Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks David. I am often a bit late to see White Admirals at their best but seem to have timed it nicely this time.

Cheers Wurzel. White Admirals can indeed be frustrating subjects, often hiding in the shade or at awkward angles within the brambles.

I had a new broadband router fitted this morning which seems to have sorted my connection problems . The technician was surprised my old one had lasted as long as it had, apparently the model was discontinued years ago

Monday 22nd June – Back to Snitterfield.

The weather certainly went downhill during the second half of last week with temperatures dropping significantly and a stiff wind blowing in a number of thunderstorms. We had the Mother of All Storms on Thursday afternoon with a torrential deluge that led to a lot of flash flooding around some of our local roads. Friday was quieter but still dull and cool with some light showers, but then the weekend improved a bit with some decent sunny spells although there was still a lot of cloud around with a blustery wind.

Last Monday (15th) we had called in to Snitterfield Bushes on the way back from Oversley Wood and having found it fairly quiet with regards to butterflies we had said that we would probably return in a week or so. With the temperatures forecast to be rising again this week and possibly getting up to 30c here by Wednesday, we decided to go back today whilst it was still comfortable.

Jane had to pop in to the doctors at 10.00am for one of her regular blood checks but that only took 10 minutes and then we carried on straight from there for the half hour or so drive to Snitterfield. We arrived just before 10.45 and pulled into the car park on the Bearley to Snitterfield road which bisects the reserve into two halves. We headed off for a wander around the north side first and soon saw plenty of Meadow Browns and a couple of Ringlets bobbing about in the long grass to the side of the paths. Some occasional clouds meant that some of the Meadow Browns could still be found basking.

Meadow Brown male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Meadow Brown male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

After not finding any Silver-washed Fritillaries here last week we were pleased to see one flying back and forth along the path and occasionally stopping on some brambles, although it wouldn't stop still for long and refused to show a decent top side pose.

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

We spent an good hour or so doing a slow circuit around this side and saw a good selection of butterflies including loads more Meadow Browns, a few more Ringlets, at least half a dozen Red Admirals, three or four each of Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood and Large Skipper plus a few Small and Green-veined Whites.

Red Admiral - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Green-veined White male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Green-veined White female - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

A single Marbled White was also seen on this side.

Marbled White - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

We then returned to the car and nibbled a few biscuits before checking out the south side of the reserve. As we wandered up the main ride we came to a large bramble patch in full sun that had four Silver-washed Fritillaries chasing each other over it. By now the temperature was up into the low twenties and all the butterflies were highly active although some thin high level cloud occasionally took the brightness out of the sun just enough to slow them down a bit. I managed to get a few photos although they were mostly taken at a distance over the brambles and the shots below have all been cropped to varying degrees.

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.06.2020

One thing that I have noticed before and saw again today, is that Silver-washed Fritillary males are quick enough to chase each other around, but are big wimps when it comes to other butterflies. Today I watched males of Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and Large Skipper all going for the SWFs and in fact this was the biggest obstacle to getting a decent photo because nearly every time a Fritillary settled, it was accosted by one of the other three species.
After watching this squabbling for a while we carried on along the path and ended up counting at least eight Silver-washed Fritillaries on this side of the reserve, most of which were now bombing about at high speed in the warm early afternoon sun

The supporting cast was similar to the other side of the reserve with the only difference being that there were more Marbled Whites, around a dozen or so, in a meadow to the side of the wood. Once out of the shelter of the trees it was apparent that there was a stiff breeze whipping across this meadow that meant that any butterfly that ventured out of the grass was whisked off at speed.

We then retraced our steps back to the car and made a move for home with the temperature on the car display now reading 23 degrees.

All in all we spent about three hours wandering around both sides of the reserve and saw a nice selection of butterflies. I was pleased to see the Fritillaries although I reckon they are still only just getting going here with no females seen. We didn't see any White Admirals but, as I mentioned in the last report, their numbers are never high here these days.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

A great set of Silver Washed shots Neil especially the first one I prefer to think of the Silver Washed as 'gentle giants' rather than wimps though because the smaller butterflies all seem to have 'small man' syndrome

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Always good to see fresh Silver Washed Fritillaries, Neil. It's one of those butterflies that becomes ragged rather quickly (along with its bedfellow, White Admiral). It's a good time of year right now with all the high summer species being joined by second broods of Whites, Commas and Tortoiseshells.

