Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. With regard to Emperor Moths being an honorary butterfly, all butterflies are day flying moths anyway from a scientific perspective

Thanks David. Apparently Cannock Chase is the earliest site in the midlands for Green Hairstreaks, I haven't yet seen any reported from the cluster of sites in Warwickshire where they are usually much later to emerge.

Saturday April 24th.

Our daughter Sarah came round on Saturday with the grandkids and with a bit of pleasant sunshine in the afternoon, we spent most of the time out in the garden. Between chatting and playing with the kids, I kept the usual eye out for any passing butterflies and even had a bit of help with little Chloe calling out ‘there’s a butterfly grandad’ whenever she saw one. She also took great pleasure in telling me that ‘butterflies drink nectar from flowers’ which apparently she had leant recently at school.

A couple of male Speckled Wood were doing their usual thing at opposite ends of the garden and chasing each other about whenever they intruded into each other’s space.

Speckled Wood male #1 - Coverdale 24.04.2021

The same one as above on another of his favourite perches.

One of them had already lost a chunk of hindwing around the eyespots, proving their value in diverting attacks from more vulnerable parts of the body and head.

Speckled Wood male #2 - Coverdale 24.04.2021

Checking my photos later, I realised by a slight difference in markings that I had also photographed a third male that had sneaked into the garden at some point in the afternoon.

Speckled Wood male #3 - Coverdale 24.04.2021

A couple of Orange-tips were circling around on their patrol routes, one of which I recognised by a small chunk out of his RH forewing as one that I had seen the day before.

Orange-tip male #1 - Coverdale 24.04.2021

Orange-tip male #2 - Coverdale 24.04.2021

Also seen passing through without stopping were at least two Holly Blues and a few unidentified whites.

Sunday April 25th.

A similar day weather wise to Saturday, that is after a cold start, plenty of sunshine although with a cooler breeze it didn’t quite feel as warm as the previous day.

The same species were seen in the garden as the day before, with some being the same individuals, the male speckled Wood below being a case in point, defending the same spot in the garden.

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 25.04.2021

The one with the chunk missing from his hindwing was also there again but the one below was a new individual, identified as such by minor differences in markings.

New Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 25.04.2021

At least two different male Orange-tips were visiting again with them both being in sight together a couple of times. Probably due to the cool breeze, one of them was more inclined to settle and bask today which gave me the opportunity for some decent open wing shots.

Orange-tip male - Coverdale 25.04.2021

Orange-tip male - Coverdale 25.04.2021

Again, a Holly Blue passed through without stopping, as did a couple of whites but today one did stop just long enough for me to identify it as a definite Small White.

Looks like a return to cooler conditions this week and we may even be seeing a bit of rain later on Tuesday and into Wednesday, we could certainly do with it.

All the best and stay safe,

Neil.

[trevor]

Some great garden sightings there, Neil. Good to read that your Granddaughter is learning
something useful at school, and with further tutorage from you she'll go on to great things!.
As for Orange Tips, the ratio of strong sunshine to cold air/wind makes the males more
likely to stop and bask, at least that's been my experience this year.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

"all butterflies are day flying moths anyway from a scientific perspective" - true, true, but as a Science Teacher by day I do sometimes need a break from the Scientific perspective, hence my flights of fancy

Those Specklies look particularly resplendent Neil Good to hear you're training up the next generation of butterfliers

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

...Good to read that your Granddaughter is learning
something useful at school, and with further tutorage from you she'll go on to great things!...

Trevor.

Thanks Trevor. Yes, I was chuffed when she came out with that

...Good to hear you're training up the next generation of butterfliers...

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. I try with my Grandson Frankie too but he has now reached the age where all he is interested in is smartphones and video games .

Monday 26th April.

It was supposed to be turning much cooler and cloudier here from today (Monday 26th) but from late morning onwards it wasn’t too bad at all with a nice warm sun just about winning out over a cold breeze. Not having been to my local spot by Wagon Lane Park for a few days, I decided to wander down for a look.

For once, the first butterfly seen here wasn’t a Small Tortoiseshell as a Small White greeted me on entering the site.

Small White male - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

It soon became obvious that there were a lot more whites around now, most of them flying almost constantly but that cold breeze mentioned earlier did induce some to settle a bit more, albeit briefly and easily spooked as I tried to sneak up on them. Most of them proved to be Small Whites but there were a few Green-veined Whites too with I reckon a split of around 75% to 25% in favour of the Smalls.

