www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Last Thursday (2/6/22) I took a trip to Fackenden Down in Kent, 13 species sighted, but the day belonged to the Large Skipper (4+ seen). Mating pairs of both Small Blue and Brown Argus also seen. Some highlight pics of the day, no images are cropped. Cheers Paul.

Large Skippers.
Mating pair of Small Blues.
Mating pair of Brown Argus.

2 June. I paid a visit to Aberbargoed Grasslands. This is reclaimed land from an coal mine which closed after the 1984 strike. The damper grass parts are good for Marsh Fritillary and I saw 6. This is a low number, I normally see far more than this here. But I`m confused with the seasons this year. April was dry but cold with really strong northerly winds which delayed Spring bird migration and seems to have had an effect on butterflies too. Other butterflies seen were Small Heath 8, Common Blue 5, Dingy Skipper 1, Speckled Wood 1, Small White 1. The old coal spoil at this site is good for Grayling and Wall so I will make another visit in a months time (if the weather warms up !) to see how Grayling are faring.
3rd June. Off to Fairwood Common, Gower. This is another good site for Frits. I saw 8 Marsh Fritillary but unlike David M last month I saw no Small Pearl Bordered Frits. Have they finished their flight season here ? Common Blue and Small Heath were in good numbers here. So I came back to Old Castle Down, Ewenny. I thought it was too early yet for Dark Green and High Brown Frits and so it turned out to be but at least 12 Small PB Fritillary were here and all looking very fresh and in the afternoon sun very active. No chance of getting any photos here, they were turbo charged. But 2 more leps for the year so I`m not complaining.

Jenks.

jenks wrote: ↑Sat Jun 04, 2022 6:10 pm...3rd June. Off to Fairwood Common, Gower. This is another good site for Frits. I saw 8 Marsh Fritillary but unlike David M last month I saw no Small Pearl Bordered Frits. Have they finished their flight season here ?

No, they're still going, Gareth, but they tend to fly in the drier areas.

Wish you'd have told me as I could have given you directions.

Few more odds'n'ends from last couple of days.

Even by my usual standards, I have surpassed myself with the Scorched Wing photo, but it still just about counts as a sighting (which is why I restrict meself to this and the ID sections )

Saw another scorched moth today. As it was flying from the hedge to the grass I'd have put good money on it being another Clouded Border, but it turned out to be a Scorched Carpet.

Also a longhorn beetle (Stenurella melanura I believe) and a very large, all-black fly (bar orange/black legs) which from a distance I thought was a beetle of some sort as quite shiny in appearance. Don't think it's a horse fly ?

Two Meadow Browns were braving the poor lunchtime weather but dived for cover when the temperature dropped dramatically.

zigzag_wanderer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:05 pm Saw another scorched moth today. As it was flying from the hedge to the grass I'd have put good money on it being another Clouded Border, but it turned out to be a Scorched Carpet.

Also a longhorn beetle (Stenurella melanura I believe) and a very large, all-black fly (bar orange/black legs) which from a distance I thought was a beetle of some sort as quite shiny in appearance. Don't think it's a horse fly ?

Two Meadow Browns were braving the poor lunchtime weather but dived for cover when the temperature dropped dramatically.

That fly looks like a Soldier Fly of some kind.

Visited west coast of Scotland at weekend and seen chequered skipper, marsh fritillary and SPBF on the wing. Skippers and marsh weren't in pristine condition.....I guess season started earlier this year?

Also managed to visit fallin bing nr Stirling where common blue were out in force.....30 to 40 on the wing.

Weather was hot so butterflies were very active and difficult to photograph.

Best photos attached.

Currently staying for a couple of days with our daughter down in Emsworth. Yesterday morning (Monday 6th) a visit to Chapel Common produced 25+ Silver-studded Blue in cloudy conditions. Then went to Old Winchester Hill where it was still mostly cloudy but with some brighter periods and saw about a dozen Adonis Blue plus half a dozen fresh Dark Green Fritillaries. Also seen Common Blue, Small Blue, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone.
More details and photos in my PD later in the week when we are back home.

Neil.