[Neil Freeman]

... I prefer to think of the Silver Washed as 'gentle giants' rather than wimps though because the smaller butterflies all seem to have 'small man' syndrome

Good point Wurzel. Male Large Skippers certainly behave like 'little men in big jackets' as my dad used to say

Always good to see fresh Silver Washed Fritillaries, Neil. It's one of those butterflies that becomes ragged rather quickly (along with its bedfellow, White Admiral). It's a good time of year right now with all the high summer species being joined by second broods of Whites, Commas and Tortoiseshells.

Indeed David, the woods are full of butterflies at the moment


Garden Moths update

Before I carry on, I just thought that I would mention that my Toadflax Brocade from last month made the Birdguides May Moth News. Scroll down to just past half way on the following link:

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/oth ... -may-2020/

Anyway, after the warm and dry weather that we had been having through May, things changed during the first couple of weeks of June with a lot more cloudy and wet weather. The second week in particular saw a number of very heavy rain showers here followed by a cluster of thunderstorms culminating in The Mother of All Thunderstorms on the afternoon of Thursday 17th..
Prior to these storms, I ran the moth trap a few times with overall numbers being on the low side due to the erratic weather although species numbers have held up quite well with a total of 129 species up to 18th June, made up of 87 macro and 42 micro. In comparison, by the same date in previous years the numbers were;

2019 – 62 macro + 24 micro = 86 total.
2018 – 76 macro + 45 micro = 121 total.
2017 – 90 macro + 62 micro = 152 total

This is not a totally accurate comparison as it does not allow for differences in the number of trapping sessions but it does give an idea of how the moth season is doing here so far.

My best moth during the past couple of weeks was undoubtedly a Pine Hawk Moth which despite not being in the best condition was a new one for me and a great record for my Solihull garden.

Pine Hawk Moth - Coverdale 08.06.2020

This large Hawk Moth used to be confined to two distinct areas in Suffolk and Hampshire but has expanded its range massively in recent years and can now be found as far north as Yorkshire on the eastern side of the country although only up to the midlands in the west. In Warwickshire it now regularly comes to light traps in the south of the county and is steadily spreading north so hopefully this is one I will be seeing more regularly in the future.

Other highlights were a couple of Elephant Hawk Moths which are always a delight to see. I had one on the night of the 8th and another on the 9th, different individuals as confirmed by a close look at their markings.

Elephant Hawk Moth - Coverdale 08.06.2020

Elephant Hawk Moth - Coverdale 09.06.2020

A different view of the one above.

I also had another Buff Ermine on the night of the 8th and this time took a photo of it in their more usual resting posture.

Buff Ermine - Coverdale 08.06.2020

A nicely marked Heart & Club on the night of the 14th was one of those species that I only get one or two of each year, unlike it's close relative the Heart & Dart which is a common trap-filler being second in numbers here only to Large Yellow Underwings which should start turning up any time now.

Heart & Club - Coverdale 14.06.2020

Another Coronet on the 15th was an example of a nice colour form which has more white in the markings. The difference in forms can be seen if compared with the one posted on the previous page in this diary.

Coronet - Coverdale 15.06.2020

The Phoenix is another one of those species that I usually just get single examples of each year with one on the night of the 18th being only my third garden record, the previous ones being one each in 2016 and 2019.

Phoenix - Coverdale 18.06.2020

Since then the weather has swung the other way again and we are into another spell of very warm weather which will no doubt bring some decent moth nights this week before, according to the current forecast, we are in for another series of thunderstorms on Friday.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, I tried to get some shots of a Humming Bird Hawk Moth that was my Garden the other day but this time it was too quick for me ( Disaster) shots Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Goldie. I have not seen a Hummingbird Hawk Moth yet this year although I may have done if I had been in Dorset this week as was originally planned until it got cancelled. Oh well! there's always next time.

Friday 26th June.

This week we should have been on a family holiday down in Dorset, stopping in a caravan at Durdle Door, but as I mentioned in a previous post it had been cancelled due to covid19. Having seen the news reports of the crowds down there and some of the idiotic behaviour on display, part of me is glad that we weren't there.
We thought about going out on a couple of day trips this week but in the end, with places looking busy and temperatures hitting 25c by 09.00am, we just chilled out around the house and garden for a few days...so not much change there then .