Small White female - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

Green-veined White female - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

A couple of male Orange-tips were also doing their circuits but I couldn’t get close to these today. I still haven’t seen a female around here yet.

There were still a fair number of Small Tortoiseshells here with maybe a dozen or more seen scattered all around the site, some of which are still in reasonable condition.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

Four Peacocks were also seen but no Commas today.

Peacock - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

Three male Speckled Wood were seen guarding different gaps in the hedges with these also being very flighty and when they did settle it was often somewhere difficult to get a photo.

Speckled Wood male - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

A female was also spotted furtively fluttering along the base of a hedgerow and stopping to bask in the sunny spots.

Speckled Wood female - Wagon Lane 26.04.2021

After doing my usual circuit I headed back home and carried on pottering about in the garden where two of the male Speckled Woods from the past couple of days were up to their usual antics.
At one point I watched a female flutter into the garden and stop to bask for a bit before carrying on her unhurried way, completely unseen by the two males that were busy scrapping with each other…there has to be a lesson in life there .

Speckled Wood female - Coverdale 26.04.2021

We have finally had some rain during the night and as I write this on Wednesday morning (28th) it is still coming down albeit just a light drizzle now.

Lots of cloud forecast over the next few days and much cooler temperatures so not looking too good for butterflies, but one thing I have learned over the past few years is how quickly spring butterflies can respond to just a few minutes sunshine, so you never know.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[millerd]

Good to see your diary featuring goodly numbers of Speckled Woods, Neil, and continuing to produce some decent Small Tortoiseshells too. I do like the Orange Tips on contrasting flowers as well - my local ones rarely stray beyond things with white or pale pink blooms.

Cheers,

Dave

[Chris L]

Lovely, crisp, pristine looking butterflies Neil. I am particularly taken with how rich and dark the Speckled Wood look.

Your Small Tortoiseshell look quite fresh too. The ones I see are now very faded and quite weather worn. They seem to be just about hanging on. I wonder if the ones that you saw and photographed had recently got out of a garden shed.

[Wurzel]

Oh the blessed phones bane of my life they are Cracking set of shots, love the Specklies but for me top of the pops is the Green-veined White - just because of the rarity value - I've only seen a couple so far this season It looks like they're having a better season up your way though which is good

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Some nice examples of your 'signature species' these last few posts, Neil. Lovely too that you have Orange Tips not only visiting your garden but being kind enough to pose the way they do.

Like you, I'm grateful for the rain, but on the cusp of May it's about time we had some late spring temperatures, rather than those usually more associated with early March.

[Pauline]

Lovely, velvety images of the Speckled Wood Neil. Not sure how you do that but try as I might my shots of SW never look quite as elegant

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the comments Dave, Otep, Wurzel, David and Pauline

Apparently we have had the frostiest April on record and if it hadn't been for the rain that we had on Thursday (29th) it would have been one of the driest too. From last Monday (26th) up until Saturday (1st May) I didn't see a single butterfly, mind you that was largely because lots of cloud and a cold wind put me off going out looking, and I saw nothing in the garden during this time.

Saturday 1st May

Another mostly cloudy day with some occasional sun that struggled to lift the temperature out of single figures. A single Small White that flew into the garden during one of the longer sunny spells was the first butterfly that I had seen since last Monday. It settled and stayed for a couple of minutes before warming up enough to carry on over next door.

Small White male - Coverdale 01.05.2021

Sunday 2nd May

A slightly better day with some longer spells of sun, especially during the morning, although later in the afternoon some dark grey clouds built up which ended up dumping some heavy rain on us early evening.

Earlier in the afternoon, I had seen a female speckled Wood lurking around in the long grass at the bottom of the garden and although it was difficult to see clearly without disturbing her she appeared to be laying eggs. The males were not about today so she carried on undisturbed for about ten minutes before fluttering over the fence into the neighbours garden.

A couple of whites were seen, one of which was a male Green-veined White that briefly stopped on my lilac shrub which is just starting to come into flower.

Green-veined White male - Coverdale 02.05.2021

Another white that was tempted to stop on the lilac turned out to be my first female Orange-tip seen this year.

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 02.05.2021

A single Holly Blue also passed through without stopping.

