Search for white admiral

[BRIAN]

Hi Guys
down in south wales at the end of July, can anyone name a site for the white Admiral?, I know it's common in the forest of Dean, but it's vast, did try to find betty daws wood in Gloucester a couple of years ago, but the directions I had were useless, ended up in Newent, found Queens wood, but only had a couple of hours for the ramble

[David M]

They are reportedly found at Croes Robert Wood which is near Trelleck.

I went there in August last year but didn't see any (that said, their flight period would have been coming to its end by then). I intend to go again next month as the Silver Washed Fritillary, White Letter & Purple Hairstreak have been recorded there too.

It's quite a dense and steep descent from the entrance (which has an information plaque extolling the presence of White Admirals) and I don't think many people visit there as even in August the main path was quite overgrown. After 15 mins walk you'll come to a clearing from which you can follow a path. I guess this would be where you are most likely to see them.

Being an intrepid (foolhardy?) sort, I went off the path to get into the two large clearings that straddle the wood. These fields are pretty inaccessible and completely unimproved. There is good shelter and excellent meadow-type plant life there and consequently these fields abound with butterflies so there's maybe a good chance of encountering WAs there too as there are plenty of brambles running along the hedgerows.

Here's more information:

http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/CroesRobert.htm

[Cotswold Cockney]

If you fancy a quick blast up the M50, Linton Woods just north of Junction 3 on the M50 ~ part of the much larger Queens and Hay Wood complex, you should find them flying there in late June, early July.

Having said that, although I have seen it in good numbers elsewhere in west Gloucestershire, I've never seen the adult butterfly in that wood .... However, in late-August some years ago, a search of the Honeysuckle in Linton Woods revealed numerous very small pre-hibernation White Admiral Larvae. I tend to spend more time searching for the earlier stages than the adult butterflies. Correction, I used to do that ~ I do very little searching nowadays.

Their larvae are easily located by the distinctive way they prepare the leaves they use in late summer before preparing their Hibernaculum. This wood complex and some not too far away has a number of interesting local butterfly species. There is a series of Wood White specimens from Hay Wood in Gloucester Museum dated 1933! This interesting butterfly definitely occurs in a few woods nearby where I have seen it and may still occur there. My own observations show the Wood White has been spreading in the county for the past two decades, where it was not present in the woods I knew well as a schoolboy but, is certainly present today. Indeed, twenty years ago, when my son Martin was only 4 or 5 years old, I netted one passing through my front garden less than two miles from Gloucester City centre. I netted it to positively identify it. It flew on when I released it. After all, it could have been a small weak specimen of the more common whites... these can be confusing even to the experienced observer.

I gave details of this unusual 'garden' sighting here on UKB if anyone cares to do a search ~ it was an amazing coincidence ~ a million to one chance in fact.

Good luck with the White Admiral ~ one of the world's finest butterflies and a favourite of mine.
..

P.S. You're right about the Forest of Dean ~ it is indeed vast. About a couple of hundred yards from the Speech House Hotel, a favourite focal and starting point for Ornithologists, whilst looking for local birds there a casual glance at some trailing Honeysuckle revealed a few larvae in August.

[Michaeljf]

Brian,

I've been to Robert Croes wood several times and I've never seen a hint of a White Admiral even though they are reportedly there. If you ever go to Simmonds Yat (apologies if I have the name wrong) there's a nice butterfly house there - not so exciting in itself, but they often have copies of an excellent book '40 butterfly walks in gloucestershire' (Butterfly conservation, Gloucestershire branch) which recommends Lower Woods (Wickwar) at ST746881, May Hill and Newent Woods at SO690221 and the Cannop Valley in Forest of Dean at SO606099 for the white admiral (last one also for the Silver-Washed Fritillary). Slightly further afield maybe you could try Shapwick Heath which is a lovely site absolutely brimming with honeysuckle (White Admiral caterpillar foodplant) - Shapwick Heath is supposed to be very good for the White Admiral (I've always visited there too early but now you're approaching the best time to visit). This site definitely has Shapwick Heath on the White Admiral spots to visit, plus it's a nice bit of self-contained woodland so you're not walking for miles trying to find the right spots. Good hunting!

[BRIAN]

Thanks guys
you have given me some sites worth checking out, as I said we will be travelling down from Hereford down to south wales at the end of July, so the woods at Trelleck look to be the nearest on route, hope the weather holds and wer get chance to search for the white admiral, We did find young larvae in the forest of Dean many years ago with the Gloucester entomological group, Andy Hall, John McFeely etc etc

[Bill S]

Hi Guys
down in south wales at the end of July, can anyone name a site for the white Admiral?, I know it's common in the forest of Dean, but it's vast, did try to find betty daws wood in Gloucester a couple of years ago, but the directions I had were useless, ended up in Newent, found Queens wood, but only had a couple of hours for the ramble

Might the end of July not be a bit late, they are out now and quite plentiful in Bentley Wood.

Bill

[BRIAN]

Hi Bill
you may be right, but our local holidays don't start untill the end of July, also I do think everything is ahead this season anyway, fingers crossed for the end of July, may look for ph as well !