www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks for that advice, Neil. I've filed it in my memory bank!

Wednesday 22nd May 2013 - Things getting moving.....

At last, emergences appear to be gathering pace.

I had a half day today and was at Crymlyn Burrows by 12.45pm. A Small White was first to greet me but soon after I saw a flash of blue....my first Common Blue of 2013:
I soon spotted a second male and they, a Dingy Skipper and a nearby Small Copper provided me with several minutes of entertainment as they kept irritating one another and jousting in mid air. It was fairly cloudy so the open wing shots were easier than normal:
I then spotted what I first thought was a female Common Blue. However, upon settling it was unmistakeably a Brown Argus:
It was quite blustery this afternoon, so most of the Pierids were not airborne as they were last Saturday. There were a few Orange Tips knocking about as well as a couple of Brimstones (a male and a female). However, whilst walking along the top of one of the dunes I got a surprise:
I'd kind of hoped to see a Wall Brown here, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see a female.

I then headed towards the more open dunes where I saw half a dozen Small Blues, including this one which I found lying on its side in the grass. I thought it was dead but when I put my finger under it the butterfly happily climbed aboard and wouldn't let go (it probably appreciated the warmth in my hand as in the moderate sea breeze it probably felt no better than 10c!!). I carried it over towards a patch of sheltered kidney vetch and put it there.
This was the area where I left it - perfect habitat for this delightful species:
There weren't too many individual butterflies seen but the species range was up to 12 before I found this little fellow lurking amongst the grass:
The grass blades were preventing a clear photograph, so I gently tried to remove a few, however the butterfly dropped right down onto my finger, and like the Small Blue earlier, was quite content to stay there.

So, apart from a handful of Whites I couldn't definitively identify, here are the numbers on the wing in a 2 hour visit:

Orange Tip 8
Dingy Skipper 7
Green Veined White 6
Small Blue 6
Small Copper 6
Small White 5
Common Blue 3
Brimstone 2
Speckled Wood 2
Brown Argus 1
Large White 1
Wall Brown 1
Small Heath 1

Thanks for the comments, guys. Yes, this coastal strip seems to be quite advanced right now. This is unusual though, as daytime temperatures are suppressed compared to most parts of central and southern England.

However, two months ago when much of the south was seriously sub-zero and snow was lying in heaps, this area was several degrees warmer due to its proximity to the sea (about 300m away).

I think this explains why spring species have emerged earlier around here. Not so much a case of 'we're warmer than you' but instead one of 'we've been LESS cold'.

Saturday 25th May 2013 - thank God for rare species....

Only one chance for me to see Pearl Bordered Fritillaries this year, so given the decent forecast I ensured I was out early so I could get to Haugh Wood near Hereford before 10am.

I was quite glad it was cool and a bit overcast when I arrived, as this makes studying PBFs much easier.

It wasn't long before I saw my first, fluttering around the usual hotspot on this site:
There were several others flying in and around the gullies by the side of this track:
I spotted two at rest within 10 feet of one another during a cloudy period and thankfully one of them snapped its wings shut for a minute or two:
I was a bit concerned as there wasn't a Wood White to be seen, which is unusual on this southern stretch, and I had to take a diversion onto one of the other rides in order to locate one:
I saw 13 Pearl Bordered Frits in total and 2 Wood Whites, but apart from that I encountered just 9 Green Veined Whites, 1 Speckled Wood and 1 Large White, which was pretty alarming on a sunny day in late May in a natural environment which is regularly coppiced. In fact, the only abundant insects were those bloody biting flies again - I'm glad I took my Deet Jungle Formula with me because they were everywhere.

David M wrote:So, what are people doing when they photograph Green Hairstreaks that I am not?

I'm a total beginner when it comes to processing pictures but in the interests of fun, and because there's no chance of my photographing any butterflies for myself, I tried to adjust one of your pictures to emphasise the copper glow and irridescence. Admittedly, my efforts make the background look garishly fluorescent, but I think it shows that post-processing can make a difference, as Mike says - and I'm sure someone more skilled could do it less crudely.





Guy

Just seen your GH photo David (mating pair). Great find. Have wanted to get that photo for 3 years now Well done!

Pauline wrote:Just seen your GH photo David (mating pair). Great find. Have wanted to get that photo for 3 years now Well done!

