www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Sorry Andrew somehow missed your reply - I had a lot of catching up to do and it was getting pretty late when I was
Cheers though, there isn't really a trick to photographing butterflies on 'showy flowers' it's just luck and always taking my camera out on family trips to National Trust gardens and the like

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I'll take my lap top with me and see what's happening when I get to Kent Goldie

Cheers Goldie Fingers crossed...if we can finally get to spring then hopefully things will happen rapidly so you'll have a better chance of spying your quarry.

The “Aristocrats”
13 White Admiral, 17-06-2018 East Blean

I found my first White Admirals at East Blean this year while seeking out Heath Frits. They were 15 days earlier here compared to last year but I reckon that that would have been because I’d travelled East where most species are regularly out a week to a fortnight earlier anyway.
They were certainly not in short supply at East Blean and I reckon Philzoid and I came across at least 5 ‘territories’. It seemed that each cleared section had its own White Admiral sentry present . This was great news for me as I could fill me boots photographing a species which was very elusive last year. I also fund them at Bentley Wood and they were in better numbers there so a good White Admiral year from my standpoint, which makes a nice change. 14 Purple Emperor, 02-07-2018 Bentley Wood

This was the second year of my usual three year cycle and so I wasn’t surprised when I wasn’t able to get any photos of this species – next year however it’ll be a different story. I was further unsurprised as the Emperors were out very early this year, so early in fact that I almost missed them. My first came 15 days earlier and even then they’d been around for a while as the one I saw was a fussy female intent on checking out Sallows rather than a salt taking grounded male. Their early arrival was probably due to the mini-heatwave we experienced at the end of June and into July and it made it even trickier for me to see them as there was so much going on at work and with various other species emerged or emerging. As I only saw the one it’s difficult to comment on numbers but I have a suspicion that most sites (barring Kneppworth Estate) didn’t live up to their former glory, Fermyn for instance seemed quite quiet this year?

15 Red Admiral, 07-02-2017 Work

A whole 3 months and 8 days earlier this year, my first butterfly of the year and possibly the first for the county. I’m never sure if my records are county firsts until the annual report comes out as some people like to hold onto their reports and post their sightings my later in the year – shocking behaviour I know! WINK So a great start for me with this species. Then they started playing really hard to get. I’d see them regularly but I wasn’t able to get a shot of one until almost the end of April. Right from the start they seemed to be doing really well and I saw them all over the place, in good numbers right the way through until my final sighting at the end of October. Hopefully this will bode well for sightings next year if the multitudes can either migrate south to breed or hibernate undisturbed here. 16 Painted Lady, 31-05-2017 Middle Street

My first Painted Lady came 3 days earlier this year and from Middle Street. It flew from one side of the reserve to the other, flowing the watercourse as if it was a motorway. My second came from Bentley Wood for the second time over my records. This one was a little beaten, the odd tear in the wing, the colours faded so it was probably the vanguard of the invasion. The invasion itself was actually more of a raiding party and I saw only 2 more over the rest of the season. Both of these were brighter, bolder and busy feeding frenetically possibly ready for a return journey (as these were probably ‘home grown’), well not really a return journey but you get my gist.
So not exactly a vintage year for the Painted ones. The highlight for me came with the third individual I saw as it bore a few blue spots in the submarginal band. 17 Small Tortoiseshell, 17-02-2017 Pewsey Vale

My first came during a break from my holiday revision class and I like to think of it as compensation for having to work on my Birthday. It was almost a month early and a possible county first? During the rest of the spring the Small Tort populations at Five Rivers, Middle Street and the small path behind the school were burgeoning as ever with boundless Small Torts, with 14 seen in a brief 10 minute break.
Later in the season they seemed to dwindle and whilst I saw reasonable numbers at Larkhilll they were fewer and further between at my ‘later’ sites. I’m hoping this doesn’t bode ill for the start of this season and it was just down to not paying them much attention rather than a continuation of their decline? 18 Peacock, 13-03-2017 Pewsey Vale

