www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers Rex I would have replied yesterday but was at the Options Evening - who said teaching was 9-3? The Bee Hawk Moths are at Bentley Wood and one is at Martin Down - bit of a trek but they are so eye catching they'd be worth it. I've seen them at Bentley Wood three years on the trot and every time I'm so stunned that I forget to actually get any shots

Have a goodun


Wurzel

Part 2 43 Common Blue, 2nd June Cotley Hill

The Common Blues this year started to actually live up to their name. After a few difficult years they seemed to show the start of an upturn in their fortunes. It was a slow start from when they finally emerged a couple of weeks later than 2012 and for a while things weren’t looking good again. Then they caught up and there wasn’t the noticeable drop in numbers that we usually see in June as the first brood overran into the second.
They then became widespread and I saw them at almost every site – with only Bentley Wood (wrong habitat) and Slop Bog (competition with Silver Studs?) the exceptions. On one notable visit to Shipton Bellinger they were doing their best it seemed to try and outnumber the Meadow Browns and at Larkhill they were keeping me busy right up until mid September.
That being said I still don’t think that they had reached their best or the numbers that we saw back in their ‘glory days’.
44 Chalkhill Blue, 24th July The Devenish

With this species it was almost a tale of two sites, though I found a cracking third, as my usual two sites saw very different fortunes. At Martin Down for some reason they seemed down again this year. There still seemed to be plenty about but I don’t recall seeing as many as last year and then I didn’t see as many as in 2011. A worrying trend. Yet at Stockbridge they were probably about the same as last year and were around in very good numbers.
However for me the real success was finding them at The Devenish. Indeed my first of the year was from here, at the same sort of time as last year, after an exasperating journey from work for a quick stop-off. On a later visit in August they were all over the steep hillside almost like low level powder blue clouds though by this time they were past their best. It was brilliant to find them here as it’s only 5 minutes drive from home which means more time on site enjoying them then I’d get at Martin Down or Stockbridge. 45 Adonis Blue, 8th June Martin Down

At Martin Down they like the Chalkhills also saw a decrease in numbers whilst I visited Stockbridge between broods so missed them there entirely. I managed to find both broods at The Devenish though and they seemed to do better during the second brood then the first though this could have been due to catching them at either end of the first brood rather than during their peak.
That’s one of the inaccuracies in some of my judgements – counting them at their peak. If I find them before this I can’t always get back later in the flight to judge them at their peak due to other commitments or because something else has emerged – a drawback of having to work for a living, there’s only so much butterflying you can cram in! 46 Holly Blue, 5th May Warndon Villages Worcester

Last year I was worried by the dearth of Small Coppers but they bounced back this year in a fantastic fashion. So when I started considering the plight of the Holly Blue I’m hoping for a similar turn around in fortunes for them in 2014. 2013 was a pretty dismal year for them. I never see them in large numbers but I see them in lots of places but not this year. In fact I saw them at only 5 sites and I saw only 10 or 11 over the whole season.
Also I saw my first almost 6 weeks later in 2013 than in 2012 and after this very late emergence they never seemed to recover. They were one of a group of early spring species that were really hit hard by the late start to spring. Others managed to catch up in later broods and benefited from the great summer but Holly Blues never seemed to get anywhere so I’m hoping that enough eggs were laid and survived ready for an upturn in 2014. So ends the Tally of my 2013, it was a funny old year really and went from the ridiculous to the sublime, with the never ending winter eventually becoming a glorious, if short lived summer and so looking back over all here is a round-up of my 2013.

First up the lows...

No Glanvilles despite visits to the Isle of Wight and a main land site as well as crossing fingers, toes and arms for Wrecclesham which never happened,
Missing Wood Whites twice which was really disappointing after the delights of my first Wood Whites in 2012,
Not getting my target species despite research and planning,
Getting moved on by the Police at Larkhill!
LTBs and the less said about them the better as I was one of the few that didn’t get onto them. It seems that the Jungle Drums don’t sound in Wiltshire, out here in the sticks we’re left to our own devices.

Enough maudlin on with the Highs!

Greenstreaks and Dukes a plenty at a cracking new site,
Marsh Fritillaries aplenty at another new site,
Cloudies all over the place – males, females, worn pale ones, egg laying and back lit beauties.
Brimstone basking at Shipton!! Will I ever see that again?
White Letters at Secret Squirrels mating and at lens level.

