www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

OwenE wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2022 8:22 amNice photos, a birder I know had been telling me how well Kenfig was doing for Wall right now, looks like good numbers.

Thanks, Owen. Kenfig's always been a reliable spot for them and is a great location if there hasn't been much rain. It can get waterlogged though, which presumably explains why fen orchid thrives there.

Saturday 14th May – Rodborough….

My annual spring visit to Rodborough Common is always a highlight, and this year saw 20c temperatures, light winds and no more than 20% cloud cover.
No surprise then that lots of butterflies were seen, with Dingy Skippers being particularly ubiquitous. This male and female ended up offering an unusual pose:
I saw 21 Dukes, but couldn’t locate a female this time:
There were 15 Adonis Blues counted on the slopes of the south facing craters:
Small Heaths numbered 50 or so, whilst there were about a dozen Brown Argus:
Strangely, I only saw 2 Common Blues, with other species seen being Large, Small & Green Veined White, Small Blue, Green Hairstreak and Brimstone.

Saturday 14th May – Haugh Wood….

After finishing at Rodborough around 1.15pm, I decided to head for Haugh Wood to see if I could find both Wood Whites and Pearl Bordered Fritillaries.
I have to say it was a disappointing excursion. In spite of excellent conditions, I only came across 4 Wood Whites, and even worse, there wasn’t a Pearl Bordered Fritillary to be seen, with the area they used to be common in now seriously overgrown with birch trees and general scrub.

The authorities are clearly doing work on the site as a new fence has gone up at the southern end and trees have been cut in the area, but entry is not possible and it may well be difficult to see this species in this location going forward.

Only one of the Wood Whites settled:
I tried a few in-flight shots but as ever they weren’t much good:
Other species seen were Orange Tip, Green Veined White, Speckled Wood and a couple of late Peacocks.

Saturday 14th May – Spur of the moment….

Having expected to see Pearl Bordered Fritillary and not done so at Haugh Wood, I had to decide whether there was sufficient time to drive to Ewyas Harold Common. It was approaching 4pm, but given the flight period of PBF was well on the wane, I reckoned the sensible thing was to head over and see what was about.

The site was looking in excellent condition in the sunshine:
There were quite a few still on the wing; I counted 25 in the hour I was there, although the males were almost impossible to photograph as they were whizzing about at breakneck speed in the warm conditions. This one only came down because of the female that was already nectaring from the bugle plant:
Eventually I found this presentable female:
I caught this female ovipositing:
There were 3 Green Veined Whites, 2 male Orange Tips, 2 Speckled Woods, 2 Dingy Skippers, 2 Peacocks, 1 Holly Blue and a surprise, albeit scruffy Small Tortoiseshell, a species I haven’t seen for quite some while.

One more butterfly….

I don’t get too many surprises in the UK these days, but there was another species present at Ewyas Harold Common, and I only realised it when I got it in my viewfinder:
I immediately looked at it with my own eyes and sure enough, it was a Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary. I’ve been coming here for 12 years now and this is the first I’ve ever seen:
I contacted the site manager who informed me that the odd one had been recorded over the years but it wasn’t on the permanent list of species for the site.

Perhaps I should visit more regularly towards the latter part of the PBF flight period from now on.

Hi! David, When I used to go to the Lakes for the PBF and the SPBF I always found the SPBF always came out at the beginning of June, in fact the ab I got of the SPBF was on the 4th June when they were just making an appearance, so I think you maybe right in going later in June , you may see more of them.

The weather of course is warmer now , when I saw that ab it was way back in 2012 and that winter had been a bad one and affected them. Just thought you'd like to know Goldie

Thanks, Goldie. SPBFs routinely emerge around 16-23 May round my way, peaking at the end of May. The site co-ordinator said he would ensure counts continued until June given the likelihood of this species being present there.

Tuesday 17th May – Nearer home….

Largely cloudy today, but there were a few breaks in the late morning and early afternoon so I headed up to nearby Fairwood Common to see if any Fritillaries were about.

In the hour or so I spent there, I found 7 Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries but the Marshies seemingly haven’t emerged yet. I did manage to find only my third Small Copper of the year in the UK:
There were 9 Green Hairstreaks, many of which were nectaring from the bluebells:
A couple of the male Common Blues seen were doing likewise:
This area is always a popular butterfly refuelling spot:
And it was here where I saw my first Painted Lady of the year:
Another was seen on my way back to the car, along with 2 Speckled Woods and singletons of Peacock, Large & Green Veined White.

