May 2009 Sightings

[Ian Pratt]

Sorry forgot to say what they are:
Pearl bordered fritillary, painted lady and 3 Glanvilles.

[m_galathea]

21st May 2009:

I was passing back through Dorset today and stopped off quickly (literally 20 mins) at the Cerne Abbas giant, as I hadn't passed this place before. I spotted Brown Argus, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, Small Heath, Dingy Skipper, Large White and what I thought was a Chalkhill Blue (m). Unfortunately I didn't get a close look as it didn't occur to me just how early it is for this species. If anyone is around the area it might be worth having a look just in case I didn't make a mistake after all. I am usually confident at differenciating Common, Chalkhill and Adonis Blue in flight but moments like this make me doubt myself!

Alexander

[wiccaman9]

Hello all,

WIE in fine form yesterday, met LCPete whilst there, and chatted about British sites for butterflies, especially in the North and West.
The WIE site a lot slower getting going than the Southern sites, but dingies galore yesterday in spite of the wind, and quite a few grizzlies on the go, some freshly emerged, such is living so further north than the South downs..

Cheers, Aron

Still dreaming of my Norfolk trip........

[Perseus]

Hello,

21 May 2009
In the late afternoon there were about twenty Small Blue Butterflies in a
three square metre patch of Buckingham Cutting south, north Shoreham, all
fluttering about before they settled down to roost.



Thirteen butterfly
species were seen on a sunny breezy day when I cycled to Anchor Bottom
(Upper Beeding) and back to Shoreham.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2009.html

[Pete Eeles]

Managed to get to Martin Down today - saw 15 Small Blue, 2 Brown Argus, 8 Small Heath, 2 Common Blue (both male), 3 Brimstone (2 female, 1 male), 6 Dingy Skipper, 1 Grizzled Skipper and 19 Green Hairstreak (which seemed everywhere!). Noticeably - no Adonis Blue or Marsh Fritillary.

I then went on to Bentley Wood, and managed to see 7 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (and a couple of very worn Pearl-bordered Fritillary).

Cheers,

- Pete

[bugmadmark]

Any idea if Swallowtails are out yet at Strumpshaw? Ive never seen them in the wild but I'm off to my parents this weekend near Norwich and I gather the reserve isn't far from Norwich.
Thanks
Mark

[Dave McCormick]

Nice shots everyone. I was out in my local patch today, saw quite a few GV Whites, lots of OT eggs (Seems they are a slight later here than other areas) a carpet moth and a micro moth (I'll post photos later) I also saw a fox and a vixen both looking right at me they never moved but I could not get a photo.

I also saw a few dead chicks of Pheasants, probably the foxes doing, I also found a Pheasant egg nearby, so to stop the foxes eating it, I brought it home (I post a photo later too) to hatch it since I know the local game keeper here, I can pass it to him to rear afterwards.

Going to a bog on sunday as weather is supposed to be good and warm, hope to see some Small Heaths and maybe Emperor moths, as last time I went, it was windy and not very good for seeing anything. Wonder if common blue will be around too, its usually June before they are seen in Northern Ireland. Still want to find a Holly Blue as I have not seen any besides 1 this year which is odd since last year I was finding them in 14-15 strong groups in small areas.

[Ian Pratt]

Any ideas what this is?

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Alexander,
I know you're not going to mistake a male Chalkhill - so believe your eyes, even when you don't! Ridiculously, freakishly early? Yes, but my father and I saw one on the 16th May 2007. With 100 years experience of looking at Chalkhills between us, we certainly weren't mistaken!
Neil

[Pete Eeles]

Any ideas what this is?

Hi Ian,

I believe this is a male Green-veined White. The spots are very variable - to the point of not being there!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Yes, male GV White. Spots very variable. I saw this one in my garden recently. Upperside totally devoid of spots but the underside is diagnostic.

Jack

[Bill S]

Managed to get to Martin Down today - saw 15 Small Blue, 2 Brown Argus, 8 Small Heath, 2 Common Blue (both male), 3 Brimstone (2 female, 1 male), 6 Dingy Skipper, 1 Grizzled Skipper and 19 Green Hairstreak (which seemed everywhere!). Noticeably - no Adonis Blue or Marsh Fritillary.