The best trip of the year for me was difficult to choose and my Duke site came close as did Lulworth during my camping holiday but in the end it had to be the Marshie site as it was as close to perfect as I’ve ever experienced and it also had the highlight of the year - the Battle Royale.

Targets for 2014...

1.) Large Blue

2.) Heath Frit (if I write it down enough it might happen)

3.) More Greenstreaks – I love em now!

4). Start my next sets of books – butterflies in cop

So that was 2013...

Have a goodun (2014 that is!)

Wurzel

Thanks for the info on the Bee Bordered Hawk Moths Wurzel I might have to try and get to Bentley wood at some point to try my luck. I believe that they are seen at Park Corner BC reserve but despite having been there many times over the last few years I've never encountered one, Maybe this year

Yet more lovely photos in part 2 Wurzel

B'saurus

Cheers Rex Bentley is a great site so let me know if you do plan a visit. Good luck anyway

Start of Super Saturday – 08-03-2014

Having finally caught up with my retrospective posts (for butterflies) here goes something new...

Saturday began almost as usual with the mad rushing around that happens almost every Saturday morning so I can get the girls to their Swimming lessons over at Five Rivers. This Saturday however we had an electrician working in the house, I had to do some banking and also we had to head over to our old house to help my sister in-law with a bit more gardening – so it was even more chaotic than normal. I dropped the girls off at Five Rivers and then walked into town along the tow path to the banks. On my return I was just passing the ‘Avon Valley’ sign when a scraggly brown butterfly zipped by – my first Comma of the year! Unfortunately it was gone so quickly I didn’t get a shot.

Once up at our old garden I had a quick look around while working out what to do and it was apparent that things were starting to happen as there were flies and spiders out, midges and bees and eventually butterflies too – with my first Brimstone bombing by. They never seem t stop at this time of year and the best I could manage was a distant ‘sports mode shot’. Still you can see it’s a butterfly (just) so it still counts. I set to work uprooting a dead Plum tree from next to the fence and the odd Brimstone would fly by every now and again and taunt me as I worked. During a break from chopping (my Brother had found an Axe in the tool shed ) I had another mooch around the garden and by the large rubble pile which is all that remains of the concrete path and hiding round the corner was a Small Tortoiseshell. After that I worked on and the root was soon history and the soil dug over and levelled. Another quick saunter around produced more bees, an Andrena and Osmia though I wasn’t quick enough to capture the Hairy foots. Plus I had a few more attempts at Sports mode Brimstones , most of which feature a lot of greenish scrubby looking stuff and very little in the way of yellow butterflies! Work done my older daughter and I loaded ourselves into the car and set off to try and find some butterflies, but where to go Five Rivers or Middle Street...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Middle Street 08-02-2014

So my older daughter and I were in the car, we’d reached the T-junction and had a decision to make – Middle Street which was a risk as I didn’t know how it had fared after the flooding or Five Rivers which would be a safe bet? In the end I let my daughter decide – so it was off to the unknown and Middle Street. On the way we saw a few more fleeting glimpses of Brimstones and even had to wind the windows down as it was so hot in the car! It was almost like a summer day and I had to check my calendar on my iPod to reassure myself that it was March and not May.

Once on site it was apparent that the floods hadn’t done too much damage here – a few trees were down and the ground was still very damp under foot but in a month or two that will lead to some pretty good vegetative growth and hopefully there will be Damselflies and butterflies everywhere. Indeed there were plenty of butterflies here today and a tattered and tired looking Small Tort with half a wing missing greeted us almost as soon as we’d started walking along the main path. Having buzzed us it bombed away towards the goal posts and put up a Red Admiral. A couple more bombed about as we made our way to the pond and the soak away by the houses and they were joined by a couple of male Brimstones floating by but never stopping. One Small Tort flew up and alighted in a small birch tree sitting on the end of a small twig – something I’d not seen before, whilst others basked on the side of the path and banks or edges of the ditches. A fair number seemed paired up... well one of them wanted too I don’t know how willing the other member of the pair was. I tried counting but this proved futile as I’d see 6 or 7 but one would bomb over the reeds to be quickly replaced lower down and moving in the opposite direction by another – but was it a different individual or a double count? I just couldn’t keep up with them they were literally everywhere and in the end both my daughter and I didn’t even point out or make an utterance when yet another Small Tort hove into view. After the good year last year this one seems to have started even better! There were all sorts to see from pairs courting to fresh looking to worn, torn and tired Cassanovas basking before trying for their next conquest. One pair seemed so excited that they crash landed in amongst the long grasses as the ‘chase’ became too frenetic! All too soon we’d completed our slow circuit around the pond and slightly dazed I tried to work out how many butterflies we’d actually seen. Three Brimstones was a conservative estimate, there was definitely one Red Admiral but I’d lost count of the Small Tortoiseshells. In the end I went with the minimum count of 7 as that was the most I saw at any one time in one field of view as it were, but here were probably many, many more than this. It was absolutely fabulous and such a welcome break after a fortnight since seeing my last set of butterflies.