Thanks, Pauline. I'd never have spotted them had my eyes not been fixed close to the ground searching for Marsh Fritillaries. I never knew Green Hairstreaks mated so low down, I'd always thought they'd do it in the cover of the shrubbery where they're better camouflaged.

Thursday 30th May 2013 - staggering numbers.....

I'm off work at present studying for an important accountancy exam next Monday. After a couple of hours' revision this morning it was so nice I decided to nip over to Crymlyn Burrows, which is only a 5 minute drive away for me.

Well, I certainly got some good maths practice in, as Small Blues were present all over the site today in phenomenal numbers.

Having seen about a dozen in the first 5 minutes, I made an attempt to keep count. By the end of my 2 hour visit that count had hit 134!!
On my previous couple of visits, this species had been very much confined to the steep dunes at the eastern end of the site. This time they were practically everywhere, to the point where I had to resolve to watch my footing for fear of treading on them.

The highest concentrations were to be found on the sheltered, steeper dunes, which are currently carpeted in their foodplant:
Small Heaths are now around in numbers too - 60 to 80 seen today, with Common Blues still a little underwhelming; I only saw 15-20, although one of those was my first female of the year:
Other species seen were a dozen or so Dingies, 8 Orange Tips, 6 Large Whites, 5 Small Coppers, a couple of Brown Argus and a solitary female Brimstone who I suspect will be close to celebrating her 1st birthday shortly!!

Plenty of medium sized Whites about too, though most seemed to be Green Veined. However, I did see a mating pair of Small Whites and managed to get a decent shot. Both male and female seem in mint condition:
I spotted my first Cinnabar moths of the year too, along with a Silver Y. Once again, there were a handful of white-spotted sable moths but I couldn't get an image as they kept settling underneath leaves.

Sunday 2nd June 2013 -

Wurzel wrote:study breaks are a necessity ....

Wurzel is right. There's only so much you can do and given that this morning was sunny and warm I reckoned an hour walking up and down Kilvey Hill would actually benefit me.

I was already in butterly mode, since when I was making myself coffee at about 9am I had a visitor in my garden. Two days ago a female Wall Brown was inspecting the grasses; this time it was a male, happily feeding on dandelion. What a delight to have such a species right outside your back door!
The first thing I noticed on my way up the lower path was the absence of Pierids, except for Large Whites which were numerous. Similarly, I only saw 2 Speckled Woods, although I daresay the latter's numbers will increase once the larval stage hibernators have emerged from pupation.

A couple of Small Heaths popped up amongst the Large Whites, whilst there was a female Common Blue at the summit, along with a caeruleopunctata Small Copper:
Two male Wall Browns were encountered at the summit, the second of which basked happily on the ruins of the old windmill:
There were two more males in the grassy ride on the way back down. The sun went in at this point so the second one was content to display his uppersides:
Two male Common Blues completed proceedings, the second one being enountered in the cemetery at the base of the hill:
Looks like fine weather is here to stay for a few days yet.....just got to get this b****y exam out of the way now!

Thanks everyone for the comments/wishes.

Exam was pretty tough but it's over now so I can relax a bit....

Monday 3rd June 2013 - just the tonic....

Never one to waste a glorious day, I packed my camera and boots into my car so I could be ready to zoom off from Swansea's Guild Hall straight after my exam this morning and head directly for Welshmoor on the Gower peninsula.

I was certain Marsh Fritillaries would be out having read about Willrow's earlier sightings at Aberbargoed Grasslands, which is much further inland (and considerably higher in altitude).

I didn't have to wait long before I saw my first:
Interesting how they have a habit of pushing their forewings back over the hindwings a little like Dingy Skippers:
I rarely walked more than 20 yards without disturbing one. They all seemed to be males and there were several low altitude dogfights with the occasional brief upward spiral. With it being 100% cloud free though, underside shots were nigh on impossible:
All down by the shrub line was where most of them were:
I spotted one flying rather pathetically as if something was wrong with it. The butterfly came down in the longer grasses so I offered it my hand and out came this unusually marked female with one hell of a cargo:
No wonder she could barely get off the runway! She was the only definite female out of the 60 or so I counted.

Other species seen were a handful of whites, 7 Green Hairstreaks, 3 Small Heaths and a Common Blue.

