April 2020

[Wurzel]

Haven't posted for a while on sightings but thought I would use this to keep an 'Essential Doings' list...
9th April - 2 Peacocks whilst waiting outside Jaffa's the vets for Teddy to have his bandage removed.
Also Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Brimstone and Holly Blue while waiting in Waitrose car park (only 1hr 30mins to get in)

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Shattered my daily Fitbit Steps record today with 22,000+.

Walked 10 miles but didn't see huge numbers of butterflies.

Peacocks were commonest, with approx 10. Others seen in single figure numbers were Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Comma, Speckled Wood and several Whites, none of which I could get close enough to for a positive ID.

[Ian Pratt]

Large tortoiseshell seen in Cowes on 7 April.

[aeshna5]

On my local walk in Perivale/Greenford, west London, yesterday was my third consecutive day of 8 species, but still no definite Green-veined white (all that settled were Small White or in one case a female Orange Tip) or Red Admiral. Orange Tips doing very well as are Peacocks. The most local Brimstones I recall seeing (though have to bear in mind I'm not going to work atm).

Reasonable numbers of Small Tortoiseshell but only the odd Comma. Speckled Woods & Holly Blues appeared at the beginning of the week.

[Jack Harrison]

David M: "I'm dismayed at my bowles mauve not being in flower when yours is so much further north! "

This morning 11th April.

I grow mine mainly in well drained tubs. Experience has suggested the Bowles Mauve doesn't like wet feet. It's a short-lived plant - I have never got beyond the fourth year. But it's easy from cuttings (doesn't seed) and I took six cuttings this morning.

Jack

[Stevieb]

Great to find a pair of Orange-tips in cop and a Holly Blue mud-puddling today.

Orange-tip in cop 11 April

Orange-tip in cop 11 April

Orange-tip in cop 11 April

Holly Blue mud-puddling 11 April

Holly Blue mud-puddling 11 April

[David M]

I grow mine mainly in well drained tubs. Experience has suggested the Bowles Mauve doesn't like wet feet. It's a short-lived plant - I have never got beyond the fourth year. But it's easy from cuttings (doesn't seed) and I took six cuttings this morning.

Thanks, Jack. I think mine must be dying because it has seemed to be on the cusp of flowering for a couple of weeks now, but no visible progress has been made.

Bloody garden centres closed as well meaning I can't get a replacement.

[David M]

Great to find a pair of Orange-tips in cop and a Holly Blue mud-puddling today.

Nice finds, Stevie. Mud-puddling and mating are both surefire ways of bringing normally skittish species to rest!

[Stevieb]

Nice finds, Stevie. Mud-puddling and mating are both surefire ways of bringing normally skittish species to rest!

Thank you David. The mating Orange-tips were at it forever! Finally gave up waiting and left them to it.
Still trying to get a half decent open winged shot of a female!!

[David M]

The weather's going cooler from tomorrow, Stevie, so that should help you in your quest, particularly if there's a bit of occasional cloud around.

Clear blue skies and hot temperatures may get us excited in anticipation of seeing lots of butterflies, but it's actually pretty challenging for photography.

You want them resting relatively still, and cloud and cool conditions make them do just that!

[Jack Harrison]

Bowles Mauve. Take 5 cm cuttings David. Then keep in closed plastic bag (this stops them wilting) in warm shade for several weeks and gradually let air so that the young plants - now hopefully rooted - acclimatise to a less humid envirnoment.

All the usual tricks for cuttings apply: trim off bottom leaves, using hromone rooting powder.

Alternatively, they might root in a vase or bottle of water but this is less reliable.

Jack

[Matsukaze]

All prepared for the Orange-tips!

[David M]

Bowles Mauve. Take 5 cm cuttings David. Then keep in closed plastic bag (this stops them wilting) in warm shade for several weeks and gradually let air so that the young plants - now hopefully rooted - acclimatise to a less humid envirnoment.

All the usual tricks for cuttings apply: trim off bottom leaves, using hromone rooting powder.

Alternatively, they might root in a vase or bottle of water but this is less reliable.

Thanks, Jack. Will have to check if my neighbour has rooting powder.

[Mark Tutton]

I am fortunate in that I can walk to chalk Downland which is only five minutes from home, Portsdown Hill, and yesterday I was rewarded with my first Green Hairstreak of the year - fresh out of the box. Quite a few holly blues and good numbers of male and female Brimstone too made for a very pleasant lunchtime walk with the dog.
A female Orange tip welcomed me home to the garden.
David - there are some other alternatives to rooting powder you can try, honey, aloe vera and aspirin seem to work although I have only used honey myself - good luck.
Kind Regards
Mark

[Jack Harrison]

Mark said to David: "there are some other alternatives to rooting powder you can try, honey, aloe vera and aspirin seem to work although I have only used honey myself - good luck."

We could ask certain contributors to ukb if cannabis extract would also work I have no idea.

But I do have a huge supply of co-codamol which the well-meaning GP tried on me recently. One pill and I was spaced out. This is the second time in the past ten years that I have been given it, and on first occasion I had an even worse reaction. Co-codamol is now very definitely on my no-no list. in fact it’s the only medication I have ever had that didn’t agree with me.

Jack

[Stevieb]

The weather's going cooler from tomorrow, Stevie, so that should help you in your quest, particularly if there's a bit of occasional cloud around.

Clear blue skies and hot temperatures may get us excited in anticipation of seeing lots of butterflies, but it's actually pretty challenging for photography.

You want them resting relatively still, and cloud and cool conditions make them do just that!

Indeed David, a ploy I execute whilst abroad but not in the UK strangely!

Anyway I headed out earlier this morning and bingo!

Many thanks David

Female Orange-tip 12 April

[David M]

..But I do have a huge supply of co-codamol which the well-meaning GP tried on me recently. One pill and I was spaced out. This is the second time in the past ten years that I have been given it, and on first occasion I had an even worse reaction. Co-codamol is now very definitely on my no-no list. in fact it’s the only medication I have ever had that didn’t agree with me.

Stick to the whisky, Jack. Probably help you sleep better too.

[Jack Harrison]

I'm not into whisky. Wine (I read that wine is good for the kidneys!) Never have any trouble sleeping although my hours have become a bit odd. Often asleep by 2030 wake at 0130 for an hour or more and then return to sleep until around 0600.

I have realised that there is a personal problem (bonus?) with the lockdown restrictions. I am seriously hard of hearing at speech frequencies but can amazingly hear bird sounds, car horns. So if PC Plod wants to know what I’m doing, where am I’m going, etc, I won’t be able to hear what he/she says. And of course Plod can’t come within 2 metres and close enough for me to be able to hear. I could never have imagined that deafness might be a bonus

I wasn’t born deaf. It’s just that 81+ years has taken its toll. I am grateful for a relatively long life. Many of my contemporaries haven’t lived long enough to “enjoy” the benefits of being deaf

Jack

[Allan.W.]

A Large Tortoiseshell at Dungeness today ,presumably reported by one of the residents ,as the Dungeness estate is closed to visitors ,another reported from Kent coastal area (poss ;Kingsdown ) the second observed by the same person from the other day ………..a different
insect .…………..in his garden I believe. Regards Allan.W.

[Jack Harrison]

TV weather forecast.....

SK-L.jpg (25.26 KiB) Viewed 670 times

"Sunshine to be enjoyed out your window." Love it Sarah.

Jack