www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I thought we had better have a dedicated April sightings posting slot!

I will kick off with todays sighting of a single Small Tortoiseshell

Angie

I saw a Small Tortoiseshell as well today, it was perched across three daisys. Also saw my first Peacock of the year and three Brimstones.

Today at Ffordd y Wagen, a disused railway track at Pwll, near Llanelli, there were several Peacock, two Comma, two Small Tortoiseshell, a single male Brimstone and a Small White. East of Burry Port Harbour there were three Small Tortoiseshell. At the WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, four Peacock, a male Orange Tip and a male Brimstone. so a really good day in more ways than one. Have to make the most of the weather, the monsoon usually arrives in May!

Spring has finally arrived. A handful of peacock basking in the grass, what I believe to be a Comma sitting a couple of feet in front of me before vanishing again. A solitary small tortoiseshell, a couple of large whites and a couple of green veined whites. Couple of weeks ago spotted a Brimstone cruising up and down

Plenty of Peacock and Tortoiseshell in Leeds today... I took a long lunch to wander around Meanwood Park. Still no frogspawn about.

Yesterday's warmth certainly brought things to life. Several brimstones (all male), peacocks (feeding on the grape hyacinths), and a tortoiseshell all visited the garden, and my first speckled wood on the track behind the house. The SpW sighting is a week earlier than last year, and about three-four weeks earlier than average around here.

Simon

Lets see what I saw yesterday:

6 small tortoiseshell
1 Red Admiral
1 20 Plume Moth and 1 unidentified Moth:

Starting to take pics with my new camera, finally. Still learning as a few shots blurred.

Moth 1:



Small Tortoiseshell:



20 Plume Moth:

In my garden today:

2 Orange-tip (1 male, 1 female)
1 Brimstone (male)
1 Peacock
1 Holly Blue (male)

The Orange-tips and Holly Blue made my day

Cheers,

- Pete

There was a comma along the Downs Link in Cranleigh, Surrey, today and I have had Orange Underwing feeding on sallow in my garden this week too.

Just got in from my allotment...Comma, Red Admiral and Peacock

Same place as yesterday but a few hours earlier. The Commas and the Peacocks were fighting over the best bits. A rather tired looking Brimstone occasionally dropped by stopping to refuel once. Then a male orange tip appeared to make my day. Finally I spotted something blue flying past, which I assume was a Holly Blue. Last year was a fantastic year for the Holly Blue near me so it will be interesting to see how well it does this year.

At work today In one garden I saw, ten plus Brimstone's , six Pecock's and five Orange Tips , Next garden, two Brimstones and a Peacock later, on our first transect walk of the year, one miserable Brimstone

Gruditch

Yesterday showed a dozen peacocks along about 1/4 mile path, four commas, two brimstones and a single white, probably a small white male if it's the same one as seen and snapped two days earlier. Today was much cooler and heading back to winter for the weekend.

My first speckled wood of the year, a fresh looking specimen spotted today at Willsbridge Valley. It flew off before I could set up the shot properly then the clouds rolled in, the temperatures dropped, and I didn't see it again.
Sony A100, Sigma 400mm f5.6 Telemacro. f7.1 1/500 iso 200, pattern metering.

Oh wow, I just had my first ever garden Orange Tip. A female. I'm sooo chuffed



Denise

Simon C wrote:

Sorry...I keep coming back to this photo. I can't be the only one to think that the Speckled Wood is a very beatiful and much overlooked butterfly? I'm as guilty as anyone for thinking "Oh, it's only another Speckled Wood"...but looking at that image has made me stop and think. Great photo Simon!

Martin.

Hello,

10 April 2008
The vanessid that flew strongly from south to north over Rosslyn Road, Shoreham, and over the rooftops was almost certainly a Peacock Butterfly. My first worn orangey Small Tortoiseshell was seen over the northern part of Frampton's Field next to the Pixie Path and further east at the top of the path I disturbed a basking Peacock Butterfly.
On the southern end steps down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill, another Peacock Butterfly was resting. This was followed by four more in flight together, followed by another two resting and two in the scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. My first Grizzled Skipper of the year fluttered in front of me and then jousted with another of the same species. In the Hawthorn as the path enters the scrub to the north a Comma Butterfly was seen. Another Comma Butterfly rested on the steps of the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.
First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Fifteen Butterflies of four species

9 April 2008
A Small Tortoiseshell visited a back garden in The Drive, Shoreham-by-Sea.
Report by Ken Bishop

8 April 2008
The first butterfly was an unidentified vanessid that flew from between the beach huts on Lancing Beach and it appeared to have have come in from over the sea (although it was perhaps more likely to be a local butterfly flying wayward). The second was a Small White Butterfly* in north Lancing on the approach road to Lancing Ring. This was followed by nine definite Peacock Butterflies and one smallish Comma Butterfly on Lancing Ring Nature Reserve, plus another unidentified vanessid near Cuckoo's Corner. Both unidentified vanessids are assumed to be Peacock Butterflies. (*Possibly a Green-veined White?)
Eleven butterflies of three species

4 April 2008
A Peacock Butterfly left the Daisies on the north-western side of Buckingham Park, Shoreham. At the very top of the Drive, Shoreham, my first Brimstone Butterfly of the year, flew over the front garden of the last (most northerly) house on the western side of the road. A strongly marked (black spots and wing edges) Small White Butterfly flew from east to west over the Middle Road Open Space towards Shoreham football ground.
Three species on the day

3 April 2008
A glut of early spring butterflies on Lancing Ring included frequent (20+) Peacock Butterflies, frequent Red Admiral Butterflies, five Brimstone Butterflies, and two Small Tortoiseshells.
Report by Andy Brook (North Lancing)

A Small White Butterfly fluttered across the western end of Rosslyn Road in Shoreham town. This was first one I had seen in 2008. The first of the year was seen on 26 February 2008.
-----------------------------

No Holly Blues, Speckled Woods or Orange-tips seen yet by 10 April 2008.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: April 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/April2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

I am getting quite frustrated now that I have not seen any buterflies since around the 3rd/4th. Although temps have not been great we have had some sunny days, warm in sheltered spots.

I only hope that the slaughter of the hedgerows that the farmer performed last year has not affected this years butterfly numbers.

I know it is still early but I'm sure I'm not alone anticipating this years photo gallery.

Angie

You are all very lucky - not seen a single butterfly yet here in Derbyshire!!!!

in huntingdonshire so far this year ( up to yesterday ) i have seen:

peacock
comma
small tortoiseshell
brimstone

no red admiral/blues/whites/orange tips yet

charles