Re: Neil Freeman
Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:11 am
Arnside Knott 30th & 31st July part 2 – The other butterflies.
As mentioned in my previous report I visited Arnside Knott twice, on the afternoon of the Monday (July 30th) and again the following morning.
The conditions on the Monday afternoon were not too bad, sunny spells and feeling warm but with a bit of a breeze and a couple of drizzly showers.
As well as the Scotch Argus which I have already discussed, Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Gatekeepers were all flying but numbers of all these were well down from what I would expect to see here and those I did see where mostly well worn and faded.
The Gatekeepers here are often smaller than those I see at home, especially the males, and there seems to be a higher incidence of extra spotting.
About half a dozen Speckled Woods were seen mostly sticking to the shadier spots along the tree lines and around the clearings.
A few Common Blues were seen including some small brown females that could easily be mistaken for Northern Brown Argus ssp.salmacis which can be found here earlier in the year, although these have been known to occasionally last into early August.
Given the way the season has developed this summer with the hot weather leading to some earlier and shorter flight periods I was not expecting to find any NBA still flying, so I was surprised to find one hanging on near the top of the Knott. At least I assume it was salmacis based on the location as I don't believe that agestis has reached this area despite its recent range expansion. If these two ever fly together here, I for one am not sure if I could tell the difference.
I had seen a Painted Lady during our short stop off at Warton Crag on the Sunday but it was quickly whisked away in the wind before I could get a photo. I was pleased therefore to find another one at the Knott which posed nicely for a while on a patch of ragwort.
A little later I saw another couple of Painted Ladies at widely separated spots around the Knott making a total of three for the afternoon. There were also loads of Silver Y moths buzzing about up there indicating a bit of a migration was probably happening.
In all my previous visits to Arnside Knott over the years I have only ever seen one Small Copper here so I was pleased to find at least three during the morning, one in the lower meadows and two higher up. I suspect these have been between broods during my previous visits and this is another example of a species flying a little earlier this year.
On my return visit the following morning, it was a little warmer and much sunnier up until about 12.30 although it was again a bit breezy on the more exposed slopes. I saw pretty much the same butterflies that I had seen the previous afternoon including Scotch Argus, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers in roughly the same numbers as the previous afternoon.
This time I found four Small Coppers although three of them were probably the same ones I had seen the previous afternoon.
Another pleasant surprise seen towards the top of the Knott was a female Wall Brown, a species that I have never seen here before. Quite possibly these are also between broods when I usually visit around this time but I was also told that they are not often seen here these days. I believe there is a small population hanging on at Warton Crag which is just a few miles away as the crow (or butterfly) flies so maybe she had wandered over from there.
One particular butterfly drew my attention as I initially thought it was a Purple Hairstreak in flight but when it settled it proved to be an very small Ringlet. Unfortunately the small size doesn't really come across in a photo but it really was the smallest example of this species I have ever seen.
I had also looked for Grayling the previous afternoon without success so was pleased to find a couple this time on the loose scree above the car park. This was also where the breeze was the strongest so I only managed a couple of photos of one hunkered down in a sheltered part of the path.
During all my visits here in previous years I have managed to see a few High Brown Fritillaries and often a few Dark Greens still hanging on, although both these are usually at the end of their flight period and well past their best. On both Monday and Tuesday's visits I had a good look at the usual spots but failed to find either species this year. I suspect that this was yet another result of the hot weather leading to earlier emergences and that both species were over for the year.
Around 12.30 the clouds built up to a blanket overcast and the wind picked up so I left and went back to meet up with Jane and have a bit of lunch.
Later in the afternoon, after we had been back to Leighton Moss for another couple of hours, I popped around to Gait Barrows for a look. Unfortunately it was still overcast and breezy and apart from a few 'whites', a couple of Speckled Wood and singles of Peacock and Common Blue, not much else was about.
The Common Blue was a female that was notable because those that I see up here are are predominately the browner variety whereas I see the more blue forms further south. This makes me wonder if the amount of blue on female Common Blues is temperature related with this one seen here after one of the hottest summers for a long while.
I also saw a few Red Admirals and Peacocks scattered about the area but failed to get a photo of either until Tuesday afternoon when I spotted a Peacock in the garden of our B&B where it was flitting about and stopping occasionally to bask on a stone wall.
Also seen during the couple of days but not photographed were all three common whites seen everywhere and a few tired looking Small Skippers plus about half a dozen Purple Hairstreaks flitting about high up around some of the Oak trees around the Knott.
So then, overall the total numbers of butterflies seen here was much lower than I have seen in previous years and just like back home, those species that have grass feeding larvae seemed to have been hit the hardest. On a more positive note I was pleased to see the Painted Ladies and the Small Coppers plus the Wall Brown was a nice surprise. The NBA was also a nice bonus as, given the way the season has been running, I thought that these would have been over for this year.
All in all, it felt as if the season was far more advanced than when I have previously visited the area in previous years.