I then went on to Bentley Wood, and managed to see 7 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (and a couple of very worn Pearl-bordered Fritillary).

Cheers,

- Pete

IMG_4963.jpg

When you say Green Hairstreaks were everywhere, do you mean on the stretch from the car park side to the large bank or on the opposite side of the road to the car park?

Cheers

Bill

[Pete Eeles]

Managed to get to Martin Down today - saw 15 Small Blue, 2 Brown Argus, 8 Small Heath, 2 Common Blue (both male), 3 Brimstone (2 female, 1 male), 6 Dingy Skipper, 1 Grizzled Skipper and 19 Green Hairstreak (which seemed everywhere!). Noticeably - no Adonis Blue or Marsh Fritillary.

I then went on to Bentley Wood, and managed to see 7 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (and a couple of very worn Pearl-bordered Fritillary).

Cheers,

- Pete

IMG_4963.jpg

Hi Bill,

I mean they I saw them along the track from the Sillens Lane car park up to Bockerley Dyke, and especially in the sheltered area where the path from the south enters the reserve.

I think you're referring to the car park of the main road - which I never use. I always go into Martin, and then take Sillens Lane onto the reserve.

Definitely not on the other side of the road (the Kitts Grave area) - although they might be there too!

Cheers,

- Pete

[NickB]

Exploring my local Cemetery (Mill Road Cemetery, Cambridge (Grid ref:TL460582)) this week ..
I saw my first Common Blue of the season

..and also found a few Small Tortoiseshell webs on the nettle patch...
...interesting to watch how they all jumped in unison in reaction to the sound of the shutter...
...a defence mechanism? - quite distracting to a potential browser anyway.

[Dave McCormick]

..and also found a few Small Tortoiseshell webs on the nettle patch...
...interesting to watch how they all jumped in unison in reaction to the sound of the shutter...
...a defence mechanism? - quite distracting to a potential browser anyway.

Yeah, I think they do that to frighten predators away.. if you were a bird after something and suddenly many of them flicked themselves, wouldn't you avoid it?

I have been searching for ST caterpillars myself. I have found lots of webs in nettles, but filled with sawfly larvae, all of them!

[Rogerdodge]

Hi all
It may not be as early as Neil's Chalkhill - which must be 6 weeks early by my reckoning! - but I did see my first Large Skipper of the season yesterday at Sand Point.
I don't recall seeing one in May before.
Sorry about the dreadful photo, but I just turned and snapped with all the wrong settings, and it flew - never to be seen again.

Roger

[Jack Harrison]

Nick said:

...interesting to watch how they all jumped in unison in reaction to the sound of the shutter...

When my children were small, they used to love to shout at a batch of Large White caterpillars and watch them all "jump". Interestingly though, I have never come across any adult butterfly that reacts to noise but I am sure there must be some.

Of course compact cameras don't make that shutter noise, but that's another story......

Jack

[eccles]

I went to see the glanvilles at Sand Point today with Jerry and Denise. After a slow start they began to appear, and we eventually had a good showing of probably 12+. Also plenty of brown argus and common blue with half a dozen small copper. At the top of the point we saw a couple of very skittish walls that wouldn't pose for pics. Denise and Jerry both spotted a large skipper, and several painted ladies began haring past headed towards Wales. Fortunately a few stopped to refuel for long enough for pics. Total number of PLs seen in about an hour, 10+, more than I've seen in the last five years. Looking good, folks!

[Ian Pratt]

Seen this afternoon at Afton Down Freshwater IOW:
small blue 30+
Glanville fritillary 4
large white 3
painted lady 20+
small heath 8
adonis blue 2
common blue 2
brown argus 2
green hairstreak 5
dingy skipper 2
Not bad in a half mile walk in an hour or so!

[romansnumber7]

Good morning all, can anyone ID the pink sphere just below the Female Marsh? Egg? She was on the grass stem for a couple of minutes and seemed to be just basking then she flapped her wings and moved up the grass by about 2 cm's and when i took the next shot i noticed the pink sphere. Been looking at references for MF eggs and they seem to be laid in clusters and are a different colour.