millerd

[Wurzel]

"when you are down to pretty well just the one species left in any numbers, you start looking a bit more closely. " true indeed Mind you it's kinda like that with the first butterflies of the season - you drink them all in You did well with that Painted Lady - it's in very good nick, I'm surprised it hadn't already made the journey back south

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

...when you are down to pretty well just the one species left in any numbers, you start looking a bit more closely. In fact, the red banding patterns on the forewings are very variable and almost every butterfly is slightly different...

Very true Dave, in fact I find this to hold true for many of our butterflies which is why I am more and more of the opinion that many of the common and minor abs are actually within normal variation for many species.

...Looking at this feature, you discover that (perhaps surprisingly) the same butterflies are not necessarily seen in the same spot two days running...

Also very true. It is interesting how different individuals will pick the same spots.

A cracking selection of Red Admirals and supporting species, certainly brightens up a wet and windy night here.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Just Red Admirals and Painted Ladies down my neck of the woods too, Dave. 14 in a small patch of ivy is good going though - it can't be coincidence that the Red Admirals disappear when the ivy flowers die back. Once you get beyond the middle of November, there are hardly any nectar sources left, and that's usually when the butterfly season is effectively over.

[millerd]

I think that Somerset Painted Lady must have only just emerged, Wurzel, and still needed to take on fuel before heading off. Hopefully it is somewhere in France by now.

Cheers, Neil. I reckon you're right. Neither bialbata not fructa are so infrequent in Red Admirals to truly qualify as aberrations - they both crop up regularly every year in all populations and there are degrees of "abnormality" between the standard pattern and extreme examples. To me this equates to normal variation.

The ivy is so important to late season butterflies as you say, David. When it finally finishes, there is virtually nothing left except sometimes the odd dandelion.

Back home again, a bit of sunshine and reasonable temperatures tempted me out on Tuesday 22nd October. I was surprised to find four species today, including a Painted Lady far more worn than the Somerset example, and which was making the most of the afore-mentioned dandelions.

There were a couple of Commas, both seen flying amongst the trees initially, but one of which came closer to the ground. It seemed darker than some.

There were of course several Red Admirals (I counted nine) with some already nectaring on the ivy...

plenty of honeybees around too - there must be a hive nearby

...but others appeared to be just emerging from their overnight accommodation in the depths of the brambles.

I think this one was newly-emerged

an encounter with a ticket-collector?

I suspect this is where many of them spend the winter months, where any hint of slightly warmer sunny weather percolates through relatively quickly and stirs them into action. One fresh-looking individual struck a fine autumnal pose on a yellowing leaf.

sucking liquid from the leaf surface

also very new

I also tried a few close-ups, making the most of the species' seasonal approachability.

However, that was not all. I had hoped that the sun and warmth might have stirred one or two Holly Blues, and I spotted three in total. One was flying vigorously high up (probably a male), the second was down low, but was disturbed by another insect when it tried to settle and disappeared (another male I think). Shortly afterwards, I spied the silvery triangle of a third, and this time it stayed put for a while. The sun was brighter and warmer than it had been on 10th when I had encountered the last most obliging female, so though this one creaked open its wings, it appeared to feel quite warm enough without opening them very far. Nevertheless, it was great to see another nice new female third brood Holly Blue.

Another satisfying autumn day.

Dave

[trevor]

I wonder why your local patch seems to suit Holly Blues so well.
Without doubt you have one of the best sites for them on your door step.
And yet another very late, fresh, female!. .

Great stuff,
Trevor.

[millerd]

I have no idea what the secret is, Trevor, but a handful of third brood Hollies appear pretty well every year round here in late October/early November. I even saw a female egg-laying on 31st October a few years back. Interestingly, the majority of those I see are females, probably because they don't fly so much - any males I see tend to be either puddling, or more often flying strongly higher up. There was another one today (30th), which I've already posted in the "October 2019" thread, and which will also appear shortly in this PD.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday 23rd October it was cloudy almost throughout the day. A ten-minute splash of sudden sunshine had me out the front door in no time, and amazingly half a dozen Red Admirals had been equally quick off the mark.

I had a general look around, but the cloud soon returned and even the Red Admirals disappeared back to their hiding places.

Dave

[Wurzel]

A cracking array of Red Admirals Dave especially like the close-ups But that third brood Holly Blue - phew a sight for sore eyes Sometimes the thrid brood messes things up for the first brood the following year though that doesn't seem to be the case round your way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel! I think I'll leave talking about third brood Hollies to the next couple of posts, when there will be illustrations!

