www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi Old Wolf,
I've only just logged on to see your request. I hope you were successful. I was at Knepp, where the weather was 'sunny enough', so fingers crossed you got lucky.
BWs, Neil

More Reds

On Saturday (28 September) I had a difficult choice; chase Long-tailed Blues or Red Deer. In the end, a trip to watch the rut at Knepp won, as the LTBs will be going for a while yet and better weather is promised later this week. With patience, the Knepp stags rarely disappoint.

The Long Search

Today (30 September) a thinning of the cloud cover was sufficient to persuade me to try Whitehawk Hill for Long-tailed Blues (LTBs). Five others had the same idea, travelling from as far afield as Essex and Scotland! The sun eventually broke through, but none of the late wave primary immigrants, which have been seen here regularly since 10 September, made an appearance; they may have run out of steam during the recent spell of poor weather.

After a prolonged search for roosting butterflies on the flower-heads and scrub in both the lekking areas (either side of the TV mast), I changed tactics and started to methodically search the pea plants. When I eventually found a pristine male, I was relieved that Trevor Rapley was still on site, but felt rather bad that all the long distance travellers had departed! I have high hopes for Wednesday onward.

Oooooh he's a corker!

Neil Hulme wrote:..On Saturday (28 September) I had a difficult choice; chase Long-tailed Blues or Red Deer. In the end, a trip to watch the rut at Knepp won...

I didn't realise you liked them this much, Neil?! As you say, the Long Tailed Blues will (hopefully) wait until this dreadful spell of weather clears up.

I’m hoping to head down on Wednesday, perhaps there will be a few familiar faces on site!

Neil Hulme wrote:Hi Old Wolf,
I've only just logged on to see your request. I hope you were successful. I was at Knepp, where the weather was 'sunny enough', so fingers crossed you got lucky.
BWs, Neil

Hello Neil,
No worries, I Knew I had probably left it a bit late for a reply and in the end I had to go into work so couldn't go anyway. I am keeping a close eye on the weather for this Saturday though

Long-tailed Blues Continued

On Tuesday (1 October) I visited Pagham Beach, where Chris Janman recently discovered a couple of Long-tailed Blue (LTB) on Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea growing in front of the seafront bungalows. There's a lot of pea and some Broom (alternative foodplant), so I suspect there have been far more LTBs here than those reported. I found a mint condition female resting on Bramble, but failed to get a photograph before she was whisked away in the wind. I also saw a male in flight on several occasions. Other species seen at Pagham included four Clouded Yellow (all in good condition), Small Copper, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Comma and Small White.

Yesterday (2 October) I started quite early at Whitehawk Hill TV mast and was soon joined by Mark Wagstaff from Hampshire. While we were chatting a male LTB suddenly appeared from its roosting spot beneath a Bramble leaf, but it remained inactive until the temperature reached about 14 degrees after midday. By this time a large crowd of admirers were on-site. After losing track of it for a while (when they shift they really do move!), more people arrived and it was relocated by Mark Bunch from Essex (essexbuzzard). Colin Whitehead and his wife (visiting from Edinburgh) reported seeing five LTB at Lancing Station the previous day, so I headed there.

I spotted my quarry immediately upon arrival, seeing three in all. One, a Sussex-born male, cleared the fence and spent about ten minutes on the rough ground to the north of the track. However, when the sunshine returned it flew off before giving me the open-wing shot I was hoping for. Another great day with hopefully more to follow.

That LTB is an enviable specimen, Neil. Must be thrilling to see them as fresh as that in the UK.

Fingers crossed that we get some settled conditions over the next week or so to give as many people as possible a chance to see this beautiful little lycaenid.

Thanks, David. There are actually two individuals there, from different sites. It appears that even the late wave primary immigrants have now all perished, so we're just left with gleaming UK-born specimens. I nearly wrote 'Sussex-born', but I'm convinced there are plenty to be found in other coastal counties.
BWs, Neil

The Party Continues

My pleas to spare some rampant Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (liberally peppered with Long-tailed Blue eggs) from being cut back in a Lancing retirement home garden paid dividends today (6 October). I saw two Sussex-born females here, with possibly a third in flight. I then moved on to Lancing Station, where the action came thick and fast behind the security fencing. I eventually worked out that there were four females and two males present, although I suspect that might be on the conservative side.