Not quite as early as other Aristos but still a respectable 8 days more prompt. There’s not an awful lot to say really about this species. Once it arrived it did so in good numbers, not quite as good as the Small Torts but possibly catching them up (though the Small Torts were still dominate at work, on the small path behind the school). It also mirrored the Small Tort pattern in that after a large spring surge later sightings dropped off, though less noticeably than the Small Torts.
19 Comma, 11-03-2017 Five Rivers

It was almost a Comma spring as there were reports coming in thick and fast and my first was 10 days early this year. They were very numerous in their first brood in particular and I went from seeing one or two at Five Rivers and Middle Street to four or five instead. This good showing carried on right through the year including into the autumn, when I feel that they look their best. It was interesting to see this species increase tis numbers so strongly whilst the Small Tort saw a drop – is this due to the natural cycle of parasitic attack affecting on so it goes into a ‘bust’ year while the Comma was ‘booming’ or own to something climatic and a continuation of the Commas rise? Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Butterflies Wurzel, makes you long to see them again, maybe in another week or so.Goldie

No problem m8. A beautiful selection, love the Lady.
Zero luck so far for me with Emperors, just the odd high flyer. Maybe this year.

Cheers

Another great roundup from your season last year Wurzel

Interesting to note the similarities and differences compared to my patch.

Cheers,

Neil.

Cheers Goldie I have started my 2018 Tally now, I'm on Small Tort 1 seen, Peacock 2 both photographed Whilst this is great it's also really frustrating as normally I'm on about 5-6 species by now
Cheers Andrew Hopefully you'll have better luck than me as I seem to be able to see them every year but I'm stuck in this three year cycle when it comes to getting shots


Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Neil Time is slipping by so I better get on and catch-up, only more rapidly

Fritillaries 20 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 21-05-2017 Bentley Wood

A trip to Bentley Wood earlier than last year saw me getting onto my first Small Pearl of the year. It was a beauty; first hanging from the moor grass like a chequered flag, then opening up for a topside view before piratically orientating itself to bask meaning I could get a brill double page spread of a shot. It stayed like this for an age, even long enough for Philzoid to arrive, set up and get some similar shots. Brill! Or was it? Despite the stunning butterfly it was a one man show…A visit a fortnight later and there were more but they were still thin on the ground with a maximum count of 5. This is better than my singleton last from 2016 but is still down on what I used to see. It’s slightly frustrating that in other parts of the country they’re being re-introduced whilst here, with an extant population seemingly they’re left to dwindle to nothing. I only hope they don’t go the same way as the Bentley Wood High Browns… 21 Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 23-04-2017 Bentley Wood

In 2017 the Pearl-bordered Fritillary lived up to its old name of April Fritillary. My first was just over a fortnight earlier this year though as I was onto a joint second for the county (and first record from the Eastern Clearing) this ‘early emergence’ was probably about a week earlier in actual fact. Again there was divide between the East and the West with the Pearls from Sussex coming out about a week/week and half earlier than those over here in Wiltshire/Hampshire.

Compared to last year they seemed to hold their own. Initially I was slightly concerned as I only found one but it was my first visit and the first and joint second records all came from different parts of the wood. This one was a real cracker but unfortunately it didn’t show any tendencies towards melanism. In fact none of the Pearls I saw seemed ‘darker’, hopefully the genes are recessive and they’re still sloshing about somewhere in the gene pool just waiting for the right coupling so they can be expressed.

There were reasonable numbers on my second visit with probably about 6 to 7 in the Eastern Clearing and also still a couple knocking around 5-6 weeks later when looking for their smaller cousins. So despite the poor state of repair of the ‘Clearing’ the Pearls seemed to have a reasonable year. Hopefully though something can be done about the ‘Clearing’, like actually coppicing/clearing it, for the sake of both of the Pearls. 22 Dark Green Fritillary, 02-07-2018 Bentley Wood

From woe and concern to better news – that’s the way it seems for DGFs. They, unlike a lot of their kin, had a bit of a lie-in with my first coming 6 days later this year. What got me thinking to the fact that they did okay was that my first came from Bentley Wood, something I don’t always see. I also saw them again at Larkhill and it seems that I’ve found their preferred spot as they were in the best numbers that I’ve seen them at here (Stop Press – the MOD have now blocked access to the little stop-off point). Both things point to them doing well as well as previously and the final pint in support of this viewpoint was that I saw them in a wide range of sites; Bentley, Larkhill, Martin Down, Durlston and they were still going strong at Broughton Down later in their flight. 23 Silver-washed Fritillary, 02-07-2018 Bentley Wood

