Neil Freeman

[Andrew555]

You've picked out some lovely looking moths there Neil. Very nice.

Cheers

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Andrew A few more moths coming up.

Friday 7th December

With the recent weather being either too cold or too wet and windy on the milder nights, I have not bothered putting the trap out for a couple of weeks. With last nights overnight temperature forecast to be staying up around 12 degrees I decided to light up although it was also forecast to become windy and wet again in the early hours.
When I got up at 05.00 to to fetch the trap in before heading off for work it was in fact raining and quite windy but I was pleased to see that I had caught a couple of moths, a Mottled Umber and a Red-line Quaker.

I had caught a Mottled Umber last month which I posted on the previous page of this diary and commented then that this is a very variable species which can be illustrated by comparing that example with the one below from last night.

Mottled Umber - Coverdale 06.12.2018

After taking the above photo I gently blew on the moths forewings from behind it to try and capture a shot of the hindwings, sometimes this works and sometimes the moth just takes off but I was lucky this time.

Mottled Umber showing attractive speckled hindwings - Coverdale 06.12.2018

The Red-line Quaker is really an autumn flying moth rather than a true winter flyer but there have been some odd reports this year with many species seen well outside of their normal flight periods and this one is not that far out in comparison with some I have heard of.

Red-line Quaker - Coverdale 06.12.2018

There were also a couple of micros, a Light Brown Apple Moth and a Tachystola acroxantha, both species that can turn up in almost any month.

I really must put some words together looking back on my season.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Those are really attractive hind wings on the Mottled Umber Neil I'll try and remember your little trick for getting them to show their hind wings as it may come in handy as I think I've got a Vapourer in my lab - I say think because it was handed in by a pupil and by the end of the day when I went to look at it it was already ensconced in it's silk bivouac If it comes to fruitition then I can try for some hind wing shots.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I'm glad you're still getting moths in your trap, Neil. I suppose it's hardly surprising; we've only had about four frosts this autumn/winter so far.

Nice piece of advice for the uninitiated too. If ever I'm in a similar situation I will try gently blowing on the moth to see if it obliges like yours did.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel, hmm! not sure if that is a Vapourer you have, they usually overwinter as eggs.

Thanks David, we've had a few more frosts than that here in the midlands but nothing too hard...yet.

Time to start looking back at my 2018 butterfly year and my thoughts on what was in some ways a strange season. As always my impressions are based on what I saw around my local patch plus some breaks consisting of a few days or so spent in other areas around the country. Apart from these longer breaks, I only travelled out of Warwickshire a couple of times this year, this being part of a conscious decision I made to try and cut down on clocking up miles running about trying to see the same old species every year. Instead of trying to cram everything in I have found that being a bit more laid back about my butterflying means that I enjoy the season more and if I missed some this year, then so be it. I can always try again next year.

Anyway, to kick off I will start with;

Looking back at 2018 Part 1 - Spring.

To start the year we had a proper winter with a few heavy falls of snow which actually stuck around for a few days on a couple of occasions. February is never a butterfly month around here and this year was no exception with cold weather dragging on well into March. Despite the prolonged cold conditions my first butterfly sightings of the year occurred in late March which is actually very consistent for me here with my first sightings nearly always being sometime around the third week of the month. As usual for me , these first butterflies were Comma and Small Tortoiseshell, both of which seemed to come out of hibernation in fairly good numbers around my local patch. In particular it was encouraging to see the Small Tortoiseshells as these had been thin on the ground the previous summer.
This initial flurry of activity was cut short by a week or so of cool and cloudy weather so It was another couple of weeks before I had a chance to get out again and see the first Peacock of the year and although these eventually appeared at all their usual spots they were well down in numbers again compared to a few years ago.

Small Tortoiseshells - Wagon Lane Park Solihull 06.04.2018

Comma - Bickenhill 05.04.2018

Peacock - Bickenhill 05.04.2018

By the second half of April the weather had warmed up considerably and the hibernators had been joined by Small and Green-veined Whites, Orange-tips, Holly Blues and Speckled Woods, all of which were seen at all the local spots as well as in my garden,

Green-veined White - Castle Hills 26.04.2018

Orange-tip - Castle Hills 26.04.2018

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 26.04.2018

Brimstones appeared to have a fairly good spring around here with males seen patrolling most local sites plus a female seen egg laying in my garden. I have previously found Brimstones to be a morning butterfly with activity usually tailing off from early afternoon but this year I also observed them to be more active later in the day, quite possibly due to the warm spell of weather we had in April and into May.

Brimstone - Coverdale 05.05.2018

The first week of May produced my first Large Whites which completed the list of common spring species that I would expect to see around my immediate local patch and in my garden.

