Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Wednesday 24th May – part 2.

As well as the Marsh Fritillaries and Duke of Burgundy described in the previous report, there were loads of other butterflies flying at Prestbury Hill, especially as the early cloud dissipated and the breeze dropped to leave warm sunny conditions.

Easily the most numerous species seen was Small Blue with hundreds flying all over the site. These were most numerous along the lower slope of the Bill Smyllie reserve but could be seen anywhere across both reserves.

Small Blue - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Small Blues - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Small Blue - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Common Blues were flying in lower numbers with around a dozen seen, all fresh looking males.

Common Blue - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Common Blue - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

One of the first butterflies that I spotted, soon after my arrival as I made my way down the slope was a Brown Argus roosting on a primrose flower head. Looking at the sky I noticed a break in the clouds coming over so I hung on to see if it would open its wings, which it duly did to reveal that lovely iridescence that fresh examples sometimes display when the light catches them right.

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

During the morning I saw maybe another dozen or so Brown Argus. These were difficult to separate from all the Small Blues in flight until they settled and I could get a closer look.

Brown Argus - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

A nice surprise for me, although they are known to fly here, was some fresh male Adonis Blues. I have never seen these here before but that is probably due to me being a bit earlier in the year in my visits in the past. They were very active in the warm sun and when they did settle it was usually with wings closed. My best chance for an open wing shot was when a couple of males had a bit of a squabble during which I managed to take a couple of quick shots before they were off again.

Adonis Blues - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Adonis Blue - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

I was also looking out for Green Hairstreaks and eventually managed to find three, two in the Bill Smyllie reserve and one in the Masts. These had all obviously been around for a while and were looking well past their best.

Green Hairstreak - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

Small Heath were numerous although they were doing their usual thing of landing in the grass in the most awkward positions and after taking a couple of record shots I didn’t pay them much attention with all the other stuff on offer.

Small Heath - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

The same can be said for Dingy Skippers, most of which were looking a bit worn and faded now and as I had already seen and photographed much better looking examples this year I didn’t pay these much attention either.

Other butterflies seen were a number of Brimstones and a couple of Orange-tips all actively patrolling the hedgerows and along the paths.

Also seen was a single Small Copper of which I only managed to get one terrible blurred record shot that I won’t embarrass myself with by posting here.

Lots of day flying moths were also about including Common Heath doing a good job of impersonating Dingy Skippers and Burnet Companions doing Small Heath/Duke of Burgundy impressions.
Also seen were Five-spot Burnet Moths including a nice one with confluent spots which is apparently quite common in this species and far less so in Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet which is the species we get in Warwickshire.

Five-spot Burnet Moth - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

A couple of Cistus Forester Moths made up the final tally for the morning.

Cistus Forester - Prestbury Hill 24.05.2023

And to finish off, a couple of views.

Looking across the lower slope of the Bill Smyllier reserve

Looking down the Bill Smyllie reserve with the Malvern Hills in the distance.

I finally made my way back up the hill to my car and left just after 1.00pm after a very enjoyable morning with loads of butterflies.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[millerd]

That looks like a glorious spot, Neil, and you found a terrific array of butterflies. It's always good to get a "bonus" find, like the Adonis, when you weren't anticipating it. Sounds like somewhere to include on a future spring itinerary! I particularly like the wide selection of Marshies and the Small Blues.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

A delectable collection of Blues Neil Those Small Blue in particular look pin sharp I'd never heard of this site before but something to bear in mind if I need to visit some of the in-laws in the future

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Dave. It is indeed a glorious spot although I don't manage to visit every year with it being about on the limit of the distance that I am normally prepared to travel in one day and there are so many demands on my time these days.

Cheers Wurzel. You can actually see the radio masts for which the Masts reserve is named from the M5 if you know where to look. I have posted reports from here before but the last time was in 2019.
There is a leaflet with more info if you ever get the chance to visit;
https://butterfly-conservation.org/site ... -small.pdf

Cheers,

Neil.

[Chris L]

Excellent narrative and photos Neil. I was there yesterday and unsurprisingly your account of your day was not too dissimilar to my own. I didn't see any Green Hairstreak mind you. I also saw the many species of moth that you were able to identify - the difference being I didn't identify them. One day I might be able to identify a moth but I wouldn't bank on it. I was surprised and delighted to stumble across 6-10 male Adonis Blue. I was told that at a quarry in walking distance of Prestbury some Walls had appeared. It was baking hot and I was told it was a mile away so I decided not to make that trek. I was perfectly happy with the Dukes, the Marsh Fritillary and the Adonis.