Tuesday 4th June 2013 - magnifique!....

Before I even headed out this morning to Gloucestershire, I encountered a beautiful female Common Blue in the cemetery opposite my house:
Feeling inspired, I couldn't wait to get to Swells Hill Bank to see Adonis Blues and I duly arrived there at exactly 11am. I saw 5 Adonis Blues at the lower end of the bank. This area was teeming with Dingy Skippers, and I noticed a few Green Hairstreaks and Brown Arguses, and plenty of Small Blues. Small Heaths were present in numbers but no Dukes here (unlike last year when I saw a single male), so I moved on to nearby Rodborough Common, passing a Small Tortoiseshell on my way back to my car.

Well, it was tough on the old feet getting to the bottom of the steep hill at Rodborough, but this spot is undeniably superb for Dukes:
This warm, sheltered spot was heaving with butterflies, and suddenly I saw a familiar darting flight pattern. However, it was too pale to be a Duke; in fact, my first thought was that it was a Mother Shipton moth, that is until it settled:
The markings were indicative of DOB, but the coloration was totally wrong, to the point where there was no way it could simply be a faded specimen. I watched as it battled with all intruders, including a normally marked Duke which clearly had his own lek next door:
I stayed in this area for over half an hour, constantly tracking the butterfly. Eventually, I managed to get a few underside shots that were equally as pallid as the uppersides:
It was happy to pose with its wings fully open rather than the normal part-open position the darker coloured individuals seem to prefer to adopt.

I saw four Dukes in total, all males.
On my way back up the hill I encountered two more Adonis Blues, one of which was pristine:
Given the favourable conditions which are set to persist, one hopes that both of these species will put down a healthy number of eggs towards the next generation.

The Duke is ab.leucodes ("The ground colour whitish instead of the usual fulvous."), as shown on the species page:

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... ies=lucina

Cheers,

- Pete

... not to mention that gorgeous female common blue!

Guy

Thursday 6th June 2013 - sunshine overdose....

Well, how much longer can it go on? I broke up on study leave a week last Wednesday and since then, every day has been beautiful down here in Swansea, with daytime highs consistently between 17-21c, blue skies and at worst, moderate winds.

I chanced a couple of hours at the High Brown Fritillary site near Bridgend and saw 9 Small Pearl Bordereds in total, all of them looking immaculate (though they were frisky so photographing them wasn't easy, hence the poorish shots):
The most sheltered hotspot on Old Castle Down has been opened up a fair bit by conservation volunteers. Although this makes it more exposed, the cleared areas ought to allow further violet growth and will hopefully be attractive to all four fritillaries present on this site:
The High Browns often favour the Down for egg laying so it'll be interesting to see what they make of this spot.

Plenty of Small Heaths about again, and Dingies and Brown Arguses were seen in decent numbers in the better protected areas. Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Green Veined White and Wall Brown also seen.

Wonder how long it'll be before Dark Greens emerge to grace this site?

Saturday 8th June 2013 - Rhos pasture trek...

Rhos pasture isn't the easiest terrain to negotiate, but Caeau Ffos Fach near Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire is a classic example of this landscape, which is why Marsh Fritillaries are found in such numbers here.

I spent 2 hours between 9 and 11 this morning and saw approximately 60 of this lovely species, including several females.

Getting to the main fields where they fly is a bit of a slog though. Perhaps they should put a warning on the entrance sign:
Here's the general terrain:
I did some conservation work here last January, but had never visited the site 'in season' so didn't know where the hotspots were. Despite that, it wasn't long before I saw my first:
Once I'd moved into the next field though, the numbers started picking up, and I spotted a lovely, docile female who didn't mind having her photo taken:
Managed to sneak an underside shot in too:
On my way out, I disturbed several more individuals, and watched two males pursue a female with great excitement. I managed to get a shot of two of them, though I think by this time the female had 'ducked' out:
The only other butterflies seen were a couple of dozen Green Veined Whites and, surprisingly, four Dingy Skippers.

nfreem wrote:Some nice Marsh Fritillary shots there David but that last one of them flying over the meadow is an absolute belter, I love it .

It's amazing! Have you got a higher res. version we can see, David?

Guy

padfield wrote:Have you got a higher res. version we can see, David?

