October 2023

[David M]

Tuesday 10th, Aberthaw Beach, Glamorgan:

Small White 30-40
Red Admiral 6
Painted Lady 5
Large White 2
Clouded Yellow 2
Peacock 1

[David M]

Tuesday 10th, Cosmeston Lakes, nr. Cardiff:

Red Admiral 10-15
Meadow Brown 3

[Allan.W.]

Blimey David ! 3 Meadow Browns ,haven,t seen one for nearly a month now ! and the one pictured looks pretty fresh too !......Nice one !! Allan.W.

[millerd]

Though today was much cooler than yesterday locally, it was also much sunnier: I ended up seeing more butterflies and more species.

One was yet another Small Copper I'd not come across over the last couple of weeks, though by the amount of wear it must have been around for a few days at least and evaded my gaze.

It was sparring with a Brown Argus, one of several seen today.

The most unexpected bit of the day was being presented with a bowlful of ripe figs by a neighbour (whose garden lies just behind my best ivy patch for Red Admirals and has a huge fig tree). One of the advantages of a warming climate, perhaps...

The Red Admirals weren't actually there today, but I counted more than a dozen likely southbound migrating butterflies elsewhere either in flight or resting/refueling between flights.

Also seen were Common Blues, a Speckled Wood and several fresh Small Whites.

Though it is difficult to discern the distinctions between broods with this species (especially as its numbers are bolstered by immigrants), I'm guessing these new butterflies represent a third brood.

Dave

[aeshna5]

Noticed there was a fair bit of excitement on Scilly yesterday with an American Painted Lady on St. Mary's found along with more expected Monarch. Think there's a small number of the latter about with at least one in Dorset too in the Portland area & on the Cornish coast.

Of course the latter may have come up on the southerly winds from the Canaries, Azores or southern Spain rather than a transatlantic crossing? Locations all look good for genuine migrants rather than escapees.

There's been a lot of top notch moths being found in the south-west too recently.

Remember my excitement many years ago seeing a Monarch just outside Tresco Abbey. Later on also seeing one near Portland near where an American wader, a Short-billed Dowitcher, had also turned up.

[David M]

Blimey David ! 3 Meadow Browns ,haven,t seen one for nearly a month now ! and the one pictured looks pretty fresh too !......Nice one !!

Thanks, Allan. I know this species flies in October in parts of southern England, but this is the first time I've seen one this late in Wales. Two of the three looked in good condition so perhaps in the warmer microclimates of SE Wales they have a more prolonged emergence.

[David M]

Noticed there was a fair bit of excitement on Scilly yesterday with an American Painted Lady on St. Mary's found along with more expected Monarch...

Indeed, aeshna. As migrants to the UK go, this one takes some topping. I'd have been deliriously happy to have seen this:

https://twitter.com/MalleyAndrew

[David M]

Saturday 14th, Three Crosses, Gower:

Red Admiral 3
Small Copper 1

[millerd]

It was even colder today on my patch near Heathrow, with it only scraping up to 12 degrees at best. I was out there before midday, and I suspect it was still single figures then. However, the sun shone and there was little wind, and if anything there were a few more small lycaenid butterflies around than yesterday.

I didn't cover the whole site today, but concentrated on one sheltered area which has been proving the most productive lately. Two Small Coppers, four Brown Argus, four Small Whites and seven Common Blues (including two females) were counted here.

It must have been chilly, as this Brown Argus kept close to the Common Blues instead of chasing them away (probably because certain sunny spots were detectably warmer than their surroundings).

Also seen elsewhere on my walk were a couple of Speckled Woods, half a dozen or so Red Admirals and a Comma - making seven species again.

The highlight of the day though was a fresh female Common Blue.

With at least five males around, I can't imagine she didn't encounter one of them - a mating pair in mid-October would have been an unusual sight...

Dave

[David M]

Sunday 15th, Lower Kilvey Hill, Swansea:

Speckled Wood 13
Red Admiral 11
Small White 2
Large White 2
Comma 1
Small Copper 1

[Jack Harrison]

Red Admiral today flying along Nairn High Street, a somewhat unusual location.
It slowed to look in the window of "Nickel and Dime" Temperature 12C

[millerd]

The sun returned at around one o'clock today, along with a strong wind. However, the chill of yesterday had gone (I scraped frost off the car yesterday morning), so I set out locally to see what might be attempting to fly. I soon found Red Admirals, a couple of egg-laying females battling with the breeze over the same sun-warmed patch of low-growing nettles where I'd followed caterpillars well into January last winter.

Over the walk I counted another seven.

There were only three other species seen - a Small White, two Speckled Woods, and more surprisingly four Brown Argus (but no Common Blues). The smallest species of butterfly to be found here is clearly a hardy soul.

Dave

[David M]

Sunday 15th, Limeslade Bay, Swansea:

Painted Lady 2
Small White 2

[bugboy]

A Grizzled Skipper was seen at Rye Harbour last week. Photos on Facebook.

[David M]

A Grizzled Skipper was seen at Rye Harbour last week.

[David M]

Brave (foolhardy?) Red Admiral on the ivy round the corner from my cottage in a brief interval between heavy rain showers earlier today:

[millerd]

Brand new male Holly Blue assisted to a sheltered spot out of the wind and gratefully opening up in a burst of sunshine - encountered within sight of home today.

Also seen in warm but mostly cloudy and breezy conditions were another Holly Blue, a Large White, a Small White, a Small Copper and just one Red Admiral.

Dave

[Allan.W.]

A Grizzled Skipper in mid-October ! ....................must surely be a British first ..............i,ve twice seen a Grizzle in August ,but October .......................Its definately not April the first is it ?
Allan.W.

[David M]

A Grizzled Skipper in mid-October ! ....................must surely be a British first ..............i,ve twice seen a Grizzle in August ,but October .......................Its definately not April the first is it ?

It's unusual enough in August, Allan. Pretty sure I've never heard of one in October, but given the way the climate's been lately, nothing really surprises me anymore.

[millerd]

Despite a great deal of rain last night, enough to make the River Colne overflow a little in places, another brief warm and sunny window this afternoon stirred a few butterflies into life almost immediately on my local patch. Five species appeared:

Red Admiral 5 (one of which was egg-laying)
Holly Blue 3 (3m)
Brown Argus 2 (2m)
Common Blue 1 (1f)
Small Copper 1 (1m)

Dave