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On Saturday 4th May, I was checking eggs of the Orange tip at Pent y Sais Nature reserve near Swansea. I visit this site regularly every year and I was pleasantly surprised to see that eggs of the orange tip had been laid on all the flowers and in a rather large quantity. I found also the first instar of a caterpillar devouring the stem after having eaten the flower (I guess). It is the first year I have observed such a quantity of eggs. In previous years, I only found about 1 or 2 eggs laid on one or 2 cuckoo flowers. Most plants had flowers eaten already.
Sylvie

Hi, Sylvie,

Aqualate Mere near Newport, Salop, is the same. OTs everywhere. More Lady's Smock than I've seen there before, and almost all with OT eggs. Augers well... .

Tony M.

I think Orange Tips got lucky this year, Sylvie. They started to emerge to coincide with mild conditions at the end of March and when near their peak along came that glorious Easter.

I wager that most females were fertilised by the time the weather took a turn for the worse, so it's no surprise they've been egg-laying as if it's going out of fashion!

Only Brimstones and maybe Peacocks have enjoyed better times so far in 2019, with that exceptionally mild second half of February and a wonderful last week in March.

Definitely a good year for them. Fun fact, I keep on seeing mostly males every season, like females are tough to see without the orange