www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Great shots as per usual but where was Kate?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Brighton Belles And Admirals

This afternoon (15th September) I visited Maynards PYO fruit orchards at Windmill Hill Farm in the East Sussex village of Ticehurst. This family run business is set in beautiful countryside within a part of Sussex I seldom visit. I was keen to follow up on the report of 1000+ Red Admiral made by Tony Lloyd and Malcolm Phillips, who had counted the butteflies which are currently enjoying the decaying 'Brighton Belle' plums. This particular variety has gone unharvested due to discolouration of the skins. The owner Tom Maynard is keen to promote wildlife on this large and sensitively farmed site near Bewl Water Reservoir, and justifiably proud of this unexpected crop.

As soon as I entered this part of the fruit farm 2 Red Admirals landed on my head, which I took to be a good omen. It wasn't long before I was more than satisfied that at least 1000 Red Admirals are here, together with more than 30 Comma. I've never seen so many in one place in over 40 years of butterfly watching. The vast majority are in pristine condition and although we are getting immigrant Admirals coming in, I have little doubt that these are home grown. It's been a very odd season but the best has been saved to last and September will be the month that makes 2012 memorable for me.

Hi Neil,

A beautiful series of shots to wake to on a Sunday morning ...

Kind regards. Mark

Cracking photos Neil

Your description of all the Red Admirals reminds me of the mass gathering I saw on the heather behind the Dunes at Studland the other week as reported in my diary. No idea of actual numbers but there must have been hundreds concentrated on the heather just north of Knoll Beach. As in your case, I had never seen so many RAs in one place at the same time.

Interesting that you say that yours are home grown, most of the ones that I saw at Studland were pristine and yet myself and others had seen them coming in off the sea for a few days. When I reported them to Dorset BC, I had a reply telling me that they were part of a larger influx that had been coming in all along the coast.
When I went back to Studland a few days later most of them had dispersed and in fact I had been seeing RAs flying in a generally northward direction at other sites.

Apologies for waffling on in your diary Neil, I just thought it was an interesting comparison.

Neil F.

They were still flying in off the sea at Southbourne yesterday - only small numbers, but definite new arrivals.

Dave

Thanks Mark and Neil.

Neil: There is no doubt that there is a good influx of Admirals from mainland Europe at the moment and I wouldn't question that the majority in Dorset are voyagers. However, the Sussex Red Admiral bonanza is something I predicted way back in the summer, following a sequence of events I've documented on the BC Sussex website, Branch Twitter and, in part, on UKB. Last autumn saw a massive exodus southwards as Red Admirals from further north passed through Sussex in numbers I've rarely seen before. The relentless columns finally halted their progress when the weather became much colder and a good number clearly overwintered in Sussex. These were widely reported as they became more active in spring and a significant number bred. By mid June I was seeing freshly emerged adults wherever I went, including large numbers of egg-laying females (Ken Willmott was also reporting fantastic numbers over nettle fields in Surrey). Soon we were getting regular reports of larvae and even pupae. In July I tweeted "Egg-laying Red Admirals everywhere I go. This generally poor season may be remembered for an impressive late season admiral extravaganza." In Sussex we have had reports of Admirals coming in off the sea, but there has been very little evidence of a substantial movement over the coastal plain. Meanwhile we have even had a report to our website of a freshly emerged butterfly sitting above a patch of meconium fluid, something I've witnessed twice myself. So there's little doubt that the majority we are seeing in Sussex are citizens of the UK, although the proportions of immigrant and homegrown individuals may vary widely on a local/regional basis.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Neil, its nice to know that in this 'interesting' year that some species have actually done well in this country

Cheers,

Neil.

Pretty In Pink

Today (16th September) was a 'family day', but I still managed to root around in the garden hedge for 15 minutes. I soon found some more Holly Blue larvae, but rather than the usual camouflaged green uniform, this one was wearing something a little more flamboyant. It stood out clearly, particularly as it was between meals and moving on to a fresh flower bud. She (or he!) is certainly a good-looker.

Neil, that larva is surely too big to bore into a flower bud.

What will it do from here on in?

David M wrote:Neil, that larva is surely too big to bore into a flower bud.

Not at all. It's only the (very extensible) head that enters the bud and the larva scoops out the contents.

I have to,say, I've never seen one that pink before; not the best of disguises is it?!

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:

David M wrote:Neil, that larva is surely too big to bore into a flower bud.

Not at all. It's only the (very extensible) head that enters the bud and the larva scoops out the contents.

I have to,say, I've never seen one that pink before; not the best of disguises is it?!

Cheers,

- Pete

How the hell does it not get picked off by insectivores? If it buries its head in the buds it will leave a trailing end that resembles a tasty marshmallow!

Fine Young Cannibals

Yesterday (19th September) I met Brian Henham for yet another visit to Steyning Rifle Range. The flowering ivy beside the track past the bowling greens was alive with bees, hoverflies and a good selection of butterflies, including numerous Red Admiral, Comma and a very fresh Painted Lady. Despite periodically cloudy conditions we still managed a tally of 6 female Brown Hairstreak, 2 of which remained high in a master ash along with a male. I've posted one of Brian's hairstreak images below, together with one of mine showing a Comma with particularly pretty turquoise and blue underside markings.
This morning (20th September) I got the step ladder out to check on the progress of the Holly Blue larvae on the garden hedge. A final instar caterpillar had turned 'Hannibal Lecter' and was busy feasting on one of his much smaller relatives. A thorough search revealed a second larva with cannibalistic tendencies. Although I've never seen reference to this behaviour in Holly Blue it would appear to be far from uncommon.