It makes a nice change to be able to see butterflies. It has probably been a bit grim for you in 2023 Neil. On my Derbyshire transects in recent weeks I have scarcely been able to see 10 butterflies in an hour. I could do a 360 degree turn yesterday and see more than that.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Otep.
Yes, up until last week it had been a bit grim. Small Tortoiseshells have once again been the most numerous butterfly I had seen this spring but even then numbers were lower than in recent years. Everything else was slow to get going and overall numbers have been poor.
Last Wednesday at Prestbury was the first time this year I had seen butterflies in good numbers, as you say, you could stand in one spot and see multiples of half a dozen species at the same time

I have seen Wall Browns at Prestbury in the past but only occasionally, the last time was a female back in 2018...

Wall Brown - Prestbury Hill 28.05.2018

Cheers,


Saturday 27th May.

Over the past few days I have been busy with various stuff so haven't been able to go anywhere. I have seen a few randon whites and Holly Blues passing through the garden but nothing settled for a photo until Saturday afternoon when a female Brimstone came wandering though.
She spent some time fluttering around my buckthorns and appeared to lay some eggs but this happened either in the shadows of the shrubs or fairly high up.
There was quite a bit of cloud around which prompted her to settle and give me a chance for a couple of shots before she was off again.

Brimstone - Coverdale 27.05.2023

The weather looks reasonable for the rest of the week so I am hoping to get out to check on one or two local spots around Solihull sometime.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Monday 29th May.

After a dull and rather windy morning the clouds began to break up around midday so I decided to go and have a look at my local site at Castle Hills by Solihull. This used to be a regular site for me but some development over the past couple of years and changes to the local roads have meant that I have not been going so often. The entrance to this site is close to a new large JLR logistics centre and this, along with the main plant, having a number of shifts coming and going at various times means that it is all too easy to become snarled up in heavy traffic.
Anyway, with today being a Bank Holiday, I figured that these roads would be quieter and so around 1.30pm I drove round and parked up by the entrance to the footpath that leads to the site.

Over the next couple of hours I had a good wander around the paths here and saw a typical selection of butterflies for around here at this time of year. There was plenty of sun with scattered clouds but with a blustery north easterly wind it didn’t feel particularly warm but still quite pleasant in the shelter of the hedgerows.

The most numerous species was Small Heath with a couple of dozen seen. These were their usual uncooperative selves and kept landing low down in the grass where it was difficult to get an uncluttered view.

Small Heath - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Small Heath - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

About a dozen Common Blues were seen, mostly males but with a couple of fresh females that were whisked away in the breeze before I could get a photo.

Common Blue - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Common Blue - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Common Blue - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

I was pleased to find a couple of Brown Argus, as I have mentioned before these are hit and miss around Solihull and some years I don’t find any around here.

Brown Argus - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Brown Argus - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Brown Argus - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

I also spotted my first Large Skipper of the year, a female. I would say that I was surprised to see that it was a female but this is not the first time that the first one of these I have seen around here has been female.

Large Skipper - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

As is usual for this time of year, day flying moths were about in good numbers, mostly Burnet Companions but also a couple each of Mother Shipton, Latticed Heath and Cinnabar Moths.

Burnet Companion - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Mother Shipton - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

Latticed Heath - Castle Hills 29.05.2023

We could do with losing that cold wind that seems to have been blowing for ever, I don’t think I can remember us having such a consistent cold wind for so long. Still, it was a pleasant couple of hours even if without the numbers of butterflies found at more premium spots like Prestbury Hill last week.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Chris L]

Cracking photos Neil. Your words resonated with me. The highs of Prestbury Hill for variety and volume and then back to our own heartland, the land that butterflies largely forgot.

Glad to note that Large Skippers will be with me soon, judging by your photo of the female. That should get my transects in to double figures.

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of shots Neil - that Large Skipper is more brown than golden Good to see the Brown Argus - they seem to be having a cracking year down our way - the most I've ever seen so ti's good to see that this year is a 'hit' for them up that way too
Thank you as well for the pdf link - why can't all reserves have something like this - I love that they've marked the numerous 'hot spots'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

...and then back to our own heartland, the land that butterflies largely forgot.

