Neil Freeman

[Wurzel]

I hope you had a cracking Christmas and New Year Neil A great set of Moffs and interesting to read of the species moving North; it makes a nice change to read about new species arriving rather than species disappearing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

...Here’s looking forward to a good 2024 season for both Butterflies and Moths and to hoping that everyone gets to see what they wish for.

Hear, hear, Neil. Not too long to go now, maybe just a few short weeks.

Those moths are again a delight. Some of the camouflage they present is really eye-catching.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. There are an increasing number of moth species that are moving north in this country as well as previously rare migrants now breeding here. Being noctunal for the most part they are less obvious unless you follow these things online.

Thanks David, I have seen a few butterflies reported from around the midlands but nothing for me yet.

So it begins...well, sort of.

As mentioned in my reply to David above, there have been a a few butterfly sigtings reported from the midlands so far These have mostly been of Red Admirals but I have also seen a couple of Brimstones and one each of Peacock and Comma also reported. Most sightings seem to have come from either sheltered woodland areas or disturbed by people starting to 'tidy' their gardens.

The weather here has been mostly mild recently with a few nice sunny days but also some really dull day. The past couple of days were really windy but as I write this it has calmed down again, but gone colder.

So far this year I have ventured to run the garden moth trap just twice. The first time was on the night of January 28th which resulted in just one small micro, probably Acleris kochiella but these are gen-det jobs to tell apart from the very similar (and rarer) A. logiana.

The night of February 3rd resulted in my first two macro moths of the year, a nice Spring Usher which I was particularly pleased with as this was new for my garden, a great start to the year

Spring Usher - Coverdale 03.02.2024

The second moth was a Dotted Border, another typical early spring species which I usually get one or two of each year.

Dotted Border - Coverdale 03.02.2024

The next few days look to be going colder again and we have possible snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Only to be expected as suppose as February often throws some nasty weather at us.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Greta to get a first for the garden Neil - although looking at the recent forecast perhaps it should be renamed the 'Overoptimistic Usher'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. I am just starting my 8th year of running the trap here in my garden and there are still quite a few supposedly 'common and widespread' species that I have yet to see here so fingers crossed for a few more this year.

although looking at the recent forecast perhaps it should be renamed the 'Overoptimistic Usher'

Yes, indeed. Although we have had some mild days here recently, we have had an awful lot of rain. At the back end of last week it rained for 36 hours non-stop and we have just had another 24 hours of it. As I write this on Wednesday morning it has eased off but is still drizzling.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Good to see your moth year, at least, get off to a flying start, Neil.

I'm sure things will get moving on the butterfly front too before much longer.

Winters ain't what they were when I was a kid!

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks David. A mosty mild and very wet winter here, reminiscent of a run of similar winters I remember back in the mids 1980s.

Despite the generally mild past couple months, the vegetation around here looks to be roughly at the stage I would expect it to be in a fairly 'normal' early spring. I suspect the increasing daylight hours have as much influence as the headline temperatures for many plants. Also past observations have shown that, notwithstanding a few random early sightings, Small Tortoiseshells, Commas and Peacocks are remarkable consistent in putting in their reappearance here in the second half of March.

And on that note I saw my first butterfly of the year this afternoon during one of the short sunny periods we had, a Comma that fluttered into the garden and fluttered out again before I had chance to grab a photo. My mom also tells me that she saw a Brimstone pass through her garden yeaterday (Thursday) afternoon. It has been quite windy here for the past couple of days and later this afternoon the heavens opened and we had a load more rain (again).

Garden Moths.

Since my last report on the start of my mothing season here in my garden I have only run the moth trap three more times so far, twice of these in February on the nights of 14th and 16th when some milder conditions tempted me to have a go.
The night of 14th Feb produced 8 moths of 6 species, 5 of which were NFY which is often the case this early in the season. All were singles apart from 3 Dotted Borders, all of which were different variations and all different to the one I had on the 4th Feb which was posted in my previous report.

Dotted Border - Coverdale 14.02.2024

The night of 16th Feb ended upbeing clearer and chillier than forecast with the result being just 4 moths of 4 species whic included another Dotted Border variation.

Dotted Border - Coverdale 16.02.2024

A run of poor conditions, either clear and chilly or too windy, led to a gap of nearly a month before I tried again a couple of nights ago on the 13th March. Following a few days of quite strong blustery winds, these were forecast to calm down overnight and reasonably mild temperatures led to a total of 24 moths of 9 species.
The most numerous was Common Quaker with 16 and everything else being singles including one each of Oak Beauty and Brindled Beauty. These are nice chunky moths and two of my favourite spring species, so it was especially nice to see them both on the same night.

Oak Beauty - Coverdale 14..03.2024

Brindled Beauty - Coverdale 14.03.2024

The rest included my first examples of the year of Early Thorn and Early Grey plus a Grey Shoulder-knot, a species that only turns up here occasionally.

Early Thorn - Coverdale 14.03.2024

Early Grey - Coverdale 14.03.2024

Gre Shoulder-knot - Coverdale 14.03.2024

This bring me up to a total of 19 species including a few micros (5) which is not a bad start for here considering the fact I have only run the trap 5 times this year, once at the end of January, three times in February and just once so far this month.

There looks to be a lot of cloud around here for the next few day, fingers crossed for a few breaks to let the sun through enough to wake up a few more butterflies here.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Good to hear that you're off the mark Neil I had to stop looking at the Moff shots as I was picking out all kinds of stuff in the markings especially the Early Grey

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. No more butterflies to report up until today as per the next report.

Sunday 24th March.

Since my first butterfly of the year (a Comma) back on the 15th March, I hadn't seen any more due to either unsuitable weather or me just not having time on the few occasions that might have tempted a few out. In fact it has been one step forward and two steps back here most of the time as, despite some mild temperatures for the time of year, we have also had loads of cloud and some chilly winds. On Friday it felt like winter had returned with some showers of hail and a really cold wind.
Yesterday (Saturday) was just cold, but today was much better and although the underlying temperature was still a bit nippy there were enough decent sunny spells that lasted long enough to make it feel quite pleasant in the sun.

Around 1.30pm I had a couple of hours free so decided to have a wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane. Although much lighter than of late, the chilly breeze was still in evidence on the more open parts of the site so I just wandered around the sheltered spots that usually produce some early butterflies. The earlier flowering stands of blackthorn here are showing well now but a lot of the rest is still in bud.

Blacktorn blossom at Wagon Lane 24.03.2024

Over the next hour or so I was rewarded with 3 Commas, 2 Peacocks and a single Small Tortoiseshell.

Comma - Wagon Lane 24.03.2024

Peacock - Wagon Lane 24.03.2024

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 24.03.2024

After the one step forward today, it looks like at least two steps back again next week with heavy rain forecast here tomorrow and a pretty cold week ahead.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Neil I'd echo your description of how the season is progressing Neil I don't know whether we've gotten too used to early springs but this year certainly has been the most faltering that I can recall Still things can only get better...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Chris L]

Great photos Neil. I particularly like the Small Tortoiseshell one. Being 35 miles north of you, I can identify with your description of our weather offering.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, it is certainly dragging on a bit this year. Another wet and dreary week and cold with it here.

Thanks Chris. The downside of living in the midlands. Just that one Small Tortoisehell still here so far which is slow going even for around here

Cheers,

Neil.

[Chris L]

We should get quite a lot of sunshine on Saturday and Sunday according to the forecast Neil. I think that your Wagon Lane site will be like a butterfly reserve and I predict you will see a lot if you are able to get out. The 12 or so days after is forecast to be quite good for precipitation spotting

Like me, are you seeing a year on year decline in Small Tortoiseshell?

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Chris. Not quite as good today as the forecast from a couple of days back had indicated but I still managed to see a few.

Saturday 30th March.

After another mostly dull and quite cool week with quite a bit of rain, the forecast for today promised a bit more sunshine. Well, they were partly right as we had quite bit of sun this morning after a clear and cold night but by midday the clouds were once again building up.
Nevertheless, there was still enough sun still around early afternoon to tempt me down to my local spot by Wagon lane where a brief walk around some of the usual spots produced 4 Peacocks, 3 Small Tortoiseshells and 2 Commas.

Peacock - Wagon Lane 30.03.2024

Peacock - Wagon Lane 30.03.2024

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 30.03.2024

Comma - Wagon Lane 30.03.2024

Two of the Small Torts were a pair that were engaged in courtship behaviour but as usual they flew off before I could see if anything came of it or not.

Small Tortoiseshells - Wagon Lane 30.03.2024

After this weeks rain, much of the site was waterlogged or deep sticky mud and despite wearing my wellies I did not venture along the worst affected paths.
Whilst I was there the clouds had been steadily thickening and turning a darker shade of grey so after about 35 minutes I headed back home.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is now looking to be cloudy (what a surprise ), as is the rest of the week with more raining heading in.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of images Neil especially like the closed wing Comma "Not quite as good today as the forecast from a couple of days back" this is a very familiar experience! You pin all your hopes on the one decent day and then when it arrives it's a case of 'all change' and normally not for the better. The worst time this happened to me was on a trip to Daneways -from 9 days previously right up to 9:00am on the day it was going to be sunny intervals and so perfect for Large Blues, however that changed when we made a quick stop off at around 9:30 to 'black cloud and light rain' Funny how they got the bad weather forecast perfect

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. I don't know why I bother with the forecasts, a sucker for punishment I guess

Like me, are you seeing a year on year decline in Small Tortoiseshell?

Sorry Chris, I missed your question in my earlier reply.

Small Tortoiseshell numbers had been good here for a few years peaking in 2021 and 2022. Last year there was a siginficant reduction with my highest counts dropping from 40+ for the summer down to around to around 25 at each session. It is too early to tell what this year will be like, especially as we are having a very slow start here.

Monday 1st April.

Bank Holiday Monday and April Fools day as well. Well, I suppose I am a fool for looking at the weather forecasts as once again it changed this morning to mirror the conditions we were actually getting. After another wet night, this morning was dull and drizzly but it brighted up considerably this afternoon with about 50% cloud and warm sunny spells.

I had another wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane and this time squleched through the thick mud to complete a full circle of the site. Even so, numbers were not high with 6 each of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell plus 5 Commas counted.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 01.04.2024

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 01.04.2024

Peacock - Wagon Lane 01.04.2024

Peacock - Wagon Lane 01.04.2024

Comma- Wagon Lane 01.04.2024

Still just the 3 species for me here, no whites here yet although my son Chris has seen a few Brimstones recently whilst out doing his job. He has recently gone self-employed as a gardener doing general maintence and offering advice on gardening for wildlife. I have also seen a few Orange-tips reported from elsewhere around the midlands.
Orange-tips usually start here around mid April, my earliest ever was last year on 8th April but then I had a gap of a couple of weeks due to poor weather before I saw another one.
Looking at the weather for the week ahead (Yeah, I know), I am not expecting any sudden surge in numbers here, rather a gradual increase (hopefully) through the first half of the month.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Especially like the second Small Tort Neil, it seems very well turned out if you catch my drift

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

You may think your numbers of butterflies are poor, Neil, but I'd give my right arm for half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells.

I've only seen one thus far.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Given that I still see reasonable numbers of Small Tortoiseshells, the variation can be particularly noticeable.

thanks David. I am lucky in that I still get reasonable numbers of Small Tortoiseshells although numbers have been down from what they were three or four years ago.

Thursday 11th April.

Since my last report, the weather here has been lousy here with incessant cloud and loads of rain. In fact I think it has rained every night for the past couple of weeks and quite often during the day too. There have been a few intermittent breaks in the cloud but nothing that lasted very long and usually when I was otherwise occupied and unable to take advantage.
Needless to say I had not seen another butterfly and was still on the same three species (Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock).

Today, after yet more rain last night, the clouds actually cleared a bit so I went into the garden around 10.00am to see how soggy it was. The recent strong winds had eased off and it was feeling quite pleasant although I didn't want to walk on much of the garden due to how waterlogged it is.
I was casting my eyes around when I spotted a butterfly flitting about down the bottom end...a Speckled Wood, my first of the year and the first butterfly I have seen in the garden this year. This is a few days later than last year although pretty much average over the past five years.

The forecast indicated that the cloud was once again going to increase through the afternoon so I decided to put off a couple of jobs I had lined up for the morning and make the most of it with a wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane.
As soon as I came out of the short footpath into the site a male Orange-tip flew past me and over the fence into one of the gardens to the side of the path, another first for the year.

During the next hour or so, my usual circuit produced half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells plus three each of Peacock and Speckled Wood.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Small Tortoiseshells - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

I also saw my first Brimstone of the year, a male that motored past me along one of the hedgrows.

As I circled back and approached the spot where I had earlier seen the Orange-tip, I saw what was probably the same one again. By now there was more cloud about which slowed it down a bit and I watched as it fluttered around some dandelions and settled briefly a couple of times, just long enough for me to grap a few shots.

Orange-tip - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

Orange-tip - Wagon Lane 11.04.2024

I then wandered back home, along the way spotting a white flying across some front gardens but unfortunatly too far away to ID.

No Commas today but nevertheless three new species for the year to bring my tally up to six. If I could have ID'd the white, I could have made it seven but no doubt I will add both Small and GV Whites soon. Large White tends to turn up a bit later here.

Later in the afternoon, around 2.30pm, the clouds thinned again to give a decent spell of sunshine and I spotted what was likely the same Speckled Wood as earlier in the morning flying in and out of the garden. A little later a male Orange-tip flew in one side and out the other.
The clouds then closed in again and remained that way for the rest of the afternoon although it remained quite warm albeit with a fresheing breeze.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[trevor]

For those Small Tortoiseshells, Neil, and the female Specklie.
I've only seen one ST this year, and that wasn't local to me.

Good to see you catching up.