As I write this on Monday (3rd May) morning, it is really dull and gloomy outside and we are forecast to get heavy rain for most of the day. Unfortunately, the rest of the week is looking 'unsettled' with temperatures once again struggling to get into double figures.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[trevor]

Good to see your female Orange Tip, Neil.
I've also only seen one so far this year, but unlike you I messed up at the critical moment!.
There seems to be a new ' batch ' of Speckled Woods around here, several seen this morning.

Keep up the good work, and stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

You may have only seen a few butterflies recently Neil but you got some cracking images of them - especially the Small White I don't know why but female Orange-tips always remind me of a Koala's head?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Trevor. The 'new batch' are probably those that overwintered as larvae whereas the first ones to emerge would have done so as pupae.

Cheers Wurzel. Should it worry me that I can see what you mean by the Koala's head

A really lousy day yesterday so I ended up doing that traditional Bank Holiday thing...I put some shelves up

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

"Cheers Wurzel. Should it worry me that I can see what you mean by the Koala's head " - I'm sure that it's a case of "great minds..."

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..As I write this on Monday (3rd May) morning, it is really dull and gloomy outside and we are forecast to get heavy rain for most of the day. Unfortunately, the rest of the week is looking 'unsettled' with temperatures once again struggling to get into double figures.

Bank Holiday Monday was a truly hideous day, Neil. I don't recall any May day in my lifetime being so abject. I reassured myself that it would be warming up as the weather forecast that day seemed to suggest it, but since then I note that it has changed and we have cool & unsettled conditions for the next few days (bar Friday).

I hope that uplifting female Orange Tip survived the storm.

[Neil Freeman]

- I'm sure that it's a case of "great minds..."
Wurzel

Indeed Wurzel

I hope that uplifting female Orange Tip survived the storm.

So do I David, I have not seen many Orange-tips around here so far this year.

Thursday 6th May.

After the truly horrible weather that we had on Bank Holiday Monday, during which we had dark and gloomy clouds from the word go and lots of heavy rain and some hail, the next two days were only slightly better in that the sun tried to break through occasionally. This did little to warm things up however, with a cold wind and more showers of rain and hail making it feel more like winter than spring.
Things improved a bit more on Thursday with some longer spells of sun and although we still had that cold wind, it stayed dry all day for the first time this week. I know I said previously that we were badly in need of rain but it has gone from one extreme to the other over the past week or so.
Anyway, the conditions had improved enough by the afternoon for me to see the first butterflies this week in the garden with a couple of male Speckled Woods chasing each other about in the usual spots. Both of these looked to be new individuals, not surprising really as it is over a week since the last males were seen here.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 06.05.2021

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 06.05.2021

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 06.05.2021

The only other butterfly seen was a male Small White that stopped to refuel on the lilac until one of the male Specklies spotted it and chased it off.

Small White - Coverdale 06.05.2021

Friday 7th May.

Morning.

A decent sunny morning, at least to start with although as is often the case, clouds soon began to bubble up to prevent the sun having its full effect. We popped round to my Mom’s to take some shopping in and after a chat and a coffee, I wandered down to her local park for a look around.
I mentioned in my previous report from here that some work had been done over the winter which had included opening up a path through a small wood which had become overgrown. This is a great improvement with the extra light encouraging some bluebells that had been in danger of being shaded out.

Looking along the path through the small wood.

By now the clouds had built up to something like 75% cover and the cool wind was quite noticeable. Nevertheless, a couple of male Speckled Woods were spotted flitting about in the open spots amongst the trees, although these were the only butterflies to be seen braving the cool conditions this morning.

Speckled Wood - Langley Hall Park 07.05.2021

Some more work that had been done here over the winter was around a stream that had previously been in a straight culvert that led into a pond that had become choked with vegetation and overhanging trees and shrubs. The stream has now been ‘naturalised’ and the pond cleared with the surrounding shrubs thinned out, all of which have made a massive improvement to this side of the park.

New stream layout looking towards cleared pond.

A family of Canada Geese seemed to appreciate their new surroundings.

Family of Canada Geese - Langley Hall Park 07.05.2021

Having a swim on the newly cleared pond.

I then circled around to go back to my Mom’s and meet Jane before heading back home.

Afternoon.

For an hour or so either side of midday, the clouds built up to form a blanket overcast but then they started to break up again until by 1.30pm it was about 50/50 cloud and blue skies and it was feeling pleasant enough to tempt me into wandering down to my local spot by Wagon Lane Park. With the lousy weather recently, I had not been there for over a week now and I was keen to see what, if anything, was around.

