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Two Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock this lunchtime. Sandridge Common, Wiltshire

Off the mark this morning at Tilgate Park, Crawley. The winter flowering beds are always a good spot for early sightings and there were 3 different Red Admirals seen there between 11.23 and 11.46.
Vince

Edit: - The following day I saw a male Brimstone in the local area, which was avidly checking out a large clump of ivy.

Off the mark for me too with a male Brimstone in the back garden in Greenford, west London. Later had a brief glimpse of a Small Tortoiseshell fly up from the river bank in a nearby park.

Thursday 25th - First of the season for me, with one Comma at 11.30am followed about an hour later by one Small Tortoiseshell. Both were found in damp, streamside locations near the M4 in Swansea:

Looks like there was a bit of a waking up today

Two Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock seen this afternoon during a walk down to my little spot by my local park here in Solihull.
More details shortly in my PD.

Cheers,

Neil.

What a difference a week makes! The deep blue sky and pine trees gave a Mediterranean feel to my walk around Nuneham Courtenay Arboretum yesterday, Camellias, Hamamelis, Pieris were all in flower, while the grass was carpeted with Snowdrops, Crocus, and Daffodils. One of the Peacocks was even giving a full display with its new tail. Gt.-spotted Woodpeckers were hammering loudly overhead.

Several Brimstones were on the wing although I only saw a single Comma which was too elusive for photography The Brimstone shown below appears to be waiting patiently for the bud to open
Mike

Nice work, Mike. Getting a shot of a settled male Brimstone in February is no easy feat.

David M wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 10:56 am Nice work, Mike. Getting a shot of a settled male Brimstone in February is no easy feat.

Thank you David. I must confess that it was my wife who spotted this settled specimen, after I had been fruitlessly following others on the wing for ages. It was great to be out in the sunshine enjoying the 'thrill of the chase' again The Comma I saw was not so obliging.
Mike

On the 25th February, I saw this stunning painted lady at Plymbridge Woods, Devon.
This is a very early sighting for this species. They usually seen from mid-March.
Although a few have been seen this month on the Isle of Scilly.
Maybe the recent Sub-Saharan gales are responsible.
What do other people think?
Have there been other sightings?

My first sighting of the year in South Derbyshire was on Thursday, a Small Tortoiseshell.

Today I walked 6.7 miles around the countryside and I didn't see any butterflies. I trudged home and stood in my kitchen looking out of the window and saw 2 Small Tortoiseshell in my back garden.

OldDodge wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:27 pm On the 25th February, I saw this stunning painted lady at Plymbridge Woods, Devon.
This is a very early sighting for this species. They usually seen from mid-March.

I'm amazed even at mid-March sightings. I'm sure the Mediterranean populations don't reach England by then - the big movements through Spain happen in April. So does this mean some painted ladies are surviving the winter considerably further north?

Guy

OldDodge wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:27 pmOn the 25th February, I saw this stunning painted lady at Plymbridge Woods, Devon.
This is a very early sighting for this species. They usually seen from mid-March...Have there been other sightings?

Not this year, but twice in recent years I have seen Painted Ladies in Swansea during February, although on both occasions this was following extremely mild winters, so I suppose some could survive nearer to the coastlines where temperatures rarely get down to freezing.

Otep wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:32 pm..Today I walked 6.7 miles around the countryside and I didn't see any butterflies. I trudged home and stood in my kitchen looking out of the window and saw 2 Small Tortoiseshell in my back garden.

Hard to know whether to be angry or grateful, Otep.

I know the feeling. I recall going out looking for butterflies for hours on end in the springtime a few years ago. I hardly found any, but when I returned home an aberrant Painted Lady was nectaring on my neighbour's bowles mauve flowers!!

In early spring, butterflies tend to be found in sheltered microclimates rather than in general countryside, and urban gardens with artificial windbreaks such as fences and evergreen hedges are often the best places to see them (don't forget, these are also where garden sheds are located, and when people open the shed door to do a bit of early season 'tidying up' any hibernating butterflies that had flown in during autumn will undoubtedly free themselves and spend a little time nearby).

