Small Tortoiseshell - Favourite Photo 2019

[Wurzel]

Small Tortoiseshell - Favourite Photo 2019

Week 17

So we continue inextricably towards the end of the Favourite Photos with only four weeks to go until the grand finale Once again, this week, we are surrounded by ‘Smalls’…

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years 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

[bugboy]

This will always be a difficult one for me since I have a soft spot for these guys, having sparked my initial love of butterflies way back in the mists of time (late 70's I think). Back in June after catching up with the Black Hairstreak in Sussex I spent an enjoyable half hour watching a male being completely ignored by his one true love. Here she is, landing gear still down at lift off, moments before he set off to continue his best head butting moves on here.

Here's a selection of absolute stonkers I found on my travels: Wrecclesham, Alners Gorze, Bookham & Daneway.

and special mention goes to this adventurous male back in February

[Goldie M]

I saw my first Small Tort on the 25th February last year, after that i saw them July, August and September mostly in my Garden, so many were in the Garden that in the end I just sat there with a drink watching them
i've picked out the shots I like the best, I didn't get shots of too many Butterflies last year so to see so many in the garden was a real pleasure and surprise. Goldie

[MikeOxon]

There are only 11 resident species of butterflies on the Isles of Scilly, so I was pleased to spot this Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on a small patch of flowers in a corner of a field on St. Martin’s.

Although the weather at the time was very wet on the mainland, the islands were basking in brilliant sunshine, amidst tropical-looking, calm blue-green seas.

St.Martin’s, Isles of Scilly - 5th June 2019
Olympus E-M1 Mk.ii with 12-50mm lens - 1/250s@ f/10 ISO 500

Mike

[Wolfson]

I am pleased to say that I saw good numbers on my travels in 2019, but I have chosen this photograph of a very fresh individual from the garden at home taken on 13 August.

[Chris Jackson]

Back home in Leicester last June I found my first ever Small Tortoiseshell cats in a field of nettles.
Cat 32 mm long:

Larval shelter :

Context (Piggy's Hollow, Evington, Leicester) :

Chris

[Neil Freeman]

I have seen Small Tortoiseshells be the subject of much discussion on various social media over the past couple of years, especially with regard to early hibernation and whether this is masking true numbers.
As with many other comments I have seen, it was certainly the case that good numbers appeared out of hibernation around my patch despite being thin on the ground the previous summer.

This species, along with Comma, also provided me with my first ever February Butterflies during that unseasonably warm spell we had late last Feb.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 22.02.2019

After that, the weather returned to more typical conditions for the time of year and it was later in March that they reappeared again, a much more usual time for around here. By this time the spring blossom was fully out which gave me the opportunity for some of my favourite 'butterfly on blossom' shots.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 23.02.2019

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 23.02.2019

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 29.02.2019

The first summer brood started appearing around my local spots in mid June...

Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 16.06.2019

...after which they would pop up in ones and twos at most places I went to.

Small Tortoiseshell - Heddon Valley 25.06.2019

By the second half of July I was seeing anything from half a dozen to a dozen or more at my local sites, more than I have seen for a few years now.

Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills Solihull 21.07.2019

Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills Solihull 21.07.2019

These numbers continued through to late August, after which they all disappeared.

Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills Solihull 26.08.2019

I am not sure if these later ones were a second brood or if they were simply later emerging individuals of one brood but whatever the case they definitely staged a bit of a recovery around here in 2019.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

2019 followed the pattern of previous years on my local patch, with decent spring numbers, a handful of new ones at the start of July and just one or two towards the end of August.

Up at my sister's garden in Yorkshire, I always see many more of this species and 2019 was no exception. The first notable sighting was of an egg-laying female on 20th April.

Come the end of August, there were still many around.

Finally, there has to be this one, taken on Christmas Day. It had just been liberated having woken from hibernation somewhere in the house, and basked for a while before hopefully finding suitable alternative accommodation.

Dave

[David M]

Nothing beats your first Tortie of the year, and this is mine, taken near my workplace on 24th February:

[Wurzel]

Small Tortoiseshell

I had a really good year with this species – seeing at least one on almost all my trips out! So I thought that I was going to really struggle with the selection of the Favourite. However whilst I was reacquainting myself with my shots the obvious choice jumped out at me. It came from another of my lunchtime wanderings back in early May and made a welcome addition to my ‘On Dandelion Clock’ collection.

Have a goodun

Wurzel