I hear that Otep. It can be hard work around here, even in good years. I suppose the only advantage is that the northern species are just as close as the southern ones...or just as far away depending on how you look at it.

...that Large Skipper is more brown than golden.

Yes, she struck me in how dull she looked compared with the glowing orange that this species normally displays when fresh.

The past couple of days have been cloudy here with a cold wind so time to catch up with some moths in my garden.

Garden Moths – May.

May is usually the month in which things start to take off with regards to the moths in my garden but, just like it with the butterflies, this year has been slow to get going. At the beginning of the month there were lots of clear and cold nights and although this has remained the case for most of May, there have been a few nights in the second half where some cloud cover kept the overnight temperatures up a bit although there has also been a persistent cold wind which has not helped.

So far this month, I have run the trap on seven nights, these being on the 4th and 7th, then a gap whilst we were down visiting our daughter in Emsworth and then on the 17th, 22nd, 25th, 28th and then last night (30th ).

The number of species that are now turning up seems to be around where it should be at this time of year although overall numbers of moths is down with even many of the more common species only turning up in ones and twos at best. Also, micros are well down, both in total numbers and the number of species, no doubt due to that cold wind which has been consistent throughout the month. Those that are turning up are mostly consisting of those two stalwarts, Light Brown Apple Moth and Tachystola acoxantha.

Despite the challenging conditions, there have been some nice moths during the month, including a NFG (New For Garden) of a nice Poplar Kitten on the night of 4th May. I have had the more Common Sallow Kitten here before but never seen Alder Kitten which is the more scarce of these three similar looking moths.

Poplar Kitten - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Other nice moths seen during this month have included Waved Umber, Muslin Moth, Angle shades and Chocolate-tip.

Waved Umber - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Muslin Moth - Coverdale 07.05.2023

Muslin Moth - Coverdale 07.05.2023

Angle Shades - Coverdale 17.05.2023

I was especially pleased to see the Chocolate-tip as I have only ever had three of these here before with none in the past couple of years, and two turned up on the night of 17th.

Chocolate-tip - Coverdale 17.05.2023

Chocolate-tip - Coverdale 17.05.2023

It is always a pleasure to see the first Hawk-moth of the year and especially so when it is a nice Lime-Hawk-moth like the one that turned up on the night of 22nd.

Lime Hawk-moth - Coverdale 23.05.2023

Lime Hawk-moth - Coverdale 23.05.2023

Even better considering I only usually get one of these a year at best, I had another one, a female this time, on the night of 28th.

Lime Hawk-moth - Coverdale 28.05.2023

The 28th also produced my first Spectacle of the year, a fairly common moth here. It is almost obligatory to take head on shots of these but having done that a few times in the past I prefer the side view which shows it’s Mohican style tufts to better advantage.

Spectacle - Coverdale 28.05.2023

I have seen reports of Dewicks Plusia turning up to the Ni moth lure recently, in fact Ryton Country Park have had a few including 4 in one night plus 1 to one of their light traps last week. It seems from last year’s reports and so far this year that this species turns up to this lure far more often than it does to light. I have had my lure out a few times over the past week or so but no Dewicks Plusia yet although I have had a few Silver Y Moths come to it including five on the night of 28th despite a cold wind and clear skies for most of the night. It appears that Silver Y Moth also turn up more often to this lure than to light with my current score here standing at 9 to the lure and just 1 to the light trap.

Silver Y Moth - 25.05.2023

Going into June, things should be picking up a bit although for as far as I can see, that wind is still coming from the wrong direction most of the time.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Some lovely moths there Neil, especially the Hawkmoth and Chocolate Tip. As always, your photos certainly do them justice and give me something to aspire to

[Goldie M]

Love your shots of the all the Butterflies Neil especially the Adonis and the Small Blue , I must get to Temple Ewell when the Sun decides to shine here

Your Moth shots are Intriguing especially that shot of the Wave Umber, I've never seen that Moth , it just looks like part of a twig no wonder I've not spotted it Goldie

[Wurzel]

Love the Chocolate-tip Neil But the Waved Umber kinda freaks me out a little - it looks like an angry ET

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Some great moths there, Neil. That Lime Hawk is a real dazzler.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the comments Pauline, Goldie, Wurzel and David

...the Waved Umber kinda freaks me out a little - it looks like an angry ET ...

