www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi, have stopped by this wonderful site as my 5 year old is currently into a caterpillar craze and has a number of homes for them on the go in the kitchen. Reminds me of someone from about 35 years ago Mum's getting a bit frustrated but hey, I love them.

Highlight today was our two small white eggs hatching. We acquired these through a sting - I took the cover off of my cauliflowers and waited for an egg to be laid!

I know that we have some large white and small white larvae but we have a few others I have no clue about - I will try and post a picture or two and perhaps someone will be able to help. Some were eating my tomato plant leaves and another came from a birch tree.

Thanks for creating such a great site.

Cheers, Mark.

welcome to the site. one caterpillar to check for the tomatoes is the moth bright line brown eye.

good luck
Chris

Hi Chris, many thanks for your post and the tip off - our larvae are indeed bright-line brown-eye - http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=47

Cheers, Mark.

Hi, still no time to photograph our cattos properly but here is a Poplar Hawkmoth. A friend of ours posted us the larvae well grown on and it soon pupated. A few weeks later and there she was - kids were mesmerised. Oh ok, so was I

Hi, I went for a short walk on Monday (14th March) in the sunshine around Hursley, Hants - must have seen about a dozen brimstones - all males bar 1.

Does anyone know if it is normal for the males to emerge earlier than females please?

Thanks, Mark.

Hi Mark

Firstly thanks for purchasing a copy of my DVD's. Hope you enjoy.

Brimstones may be similar to many butterflies where the males emerge slightly earlier than the females to establish themselves in readyness for the girls to appear. I could be wrong but someone will correct me if so.

Enjoy the forums

You're not wrong. As far as I am aware the males tend to turn up first. I've seen 11 brimstone males over the last couple of days and not one female.

Thanks both - thought this might be the case or that was one lucky lady I saw!!! My wife says actually, no she's not.

Paul, I watched the YouTube trailer for your DVD and they look excellent - am hoping it will help my ident skills. Last September we were out looking for blues and it was just sooooo confusing.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi Mark

The DVD's should help with ID there's a few pointers for similar species.

I'm attempting to learn how to ID the Blues, Fritillaries and Ringlets I may see in the Swiss Alps later this year and it's a nightmare.

Hi, have just been out around the village (Hursley nr Winchester) for a short walk - was fabulous!!!!

In 30 minutes and just under two miles-

9 brimstones (2 female)
2 peacock
1 small tort
1 orange tip (male)

Plus two UFOs that I suspect were commas but only got a brief glimpse

Hope to get out tomorrow while the sun shines

All the best, Mark.

Hi, managed to get out on the same route as yesterday - today's count!

8 brimstones (1 female)
2 small tort
4 comma
1 red admiral

Plus a UFO that I suspect was a peacock

All the best, Mark.

Season Species
Brimstone - March 14th
Comma - March 24th
Orange Tip - March 23rd
Peacock - March 23rd
Red Admiral - March 23rd
Small Tort - March 23rd

...a bit later out today which may be behind my low count!

1 brimstones - male
2 comma
2 peacock
1 small white

Plus a UFO that I suspect was a peacock

All the best, Mark.

Season Species
Brimstone - March 14th
Comma - March 24th
Orange Tip - March 23rd
Peacock - March 23rd
Red Admiral - March 23rd
Small Tort - March 23rd
Small White - March 25th

Hi - short update from today - only what I was able to see whilst working in the garden.

- 1 male Orange |Tip
- 1 Comma
- 1 Red Admiral

Small count but lovely to see. I also met with a nurseryman friend yesterday. Reckons his stock of Alder Buckthorn come complete with Brimstone colony!


Cheers, Mark.

Hi, managed to get out again for the first time in a while.

A short 30 min walk yielded....

14 brimstones - 10 male 4 female
1 holly blue
1 peacock
5 orange tip - 4 male 1 female

All the best, Mark.

Season Species
Brimstone - March 14th
Comma - March 24th
Holly Blue - April 6th
Orange Tip - March 23rd
Peacock - March 23rd
Red Admiral - March 23rd
Small Tort - March 23rd
Small White - March 25th

Hi - lucky old me - out again at lunchtime
A short 30 min walk yielded....

4 brimstones - 2 male 2 female - markedly fewer than two days ago in spite of the superb weather
1 peacock
1 red admiral
4 comma
1 small tort
12+ orange tip (lost count) - 8+ male 4 female (approx split)

Also one large white UFO - could have been a large white?

All the best, Mark.

Season Species
Brimstone - March 14th
Comma - March 24th
Holly Blue - April 6th
Orange Tip - March 23rd
Peacock - March 23rd
Red Admiral - March 23rd
Small Tort - March 23rd
Small White - March 25th

Hi, managed to meet some friends and their children at Bentley Wood on Wednesday.

Many Speckled Woods about along with OTs and Brimstones. Also one suspected PBF at range - so can't be sure - also a couple of peacocks and a single GVW.

Pleased to see a Holly Blue in the garden today on two occasions - and even more pleased to find OT eggs on garlic mustard and honesty in the garden - also saw the ladt OT ovipositing - so hopefully there will be plenty of eggs - would be nice to raise a couple indoors. I've just bought some garlic mustard seed with a view to establishing our own colony - but looks like Nature beat me to it - just need that buckthorn!

All the best, Mark.

Hi - there I was cleaning out the stick insects when there's She Who Must Be Obeyed hollerin down the stairs.

Seems there's a butterfly in our son's bedroom - a small tortoiseshell no less.

I wasn't sure what to do but carefully caught it in a glass and put it in the firewood pile in the car port. There are a few other butts hibernating the garage roof.

Any comments ideas on what is the right thing to do please?

Cheers, Mark.

Hi - managed to get to Bentley Wood yesterday.

WOW - butterflies of all sorts and in large numbers. Best of all for me was, after a number of failed trips, a first Purple Emperor - and many thanks to those folks in the car park who pointed it out and let me have a squint through their telescopes.

I only saw the one PE but there were a number of other confirmed sightings. In addition there were

- Meadow Brown
- Ringlet
- Small Skipper
- Speckled Wood
- Marbled White
- White Admiral
- Silver Washed Fritillary
- Small Tort

The book also had sightings of
- Dark Green Frit
- Purple Hairstreak
- White Letter Hairstreak
- and probably more if I looked back far enough!

Cheers, Mark.

So far this year it's Emperor 4 Mark 0 - one even landed on the car whilst I was walking the dog....

Anyhow, with it being extra warm this evening 26 deg. as I drove up the track - I thought just maybe.

Anyhow, it wasn't to be - Emperor 5 Mark 0

Trip wasn't wasted though as there were a great number of other species to see.

I also came across a full-on expert; these are easy to identify - usually a beard, waistcoat, in this case a thermometer attached to said waistcoat and the giveaway - Swarovski bins. The 'jizz' is unmissable. Oh - also, really friendly and helpful!

Anyhow, he was intently peering at the top of the oaks and talk came on to Purple Hairstreaks and he explained what to look for. 2 mins later I found a couple flitting about the top of the oaks - so I was completely made up as they're a first for me! I found at least 5 more lots on the way back to the car - one group numbered around 7 - is it normal for them to be so active in the evening?

I also went down a new path on the way back - a real feast of Peacocks, White Admiral and SWF

A great way to spend a couple of hours.

All the best, Mark.