www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

First sightings today from my patch near Heathrow. A Small Tortoiseshell and shortly afterwards a Peacock near the River Colne. Hazy Sunshine - around 13 or 14 degrees.

Dave

I believe in the south there will be low teens temperatures quite widely during next week.

Could be lift off for Lepidoptera.

Two inches of snow here today!

Oh Nick!

Spent an hour and a half on my local 'patch' this afternoon. There are still hardly any flowering plants (except gorse) so it wasn't a surprise that I only saw one Small Tortoiseshell (fluttering over tree tops) and half a dozen bees. Notable birds were Nuthatch and Green Woodpecker.

Nice warm afternoon here, this fellow was sunning itself on Wall Hill at Torquay this afternoon.

Was at my local patch this afternoon, a raised bog with birch woodland. A mix of rain and cloud meant not a lot was about, just saw a male pheasant, blue tits, starlings, blackbirds and buzzards. Found a micro moth pupa on heather in the birch woodland here. No butterflies about yet.

Hi all,

A family relative's child's Christening today loomed to spoil the potential for a brilliant sunny day for searching for the first Brimstone sighting for the year for me. Bugger I thought!! Anyway, upon walking down to St Petrocs Church in Bodmin Town centre (Cornwall) (SX074670) for the Christening at 12:45pm today (13th March), I was delighted to suddenly see a male Brimstone fly out from the churchyard of St Petrocs church (SX074670) & fly along the direction of the edge of the pavement away from the church grounds! First for the season for me & my 5 year old son Michael Slaughter but my Wife & older son (Robert) were otherwise distracted in conversation. Inside the Church I recorded no less than 5 different Small Tortoiseshells flying against the inside of their stain glass windows! All were very vigorously flying against the windows trying to get out after having been awoken from hibernation presumably by the unbroken sunshine today. The windows that they were all flying against were all bathed in sunshine incidentally! All in all not a bad day in the end!
Cheers all,
Lee Slaughter (Cornwall).

It was warm and sunny in Farnham, Surrey, today and there were five male brimstones flying along one short section of roadway as I drove along. In contrast when I got home it was cold and cloudy and nothing was flying, not even bees.

Nice to see a number of male Brimstones flying today in NE Hants. I wonder if someone could assist with a moth identification? What is flying at this time of year - brown, size of a small speckled wood butterfly but more 'squarish' in wing-shape with a fluttering flight. Seen early afternoon in rough heathland.

Regards,
Terry Hotten

White over hard frost here in Nth west Norfolk this morning. Opened my garage door @ 8am, it faces due east & morning sun soon warmed it up & at 9.30am a Peacock flew out & sunned itself on the drive. Eric

Wurzel wrote:March sems to be a time for strange contrasts...I saw 16 Waxwing on the way back from shopping yesterday and then I had 2 Brimstones and a Comma in my garden in Salisbury that same afternoon - even though the Waxwings were ace I wish spring would make it's mind up and finally arrive. I mean I've come out of hibernation now and am eagerly awaiting the new season.

Have a goodun all

Wurzel

I'm near Salisbury and have never seen a Waxwing, do you mind me asking whereabouts you saw them please?

Bill

tmhotten wrote:Nice to see a number of male Brimstones flying today in NE Hants. I wonder if someone could assist with a moth identification? What is flying at this time of year - brown, size of a small speckled wood butterfly but more 'squarish' in wing-shape with a fluttering flight. Seen early afternoon in rough heathland.

Regards,
Terry Hotten

Your moth was likely to be an Orange Underwing, a day-flying Birch feeding species.

Misha

Had an away day to Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire yesterday (14th). Good amounts of sunshine, particularly around dinner-time. Quite warm in the sun, out of it there was still a nagging edge to the wind. Went to see the Great Grey Shrike. We had very good views of this predator. Cracking bird.

Whilst having some lunch in the car park, I noticed something fluttering by a small plantation. I thought here we go and the heart started to race. Initially, I believed it to be a Small Tortoiseshell. I hurdled the fencing pretty lively and got a closer look - a Comma. My first butterfly of the year - albeit outside the parish.

Taken with a Sigma 70-200mm lens. Didn't have my macro lens with me

Mikhail wrote:

tmhotten wrote:Nice to see a number of male Brimstones flying today in NE Hants. I wonder if someone could assist with a moth identification? What is flying at this time of year - brown, size of a small speckled wood butterfly but more 'squarish' in wing-shape with a fluttering flight. Seen early afternoon in rough heathland.

Regards,
Terry Hotten

Your moth was likely to be an Orange Underwing, a day-flying Birch feeding species.

Misha

Thanks Misha.

Regards,
Terry

Rushed out with my new Christmas camera when I saw a f. Brimstone fluttering around the Pulmonaria, couldn't find it but spotted this Comma having a feed. So christened the camera and out of about 80 shots found one half usable picture.

The forcast for the Surrey area was 15C, which would have been the best day of the year so far. The sun was shining as I left the house just after midday, with the temperature reading 13C, but mist and hazy cloud then started to come over. With the temperature falling to 10C, I found my first Brimstone of the year flying at the first of my local sites. It was not very active, and after a while it gave up and went to roost on an ivy-covered tree, but not before I managed a few shots.
I also saw my first Comma here today.
I then tried two other sites, but they were very cool and shrouded in mist, which was refusing to burn off.

Vince

Lovely photo Vince.

I saw six male brimstones and one comma today at various sites in West Sussex.

I agree - lovely shot Vince. The design of the Brimstone wing is one of nature's many marvels... and all-too-easy to overlook. Pretty colour too.
Neil

Susie wrote:Lovely photo Vince.

Sussex Kipper wrote:I agree - lovely shot Vince. The design of the Brimstone wing is one of nature's many marvels... and all-too-easy to overlook. Pretty colour too.

Thanks, Sussex Chums. I don't think I will be able to attend the Branch Spring Social this weekend, but hope to see you both in July when we hunt for Emperors and Silver-washed Fritillary aberrations in Southwater Woods .

Vince