www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Many thanks to all of you - I'm not sure I can remember going out and seeing butterflies on seven straight days in March, but that's what has just happened. If the weather were to continue like this, I'm sure Orange Tips would appear in numbers, but everything will now go on hold for a bit. Hopefully the next spell of warm sunshine will also prompt some Holly Blues to emerge - they have been notable by their absence, but it's only four months since the last one I suppose...

Saturday 28th March started much as other recent days have done, but the northeasterly breeze strengthened quickly and by lunchtime had brought a lot of cloud down with it. My permitted morning walk still turned up three butterflies - two Commas and a Peacock braved the cool wind.One or two planes continue to land, from various parts of the world.I imagine air cargo continues to some degree, as that is how a lot of our more exotic and out-of-season fruit and veg arrives in the country and my local Sainsburys had no shortage of such things yesterday.

Tomorrow is going to be COLD...

Dave

Yes, I hope you have had your fill of butterflies this week, as next week is not looking good...

Amazing you're still seeing planes right now, Dave. I guess freight is the likely reason - can't be many passengers arriving in the UK from abroad right now. I guess it's reminiscent of when Eyjafjallajökull erupted back in 2010 which brought air traffic in Europe almost to a complete halt for a while.

I'm almost glad the weather's becoming cooler. Last thing we want right now is a warm spell whilst compelled to stay indoors. I hope Orange Tip emergence can be put temporarily on hold until things improve.

Hello Millerd, congrats on the Orange Tip. I am yet to see one but am hoping they start appearing round here soon

millerd wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:36 pm Thank you, Old Wolf - I noticed the colour difference too, but have no idea if this is a constant trait or not. I doubt it somehow, or the books would probably all mention it. The female is slightly larger than the male, and has a plumper abdomen (packed with eggs), but I suspect the colour varies between individuals regardless of their sex. How they have passed the long months of hibernation will no doubt play a part, as well as their condition at the start of that period of inactivity.

Thanks for the info Millerd. I had to ask. I am learning new stuff here all the time

Neil Freeman wrote: ↑Sat Mar 28, 2020 10:34 am It is a good question but I suspect the colour difference is mainly caused by the wings being at different angles to the light.

Thanks Neil, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my stupid question

Yes Mark, there has been a short hiatus in sightings, but luckiy not too long.

There is still a constant stream of planes, David, but at considerable intervals instead of every 30 seconds! Quite a bit of cargo being carried I suspect.

Cheers, Old Wolf - Orange Tips are now well and truly underway, and should start appearing everywhere this week with the weather looking pretty good.

Thursday April 2nd. After a few chilly days, the 2nd was a bit warmer, and in a burst of morning sunshine I ventured out and manged to see a handful of butterflies: Brimstone 2; Small White 1; Peacock 2; Comma 1. Friday April 3rd was cooler again, but there was actually more sunshine. Only a small number of sightings, all later in the day: Small White 1; Peacock 1; Comma 3. Saturday 4th April, however, saw the arrival of the promised spell of warm sunny weather. Early mist and low cloud cleared by midday and into the afternoon, it had become pleasantly warm (probably up to 17 degrees). The butterflies responded as expected, and over the length of my local circuit (slightly extended I have to admit) I counted around 80 butterflies of seven species.

The newcomer today was the Speckled Wood.Numbers of Small Whites and Orange Tips were beginning to rise, Peacocks were everywhere, and with the increase in temperature, Brimstones were also frequent and were flying into early afternoon today.Commas were common, and I spotted a female investigating nettles and probably laying.More worryingly, there were still only a few Small Tortoiseshells, and (I never thought I'd be saying this) I am still waiting for my first Holly Blue.Highlights today included a mating pair of Small Whites......and watching Orange Tips begin to settle down for the evening. An excellent day - and this is only the start of the fine spell.

Dave

80 in one afternoon! That's more than I've seen all year, by a very significant margin

What a brilliant haul, Dave. Yesterday was definitely the day butterflies had been waiting for.
You mention a lack of Small Tortoiseshells ( plural ), I was pleased with one locally.
A mrgreen is reserved for your OT shots, I was hoping for some yesterday,
but had to make do with multiple Specklies.

Keep safe and well,
Trevor.

That is an impressive sum Dave Great to see Specklies on your PD as that means I could be seeing them in about a weeks time Great shots especially liking the Small White which has a very, very slight lemony tinge

Have a goodun

Wurzel

WoW!! what a great haul, I bet you were pleased We're still waiting for warmth here . Love the Orange Tips, they're a lovely sight in Spring Goldie

millerd wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:53 pm...The butterflies responded as expected, and over the length of my local circuit (slightly extended I have to admit) I counted around 80 butterflies of seven species.

It's amazing how butterfly numbers suddenly go from few to a great many as soon as conditions become optimal. 80 individuals is good going at this time of year, as is to witness 7 different species.

Lovely to see a few images of male Orange Tips; the first of many hopefully.

Cheers, everyone.

