July 2009 Sightings

[Shirley Roulston]

Should I begin this months sightings with a Speckled Wood, also sighted a Ringlet on the cliff path in Morfa Nefyn.

Shirley

[sahikmet]

Hi,

To day at Black Park two White Admirals, 15 Comma, Speckled wood and few Large whites

Cheers

Sezar

[eccles]

At Blackmoor near Charterhouse Somerset today were:
Small skipper
Red Admiral
Small Tortoiseshell
Small heath
Small PBF
Marbled white
Brown argus
Common blue
NB five spot burnet
.. and at least 20 DG fritillary, the latter being a total pain in the hot weather. After firing off three grab shots of this individual soon after arriving I went around three hours without catching a single further DGF at rest.

They would appear from nowhere, shoot off across the heath at varying speeds and disappear. Poor Xmilehigh hadn't got a thing, and we were all set to give up and go when they relented for about half an hour, started nectaring off pink clover and finally allowed us a few photos.

[Lee Hurrell]

I'd never seen a Purple Hairstreak until Saturday. I've discovered a footpath that runs across a golf course near where I live in Greenford, Middlesex. I saw something at head height that looked dusky purple in flight that set my mind racing....but i wasn't sure.
Rest of Saturday afternoon on the golfcourse:
Red Admiral x 1
Comma x 5
Large White x 5
Large Skipper x 2
Meadow Brown x 15
And Greenford's resident Sparrowhawk.

After Saturday's possible PH, last night I went that way home again and after getting some very strange looks as I stared at trees, in 15 minutes saw about 20 of them! Lots of aerial jousting going on. This was between 7.30and 7.45pm.

I went that way again tonight, and saw something else I'd never seen before. This was between 6 and 6.30pm:
Purple Hairstreak x 10
Comma x 15 - they seem to be having a very good year near me, there was one every 10 metres or so along the hedges...
Meadow Brown x 6
Large White x 10
And my first ever White Letter Hairstreak, although it was quite battered and had lost the ends of the hinds wings with the W. However the white band on the underside of the forewing was well defined, more so than it seems a BH is.

Both the WLH and one PH were crawling about on the ground (it was actually a tee, and I had to explain to a kind golfer what i was doing on my knees on his tee as he wanted to play his shot...),I presume drinking fluids.

Then as I entered my front gate after passing two more Commas I was greeted by this little chap who seems to have survived a bird attack.

If only all journeys home could be like this!

Lee

[sahikmet]

This comma was alot lighter than others. Is this a hutchinsoni variety?

Cheers

Sezar

[Pete Eeles]

This comma was alot lighter than others. Is this a hutchinsoni variety?

Cheers

Sezar

It sure is!

I managed to get to Pamber Forest for just over an hour at lunchtime. I've been pretty jealous with all of the aberrations being seen by everyone else when, blow me down, a Silver-washed Fritillary, ab. confluens, flies right by! This could well be the same individual seen by the warden, Graham Dennis, as reported on the Hants sightings page. Unfortunately, it didn't settle for any length of time, and I only managed an underside shot. And then something I've been waiting to see for many years! A "Black Admiral" - a White Admiral ab. obliterae (not nigrina, which is totally black, I believe) was fooling quite a few Ringlets that were chasing it - but she didn't fool me! I managed to get quite a few cuts on the brambles trying to follow her - but definitely worth it!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Perseus]

Hello,

2 July 2009

The brilliant sky blue of the first Chalkhill Blue Butterfly of the year rose from the lower slopes of Mill Hill just before 11:00 am in the humid sunshine.



Mill Hill Reports 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009.html


First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.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: July 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/July2009.html

[sahikmet]

Thanks Pete

Sezar

[Denise]

Not in the same league, but my first Gatekeeper in the garden today, along with scores of Meadow Brown and Ringlet, and four Comma.

Denise

[Pete Eeles]

Hmmm. Having seen a "nigrina" on the Hants sightings page (http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.htm) for 28th June, I wonder if mine is too? Thoughts?

Cheers,

- Pete

[Perseus]

Hello,

Shoreham, chalk downs and town fringes, coastal

17 species in the first two days of July:

Large White
Speckled Wood
Gatekeeper
Small Blue
Marbled White
Small Skipper
Meadow Brown
Small Heath
Painted Lady
Chalkhill Blue
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
Red Admiral
Large Skipper
Ringlet
Small White
Common Blue

First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.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: July 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/July2009.html

[Shirley Roulston]

I am totally jealous of you all seeing all those beautiful butterflies, I walk every day in my field and see dozens of Meadow Brown, I've planted birds foot-trefoil and the patches of it are massive it spread like mad, the bees are on it but where are the female Common Blue, I sat amongst and I couldn't believe what I saw, a Common Blue, just one and it made my day., I saw another Ringlet up on Nefyn Golf Course, it flys like the Meadow Brown but its smaller and darker, too busy to land and I would have waited but it was boiling hot another day and I will get a decent photo.

Shirley

[eccles]

Nothing common about them Shirley. They're wonderful little butterflies, and you've finally got them in your own field. How cool is that?
I had to drive 10 miles or so to Lower Woods in South Gloucestershire to see this nice fresh brimstone male.

[Shirley Roulston]

Perfectly balanced in the photo your Brimstone and its in lovely condition.
Shirley

[Piers]

Hmmm. Having seen a "nigrina" on the Hants sightings page (http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.htm) for 28th June, I wonder if mine is too? Thoughts?

Cheers,

- Pete

It's darn close Pete, but judging from the photo I would say an extreme obliterae, pretty much on the cusp. The white bars are still oh-so-slightly visible, where as in nigrina they are totally absent. The white smudges to the edge of the fore wing are always there though, even in full nigrina.

It's still a cracking (and rare) ab though Pete and always a heart stopper when you see one.

Felix.

[Pete Eeles]

Yep - it seems that these things aren't as "black and white" as you might first think

A response from Matthew Oates - he'd probably favour on the side of nigrina.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Piers]

Yep - it seems that these things aren't as "black and white" as you might first think

A response from Matthew Oates - he'd probably favour on the side of nigrina.

Cheers,

- Pete

Oh Pete, that was awful!

I'm not going to argue with Captain Oates, but the diagnostics for nigrina are "total absence of the white bands". I remember that Martin V6GTO (where he? ) posted an excellent photo of a 'proper' nigrina a season or two ago. Might be worth comparing the it with yours if you can dig it out.

Felix.

[Matsukaze]

An apparently recently-emerged Large Blue pretending to oviposit on wild thyme at Collard Hill on the evening of 1 July.

[fourwings]

Hmmm. Having seen a "nigrina" on the Hants sightings page (http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.htm) for 28th June, I wonder if mine is too? Thoughts?

Cheers,

- Pete

It looks pretty similar to this one that I photographed at Fermyn woods on Tuesday Pete, I looked at both in books and was happier with Obliterae as I can still see some faint white marking. I must admit I was really chuffed to see it.

[alex mclennan]

Pete
If pressed to make a choice, I would side with nigrina
Alex