The same trip that saw my first PE, PH, WLH, DGF also yielded my first Silver-washed of the year. I’d walked the girls about 30 metres along the path from the car park to the cross roads only to be stopped in my tracks by a valesina. What a cracking way to start the SWF tally! As I continued around Bentley they felt slightly more numerous than last year although it’s difficult to totally convinced as I only made the one visit. They weren’t buzzing around bothering each other every 30 steps or so as in days of yore (well 5-6 years ago) but neither was it a struggle to see them as in 2016. So I would give them a tentative thumbs up. I also saw them in some unusual places; the flower border at Kingston Lacey, in one of the small picnic fields at Durlston and also on Buddleia at Pennywell Farm in Devon well into late August. All good signs that things are looking more positive for the SWF. 24 Marsh Fritillary, 10-05-2017 Larkhill

I had a really good season with this species with three definite highlights the first of which was the fact that my first sighting came from Larkhill. My first came five days earlier than last year but they’d been mentioned on the Website from the weekend previous. I decided I needed a break from work and also I wanted to salve my feelings of envy as I knew that on the same day various UKBers were visiting the Hill in near perfect weather conditions. I couldn’t believe it though when my five minutes stop-off produced my first Marshie of the year as well as my first for this site! Highlight number two was the seeing them all the way along Bokerley Dyke at Martin Down. A few years back the local Branch didn’t want them recorded from here and if they were mentioned at all it was from ‘a Hampshire site’, very cloak and dagger. It seems to have worked though as on a visit I started by seeing my ‘second’ of the year, then my third etc etc until in the end I lost count. So now I have two decent sites for this species about thirty minutes from home.

The final highlight was the fact that the increase in numbers was also noticeable at the Hill suggesting that Marshies had a good year this year, perhaps last year was a slight ‘Bust’ and now we’re back on track for a ‘Boom’? It started a bit disconcertingly with 5 seen but then a few days later despite many pairs of eyes on site only one was found. It didn’t seem to get much better as there weren’t any more records on the Branch sightings board. I then discovered the Facebook page and the sightings from there seemed slightly better so when Philzoid and I went they were all over the Hill. They were back on track for definite after a slight blip last year. There were also good numbers recorded from sites all along the valley and across the Plain as well to further back this feeling up. 25 Heath Frit, 17-06-2018 East Blean

It seems that I am destined not to see Heaths and Glanvilles in the same year and so after Glanvilles in 2016, 2017 was the year for Heaths! My first visit fell 3 days later than in 2015 but as this was only the second time I’d seen this species I’m not confident enough to comment on any emergence patterns. However one thing that was very clear = they were certainly more numerous and much wider ranging. When I saw last there were the odd one or two in the scallop near the car park and then good numbers in one small cleared patch and that was it. This time there were more in the car park and again the first scallop which had been cleared more extensively along with various other cleared areas. Always less numerous than when I saw them the first time but when added together producing a much bigger total. This time getting the underwing was a bit of a bugger as it was so warm that not only were they more active but they always seemed to land wings open. But that was fine by me as I’m so unused to seeing them each one was novel. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fantastic Fritillaries Wurzel and you've started your count already , lucky so and so No chance here,
ice and bitter cold winds here, too cold for walks or any thing, even the birds are hiding. UGH! We just finished repairing the fence when the second lot arrived. any way I'm not too bothered I'm looking forward to seeing them eventually, I'm just wondering if this severe weather will affect them in some way. May be I'll see Butterflies in Blean Woods in a weeks time ( hope fully ) Goldie

Brilliant images in your Fritillary roundup.
I have found that 20th May is the magic date for the Marsh Fritillary. As I was local
to ' the hill ' last year I went looking on several days prior to the 20th, and found only one.

As for East Blean, we were a little late for pristine Heaths, but a disappointing day turned
into a brilliant one when a Purple Hairstreak displayed for us.

And for Pearls, it is hard to believe that they should be on the wing in about four weeks time,
as we battle arctic winds, and, for some, deep snow.

