www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Nice to see you back, Otep, and that's an impressive tally of Small Tortoiseshells thus far; certainly more than I've seen.

24-03-2022
A hot and sunny day, prize of the day goes to this immaculate Peacock nectaring on Grape Hyacinths. https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/

Man’s best friend

Hi Jim, lovely photo and good to see you are getting the butterflies - they are well out here on top of the Mendips too. A very territorial Peacock in the garden today, which took major exception to a bumblebee, chasing it around at close quarters for over a minute and eventually forcing it over the fence. Plenty of Small Tortoiseshells too. Hope you manage to get away for a good road trip this year!

After a morning trip to Denbies, where only a few Brimstones and Peacocks and a single Small Tortoiseshell were flying, I returned to my much more populated local patch for the afternoon and spotted a Speckled Wood, my ninth species of the year. There's still one week of March left to add to that (I hope the Holly Blues are listening... )

Dave

David M wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 9:45 am Nice to see you back, Otep, and that's an impressive tally of Small Tortoiseshells thus far; certainly more than I've seen.

Thank you David.

A lovely hot sunny day in South Derbyshire today with 31 butterflies seen - Small Tortoiseshell 13, Peacock 8, Comma 6, Brimstone 4 and to my great surprise, Speckled Wood 1. I would have expected the Speckled Wood to be first seen here in about 3 weeks time so that was early for here. I have read of the sightings of others on here but didn't expect one here.

Holly Blues flying now. Several Male and a single female Brimstone. 1 Peacock, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, and the first Speckled Wood.

Hi Deborah,
yes they are flying here in Devon today too. Just over the Chanel from you I saw 2 today,
Dave.

Saw my very first March Orange Tip yesterday. Saw this from the train that was moving very slowly just past Hounslow Heath. My 8th species for the year (no Holly Blue yet!). Was just returning from Chobham Common (not for butterflies but did see male Brimstone, Comma & 4 Peacocks there) but had great views of Dartford Warblers but sadly no Woodlarks.

Numbers of Peacocks in the garden increasing (4) Male Brimstones battling in quite a strong Northerly breeze despite the sunshine. Holly Blues (2) and an obliging Speckled Wood sat still nicely today.

Weds 23rd - Lower Kilvey Hill & Dan-y-Graig cemetery, Swansea:

Brimstone 18
Small Tortoiseshell 6
Small White 4
Holly Blue 1
Peacock 1

Quite a bit of cuckoo flower in bloom too:

Small Tortoiseshells flirting, Peacocks chasing. First Small White of the year.

43 for me today (Small Tortoiseshell 22, Peacock 8, Comma 6, Brimstone 4, Small White 2 and Speckled Wood 1).

I also saw 2 Bee Flies. I am sure that is at least a month early for my part of the world.

A particularly varied day on my local patch today (26th) with nine species seen, including my first Holly Blue of the year. The only absentee from the 2022 roster so far was the Orange Tip - the one I saw a few days ago must have been well ahead of its chums.

There were two Holly Blues, seen some way apart - the one I managed to approach was a slightly battered female.One of several white butterflies was behaving rather differently from the others, pottering along between flowers at low level - it was a female Green-veined White.I also managed my first shots of this year's Speckled Woods, and one of them decided to pose beautifully in the late afternoon sunshine to show it's very attractive underside. Cheers,

Dave

Weds 23rd – Crymlyn Burrows, Swansea:

Brimstone 14
Small Tortoiseshell 8
Comma 6
Peacock 3
Small White 2

March 26th 2022
Weather, High pressure, full sun, temperatures were not predicted by someone, to reach 20ºC in Lincolnshire, being a degree or two cooler on average in the North East, compared to the South of England.
Comma, Brimstone, Small tortoiseshell and Peacock species, all seen today.
This was, I thought, the first Speckled wood butterfly, I have ever seen in March. They were significant, in that some had overwintered as a pupa, not as an adult butterfly and probably not indoors, unless one immature stage had made it's way into a slightly warmer wood shed (timber storage for seasoned (dry) wood burning. During pandemic, globally, it was estimated that much less carbon (fossil fuel) was used, as people did less international travel and worked from home, more, so after March 2019, there might have been a chance globally, for a percentage CO2 decrease in our atmosphere, with CO2 being used by florae, making oxygen.
Before 2019 (2015-2018), I would have expected to start seeing, first annual Speckled wood butterflies in Lincoln, in the first half of April, so are we
"back to normal" ?
#ClimateChanged #ClimateChanging

47 for me today (Small Tortoiseshell 25, Peacock 11, Comma 7, Brimstone 2, Small White 2)

Andy02 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 4:24 pm
Man’s best friend

Nice pic ! Seems to be eyeing up that chewed ear uncertainly.

I sometimes come across similar items stuck up in trees on my wanders. There's one in an isolated wooded area between Ditchling and Plumpton that left me feeling slightly uneasy the first time I saw it. It's more like an old friend now.

Bar an incongruous orange mini-squash ball next to sheep droppings in a sheltered gully on the hill, no such cuddly nasties today on a saunter to Wolstonbury. I was hoping for my first OT along the ditches approaching the hill, but not a sniff of one.

I did see circa 10 Peacock, 6 Small Tortoiseshell, 5 Brimstone (all males), 4 Comma, 3 Small White, 2 Large White (one box fresh), 1 Speckled Wood

On my return my wife told me a Holly Blue had visited as she was gardening. I still haven't seen one yet though.

Small Tortoiseshells seem to be doing very well locally. I hadn't seen that many last year to hibernate so I don't know where they're all coming from, but hopefully it's a sign of a regional upturn. They are beautiful insects.

My first Holly Blue of the year. Porthkerry park in barry

Thursday 24th – Cwm Ivy, Gower:

Brimstone 15
Comma 4
Peacock 2
Red Admiral 2
Speckled Wood 1