www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Let's hope that after that brief foretaste of summer warmth that April will be equally kind...

Despite the drop in temperature there were still plenty of Small Torts about. Melksham, Wiltshire

The transect team (Rachel, Peter and myself) completed surveys of both sites at Gatwick Airport today in slightly marginal conditions. Total for the day was 13 Peacocks and 1 Comma. One Peacock posed briefly for a lucky shot.
Vince

EDIT: second image added to report 2nd April.

Superb photo, Vince!

Cheers,

- Pete

Your image encapsulates spring perfectly, Vince! Superb shot. Saw half a dozen Peacocks myself yesterday but none were posing like that.

Thanks chaps

I only got two shots of it (both now shown in my report). I'm not sure which one I prefer. I will add one to the species album shortly.

Vince

Rather breezy and chilly on the hill but still managed 5 Peacocks, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, and 1 Brimstone. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire

Friday 2nd - It was raining Holly Blues at Cwm Ivy on the north Gower coast today. Must have been at least 40 of them although sadly I didn't see any grounded females:
A handful of Orange Tips were about, and the cooler temperatures (around 12c) meant they were more inclined to settle than they were in 16c warmth last Wednesday:
Other species seen were Speckled Wood, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Brimstone & Small Tortoiseshell.

Wow ! Awesome photos David and Stevie.

40 Holly Blues ! Incredible. Just 1 would be nice for me.

Your first 2 photos would make some very nice Christmas cards Stevie. Or Easter cards. Or cards of some sort or another.

The weather forecast that I use is the BBC. Despite me knowing from bitter experience over many years how inept their forecasting is, I still use it. The butterfly season began yesterday and how long did it take for the BBC to foul up? Two days. The forecast for today was cloud all day. What did we get in South Derbyshire? Sunshine pretty much all day - albeit with a cool and sometimes slightly icy breeze. It made me scamper out hoping to see an Orange Tip but there were none to be seen. There was only 18 butterflies out (12 Peacock, 6 Small Tortoiseshell).

Otep wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:49 pm
Your first 2 photos would make some very nice Christmas cards Stevie. Or Easter cards. Or cards of some sort or another.

Many thanks Otep. Very kind of you to say.

David M wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:19 pm
A handful of Orange Tips were about, and the cooler temperatures (around 12c) meant they were more inclined to settle than they were in 16c warmth last Wednesday:

Cracking photos David. Still waiting to see one! Had one 25th March last year!!

Stevieb wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:59 pmCracking photos David. Still waiting to see one! Had one 25th March last year!!

Thanks, Steve. They're so much easier to approach in cooler weather.

Yes, my first last year was also 25th March, so you ought to get lucky either tomorrow or Sunday, hopefully.

Starting to pick up slowly for me too now on the Peacock, Small White and Comma front.

No Brimstone, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue or OT for me yet - but did see my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year yesterday. It landed on the tarmac path beside me and sunned itself for exactly the amount of time it took for me to get my camera out, switch it on and hit the focus button.

Might have upped my tally significantly if I'd gone for a zigzag wander locally rather than helping out at work for a bit of top pocket time and a half yesterday.

We did have a newt and grass snake hiding around the trays in polytunnel 3 at work last week though - and a vole was spotted approaching the cosmos and lobelia in number 4.

I eat my lunchtime marmite, cheese and tomato sarnies behind number 5 where there's a mound of compacted soil and compost which is absolutely alive with bees when the sun is out. Not sure which type - they are very small, approaching 100 on show at any one time I'd say, flying no more than half an inch from the ground, very rarely stopping and if they do it's for no more than a couple of seconds. Move a couple of feet away from the mound and you don't see them, so I assume they must have a nest in the mound although I haven't spotted any obvious entrances yet. I'll keep looking though.

....actually the cosmos is kept in number 3 where it's a bit warmer.

I'm very slowly learning this bedding plant game....

Saturday 3rd - a trip to Lower Kilvey Hill and Dan-y-Graig cemetery today. No Brimstones and no Orange Tips, surprisingly. In fact, Whites were the commonest species with 10-15 seen.

None were Large Whites, and of the 7 that stopped briefly for an ID check, 6 were Small Whites, whilst the other was my first Green Veined White of the year. I managed one distant record shot before he zoomed off:
Of the 5 Small Tortoiseshells seen, 4 were busy investigating nettle beds:
There were 3 Holly Blues, a Comma and a Speckled Wood, but the biggest surprise was coming across two different Small Coppers, one in the cemetery itself and the other in a scrubby field adjacent. This is the earliest date I have ever seen this species:

My first Orange-tip of the year sailed past me today during a walk in the Lea Valley Country Park on the Herts/Essex border. Hope he finds somewhere sheltered before tomorrow!

I saw my first OT (male) in Stafford today. Spring has really sprung.

Tony M.

Also just seen on Facebook, a Green Hairstreak turned up in someone's front garden in Brighton!

Easter Sunday male Orange-tip on Honesty, in our garden today

First OTs for me today too.

I went on one of my usual routes yesterday - not one single butterfly. Thought I was "in" a couple of times but it was just the floaters in my eyes.

Pretty much repeated the walk today and saw circa 6 Peacock, 6 Orange Tip (5m, 1f), 5 Comma plus my first each of Brimstone (at last) and Holly Blue.

Also had a bee land on my hand and kindly deposit some of its collected pollen. If there'd been more I'd have rubbed it in - might have helped with the wrinkles.

Interesting to see a "thread" of sorts out of the abdomen of the female OT......is that quite a common thing ? Can't say I've noticed one before - could it be some sort of parasite ?

They are back! Orange-tip on 2 April, Small White today. Fair numbers of Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone and Peacock about, but no sign of Comma so far.