Neil Freeman

[Wurzel]

Cracking sequence of photos Neil Interesting to hear about the fuss on FB about that spotting on the Adonis - I've seen that plenty of times and so after the first couple of times generally don't think of it as anything particularly special I find some of the aberration names useful when describing the variation that I'm seeing (saying ab.postexcessa is a bit easier than got extra spots along the hind wing margin) but I think the 'Collectors' liked to name every slight variation as it meant that they'd get some recognition or renown a bit like a watered down version of discovering and getting to name a species However this doesn't hold true for Hedge Browns obviously

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks again Bugboy. Yes, I too have seen similar spotting in male Common Blues but like you say, only occasionally.
Interesting about the older authors comments, I have a 1947 reprint of South plus a more modern copy of the Howarth version, I'll have to have a look.

...Interesting to hear about the fuss on FB about that spotting on the Adonis - I've seen that plenty of times and so after the first couple of times generally don't think of it as anything particularly special...

Cheers Wurzel. Same here, which is why I commented on the FB post and was surprised when some claimed that it was a 'rare form'. Not in my experience it isn't.

Bosham Moths.

I mentioned in one of the previous posts that our room at our B&B in Bosham was on the ground floor and had a small outside area where we could sit outside. I have a portable suitcase type moth trap that I sometimes take along on our trips, although being mains powered I don’t always get the chance to use it in a suitable location. I mentioned it to our hostess who said she was fine with me setting it up in the outside area and in fact was quite interested in it and told us that her brother used to run a moth trap a few years ago.

Trap in position outside our room - Bosham 31.08.2021

Anyway, with the cloud that had hung around during the day forecast to persist through the night of August 30th, I set the trap up outside our room.
The result the next morning was 39 moths of 16 species, the most interesting of which included a Jersey Tiger Moth, a couple of Canary-shouldered Thorns and 3 White-points.

Jersey Tigers have become quite common in the southern counties over recent years and are now starting to be seen in the more southern parts of the midlands and although I have previously seen a number during the day in Dorset this was the first I have had come to a moth trap.

Jersey Tiger Moth - Bosham 31.08.2021

Canary-shouldered thorns are always good to see and although I do get these back home it is only occasionally and this was the first time I have had more than one at a time.

Canary-shouldered Thorn - Bosham 31.08.2021

The White-point is a regular immigrant that has recently become established in southern counties and East Anglia and which has also started appearing in the midlands over the past couple of years, although I have yet to see it reach my garden.

White-point - Bosham 31.08.2021

I potted some of the moths and showed them to our hosts the following morning before releasing them. They then mentioned that they had a couple of outside power points in their main garden that I was welcome to use if I wanted.
I gave it a rest the following night but the night after that (1st September) I took the opportunity to use one of these power points and set the trap up in the middle of the garden.

Trap in main garden - Bosham 01.09.2021

This time the result was 104 moths of 29 species, mostly increased numbers of the same species that I had the previous time but including a Tree-lichen Beauty, another immigrant and recent colonist that is working its way up the country. Some of the moth trappers I know in the southern part of Warwickshire have been seeing these but again, I have yet to see one in my garden.

Tree-lichen Beauty - Bosham 01.09.2021

A single Centre-barred Sallow was my first of the year and is one of the species whose arrival signifies that we are heading into autumn.

Centre-barred Sallow - Bosham 01.09.2021

Other moths of interest included another 8 White-points and a couple of moths which I think have great common names, Maidens Blush and Setaceous Hebrew Character (15).

Maiden's Blush - Bosham 01.09.2021

Setaceous Hebrew Character - Bosham 01.09.2021

The rest were a selection of the usual common and widespread species that turn up everywhere such as Large Yellow Underwing (23)

That completes the reports from our few days down south. The weather was not the best with a lot of thick cloud most of the time but having said that we did have a few nice sunny spells and the temperature was usually in the mid to high teens and felt reasonably warm.
I saw lots of butterflies which included plenty of my three main targets, these being Adonis and Chalk Hill Blues and Silver-spotted Skippers.
It would have been nice to see a Clouded Yellow but it was not to be this time. Besides, with Sarah now living down there, I am sure I will get plenty of opportunities when we visit in the future.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil

[David M]

Glad to see you enjoyed your trip, Neil, and you picked up some good species, particularly those Adonis Blues, which look radiant.

Much of the south of the country seems to have been beset by obstinate cloud these last two or three weeks, but it clearly didn't spoil your enjoyment.

[trevor]

I hope Sussex and it's butterflies made you feel welcome Neil.
Depending on what part of the butterfly season coincides with future
visits, I think this part of the world can keep you entertained.