Bye for now,
Neil.
As mentioned in my previous report I visited Arnside Knott twice, on the afternoon of the Monday (July 30th) and again the following morning.
The conditions on the Monday afternoon were not too bad, sunny spells and feeling warm but with a bit of a breeze and a couple of drizzly showers.
As well as the Scotch Argus which I have already discussed, Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Gatekeepers were all flying but numbers of all these were well down from what I would expect to see here and those I did see where mostly well worn and faded.
The Gatekeepers here are often smaller than those I see at home, especially the males, and there seems to be a higher incidence of extra spotting.
About half a dozen Speckled Woods were seen mostly sticking to the shadier spots along the tree lines and around the clearings.
A few Common Blues were seen including some small brown females that could easily be mistaken for Northern Brown Argus ssp.salmacis which can be found here earlier in the year, although these have been known to occasionally last into early August.
Given the way the season has developed this summer with the hot weather leading to some earlier and shorter flight periods I was not expecting to find any NBA still flying, so I was surprised to find one hanging on near the top of the Knott. At least I assume it was salmacis based on the location as I don't believe that agestis has reached this area despite its recent range expansion. If these two ever fly together here, I for one am not sure if I could tell the difference.
I had seen a Painted Lady during our short stop off at Warton Crag on the Sunday but it was quickly whisked away in the wind before I could get a photo. I was pleased therefore to find another one at the Knott which posed nicely for a while on a patch of ragwort.
A little later I saw another couple of Painted Ladies at widely separated spots around the Knott making a total of three for the afternoon. There were also loads of Silver Y moths buzzing about up there indicating a bit of a migration was probably happening.
In all my previous visits to Arnside Knott over the years I have only ever seen one Small Copper here so I was pleased to find at least three during the morning, one in the lower meadows and two higher up. I suspect these have been between broods during my previous visits and this is another example of a species flying a little earlier this year.
On my return visit the following morning, it was a little warmer and much sunnier up until about 12.30 although it was again a bit breezy on the more exposed slopes. I saw pretty much the same butterflies that I had seen the previous afternoon including Scotch Argus, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers in roughly the same numbers as the previous afternoon.
This time I found four Small Coppers although three of them were probably the same ones I had seen the previous afternoon.
Another pleasant surprise seen towards the top of the Knott was a female Wall Brown, a species that I have never seen here before. Quite possibly these are also between broods when I usually visit around this time but I was also told that they are not often seen here these days. I believe there is a small population hanging on at Warton Crag which is just a few miles away as the crow (or butterfly) flies so maybe she had wandered over from there.
One particular butterfly drew my attention as I initially thought it was a Purple Hairstreak in flight but when it settled it proved to be an very small Ringlet. Unfortunately the small size doesn't really come across in a photo but it really was the smallest example of this species I have ever seen.
I had also looked for Grayling the previous afternoon without success so was pleased to find a couple this time on the loose scree above the car park. This was also where the breeze was the strongest so I only managed a couple of photos of one hunkered down in a sheltered part of the path.
During all my visits here in previous years I have managed to see a few High Brown Fritillaries and often a few Dark Greens still hanging on, although both these are usually at the end of their flight period and well past their best. On both Monday and Tuesday's visits I had a good look at the usual spots but failed to find either species this year. I suspect that this was yet another result of the hot weather leading to earlier emergences and that both species were over for the year.
Around 12.30 the clouds built up to a blanket overcast and the wind picked up so I left and went back to meet up with Jane and have a bit of lunch.
Later in the afternoon, after we had been back to Leighton Moss for another couple of hours, I popped around to Gait Barrows for a look. Unfortunately it was still overcast and breezy and apart from a few 'whites', a couple of Speckled Wood and singles of Peacock and Common Blue, not much else was about.
The Common Blue was a female that was notable because those that I see up here are are predominately the browner variety whereas I see the more blue forms further south. This makes me wonder if the amount of blue on female Common Blues is temperature related with this one seen here after one of the hottest summers for a long while.
I also saw a few Red Admirals and Peacocks scattered about the area but failed to get a photo of either until Tuesday afternoon when I spotted a Peacock in the garden of our B&B where it was flitting about and stopping occasionally to bask on a stone wall.
Also seen during the couple of days but not photographed were all three common whites seen everywhere and a few tired looking Small Skippers plus about half a dozen Purple Hairstreaks flitting about high up around some of the Oak trees around the Knott.
So then, overall the total numbers of butterflies seen here was much lower than I have seen in previous years and just like back home, those species that have grass feeding larvae seemed to have been hit the hardest. On a more positive note I was pleased to see the Painted Ladies and the Small Coppers plus the Wall Brown was a nice surprise. The NBA was also a nice bonus as, given the way the season has been running, I thought that these would have been over for this year.
All in all, it felt as if the season was far more advanced than when I have previously visited the area in previous years.
Bye for now,
Neil.