www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

we took the pup out earlier today as driving along saw what looked like large white butterfly, could it be or too early for whites? maybe a female brimstone?

Hi,

I would imagine too early for whites and suspect a female Brimstone.

I think Dave McCormick saw the earliest Large Whites in the country in Northern Ireland last year, around 16th March if memory serves.

Cheers

Lee

thx lee not many round this part cheshire but think they re movin in now, lotta garden centres so they may have alder buckthorn/buckthorn shrubs there

I would doubt that anybody has ever seen a Large/Small White in Britain during February.

Brimstone it has to be.

thepostieles wrote:thx lee not many round this part cheshire but think they re movin in now, lotta garden centres so they may have alder buckthorn/buckthorn shrubs there

They were rare in the Crewe & Nantwich area of South Cheshire until the 1990s when they seemed to move in in a big way, a favourite location is in the Wybunbury area around Wybunbury Moss and Cobb's Moss, where you are ussually preety certain of several on unny days in late March early April. I do seem to recollect that there was some deliberate planting of Alder Buckthorn in parts of Cheshire about 20 years ago, in such places as along the then newly opened A500 link road and A534 Haslington/Wheelock bypasses.

Brimstones seem to turn up wherever their foodplant grows. One question I'd like to know the answer to though is, given that Brimmies seem to favour knapweeds, teasels in summer, what do the early spring emergers feast upon?

Looking back through my own archive, here is a male from 13th April 2009 (local to me near Heathrow), and a female from 10th April 2010 (at Denbies Hillside). A dandelion and a violet respectively! I have a bad photo of one on a cowslip too.

Dave

According to the Thomas and Lewington book, Brimstones gorge on whatever nectar sources they can find before hibernating, favouring purple flowers. But no mention of spring flowers! I've seen them down amongst very low growth nectaring on Dandelions and Bugle. Wildflowers out at the moment include Lesser Celandine, Wood Anemone, Daisy, violets, Common Gorse and ornamental stuff such as Daffs and Crocuses. I know that sallow and hazel catkins are an important nectar source for various flies, maybe Brimstones utilise these too? Or maybe the fat reserves carry them through until flowers start blooming again. Certainly it's a long way till teasel season!

Still waiting for my first butterfly sighting of the year (all sing along now!) Will it be Brimstone, will it be Tort? You'll have to wait and see...

Chez moi it's dandelion at the beginning of the season.

Guy

Dandelions, Primroses, Bugle and Bluebells are what I tend to see them on early in the year. Bluebell being the most popular, probably because it's the most common flower where I see them.

I saw them on Bluebells, Primroses and Dandelions last year in the Spring too.

Cheers

Lee

Thanks for providing that info, folks. I'd often wondered what Brimstones go for so early in the year.

Lee Hurrell wrote:Hi,

I would imagine too early for whites and suspect a female Brimstone.

I think Dave McCormick saw the earliest Large Whites in the country in Northern Ireland last year, around 16th March if memory serves.

Cheers

Lee

Yeah I had found one one 16th, two on 23rd and one on 31st. Someone in Carrickfergus found a Small White on 10th January last year.

I am not sure about my sightings but if a caterpillar created its chrysalis in a warm place (large white caterpillars travel some distance to do this) then the heat could have brought them out early.

Dave McCormick wrote: Someone in Carrickfergus found a Small White on 10th January last year.

I am not sure about my sightings but if a caterpillar created its chrysalis in a warm place (large white caterpillars travel some distance to do this) then the heat could have brought them out early.

Amazing stuff. Even more so when you consider that early January last year was particularly cold.

Gibster wrote:According to the Thomas and Lewington book, Brimstones gorge on whatever nectar sources they can find before hibernating, favouring purple flowers. But no mention of spring flowers! I've seen them down amongst very low growth nectaring on Dandelions and Bugle. Wildflowers out at the moment include Lesser Celandine, Wood Anemone, Daisy, violets, Common Gorse and ornamental stuff such as Daffs and Crocuses. ...

I've seen a couple of male Brimstones on Daffodils recently. First I thought they mistakenly took the paler leaves for females, but they spent long enough on the 'trumpets' for me to realise they were nectaring.

Rob