www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

One of the most joyous sights of the British countryside - an early spring Brimstone (admittedly, refusing point blank to settle).

Fair warms my heart and, I'm sure, many others besides.

Cheers Neil Here's hoping the weather works out better this year!
Cheers David They were a joy to watch. It was releived to see my first butterflies - now I need to start getting better shots

Common Morpho

This is also known as the “Emperor” or “Pleides Morpho”, after the Latin name Moprho pleides (Kollar, 1850). However the specific name is up for debate as recent phylogenetic research has reduced the 80 species down to 29 relegating many to the level of subspecies, and M.pleides is one such species, now a sub species of M.helenor. It has something to do with Lamas in 2004 again...he was also involved in rearranging the Cattlehearts. Not everyone seems to use the new phylogeny and M.pleides is still in common usage – at least on the internet. The Morpos are nymphalids belonging to the Satyrinae subfamily like our “browns”.

Whether it is a “good” species or a subspecies the taxonomy doesn’t really affect the information available on the butterfly. It is found from Mexico down through Central America into South America where it flies from ground up to the canopy – there have been reports of helicopter pilots flying over the canopy seeing hundreds of Morphos basking on the tree tops. That being said most sources have them at ground level to lower storey commonly and they are often encountered along streams and at the edges of clearings. They mud puddle but generally feed on rotting fruit or animal waste tasting their meal with sensors on their legs and using their taste-smelling the air with their antennae. In captivity they particularly like Lychee or Mango – so you might want to stock up before you go. They are most active in the morning when the males will patrol for females who are more unobtrusive and often perch out of the way and also have less blue on their wings. In terms of other useful behaviour for photographers there is one – and that is that they show “mobbing” behaviour. Essentially hanging around in large groups to deter/confuse predators although I don’t know of this is common in captivity. A rather unusual behaviour, and one shared with other Morphos is the cannibalistic larvae!

However the most obvious thing about this butterfly is the stunning coloration. It is mechanical not chemical colouration caused by the diffraction of white light form the scales on the butterfly’s wings. It is seen in our Adonis Blue too. However the underside is duller, brown with ocelli. It has been suggested that the contrast between the dull, almost camouflaged under side and the brilliant blue upper side serves as a distractor of predators (generally birds) making the butterfly seem to appear and then disappear as it beats its wings. This is accentuated further by its’ slow bouncy flight and makes the butterfly hard to follow. Should a predator be able to follow the butterfly its flight pattern alters and becomes much more evasive with large swoops before an eventual landing. It then rapidly closes its wings disrupting the predators search program. It was looking for a “blue butterfly” and now there is now sign of one! Should this trick not work then the final line of defence are the ocelli on the wing margins. The bird attacks the most obvious part – the ocelli – missing the body and the vital organs! Have a goodun

Wurzel

Five Rivers Having seen my first butterflies and got some very distant shots of brimstone earlier in the week I was eager to try my luck today. I checked all three of my weather apps and all suggested that this afternoon between 2 and 4pm would be the warmest and with the highest chance of sun. Luckily I’d been doing my best to keep the house going during the week as my wife has been hit with a horrible flu so I had Brownie points a plenty so I grabbed my camera and made the walk to Five Rivers.

Once there I realised I’d missed the sun by about 5 minutes and it was hiding behind a huge wall of cloud. “Oh well” I thought “I’m here now let’s see what there is to see”. I worked my way along the banks and apart from the usual tit flocks (in much smaller numbers now) the only things of note really were the sudden bursts of a Cetti’s and a whinnying Little Grebe.