Come Friday morning and we went on our now regular run to both mine and Jane's mom to see if they needed anything doing and to drop off some stuff. After the past few days of sweltering hot weather, we were originally forecast to get some thundery showers this morning, but the latest update to the forecast showed that these would now pass further over across the east midlands and miss us. Therefore, with the relaxing of the rules, we made the most of another warm and sunny morning to sit in my mom's back garden for a bit before carrying on to Jane's mom. We had agreed that I would drop Jane off there and then be off the leash for a couple of hours before going back to pick her up.

As I had done on some previous Fridays, I then drove the ten minutes or so to Blythe Valley Park to have a look and see what was around since my previous visit a couple of weeks back.

The first thing I noticed was that, as expected, Meadow Browns were now everywhere with hundreds seen across the various meadow areas. Ringlet numbers had now increased as well and these were particularly numerous along the more shady spots nearer to the hedgerows. In fact with the mid-morning temperature already up in the mid twenties many of the Ringlets were choosing to fly in the shade.
Small Skippers were zipping about all over the place and despite taking quite a few record shots of the all important underside of the antennae, I failed to find any Essex Skippers here today.

Small Skipper - Blythe Valley 26.06.2020

I was particularly pleased to find at least twenty Marbled Whites in one large Meadow area, although like everything else, they were hyperactive in the warm sun. The males were not stopping for anything but one or two females would settle occasionally to feed on some tall thistles.

Marbled White - Blythe Valley 26.06.2020

Marbled White - Blythe Valley 26.06.2020

The only time I saw one stop with open wings was when one of a few random clouds covered the sun briefly, just long enough for me to grab one shot.

Marbled White - Blythe Valley 26.06.2020

This is the first time I have seen these here although that is probably because my previous visits here have either been too early or too late in the year and it is only because of being on furlough from work that I have paid this site more attention this year.

A couple each of Speckled Wood, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell were also seen. Most of the Tortoiseshells that were flying a couple of weeks back have now disappeared and I am starting to see reports on various social media of people finding them tucked up in sheds and outhouses etc. This is amazingly early to be doing this but I saw similar reports last year and it would certainly explain where all the Tortoiseshells came from this spring after an apparent shortage last summer.

A single Red Admiral was also fluttering around some brambles and, as this species often does in hot sun, spent more time in the shade than out in the sun.

Red Admiral - Blythe Valley 26.06.2020

At just before 12.30 I circled back to the car to go and pick Jane up and noticed on the drive back that the temperature on the display was reading 30 degrees.

In the end we did not see any of the anticipated thunderstorms all day and it turned into another hot day, similar to those we have had all week. Things do look to change over the weekend though and as I write this on Saturday morning we have had some rain in the early hours and just had another good soaking with some of that really heavy stuff coming straight down like stair-rods as my dad used to say.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil

[Wurzel]

"Little men in big jackets" - that's a great phrase and one I intend to try and use A cracking collection from your most recent 'escape' I wouldn't worry about Dorset break Neil - all that's happened is that we've been inundated by idiotic Grockles with no sense of self preservation or social responsibility - is this natural selection in action I wonder? Also in the heat the butterflies are exceedingly twitchy and never seem to settle So you'll probably have more luck round your way and you'll certainly be safer and 'surrounded' by a better class of people

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Garden Moths update

..My best moth during the past couple of weeks was undoubtedly a Pine Hawk Moth which despite not being in the best condition was a new one for me and a great record for my Solihull garden...

...Other highlights were a couple of Elephant Hawk Moths which are always a delight to see. I had one on the night of the 8th and another on the 9th, different individuals as confirmed by a close look at their markings...

Fabulous, Neil. Who said moths were drab? That Elephant Hawk Moth is a work of art, and the others in the line up are all highly attractive too.

Well done with the Toadflax Brocade. Nice to see it making some headlines.

[Pauline]

I really love seeing your moth images Neil. It is not just the variety but also the way that you present them. I don't know how many different ways I can say it but each time you seem to excel yourself and motivate me to the point where I'm saying to myself 'must get the moth trap out'. Well done with the Toadflax Brocade.

[Neil Freeman]

... So you'll probably have more luck round your way and you'll certainly be safer and 'surrounded' by a better class of people ...
Wurzel

Oh, I don't know Wurzel, I reckon half those idiots that went down there were from up here and they are all back now

Fabulous, Neil. Who said moths were drab? That Elephant Hawk Moth is a work of art, and the others in the line up are all highly attractive too.

Well done with the Toadflax Brocade. Nice to see it making some headlines.

