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The weather forecast was spot on today, and on opening the front door at around half nine this morning gusts of warm sunny air wafted in. Screwing up my eyes in the brilliant light, I became aware that two Brimstones were fluttering around the front of the house - and both stopped to nectar. It's a good time to grab a quick photo as they fuel up at the start of a long morning's patrolling. I had an hour or two gently walking around my local patch and many more Brimstones were in evidence, along with Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and a few Commas. I also counted three Small Whites, but photos were, as usual, impossible to come by. Several of the Small Tortoiseshells were investigating nettle patches, so a mental note has been made to look out for larvae in a few weeks time. No sign of any Speckled Woods yet, but I suppose if all the local ones hibernated as larvae rather than pupae, they'll be out later...

Dave

Hi Dave, great shots, I particularly like the Brimstones I have yet to see one settle this year

No Specklies for me yet either, any time now I reckon going by the way this Spring is shaping up.

Cheers,

Neil.

Good to see that you had a good day Dave I know what you mean about the Small Whites - I saw my first today but it wasn't stopping for love nor money Great shots I especially like the Peacock with the coiled proboscis

Have a godun

Wurzel

Thanks chaps!

Today (Sunday 30th) wasn't so sunny, but was probably just as warm. I repeated yesterday's walk and the first thing I came across was a Small White, which actually stayed still long enough for a record shot. Soon I was seeing lots of Brimstones and Peacocks again, and one or two more whites. I found a patch of cuckoo flower, well advanced into bloom, and old habits prompted me to look for little orange eggs - but hang on I thought: I haven't seen a butterfly yet, so there aren't going to be any eggs... Then that all changed. Bumbling along the embankment of the J14 roundabout came the familiar flash of orange and white - the first male Orange Tip of the year. I watched it complete several circuits of a route about 300 metres long, back and forth, up and down. It stopped at least once a circuit, for the briefest of nectaring, so I tried to find the right place to wait. As it came round once again, it hesitated, and decided that this time it would not stop here, but up on the bank 50 metres away. Typical. And the spell was broken, as it made off out of the loop and onto pastures new over the M25 and into Berkshire. Anyway, surely the first of many more to come.

Peacocks predominated today, and I didn't see a single Comma. One Peacock had major symmetrical wing damage - bird strike? Another had wide pale circles around its hindwing "eyes". There were a few Tortoiseshells around as well, on the dandelions as usual, and just before reaching home another white fluttered down in front of me. This was the first Green-veined I had been able to identify this year.

Dave

Great news Dave. I seem to recall from reading your PD last year that over here in Salisbury we're about 4 or 5 days behind you so I reckon I'll have to keep taking the back route on the way home and keep my eyes peeled. That's a great shot for a spring Small White as they are rally active at this time of year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

millerd wrote: Another had wide pale circles around its hindwing "eyes".

Lovely! That's an odd looking Peacock, nice find Dave.

Best wishes,

Lee

Thanks for the kind comments, chaps - there seems too be more variety in Peacocks than you would think, judging by some of the postings on here this year.

It's been a week since the last trip out, and I didn't have high expectations of my quick walk round the local circuit today. It was quite chilly (12-13 degrees maybe), breezy and not particularly sunny either. In fact, I saw only four butterflies - but they were all different species and three of them were new for the year. A wholly unexpected outcome.

The first one was spotted by Elliot, who asked what kind of blue it was - yes, the first Holly Blue of the year, which kindly fluttered down to perch at just the right height. The sun stayed in, so the wings stayed closed. Next, Elliot disturbed a Speckled Wood, another first for 2014. We came across a Peacock after this, investigating nettles on the other side of a fence, so out of range for any photos. Finally, walking through the sunny glade next to the River Colne which has been home to many interesting bits of Red Admiral behaviour over the years, we saw exactly that - a Red Admiral swooping and diving energetically in the same spot as its predecessors have done, year in, year out. A reassuring sight and another first sighting for the year.

Dave

I'm green with envy, Dave. Just hoping that this forthcoming weekend will see sufficiently opportune conditions to observe these newcomers myself.

In terms of envy I'm right up there with David Dave I have still to see my first Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Green Veined White and Orange-tip...still the season has only really just begun.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice ones Dave not much out around here for the past week or so with the weather not being much cop. Still waiting for my Specklies to show up, maybe in the next few days with the forecast looking a bit better.

millerd wrote: - there seems too be more variety in Peacocks than you would think..

Peacocks are not the easiest butterflies to tell the sexes apart but from what I have noticed during the past couple of years it seems to me that it tends to be the males that look to have the brighter eye-spots on the hind wings. I have also noticed a number with that extra little bit of blue that looks like it has spilled out from the eye-spot.

All the best,

Neil.

The weather looks reasonably fine for the coming days, so I'm sure you'll get to catch up David, Neil and Wurzel!

I had a walk with Elliot along the Thames Path at Runnymede today. Much sunnier and warmer than yesterday. We saw the usual suspects: Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Brimstones, one Orange Tip and a couple of Commas, but nothing unusual. The Small Tortoiseshells were mostly investigating new nettle growth along the edges of paths - right where they are liable to be cut down the next time a tractor-drawn mower comes along in a few weeks time. Quite why a four-foot footpath requires a fifteen-foot wide swathe cut for it, I'm not sure, but I suspect many Tortoiseshell caterpillars meet their doom in this way.