I certainly can't match a February Painted Lady sighting ...........great sighting ! Old Dodge, but i,ve always wondered about a few Painted Ladies surviving our winters ,in sheltered areas in the UK's countryside ,after all ,it wasn,t too many years ago that Red Admirals were shown to be overwintering ,Painted Ladies seem to be very similar in their make up to Red Admirals and are well travelled and robust insects ,so why not ?
I believe that Clouded Yellow has been proven as overwintering in Cornwall and Devon occasionally ,and as we're all aware ,our climate is constantly changing .
My earliest Painted Lady (so far ! ) was the 4th April in the trapping area at Dungeness (Kent ),about 15 years ago.
Today ,here in mid-Kent ,in Orlestone forest ,not really a great deal happening ,but i did manage a single Comma ,and a ten second view of a Peacock,
also i disturbed a pair of Roe Deer ,and sighted my first Orange Underwing (moth) of the year.
Regards Allan.W.

Small Tortoiseshell in the garden today, high on the Mendips, spending much of the morning nectaring on this large clump of winter-flowering heather. It got annoyed by a large bumblebee and chased it round the heather three times before the bee disappeared (so presumably a male tortoiseshell?). They are back!

There were several Painted Lady sightings reported from Cornwall & on the 24th Feb a Vagrant Emperor dragonfly was photographed near Torpoint, Cornwall- so I would say most likely these Painted Lady sightings probably originate from North Africa when the Saharan dusts came up.

A beautiful sunny walk yesterday on Portsdown Hill to the north of Portsmouth revealed a handful of Brimstones along with two Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell - the first time I have ever seen three species in a day in February! I turned up a couple more Brown Hairstreak eggs In a new area for the species that I discovered last year and to cap it off there was a pristine Large Tortoiseshell spotted not half a mile from where I live - I’ll be keeping my eyes open!
Kind Regards
Mark

I agree with you, aeshna5. Here's my text from The Butterflies of Sussex:

"Mid Winter Migrations

On rare occasions the Painted Lady will defy all logic, by arriving on our shores in mid winter. One such event occurred during the current atlas recording period, starting with an individual which settled on laundry suspended from a washing-line in a Goring-by-Sea garden, on Boxing Day 2012. On New Year’s Day 2013 another was seen sunning itself on chalk boulders at Cow Gap (Beachy Head).

More were observed at Pagham Harbour and Shoreham Fort, on 4 and 11 January 2013 respectively. On 5 January Graeme Lyons reported from Woods Mill (Henfield): “… a surprise was a Painted Lady behaving like it was on migration; very fast and very straight”. The previous mid winter influx took place in late December 1987."

Before the 2021 butterflies actually arrived, Matthew Oates emailed me to say that he thought we'd see a few come up with the warm air. Judging by the amount of Saharan dust on my car, it must have been quite an airflow!

As an aside, everyone should keep their eyes peeled for Large Tortoiseshell. Over the last few days they've been waking up at Portland (five yesterday), Cosham (Hants) and Highdown (West Sussex); I'm sure there will be more to come, particularly along the South Coast and around to Suffolk.

BWs, Neil

Despite the recent cold weather and travel restrictions, I have encountered four species so far his month. The Brimstone was the first on 20 February and has subsequently been the most numerous with three males together on 26 February. Three Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock were seen yesterday. The surprise was a Small White on 26 February, two sightings (I assume a single individual) in the garden an hour apart, neither settled. This is the first time I have seen Small white flying in February anywhere in UK, and believe me, Cambridgeshire is not a warm county. Somewhat at variance with other comments, the Cambridgeshire Brimstone is not adverse to settling and even feeding.

In Lincolnshire today at lunchtime (February 28th), weather app recorded 9°C, but high pressure, not much much wind and content of our changed anthropogenic atmosphere, might mean that in such conditions, microclimatic temperatures were higher than previous seasonal predictions.
On our allotment today, two Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock were seen. A Peacock also yesterday from hibernation. No Brimstone for me yet.