Thanks David. The Elephant Hawk Moth is certainly a beauty, I have had a couple more since then so another photo or two may well grace this PD in due course

That Toadflax Brocade was the record of the year for me so far

I really love seeing your moth images Neil. It is not just the variety but also the way that you present them. I don't know how many different ways I can say it but each time you seem to excel yourself and motivate me to the point where I'm saying to myself 'must get the moth trap out'. Well done with the Toadflax Brocade.

Thanks Pauline. Being on furlough from work still gives me plenty of time to try and get the photos. They don't all sit still though, some of them are off as soon as I point the camera at them


I am really beginning to wish that we could have just a day or two of average weather, the kind with reasonable temperatures and some summer clouds drifting across the sky. After last week's uncomfortable 30 odd degrees, we had some hefty rain on Saturday and although Sunday was drier, it was cloudy and blowing a gale here. Today (Monday) is again very blustery with a thick layer of dull cloud and the temperature is no more than 15 degrees.
I have seen a couple of Speckled Wood, Ringlets and Meadow Browns attempting to brave the wind in the garden during the occasional brighter spell but that is it for the past few days.

Just to prove that I can take as bad a photo as anyone, the shot below was my attempt at a Green Woodpecker at Blythe Valley on Friday. I fired off three quick shots as it flew across and only managed to get the bird in frame in this one .

Spot the Green Woodpecker...

Hoping to get out again this week but the weather is looking a bit hit and miss so will take each day as it comes.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

I've seen worse shots than that Neil - a lot of them currently sitting in my 'recycling bin'

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

...Just to prove that I can take as bad a photo as anyone, the shot below was my attempt at a Green Woodpecker at Blythe Valley on Friday. I fired off three quick shots as it flew across and only managed to get the bird in frame in this one

You've actually done pretty well with the bird, Neil. It's in decent focus....just the trees that are shaking!

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel, you and me both

Thanks David. The trees are blurred because my camera was moving trying (unsuccessfully) to track the bird. That was the last day we had before the winds blew in when the trees would have certainly been shaking

Tuesday 30th June

After a dull and very windy Monday, Tuesday started off again with a thick overcast although the wind had dropped somewhat. By late morning the cloud was turning a lighter grey which made it feel a bit brighter even though there were not as yet any breaks to allow the sun through.
This did however brighten things up just enough for a couple of butterflies to put in an appearance in the garden, a faded looking Small White and a nicely marked female Green-veined White.

Green-veined White female - Coverdale 30.06.2020

By early afternoon, it had improved enough for me to walk down to my local spot by Wagon Lane Park. It was still mostly overcast but the sun was occasionally poking through for brief spells which made it feel almost pleasant. The first butterflies seen were Ringlets and Meadow Browns, both species that will happily fly in cloudy weather, and both flying here in good numbers today.

Ringlet male - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Ringlet male - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Ringlet female - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

One particular female Meadow Brown was well marked with additional orange patches on her hindwings. This is the second individual like this I have seen this year already and as I mentioned in a previous report, I am seeing more like this every year.

Meadow Brown female - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

A dozen or so Large Skippers were seen spread between three distinct areas.

Large Skipper male - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Large Skipper female - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

A few Small and Essex Skippers were also seen. I took head on shots of a couple of each and noticed of those that I positively identified, the Small Skippers were all in one area and the Essex Skippers in another, with a hedgerow and large bramble patches separating the two groups.

Small Skipper male - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Essex Skipper male - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

At least three different Red Admirals were seen, identified as such by the degree of wear and damage, with one looking particularly tatty, one a bit better, and one in quite good conditon. The last one circled around me a few times, as these often do, and landed on my trouser leg.

Red Admiral (on my trouser leg) - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Eight or nine Commas were also seen which is more in one afternoon than I saw in this spot all spring. Commas numbers were quite low around here when they came out of hibernation this year, certainly well down compared with Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks, but there seems to be good numbers around now with both hutchinsoni and normal summer ones appearing at all my local spots.

Comma - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Comma - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Comma - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

A couple of Speckled Wood were also flying here, one female and a single very tatty male that was guarding a gap in the hedgerow between two separate areas.

Speckled Wood female - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

There were also lots of Small Tortoiseshells here but I am going to give these a post of their own.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great report Neil Lovely set of shots especially like the cheeky "I'm definitely an Essex me" shot Bit envious of all the Commas as well I love the two tone orange-brown of the Hutchinsoni of

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

You've done well to see anything at all these last few days, Neil.

The Green Veined White with its heavy spots is lovely but your Essex Skipper takes the plaudits overall - that's a candidate for any tutorial as to how to identify one definitively!