Dave

Another lovely morning, and we kept the walk local today. We were out between about 10 and 1130, and during that time it warmed considerably, and out came the butterflies as the temperature rose. Today was the day of the Speckled Wood, with no less than seven individuals seen. There were Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells (to think that a couple of years ago I waited until 1st July to see a Small Tortoiseshell locally), a Comma or two, three male Orange Tips patrolling and never stopping, two Holly Blues and one Small White. No Brimstones today, curiously. Dave

Nice images, Dave. Spring's definitely accelerating in your part of the world.

Those Specklies look fresh out of the box and are great to see Dave Hopefully I'll catch up with them soon.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I seem to have got a bit behind here. I'll try and catch up...

Saturday 12th April - a day up in the Rugby area with all the boys. If the forecast had been more encouraging we would have ended up at Ryton, but as it was chilly and grey, we took advantage of some every cheap train tickets and went to Stratford. This involved a visit to the butterfly house, so all was not lost. At the end of the day, I drove up to York to stay with my sister. It was even chillier up there! However, on Sunday 13th, we had a walk around Allerthorpe Common near Pocklington, notable in August for good numbers of Small Coppers in particular. Spring was noticeably less advanced up here, so no Coppers were around, but there were Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells and a single Green-veined White. However, the headline act was the large number of Peacocks along the sunny rides. I initially thought they were just basking on the paths and muddy ground, but in all the photos I took, scrutiny showed they were taking minerals. Well, it was either that or dandelions for lunch again... On the 14th, there was a bit more cool sunshine, and I spotted a few butterflies in my sister's garden, including my first Large White of the year, plus Green-veined and Small Whites and an Orange Tip.

15th was the day to travel back, and with the next three days at work, I was unable to make the most of probably the best days of the week. I finally got to walk round my local patch latish on Good Friday, hoping to find at least one roosting Orange Tip. Garlic Mustard is the favoured plant around here, but I've noticed that it is relatively abundant only every other year. 2014 is unfortunately the "wrong" year, and patches are few and far between. However, as luck would have it, I finally spotted what I was seeking. After a few shots of the lovely mossy underside, the sun decided to emerge for all of five minutes. This was just about enough time for the butterfly to wake up, stretch its wings, and set off for a few patrols up and down a small length of path. Other than this individual, a Small Tortoiseshell was the only other butterfly seen. Saturday 19th. With the forecast for Sunday particularly dire, I just had to go somewhere today. I chose Totternhoe in Bedfordshire, as on a good day at this time of the season, it is possible to find several spring chalkland species. But the weather gods were conspiring again. Promising sun on the M1 turned into breezy cloudy cold by the time I reached the car park. Sunny intervals still looked possible, so I wandered gently over to the old chalk pits, and sat down. The sun peeped through, encouraging a solitary wasp to investigate holes in the turf. Following the yellow dot, my eye was caught by a different type of movement, and a more orange colour. Something had darted up and flown behind a stand of scrub. I walked around to the other side and there on the grass sat a fresh male Duke of Burgundy. It basked for a while in what limited sun there was, and then flew off behind the scrub again. The sun went in, it became even colder, and I went back to the car. I was very pleased with this piece of luck, though the spot is a known haunt. Despite a good old look, I saw no Grizzlies or Dingies, nor a Green Hairstreak. The only other butterflies were two Small Tortoiseshells and an Orange Tip.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Nice catch-up posts and some great photos

I too have noticed a that Garlic Mustard is thin on the ground at some of my local spots, including my garden, and most of what is around is only half grown so far.

Cheers,

Neil.

Even though you didn't see many different species that Duke has to make up for it he's a cracker I especially like the last shot

Have a goodun

Wurzel

So pleased you found your duke

Also agreed on the Garlic Mustard situation - thin on the ground in my parish and relatively late,

Rob

Interesting to hear from Neil and Rob that I'm not alone with a dearth of Garlic Mustard - at least it makes finding the roosting Orange Tips that much easier to find - as I shall describe again in a bit.

Thank you Susie and Wurzel for your kind words about the Duke. I was feeling under the weather, both literally and figuratively, and sitting in a chilly Bedfordshire chalkpit I did begin to wonder why I had bothered. And then there was the flash of orange followed shortly afterwards by the butterfly itself, and suddenly the day seemed worthwhile.

After yesterday's washout, I was back at work today and gazed out on warm hazy sunshine. By the time I escaped at four, dark clouds had gathered in both the south and the northwest, but I set off round my local patch regardless. I was met immediately by two Holly Blues and two Speckled Woods, but the early promise faded with the sunshine, and only a Green-veined White taking minerals from a muddy puddle provided interest. When the sun went in properly, it lost interest in the mud and set off into a nearby field to roost out of sight. Only one option remained - would there be Orange Tips roosting on that patch of Garlic Mustard again? There were: two of them this time. They weren't budging either - I think that though it was warm, what sun filtered through was too weak to rouse them. With lower temperatures, but stronger sun, I think they would have been active. One was finally disturbed by a Beefly and eventually roosted again about 20 metres away in a relatively inaccessible spot.
There definitely seem to be favoured roosting spots - I have never had any trouble locating roosting Orange Tips - which is good, as I love them as a subject for photos as well as just a beautiful natural object in themselves.

Here incidentally is a typical habitat shot of my local patch... you do get used to them! I was going to say something about Beefly followed by Flybe, but I think it's Malaysian Airlines, so perhaps I won't after all...

Dave