You've done it again with your weird immagination Wurzel, now I've seen it I can't unsee it

Thursday 1st June.

The past couple of days have been cloudy and cold here with that incessant northeast wind blowing quite strongly at times. After a morning that started off the same as the past two days, the clouds finally started to break up this afternoon to let some nice warm sun through, although that cold wind was still in evidence.

I went out into the garden and almost immediately spotted a male Orange-tip come fluttering in. He must have been still warming up as he was not too flighty and spent some time nectaring on some Herb Robert, giving me the opportunity to grab my camera and fill my boots with photos. He was in remarkably good condition for the time of year which was a good indication of the lateness of the season here. I have seen Orange-tips into June many times around here but they are usually well faded by now.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.06.2023

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.06.2023

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.06.2023

With plenty of continuing warm sun, I decided to pop down to my local spot at Wagon Lane to see if anything was about. I found it to be very quiet today with my usual circuit producing just 6 Butterflies, these being 2 each of Holly Blue and Small Tortoiseshells, the latter looking worn and tatty now, plus singles of Small White and female Orange-tip.

Orange-tip female - Wagon Lane 01.06.2023

Small White - Wagon Lane 01.06.2023

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 01.06.2023

It looks like we just made it into June this year before getting into the ‘June Gap’, another indication that the season is running a bit later as for the past couple of years it has been more of a late May gap around here.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Eyed Hawk-moths.

Anyone that read this diary last year may remember that a female Eyed Hawk-moth left me some eggs which I reared through as described here;

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5424&start=3920

And here;

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5424&start=3960

The pupae spent the winter in the bottom of the fridge with me just taking them out occasionally to check that they were all still healthy.
The normal flight period for Eyed Hawk-moths is from early May through June and sometimes into early July and so in April I took them out of the fridge and laid them out in a cage ready for emergence.

Sometime overnight on Thursday (1st June) the first one, a male, emerged to greet me when I checked the cage on Friday morning. I left him for a few hours to ensure his wings were fully dried before taking a few photos and returning him to the cage. Later in the evening I released him into the garden.

Eyed Hawk-moth - Coverdale 02.06.2023

A second one greeted me the following morning (Saturday), another male. This one must have emerged not that long before I saw him as his wings were hanging down over his body in a posture more reminiscent of that which most butterflies assume when resting. This is normal for many species of Hawk-moth when their wings are still drying and when their wings are fully dried they assume the normal resting position. I tried to get a photo of him like this but he was in an awkward corner of the cage and I didn't want to disturb him as he was still drying his wings so the shot below is the best I managed.

Eyed Hawk-moth drying his wings.

I then left him for a few hours so that his wings were fully dried before taking some photos and then returning him to the cage again until his release later.
When fresh, the patterning on the forewings is particularly attractive.

Eyed Hawk-moth - Coverdale 03.06.2023

A gentle tickle with a blade of grass or a small paint brush is usually enough to bring on a display of those beautiful hindwings.

Eyed Hawk-moth - Coverdale 03.06.2023

As I write this on Sunday morning, I have just checked the cage and another 2 have emerged overnight, again both appear to be males. That’s 4 successfully emerged so far with 26 still to go.

As an aside, the female Lime Hawk I had last week has also left me a few eggs, not so many this time, just half a dozen, but I am looking forward to having a go with rearing these next.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Fabulous Neil! I know better than most what dedication is required to see this through and you have done a splendid job. What a gorgeous moth. Love the colours - so vibrant. Have really enjoyed reading the final installment

[trevor]

Good to see your late, fresh looking male Orange Tip. They are pretty much over around here.
As for the Eyed Hawk Moth, we were lucky to encounter a mating pair at Strumpshaw on our last visit.
Unfortunately we never saw the beautiful hind wings.

[Wurzel]

That Orange-tip is certainly in fine fettle Neil It must have enjoyed quite a lie-in Those Hawk Moffs are quite spectacular

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

What a glorious moth that is, Neil. Can't say I've ever seen one (you wouldn't forget such a thing).

Good luck with the Lime Hawk Moth ova.