I was just thinking about heading home when the sun appeared the skies became blue and it was pretty warm. I could feel the serotonin building and kick-starting my mood . Back to the banks where most of my early butterflies were found last year. There was something small and brown that caught my eye a Small Tortoiseshell. It was while I was kneeling to get my shot that I remembered the problem from last year. The stinging nettles are so low to the ground the first you know of them is when you’re getting stung though your jeans, and they seem particularly strong this early in the year! My knees and hands are covered in nettle rashes – but the pain was certainly worth it. I then took to walking forward and back along the banks while sun dipped in and out of the clouds. On one of its brief appearances the banks were bathed in a golden light and that was when I saw another/the same Small Tortoiseshell. Many more nettle stings later the shots were in the bag and I was winding my way homeward. After looking through the shots I’m pretty confident that they’re two different individuals. The first has larger dark spots and more white than the later one. So still only 2 species which is a little slow compared to last year and I don’t think it’ll get any better any time soon what with snow forecast next week (temperatures “feeling like” -7! ). Oh well hopefully Easter will be good!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

That last small tort is a corker of a pic, Wurzel.

Nah, tis over-cropped Susie. The penultimate pic is the better as it shows the behaviour/habitat more clearly. But that's just my opinion. Either which way, I'm still waiting for my first Small Tort of the year....unlike my first nettle sting of the year which occurred several weeks back. I can only think that the root is jam-packed full of energy and nutrients and those young shoots therefore have a full wallop of sting hidden in reserve. I'm seriously considering wearing the knee-pads that gardeners use, tied onto the front of my jeans. Or maybe a suit of armour (now there's a thought, raising money by spotting butterflies whilst wearing a suit of armour....hmmm, could cause problems ascending Ben Lawers I guess...)

Sorry for the minor digression, Wurzel!

Cheers,

Gibster.

Well done, Wurzel (might be a while before any of us see any more).

Those are definitely two different individuals, by the way.

Cheers Susie I'm glad you liked the "close-up"
Cheers Gibster I'm glad you liked the "habitat shot" - see me, I cater for all tastes I reckon you're right about the nettles - kneepads are a must!
Cheers David . Was that our sping then - what happened to summer and autumn?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Early days yet, Wurzel.

Every year in the UK brings different conditions. We are, after all, in the 'battle zone' between Atlantic low pressure and continental high pressure.

Personally, I'm glad it's staying cold. I'd far rather ideal meteorological conditions descended upon us at a time of year when butterflies can truly benefit from them. Lats year's unusually warm late March condemned many of them to death, since the entirety of April was a cold washout.

To be honest I simply wish for an 'average' year, i.e. mainly unpredictable with regular warm, sunny days.

Here's hoping.

That's a good point David and I can put up with a few more weeks of harshness for the benefit of the butterflies - I only hope that it does get better eventually for them. It was nice at the weekend to walk around and feel warm for the first time in what feels like forever. I guess I'm just straining at the leash now having seen a few butterflies, I feel like I've rubbed the sleepydust of winter from my eyes and I'm raring to go.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Red Helen Papilio helenus (Linnaeus, 1758)

This species is a “Swallowtail” one of the approximately 560 species worldwide and this particular species is a member of Papilioninae subfamily which contains about 200 different species. It is found throughout Asia from India down to the far South Eastern tip and right up to Australia, or at least representatives are as there are 13 subspecies.

It is a large Swallowtail, in fact it is the third largest butterfly in India and is a relatively common species. It is mainly found in forests or along the edge of streams although it has been known to leave its’ natural habitat and frequent gardens and tea plantations. It has a rapid powerful flight but doesn’t seem to stick to regular pathways however it does seem to nectar a lot. It also mud puddles alongside streams especially in the afternoons. Males prefer not to patrol instead they like to perch on the tops of ridges or hilltops to spy for females which they can then approach for copulation. This behaviour and that of puddling in the afternoon may come in useful when trying for shots in a butterfly collection. During the wet season it seems to lose the red markings/spots on the upper side of the hind wing yet retains them on the underside. This can be quite apparent as it regularly basks with its’ forewings flat almost drawing attention to itself because of the large white markings. If it feels threatened it may draw back its’ fore wings making itself much less conspicuous. The most interesting thing I discovered was regarding the larvae of various Swallowtails (including this species). The larvae have an organ called the osmeterium which is a repugnatorial organ. If threatened the caterpillar everts said organs which release a foul and noxious odour due to the presence of chemicals called “terpenes”.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wilton Garden Centre

During a brief respite between the rain and the snow I took the family out to the local garden centre at Wilton. I remember reading that at the start and end of the season these were good places for insects as they’re sheltered, slightly warmer than the local environment and are jam packed with nectar sources. It must be like the equivalent of a food hall in a large shopping mall!