As we made our way back towards the car we realized that we’d only used up about an hour of our allocated two. I looked at Kitty and she looked back and I suggested; “A quick trip to Five Rivers?”
“Good idea dad let’s go”
So we did, well I wouldn’t want to let my daughter down would I?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Five Rivers 08-03-2014

With our allocated two hours ticking away we passed as quickly as we could through the cross town traffic to the other side of Salisbury. Having already seen my first Comma of the year here during the morning I was hopeful of catching up with one. So we quickly gathered our things – no coats or jumpers as it was so warm – and headed to the corner of the banks by the spinney. This area has produced my first photos of Commas for the past two years so I was hoping to make it a third year on the trot. After a very quick stop off for a lovely fresh looking Small Tortoiseshell we rounded the corner and I gave my daughter instructions to keep a look out for orangey butterflies and there was one flying towards us. It landed and so I took my shots creeping closer and closer and trying to ignore the stings of the nettles through my jeans. Happy to have something in the bag I slowly backed up and we headed off along the banks – what a start. And it got better as a few steps along a Small Tort flew up from almost directly under my daughters feet and put up a larger almost completely black butterfly – my first peacock of the year. We followed it with our eyes and once it landed so we both slowly approached, nonchalantly so as not to spook it but it was very flighty and was flicking its wings so it was nervous and after only two shots it took off at speed. Still now my yearly tally had gone from 2 to 5 in the space of a few hours and I had seen 5 species in one day – not bad for this early in March.
We carried on round and there were a few more Small Torts basking along the path and again it got to the point of where they were coming so quickly that I couldn’t be sure of not double counting so I reported my minimum count to county. If it had been great so far it just got even better as upon on way back along the banks to our starting pint we followed the patrolling Comma until he stopped and perched on a large dead grass stalk. While I was concentrating on the Comma my daughter had found a courting pair of Small Tortoiseshells and so did a great job of stalking them to get some video on my iPod. Once she was happy we swapped places and I focused on Torts. And so we kept alternating for the next 10 minutes or so. The Comma during this time adopted a Praying Mantis like pose. The Small Torts seemed to be prolonging their courtship and it seemed like the male was copying the females poses, so when she would close her wings so would he, if she orientated herself differently he would move to align himself directly behind her still. Eventually we realised that time was almost up so we reluctantly left the butterflies where they were and took the small path up the side of the bank towards the spinney. As we were heading back some movements caught my eye and a couple more Small Torts flitted here and there along the edge of the spinney one of which pout up another butterfly that looked different. Whereas the Small Torts looked orangey with chocolate bodies this was ginger all over – a second Comma. A careful approach and I found it trying to hide amongst some nettles. It seemed much brighter and lighter in colour than the one patrolling the banks and the markings seemed much reduced by comparison. In fact it reminded me almost of an H.Comma rather than the spring form though obviously it isn’t that. Somehow we managed to make it back with 1 minute left to spare of our allotted 2 hours and as we walked up the drive to pick my wife and younger daughter up from our old house my older daughter asked “where are we going next weekend dad?” Where indeed? I don’t know whether today could be topped until a lot more species start emerging...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great reports wurzel . A bit of nice weather and it all happens. It must be great to have places like 5 rivers so close to your doorstep . Good to see Kitty getting stuck in with the filming. It doesn’t look like she needs much encouragement . Also I like the first two pictures from 5 rivers which illustrate the double take similarity of the comma to the Small tortoiseshell very nicely.

