www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks for the shrub ID, BB.

Thursday 19th July 2018 - Hot, dry and parched.....

As a Swansea resident, I can't really believe I've typed those preceding words. This is one part of the UK which attracts rain in abundance, but like most other areas, south Wales has seen virtually none for weeks now and it shows in the landscape.

For example, this is the entrance to the track which goes up Kilvey Hill. Normally it is verdant and damp....not at the moment though:
Similarly, these fields beneath the summit are usually very green, with all the water which normally drains down from the top:
Whilst there were plenty of butterflies about, even they seemed to be struggling with the temperatures, with all species closing their wings once alighted and many fluttering round the shadier parts.

I saw my first Hedge Browns of 2018. Here's a female:
.....and one of many males:
My main reason for coming here was to find Graylings. Sadly, there were only two, and this was the best image I could get (maybe the rest had decided to have a siesta):
A couple of male Wall Browns were about too at the summit:
This male Brimstone was irresistible on buddleia:
Common Blues, Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Small Coppers, Speckled Woods & the three Whites were also about, and I saw a single Painted Lady on the same buddleia as the Brimstone as well as a fly by Red Admiral.

David - A Wall Brown and a Grayling, can't be bad.

Saturday 21st July - Bits and pieces.....

Visited Abergavenny this weekend and took a trip out to Castle Meadows in the mid morning.

Visual confirmation of how hot and dry this summer has been came with the following image:
This is in direct contrast to the same image at a similar time in 2017, where the grass hadn't grown anywhere near so long and was nowhere near as parched:
There were lots of butterflies about, particularly Small Whites, which have exploded in number. I was looking for Essex Skippers, and found several, although the habitat was impossible to penetrate without disturbing the butterflies so images were hard to come by.

I took this one in bright sunshine, and thought I'd nailed lineola, but now I'm not so sure (it gets harder the more faded the butterflies become). Whilst the sex brands look good, the antennal tips seem a little ambiguous:
other species were about too: Large & Green Veined Whites, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Hedge Brown, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Ringlet, Small Copper & Holly Blue. There were also a few Commas, including this one which had a hindwing missing (was still able to function properly though):

I like your pre heatwave comparison David.
Around here the long grass has gone from brown to blonde.
Worse, as in 1976, I've seen a few mature trees in full leaf, but dead, including an Oak.
It would seem that we are going to get the full 1976 treatment this week, 30c +.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

David M wrote: ...I took this one in bright sunshine, and thought I'd nailed lineola, but now I'm not so sure (it gets harder the more faded the butterflies become). Whilst the sex brands look good, the antennal tips seem a little ambiguous:...

That's a definite Essex David, I am finding that the male sex brand is often a more reliable indicator than the antennae, many of which seem to share features of both species unless you get the right angle from underneath.

Your shots of the site in 2017 and this year could have been taken around my local patch, most of which is parched to the point of dying off. Still no rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future...very worrying for the rest of the season and next year.

Cheers,

Neil.

Neil Freeman wrote:That's a definite Essex David, I am finding that the male sex brand is often a more reliable indicator than the antennae, many of which seem to share features of both species unless you get the right angle from underneath.

Yes, I don't really think it can be sylvestris given those androconial scales/antennal tips but when these butterflies are elderly and worn, identification gets harder.

We had welcome rain in Swansea last night and it was muggy and damp till early afternoon today. I don't think I've ever been so grateful to see such conditions! I despair for much of southern England though. I fear this is going to have implications next year (and maybe beyond).

I agree: that can only be sylvestris. When the sex brand is visible, all else is academic.

Guy

My mistake! I meant lineola! Replying in haste in a Swiss bar ...

Guy

If you think your grass is brown...


I couldn’t believe your images of the verdant countryside in France, as I thought it had been dry everywhere in West Europe.

Thank goodness we had a wet summer last year, and a wet winter and spring- unlike in 1975 and 1976.

Your images mirror exactly the state of the area where I live too. Everywhere is parched and the grass is practically straw. I never thought I would say it but we really need some rain. Normally it is the other way around and I am wishing for it to stop.

I love the image of the Comma. I find it amazing when butterflies soldier on with such incredible damage. They are lovely when intact but I also find the damaged ones charming as well.

Thanks, all. I reckon we'll all see rain very soon....maybe quite a lot of it if the predicted thunderstorms arrive!

Thursday 26th July 2018 - Change of scenery....

I drove down to the West Williamston site in Pembrokeshire this morning, hoping that the first male Brown Hairstreaks might be about. Well, if they were they remained very discreet - I saw none!

