April 2014

[William]

13 April. Clouded Yellow emergence continues. Photo shows specimen drying wings with vacated pupa in bottom left corner. Also seen mating pair and sundry patrolling males.

M.

Superb photo Mikhail

[Pete Eeles]

13 April. Clouded Yellow emergence continues. Photo shows specimen drying wings with vacated pupa in bottom left corner. Also seen mating pair and sundry patrolling males.

M.

Amazing Mikhail - nice find!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

I am amazed by the clouded yellows too. In fact, it inspired me to have a look myself (I'm currently in Suffolk, not Switzerland) yesterday in the coastal clover fields where I saw clouded yellows last autumn - but no luck. A stiff breeze didn't help.

This morning, my last day in Suffolk, I tried again for an early green hairstreak. I didn't see any, but to be fair, I don't think I've ever seen one in the first half of April here. I was glad to find a few small coppers along a woodland ride, though:





There were also plenty of speckled woods:



This orange tip was resting with wings firmly closed while the sun was hidden by cloud:



Whenever the sun came out he began to open his wings and when it went in again he closed them.



Other species flying this morning were peacock, small white and green-veined white.

Guy

[Mark Senior]

Speckled Woods out in force in my little transect adjacent the railway , Tarring Road West Worthing , 10/12 seen , several Small Whites and one Large White and an aberrant Small Tortoiseshell with the black spots on the upper forewing replaced by yellow or light orange spots .

[Lee Hurrell]

I had a meeting in Ealing this morning which allowed me to walk through Ealing Common from Acton to get there. Hats off to Ealing Council for leaving some wild areas!

1 Holly Blue in the usual gardens, 1 Small White and 1 female Green Veined White seen.

[David M]

Had the honour of a male Brimstone fly-past in my work car park early this afternoon.

Temperature hit 18c by 3.30pm and I saw a few Whites flying along the roadsides on my way home.

[Willrow]

Castle Meadows & Linda Vista Gardens, Abergavenny. Just over one hour spent looking for Orange-tip at these usually dependable locations didn't disappoint, at least a dozen males were counted, all far too busy in the warm sunshine to stop for a record photograph - totally inconsiderate Also saw 2 Brimstone, 6 Small White, 5 Green-veined White, 30+ Small Tortoiseshell, 9 Peacock and my first Speckled Wood of the year (3no).

After last years 'soap opera' with Holly Blue which some of you may well remember (when I had to wait until late August to see one!) well, how things have changed, this year I'm off with a bang, three were seen in the lovely Linda Vista Gardens and this puts my years list up to nine species, and that's very encouraging, but if I start counting the species I've seen, I'm vunerable to becoming a 'butterfly twitcher'...oh! please no not that

Bill

PS. I've not seen a Red Admiral yet...so could this Nymphalid possibly, just possibly - be my this years Holly Blue

[Padfield]

In the afternoon (14th April), a Suffolk red admiral:



I never saw spring red admirals in Suffolk in my youth ...

Guy

[David M]

Castle Meadows & Linda Vista Gardens, Abergavenny. Just over one hour spent looking for Orange-tip at these usually dependable locations didn't disappoint, at least a dozen males were counted, all far too busy in the warm sunshine to stop for a record photograph - totally inconsiderate Also saw 2 Brimstone, 6 Small White, 5 Green-veined White, 30+ Small Tortoiseshell, 9 Peacock and my first Speckled Wood of the year (3no).

After last years 'soap opera' with Holly Blue which some of you may well remember (when I had to wait until late August to see one!) well, how things have changed, this year I'm off with a bang, three were seen in the lovely Linda Vista Gardens and this puts my years list up to nine species, and that's very encouraging, but if I start counting the species I've seen, I'm vunerable to becoming a 'butterfly twitcher'...oh! please no not that

Bill

PS. I've not seen a Red Admiral yet...so could this Nymphalid possibly, just possibly - be my this years Holly Blue

Grrr! You're making me envious, Bill.

Castle Meadows is a magnet for Orange Tips and like you, I too have seen Holly Blues regularly both here and in Linda Vista Gardens.

I may well be retracing your steps if the weather is fair on Easter Sunday.