In the afternoon I took a long walk around Rewell Wood, planning habitat management work for the coming winter. Speckled Wood was the only species of butterfly I saw and most were faded and tatty, so it was a nice young female Common Darter that had me reaching for the camera.

Darter Errata

Many thanks to Sussex dragonfly expert John Luck, who spotted that my Common Darter (post above) is in fact the rarer and much more exciting Red-veined Darter. I have previously only seen this migrant species in The Canaries. Identifying features include: pterostigma is pale with black edging; underside of eye is blue; yellow veins on leading edge of forewing; black line at top of frons continues down the sides; legs are black without pale stripe. I'm rather glad I took the time to get some decent shots.

very nice Neil. just goes to show it pays to get pictures as anything can turn up.
Chris

Grand Finale

With the Indian Summer finally coming to an end I was determined to make the most of today (22nd September) and paid probably my last visit to Steyning Rifle Range this year, at least until the habitat management work commences. I've lost count of the number of visitors who have seen their first ever Brown Hairstreak here, and two more went away happy today. Congratulations John from Tring and UKBer CJB (nice to meet you and the family). Although the predicted weather is likely to slow things down from now onwards, the number of Brown Hairstreak females has yet to drop from peak. 7 different females, all recognisable on the basis of wear & tear, were seen out egg laying between 12.25 pm and 2.15 pm, bringing my 2012 Steyning tally to 52. The weather has been pretty good throughout the laying season and I expect a bumper crop of Brownies here next season.

Red Admiral was the most common species with about 50 on site. Their numbers still appear to be on the increase, with no sign of a southwards migration yet. Along with the Chalkhill Blue this is the big 'winner' of 2012. Some patches of flowering ivy were heavily laden with these beauties, along with a reasonable number of Comma. Amongst the other butterflies present were a couple of fresh Large White. The season isn't quite over yet, but sadly the end is nigh.

Work Party Season Begins

Today (28th September) I attended the first of many work parties planned for this autumn and winter. Helping to improve habitat for the butterflies which have given me so much pleasure throughout the season seems like a fair deal to me, and has the added benefits of keeping fit and healthy. Today I joined Simon Mockford and Steve Allberry of the South Downs National Park Authority and BC Sussex/UKB member Colin Knight. We began this year's rotational cut of scrub along a ride side in Rewell Wood near Arundel. Each section is allowed to grow for two or three summers, which keeps the habitat in ideal condition for the Duke of Burgundy, but also allows easy upkeep as most of it can still be tackled with a brush-cutter. Following a meeting with the always helpful Norfolk Estate earlier in the week, we now have plans to open up new areas of the wood this winter. Let's hope we get better weather next May, so the butterfly can make the most of it.

Winding Down

Last weekend I lamented the fact that the 2012 butterfly season was coming to an end - and what a difference a week makes! Despite sunshine and warmth the majority of species had all but disappeared when I visited several sites on Saturday (29th September), with the exception of Red Admiral, Comma and Large White. At Steyning (I couldn't resist a last look!) I failed to see Brown Hairstreak for the first time since August and only a couple of Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown were present, apart from the aforementioned. On Mill Hill it was a similar story, with only two almost unrecognisable Adonis Blue, a Common Blue and a few Meadow Brown on the wing. However, I did see a couple of fresh Small Copper out egg laying. These are the only third brood specimens I have seen this year and the species looks unlikely to produce its normally strong autumn crop. With the season still running two weeks late through September we are now unlikely to see a significant third brood of Wall this year. The situation is in marked contrast to recent years, when a flying start in the warm spring period enabled many species to squeeze in extra broods at the back end.

While on Mill Hill I received a call from Dan Danahar, who had found a mating pair of Large White sitting on sea kale at Shoreham Beach. When I joined him there were about a dozen of these immigrant butterflies flitting over the shingle.

Despite the rapid wind down there is still likely to be some interesting activity through October and early November. At some point we are likely to see a spectacular exodus of Red Admiral in a southerly direction - eyes peeled! Given the huge numbers present in the UK at the moment it would be even more interesting if we don't.

Hi Neil,at what stage do you think the offspring from this pair of large whites will over winter? Surely they will not make it to the chrysalis stage at this late season?
I have just found an egg batch on my nasturtiums. It will be interesting to see haw they fare,as nasturtiums are killed by frost.

Hi Mark,

Perhaps surprisingly, many Large White eggs around at the moment will be able to develop through to the chrysalid stage before really severe cold weather kicks in, although this obviously depends on what gets thrown at us before Christmas. In 2008 vast numbers (1000+) of Large White caterpillars ravaged the allotments at Seaford in mid November, and successfully pupated in late November and early December. A few caterpillars were still feeding at Christmas, although it is unclear whether these managed to reach maturity. It seems that one advantage gained by this late season brood was the avoidance of the usually devastating effects of the ichneumon Apanteles glomeratus, which was probably absent (in its adult state) by mid November. Larval/pupal survival rates were therefore unusually high. We also received records of Small White successfully pupating in late November/early December at Warnham.

BWs, Neil

Many thanks,Neil,for the comrehensive reply. So it seems they can they can make it through,and even benefit in a way,from the reduction of parasites,which is something i hadn't thought of.
Cheers,and hpefully see you at one of the work parties in the New Year!
Cheers.