Last Sunday was good for us in Surrey too as both I and my girls saw small tortoiseshell in separate locations around Woking . Small Torts have been rare around my way these last few years so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.

WRT your comments on the Blues I have to agree that the Holly Blue was somewhat scarce last year and this may be the result of cyclical parasitism of this species by the wasp Listrodomus nycthemerus . And while on the subject of parasitism I expect you've noticed the hitch-hiking mites on the bumblebee .

Phil

You pack an awful lot into the the time avaliable to you Wurzel (I don't mean 'awful'). You also pack some gorgeous and prolific photos into both your current posts and last years Nice to see your daughter's interest in all things lep. I'm sure you will reach and surpass your 2014 targets and will derive much pleasure in doing so

Mike

Work at lunchtime 12-03-2014

On Wednesday as I was in trapped in the lab a Brimstone floated agonisingly close to the window before lifting and disappearing up and over the roof. Then as I walked across the Quad to get my lunch a Red Admiral flew towards me and then shot over my head...so I decided then and there that the Butterfly Gods were telling me to get out and check my work environs. So this meant nipping out and checking the fields. After the briefest saunter I found a Small Tortoiseshell up by the old high jump pit basking on the sands in amongst the rubbish. As I was just finishing up with one another one flitted by and passed just through the hedge landing on the surround margin of the neighbouring field. I could just poke my camera through and focus on it as it was taking salts from a waste bag. When heading back I noticed that just off site (literally a single step) on a tiny bank by the old garages there were 6 Small Tortoiseshells busy bumbling into each other and feeding. The bank they were on is only a couple of metres long and about 45cms high yet it had 6. I tried really, really hard but the best I could manage was to get 4 in one shot. They were quite an assortment ranging from those that were fresh out of the box to those that looked like they were not long of this world, in fact I was tempted to look around for a few nails to ensure they didn’t shuffle of their perch while I was watching them They were quite an assortment from fresh looking to torn and tatty including one tired looking stalwart All too soon I was walking back into the lab for the afternoon stretch. Still maybe tomorrow will be even better – it would be nice to get a decent Brimstone shot...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely shots Wurzal, hope the weather is better where you are, it's pretty grim here right now , Drizzle and the forcast not much better tomorrow, still at least I did get started.

I'm still trying to find out which is the best setting for my camera, may be I'll have worked it out by the time the weather is better

Mean time I'll have to look at your great photo's and enjoy Goldie

Four Small Tortoiseshells in one photo, Wurzel! Marvellous!

Best wishes

Hoggers

Hoggers wrote:Four Small Tortoiseshells in one photo, Wurzel! Marvellous!

That's a particularly fine achievement at this time of year - superb!

Cracking stuff Wurzel

Those Small Tortoiseshells bring back memories of early September in Dorset last year

Cheers,

Neil.

Lovely Tortoiseshells, Wurzel - none of the ones I've seen seem to stop for very long and certainly not in clusters like that.

Dave

Gorgeous pictures

Sorry for not remarking on your comments Philzoid and Mike - it had been a long day (and an even longer Friday night - ripping down ceilings and clearing it all up - 150 years of dust ) so to remedy that...

Cheers Philzoid I did notice the mites I can never work out how they manage to carry so many of them around on them? Good news on the Small Torts and Five Rivers is a cracking little site - so much so that the local branch are thinking about holding a 'butterfly family day' there - which you're more than welcome to attend - there may be some moths as well
Cheers Mike Necessity is the mother of invention - especially when you have two girls and a wife to look after and endless books to mark Here's hoping for the targets

Cheers Goldie I always set my camera to Macro and let it do all the hard work - I mean fairs fair I have to stalk the butterfly why can't the camera take care of it's side of the business? I think the weather is going to get bad all over by next weekend Still I might be able to wring a little bit more of it
Cheers Hoggers I was hoping for a couple of butterflies but this was quite a shock to the system after the dreadful spring last year
Cheers William Right place at the right time, if only that would happen for a Camberwell Beauty
Cheers Neil Small Torts seem to be doing well again this year the hardest thing is trying to count them
Cheers Dave If only they'd clumped together a bit more I might have managed all 6 in shot
Cheers Susie It's all down to the light I'm sure.

