Neil Hulme

[David M]

Sounds like a truly stunning afternoon, Neil.

Even here in the west of the country, 40+ Small Tortoiseshells at any time of year would be notable, so it's good to hear that they're present in numbers that much further east.

Nice to see your Pierids are emerging too. Hopefully, that will be replicated over the next few days in my part of the UK (and elsewhere).

[Goldie M]

Same Here! Cloud and heavy rain since I last posted and cold with it, great to see your white's Neil, it means things are just a round the corner. Goldie

[bugboy]

Is that patch of Sussex twinned with somewhere in the south of France?

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Mark, Wurzel, David and Goldie. I'm very fortunate to live in this part of the world, which has more than its fair share of butterflies.
Hi bugboy. Yes, we're twinned with the quaint village of Papillon-sur-Mer.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Butterfly ID Course

Fifteen people attended my butterfly identification and monitoring refresher course for the Steyning Downland Scheme (SDS) today (14 April). During a quick lunch break, following the morning classroom session, I spotted a Small Tortoiseshell on the High Street, which was the first of many butterflies seen.

Most of us then headed up to Steyning Coombe, where Brimstone, Small White, Comma and Peacock were added to the list. The habitat over the entire SDS area is now in fantastic shape and a great credit to the volunteers who have worked so hard over the last ten years, ably assisted by the Dexter cattle. The only downside to the entire project is the disgraceful sight of so many dog poo bags adorning the bushes, a sure sign that some owners are less intelligent than their pets.

After the event I drove to Billingshurst, but was probably too late in the day to see the hoped-for Orange-tip. However, I did spot a couple of Green-veined White patrolling the verges.

[David M]

Perfect weather for a collective trip out, Neil. Shame about the dog mess....it's (sadly) an ever more common sight wherever you go in the countryside these days.

[Neil Hulme]

First Orange-tips

A lovely day out with my daughter, Mia, today, with our target of five species being easily surpassed. The quiet lanes between Billingshurst and Five Oaks produced only a few butterflies in the very patchy weather, but the regular cloud cover made the Orange-tips (2) very easy to photograph. Singles of Comma and Peacock were also seen.

We then moved down to the coast, where a walk up Ferring Rife under clear blue skies was more productive. Here we saw 14 Small Tortoiseshell (numbers on the wane as the males burn out), 16 Peacock, 9 Small White, 1 Large White, 1 Brimstone and our first Speckled Wood of the year.

[David M]

Delightful images, Neil, and I sincerely hope we’ll all have an audience with this species during the warm spell that’s predicted to begin tomorrow.
With any luck, there’ll be an explosion of butterflies to compensate for the hiatus that has gone before.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, David. They're coming!
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Spring Takes Off

Spring accelerated rapidly yesterday (17 April), bursting out in all its glory. In the damp meadows and lanes between Billingshurst and Five Oaks, Orange-tip numbers built throughout the morning, with a total of 9 males seen; at one point, six were in view, together with a couple of Brimstone and both Large and Small White. The banks and ditches in the area are now becoming smothered in Cuckooflower, Lesser Celandine, Primrose, Wood Anemone, Greater Stitchwort and Bluebell.

Later, at Mill Hill, I saw 3 Grizzled Skipper and a few Speckled Wood, Peacock and Brimstone, while a recently arrived Hobby performed spectacular aerobatics at remarkably close quarters. An evening walk on the Knepp Wildland produced my first Swallow of the year, with the soundtrack provided by 2 Cuckoo and a snatch of Nightingale song.

[Neil Hulme]

Too Hot To Handle

Yesterday (18 April) I arrived at my favourite Orange-tip site (near Five Oaks) at about 2.00 pm, with my car's thermometer reading 24.5 degrees. Katrina Watson and Nigel Symington were already there, but reported fewer butterflies than I was expecting, and within a few minutes the two Orange-tips in view had disappeared.

I soon came to the conclusion that it was just too hot for them, and that they had gone into hiding. This was confirmed when we found one asleep on the woodland edge. It was after 3.00 pm before about half-a-dozen males and one female became more active. Garry Philpott then arrived, and the four of us took turns in trying to achieve the desired open-wing shot. Too hot in April - a nice problem to deal with - and a lovely way to let a few hours drift away in the pursuit of Britain's happiest butterfly.

It was hotting up elsewhere in Sussex too, with the first sightings of Green Hairstreak (Mill Hill) and Clouded Yellow (Frog Firle).

[ernie f]

Neil

Crumbs. Grizzled Skippers already, after all that bad weather too.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic set of shots as always Neil Things are moving on nicely, hopefully the Pearls won't be too far behind

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Neil, yet to meet up with the Orange Tips Goldie

[essexbuzzard]

I’m still waiting as well,Goldie, but I’m hoping this short spell of decent weather will hold a few more days, as I’m out and about on Sunday. Lovely pictures as usual, Neil!

[Neil Hulme]

Hi ernie - welcome to UKB! The Grizzled Skippers at Mill Hill (a very warm, 'early' site) are now building in number quite rapidly. Hopefully they'll have a better year than 2017.

Thanks, Wurzel, Goldie and essex. Plenty more action today.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

First Green Of The Year

Today (19 April) I started at North Stoke, which remains so boggy that it's very difficult to move around without losing a welly; unfortunately the site will remain difficult to access this spring. Orange-tip numbers were disappointing, with only a couple seen. Green-veined White is doing rather better (15m, 1f).

I then moved on to Mill Hill, where Katrina and her sister were already scouring the slopes. Grizzled Skipper numbers are now building; I counted 8 during a linear walk along the lower scrub line. Highlight of the visit was a very obliging Green Hairstreak.

[Wurzel]

That's a gurt lush shot Neil

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

It would seem, from the weather point of view, that we have skipped Spring
and gone straight from Siberian Winter to high Summer.
Atleast the Orange Tips confirm that it is Spring. Lovely images.

Happy days,
Trevor.

[David M]

First class effort, Neil. Interesting to read too your thoughts regarding Orange Tips 'ducking out' from the heat. I guess it's not something UK specimens have hard-wired into their genes!