Re: Bugboys mission
Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:59 pm
To see a Large Skipper in your part of the country, at this time of the year, is quite amazing, Bugboy! Round here, in much cooler climes, they've been absent for several weeks!
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That deserves further research, IMO. Even in normal years, Large Skippers in south Wales have disappeared by late July; in fact, I don't think I've ever seen one in August, so for them to be reliably present at that time in a warmer part of the UK must mean strange forces are at work.bugboy wrote:Large Skippers always seem to go on into August at Chobham, I've no idea why. I don't normally visit until the Silver-studded Blues are out so couldn't really say whether they emerge later here. Maybe it's something about lowland Heaths, perhaps being so open and exposed puts them back a few weeks in the spring? That's mere speculation of course, I have no evidence and other species seem to have 'normal' (whatever 'normal' is these days) flight times
Well I've only got circumstantial evidence from the past 3 years, since I got back into butterflies properly, but I've just checked some dates from previous years: Maybe I should pencil in a visit when I see my first one next year.David M wrote:That deserves further research, IMO. Even in normal years, Large Skippers in south Wales have disappeared by late July; in fact, I don't think I've ever seen one in August, so for them to be reliably present at that time in a warmer part of the UK must mean strange forces are at work.bugboy wrote:Large Skippers always seem to go on into August at Chobham, I've no idea why. I don't normally visit until the Silver-studded Blues are out so couldn't really say whether they emerge later here. Maybe it's something about lowland Heaths, perhaps being so open and exposed puts them back a few weeks in the spring? That's mere speculation of course, I have no evidence and other species seem to have 'normal' (whatever 'normal' is these days) flight times
I was on Chobham today, we missed each other again!!!millerd wrote:Dedication wins again, Buggy! I toyed with going down to Bookham again today, but bad traffic on the M25 made me choose Chobham instead and a dose of Graylings. Looks like it may have been a wise decision. It's amazing how quickly those Hairstreaks get torn to bits - I suppose crawling through the thorn bushes all day is what does it. She's otherwise pretty fresh-looking.
Dave