April 2024

[Ian Pratt]

Seen last week in northern Spain.Stunningly fresh Adonis blue.

[Ian Pratt]

This photo catches the stunning blue of the Adonis blue butterfly.

[Allan.W.]

After wandering around at a local Kentish Duke site for around an hour with no luck I noticed at distance a chap i knew and stopped for a natter ...........he,d seen 2 .As he said it, he said theres another ...........sure enough not 2 metres from where we were stood was a perched Duke ........hold on though .....surely two (in-cop ) !
Another half hour ,and still the only two that I saw.

Allan.W.

[Allan.W.]

This morning at a very bright and fairly warm Dungeness (15c) we done a reasonably long circular walk ,along the power station fence ,part of the Moat and part of the trapping area . Strangely the trapping area was very quiet and most Coppers were seen along the power station fence ,82 in all . Also several Small Whites, 2 Peacock and my first Dragonfly of the year ,a Hairy (Hawker ) Dragonfly.

[millerd]

Much better weather today, and better numbers of butterflies in my neck of the woods.

A handful of highlights:

Not the freshest, but a very obliging female Holly Blue...

...the first Comma I've seen for ten days...

...and a very fresh female Large White grounded by a passing cloud and just warming up again.

More to come in my PD before long.

Dave

[Stevieb]

First real chance to get out with some decent sunny spells but blowing a hooley. Cotley Hill, Wiltshire

Grizzled Skipper x 1
Brimstone x 5
Large White x 1
Orange-tip x 6
Green Hairstreak x 7
Holly Blue x 1
Peacock x 8
Speckled Wood x 2

30th April

30th April

30th April

30th April

30th April

[millerd]

I made a return to Incombe Hole today (30th) in beautiful weather, and as well as a handful of Dukes and quite a few Green Hairstreaks...

...I saw my first Grizzled Skipper of 2024.

By the time I left there were quite a few folk there looking at what was flying. I popped over to Ivinghoe Beacon and in one of the gullies found another Duke.

Dave

[Chris L]

I made a return to Incombe Hole today (30th) in beautiful weather, and as well as a handful of Dukes and quite a few Green Hairstreaks...DB1 300424.JPGDB3 300424.JPGGH1 300424.JPG...I saw my first Grizzled Skipper of 2024.GS1 300424.JPGBy the time I left there were quite a few folk there looking at what was flying. I popped over to Ivinghoe Beacon and in one of the gullies found another Duke.DB2 300424.JPGDave

Rather jealous of your array of species at your site Dave. Especially the Grizzled Skipper.

[David Lazarus]

The last couple of days of April brought out the butterflies on the local patch. I am not far enough in my butterflying journey to start identifying aberrations - but I returned to the wet meadows near me to look for the female Orange-tip with the light grey apex markings that Allan and David remarked on. As before, the three females that I saw had the same markings - indeed I have not seen any other female Orange-tip in Meadgate Fields or along the River Chelmer that have been any different to compare. All I can say is that the photographs make the markings seem a lot lighter than they are in reality. I suspect it could be due to using an iPhone 11 Plus to take photographs. But they certainly are not dark grey let alone black. These are the three females seen on the early morning of the 29th:

Orange-tip f 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

To compare, this is one of the multiple Green-veined White taken with the same iPhone at the same time and place with the same conditions:

Green-veined White m 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

And here is a female Orange-tip taken on a different site a little later:

Orange-tip f 29/04/2024 Chaucer Road Meadow

And a Small White in Baddow Meads similar to the rest of the Small Whites I have seen in Chelmsford this Spring - all very small and with light apex markings:

Small White 29/04/2024 Baddow Meads

I appreciate that the aberration is only seen in female Orange-tip. I had not seen a male Orange-tip at Meadgate Fields Open Space, so I went back and saw a couple later that afternoon:

Orange-tip m 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

The apex markings appear to be more black than grey - perhaps because of the orange scales? I am not sure what this all means - suffice to say all the whites, including the Large White, have lighter apex markings than later in the year, and perhaps the light conditions/use of the iPhone 11 Plus make the markings appear even lighter than they actually are.

I am going to update this post in May’s Site Visit to Langdon Hills - Johnson’s Meadow where the female Orange-tip will provide the contrast between one with black apex markings and the 5+ females in Chelmsford using the same iPhone Plus and settings with the same light conditions.

[Maximus]

Tuesday 30th April

Made the right choice to drive to Hampshire today, first Dukes for four years! Glorious warm day and a sunny 18 degrees.

[David Lazarus]

Further to the above post about the Orange-tip in Meadgate Fields Open Space, the sun brought out the butterflies in this beautiful sheltered space. Despite the wet meadow glade still continuing to be waterlogged and requiring wellington boots to walk it, it is a sun trap and especially Green-veined White, which were there in abundance, as well as the numerous Orange-tip are on the wing early:

Green-veined White m 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

and later the others started appearing including the first time I have seen more than one Holly Blue at a site:

Holly Blue m 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

with a Comma, a few Peacock, and my first sighting of a Red Admiral in 2024 - looks like a reasonably fresh-looking immigrant:

Comma 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

Peacock 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

Red Admiral 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

There were also a couple of tatty-looking Speckled Wood:

Speckled Wood m 29/04/2024 Meadgate Fields Open Space

25 in total of 7 species

My Baddow Meads transect that day also producing 17 Peacock; 3 Small Tortoiseshell; 1 Comma; 19 Green-veined White; 5 Orange-tip; 4 Large White; 2 Small White and a Brimstone: 52 sightings of 8 species.

April has seen the Green-veined White take over from the Peacock as the most abundant species here in Chelmsford.

Small Tortoiseshell 29/04/2024 Baddow Meads

The following day, on the last day of April, saw me back at Meadgate Fields Open Space on a brief afternoon visit where I saw 10 Green-veined White; 6 Orange-tip; 6 Large White; 1 male + 1 female Brimstone; a couple of Peacock and three Speckled Wood:

[Testudo Man]

Target species were Green Hairstreak, an the 1st location produced 5 of the little green jewels.

Those Green Hairstreak photos are too good for words TM. If I had taken those I would have run around the field with my shirt over my head and taken a booking for throwing my shirt in to the crowd afterwards.

Thanks for that Chris, its appreciated mate...sorry ive only just read your comment, hence the late reply

Nothing wrong in "taking a booking"...im always getting shown the yellow/red card!!!

[PhilBJohnson]

April 30th 2024, Snakholme pit, Lincolnshire 13:30pm

Orange-tip butterflies mating after observing male pursuing female

I thought I would add this one for seasonal timing. It was the first female Orange-tip butterfly I had seen near Lincoln this Spring and I think I observed one of her first flights before pairing.