Saturday was a good day, and in some ways, Sunday 5th April was even better. I didn't walk so far, but saw nearly as many butterflies, including the first Holly Blue of the year pottering along the top of the bramble thickets but not stopping for a moment. All the other species seen so far this year were represented, though seeing one single Small Tortoiseshell was very poor, given the conditions. A selection:The many Peacocks still astonish me with their near-immaculate conditionMore Orange Tips again today. I saw a female, but it was immediately accosted by a male in the way they so often are, and the pair dashed off into the undergrowthOther points of interest in the air included this Red Kite, which has been over the village quite a bit recently......and this British Airways 747 in BOAC "Heritage" livery.This evokes distinct nostalgia for my youth, as I had had an early 747 Airfix kit completed in just this colour scheme. It just shows how long this type of plane has been flying.

Dave

Great to hear that millerd is back onto the Holly Blues, a little bit of normality creeping back in Great shots as usual Dave eep em coming as I need to know what to look out for next round my neck of the woods

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Hopefully your Holly Blues will be sitting pretty in front of your camera lens before long, Dave.

Yes, good to finally see the Holly Blues reappearing, Wurzel. I miss them, you know!

You appear to have seen decent numbers already in your neck of the woods, David. I think you've mentioned in the past that your bit of coast is warmer in the winter than it is round here, and I suspect that's why you're well ahead.

Monday 6th April. The day dawned with something not seen here for a couple of weeks now - a bit of light rain. However, by late morning, the clouds were breaking up and more warm sunshine brought forth the butterflies. I saw not quite as many as the previous day, and only six species - but one of these was another new one for the year. This was a single Red Admiral, pausing only briefly in the midst of a rapid flight pretty well due north. From the glimpse I had it seemed to be in good nick, and it occured to me that it might be an immigrant, rather than a survivor of the winter. Sunday's southerly winds could well have brought a few over.

Aside from 29 Peacocks, today's stars were the Orange Tips, including a couple of females.I also couldn't resist another immaculate posing Comma. Dave

Tuesday 7th April. More sunshine, and the day became really warm by afternoon. I embarked on a slightly longer walk in a wide loop taking an hour or so, and concentrated on counting Peacocks as accurately as I could. By the time I was back home, I had seen an amazing 45 of the species. It is quite possible, given their rapid flight, that there was some double-counting, but equally there will have been others I missed simply by looking in the wrong direction. No other species came anywhere close in numbers (next highest were Orange Tips, with a mere 14 individuals).There were two more first sightings for 2020: I spotted a really large white butterfly being hassled by a male Orange Tip and on closer approach it turned out to be a male Large White. It was then also accosted by a male Small White, and the size contrast was very noticeable. I followed it for a while, but rather typically it stayed higher up finally settling completely out of range. However, it had led me towards something just as interesting - a mating pair of Green-veined Whites. These were again a first for the year, and must have encountered each other within minutes of emergence. This is the point at which counting species becomes a whole lot trickier. Three species of White, plus female Orange Tips... there is going to be some imprecision from now on! Still, the GVW pair posed rather well, despite a couple of shifts of position caused by interference from other passing butterflies. I imagine there were pheremones on the breeze... Around 90 butterflies of nine species seen today, and the year tally is now eleven.

Dave

Don't think I've ever seen a fresher pair of butterflies in cop! Your patch is still far outdoing mine ten fold in both species and sheer numbers

I'm with Bugboy those GVWs are in mint condish - it must have been the shortest courtship ever - emerge meet my mate, copulate, biological imperative met, relax and enjoy the sun Lovely shots and those OTs from yesterday

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Your having some good luck with the Butterflies Dave, great shots of them all Goldie

Your patch is certainly doing you proud again Dave. Great Orange-tip shots and lovely fresh Green-veined White, I have yet to see one of the latter.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thank you, everyone. The run of fine weather has really been behind the good numbers of butterflies seen here recently, and it appears to be continuing. However, as others have noticed, Peacocks in particular are having an unusually good spring.

Wednesday 8th April has been another fine day. Though there was a lot more cloud, it was noticeably warmer and more humid, reaching about 23 degrees. I didn't walk as far today, so only clocked up 24 Peacocks......but Orange Tips were much more widespread around my route and were well into double figures.Though I still haven't managed my first photo of the year, I saw five Holly Blues today, so hopefully as the numbers increase so will suitable photo opportunities. Commas were also more in evidence today for some reason, also notching up double figures.I spotted a Large White again, almost certainly the same male as yesterday, and grabbed an "in-motion" snap as it careered past me, confirming the ID. It didn't stop once in the fifteen minutes I watched it, and spent most of that time three-quarters of the way up to the treetops. Definitely an arborial species at this time of year. A Speckled Wood finished off proceedings, making a total for the day of around 70 butterflies of nine species.Other interest: on my way alongside Hithermoor Lake, I came across this duck looking after no fewer than 12 ducklings. That seems an extraordinarily large brood... Dave