On Thursday 24th October, I headed north to stay with my sister again. The rain was heavy all through the drive, and on Friday and Saturday it continued to pour down, raising the local river levels to a worrying degree. It also became very chilly, with it only 5 degrees around midday on Saturday (it was apparently up to 16 in London... ) Needless to say, no butterflies were to be seen, and though the nasturtiums were yet to be affected by frost, no white butterfly caterpillars remained to munch them. However, as usual, a number of chrysalids adorned the outside of the house and outbuildings.

On Sunday 27th, the sun shone, though the wind was cold. The sudden change woke up a Small Tortoiseshell which had been hibernating somewhere in one of the bedrooms. It was very active, and was unwilling to pose for a portrait before it was released to find alternative accommodation.

Back south later in the day, followed by a couple of distinctly cool and gloomy days. However, better was to arrive on Wednesday 30th.

Dave

[millerd]

After two cool and cloudy days, Wednesday 30th October dawned with a bit of hazy sunshine. It looked strong enough to wake up a few Red Admirals, so I set off round my local patch. I took in the whole of my usual walk, including the open meadow area by the motorway, but there was nothing here at all. However, returning to area by the lake, the expected Admirals appeared, warming up on the brambles and beginning to feed on the ivy.

I saw five in all, and at one point another butterfly flew through strongly, showing the distinct maroon of a Peacock - it didn't stop. The nettles are producing a lot of lush low growth at the moment, and I was wondering whether to hunt for Red Admiral eggs as one of the butterflies I'd seen had been showing a bit of interest.

However, casting my eyes down, I immediately caught sight of something else - the familiar silvery-blue shape of a fresh Holly Blue waiting for a bit of stronger sunshine.

The butterfly suddenly decided to move - but only as far as some nearby brambles, a good choice as the nettles had been mostly shaded but the brambles were in sunshine.

At this point the thin high cloud was appreciably thicker, but I could see that before too long there would be a brighter spell and with luck the Holly Blue would start to bask. Patience... There were one or two strange looks from a couple of dog-walkers, but thankfully they kept their animals from disturbing the butterfly as they passed by. Anticipation built as the sun toyed with further bits of stray cloud, but the Holly Blue (another female) finally obliged.

I had the opportunity to take a great number of photos, and and having taken it in a big way, sorting through the results has been mighty difficult.

I managed a close up at one point, taking advantage of the docility of the butterfly.

In fact, I probably like this shot as much as any of them - it shows some real character.

It's worth waiting all season for the third brood Hollies, as they are so amenable, accessible and fairly predictable in behaviour, particularly the females. Checking back, a third brood has appeared here in every one of the last six years. Those that emerge first, in September, may have a chance of breeding and increasing the numbers to appear in Spring, but the late October and November butterflies almost certainly will run out of sunshine and warmth. However, numbers of third brood individuals are never great, and the strength of the second brood is sufficient to ensure this butterfly is a common sight throughout a large part of the year. In fact, in terms of numbers seen, my rough counts have it in third place after Meadow Browns and Small Whites - and it is seen on many more days than the first of these.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Interesting information about the Holly Blue Dave and cracking images Is it just me or does she seem to have even thicker dark margins than the 2nd brood females?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Absolutely stunning, Dave. What a find.

Amazing you're seeing anything to be honest. The weather has not been conducive for a while now.

[trevor]

Stunning stuff, Dave.
( A few Wurzelisms coming up! ) That's a gurt lush female Holly Blue,
and some cracking shots too !.
Some of the best open wing shots I've seen.

Trevor.

[bugboy]

[Neil Freeman]

Flipping 'eck Dave...that female Holly Blue is just rubbing it in

Seriously though, that is an amazing series of photos.

I think you have seen more third brood Holly Blues than I saw second brood around my patch. They were a bit thin on the ground around here this year, I reckon most of them migrated down the M40 corridor

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - you'll be able to compare the black margins with another example now! On this one, they aren't quite as extensive.

Just a bit of sunshine seems to be enough, David, and the Red Admirals are out. It seems to be enough to bring one or two Hollies out of their chrysalids too.

Thank you Trevor - the conditions seem just right for them to open up like that, and it is possible to get really close as well.

Not often you're speechless, Buggy...

Many thanks, Neil. There haven't been quite as many Holly Blues around here as there are in some years, but peak day counts of 34 in the first brood and 24 in the second, and 562 butterflies counted altogether (with them being seen on 67 days between 25th March and 31st October) means they've had a pretty reasonable year.