Take care,
Trevor.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks David. There was indeed a lot of cloud around while we were down there but from what I was told, not as much as back home where there was also more rain. The temperatures were mostly reasonable though and the cloud at least did slow the butterflies down a bit.

Thanks Trevor. Sussex did indeed make me feel welcome, although I believe that our daughters house and most of the butterflies I saw were just over the border in Hampshire. Either way, it is a cracking part of the country and I now have an excuse to come back, just need to check flight periods and 'suggest' the best times to Jane for return visits

Not much to report recently. We had a brief return to summer last week but I was having some work done at home and couldn't go anywhere and since then the constant cloud has returned. Yesterday (Tuesday 14th Sept.) was awful here with rain all day and this morning is really dank and dreary with a proper autumnal feel to it.
It looks like it might brighten up a bit again in the next few days so hopefully I might still see a few more butterflies around here.

Cheers,

Neil

[Neil Freeman]

After a few dull and cloudy days last week and over the weekend, it brightened up this week with Monday and Tuesday eventually turning into pleasant days. At this time of year the butterfly season is usually rapidly winding down around here and with amount of dull and cool weather we have had here this summer I figured that there would be even less than usual to be found now at my local sites

Tuesday 21st September.

A walk down to my local spot by Wagon Lane Park produced just a dozen butterflies, half of which were Red Admirals that were feeding up on flowering Ivy that has covered an old dead tree.

Red Admiral - Wagon Lane 21.09.2021

Red Admiral - Wagon Lane 21.09.2021

Flowering Ivy - Wagon Lane 21.09.2021

The rest consisted of 4 Speckled Wood, all of which had seen much better days, and a couple of wandering Small Whites.

Thursday 23rd September.

After dropping Jane off at her Mom's for a couple of hours, I carried on to Blythe Valley Park to see if anything was still around. An hour spent wandering around my usual route produced half a dozen worn and faded Speckled Wood, 1 worn female Common Blue and a single Comma.

Speckled Wood - Blythe Valley 23.09.2021

Comma - Blythe Valley 23.09.2021

Female Common Blue - Blythe Valley 23.09.2021

There has also been a couple of faded male speckled Wood in the garden on most days this week but other than a few passing whites that has been it for me lately.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, the butterfly season always came to an end around mid September around here and this year has felt very much like it did back then.
I have lots of other thoughts on how this season has turned out but I will save those for when I eventually do my looking back summaries.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Love the Comma shot Neil - though it looks like meagre pickings for it nectar wise there I kinda get what you mean as there is a definite "it's almost all over' feel at the moment and this week although saying that I did see a Small Heath and some Meadow Browns mid week but on the whole the butterflies I'm seeing are those I might see in mid to late October; Red Amdirals, Whites etc

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Things are beginning to decline, Neil, and with some cooler and damper weather to come by the time we next get a window we may well be left with just the usual October suspects.

This is the time of year when I really wish I lived somewhere nearer the Mediterranean.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Looks like it's all over now around here, autumn has definitely arrived with some heavy rain, blustery winds and lots of leaves falling from the trees. Since my last post I have not seen a single butterfly, Even the garden Specklies look like they have finished now.

Thanks David. The thing is, around here, even in a good year the usual October suspects consist of little more than the occasional Red Admiral and elderly Speckled Wood...and this has been a generally poor year here.

Anyway, time for a catch up on the garden moths.

Garden Moths – August.

In the main, August around here was dull and fairly cool, although things did improve a bit around the middle of the month with some pleasantly warm spells. Despite there being a lot of cloud around during the day, this often cleared away later in the afternoons to leave us with clear nights, many of which were also quite breezy. Due to these less than favourable conditions, I only ran the moth trap in the garden on four occasions, these being the nights of 4th, 13th, 17th and 22nd.
Numbers were usually down on what I would expect to see at this time of year with even the common trap fillers like Large Yellow Underwing and Square-spot Rustic being well down on usual, in many ways reflecting the butterfly numbers around here.
I did however get some nice moths including a new record for my garden of Ear Moth. This is one of four very similar species that the books say can only be definitely identified by gen det. However, the other species, Large Ear, Saltern Ear and Crinan Ear are more restricted by distribution and habitat (wet moorland and marshes) with the Ear Moth being less fussy and the most likely to be encountered in gardens.

Ear Moth - Coverdale 04.08.2021

Everything else consisted of the typical species for this time of year including second generations of species that I have seen earlier in the year.

Second Generation Flame Carpet - Coverdale 04.08.2021

Marbled Beauty - Coverdale 13.08.2021

Common Carpet - Coverdale 13.08.2021

Second Gen. Willow Beauty - Coverdale 17.08.2021

A nicely marked Setaceous Hebrew Character - Coverdale 17.08.2021

One species that seemed to do well in my garden was Old Lady Moth with half a dozen coming to the trap during the month. I have often read that this species does not often come to light but I believe that they will come to actinic traps (like mine) more than those using MV bulbs.

