May Butterflies

[Perseus]

Hello,

I can't seperate the whites in flight with female Brimstones, Orange-tip females, Large Whites, Small Whites, GV Whites all sparring together in an area the size of an average garden. Usually at least one on the list is missing though.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

[Gwenhwyfar]

by Perseus on Sat May 10, 2008 10:57 pm

Gwenhwyfar wrote:
Went out this morning and found lots of Grizzled skippers and a few Dingys, also had three Small Heaths & 1 Common Blue.


Where?

Broughton Downs.

[eccles]

Today I did West Yatton Down and Hazelbury Common with Denise, and at Hazelbury we said 'Hi' to Mark from Bath.
At West Yatton were good numbers of green hairstreak and dingy skipper, plus a few brown argus and small heath.
At Hazelbury were lots of dingy skipper, and half a dozen very fresh looking marsh fritillary. Denise is getting her eye in now and was spotting the marsh frits before me. No adonis blue at either site unfortunately, but a good day out all the same.

[Matsukaze]

Things are getting more lively now.

Friday, a Grizzled Skipper on the old railway sidings at Mells near Frome (ST715512). When disturbed, it fluttered around for a while, basked briefly, then settled for the evening on a ribwort plantain flower-head, the white specks on the underwing camouflaging it but the angular wings giving its location away.

Saturday, Dingy Skippers high above a disused quarry near Shipham in the Mendips (ST452555). A south-facing scree bank with plenty of bird's foot trefoil made a haven for them, and there were a fair number chasing vivaciously. Brimstones have been a bit scarce this year but at Shapwick on the Levels there were plenty.

Sunday, I tried to see if the Duke of Burgundy still hangs on in the hills south of Bath. There is a patch of downland near Engine Wood, Combe Hay (ST741606) which looks promising. An interesting habitat mosaic and plenty of cowslips, some of which are becoming submerged in the encroaching thorn-scrub. No sign of the Dukes and it is a decade since they were last recorded in the area, but you never know unless you look, and perhaps someone more familiar with the species would have a better chance...

[Simon C]

Lovely day yesterday.
Buckland Wood again (and bumped into Simon C again), with Dukes out in force, and a few Dingies (including a pair making more Dingies) and Green Hairstreaks. no Grizzeld though. Lots of fly past Whites which prompted a brief discussion with Simon C about whether either of us could seperate them in flight - we couldn't - can anyone?
Off to Sand Point to see if the infamous Glanvilles had emerged yet (they hadn't!) but we had a great time with lots of Holly Blue, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper and a few restless Wall.
Not sure where I am off to today - probably Braunton Burrows for Grizzleds?!
Roger Harding

Thanks for the lift in the dodgem, Roger. I did another circuit of Sand Point after you left, but without luck. It was wonderful to see everything so advanced there. So many CBs, BAs and SCs, I am yet to a single one anywhere else yet this year.

I never did get a small copper shot, but here are some others from the day.

Hope you got some keepers.

Simon C

[markatbath]

Hi all
Nice to meet Eccles and Denise at Hazelbury.I spent 2 hours at Thurlbear today,Dukes x4,Dingy Skipper 12+,Green Hairstreak x1,Holly Blue x8,Common Blue x1,Grizzled Skipper x6(sorry Denise).All in glorious sunshine surrounded by singing Nightingales.I will post some pics when I have sorted them.
Regards
Mark

[Perseus]

Hello,

20 May 2008

First Brown Argus today. I have deleted an earlier Common Blue report as it has not been confirmed as a personal sighting by me this year. The frequent Adonis Blues can be mistaken for Common Blues if they are flighty and do not settle.

Butterflies are too many to note them all. The best reports are now on:


Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

see also:

Adur Butterfly Flight Times
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterflies1X2007.htm

First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2007.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: May 2008
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/May2008.html

Adur Valley & Downs Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/groups/adur/pool/

[markatbath]

May just seems to get better by the day.I was at Monkwood(worc)this morning and saw 4 Wood White and actually managed to photograph one for the first time.Also yesterday at Bentley wood several PB and SPB frits although the weather wasn't great and it was a bit windy.
Regards
Mark

[Denise]

I went to Sand Point, Somerset with eccles today. We found loads of Common Blue and Brown Argus, quite a few Small Copper (my first this year) a lot of "white" butterflies and the two we went for.

