www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

A nice selection of spring butterflies in yor last couple of posts Dave.
It looks like for once I had better weather up here yesterday (Tuesday 18th), a cold start was followed by a nice sunny afternoon although we never lost the cold wind.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thank you, Neil. Progress has been slow, but a couple of sunny days on 19th and 20th have felt much more like it (though the less said about 21st the better...).

In a bit of a reverse of Tuesday, Wednesday 19th April started grey and cool, but evolved into a lovely sunny afternoon. Ten species put in appearances on my local patch during a couple of hours or so, and I didn't actually cover as much ground today. The tally was:

Peacock 11
Speckled Wood 6
Orange Tip 6
Comma 5
Holly Blue 4
Brimstone 3
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Red Admiral 2
Small White 2
GVW 2

With a bit of cloud coming and going, conditions became right for getting some closer views of butterflies that had proved a bit difficult so far. Some highlights of these and some of the regulars too:Finally, a view of the very sheltered nook tucked very close to J14 of the M25, where late in the afternoon on sunny days in spring, butterflies seem to congregate.Today, all ten species seen were to be found here or close by. It is also notable that it is already very green, quite a contrast to what I found the following day down at Noar Hill. But that's another post!

Dave

I've still to find a Green-veined White Dave - there have been very few reports in Wiltshire so far Looks like the Heathrow Heat bubble is helping you rack up the butterfly count Dave, albeit slower than previous years? Looking forward to your next report - Thursday was relatively good weather wise so I'll go out on a limb and predict a Duke sighting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wonderful Holly Blue & Orange Tip images, Dave. So nice to see things finally getting going.

Ten species is quite some achievement given the atrocious spring we've experienced so far.

It doesn't really feel like a heat bubble at the moment, Wurzel! I may have seen eleven different species here this year to date (and ten of them on 19th), but numbers of almost everything are worryingly low. Your prediction was uncannily accurate, by the way - how do you do it?

Thank you, David - I still can't compete with the numbers you've been seeing on the balmy Welsh coast, especially Holly Blues...

On Thursday 20th April, the Met Office were very confident that the sun would shine until late afternoon, and longer the further west you were. To me that green-lit my first excursion of the year and one of my usual season curtain-raisers down at Noar Hill. Others had the same idea, and I ended up in very sociable company in the form of Pauline, Mark and Ashley and his wife. Much chewing of fat and catching up went on, and that definitely made it feel that the season was now properly underway.

There were some butterflies too! Numbers of Peacocks and Brimstones seemed respectable, and I saw at least half a dozen Holly Blues and a few Commas, but over the course of my two or three hour stay I didn't come across any white butterflies at all; one Small Tortoiseshell escorted me off the site at the end, and one solitary Orange Tip entertained Mark and myself for a while.Of course we were all hopeful of finding a Duke or two, and were lucky enough to encounter a single male. This seemed to be a very small one, but at least it was happy to be photographed at length. We bumped into the local transect walker, who had seen another, but I didn't get to see this second butterfly. Fingers crossed things improve, but though the day was very enjoyable and a Duke was seen, it all seemed rather quiet. I did note that spring appeared far less advanced down in Hampshire than it is near me (where many trees are well into leaf).

The sunshine lasted a bit longer than expected and I had a chance to make a swift look at the nearer parts of my local patch before thick cloud, rain and low temperatures made a mess of the evening. Another post for that I think...

Dave

I was up in the Chiltons on Thursday, unfortunately it was work related so couldn't go looking for Dukes but I could see both Bison Hill car park and Ivinghoe Beacon from where I was so a few for your Duke. It was a cloudless blue sky all day too!!

"I may have seen eleven different species here this year to date (and ten of them on 19th), but numbers of almost everything are worryingly low." Definitely worryingly low numbers round here, but you're still racking them up relative to me, not even into double digits of species yet - normally I'm on about 14 by now Still your lovely early Duke shots were fantastic to see and a much needed bright spot amidst all the dull weather

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I take it you were up at the ZSL at Whipsnade, Paul - it won't be long before I have to head out for a Chiltern adventure. Lots of sites to visit round there. The blue skies must have been very annoying when you couldn't make the most of them.