Thursday 31st October was very similar to the previous day, with perhaps a bit more sunshine. Red Admirals were slower to appear today, and once again it was while looking down at the new nettle growth that I saw something move in the wet grass. In view of the day before I wasn't really surprised to find another fresh female Holly Blue.

She struggled a bit to find purchase on the damp grass, and was partly shaded, so I lent a hand and helped her to a better spot in the sun.

She immediately started seeking moisture from the surface of the leaf.

I was also able to get some close-up shots of this behaviour.

Not so much patience was required today - the butterfly soon decided the bask in the sunshine.

Before the butterfly finally flew I managed a nice back-lit shot.

Encouraged by such a good start, I carried on around my usual route, finding most of the five Red Admirals today in slightly different haunts.

In one of these spots, one of the Admirals was being bothered by another butterfly. When it finally settled, it turned out to be a male Holly Blue, somewhat battered but still able to pose nicely.

Finally, back nearer home again, down on the nettles I found a third Holly Blue. This is where luck ran out - this one had clearly warmed up in the sun, and after allowing a couple of resting shots it set off into the trees, revealing itself in the process to be another male butterfly.

So, eight butterflies altogether, two species - and once again including a lovely fresh Holly Blue female.

There is one shot I haven't yet posted, but I think I'll save that for a more appropriate time...

The weather now goes downhill, and the chance of another outing like the last two steeply diminishes. Still, fingers crossed - you never know.

Dave

PS: And at long last, my diary is up to date!

[Wurzel]

Interesting Dave - that female looks more like the 1st brood - perhaps the third is mixture of both - late 2nd and early 1st A great set of shots again and I'm 'well jel' (as the kids say) as I've not seen a butterfly for a week now
"And at long last, my diary is up to date! " - what does it feel like - it's something I've yet to experience

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Time to update, again, Wurzel - though this won't take very long this time... There seems to be quite a bit of variation in these third brood female Hollies, so I may put them all alongside one another and see what it looks like - with typical examples from each of the other broods for comparison.

Unfortunately, there have been no further sightings of any Holly Blues. I say "unfortunately" but in view of their minimal chances of successfully reproducing, it's almost certainly better for them all to stay tucked up until spring now, much as I love seeing them so late in the year. It's been a long season, with the first Holly Blue sighting on 25th March this year. (The first butterflies were on 23rd February, after a winter gap of only 83 days from the last sighting of 2018 on 2nd December).

A few November butterflies on my local patch:

On Sunday 3rd November, I was mildly surprised to find a Comma on the ivy, having not seen one for a couple of weeks. I had imagined they had all finally disappeared into hibernation.

There were a couple of Red Admirals around as well, but one was too high on the foliage to get even a semi-obscured shot, and the other was a rapid fly-by.

On Monday 4th, in the limited sunshine available, I did find a fairly accessible Red Admiral, but just the one, and no other species were seen at all.

So far, that remains the last butterfly of 2019 - today's morning sun was chilly, and by the time temperatures had reached double figures (just), the cloud had rolled in again from the west.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I'd be interested in seeing that comparative study Dave
We've had a few light frosts the last couple of days so I don't know if that could be it now for me though in the 'Heathrow bubble' you could still have some tolerable days and sneak the odd Red Admiral in Mind you on the plus side I can now try and catch-up on my PD

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I'll see what I can do when the season has finally ground to a halt, Wurzel (any time now I should think! ).

Thursday 7th November was actually bright sunshine for a lot of the day, but distinctly chilly with it. I went out for my usual walk soon after 1000 and I doubt it was more than 8 or 9 degrees out there. Nevertheless, I soon encountered a Comma sunning itself.

It was quite active, and as can be seen it changed perches periodically to try and find the most sheltered and sunniest spot. Looking at the photos, this was not the one I had seen a few days earlier.

After spending a bit of time with the Comma, I carried on round. The next sighting was a Red Admiral flying past overhead, and then I spotted another one in a novel position on a passion vine. This plant is a huge affair, covering a considerable area and stretching way up into neighbouring trees. There are currently still lots of flowers on it, and a scattering of the ripening orange fruit, though most of these have rotted and fallen off. A close relative of the more tropical plant that bears commercial passion fruit (with the dark leathery skin and sweet acidic pulp), this more temperate variety grows well down here: the fruits are also edible if a bit on the bland side.

Finally, I found another Red Admiral in a more traditional position.

The weather has definitely nosedived now, but I am still vaguely hopeful of one or two more sightings.

Dave

[trevor]

The fat Lady has yet to sing around your way Dave.
She's in full voice in my area.
Your Comma is a sight for sore eyes!.

All the best,
Trevor.