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[David M]

That's some journey, Paul! I saw it on the news and it looked awful in that area. Glad you managed to navigate through it in one piece!

Good luck with your further elm hunting in 2019. I wish I could find a few on the Gower Peninsula!

[Paul Harfield]

For various reasons I was unable to capitalise on the good weather at the end of February. Though I did spot a couple of male Brimstone butterflies at home on the 24th and 25th of Feb.

23.3.2019 - This Angel Shades was waiting for me when I opened up the garage on Saturday. It must have just emerged

After spending what seems like weeks out in the garage rebuilding my sons car engine, I decided I deserved a couple of hours fresh air. There was a good omen on Saturday when I opened the garage door to find a freshly emerged Angel Shades moth perched on my socket set inflating its wings! So yesterday I headed out to one of my favourite spots at Southwick in the hope of some butterflies. It was a good decision that has certainly got my butterfly year off to a good start. Brimstone, Peacock, Comma, Orange Tip and Small White were all on the wing. Despite this being my Red Admiral hotspot, disappointingly none were seen.

24.3.2019 - Comma - Southwick

24.3.2019 - Female Brimstone - Southwick

24.3.2019 - Male Brimstone - Southwick. One of 30+ individuals seen on Sunday

24.3.2019 - Male Small White - Southwick

24.3.2019 - Male Orange Tip - Southwick. This butterfly had me breaking into a light run in order to capture a photo. It only settled the once, in this very unphotogenic pose!

24.3.2019 - Peacock - Southwick

[Wurzel]

Crickey Paul it looks like the butterflies were waiting for you Good point about the OTs I need to dig out my running shoes and start warming-up ready

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

WoW! an Orange Tip already I can't get a Brimstone to land at present Goldie

[David M]

You may have missed out on the balmy end to February, Paul, but the line up you've just posted sure provides compensation, especially the Orange Tip.

Looks like we now have double figure numbers of species out.

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Wurzel, Goldie & David for your comments

Sunday 7.4.2019 - Old Winchester Hill, Barton Meadows & In The Garden

Old Winchester Hill - This visit was not intended as a butterfly watching excursion. An early 2 and a half hour walk with my brother starting and finishing at Old Winchester Hill gave me the opportunity afterwards of spotting some butterflies. It was still a little early, but Peacock and Brimstone were on the wing as well as my first Speckled Wood of the year .

7.4.2019 - Speckled Wood - Old Winchester Hill

7.4.2019 - Brimstone - Old Winchester Hill

Barton Meadows - After spending an hour at Old Winchester Hill I made a quick dash over to Barton Meadows Nature Reserve at Winchester. Male Orange tip and Brimstone were in good supply as well as battling Peacocks and my first Small Tortoiseshells of the year .

7.4.2019 - Small Tortoiseshell - Barton Meadows

7.4.2019 - Peacock - Barton Meadows

In The Garden - Whilst packing away garden furniture towards the end of last year, I found a Speckled Wood Pupa. It was attached to the underside of a plastic garden chair which I carefully stored over the winter. I noticed a few days ago it was starting to change colour and on Saturday emergence looked imminent. On Sunday morning it had not yet emerged, but by the time I returned from finding my first Speckled Wood of the year it had unsurprisingly emerged and flown.

31.3.2019 - Speckled Wood Pupa just starting to 'colour up'...

...and 6.4.2019 - a day before emergence

[Wurzel]

You did well with the Specklie Paul I've found them to be really twitchy so far this year,they're 'pumped' having a go at anything that moves Interesting to see the Specklie pupa, that's quite a change in a week

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Speckled Wood is one of the most beautiful pupae of all British species and that colour change you depict is quite striking.

Such a shame you missed out on the emergence but then again I don't expect you anticipated finding it when clearing away your garden furniture for the year!

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks David & Wurzel

White-Letter Hairstreak & Elm - Window of Opportunity

There is a window in the year of a few weeks where flowering Elm becomes really easy to spot in the landscape. We are right in the middle of that window now. So if you feel inclined to find your own White-Letter Hairstreak colony, now is perhaps the best time to go looking for suitable Elm trees.
At this time of year Elm trees will be somewhere between being in full flower or coming into leaf, many being covered in seed which is perhaps when the trees stand out the most against the rest of the landscape. Timing will of course vary according to location, species and also tree to tree.
Wych Elm, particularly, that is in full seedbearing mode can be an almost luminous beacon in the landscape, sticking out like the preverbial 'sore thumb'. Hopefully some of the following recent images demonstrate this effectively.

Compton, West Sussex - 4.4.2019

Headborne Worthy, Winchester - 6.4.2019...

...and for comparison the same location 8.7.2018

...and Elm seed from the same location

Alton - 6.5.2018. This was last year but it demonstrates how Elm (centre of frame) can stand out at the right time. Sadly all the trees in this shot have recently been cleared!

One of the challenges I have set myself this year is to try and locate the origin of sporadic sightings of White-Letter Hairstreak at well known butterfly spots such as Noar Hill and Old Winchester Hill. I struck gold at Old Winchester Hill recently with a large stand of Wych Elm just outside the reserve and further flowering Elm close by within the reserve but well away from the recognised Butterfly hotspots. It will be interesting to see if this provides reliable sightings of the butterfly later in the year.

Old Winchester Hill - 7.4.2019 - This clump of Wych Elm just outside the reserve may be the source of sporadic sightings of White-Letter Hairstreak here

[Pauline]

I shall watch with interest Paul as I, too, would like to know where the NH individuals originate from. If I find out before you do, you'll be the next to know

[Wurzel]

That's really interesting and useful information Paul - I'll keep my eyes open more especially a the Wilshire Branch is on a drive to plant resistant Elms at the moment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Thanks for the pointers regarding the flowering elms, Paul. I shall be keeping an eye out for them over this Easter weekend. They certainly DO stand out, as you say.