Painful progress it certainly is, Wurzel (though I added Large White to the list today). At least the moment the sun comes out now the butterflies follow.

After Noar Hill, I found that it was still sunny back at home, so I couldn't ignore it. It turned out that I had an hour before ominous clouds rolled in from the east.In that sixty minutes, I managed to find 18 butterflies of eight species (a marginally wider range than at Noar Hill in fact, including some not seen there).The Orange Tips had spotted the arriving clouds before I did and first quickly stopped to bask......and then find a good spot to roost in the increasing wind.This last one was a bit precarious at the end of a frond, so I helped it to a more sheltered spot elsewhere.They change from an almost unapproachable butterfly in bright sunshine to a very amenable one under cloud - when their amazing underside markings can be truly appreciated at leisure.

Dave

Friday 21st was a truly dismal cold and wet day, but actually only the fourth day this month (so far) that I haven't see a butterfly.

Saturday 22nd April started sunny, but was forecast to once again succumb to cloud and worse, so I headed out locally quite early. I found a Speckled Wood almost immediately, keeping very low to the ground:A Small White followed soon after......and then another, but after that it was a while before I spotted any more butterflies. This time it was the turn of a couple of GVW, of which this is one.As things warmed up a bit, Peacocks started flying (I counted ten)......and I was also very pleased to find three Small Tortoiseshells in the area where there had been a decent number last June.. Three more Speckled Woods completed the picture before the weather intervened again. Dave.

HI! Dave, fantastic shot's of the Orange Tips I can't wait to see one, we seem to have been short of Butterflies here up to now ,
Hope fully that will change with warmer weather on the way.Goldie

Brilliant stuff Dave , I've still not found a Green-veined despite looking in all the usual haunts Over this way we just can't seem to get the magic mix of sun, warmth, humidity and lack of wind Still the weekend might be better, I'm pinning all my hopes onto it so fingers crossed!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fingers well and truly crossed, Goldie! The weekend is looking a lot warmer.

I've been lucky to get spells of suitable weather, albeit brief, Wurzel, and I do have the advantage of often being able to leap out of the door at the first hint of sunshine. My first butterflies are only a couple of minutes away.

On Sunday 23rd April, after another cloudy morning, an unexpected burst of sunshine warmed things up for an hour or so soon after three o'clock. I set off on my usual route and notched up a reasonable tally in the short time allowed:

Orange Tip 9
Speckled Wood 4
Holly Blue 3
Small White 3
GVW 2
Peacock 1
Large White 1

My first butterflies were a sparring pair of male Speckled Woods. I did my best to catch them in flight, but with limited success despite them passing very close to me several times.Eventually they split up and one took a teabreak.The first Holly Blue was seen initially puddling on the very wet ground, but needed to warm up before very long and hopped up onto the brambles to reveal it had had a difficult emergence.Nearby was a somewhat frail-looking male Orange Tip, identifiable by a small tear in one forewing. It was avidly nectaring on dandelions (as it turned out, it would need the energy soon afterwards... ).In the secuded patch often frequented by Peacocks and Commas, just one of the former was flying, but there were two more Speckled Woods, several Whites including this female Small White......and a couple of GVW, plus a first for my patch this year, a male Large White.I often see the first ones here, patrolling the edges of the treetops and descending only to investigate other Whites and the Orange Tips below.

With cloud reappearing I returned to the start, and out of the corner of my eye as I walked along the path, I spotted something almost completely camouflaged on the cow parsley flowers. The smallest hint of orange gave it away - a mating pair of Orange Tips. Careful scrutiny of the photographs revealed that this was the male I'd seen earlier, which must have encountered the female not long afterwards. For a relatively short excursion today, there was plenty of interest.