For me to see any of the more localised species in Warwickshire it requires a visit to specific sites, usually around 40-45 minutes’ drive from my house. The first of these was a visit to Ryton Wood Meadows on the first Bank Holiday Monday in May, primarily to see Green Hairstreaks which I found in good numbers around the usual hotspots.

Green Hairstreak - Ryton Wood Meadows 07.05.2018

Later in May a visit to Bishops Hill produced good numbers of Small Blues and Dingy Skippers plus around half a dozen Grizzled Skippers. The Dingy Skippers were more numerous than I had seen there last year and I was particularly pleased to find the Grizzled Skippers as this species has had a run of bad years in Warwickshire.

Small Blue - Bishops Hill 19.05.2018

Dingy Skipper - Bishops Hill 19.05.2018

Grizzled Skipper - Bishops Hill 19.05.2018

Bishops Hill also produced my first Common Blues of the year, these always appearing at this site a couple of weeks before they show up on my local patch which is a bit further north and on average a few hundred feet higher in altitude.

Common Blue - Castle Hills 25.05.2018

One species that I hoped to catch up on this year, having missed it for the past few years, was Duke of Burgundy. It was not until the late Spring Bank Holiday Monday however that I managed to get the time for a run down to Prestbury Hill by Cheltenham which was also my first trip out of Warwickshire this year. After a bit of a slow start to the season, the warm weather later in April and into May seemed to have brought things back on track and I had seen that DoB had been flying for some weeks so I was keeping my fingers crossed that I hadn't missed them. In the end I found half a dozen or so, mostly looking a bit worse for wear so it was obvious that I had just caught them at the end of their flight period there.

Duke of Burgundy - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Prestbury Hill also produced Small Blues, Dingy Skippers, Green Hairstreaks and my first Small Copper, Brown Argus, Small Heath and Red Admiral of the year.
A female Wall Brown was also seen at Prestbury Hill which was a pleasant surprise as although I had read that they could be found here I had never yet seen one at this site during my visits in previous years.

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Wall Brown - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

By the end of May Common Blues were appearing at my local patch but it still felt like we were in spring mode with Commas, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks and Orange-tips still flying. Also, Large Skippers, which often appear in late May here and mark the transition to the summer species were yet to show up.

It had been a spring of contrasting weather with winter dragging on through most of March before warming up in April. then an unsettled spell from late April into early May followed by some unseasonably warm days through mid May before turning unsettled again at the end of the month.

There were also indications that some more warm weather was on the way for June.

To be continued...

Neil.

[Wurzel]

A great start to the look back Neil , even if the year itself didn't get off to a great start Fantastic shots - but my favourite it the Peacock with the excellently caught proboscis brill

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I think I like your Wall best Neil, I didn't get many shots of the Wall this year, infect only one so it as to be Goldie

[David M]

You've captured each of those species in top condition, Neil, and that allied to the general colours of the surroundings make the images particularly evocative.

Colour is what we lack right now, with the landscape in the throes of deepest winter, so many thanks for providing a reminder not only of what was, but also of what is to come.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for your comments Wurzel, Goldie and David

I always enjoy looking back through my photos taken during the season and reminding myself of some of the great days out I had. It also gets me making plans in my mind for maybe next year seeing some of the species I missed this year

Hopefully I will get some words together this week for the next part of my look back.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

..Hopefully I will get some words together this week for the next part of my look back.

I shall look forward to that, Neil. Won't be long before we're looking forward. The new season is a mere 11 weeks or so away.

[Neil Freeman]

Indeed David, after tonight the hours of daylight will be getting just that little bit longer each day

Looking back at 2018 part 2 – Summer.

The transition into meteorological summer came with more unsettled weather, in fact looking back at my notes for the beginning of June we had bands of rain and thunderstorms with sunny periods mixed in between which led to some warm and muggy days.
These first few days of June saw Large Skippers beginning to emerge in numbers at all the usual local spots and fresh Speckled Woods were still appearing, but otherwise, apart from Common Blues a few Small Coppers plus a few Whites and ageing hibernators, there were not many other butterflies about, a consequence of the 'June Gap' between the spring butterflies and the appearance of the summer species which seemed to be a bit more pronounced here this year.

Large Skipper - Castle Hills Solihull 23.06.2018

The second week of June saw us heading over to Norfolk for a few days. The weather was still changeable but we had some glorious sunny days along with some cloudy ones but apart from a bit of light drizzle we saw no rain during our stay. The main reason for this visit was obviously to see Swallowtails which I succeeded in seeing at Strumpshaw Fen, Hickling Broad, How Hill and Catfield Fen. The last time I saw this superb species was a few fleeting glimpses six years ago so I cannot comment on how they fared this year in comparison to previous ones, suffice to say that I saw plenty to keep me happy during the four days we were there.