On a private East Sussex site (Site X, which I don't know the location of), Mr Y saw 17 LTB today, which just goes to show how many are still out there, just waiting to be found.

Hi Neil,
Some superb shots there Neil ! Good to see the LTB's doing so well in your neck of the woods . For me in mid-Kent not much to report . I visited
Kingsdown Leas back in mid- August ,and although I didn,t see any ,I did find several spent egg cases and I believe one or two others on UKB
have seen some of the early migrant individuals at Kingsdown ,i'm guessing that the new LTB's should now be on the wing there ,I was hoping to re-visit today but the weather (and a few jobs !) were against me ! At Dungeness the eggs laid on the Bladder Senna ,have all but gone , I did see some sign of Larval damage ,but as yet none have been reported ,the BLEP ( and the NLEP !) finished flowering along the entrance road ,a long time back.
At Rye harbour ,not far from the car park ,a few BLEP plants grow and I reckon there was some feeding damage on a couple of flower heads .
Further along the sea wall ,where the new visitor centre is being built ,theres a mass of Pea growing along the raised platform growing around the site ,had a quick look ,a while back but couldn't see any likely LTB signs ,but it is a bit awkward ……….so many people back and forth !
Had a bit of a look along the bungalows at Winchelsea beach as well ……………..but no luck . Hoping for some better weather next weekend .
Regards Allan.W.

That would finish off my year in style, a nice fresh female LTB.
Glad to here the party is still in full swing. Your perseverance was rewarded!.

Trevor.

Hi Allan

There hasn't been too much news coming out of Kent, but I do know someone who visited Kingsdown some while back and saw 6 or more LTB in a short period of time, and found 'plenty' of eggs.

I wouldn't worry about whether or not any BLEP, NLEP or other foodplant is still flowering, or even green, as most LTB will now be pupae, ready to emerge over the next few weeks. The length of the life cycle will now be stretching out in response to lower temperature, so it's likely to be a protracted emergence. Sadly, many of the eggs laid by late wave primary immigrants, up until that recent spell of foul weather, will never make it through; November frosts are likely to do for them. All the research I've done on the species since 2013 suggests they'll fly south, with the females departing once mated.

Thanks, Trevor. Slightly better weather this week should see a few more coming out to play.

BWs, Neil

Lancing Station

My thanks to Network Rail for allowing me access to the track-side at Lancing Station today (8 October). Before the company ecologist arrived, a small group of us enjoyed plenty of action through the security wire, with both males and females visible, and chases involving up to three adults. At least six were observed from the car park, with a further three further down the line to the west. As I expected, no freshly laid eggs could be found. However, the very first flower I picked, to demonstrate where the ova are usually placed, held an old eggshell. This was my first ever butterfly outing while dressed in day-glo orange and a hardhat.

Elephant In The Room

Over the last few years I've helped my children breed through a common species of moth (previously Emperor and Vapourer), to teach them the wonders of metamorphosis. In September, a mother from their youth group described the large caterpillars she'd seen wandering around her garden, which could only be Elephant Hawk-moth larvae looking for a pupation site. I managed to find one of them that evening, so the kids will be in for a nice surprise early next summer.

Neil Hulme wrote:My thanks to Network Rail for allowing me access to the track-side at Lancing Station today (8 October). Before the company ecologist arrived, a small group of us enjoyed plenty of action through the security wire, with both males and females visible, and chases involving up to three adults. At least six were observed from the car park, with a further three further down the line to the west. As I expected, no freshly laid eggs could be found. However, the very first flower I picked, to demonstrate where the ova are usually placed, held an old eggshell. This was my first ever butterfly outing while dressed in day-glo orange and a hardhat.

That's a commendable achievement, Neil, in being allowed access to such a site. Even better that you found a fair number of Long Tailed Blues there.

Was the company ecologist also there because of this species?

Hi David
Yes. We were there to look at the opportunities for LTB on the Network Rail estate (Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea is quite common along track-sides and in unused sidings), and for wildlife in general.
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme wrote:We were there to look at the opportunities for LTB on the Network Rail estate (Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea is quite common along track-sides and in unused sidings), and for wildlife in general.

Thanks for that, Neil. Good to see industry taking an interest.

Back To Knepp

I'm spending a lot of time on the Knepp Wildland at the moment and I'm likely to be back many more times over the next few weeks. Yesterday (9 October) I photographed some more of the large Red Deer stags which are particularly active in the early and late parts of the day.