October green hairstreak

[Padfield]

Spring is here!



This freshly emerged green hairstreak was feasting on dandelions in the Rhône Valley today, 9th October. The sighting is as unusual in Switzerland as it would be in the UK - green hairstreak is strictly a monovoltine, spring butterfly. I think severe cold weather in September, with snow coming quite low down the mountains, followed by sustained warmth, must have scrambled the pupa's biological clock. The sighting made me a little sad, but he/she did seem to be making the most of his/her lonely existence. It was certainly very strange - almost creepy - to be watching this beautiful insect in October!

EDIT: I searched for references to second brood green hairstreak on the internet and found this: http://westmidlands-butterflies.org.uk/ ... l12_02.htm (see 5th paragraph from end), suggesting it is possible in good summers, even though not mentioned in the literature. So maybe my individual today wasn't alone, but a representative of a partial second brood.

Twenty other species were flying in the balmy weather today. Here are a few of them:


Speckled wood is a more natural autumn sight.


Tree graylings are quite common at the moment. Note the 'normal' grayling (semele) towards the right of this group.


This is what a tree grayling looks like when it's not fighting for its corner of apple.


Comma was the only Vanessid on the wing today. This one looked freshly emerged.


Small copper


Brown argus


Chalkhill blue


Presumed large grizzled skipper (I have underside shots and they seem to rule out Oberthür's)


Mallow skipper

I took loads more pictures, of everything I saw, but I can't close without a trademark Rhône Valley Queen of Spain:


The only month of the year I haven't seen Queen of Spain in is December. That's my target for 2010...

Guy

[Gibster]

Your Speckled Wood pic is...STUNNING!

In awe

Gibster

[Padfield]

Thanks Gibster!

Guy

[Zonda]

Amazing late appearance, and great piccy too. I'm well gutted,,, i couldn't find one at the right time.

[Paul]

GH in October...

[Padfield]

GH in October...

Shocking, isn't it! I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't just one of those butterfly dreams! But I've now found several UK websites that refer to the possibility of a partial second brood (that is, to the odd individual being found in August, which isn't necessarily the same thing as a second brood) and we know orange tips do it occasionally.

Guy

[Paul]

If we have a good summer in 2011 I may nip up to my local colony to check it out.. may atleast see some small coppers

[millerd]

I checked the site of the colony I know at Denbies today, just in case... Nothing, of course!

But then there hasn't been snow on the tops of the Downs yet, if a phantom winter is the trigger.

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

Your Speckled Wood pic is...STUNNING!

In awe

Gibster

Guy is brilliant at shots with views behind the butterfly, and I love them!

Cheers

Lee

[Padfield]

Thanks, Lee! It's all about playing to the strengths of the camera. I use a small compact and its depth of field is very large. So, wherever possible, I like to look past the butterfly to something that will enhance, rather than detract from, the picture.

I didn't do that with the GH because there I was concentrating on getting a good record of a remarkable sighting! Then, when I'd got the photo, I set off after a skipper and lost the GH. It would have been nice to have GH nectaring with a tree grayling against an autumn background... Maybe next Saturday.

Guy

[Zonda]

Guy said:

It would have been nice to have GH nectaring with a tree grayling against an autumn background... Maybe next Saturday.

If you get that,,, then you are my god, forget the bloke with the long blond hair. I'm worshipping you...... Ooops! That was Jesus tho wasn't it? I curse my ignorance. God had dark hair of course,,, same as Richard Dawkins. OMG,,, am i digging my own grave here?

[Padfield]

OMG,,, am i digging my own grave here?

Digging your grave? You're gambling with your soul, Zonda!! Nothing can now stand between me and that photo!

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

As my chief butterfly spotter said earlier today, "Why did they have to build that huge church there, for God's sake?".

Roger

[Zonda]

Nothing can now stand between me and that photo!

Well my fingers are crossed.

Crossed,,,,,,,,,,,,, Oh Lord,,,, My God..... He's got the exclamations all sewn up. I'm amazed at how much of my vocabulary is based on Christian sound bites. Me being an out and out atheist and all. Does it matter?

[Zonda]

Hmmm! I feel a Pete ban coming on.
Sorry if i have offended anyone, but i was always prone to the 'inappropriate outburst' .
This unfortunate trait has landed me in no little trouble before. Notably, when a conversation at my mother-in-law's village fete in 1995 went horribly wrong, in a chat with her and the local vicar.
This unfortunate incident has resulted in her lack of accompaniment with me to any event since.

What can i say?

[traplican]

Today I saw small whites mating in my garden.

[Padfield]

That's interesting, Traplican. Now you mention it, I don't think any of the butterflies I saw this last Saturday were mating. They were all feeding avidly, except the large grizzled skippers, which did appear to be defending territories.

My previous most aseasonal sighting was a wall brown on December 15th, 2006, also in the Rhône Valley. I only got a quick snap of that from a distance before it scarpered:



That was the year winter didn't really come at all - there were clouded yellows flying the same day.

Zonda, providing you're over 18, watch South Park, Season 10, episodes 12 and 13, featuring the futuristic religious wars between the Allied Atheist Alliance, the United Atheist League and the United Atheist Alliance. You'll enjoy them, though they are very vulgar.

Guy

[traplican]

They were definitely mating. I saw cca 10 specimens flitting above the bed (maybe through the Common Shepherd's Purse because there wasn't another plant interesting for them, if it isn't Peruvian Groundcherry). Among them was at least one pair connected by abdomens and flying together. I have wathed it first from the garden and later from the window. The pair had got to the level of the window which is one floor above the ground of the ourtyard and in front of the window so I had good possibility to watch it. But I haven't taken them to photo because Small White is probably the most common butterfly at all here and potential pest and I haven't considered it interesting.

But these Small Whites and one Peacock were the last butterflies I saw this year.

[Michaeljf]

This unfortunate incident has resulted in her lack of accompaniment with me to any event since. What can i say?

Bit of a win - win situation, surely? I enjoyed the exchanges above, anyway. But then being a Atheist, I suppose it's unlikely I'd be very offended!

[Zonda]

Bit of a win - win situation, surely?

I thought so Mike.