October 2020

[millerd]

Something new today in the sunshine near Heathrow... A fresh-looking third brood Holly Blue.

Seven other species today as well - full report to follow in my PD.

Cheers,

Dave

[Stevieb]

Red Admiral on Ivy flowers in my garden today.

7th October

[David M]

Something new today in the sunshine near Heathrow... A fresh-looking third brood Holly Blue.

Good to see you've not lost your touch, Dave.

[Maximus]

A very fresh female Red Admiral today, basking between the rain showers. I will be checking the nettles for her eggs soon, looking at her abdomen!

[David M]

A very fresh female Red Admiral today, basking between the rain showers. I will be checking the nettles for her eggs soon, looking at her abdomen!

Lovely specimen, Mike. Good idea to check out the nettle growth for ova. Red Admirals do seem to lay at practically any tim of year.

Enviable Wall Browns from your earlier post too. There seem to be third broods in plenty of places in the south these days. Perhaps this species will eventually break out of its 'developmental trap' very soon.

[Ben Freeman]

Delighted to see 40-50 red admirals, one small tortoiseshell and two peacocks yesterday at House of Dun in Angus, Scotland. A lot of the RAs were looking very smart considering the shocking weather lately.

[David M]

Delighted to see 40-50 red admirals, one small tortoiseshell and two peacocks yesterday at House of Dun in Angus, Scotland. A lot of the RAs were looking very smart considering the shocking weather lately.

That's quite a statistic so far north, Ben. I know plenty of folk who haven't seen 50 Red Admirals all year!

[petesmith]

I know plenty of folk who haven't seen 50 Red Admirals all year!

Indeed David - I am one of them! They have been very thin on the ground in central Lincolnshire this year. I might have seen a couple of dozen max. And just one Painted Lady!

[millerd]

So all the Red Admirals have gone North of the Border...

Seven species today on my local patch near Heathrow before the cloud rolled in at lunchtime. One slight oddity amongst them was a fairly fresh male Large White - surely it's a bit late for them still to be around?

This Peacock should probably be tucked away until next March as well...

As ever, a full report on the day will follow in my PD.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

...One slight oddity amongst them was a fairly fresh male Large White - surely it's a bit late for them still to be around?

Large Whites have routinely been the 2nd commonest species these last 3 weeks round my way, Dave (after Small White). I guess they are the progeny of those that were around in July.

[petesmith]

Large Whites have routinely been the 2nd commonest species these last 3 weeks round my way

Also here David - seen quite a few Large Whites on the wing of late. So, given that their overwintering strategy in the UK is to hibernate as pupae, that would suggest that they are hopeful of getting another brood in - laying eggs, larval development to pupa in the next 4-5 weeks seems optimistic, unless they know something about the weather forecast that we don't. Or maybe they will migrate south?

[millerd]

Ah, not so unusual then! Looking back over my own records, it's very rare for me to see them in October, and the last one I've seen here this year before today was three weeks ago - hence my misapprehension.

There's certainly not much chance of another brood now (though caterpillars are seen very late in the year along the sheltered parts of the south coast I believe). Is there any evidence of a southward migration as there is with Painted Ladies?

Cheers,

Dave

[zigzag_wanderer]

I went on a four and a half hour walk on the mid Sussex weald today and saw a grand total of one butterfly (see attached).

Quite a few shaggy inkcaps about though.

[zigzag_wanderer]

Looking a bit closer at him, he's obviously not the freshest specimen (I'm not one to talk) , but it looks like the grey at the side of his left hind wing continues as a band close to the base. but still with some blue outside it ?

Is this just a normal bit of wear and tear ?

The light could be a factor too I'spose.

[millerd]

It looks as if the blue scales along the base of the wing have been rubbed off and the underside marginal markings are showing through. He looks a lot like the remaining Common Blues I've been seeing - distinctly battered. I don't think they were designed for October weather...

Cheers,

Dave

[zigzag_wanderer]

Thanks Dave. That makes sense. I think I was over-analysing my one specimen from today !

[Ben Freeman]

I know plenty of folk who haven't seen 50 Red Admirals all year!

Indeed David - I am one of them! They have been very thin on the ground in central Lincolnshire this year. I might have seen a couple of dozen max. And just one Painted Lady!

It's been a tremendous year for Red Admirals around my local patch this year, right from tatty arrivals in June through to excellent numbers of locals in September and October. I popped back to the same spot yesterday, and even though it was only 11 degrees there were still around 9 or 10 hardy individuals on the purple aster patches.

[Matsukaze]

Very few Red Admirals (or other vanessids) here in Somerset, and I'm currently on course to see more whites than vanessids this month, something I never would have expected in October. Large and Small White both still about here, though Green-veined has been very scarce this summer after a reasonable enough spring brood.

[zigzag_wanderer]

An hour and a half walk round my local fields tripled yesterday's numbers......3 individual butterflies seen. Single Large White, Common Blue and Small Copper.

Did see a single Peacock on a lunchtime circuit early last week, Red Admiral and Clouded Yellow seen last weekend but not since.

Also seen today - lots of wasps/hover-flies, single blue hawker dragonfly (think Migrant), 1 kestrel, 2 buzzards, c. 8 carrion crows mobbing said buzzards.

Today's CB was female and a lot fresher than yesterday's male. Small Copper looked in good condition too.

[David M]

That female Common Blue is a fine specimen, ZZW. Very unusually marked.