However, there were good numbers of other butterflies, including 20 or so Silver Washed Fritillaries, the first I've seen in the UK this year:
Most of the action was in this meadow, which was absolutely teeming with insects:
Hedge Browns were particularly numerous, but once again they kept their wings firmly shut whilst basking/nectaring due to the heat. So did the many Common Blues seen buzzing around, though this female's underside was irresistible:
I probably hit double figures with Small Coppers, which doesn't happen very often. These two got me off to a good start:
Even more interesting though was this next little jewel. I don't encounter many phlaeas aberrants so this one was a real joy:
Nice to see a handful of Small Tortoiseshells too. Hopefully there'll be lots more over the next few weeks:
Other species about were Large, Small & Green Veined Whites, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Comma, Peacock & Red Admiral. Ringlets have clearly met their maker in this location!

Excellent find with the Small Copper AB; David ……………..Great find !!
Regards Allan.W.

My thoughts exactly Allan! I rarely see Small Coppers tho' so the chance of one of them being an ab seems quite remote. I'm quite envious of that Wall Brown too - it's been years since I saw one. Must try to put that right before too long.

Love the two Coppers together David, and a great ab.

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Thursday 16th August 2013 - Withering on the vine....

Yet again, August has a distinctly autumn feel to it.

I arrived at the West Williamston reserve in Pembrokeshire at 10.30 this morning to find vegetation that had largely gone over and very few butterflies.

Incredibly, in a 3 hour visit in mid-August, I saw just 4 Hedge Browns. It's difficult to reconcile myself with how quickly things seem to be petering out so early but in spite of that there were a few notable things to report.

Just one female Brown Hairstreak was seen:
Common Blues numbered around 30 or so, and Small Whites stretched just beyond a dozen, but no other species reached double figures, which is pretty lamentable at this time of year at this site.

Four Painted Ladies were seen on the foreshore:
No Peacocks or Small Tortoiseshells, but there were a small number of Red Admirals:
Just three Silver Washed Fritillaries hanging on, two females and a male:
Other species were Speckled Wood (8), Green Veined White (4), Small Copper (2), Large White (2), Meadow Brown (1), Comma (1) and two Holly Blues, with this female posing with wings open for a few, brief seconds:

It has certainly been autumnal so far, so it’s good to see your Brown Hairstreaks showing. One of them at least.

Saturday 25th August 2018 - Good and bad....

Last time I visited the Brown Hairstreak site in Pembrokeshire 9 days ago, I was alarmed by the low numbers of butterflies generally. That continued today, although whilst some species have become even scarcer, others bucked that trend.

Meadow Browns have gone, whilst Hedge Browns were practically absent, with just two seen (one faded female and one washed-out male). Common Blues look on their last legs although there were still two dozen or so about.

Worryingly, I saw just one Small Tortoiseshell (they seem to be having an appalling late summer) whilst there were no Red Admirals at all!

Four Painted Ladies were seen, all of them on the sea asters by the high tide line:
Just one Comma was encountered, although it was in impeccable condition:
On the plus side, Speckled Wood numbers have risen appreciably with several fresh looking specimens seen:
Small Whites were plentiful too, with 30+ around:
Just two male Large Whites, including this one nectaring on buddleia:
On the same buddleia was this extremely bedraggled Silver Washed Fritillary. I saw six in total, all males, which was a surprise as I hadn’t even anticipated seeing late females:
Small Coppers seem to have had a fresh emergence, with seven seen, including this one which just about qualifies for a blue badge:
Better still though was when I stumbled upon this mating pair:
This act of coupling lasted well over half an hour and was occasionally interrupted by a third Small Copper trying to get in on the act.

As far as Brown Hairstreaks are concerned, it was a decent day, with 6 seen in total. Surprisingly, two of these were elderly males, both of which were settled low on vegetation. I’d only hitherto seen one male below head height at this site in 9 years visiting here (usually, they remain ensconced in the ash trees), so it was quite a shock to observe two within an hour of each other:
Four females were spotted. This is the first one and also the one that was in best condition:
Here’s one of the others:
Apart from the two eggs I saw being laid, I couldn’t locate any in spite of a good deal of searching. I don’t know whether that’s indicative of a poor season or whether the females haven’t got going in earnest yet. If I can get down here again in September I’ll have another go and form my own conclusion.

That's not a bad selection, David, though as you say as noteworthy for the absentees as for anything else. Seeing SWF as late as this is interesting, though for some reason males seem particularly durable - really late individuals I see are nearly always males. Unusual to see those male Brown Hairstreaks as well - I wonder what brought them down? I suppose the fact they are still around means there could be more females still to be seen. Nice Small Coppers as well.

Cheers,

Dave

The vanessids are having a terrible summer here in Somerset too - the buddleia has been bereft of them, though the whites are doing their best to make up the numbers. I haven't seen a Peacock in the garden since 6 May, and only two Small Tortoiseshells in early July. I come across the torts easily enough on the Levels and there were a few around on Exmoor on Saturday, which suggests to me that they have survived well enough in especially damp habitats but the drought has hit them hard elsewhere.

Thanks, both. Yes, it's been a strange year, and hasn't quite panned out how I expected.

Brown Hairstreak females continue till early October at this site. I regularly see between 3 and 6 on those occasions when I visit in September.