Old Lady Moth - Coverdale 22.08.2021

The Cypress Pug is a fairly recent colonist, first recorded in the UK in 1959 and becoming established in southern counties during the 1960s. It then spread north, probably utilising cypress trees in parks and gardens, reaching Warwickshire in 1983. It is still uncommon up here however so I was pleased to get my first one last year and a second one this year on the night of 22nd.

Cypress Pug - Coverdale 22.08.2021

This brought me up to a total of 212 species by the end of August, these being made up of 123 macro species and 89 micros.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil

[Wurzel]

That Cypress Pug is a lovely looking Moff Neil and has an interesting back story D 'they' know if it made it here under it's own steam or came in with some Cypress trees? If that came on over of it's own accord then I wonder what else could butterfly wise - Black-veined White would be nice

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..In the main, August around here was dull and fairly cool, although things did improve a bit around the middle of the month with some pleasantly warm spells. Despite there being a lot of cloud around during the day, this often cleared away later in the afternoons to leave us with clear nights, many of which were also quite breezy. Due to these less than favourable conditions, I only ran the moth trap in the garden on four occasions, these being the nights of 4th, 13th, 17th and 22nd.

Agreed, Neil. August was highly frustrating with very few 'ideal' days to venture out and yes, cloudy conditions often tended to clear late in the afternoon by which time it's too late to drive to a site.

Nice to see you had a new moth visiting your garden, and quite an attractive one as well (although the 'Carpets' are eye-catching at all times).

[Neil Freeman]

That Cypress Pug is a lovely looking Moff Neil and has an interesting back story D 'they' know if it made it here under it's own steam or came in with some Cypress trees? If that came on over of it's own accord then I wonder what else could butterfly wise - Black-veined White would be nice

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Given that the first sighting was in Cornwall, followed by further reports from along the south coast I would assume that these first examples were migrants although I cannot find a definitive answer in any of my books. It's subsequent spread northward was certainly assisted by the presence of non-native cypresses in parks and gardens.

Thanks David. The frustrating thing about August for me was not only the number of dull days, but also the number of poor nights for moths due to clearing skies and the associated drop in overnight temperature.

Rearing Early Thorns.

Back in the summer a female Early Thorn moth had come to the trap and left some eggs in the pot in which I had retained her for release the following evening.
A couple of weeks later these hatched and I kept a dozen to rear and released the rest onto some hawthorn in the garden. As well as hawthorn, this species also utilises blackthorn, hazel, sallows, birches and many other broad leaved shrubs and trees.
I had intended to take photos at various staged of development but kept forgetting until the larvae were in their final instar when I finally got around to taking a few shots. In truth, there is not much difference between the instars other than size and at all stages they are remarkably camouflaged sitting motionless on twigs.

Early Thorn larva - final instar.

Early Thorn larva - final instar.

Last week they started to construct flimsy cocoons amongst the hawthorn leaves and twigs on which they have been feeding and once they have all pupated and the pupae have hardened off I will place them in a container in a cold part of the garage to pass the winter.

Bye now and stay safe.

Neil

[Benjamin]

Interesting to see those early thorn caterpillars Neil. I regularly get them to my trap so must remember to check the various shrubs and trees in the vicinity - I could easily have missed them with such brilliant camouflage. Thanks for the info.

[Wurzel]

Those cats are funny looking things Neil - it's difficult to work out which is the head end but I'm guessing it's the bit sticking out into the air? Looking forward to seeing how they fare

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Fascinating, Neil. I presume this is where the 'thorn' reference comes from?

It would be nice to see what the pupae look like too, assuming they are not concealed in the cocoon.

[Neil Freeman]

Interesting to see those early thorn caterpillars Neil. I regularly get them to my trap so must remember to check the various shrubs and trees in the vicinity - I could easily have missed them with such brilliant camouflage. Thanks for the info.

Thanks Ben. I have never found any in my garden either.

Those cats are funny looking things Neil - it's difficult to work out which is the head end but I'm guessing it's the bit sticking out into the air? Looking forward to seeing how they fare

Cheers Wurzel. Yep, they cling on with the last pair of prolegs. In fact most geometer larvae only have two or three pairs of prolegs instead of the usual five pairs that most butterfly and moth larvae have. This leads to the characteristic movements hence they are often called loopers (or inchworms in America).

Fascinating, Neil. I presume this is where the 'thorn' reference comes from?

It would be nice to see what the pupae look like too, assuming they are not concealed in the cocoon.

Thanks David. The name actually comes from a small 'thorn like' marking which is present on the underside of the wings of a number of species in this group. This is nicely shown in the example below which came to my trap back in July.