[Neil Freeman]

...especially like the cheeky "I'm definitely an Essex me" shot

Cheers Wurzel, no doubt about that one

You've done well to see anything at all these last few days, Neil.

Thanks David. That was the only half decent window in the weather this week, it has been more like autumn some days with the wind and rain.

More below from the same session;

Tuesday 30th June part 2 – Small Tortoiseshells.

For me, Small Tortoiseshells are the butterfly of the year for 2020, at least so far anyway. I appreciate that some areas, particularly it seems in the south east, are not seeing the same numbers, but around the midlands and further north they are flying in the kind of numbers that have not been witnessed for some years.
Following on from very good numbers coming out of hibernation this spring, the summer brood has been really impressive around here with good numbers at my local sites.
Yesterday (June 30th), as well as the other butterflies in my previous report from my local spot by Wagon Lane Park, I also counted more than 30 scattered across the whole site.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

This was still down a bit on a previous visit in better conditions a couple of weeks back when I counted well over 40 here in an hour.
It is worth remembering that this is a comparatively small site, essentially some rough ground to the side of a local park which is surrounded by housing on the Solihull/South Birmingham border. The map below copied off Google Earth shows the area which I have highlighted within the white line.

Wagon Lane Park with area of rough ground circled in white.

I mentioned in a previous report that I had seen courtship behaviour a number of times with this summer brood and today I found plenty of evidence of success with over a dozen larval nests found in various stages of development. This is the largest number of nests I have seen in one spot for many a year and points towards a good second brood, assuming that a reasonable portion of them evade predation, parasites, disease etc. and make it through.

Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Wagon Lane 30.06.2020

As well as the summer breeding, I also mentioned in a previous report that I am seeing reports of some individuals being found tucked up in typical hibernation spots already. This behaviour of early hibernation would certainly help to explain where the good numbers came from this spring after a comparative scarcity last summer.
I am not sure if both types of behaviour happen every year or if the higher numbers are making it more apparent this year, or if indeed there is a change in behaviour in response to climate change, but it would certainly make sense as a survival mechanism for some individuals to produce a second brood whilst others hibernate early and therefore spread their options.
After all, Commas do something similar with some summer brood (hutchinsoni) producing a second brood in the autumn, whereas the normal summer brood individuals go straight into hibernation. Maybe Small Tortoiseshells are evolving to behave in a similar way...maybe, maybe not, I could be totally wrong. Something for further research perhaps?

Whatever the case, along with the other butterflies seen, they certainly made for a great sight in what has otherwise become a dull and dreary week.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[David M]

Lovely images of both adults (particularly the last one which is stunning) and larvae.

Clearly, there ought to be a healthy late summer brood this year. Perhaps the abnormally early emergence of the mid-summer brood has triggered this?

Normally, I see my first around 10th June but this year it was over two weeks earlier, prior to the late spring Bank Holiday.

[Wurzel]

Cracking Small Torts Neil They're having a great season round my way as well as I've seen several in different places and normally only catch the odd one in the summer - they seem more intent in getting on with it than the spring/hiberator Torts.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for your comments David and Wurzel. Good to see the Small Tortoiseshells are doing well in other areas too

Wednesday 1st July

Another pretty grotty day to herald in the new month. Most of the day was very dull and blustery with the odd shower and it wasn't until later in the afternoon that it began to brighten up a bit. Even then the brighter spells were just an occasional thinning of the overcast so that you could just about make out the disc of the sun above the cloud layer.
Nevertheless, even in these challenging conditions some butterflies will do their best to carry on and I was looking out of the kitchen window when I spotted a strange fluttery white fly in to the bottom of the garden. I grabbed my camera and went to investigate and found it was a pair of Green-veined Whites in cop.

Green-veined White pair - Coverdale 01.07.2020

After taking a couple of photos, I left them in peace and was on my way back up the garden when I spotted a splash of white that turned out to be another female Green-veined White sitting with her wings open and trying to make the most of the poor light.

Green-veined White female - Coverdale 01.07.2020

I checked the mating pair were still where I had last seen them, which indeed they were, just to make sure that this one wasn't the female from that pair having separated and flown past me.

After that the clouds thickened up again and a strengthening wind blew in some more heavy rain showers. Still, that was a couple more butterflies than I had expected to see today.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of shots Neil The last one is really interesting as there are the bold, dark spots/streaks across the wings yet the triangles on the tips are washed out and muted - lovely contrast