However it wasn’t to be butterfly wise as the temperature stayed below double figures and the sun disappeared to be replaced with downpours. Still the brief 20 minute interim allowed me to find my first Drone fly and my second, third and possibly fourth Bumblebees of the year. After getting shots of one that was amongst the flower pots I realised it was stuck and so rescued it by lifting the pots up. When I checked the shots later I noticed that it was covered in mites – possibly picked up during its hibernation if it was a queen. Whilst I was slightly disappointed not to see any butterflies (a cheeky Red Admiral would have been nice) I was heartened by the bees as it means that things are starting to change and it won’t be long now. Today there was snow , then rain and then finally some sun but it wasn’t enough to bring anything out . Still this could mean that in a few weeks time when things have warmed up slightly we could be up to our knees in butterflies...here’s hoping!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I hope so too, Wurzel. This dreadful cold spell can't last forever. Surely there is a reward beyond the visible horizon? (and one that arrives DURING the main flight season, rather than outside of it, as has been the case these last couple of years).

Still no end in sight unfortunately David so back to the exotics in the meantime...

The Owl Butterfly - Caligo memnon

I found it difficult to work out which species of the 20 or so in the genus this was. Luckily after wondering if it was C.eurilochus or C.brasiliensis I stumbled on a blog by one of the volunteers from Bristol Zoo so the identification was obvious. It was Caligo memnon (Felder, 1866) or the Pale or Giant Owl Butterfly. The genus is part of the Nymphalidae family in the Satyrinae so it’s related to our browns although more closely related to the Morphos. They are found in the secondary forest and rainforests from Mexico through to S.America. Their flight is slow and flappy so they are crepuscular which explains the generic name, Caligo means “darkness”. They continue to fly into the night alone along narrow trails and are often attracted to artificial lights and into buildings. Some research has shown that their frontal visual field can be p to four times as sensitive compared to the closely related M.pleides. They have adapted to low light by increased ocular facets. During the day they roost about 1-2 metres up and try to sit the day out – though they will fly through dull overcast weather – so they’ll be pretty active in butterfly houses over here! If they are disturbed they only fly a few metres, with slow audible flaps, before settling again. This is good news for us photographers but also may explain the most obvious feature of the butterfly and why it got it’s common name – the huge eyespot on the underside of the wings. There are several ideas to possibly explain the “owl eyes”.
It could be that the conspicuous contrast between the upper and underside patterns could deter predators. Another idea is that if disturbed the butterfly will take off and if viewed from below the eyespots appear like those of an Owl. So Batesian mimicry as the head of a predator. Another idea is that the eyespots with the dark area surrounding them are mimetic of a tree frog although the advantage of this is a little unclear.
A more rational idea is that after a laboured and slow flapping flight the butterfly could easily be followed by an agile predator/bird to where it lands. The bird will then strike at the most conspicuous eyespots as the rest of the body is supremely camouflaged. An unusual behaviour I came across was Lekking. In birds this is where groups of males congregate and strut their stuff while females take their pick. For the Owl butterfly males hold a territory at a site without obvious resources and occupy it at dawn. If a female passes they’ll fly up to try and entice her down. However research has shown that they only occupy their lek for about 15 minutes. It’s surprising when this is considered that the species is still around to perpetuate itself!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel
Interesting report on the Caligo Owls . However I would go with your initial assessment and say yours are Caligo eurilochus (brasiliensis is a ssp of eurilochus I think)

I've attached some pictures which I hope illustrate the difference. (I hope I'm right because Ive got a hell of a lot of file names to change if I'm not ) I think the seasons are going in reverse. When is this damn weather going to improve . If anyone mentions global warming again I'll shoot them

David M wrote: Personally, I'm glad it's staying cold. I'd far rather ideal meteorological conditions descended upon us at a time of year when butterflies can truly benefit from them.