Hopefully Spring has been delayed, not cancelled !.
Trevor.

Some beautiful images Wurzel, really lovely.
I'd heard of Bentley wood but wasn't aware of it's exact location. Now I see it's not far from Salisbury, a visit is defiantly possible this spring, any tips you could offer would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Cheers Goldie Hopefully the Beast from the East mk3 will be a damp squib like most later sequels or even better doesn't turn up at all Hope you get into the butterflies soon
Cheers Trevor That's when I usually start looking but this year who knows? Hopefully when/if spring arrrives we'll be knee deep in butterflies
Cheers Andrew I'll try and send you. PM over the weekend but in the meantime check out Alan Thornbury's website as the site guide is really good
Have a goodun

Wurzel

The website you want Andrew is:
www.purple-emperor.co.uk
The best area for Fritillaries is the Eastern Clearing...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Much appreciated Wurzel.

Browns This is when things get difficult as the majority of these species are very numerous and so estimating/counting/commenting on their numbers is often down to a hunch or gut feeling unless there is a drastic change in their circumstances.

26 Specked Wood, 01-04-2017 Five Rivers

The Specklie I saw first was a whole month early this year and it came from Fie Rivers where it was flying around the outskirts of the copse (so more of a Speckled Spinney…) that follows the water course. Overall I felt they did quite well this year though the patchy weather meant that I noticed gaps when they were absent. Normally once I’ve seen one I see them throughout but not so this year. Their final showing was probably when they were strongest and they were my penultimate species of 2017, my final Specklie being seen in late October. Hopefully they will be one of the big beneficiaries of the ‘Beast from the East’… 27 Wall, 21-05-2017 Marshie Site

Two. That’s the number I’ll associate with Wall Browns in 2017. Two was the number of weeks that they were early. Two was the number of sites that I saw them at. Two is the minimum number I saw at both sites. For me this wasn’t exactly a vintage year but it was certainly better than 2016. I even managed shots of most, if not all of the individuals seen, including some real close ups from the excellent site Trevor ‘discovered’. Others too seemed to be finding them in good numbers particularly the later brood. Even though I couldn’t match their plethora of Walls I was still chuffed with my meagre haul as both sites are ‘non-coastal’ which is something of an oddity nowadays.

NB. Having written this and being happy with the prose I suddenly remembered that I saw one at Durlston – so my whole two thing and non-coastal goes out of the window – that’s the problem with writing off the cuff from memory better start making notes next year…
28 Marbled White, 15-06-2017 Larkhill

This is one of those unfortunate species. I eagerly await them each year but then with a few shots in the bag I start to concentrate on other species. This is because when they emerge so to do a whole host of other species at roughly the same time in rapid succession – Ringlets and Meadow Browns, Hedgies and woodland specialists aren’t far behind and then there are the golden skippers and Large Blues as well etc. That being said it felt a bit ‘blink and you’ll miss them’ this year and three weeks into their flight, after arriving 6 days earlier, I stopped noticing them. Whilst they were still on my radar they were still about at the usual range of sites but I had a feeling that they were slightly down on last year. 29 Grayling, 23-07-2017 Godshill

I finally saw my Grayling at the ever reliable Godshill on exactly the same day as last year. As is oft the way as I set off across the car park it was sunny but by the time I’d reached the ‘triangle’ hotspot the sun had all but disappeared to be replaced with intermittent rain and drizzle. Yet still the Grayling showed and they put in a reasonable showing despite the weather which made me think that they were actually having a good year here as I was seeing similar numbers to last year even though there would have been plenty of others sitting out the rain.

In previous years I’ve seen them in a range of tones from creams to browns, greys to jet black. This year I saw them I saw my first two toner hunkering down in the heather within the triangle. I was only able to get back to Dorset once during their flight and missed them at Durlston but I reckon a 5 minute stop on the Heaths during the return journey would have yielded some. Also I wonder if they’re about in West Wales? Something to investigate next season. 30 Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper, 02-07-2017 Bentley Wood

Hedge Browns had a variable year I feel. They were 10 days earlier this year, my first sighting coming from Bentley Wood, but they didn’t seem to be abounding. I’d go to Larkhill and they’d be up on previous years but at Bentley and The Devenish they were down. Then I visited ‘The Lane’ in Wales and they were doing well. Back at Shipton and they were down before a final visit to Devon where there was a good smattering. Averaging this out they probably had a reasonable year. I just wish they’d had a great one.