I have, but one needs to consider at what point higher res leads to breakdown in clarity of detail.

I don't think I dare go any further than this. It shows 'reasonable' detail but is simultaneously entering the realms of digital zoom pixellation overdose:

Monday 10th June 2013 - Surprise....

After finishing my accountancy exam at 1.15pm today, I dashed back home, got changed and was on Crymlyn Dunes by 2 o'clock eager to catch the back end of what might be the last warm, sunny day here for a while.

A fair bit of useful coppicing has been done in the woodland here, and there are some lush clumps of violets which might attract Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. So, whilst it wouldn't surprise me totally to see this species on this site, it certainly DID surprise me when just about the first butterfly I saw was a Marsh Fritillary!! Crymlyn doesn't strike me as the right habitat for this species, and despite a good half hour searching the immediate area there weren't any more to be found. These are colony butterflies so if you find one you will probably find lots.
Bit irresponsible if someone has been releasing them here, but I took a photo of it in its habitat context just to prove it was actually seen at Crymlyn:
No SPBFs (I known they've been recorded on nearby Kilvey Hill in the past, so I live in hope), but I did at least get to see my first Large Skippers of the year, looking absolutely stunning, fresh out of the pupa!
Other than that it was the usual suspects: abundant Small and Common Blues, plenty of Small Heaths, a dozen or so GV Whites and Dingies, 3 Orange Tip males, 2 Large Whites and singleton Brown Argus, Speckled Wood, Small Copper and Small White.

Rain on its way tomorrow for the first time in nearly a fortnight, and for once, I'm perfectly happy about it - the ground needs a soaking.

Wednesday 19th June 2013 - Itchy feet....

Having not been out butterflying for 9 days, I was itching to take today off work given the forecast, but the best I could negotiate was a half day, meaning only a local visit was possible.

I headed for Crymlyn Burrows again and spent 3 hours there from 12.30pm.

Small Blues were again ubiquitous, with a few looking very fresh. For the first time, I realised what beautiful legs they have:
Small Heaths and Common Blues were plentiful, whilst I saw 20-ish GV Whites and 8 Large Skippers, including my first female of the year:
Last time I was here, I had the shock of seeing a Marsh Fritillary. This time round, the Frit I saw was one I expected would inhabit this coastal dune habitat:
I saw 4 in total, all were gleaming and full of energy:
By contrast, Large Whites must have been having a lazy day. All four encountered were avidly nectaring rather than racing around the hedgerows:
I was delighted to bump into this immaculate male Speckled Wood:
A Small Tortoiseshell had just whizzed by me, so I went looking for it down a bank. I saw another medium sized butterfly though which proved to be my first Meadow Brown of the year (obviously he'd had a very close shave with a predator):
Incredibly, given that it's almost midsummer's day, I also saw two male Orange Tips. Do the males live significantly longer than the females because I haven't seen the latter for nearly a fortnight?

Other butterflies seen were Brown Argus, Dingy Skipper, Small White and a male Brimstone which was as big a surprise as the Orange Tips.

No rarities, but 16 species ain't bad, and I got an audience with a lovely Stonechat:

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Tuesday 25th June 2013 - Busy, busy day (Part 1)....

Not quite a day of 'kipperesque' proportions, but a busy and rewarding one nonetheless.

I'll not be able to take another day off work for a fortnight, so at this critical time of year I don't want to be relying on the whims of the weather at the weekend and duly decided to make a day of it today.

First stop was Sand Point in Somerset to see if Bill's (Willrow) fears that Glanville Fritillaries had vanished were correct.

Well, I arrived at 7.50am, stayed till 9.15 and didn't see a single one

I checked all their favourite areas from last year but not a sniff. The only species flying were Large Skipper, Common Blue, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

I guess that's what happens when an artificial, isolated colony suffers one cataclysmic year.

Undeterred, I pressed on to my next stop, Collard Hill, which was only a 40 minute drive from Sand Point. My theory was that with Glastonbury starting tomorrow, most people would be reluctant to visit today. Sadly, I was wrong, as when I arrived at 10am there were already twenty or so folk congregated in the eastern glade.