Swallowtail - Strumphaw Fen 10.06.2018

In Norfolk I also noticed that Red Admirals were showing up at most places along with a few Painted Ladies (and Silver-Y Moths) which probably indicated a bit of migration activity.
Good numbers of Common Blue and Small Heath were seen along the dunes at Horsey Gap but apart from a few Large Skippers and a single Meadow Brown (my first of the year) we were still awaiting the appearance of the summer species.

Small Heath - Horsey Gap 13.06.2018

Back home and the third week of June saw Meadow Browns and Ringlets emerging in reasonable numbers albeit not as high as some recent years. These were soon joined by the first Marbled Whites and Small Skippers which also seemed to be a bit down in numbers at my local spots.

Ringlet - Castle Hills 23.06.2018

Marbled White - Castle Hills 23.06.2018

Small Skipper - Castle Hills 23.06.2018

The first summer Small Tortoiseshells and Commas were also beginning to appear locally although the former were few and far between.

Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 23.06.2018

Comma - Castle Hills 23.06.2018

A trip over to Fermyn Woods towards the end of the month produced a good number of Purple Emperors, although nowhere near the numbers I saw reported from Knepp which looks like it has now become THE premier place to see these.

Purple Emperor - Fermyn Woods 28.06.2018

Fermyn also produced White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries amongst the usual woodland species, all of which were very mobile on what was a very hot day and a harbinger of what was to come over the next few weeks.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find a handful of (very worn) Black Hairstreaks at Fermyn. I had been reading reports that these appeared to be having a good year all over their limited range and also about the discovery of the previously undiscovered colony in Sussex, but had thought I would miss this species this year due to using my limited time elsewhere.

Early July saw some very hot and dry weather settle over most of the country and my part of the midlands was no exception. Large Whites were everywhere in good numbers although some of the grassland species were beginning to show signs of burning out quickly in the unusually hot conditions.
Essex Skippers had joined the Small Skippers locally but both of these species seemed to be down in numbers this year and both had a fairly short flight period compared with previous years. Ringlets had practically finished and Meadow Browns also seemed to be going over quicker than usual.

Essex Skipper - Wagon Lane Solihull 04.07.2018

Gatekeepers also appeared in early July but numbers were well down this year around my local spots and this was another species that seemed to go over quickly in the summer heat.

A couple of trips to Snitterfield Bushes and Oversley Wood produced good numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries along with the usual summer woodland species although many were already looking worn and faded, no doubt due to increased activity in the hot weather.

Large White - Snitterfield Bushes 04.07.2018

Silver-washed Fritillary - Snitterfield Bushes 04.07.2018

Like the Small Tortoiseshells, summer Peacocks were scarce and I only saw a few this year including just one in my garden.

Peacock - Coverdale 10.07.2018

I have heard it said that both these species went into hibernation early to avoid the hot weather and this would make sense, particularly for Small Tortoiseshells, as I didn't see many of those last summer either and yet they were out of hibernation around my local patch in reasonable numbers this spring.

Purple Hairstreaks appeared to be having a very good year all over and I saw loads of photos taken of individuals seen low down although my own experiences were of sightings high up around the tops of oaks, mostly due to my available time usually being in the afternoon rather than earlier in the mornings which seems to be the optimum time to see them lower down.

At the end of July we headed up to Arnside for a couple of days and after seeing no rain for weeks it finally came down by the bucket load on the day we travelled up. Despite this rain, it was obvious that the vegetation on Arnside Knott had become very parched over the preceding few weeks and some species had suffered under these conditions. Scotch Argus numbers were well down from what I have seen in previous years (although I believe they did well at their other English site at Smardale Gill) and Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper numbers were also nowhere near what I would normally expect to see there.

Scotch Argus - Arnside Knott 31.07.2018

In contrast, I saw more Small Coppers at Arnside Knott than I have ever seen there before and a female Wall Brown was a first for me at that site. Also a single Northern Brown Argus was a pleasant surprise given that I expected them to have finished there given the conditions and the fact that many species seemed to be going over early this year.

Small Copper - Arnside Knott 30.07.2018

Wall Brown - Arnside Knott 31.07.2018

Northern Brown Argus (salmacis) - Arnside Knott 30.07.2018

A handful of Painted Ladies were also seen scattered about the Knott which meant that, although not exactly a 'Painted Lady Year', I had been seeing them steadily at most places through the summer. In fact so far I had seen more Painted ladies in 2018 than summer brood Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells put together.