Early Thorn - Coverdale 12.07.2021

And especially for you David...

Most of the flimsy cocoons were spun between leaves and the sides and bottom of the container that they were in and consequently came apart as I removed them to store over winter. I did manage however to keep one intact for a couple of photos.

Early Thorn cocoon in hawthorn leaves.

The rest of the pupae literally fell out of the cocoons onto some tissue that I had placed beneath them as I expected that this would happen. The pupae are typical moth pupae, a shiny dark brown and approx. 6-8 mm in length.

Early Thorn pupae - Coverdale 19.10.2021

Early Thorn pupa - Coverdale 19.10.2021

They will stay in the pot now in a cold spot in the garage (or maybe in the fridge if it turns out to be a mild winter) until the spring.

Bye for now and stay safe.

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Interesting sequence of images Neil Do the pupal cases show their wings through when they're nearing emergence or do they stay that dark colour?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..And especially for you David...

Thanks for this, Neil. Very interesting to see what they look like. I hope you can keep them all healthy over the winter. Good luck and keep us updated!

[Neil Freeman]

Interesting sequence of images Neil Do the pupal cases show their wings through when they're nearing emergence or do they stay that dark colour?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. In most of the moths I have raised before the pupal cases stay opaque right up until emergence so I would assume these will be the same. If I remember I will check next spring...mind you, that's a big IF I remember

..And especially for you David...

Thanks for this, Neil. Very interesting to see what they look like. I hope you can keep them all healthy over the winter. Good luck and keep us updated!

Thanks David. Hopefully I will be posting some photos next spring when they emerge.


My butterfly season has well and truly finished here and has been for a few weeks now. I have not seen a single butterfly this month with my last examples, a couple of faded Speckled Wood, being in the last week of September. I have still seen a few random sightings reported from around Warwickshire, mostly the odd Comma, Red Admiral or Speckled Wood, but a few walks around my local spot at Wagon Lane and the local park by my Mom’s house have produced a big fat zero.
This is not unexpected as my season here usually ends around the end of September with only the most favourable years producing butterflies into October…and this has been far from a favourable year.

Anyway, my butterfly season may be over for the year but I still need to come up to date on my garden moths.

Garden Moths – September.

Moving into September, conditions stayed pretty much the same as they had through most of August, that is lots of dull, cloudy days that cleared up late in the day to leave clear nights that got cooler as we moved into autumn. We did have a few nice sunny days in the second week and again towards the end of the month but these were accompanied by clear nights when the temperature dropped into low single figures. As a consequence, I only put the moth trap out on three nights, those being the 5th, 7th and then again on the 25th.
The night of 5th produced 128 moths of 30 species with the 7th producing 161 of 37, in both cases mostly the expected late summer species such as Large Yellow Underwings and Square-spot Rustics along with a selection of the usual suspects for this time of year.

Small Square-spot - Coverdale 05.09.2021

Light Emerald - Coverdale 07.09.2021

There were also a couple of Centre-barred Sallow, the first on the 5th and another on the night of the 7th. I had seen one of these typical early autumn moths when I had put my portable trap out in the garden of the B&B we stayed at in Bosham so was expecting them to show up before long in my garden.

Centre-barred Sallow - Coverdale 07.09.2021

Numbers usually drop off through September and for a number of reasons, mostly down to unfavourable conditions, I didn’t run the trap again until the night of the 25th which produced 61 moths of 15 species.

The night of 7th had produced the first Lunar Underwing of the year. I think I have mentioned a couple of times before that this typical autumn species is very variable and the night of the 25th produced examples of four different colour forms.

Lunar Underwing - Coverdale 25.09.2021

Lunar Underwing - Coverdale 25.09.2021

Lunar Underwing - Coverdale 25.09.2021

Lunar Underwing - Coverdale 25.09.2021

The 25th also produced my first fresh Red-green Carpet this year, although not the first examples this year. In this species, both sexes emerge in the autumn but only the females overwinter as adults and fly again in the spring when they lay their eggs on the fresh growth of various broad-leaved trees and shrubs.

Red-green Carpet - Coverdale 25.09.2021

With dwindling numbers, many moth trappers call it a day by October. Others however, including myself, carry on all year round, although in my case I only bother on favourable looking nights which obviously become fewer as we go through autumn and into winter. I am still hoping for a few autumn species that I haven’t yet seen this year but depending on the weather and how often I trap I may roll these into a single update to finish off the year, we’ll see.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil

[David M]

Surprising that you haven't seen a butterfly during October, Neil, although things have been pretty dire in south Wales too with my own tally no more than two dozen.

Good that you've got your moth trap to eke out alternative compensation. I particularly like the Centre-barred Sallow, although the Red Green Carpet is rather fetching as well.