www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Small Tortoiseshell - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 17

Only 4 weeks remaining of this series - and therefore probably only 2-3 weeks until the Hibernators start putting in regular appearances!

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

The Small Tortoiseshell was once again distinctly uncommon on my local patch this year. There was a peak mid-June when the first of the new brood were emerging, but otherwise only a scattering here and there. The best example was actually from the next brood at the end of August.However, the most surprising was the individual that awoke from its slumbers somewhere in the house and flew around my bedroom on a sunny 11th December. Dave

Again, these were mainly seen in ones or two's throughout the season so I made the most of any that I did come across. This first one I remember stalking for some time at Burford Meadow, at the base of Box Hill, he was very flighty but my persistence paid off eventually and allowed me to get a nice selection of images My best underside shot to date came from this one I found licking the path at Bookham The only place where I found them in numbers last year was Hutchinsons Bank, with probably double figures seen basking and feeding on dandelions post hibernation. This site is obviously most famous for the Glanvilles but it's worth a few visits throughout the season with good numbers of many other species to be found enjoying the warm south facing slopes

Maybe these fellas are moving their stronghold north as there was no shortage up here in the sunny east midlands.
Gimme a stick and I could probably knock you up a few dozen individuals right now from those hibernating in my outbuildings and my neighbours' cart-barn.

My garden in late September...
...and two-for-the-price-of-one at Bloodyoaks Quarry in Rutland in July.

Taking the early evening sunshine in June, on a drystone wall in Cumbria.

Nearly all my shots of the STS were taken in my Garden or at Hall-Lee-Brook. I saw my first one on the 7th of March in the front garden much to my surprise, it was the earliest I've ever seen it but it's always the first Butterfly I see every year.
They were disappointing in the Spring after that, we had snow late in April and frost's which affected them I'm sure, it wasn't until Sept/Oct that they seemed to become more plentiful but nothing like they'd been in other years. Goldie

I was at Aston Rowant NNR looking for Silver-spotted Skippers when my wife drew my attention to an unusual-looking butterfly that she had spotted some distance away, through binoculars. A rather difficult chase ensued, around a prickly clump of thorn bushes, until I managed a few grab-shots, through gaps in the branches. After the initial shots, it then sailed out into a more open location, so I was able to take some rather better photos of this unusually dark specimen:
Mike

I took my favorite on 16th January and had to make do with the telephone camera. Alas, no such early sightings this year.
Although it was cold, it was sunny and the south facing corner of a local quarry was clearly warm enough for a flight.

That is a very striking Small Tort ,Mike,i meant to comment on it ,when you posted it back in August,thanks for posting !
I know its a bit of a break from the norm, but how about another look(please) at another aberrant Tortoiseshell ,posted by IAC also back in August .another real stunner,as for myself ,I saw fewer Tortoiseshells in 2016,and didn,t get a single half decent shot.

Allan.W. wrote: but how about another look(please) at another aberrant Tortoiseshell ,posted by IAC also back in August

By all means I am hoping that I may encounter this individual again some sunny day in March or April this year. 13th August 2016, Creeping Thistle patch in the arable landscape of the south eastern Scottish Borders one bright, warm but windy day. This ab stood out like a sore thumb, though sadly where there are usually 50 or so Tortoiseshell only a few were present that day.

Engine Bank. Cambs, 29th August
We set out to look for Small Copper and we were not disappointed but the Small Tortoiseshell was the butterfly of the day. Numbers exceeded 600 on a mile walk, They were scarce during the weeks of the butterfly count but they sure made an amazing come back some 2 weeks later

Thanks for posting IAC, good to have another look , hope you,re lucky enough to re-find it. Regards Allan.W.

Allan.W. wrote:Thanks for posting IAC, good to have another look , hope you,re lucky enough to re-find it. Regards Allan.W.

Agreed, unusual and beautiful

The re-emergence of the first hibernators in the spring is always eagerly anticipated and for me it is always a toss up as whether my first sighting will be a Small Tortoiseshell or a Peacock, with Commas usually following a few days later.
My 2016 first was a Peacock...late in March, followed a little later the same day by a Small Tortoiseshell, and by the following week they were flying at all my usual sites.
Numbers were definitely down compared with the previous couple of springs although they did show up everywhere that I would expect them to. The same can be said for the summer brood with the first fresh ones being seen at most places from Mid June through to September but nowhere in great numbers.
Cheers,

Neil

Small Tortoiseshell

This was taken at Five Rivers during a great day back in April. I managed to head out to both of my ‘early sites’ (Middle Street and Five Rivers) and was rewarded with lots of activity Small Tort wise, several Peacocks and my first definite Small White of the year. This was my fave Small Tort because it was one of the few shots (if not the only one) that I got that didn’t involve nettle rash on my knees!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Despite finding that incredible ab Small T Shell in August my favourite shot perhaps was of a more conventional ST on a grim kind of day with low cloud that just cleared enough to put up a few of the Vanessids around a stand of Teasel. In between the cloudy and cooler spells this crispy Tortoiseshell settled along the path and then up into vegetation and I waited and waited until it positioned itself just so.

iPhone 6S Plus
Small Tortoiwseshells are quite numerous in Lincolnshire, particularly around Lincoln where I live.
It helps to get quite close to capture a good image with a mobile phone. The wasp in the picture was taken accidentally.
"It sure does look mean and it made me jump !"
I did not get as many still images on my phone as I did slow motion videos last summer as I was getting quite carried away with using the slow mo. function. I am told the phone shoots at 240 frames per second in slow motion which captures the beauty of flight. I have posted a couple of amateur videos of slow mo butterflies to help inspire others to do the same. There is much room for improvement.
But this picture was taken with the photo function near to the River Witham in Lincoln.

I've got the good fortune to always be able to rely on a few excellent, early season locations for this species. One of them is Castle Meadows in Abergavenny, where I saw this striking individual basking on bare earth to attempt to warm itself in 12c temperatures on 10th April: