June 2009 Sightings

[Vince Massimo]

Hi all,

I visited East Blean Wood, Kent with 'rezamink' (Damian) to check on Heath Fritillary. We were there between 1.30pm and 4.30pm in warm, windy and mainly cloudy conditions. We only walked a couple of the coppiced areas near to the car park and saw approximately 30 Fritillary. The majority were still in good condition, particularly the females, and the highlight was a mating pair. Also seen were 5 Speckled Wood, 2 Meadow Brown, 2 Painted Lady, 1 Large Skipper and a White.

Cheers,

Vince.

[Charles Nicol]

I forgot to mention that a friend of mine in the next village had a butterfly land on her sleeve and she described it as golden yellow and a red spot and to me it sounds like a Clouded Yellow ....

could it possibly be a male brimstone ?



charles

[Mark Senior]

There appears to have been a further small influx of Painted Ladies here in Sussex last night . Around 15-20 seen this morning in a small area near my factory .

[fourwings]

I visited Glapthorn this morning and was treated to great sightings of several Black Hairstreaks including a coupled pair all on the usual Dewberry bushes and being most accomodating for the camera.
If someone can tell me how. I'll post some of my images, got some real beautys

[Shirley Roulston]

Hello Fourwings,

when you do a post reply as you have just done, click onto upload attachment and that will give you a choice of your photos usually in 'my pictures' but before you choose one, on your own photo right click the photo and resize it to small or medium and then click onto the copy one and then click on to this website, then if I can remember click on 'place in line' and with a lot of luck it should come on to the post reply page if not ask Pete, I can do it but explaining it is something else. Good luck

Charles, you could be right it does now sound like it was a Brimstone.
Shirley.

[Ian Pratt]

I presume this is a moth caterpillar. Any ideas which one?

[Pete Eeles]

Moths aren't my forte ... but maybe a Knot Grass larva. See http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=795

Cheers,

- Pete

[Ian Pratt]

Looks right to me. Many thanks.

[fourwings]

A couple of Black Hairstreak images taken at Glapthorn this morning, the total count seen was well into double figures, by far the best I have ever seen there.

[Shirley Roulston]

I'm so glad to see your photos and what lovely photos they are, nice size and perfect focus, the blackberry flowers are coming out at last that'll bring the butterflies in.
Shirley

[Shirley Roulston]

First Meadow Brown in my field to-day.

Shirley

[Jack Harrison]

Not so much sightings but hoped-for sightings. I plan to visit the Southwater Woods (Marlpost and Madgeland) next Monday pm and then on Tuesday. Targets are of course White Admiral and SW Fritillary but there's always a hope of Purple Emperor. WA and SWF have already been seen I believe. Is that correct?

Jack

[m_galathea]

That is correct Jack they are both out now in these parts, but not in full numbers yet.
__________
No sign of White-letter Hairstreaks today at Littlehampton golf course, but I will be keeping my eyes open. Seven other species seen: Large White, Large Skipper, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Alexander

[SteveA]

A couple of White-letter Hairstreaks out at Benfleet Downs, Essex this evening along with a handful of Marbled Whites, Small and Large Skippers and a my first Ringlet of tbe year. The light wasn't great for the hairstreaks but at least one of them came out okay, should be more of them over the come days.

[fourwings]

I'm so glad to see your photos and what lovely photos they are, nice size and perfect focus, the blackberry flowers are coming out at last that'll bring the butterflies in.
Shirley

Thanks very much Shirley, I was really pleased that they posed for images so well, all that was needed was a bit of patience.

[wiccaman9]

Hi all,

Took brief day tripto Collard hill yesterday in spite of wind and cloud, got brighter in pm and lots of LB's on the wing, a dozen or so, but not the population explosion predicted! Saw a few ovipositing females...

Thursday went to Whixhall moss and Prees heath reserves....
davus large heaths on the wing, but windy weather made it difficult to photograph, unless in dark tusocks, etc .12 seen in a 1/3 of the transect walk.

Prees' SSB's ssp.masseyi in good form, lots of males about, occasional females, a little early for their emergence...

Cheers, Aron

[Jack Harrison]

I love those Large Blues pictures Aron. My photos from last seek were so bad that they weren’t worth showing here.

Anyway, on a lighter note, here’s one my daughters with a “pet Elephant Hawk Moth”.

Jack

[Matsukaze]

Loads of Large Skippers in a patch of acid grassland in the east Mendips today. Every thistle seemed to have a couple roosting on it, and the knapweed and red clover was home to numbers more. It does seem to be doing well here. Another butterfly doing well is the Small Tortoiseshell, whose new brood has been out for a couple of weeks now and is much more widespread than in the spring.

Not so the Orange-tip, whose caterpillars are proving much harder to find this year. I wonder if the patch of bad weather in mid-May coincided with the females' emergence.

[Ian Pratt]

I was pleased to see my first marbled whites of the season on Brading Down in overcast weather. Also I was pleased to get a good photo of a small tortoiseshell- looks sharp edge to edge and a lovely row of blue spots.

[Perseus]

Hello,

19 June 2009

Thirteen species of butterfly were seen on a visit to Lancing Clump where I
discovered my first Small Skipper of the year as well as occasional Large
Skippers. Also, a few Marbled Whites that would not keep still and a Wall Brown.

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/LancingRing2009.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: June 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/June2009.html