[MikeOxon]

As Browning wrote "OH, to be in England now that April ’s there"

We visited the wonderful garden at Kifstgate, on the Cotswold edge near Chipping Campden yesterday and found the bluebell woods were already in full bloom!

Kiftsgate Garden, Glos - 14th April 2014
Lumix TZ25 fl=67mm - 1/250s@f/5.9 (EV -0.3) ISO400

Mike

[Willrow]

Aberbargoed Grasslands NNR, South Wales. A timely visit to do a Marsh Fritillary larval 'survey' and I'm pleased to say that I saw 60+ during my morning visit, once the sunshine had warmed the critters up it became increasingly more difficult to find them, their undoubtably well dispersed throughout the main 'core' area though, the munched Devil's Bit Scabious was testament to this! I didn't have enough time available on this visit to 'survey' the other 'meta populations' within the reserve, but hope to return later in the week - not enough hours in a day this time of year

It was a delight to carefully tip-toe among the grasses searching for larvae while the Tree Pipits performed their wonderful sky dance above the Silver Birch and Chiffchaff and Blackcap provided nature's music in the background, mornings like this are simply magical The grasslands seem to hold a very healthy Common Lizard population and I've long wondered if they snack on MF or their larvae, having said that those protective spiracles (or whatever) might make an attempted meal somewhat unpalatable, but then again some warblers seem to manage. Last year I saw and photographed a Common Lizard here more than 5" in length - now that's some potential predator

Perhaps I'm being a little pedantic but the recently erected Mission Butterfly signs at the reserve for visitors (and kids in particular) show a cartoon like butterfly being chased by a net, I don't think this is the right message to send out on a reserve that supports one of Europe's most threatened butterflies, ill informed visitors might just think that its okay to let their kids loose with a net Whatever there are other positive things hapenning at the reserve including a new car park and metalled road, which is found as soon as you turn off the main road into the reserve* and its now clearly signposted too...so well done to Caerphilly County Borough Council for all the work so recently completed.

Bill

* Further details can be found on the Sites thread.

[robpartridge]

Visiting the cemetery in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, my most reliable site for Holly Blues, I found them aplenty; I also recorded my first Large Whites of the year, not one but at least four, with a male and a female photographed. My firsts of most species are usually singletons, so to see this many was a surprise.

Incidentally, there are no holly trees in the cemetery but ivy is abundant. Of the dozen or so seen, most were flying around and basking on the ivy that grows on the yew trees,

Rob

[Wurzel]

First Green Veined White on Monday - up the lane in Ffos-y-ffin. Then yesterday first Holly Blue at Llanachaeron and today first Speckled Woods in Aberystwyth - I take it all back Wales has produced the goods. Now I just need the weather to hold for Greenstreaks on Friday...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[PhilBJohnson]

Warm sunny weather in the south of UK has meant I have been able to find butterflies on the wing on walks after work in the last couple of days. This picture of an overwintering comma still out and about was taken at about 5:30pm on 15th April. It reminded me to change my clock setting on my camera to British Summer Time!
The Peacock I found feeding on Kingcups at 6:20pm today (16th April).

[adrian riley]

News from Norfolk 15 April
Syderstone Common: 1 Green Hairstreak.
Adrian
http://www.bugalert.net

[P.J.Underwood]

Botany Bay-my first Wood Whites of the season.
P.J.U.

[Mark Senior]

Mill Hill , Shoreham , today , lots of butterflies and other enthusiasts to chat to .
Species seen

Speckled Wood x 1
Comma x 1
Green Hairstreak x 2
Brimstone approx. 7 inc 2 Females
Grizzled Skipper 8-12
Dingy Skipper 2
Peacock 2
Small Tortoiseshell x 1
Small Copper x 1
Holly Blue x 1
Small White x 2

[sahikmet]

At Denham Country Park yesterday, speckled wood 12+, Orange Tip 3 males, Green Veined White 3, small white 1. Cheer Sezar

[maverick]

orange tips , G V whites and speckled woods all now active in the Sankey Valley Warrington

[David M]

Who's going to be the first to record PBF?

Got to be any day now.