-washed Fritillary=1
Small Heat=3
Red Admiral=1


Silver-washed Fritillary by JPNature, on Flickr

Speckled Wood by JPNature, on Flickr

Brimstone ♀ by JPNature, on Flickr

Dragon ID? by JPNature, on Flickr

Any idea on the Dragon ID?
Regards

Joaquim Pinho

Looks like a female Broad-bodied Chaser - but I may be wrong!
One from last year.... N

Your quite right Nick it is a female Broad-Bodied Chaser.

Philzoid wrote:... I took this last opportunity to go to Box Hill zig zag where my daughter Isabella soon found me this lovely Small Blue.

This may be worth reporting. The "Box Hill Book of Butterflies" (published 2002) states that though they used to be found in exactly the area you describe, none has been seen since 1996. Perhaps they never went away...

Dave

NickB wrote: No sign of any Black Hairstreak yet....
N

Looks like the first one has been reported at Glapthorn today.

http://www.bedsnorthants-butterflies.org.uk/

Cheers,

Neil F.

nfreem wrote:

NickB wrote: No sign of any Black Hairstreak yet....
N

Looks like the first one has been reported at Glapthorne today.

http://www.bedsnorthants-butterflies.org.uk/

Cheers,

Neil F.

Excellent, cheers for that info Neil. I'm passing through that way in two weeks time. A burst of good weather this next few weeks and I may have a chance of seeing Black Hairstreak at Glapthorn and "His Imperial Majesty" at Fermyn on the same day! Fingers crossed
Paul

nfreem wrote:

NickB wrote: No sign of any Black Hairstreak yet....
N

Looks like the first one has been reported at Glapthorne today.

http://www.bedsnorthants-butterflies.org.uk/

Cheers,

Neil F.

Seen on 17th in Cambridgeshire.

http://www.cambs-essex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.php

Cheers,

- Pete

Make the most of the small blue. After the Olympic crowds at Box Hill at the end of July goodness knows what will be left at this SSSI!

After the Olympic crowds at Box Hill at the end of July goodness knows what will be left at this SSSI!

Has anyone met someone who is actually enthusiastic about the Olympics? I haven't.
Still we are told that we are supposed to get excited about The Olympics just as we were told that we had to be excited about that Jubilee business.

Yawn yawn. I'm off to bed.

Jack

Escaping from office for 15 minutes at lunch time, I crossed over the road to the large garden size patch of land left to grow wild. I was rewarded with a beautifully fresh common blue butterfly and as I did not have my camera with me I simply enjoyed watching the butterfly.

How wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable this was.

(Yesterday I saw a couple of orange looking moths.)

Debbie

Debbie wrote:
Yesterday I saw a couple of orange looking moths.

Probably Burnet Companions, Debbie.

They're all over the place right now.

I've just been told by Lancashire Butterflies Con . that the 2 White Butterflies I saw at Gaits Barrow was, 1 Boloria selene ab. & Pallida. They said it's caused by extreme weather conditions in the Pupa stage . I thought this intersting after Debbie said she'd heard about another being Found on the Radio. Goldie