Dave

Great shot of the mating OT's Dave - I've only seen that once. Really liked the 2 Holly Blues together also - I always struggle with D of F on shots like that. Well done on both accounts.

Thank you, Pauline (lovely to see you the other day - it's been a while). I usually chance upon an Orange Tip pairing just once each year, always by luck rather than anything else. They certainly tend to pose well! The two Hollies were another bit of luck (more on them in the next post...).

Monday 24th April was cool again, mostly cloudy but I managed to time my usual walk with a brighter period, heading out around one o'clock. I managed to locate the clump of cow parsley where I'd seen the paired Orange Tips the day before, and was surprised to find them both still there, but no longer in cop.

They were now difficult to photograph together, as they were not sitting in the same plane even though they weren't far apart.However, as things brightened, and the sun even threatened a full appearance, first the male and then the female began to stir.As soon as the sun was properly out, the male was off, leaving the female to warm up a bit more before she too took to the air.Thinking back, my timing was spot on to record this event, coinciding precisely with the moment there was enough sunshine to mobilise the butterflies.

Three minutes later, with sunshine still in evidence, I had a further bit of luck. On the brambles beside the path I spotted the familiar silvery-blue triangle of a Holly Blue. In the chilly air, this male butterfly was gradually opening its wings to increase the heat received from the sun. It ended up as wide open as I have ever seen a male Holly Blue.Unfortunately the sunshine now failed me and clouds began to take over again. I had a Small White fly by, and then found another female Orange Tip exploiting the camouflage of a garlic mustard flowerhead this time.That brief spell was it for butterflies for the day, though I did manage a shot of the male of a pair of deer some way off.Definitely an outing of quality rather than quantity.

Dave

Great shots of the male/female O/T's Dave, as for the male Holly Blue .
Today was a bit more like it!

Trevor.

Absolutely stunning Holly Blue shots Dave Good to see the whispering ways still work

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thank you, Trevor - not much seen, but they were all worth seeing.

Cheers, Wurzel! I was beginning to think I wouldn't get the chance to brush up my skills after the winter break, but that Holly responded beautifully.

There were a few more on Tuesday 25th, but once again not a great deal else. The day began sunny, but distinctly on the chilly side and stayed that way with 13 degrees the highest it reached all day. I went out locally at around 9 o'clock to try and make the most of the sunshine, but cloud quickly built. However, two species seemed happy with the chilly conditions - a Speckled Wood and a few Holly Blues.With the sun behind cloud at one point, I spotted two Holly Blues sitting together. I've noticed this behaviour before with several species - they like to roost in company. With Holly Blues, though, it's never more than two. (In my experience this mirrors their behaviour when puddling, where I've never found more than two together; other blues cluster in their dozens.)In no particular hurry, I waited for the sun to reappear. When it did briefly, one of the two responded immediately.Eventually, the other one adjusted its position......and began to open up too.Finally, for a few brief seconds, they posed beautifully together.Then the first to open up flew off, suitably warmed, leaving the other to display nicely.I found one more a bit further on, but the sun was back in again so it stayed firmly shut.Also seen today: two flyby Orange Tips, and one nectaring Peacock. Dave

You continue to post some incredible Holly Blue images Dave, that wide open male and the two males together especially

Cheers,

Neil.

With those 'double bubble' shots Dave you really are cementing your title as 'The Holly Blue King'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Many thanks, Neil. The Hollies been slow in appearing this year, but the few there have been so far have provided good value as always.

Cheers, Wurzel - there are going to be a few more over the next few posts I suspect (there were a lot flying today...) and they even provided an example of the "puddling in pairs" behaviour.

Two blank days followed - the first consecutive days without a butterfly sighting here since the month started. The numbers may not have been great, and the weather even less so, but they've flown on the vast majority of days in April.

Friday 28th April was a lot warmer, but not particularly sunny. I only counted a dozen butterflies - though seven species were represented. Some highlights:The forecast for the following day looked very promising, so I planned my second excursion of the year...

Dave