Currently sitting in a pub near strumpshaw after an excellent day out. Yes there were Swallowtails but the most noteworthy thing was the astonishing number of Small Tortoiseshells. Bumped into Patrick Barkham (several times) who was giving a guided tour and we both estimated 100+ just along the paths. Groups of 8 or 9 dogfighting were commonplace and the flowering Dogwood was covered in them (and Red Admiral's) where the sun hit it. I lost count of the number of courting pairs, it looked like the females were emerging around me judging by the condition of many of the ones I saw. If you fancy a good Small Tort experience with a side of Swallowtails...!

GV WhitesMy mobility is seriously limited these days.  It's just general rheumatrics - aka old age - so I am very restricted as to my butterflying.  However I have a favourite spot near Cawdor where there is plenty to see without needing to walk far.  Today (7th June) there was a bonanza of GV Whites and some Orange Tip early stages.

This is the locality by the River Nairn where I saw my first "Highland'' Comma last year and another this April.

I am now into my 78th year of butterflying

Jack

A nice morning with Black Hairstreak and the bonus of my first White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary of the year, it must be summer.

Dull, overcast and breezy this morning but still a few butterflies to be had. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire

Large Skipper 1
Dingy Skipper 4
Small White 1
Common Blue 6
Adonis Blue 5
Red Admiral 2
Small Tortoiseshell 7
Speckled Wood 6
Meadow Brown 2
Small Heath 5

Another sign of summer - my first Marbled White seen at Box Hill this afternoon (8th)......along with the first couple of Dark Green Fritillaries. Dave

bugboy wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 9:10 pm

zigzag_wanderer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:05 pm Saw another scorched moth today. As it was flying from the hedge to the grass I'd have put good money on it being another Clouded Border, but it turned out to be a Scorched Carpet.

Also a longhorn beetle (Stenurella melanura I believe) and a very large, all-black fly (bar orange/black legs) which from a distance I thought was a beetle of some sort as quite shiny in appearance. Don't think it's a horse fly ?

Two Meadow Browns were braving the poor lunchtime weather but dived for cover when the temperature dropped dramatically.

That fly looks like a Soldier Fly of some kind.

Thanks Bugboy. It was certainly very long and wide and the body was very black. I read that they are farming Black Soldier Fly for fish food (and other things) so possibly an escapee I s'pose.

Pieridae Spring Butterfly Prediction
June 7th 2022, near Lincoln, Lincolnshire.
Orange-tip butterfly species (OT) & Garlic mustard, also Brimstone with Buckthorn
OT appeared to have many flight period opportunity for ovipositing in May, with many sunny days (intervals in the days) above 16°C.
On June 7th, I found larval instars between 2 (Small) and 5 (Largest, about to pupate) in more than two localities. Apparently, also good news for the Brimstone species, with extra undergrowth and larval food plant growth, with rain showers, in the seasonally influential period, end of May and beginning of June, which generally, might result in less predation & less larval food plant stress (parasites aside), in the short time, these plants host these species immature stages, in those plants main growing season.
So on June 7th, I predicted, higher numbers of these two butterfly species, seen next Spring, near Lincoln.

Other influential factors might still affect Spring numbers, (including weather), but so far, it was looking positive, for next years generation.
A short term fillip, for continued effort, with some understanding of a longer term trend and a global climate that had changed).

Kind Regards

Another sign that summer is here: two new hutchinsoni Commas today on my local patch near Heathrow. The first was ignoring half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells whizzing around it, and the second seemed to be sucking up something from the leaf and was equally ignoring the antics of two nearby Red Admirals. Dave

Not insect related, but my brother sent me this snap of a fledgling Long-tailed Tit he took whilst walking along his local dyke in Hull.

Just found my first Small Skipper of 2022 during my lunch time walk

Have a goodun

Wurzel

My first Marbled Whites of the year on the hill. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire

Large Skipper 4
Dingy Skipper 4
Brimstone 1
Green-veined White 4
Common Blue 16
Adonis Blue 3
Painted Lady 2
Small Tortoiseshell 21
Speckled Wood 5
Marbled White 3
Meadow Brown 11
Small Heath 7

Enjoyable visit to Halse Combe. Double figures of Heath fritillary. 7 or 8 green hairstreak. Also red admiral, speckled wood, painted lady.