Wurzel wrote:That's a good point David and I can put up with a few more weeks of harshness for the benefit of the butterflies

Tell you what, Philzoid, I know who I'm blaming for all of this!

Gibster wrote:

David M wrote: Personally, I'm glad it's staying cold. I'd far rather ideal meteorological conditions descended upon us at a time of year when butterflies can truly benefit from them.

Wurzel wrote:That's a good point David and I can put up with a few more weeks of harshness for the benefit of the butterflies

Tell you what, Philzoid, I know who I'm blaming for all of this!

Yep!

In our defence we did say that almost two weeks ago so it should be getting better by Tuesday! When you're looking back on this in November after a record breakingly good year when we've been knee deep in butterflies don't forget who to thank!
Philzoid about the Owl...I reckon you're/I was right...that'll teach me to trust "experts"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Caterpillars

As the weather continues to not be entirely conducive to butterfly photography I’ve taken to looking back over my folders and shots from last year. While doing this I found a few more photos of exotics from Bristol Zoo but not of the imagos.

These are the caterpillars of the Owl butterflies at Bristol Zoo (I think) and as such they feed on Heliconia plants and due to their gregarious nature, Bananas to pest proportions! So much so in fact that some producers are looking at using a parasitic wasp as a biological control.
After 3-5 days the larva hatches form the egg and it is white with orange-brown strips down the length of its body and 2 spindles at the end. As it continues to develop into instar 2 it becomes yellowy/green and gains four pairs of horns on its head, the spindles are now termed “processes” and the body sprouts 4 hairy spines down its length. As they continue through the Instars they become browner and the number of spines increases to 6. At the end of the fifth instar the larva seeks a high spot at which to pupate and then completes a final moult to a hanging chrysalis. In terms of timing each instar lasts roughly a week and the chrysalis stage lasts about 5 weeks after which the imago emerges.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Round Town

There is only so much time that you can spend checking through folders and tidying up folders before you go mad! So to dust off the cobwebs I took a walk around town. I took my camera so as to get into the habit ready for later in the year when you can never tell what you’ll see or where you’ll see it, most spring and summers I take my camera everywhere. This is presuming of course that we are going to eventually get a spring/summer though at the moment it feels like we’ll have a perpetual winter – are the Frost Giants preparing for Ragnarok?
I’d previously seen a Caddis fly walking along the path but today my macro lens was used more as a telephoto. The bridge by the library proved a great place to just sit and wait as sooner or later the birds would come to me or rather come to those with the stale bread. While I waited I found some very smart looking male Mallards as well as a pigeon that was bipolar – one minute dumb looking avian the next evil incarnate! As predicted someone arrived and started chucking chunks of bread at the water and from my slightly detached standpoint behind the camera what enfolded seemed to be a feeding frenzy. Later when I was sorting through the photos at home it appeared more balletic, with twists and spins, and graceful plies (that’s standing on the toes isn’t it?). One Swan in particular seemed inclined to act out its own version of “Swan River” for me ending with a bow. Even the ducks it seemed wanted to join in! So March tumbles into April and it’s still pretty much the same, settled and cold. If I don’t start photographing butterflies soon I think I’ll go mad...if I haven’t already, balletic Mallards indeed!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Your frustration is evident, Wurzel!! I share it too - I'm itching to take a good walk round Kilvey Hill here on the Swansea coast but it's just too cold. If only the wind would die down we'd be in with a chance.