Wall Brown


and Glanville Fritillary


Another cracking day.
Thanks Mike
Denise

[eccles]

A cracking day indeed. There appears to be a second colony of glanvilles split off from the original one on the south bank of Sand Point. There has been a report that they are now being seen on the northerly bank at Swallow Point. I couldn't confirm this as when Denise and I got there a large bank of cloud was obscuring the sun and very little was flying at that time. But if this is true then the long term viability of the site for this species must have improved considerably. And what a wonderful place for the good old common blue. I've never seen so many in one place before.

[eccles]

I thought I'd add my efforts from yesterday.
A glanville presented itself in a simple open winged classic pose with not too much background clutter:



and a male brown argus did the same, taking a pause from chasing away the countless common blues. The light coloured grass across the top spoils it a bit:



We saw several kestrels too:

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
The sun finally broke through here late this afternoon, so I headed to the Downs near Amberley, where I had seen my first Small Blues of the year yesterday. I've always found this a tricky species to photograph, but as the sun sunk towards the horizon, I managed to get my best shots to date.
Neil

[Denise]

Nice one Kipper.
I haven't seen one yet, they're on my wish list.

Denise

[Padfield]

There are some fantastic pictures on this page! The little blue is a marvellous specimen, with those scattered blue scales, and Eccles's Glanville fritillary is a masterpiece, to mention just two!

Guy

[Matsukaze]

No photos, but I enjoyed a morning on Sand Point today. On their small patch the Glanvilles were greatly outnumbered by Common Blue and Brown Argus, which were both far more active, but once in a while the fritillaries would take flight and attract the blues' attention, giving what I can only describe as a mixed flock of fritillaries and blues fluttering and tumbling in the air.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Denise and Guy,
Hope you catch up with the Small Blues on your patch Denise. If you visit your sites in the early evening you might find, as I did, that they are far more 'co-operative' when they start collecting in communal roosts. I agree with Guy, that Glanville of Eccles is awesome! Just setting off westwards to see if I can track a few down.
Neil

[markatbath]

Hi all
West yatton this morning: green hairstreak x4,adonis blue x1,common blue/brown argus/dingy skipper too many to count,small heath x3,male and female brimstone.hazelbury common :dingy skipper 12+,marsh frit 30+.
Regards
Mark

[Annie]

Tried Brean Down near Weston Super Mare this afternoon as the sun was shining. The whole place is carpeted in yellow vetch, white rock-rose (Helianthemum apenninum, which grows there and in south Devon only I believe) and buttercups. What it wasn't blessed with today was butterflies, probably due to the horrendous winds, which gave me a headache One Peacock sited, though it was gone as soon as I saw it, probably blown halfway to Lundy Island. Still, watched some linnets and meadow pipits with my 'scope, and had a wander round the fort at the end, so not a wasted journey! The ice cream on the way back to the car certainly helped to sweeten things

ps, I hope this is in the right area, still finding my way around!

[Denise]

Hi Annie,
I'm from Bristol and another member, Simon C, told me about this book,
http://www.somerset-butterflies.org.uk/handbook.htm
I have found it very helpful and actually found Duke of Burgandy with it this week at Thurlbear Quarryland.
It also gives you best times to visit sites and if you live near to Sand Point, it would be worth a walk there on the south cliff for loads of Common Blue, Brown Argus, some Small Copper and Glanville Fritillary.
Hope this helps you out.

Denise

[Trev Sawyer]

After getting my first-ever shots of a Wood White, (I've swapped my competition photo), my wife and I went to Totternhoe, where as well as meeting David Newland, we found a couple of quite worn 'Dobbies' and some fresh Small Blues (including a mating pair). A windy day for photos, but I'm glad we made the effort.



Trev