Painted Lady - Arnside Knott 30.07.2018

After seeing a good sprinkling of Red Admirals earlier in the summer these had also fizzled out with just the odd one or two showing up here and there. This left Commas as the only summer vannesid appearing in reasonable numbers.

Going into early August, although the weather had become a bit more unsettled, there was still not much rain about and temperatures remained relatively high. Speckled Wood numbers were building up locally and this seemed to be the only species with grass feeding larvae that was actually doing well. Second brood Common Blues, Small Coppers and Small heath were all flying at my local spots in varying numbers, with Common Blues in particular looking like they were having a good year. On the other hand, summer brood Holly Blue numbers seemed to be down after a good spring brood. The high numbers of Large Whites earlier in the summer had tailed off but Small Whites were on the increase with Green-veined White numbers seeming to be about average.

Common Blue female - Blythe Valley Solihull 06.08.2018

After an unsettled start to the summer in early June it had settled down to be an unusually hot and dry July before the weather became a bit more changeable again at the end of the month when more cloud would build up. After a bit of heavy rain at the end of July it reverted to warm and dry conditions again for the first couple of weeks of August, albeit not quite as hot as it had been, with more cloud about on some days.
Whilst in some ways it seemed to be a good summer for butterflies with the overall impression that lots were flying, many sites had become very dry with parched vegetation and this seemed to have adversely affected some of the grassland species with lower numbers being observed and some shorter flight periods than usual.

I probably won't get time now to wrap up my looking back until the new year so let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Neil

[trevor]

A very uplifting selection there Neil, and a couple that are mrgreen worthy.
Especially the Scotch Argus and pristine Swallowtail .
I think we went to Strumpshaw a little later than you, and only saw three worn ones.
But still an unforgetable sight.

Merry Christmas,
Trevor.

[millerd]

A lovely array there, Neil, esecially the Swallowtail - defintely one to catch up with in 2019.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

A cracking sort of shots Neil - pride of place must go to the Swallowtails - stunning! Some interesting observations of numbers which I'll probably echo when I start my look back (eventually ) I totally concur about the Marbled Whites, they were very much blink and you'd missed them this year whereas usually they're a mainstay species
Have a very Happy Christmas!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Your roundup made for interesting reading Neil, comparing it to my assessments of the various species which for the most part seemed fairly similar. I definitely need to get myself another Swallowtail fix next year !

[David M]

Beautiful, Neil. You captured some good stuff this year. Hopefully there'll be more of the same in 2019?

Best wishes to you for Christmas and the New Year.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Trevor, I fell lucky with the Swallowtails this year although I was a bit apprehensive just before going as I had seen they had been on the wing for a while.

Thanks Dave, it took 6 years for me to catch up with them. Hopefully it won't be as long until the next time.

Cheers Wurzel, it was indeed a strange summer with a few species appearing and disappearing rather rapidly.

Hi Bugboy, for me the Swallowtails were the highlight of my year.

Thanks David, hopefully a few different ones as well in 2019 as I missed quite a few species this year.

Friday 28th December.

Not much to report with all the festive family stuff going on this week. It has been rather grey and misty here the past couple of days although fairly mild for the time of year so I decided to put the moth trap out in the garden last night. Just one moth came to it, appropriately enough a Winter Moth, which will most likely be my last moth of the year.

Winter Moth - Coverdale 27.12.2018

Here's to hoping that everyone has a Happy New Year and gets to see all they wish for.

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Happy New Year to you too Neil - here's hoping that 2019 brings you plenty of butterflies

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

I hope that 2019 brings you loads too Wurzel

Tuesday 1st January 2019

My first diary entry of the new year but not really had much chance to get out. My youngest son has been up from Bristol where he now lives with his girlfriend and stayed with us over the new year and when we have been out of the house it has been mainly to visit other family members.

Despite the forecast saying it was going to clear up here this afternoon it stayed resolutely grey and gloomy here all day, so that's the first forecast of the year wrong...I really must learn not to take too much notice of them.

Occasional glimpses into the garden have shown that the usual birds are all showing up and I managed to get a few photos over the past few days, all taken though the window from the back room, lazy birding again

Male Bullfinch

Great Tit and Blue Tit.

A trio of Blue Tits

Coal Tit and Blue Tit

Robin

As well as those shown above I have also seen Long-tailed Tits, Dunnocks, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Goldfinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a little Goldcrest that has occasionally been rapidly darting in and out to the fat block.

Now we are in 2019 I really must see about finishing my look back at 2018.

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

A great set of birding shots Neil - what a great way to start the New Year with a Bullfinch I made my New Years Resolution to completely ignore weather forecasts but I just know that come May I'll still be suffering from chronic Met-isis Have a brilliant 2019

Have a goodun

Wurzel