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Wurzel, David & Pauline for your comments

Monday 22.4.2019 Stephens Castle Down

I felt I had earned a few hours in the company of butterflies so I went out in the hope of finding some spring beauties of the green and grizzled variety at one of my favourite spots. Having not made that many visits here during 2018 I was pleased to be back with the place to myself, just the way I like it. There has been much scrub clearance at this site in the last 2 years, some areas looking rather barren, but I am sure the benefits will be apparent in the long term.

Holly Blue male and female

Female Brimstone egglaying

Monday saw a complete change in the conditions of the previous few days. It was cloudy and cooler and to be honest things took a while to get going. Orange Tips and a few Peacocks were already on the wing when I arrived at 9.30, closely followed by a few Brimstone and the odd Holly Blue. I searched all the usual spots for Green Hairstreak without success. In frustration I decided to look at the farthest end of the reserve, somewhere I had not seen Green Hairstreak before. It was not long before I had my first Green Hairstreak encounter of the year together with my first 'camera strap caught on a bramble bush' moment of the year . As I walked back to the main butterfly hotpot I added Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined White and Speckled Wood to the tally as well as more Peacock and Brimstone action.

First Green Hairstreak of the year...

...and probably the same individual in the same location later in the day

Speckled Wood

Despite not being the only observer that failed to find any Duke Of Burgundy at this site last year, I was surprised and pleased to come across 3x pristine males, at least one exhibiting that distinctive, just emerged 'floppy flight'. One male in particular was very accommodating and I spent some time in close proximity as he flew between 2 or 3 favoured perches chasing off anything else that ventured too close. This was perhaps my most enjoyable moment of the day having been convinced last year that this small colony had been lost. For the moment at least they hang on.

Duke Of Burgundy

Further searching did not turn up any Grizzled or Dingy Skippers and no further Green Hairstreaks. Before I left I could not resist searching out that original Green Hairstreak which was still in the same location, the sun now in a completely different position giving some different lighting.

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots Paul - that Brimstone is a bit of a contortionist It's great when you find a species still present at a site

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Fabulous, Paul. I'm delighted you got your Dukes this year...and very attractive they are too!

Well done for capturing not only the ovipositing Brimstone but the Holly Blue as well. Try as I might, I have never yet got to see either of these species in the act of egg laying.

[Pauline]

That's an interesting take on the egg-laying Brimstone Paul. I enjoy seeing something a bit different - unusual angle you've managed to capture.

[ernie f]

Paul, great shots of spring butterflies. Also looking back into your PD a couple of weeks I was fascinated about what you wrote on Elms. I will keep an eye out in future.

[Goldie M]

Love your Holly Blues Paul Wish I could see some Goldie

[bugboy]

Those are some gorgeously fresh Dukes Paul . I need to go find some for myself soon.

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Wurzel, David, Pauline, Ernie, Goldie and Bugboy for all those comments

White-Letter Hairstreak & Elm - NOW Is The Time To Look For Larvae

The window of opportunity for easily locating Elms is rapidly closing. However, as one window closes a new one opens. NOW is a great time to be out looking for White-Letter Hairstreak larvae. Timing will, as mentioned before, vary from place to place and tree to tree, but in most places larvae will now be at their most conspicuous feeding on the leaves. The larvae are still very well camouflaged but once you get your eye in they are easier to locate. Often the leaf damage can be a giveaway but even this varies from place to place. If you can view leaves from underneath with the light above the larvae often stand out as a silhouette. Low branches (or a ladder ) is a key requirement when searching for larvae.

All of the larvae in the following reports were found between chest and just above head height and all were between 10mm and 15mm in length.

Southwick 4.5.2019 - I visited my prime White-Letter Hairstreak site at Southwick yesterday to get my eye in. The low branch that provided much in the way of egglaying and larvae last year seems to be dead. It had eggs on it which have all hatched, but no flower or leaf buds are open. On other similar low branches nearby I was able to locate half a dozen larvae fairly easily. As mentioned previously these branches are not in full sun, they are in the understorey partially shaded by foliage above. Also the leaves here are distinctly more mature than in other locations.

Southwick - Larvae showing leaf damage. Leaves in this location are distanctly tougher and more mature looking than those at Old Winchester Hill for instance. Feeding damage is subsequently subtly different in the two locations.

Southwick - Larva viewed from under the leaf. A handy way of spotting larvae that are just out of reach.

Old Winchester Hill (SU64182136) 5.5.2019 - With my eye now 'in' I ventured to a new site. I mentioned Old Winchester Hill a few posts ago and that was my destination today. Here, the seed is now brown and falling rather than green, but the trees are still quite prominent in the landscape due to the fresh leaf growth. As is often the case with a new site, more time and effort is required for smaller rewards, but I was pleased to locate 2 larvae in an hour.

Old Winchester Hill - These trees still stand out in the landscape due to the bright green new leaf growth

Old Winchester Hill - Larva showing distinct leaf damage

Old Winchester Hill - View from above and below leaf cluster.

Whitchurch (SU45734773) 7.5.2019 - Today, whilst at work I was driving from Andover to Burghclere along the B3400 Andover Road. This is a route I have not travelled on before. I spotted a promising looking tree and was in a position to stop and investigate. Unbelievably, the first cluster of leafs I looked at had a White-Letter Hairstreak larva on it . I could hardly believe my eyes. In fact I promptly walked along the road side and bashed my head on a road sign and dazed myself a bit more . No research here or weeks of previous visits, just a 5 minute stop off on the spur of the moment.