I spent roughly an hour and a half slowly wandering around my usual circuit and during that time I saw a minimum of five Small Tortoiseshell still hanging on. Three of these were definitely on their last legs but a couple didn’t look too bad considering their age now and the recent storm lashing that they would have endured here.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

Three Peacocks were seen, again two of them were in a sorry state but one was still in fairly good nick.

Peacock - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

At least three and possibly four different Speckled Wood were seen, all males doing their usual thing of defending sheltered corners.

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 07.05.2021

Also seen but not photographed were singles of Holly Blue, male Orange-tip and a couple of unidentified whites, all spotted motoring along during warmer spells when the sun was out.

A few more premium species have now been reported from around the midlands e.g. Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in the Wyre Forest and Dingy and Grizzled Skippers from various sites, but only in small numbers so far and given the recent weather I have not yet been tempted to drive the distance required for me to go and see these.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is looking to be horrendous again but hopefully next week I may get the chance to go a bit further afield.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

A lovely collection of Specklies Neil and that Small White is a real gem - great white balance It's good to see that some agencies have some idea about how to complete works that actually improve habitats - the lot down here just seem to hack and mow We sorely need the jet stream to migrate back North!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to see those habitat images, Neil. Always gives one a better sense of things.

Really like that image of the Speckled Wood underside, made better by the fact that it's sat on a bluebell flower. I rarely get a decent look at the uns of this species; they tend to flick their wings continually and they are often perched too low down.

I'm impressed you're still seeing Small Tortoiseshells. I think my last one was on 25th April and I'll probably have to wait till well into June for the next.

[Neil Freeman]

...It's good to see that some agencies have some idea about how to complete works that actually improve habitats - the lot down here just seem to hack and mow...

Cheers Wurzel,
Solihull Council have been doing a few of these projects around the area but there is still a lot of scalping of roadside verges going on around here. Seems like a lack of joined up thinking. I have e-mailed them a number of times about unnecessary strimming and mowing but never get a reply.

...I'm impressed you're still seeing Small Tortoiseshells. I think my last one was on 25th April and I'll probably have to wait till well into June for the next...

Thanks David,
I often see ex-hibernators well into May around here and sometimes into June, obviously depending on how each season progresses. It is not unknown for me to see fresh new summer Small Tortoiseshells on the same day as old ex-hibernators that are still hanging on.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Saturday 8th May.

Well, they were bang on with the weather forecast for Saturday here, although for once I could have done with them being wrong. It was horrendous, with rain starting sometime in the early hours and then pretty much all day and well into the night all of which was accompanied by a strong wind.

Sunday 9th May.

Definitely a weekend of two halves with blue skies and sunshine to greet us on waking up this morning. The deluge on Saturday had left large puddles of standing water in the garden, something that I only usually see here during the winter and only then during the wettest periods. It was still very blowy but at least it was a warm southerly wind and by mid-morning the temperature was up to around 16 degrees.
I don’t often like going to my local spots at weekends as there are far too many members of Joe Public around these days, joggers, cyclists and dog walkers with their animals running around loose, so I spent the day pottering around the house and garden and keeping my eye out for any passing butterflies as usual.
The first one seen was a male Orange-tip that flew in and out of the garden, or I should say looked more like he was blown in and out rather quickly by the stiff wind.

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 09.05.2021

He was followed shortly after by a female that stopped for a few seconds before she too was off.

During the rest of the morning, I saw a couple more male Orange-tips, or maybe the same one coming around again on his circuits, plus a couple of Holly Blues. With the latter I know there was at least two as I saw them spiralling up around each other before they were blown over next door.

During the afternoon, as is so often the case, clouds built up until they had formed a blanket overcast. At some point a female (I think) Comma must have sneaked into the garden without me seeing her as the first that I was aware of her was when I spotted an orange patch against some green leaves. Under the clouds she was quite content to stay there for ages, occasionally closing her wings for a while and then opening them again when the cloud thinned a bit to allow some weak light though.

Comma - Coverdale 09.05.2021

Comma - Coverdale 09.05.2021

I have still only seen nine species so far this year with Brimstone and Large White still missing for me. Maybe I will be able to add one or two this coming week but it is looking to be quite unsettled for the foreseeable future so it will probably be last minute decisions as to whether I go out anywhere.

All the best and stay safe,

Neil.