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Pearls Aplenty

Pearl-bordered Fritillary numbers have built nicely prior to the four Fritillaries for the Future walks this weekend (Sat & Sun, am & pm) at Rewell Wood. The females are now appearing in reasonable numbers and egg-laying is underway. The highest concentration of adults is flying over the scallops hand-cut by South Downs Volunteer Rangers and BC Sussex, proving the immense value of the work done by those who give their time so generously every winter. Don't be put off by the lack of sunshine forecast - even if 'they' are correct, we'll still sniff a few out. Good numbers of woodland Grizzled Skippers also seen today.

Some lovely PBF images here,Neil. Good luck at the weekend. I don't think the weather is looking too bad, to be honest, though perhaps I shouldn't have said that!

Some great Pearls there Neil, and some especially chubby looking females - I hope they're as fecund as they seem

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Looks like you may have opportune conditions this weekend, Neil. Mid-teens temperatures, light winds, sometimes overcast, othertimes sunny. That's probably better than 23c and clear blue skies with this hyperactive species.

Good luck and I hope it goes well.

Lovely Pearls Neill, can you send some to Gait Barrow please Goldie

Thanks, all.

Mark: I've been enjoying your Cornwall reports. I've been to the Cadgwith Fish Festival before - a great event if you ever have the chance to get along. I'll be down that way in mid August.

Wurzel: Fecund she was - pumping out eggs at quite a rate.

David: I always remember the 'fives Ps' before running my walks - I went down earlier this evening to locate and mark the position of six 'roosters', just in case of poor weather.

Goldie: I'll send them north once their work here is done.

BWs, Neil

Thanks, Neil. If you do go to Cornwall in August, be sure to check out the second generation SPBF. Kynance Cove and Hayle/ Gwithian Towans are good sites.

Hi Neil,

A lovely selection of PBF images.

I have your new book on pre-order and saw a tweet this afternoon that Naturebureau now have them...looking forward very much to reading it.

I always remember the 'fives Ps' before running my walks

,

five Ps?...I was taught six Ps

Cheers,

Neil.

Neil Hulme wrote:I always remember the 'fives Ps' before running my walks - I went down earlier this evening to locate and mark the position of six 'roosters', just in case of poor weather.

I wouldn't expect any less of you, Neil. However, I don't think you'll need the 'Ps' as conditions look to be okay for the weekend.

Will look forward to the book arriving soon.

Hey Neil,

Massive congratulations on the book,received my copies today,just what Sussex and its beautiful Butterflies deserve.

Just superb.Brilliant effort all round.

Thanks

Dave

Thanks, all.
Neil: I fully recognise and adhere strictly to the six Ps, but this is a family website!
Dave (and all those who have posted in the 'The Butterflies of Sussex' thread): Many thanks for all your kind comments - the pain is easing by the minute.
BWs, Neil

Fritillaries For The Future At Rewell Wood

Over the four Fritillaries for the Future walks held at Rewell Wood over the weekend, a total of 46 participants got to see the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, and many saw other species including Grizzled Skipper and Small Copper. It was great to catch up with some old friends and to make some new acquaintances, with some travelling from as far afield as Essex and Hampshire.

Conditions were at times challenging, particularly during the Sunday morning session, which was conducted under leaden skies and low temperatures. It's never taken me so long to find a roosting Pearl and I was beginning to contemplate the unthinkable when a Sweet Chestnut bud finally morphed into a fritillary. The cloud later thinned for just long enough to rouse a couple more, including an immaculate female.

Other walks were more productive and by Sunday afternoon many were flying under the clear blue skies. Thanks, as always, to the Norfolk Estate for granting access for these events, and for their generous support of the conservation work here. I'm also grateful to the South Downs National Park Authority and affiliated Volunteer Ranger Service; there would be far fewer fritillaries flying without their vital input. Same time, same place, next year.

That roosting Pearl was definitely worth the effort Neil, cracking

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Good to see you out and about enjoying some results of all your hard work you and your team have put in over the past 12 months or so, makes it all worthwhile

Sounds like a great event in spite of the challenging conditions, Neil. Well done to all those who put the hard graft in.

Lovely to catch up with you over the weekend, Neil and thanks again. The Pearls were stunning and it was a great afternoon in great company. Here's to the Fritillaries of the Future

Thank you also, and massive congratulations on the Atlas, which arrived yesterday, on my birthday. It's almost as if it was planned!
It looks stunning and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Best wishes,

Lee

Just a quick note to congratulate you on the book, Neil. It arrived yesterday and I've currently only read up to page 29, but I have flicked through the entire tome and it looks absolutely stunning.

A first class effort and credit to everyone involved.

Thanks, all. Much appreciated. Fortunately, it looks as if the smaller fritillaries of Sussex are starting to show their appreciation. Some good news to come shortly, and I suspect some even better news to tell by midsummer.
BWs, Neil

News In Brief

My Fritillaries for the Future project and Duke of Burgundy monitoring are keeping me very busy at the moment, so here are just a few recent highlights.

The very small but ever-productive site at Springhead Hill is again punching well above its weight, with up to a dozen Duke of Burgundy seen during short visits, including several mating pairs. On 8 May I photographed my first common Blue of the year, posing beautifully in overcast weather.
On 9 May I travelled to the New Forest, to make a short promotional film on BC's work to help the Pearl-bordered Fritillary here. While walking towards the meeting place I came across a lovely couple, with ID guide and binoculars in hand. As I was wearing a BC sweatshirt they enquired "excuse me, is this a Pearl-bordered Fritillary?" It was - and it made the day for all three of us. I'm pleased to report that I later saw a great many more.
I counted 28 Duke of Burgundy at Heyshott Escarpment the following day, which was a slightly disappointing count for this site. Hopefully the numbers will build significantly during the next week. Several females were out egg-laying, but the Cowslips would certainly benefit from a little more rain.
On 11 May I visited Rewell Wood, where the scallops cut by volunteers over the winter are out-performing the much larger, commercially-cut coppice coupes. Females are still emerging in good numbers and I found a mating pair quite late in the day.
Tomorrow, Saturday 13 May, I'll be leading a walk around Stansted Forest, right on the West Sussex/Hants border. I'm pleased to report that a re-introduction of Pearl-bordered Fritillary, conducted as part of the Fritillaries for the Future project, and in compliance with the ‘BC Code on Introductions and Re-introductions 2010’, has started well. UKB's Andy Brown was the first to spot the progeny of the adults I released here last spring, on 25 April. Although it is still early days, and the monitoring results in spring 2018 will decide the issue, I have seen sufficient to remain optimistic of success.

That's great news Neil on many fronts Long may it continue

Have a goodun

Wurzel