www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

May finally came good after a cool start. Let's hope June can continue mild & sunny....

Lucky you, In Norfolk May started and ended like November. In between a few decent days.

A couple of firsts for the year for me today.

Meadow Brown and Large Skipper. Bewley Common, Wiltshire

Highlights from a visit to Denbies Hillside today. I counted well over 100 Adonis on a lengthy circular walk around the slope: predominantly males, but I suspect many females went unseen. Considering the abundance and lushness of horseshoe vetch this spring, the second brood could be quite impressive. Most of the butterflies were past their prime, taking on the shining electric blue characteristic of worn male Adonis. However, one or two were still quite fresh.In amongst all this vivid blueness was an equally vivid green......catching the light just right.

I also spotted the first Small Blues I'd seen on this site for several years......and a lovely new female Large Skipper.I believe a Meadow Brown was seen on the hillside too, but I didn't track any down. Also flying: Dingy Skipper, Small Heath, Common Blue, Small Copper, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Orange Tip and Brown Argus. There were a number of orchids coming into flower, including this unusual-looking example which is not one I know. Discovering that the Curse of the M25 would turn my journey home into a 100-minute nightmare (instead of around 45 at most), I went back the (extended but) pretty way via Chiddingfold and dropped in on the Wood Whites just settling down for the evening. Having now seen the species in a rather different habitat on the east Devon coast, I do feel that the Surrey ones are more lethargic in flight. In a relatively short walk I saw around a dozen, well spread out apart from these two that seemed intent on sharing the same flower.Before long they were all roosting.

That’s a man orchid, Dave!

Circa 10 Back-veined White's seen recently per Twitter, with x3 at two sites. Suggestion is deliberate releases.
Should one start to question last year's Queen of Spain's?

Lawts wrote: ↑Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:13 pm Circa 10 Back-veined White's seen recently per Twitter, with x3 at two sites. Suggestion is deliberate releases.
Should one start to question last year's Queen of Spain's?

At least QoS has been seen fairly regularly along the Channel coast in recent years, which makes a natural origin more plausible for them. They almost certainly bred on the Walmer site (the female I saw was freshly emerged, and Bugboy has confirmed that the foodplant was present).

Dave

A Long -Tailed Blue seen and filmed at Ranscombe Farm (North Kent ) this afternoon (Superb plant site by the way !) for anyone interested ,its on Kent Butterflies facebook page.
Allan.W.

Out on my local patch today I disturbed a Small Heath from the grass. It was immediately pounced on by another and the pair plummeted to the ground in front of me. Another example of perfunctory (non-existent!) courtship - they were mating by the time I trained my lens on them.They relocated once, and there I left them.This site is pretty reliable for the species, with decent numbers seen every year from May to at least September, but I can only recall seeing one other pairing in 15 years.

Dave

Lots of Small blue and dingy skipper on the wing at Logie Quarry near Tain today.

Friday 2nd, Fairwood Common, Gower:

Small Heath 5
Common Blue 3
Green Hairstreak 2
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary 2

Latest notes from the garden.

A Brimstone laid approximately 50 eggs on my potted Alder Buckthorn on 21st May and these started to hatch on 30th May. The young larvae would otherwise be easily overlooked, but give themselves away by the feeding damage they cause.
This morning our resident vixen brought her three new cubs into the garden for the first time.
Later, while on one of the Gatwick transects , I noticed several egg/larval shelters of the Hazel-leaf roller beetle, some of which look superficially like butterfly pupae from a distance.

Vince

Just love that fox photo Vince - you are sooo privileged

i went to Sundon this afternoon; plenty of Common Blues, a few Small Blues,
i came across this pretty plant at the edge of a field... never seen this before

Hi, Charles!

I think that might be a grass vetchling. Like a mini sweet pea with leaves like grass (but darker green). The Common Blues near me love it.

Dave

millerd wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:37 pm Hi, Charles!

I think that might be a grass vetchling. Like a mini sweet pea with leaves like grass (but darker green). The Common Blues near me love it.

Dave

thanks for your excellent suggestion Dave. it does look very much like a tiny sweet pea. I did not see any butterflies on it though

Compton Down today and only one Marshie but a couple of Large Skippers, Meadow Browns, Small Blue etc and up to 6 Glannies. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Bertl wrote: ↑Sat Jun 03, 2023 10:49 pmLots of Small blue and dingy skipper on the wing at Logie Quarry near Tain today.

Those are great images of the Small Blues, Bertl. Caught the light just right.

Saturday 3rd, Welshmoor, Gower:

Green Hairstreak 1
Large Skipper 1

David M wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:49 am

Bertl wrote: ↑Sat Jun 03, 2023 10:49 pmLots of Small blue and dingy skipper on the wing at Logie Quarry near Tain today.

Those are great images of the Small Blues, Bertl. Caught the light just right.

Thanks David. The Dingy Skipper was a first for me. I have also never seen so many small blues on the wing. Logie quarry is a fantastic success story and I would like to thank Tracy Munro (project officer, East of Scotland, species on the edge) for the site recommendation and the wonderful work they do.