I guess more pairs of eyes makes sightings easier, and two different individuals were duly seen (though I only managed to photograph one):
The Large Blue is not an easy subject to work with at the best of times; reluctance to open wings, settling low amongst grass stems and bombing up and down steep hills like a Porsche being just three issues. Factor in a scrum of 20 or so others and it just gets even harder. Still, I managed to observe a couple of specimens relatively unobstructed merely by exercising a bit of patience.

Prior to entering the reserve, I had already had a bit of a treat - my first Red Admiral of the year on 25th June!!! In the same field I also saw a Painted Lady (there was another on the hill itself):
Meadow Browns were present in numbers, as were fresh brood Small Tortoiseshells (20+ seen). Other species encountered were Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Large Skipper and a very faded Dingy.

I had intended to stay till mid afternoon but there were too many people about so I ducked out just after midday, reckoning there'd still be time to do another site visit...

Tuesday 25th June 2013 - Busy, busy day (Part 2)....

Struggling for breath due to the sheer numbers of fellow Large Blue spotters, I absconded just after midday, drove back over the border into Wales, and dropped in on the Alun Valley side of the High Brown Fritillary site near Bridgend.

The contrast was tangible - not a single soul around between 2.15pm and 4pm. Bliss!

The route I took was (as ever) tough going - don't ever come here in shorts!!!

Not much happened until I was in touching distance of the path down to the 'meadow'. I saw two Dark Greens and an unidentified Frit, but just before I got to the final path another golden brown bundle of energy whizzed by. It settled fairly readily too and gave me a 20 minute audience:
There's a strong possibility that this butterfly emerged today such was its lustre. The defining characteristics of High Brown are clearly visible in the following shot - raised sex brands and a virtually invisible 3rd apical wing margin spot:
Of the seven medium sized Frits I saw only one I positively identified was a High Brown.

There were a couple of Small Pearl Bordereds, including this nicely marked female:
On my way back out, I encountered this disabled Dark Green Frit, which I picked up given that it was fluttering aimlessly in the undergrowth:
I felt SO sorry for it. Any butterfly that emerges from the pupa has beaten overwhelming odds. How sad that whilst emerging this one seemingly got liquid attached to its inflating wings, meaning that the right rear-wings didn't inflate properly. It couldn't fly, and I'm glad I was able to allow it to bask on my hand for a while and consume a few minerals from my perspiration (which it readily did):
Poor thing. All he wants to do is join his mates and fly eagerly around this site doing what butterflies are programmed to do.

Eventually, I placed him on a sheltered Marsh Thistle. I doubt he'll survive for long, but what a pleasure for me to have a Dark Green Fritillary happily basking on my hand for ten minutes. At least he got further in the development stages than 95% of his peers.

So, in summary, High Browns are now out at the Welsh site. I daresay they'll pick up to a peak within the next fortnight. Even better news is that the dry spell has evaporated the stream that runs through the fritillary 'meadow', meaning that this area shouldn't be strangled by water-loving grasses and umbellifers like it was last year.

I got a few other surprises - I saw a Peacock in the meadow as well as a battered Comma, which I assume is a survivor from spring!!!

I also saw a female Brimstone. This species is a rare sight here (only the second I've encountered). How much longer can they hold on?

Saturday 29th June 2013 - Dark Green Day......

Crymlyn Burrows on the Swansea coast is a spot I'd never been to till 2 months ago. However, it throws up pleasant surprises every time I visit, and today's surprise was the huge numbers of Dark Green Fritillaries flying.

I certainly racked up over 60 in barely an hour on the south side of the woodland:
There weren't enough Marsh Thistles to go round:
I counted ten in a 5m square area at one point and I think eight of them are visible in this image:
Meadow Browns were even more numerous, with approaching 100 seen, but Ringlets will soon challenge them no doubt; I saw my first, second and third of the year but couldn't manage much of an photo:
I did slightly better with my other 'first' for the year, a male Small Skipper:
I went back round the woodland to the more open part of the site and Dark Greens pretty much vanished. I only saw three, but interestingly two of those were the only females observed. Seems they're reluctant to join the nectar party that the males are indulging in!

Small Heaths & Common Blues still fairly numerous, although most are tatty and faded now, as are the few Small Blues still hanging on. A dozen or so Large Skippers seen along with 2 Green Veined Whites and singleton Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Brown Argus, Speckled Wood, Large White and this Small Copper which proved irresistible: