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Meadow Brown - Favourite Photo of 2016

Week 11

Week 11 and time to wish everyone a Merry Solstice and then a Happy Christmas!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This female at Whiteford Burrows on the Gower at the end of July was nicely marked:

A dire year for them this year, the end of season spike provided most of my opportunities, including this reasonably well behaved pair.

A reasonable year for this species on my patch: nothing spectacular, mind. I have a particular liking for the very first individuals that appear in early June. They are always males, and have a wonderful velvety brownness and texture that later-hatching individuals seem to lack.The first females, a week or two later, also seem to have more depth of colour than later ones.Finally, an example of a two-spot female - different but not all that unusual I think. Dave

This is a species that I rather take for granted most of the time but when you come across a fresh individual at rest with wings open, it is difficult to resist.

My shots of the Meadow Brown were mostly taken in long grass all were taken at Hall-Lee-Brook in July and most were rather worn and I'd to be quick taking the shots because no sooner would I catch up with one and off it would fly

The first and second photos look like MB but the third and fourth, one of them being rather tatty, I posted because it's the first time I've seen the face of a MB before the fourth though rather blurred I posted because it seemed to have no Orange at all, Male I think! Goldie

A nice assortment of photos above, folks.

If you are curious, this is what Meadow Brown looks like in the South of France.
Female from early June 2016: Male from mid May 2016: Cheers, Chris

I did not see nearly as many Meadow Browns as usual this year, at most sites there seemed to be dozens instead of the hundreds that I would normally see. The also seemed to be a lot of females with more extensive orange patches than usual.
There were good number still flying at Upton Towans near Hayle in Cornwall in early September and this population was notable for the amount of orange on a lot of the females and also the fact that many of them had double pupils in the forewing eyespots.
Cheers,

Neil

Although I saw fewer Meadow Browns in 2016,than the past two or three seasons,there were still good numbers on the wing in my part of Kent,these three were all from the Orlestone forest, near Hamstreet. regards Allan.W.

Chris Jackson wrote:If you are curious, this is what Meadow Brown looks like in the South of France.

Crikey! Thanks for posting this Chris! Is this considered ssp. hispulla?

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:

Chris Jackson wrote:If you are curious, this is what Meadow Brown looks like in the South of France.

Crikey! Thanks for posting this Chris! Is this considered ssp. hispulla?

Cheers,

- Pete

I believe it is ssp. hispulla, Pete. This colouring seems to be predominant on my patch around Marseilles.
Here is a view of the underside of the same female individual I posted above. Notice the orangey colour in the unh post discal band. A repeat view of the uppers (same female): Chris

Thanks Chris! I only really came across this subspecies when researching the definitions of our own subspecies, where hispulla is often used as the basis of a comparison.

Cheers,

- Pete

I love the subtle colouring and detailing on the undersides of this mating pair, spotted at the Warburg Reserve, near Henley.
Mike

Meadow Brown

This was taken at The Devenish on a visit with little L. She had specifically requested a trip out butterflying and had specifically requested this site – hence one reason for making it my fave. The other is because it is of a fantastically fresh male actually posing open winged for once. Now I have encountered males doing this before but generally later in the season when they’re a bit more battered and tired looking. This one also really showed off the sex brands on the forewing so much so that it looked almost like a 'tattooed' butterfly.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nowt to say - just a shot I took whilst enjoying the first Chalkhills to emerge at Barnack Hills 'n Holes in late July.