The Lane again threw up a fantastic range of variation; male and female excessa, a male with only one pupil in the fore wing ‘eye’ and a striking individual with white streaks rather than spots on its underwing. It looked like the paint had run when it came out of the chrysalis. 31 Meadow Brown, 28-05-2017 Swanage.

The great run of weather that we enjoyed in early May finally broke the very evening we pitched up down at Downshay. This may have accounted for why the Meadow Browns were 10 days later – perhaps the too hot weather had kept them in their cocoons? Or it could have been that by normal standards they were early but last year they were even earlier?
They came quickly and their numbers build rapidly appearing to do better than in 2016. But then they seemed to disappear even more quickly than how they’d arrived. I did see a few stragglers into September but nowhere near similar to what I’ve encountered before.
32 Small Heath, 02-05-2017 Duke Site

Normally people offer ‘good news’ to counter bad news but I don’t think I can so let’s get this over with…
Twelve days earlier. Seen in usual sites. Even fewer in number . Moving on… 33 Ringlet, 13-06-2017 Larkhill

This species was 8 days earlier this year and again put in a very good showing so had a good year (perhaps this is the good news to counter the bad Small Heath news?). That being said there’s not much else to comment on – apart from the unusually high numbers of ‘arete/blind Ringlet’ records that I saw posted on UK Butterflies. I myself saw 2 this year and a lot of other enthusiasts also featured them in their posts and in the ‘Favourite Photo of…’ thread. This could just be down to human nature; that collector desire in us that covets the unusual above the ordinary BUT in order for us to focus our efforts on the oddities they have to actually be there… Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cracking shots of the Wall Wurzel especially the close up shot I love the Marble White on the purple flower has well, lovely shot, milder here but still a cold wind. Goldie

Great stuff, Wurzel. I am hoping to be at the Bell in time for the Spring brood Walls.
I will of course tip you off if i'm lucky.

Some more great roundups Wurzel fascinating reading about your impressions of how the various species fared. Your Specklie first sighting date stands out particularly to me, early April would be about average for my first of these, usually in my garden.

Cheers,

Neil

Cheers Goldie Iwas chuffed with those ones too, seems like ages until we’ll be seeing these species again
Cheers Trevor Looking forward to the tip off and some ‘easy’ Walls
Cheers Neil Sometimes the difference comes down to where I’m visiting. The strange thing is that this time last year there were a whole range of species flying - this has been a dire spring by comparison as all other years I’ve seen 5 species by now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

The Metalmarks
34 Duke of Burgundy, 07-05-2017 Duke Site

Only a day earlier than last year and it took advantage of the reasonable spell of weather we had just prior to its emergence. However I’m still really concerned about this species at this site as once again I only saw a singleton. That being said the same thing happened in the previous year and yet this year there was one again so fingers crossed the species will continue here. If it does then I really need to check back here later in the species flight as I’m sure this is a ‘late’ site and I only ever seem to catch the very first one. The one I found was again in the usual spot and this has now become my ‘go to’ area when looking for them. My idea last year was perhaps they were working their way up the hill but that doesn’t seem to be the case as this little corner of the field, sheltered and catching the sun early until late afternoon, seems ideal for Dukes
Reports from other areas in the county were actually reasonably favourable with one being found at my Marshie site again being the stand out record. If they do colonise this site that would be really handy and it certainly seems feasible with strong colonies and good numbers at other sites local to this one (25 on one visit). I also heard about their presence at a site close to my work which could work out quite well although to be honest I’d much rather they continue at my current site.
Perhaps there are reasons to celebrate in Wiltshire as although one was recorded at Martin Down nationally it seems that they perhaps had a slightly disappointing year overall? The record from Martin Down took me back to my very first proper season when a small brown and orange butterfly landed just long enough to make a mental note of the markings. It was my very first Duke but as I was so new I didn’t realise what it was nor the importance of that particular sighting. Have a goodun

Wurzel