More lunch time shenanigans 13-03-2014

After a great lunchtime spent watching Small Tortoiseshells yesterday I thought that I should make hay while the sun shines – remembering the way the fantastic spring of 2012 turned cold and then wet for pretty much most of the summer. So I headed out with my camera and headed straight back to the bank. This time instead of the many butterflies swarming over it there was a single solitary Peacock but I didn’t mind the lack of numbers as I hadn’t caught up with this species properly yet this year. Hence I went for a few close ups while it was busy feeding. Having a few shots I left the Peacock in peace and worked my way along the fence bordering the playing fields. Eve yow and then I‘d have to stop to investigate a butterfly that would take off. It was invariably a Small Tortoiseshell so I started to think about the types of shots that I hadn’t managed to take of this species this year yet. Almost all have had their wings wide open (apart from the nervous wing flicks they do just before they take off) so I was thinking about trying for some closed wing shots. As I carried on along the fence I noticed that many were starting to show a bit of wear and tear, some had scales missing whilst others had rips and tears in their wings. Saying that, every now and again there would be a resplendent one that would make all the stalking worthwhile. I didn’t have it all my own way and I was annoyed with myself as I startled a Brimstone that was taking nectar and I was convinced that I would have been about to approach it if I had been paying more attention. Plus there was a Comma that was a little too far away in a neighbouring garden and just wouldn’t move that extra metre closer. In the end the count numbered 1 a piece of Peacock, Brimstone and Comma and a great 14 Small Torts – not a bad half hour. Mind you this is 6 times longer than I usually spend at Larkhill so I better start sharpening up ready for when I make my morning stop-offs there in a month or two’s time.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel

It is so fantastic to see everybodys diary full of Small Tortoiseshells. I do not think you can ever have too many of them:D You seem to have found some particularly stunning ones

Cheers Jack I The Small Tortoiseshells are everywhere, in fact they seem to be pretty much all I'm seeing at the mo, though they are a fantastic sight

Making the most of Friday 14-03-2014

As the good weather continued I thought that I should make the most of it so I headed out to walk the fences and hedges that border the playing fields. I started off by the small bank but today there was only a single Small Tort and so I carried on round the rest of the new route I’ve adopted however through the course of my 20 minutes or so I saw only one species the ubiquitous Small Tortoiseshell. On the walk there I counted 34 but they had an annoying habit of flying off from the path only to land a little way ahead or even more tricksy was when they’d veer off into one of the gardens possibly to reappear further along the path! So having found so many in the full range of livery I added a rather nice example to my ‘butterflies on poo’ and reached the end of the path.
on the return journey I was suss to their tricksy ways and so noted the butterflies and tried to watch where it landed before counting it and still I reached a count of 27. I can’t remember seeing that many ever – this is one hell of a comeback. On the way home I drove the back way hoping for a glimpse of a white at my little stop off but as I edged the car slowly along the road scanning the verges there was nothing – so I’ll have a bit to wait I reckon for the Whites to really get going. All that faced me when I got home was sealing rooms and ripping down some ceiling – lathe and plaster which is 150 years old – so I thought I was due a little distraction and relaxation before starting work all over again. Hence I pulled into the ‘tank stop’ near Coombe and had a quick mooch around.
Again the only species present was Small Tortoiseshell and what they lacked in numbers here, a paltry 9 they made up for range of behaviours. Over the course of 5 minutes I witnessed spiraling battles and courting behaviour which quickly moved up into the trees. Plus I saw a Small Tort hanging bat like from a branch and further exaggerating their superficial resemblance to ‘Flying Foxes’. All too soon I had to head home and pull on the overalls, face mask and goggles but at least I had the memories of the day to brighten up the inky blackness of 150 years of soot and dust!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some really lovely Small Tortoiseshells there, Wurzel. There's such a difference in the condition you can find them in at the moment. Most seem roughed up to varying degrees but if you're lucky there are some that look perfect.

Best wishes

Hoggers

Hi Wurzel, like you I am thinking back to early 2012 and wondering what the next few weeks will bring with the weather this year. It does seem to be that the best summers often follow on from long drawn out winters like last year and that nice early spring weather is often followed by wet summers. I know that is a bit of a sweeping generalisation, guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Cheers,

Neil.