Hi! David , love your Green Hair Streak shot on the Bluebell and the Small Copper, I've yet to see them, two I've missed so far
I'm still looking Goldie

Thanks, Goldie. Green Hairstreaks look beautiful when they nectar on bluebells which, thankfully, they do regularly on my local commons.

David M wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 9:35 am [
14.Rodborough(1).jpg

I saw 21 Dukes, but couldn’t locate a female this time:

14.DoB1(1).jpg

14.DoBuns(1).jpg

14.DoB2(1).jpg

Just looking back through your recent postings, David and I couldn't help noticing that your second Duke at Rodborough appears to be a Duchess. The enlarged shot shows her extra leg (the foreleg the males lack). I hope the Large Blues do well here this year - not long to wait for them now either.

Also Green Hairstreaks on bluebells are always a favourite - they do seem to love the plant if it's around. And finally the surprise Small Pearl you found - it's a great feeling to find something unexpected like that. Have they been there all along, or has one wandered from somewhere else - you may never know.

Cheers,

Dave

Some great posts recently David. It will be no surprise to you to learn that highlights for me are the GH on the bluebell and the PBF egg-laying. Very envious of your surprise sighting of the SPBF as I have yet to locate any.

Thanks, Dave. The camera doesn't lie! One Duchess duly recorded.

Thank you, Pauline. The SPBF was a real surprise, although there are plenty on my doorstep so I needn't travel far.

Great to read of your surprise SPBF David.
I also had a nice surprise with SPBF this year, when they not only re-appeared in 2022,
but seemed to be doing very well at Park Corner Heath, with a good number of females seen.

Fingers crossed for this species.
Trevor.

Hope your local SPBFs are out now David!

Fingers crossed indeed for the SPBFs, Trevor. Good to know they are enjoying a renaissance round your part of the world. Hopefully this will continue.

David,

Congratulations on finding your surprise SPBF. The same thing happened to me in Snowdonia in 2018. I had just started my climb up Snowdon, when a fresh SPBF settled next to me on the bracken. I was beaming all the way to the summit. People must have wondered what I was on.

Kind Regards
Kev Ling

Matsukaze wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2022 7:59 pmHope your local SPBFs are out now David!

They're already past their peak, Chris!!

Saturday 21st May – Still no Marshies….

A short drive to Fairwood Common in mainly cloudy conditions did not produce any Marsh Fritillaries. A handful of Small Pearl Bordered were seen, and judging from this individual many of them have been out for several days:
Normally, these two species emerge simultaneously here, but the Marsh Frits seem to be late to the party in 2022, although compensation was again had in the form of several Green Hairstreaks nectaring on what’s left of the bluebells:
A handful of Small Heaths and Common Blues were about too, along with this well marked male Green Veined White:

kevling wrote: ↑Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:40 pmCongratulations on finding your surprise SPBF. The same thing happened to me in Snowdonia in 2018. I had just started my climb up Snowdon, when a fresh SPBF settled next to me on the bracken. I was beaming all the way to the summit. People must have wondered what I was on.

Thanks, Kev. It was a serendipitous moment, for sure. Thankfully, there was no-one there to question my own delirious state!

Sunday 22nd May – At last….

Another quick visit to Fairwood Common, once again in mainly cloudy conditions, finally produced my first two Marsh Fritillaries of the year.
I doubt that they are a full week behind the SPBFs here; it’s more likely that my previous visits were during weather not particularly conducive to finding them.

With a week in the French Pyrenees imminent, I’ll probably miss out on the peak period for them, but will check up on things when I return.

I recognise that spot...

Matsukaze wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 6:06 pmI recognise that spot...

That's the best place on the whole common as you know, Chris.

Tuesday 24th May – Prior to departure….

With an 8 day trip to the Pyrenees commencing the next day, I wanted to have one last check nearby on the Marsh and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries on my local common.

There was a bit more sunshine today, and as a result a few more butterflies. 8 Green Hairstreaks, 6 Marshies and 5 SPBFs in less than an hour was a reasonable return:
During a cloudy spell, this Marsh Fritillary closed its wings:
The bluebells will be gone when I return in early June, so I couldn’t resist this last shot of a Green Hairstreak nectaring on one:
Other species seen were 5 Common Blues, 5 Small Heaths, a Speckled Wood and a female Brimstone.

Painted Lady….

I’d barely got back from the Common when my neighbour rang me to say she had a Painted Lady in her garden.

She’s planted all sorts of attractive flowers for insects:
The Painted Lady alternated between nectaring and basking on the concrete path:
Seems likely we’ll have quite a few of these beautiful butterflies this summer.