Queen of Spain in Zeeland
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:40 pm
I said last night I would try and grasp what my Dutch book was saying about the occurrence of Queen of Spain in the 90s. Having done that, I don't actually think there is anything new there that Piers & co. won't already have known about, but ever a man of my word I'll add it here in case it is of interest to others. Better done in a new post than in the July sightings pages.
The book I mentioned is a kind of 'millennium atlas' for Zeeland (western, coastal Netherlands, just over the sea from Suffolk), recording the results of a butterfly survey begun in 1990 and it notes that earlier records of QoS from the late 60s until the survey are not well documented. So I might have misunderstood when I mentioned 'unprecedented' numbers in the late 90s!
In short, the book notes that the butterfly breeds very locally but wanders widely, and is most at home in the dune areas where dune violets grow. Its need for ample nectar sources is a major restricting factor, limiting its spread even where the dune violets do grow. The book lists the prime areas in Zeeland (the dunes of Domberg and the Groote-Valkenisse) and lists the days when peak numbers were recorded as 35 on 25th July 1995, 32 on August 6th 1997 and 35 on August 12th 1999 (in a year when 160 were recorded in total). Since 1999 the numbers have been small again, but the butterfly has been seen regularly even so.
As I say, for many of you that won't be news. But it might be interesting for others to learn that just over the sea from Suffolk are duneland colonies of QoS. If the Suffolk butterflies of the 90s were releases, presumably someone was hoping similar colonies could be established in the dunes this side of the North Sea. Sadly, perhaps because of the lack of a land connection with the rest of Europe, the phenomenon didn't last.
Guy
The book I mentioned is a kind of 'millennium atlas' for Zeeland (western, coastal Netherlands, just over the sea from Suffolk), recording the results of a butterfly survey begun in 1990 and it notes that earlier records of QoS from the late 60s until the survey are not well documented. So I might have misunderstood when I mentioned 'unprecedented' numbers in the late 90s!
In short, the book notes that the butterfly breeds very locally but wanders widely, and is most at home in the dune areas where dune violets grow. Its need for ample nectar sources is a major restricting factor, limiting its spread even where the dune violets do grow. The book lists the prime areas in Zeeland (the dunes of Domberg and the Groote-Valkenisse) and lists the days when peak numbers were recorded as 35 on 25th July 1995, 32 on August 6th 1997 and 35 on August 12th 1999 (in a year when 160 were recorded in total). Since 1999 the numbers have been small again, but the butterfly has been seen regularly even so.
As I say, for many of you that won't be news. But it might be interesting for others to learn that just over the sea from Suffolk are duneland colonies of QoS. If the Suffolk butterflies of the 90s were releases, presumably someone was hoping similar colonies could be established in the dunes this side of the North Sea. Sadly, perhaps because of the lack of a land connection with the rest of Europe, the phenomenon didn't last.
Guy