April 2011

[Jack Harrison]

From the same place as Nick on Saturday.

Jack

[millerd]

The brightest and best selection of butterflies today were right on my doorstep - an afternoon along the Chilterns produced very little and nothing unusual, but the morning near home was full of colour.

Dave

[Matsukaze]

Wandered round some of my local sites today hoping that some of the scarcer species had emerged, but it seems not yet. Plenty of Orange-tips and Peacocks, a few Green-veined Whites, Small Whites, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells and a single Comma.

I've yet to see Large White this year and only seen one Speckled Wood - oddly, as I was in the right habitat much of the time today. Maybe they have not emerged here yet.

At Asham Wood near Frome I did battle with an old adversary, the probable Grizzled Skipper, which would flutter around close to ground level and then make as if to settle, before vanishing into thin air.

In the garden I have been treated to a good display from the vividly black-and-orange bumblebee lapidarius, which slowly investigated much of the garden for potential nest sites, occasionally stopping to nectar on a dandelion. Small worker pratorum bumblebees are foraging on the apple-blossom.

[David M]

Dashed off to Cwm Clydach for a couple of hours this morning hoping to find a Holly Blue or two amongst the light woodland. No such luck sadly, but I did see my first Red Admirals of 2011 as well as my first Small White.

Numbers were:

Green Veined White 15-20
Orange Tip 5-10
Peacock 5
Small Tortoiseshell 3
Brimstone 3 (2 females)
Red Admiral 2
Comma 2
Speckled Wood 2
Small White 1

Females are easier to approach than flighty males

Pleasant surprise

[A_T]

NW Wales coast at the Mawddach Estuary: Speckled Woods out in force in shady woodland. Also a glimpse of what can surely only have been a Painted Lady - although I didn't get a close enough look to be 100%.

[Zonda]

Kingcombe Meadows DWT. I find these very hard work, but nailed one in the end.

[Vince Massimo]

Down at Denbies today ... Brimstones (several females laying on Dogwood), Holly Blues, Peacocks and Speckled Woods.
Dave

I don't doubt your observations but I have never heard of dogwood as a foodplant for Brimstones. That seems to be a major observation.
Jack

If I had read this last week I would have thought you meant Holly Blues laying on Dogwood (which is what they do), but I watched a Brimstone laying two eggs on Dogwood at one of my local woodland sites on 7th April.
Vince

.....the plants had red stems, which I've always associated with dogwood. Here is a picture - not very clear and to be honest having enlarged it a bit, there is more than one plant there. No wonder I couldn't actually find any eggs...
Dave

Dave, I agree that the red-stemmed plant is Common Dogwood, but I am not sure what the pale-stemmed plant is, because the leaves look different.
Vince

Right then...............I think I am a bit nearer to getting to the bottom of this one. I have been back to the site today and re-located both Brimstone eggs, marking them for future reference. What struck me this time is that the plant they are laid on has different coloured bark to the surrounding red stems of the Dogwood. The leaves are still unfurling, so cannot be used to make a final judgement at this stage, but it could be Buckthorn. This photo shows the two different stems, with the egg being the pale speck at the lower end of my pointing stick.

Buckthorn and Dogwood stems?

Dave Miller's photo taken at Denbies Hillside on 9th April not only showed two different bark colours, but also two leaf shapes. I think what we have both done is found a Buckthorn plant in a Dogwood clump (just as the Brimstone did ).

I also took the opportunity of photographing the second egg today, which, as Pete pointed out earlier, has also been laid directly onto the bark rather than on the leaf. During the photo cropping process I also noticed what appeared to be a small hole near the base of the egg. To me this suggests that it has been parasitized since being laid on 7th April, but I would welcome any thoughts on this point.

Brimstone ovum

Parasitized Brimstone ovum?

IMG_7102-01G.jpg (39.91 KiB) Viewed 5394 times

Once the leaves of the host plant have fully developed, I will make a positive identification.

We live and learn

Vince

[Hugh Middleton]

At last some decent weather over the past few days here in Lincolnshire means I don't have to be too envious of you southerners
Lots of Peacocks and Brimstone. Good numbers of Orange Tip though only saw my first males today. Fair numbers of Speckled Wood and a few Commas.
Report of Green Hairstreak on the coast means I will be checking a local inland site though non were there on Friday.
With all the migrant birds coming in just bring on the daragons and damsels

Hugh

[NickB]

Kingcombe Meadows DWT. I find these very hard work, but nailed one in the end.

OT's are something that demand hard work - but worth it with that result. Nice one

[Neil Freeman]

[quote="Zonda"]Kingcombe Meadows DWT. I find these very hard work, but nailed one in the end.

I have had Orange Tips passing through my back Garden for the past couple of days. Finally had a couple settle for a bit of nectar today and managed to get a couple of shots.

Neil.

[Crispin]

Great photo Neil.
Now here is my rather poor effort:

Orange Tips must be at their peak there were at least 5 M and 1F when I visited my parents place on Sunday.

Also on the list was L. White, S. White, Holly Blue & Peacock.

Still quite a few Dotted Bee flies in their garden, which I can now identify, thanks to Graeme Lyons who visited the previous weekend.
http://analternativenaturalhistoryofsus ... -dots.html

This is how their garden looks now. It is in need to cutting or fake grazing.

Steady flow of Swallows coming in today.

Whilst on my transect @ Malling Down, I found this Adonis(?)

The blossom on the Blackthorn at Malling is amazing!

Any ideas what this red thing is?

Here is one of the many Harlequins (I think)

Expecting My first 2011 Small Copper and Green Hairstreak any day.

Crispin

[Rogerdodge]

Here is a P-b F from this weekend at Marsland.

[Zonda]

Roger:

Here is a P-b F from this weekend at Marsland.

Awesome pic Roger, another one i have yet to experience.

[Rogerdodge]

Awesome pic Roger, another one i have yet to experience

Thanks Zonda.
Marsland is an incredible place. I spent two days there this weekend and had 13 species in total. Not bad for early April.
Despite a stiff breeze it was blisteringly hot.

I thought I was going to be the first with P-b F this year, but they were also seen at Ramshorn Down (SX793738) on the south eastern fringe of Dartmoor on Saturday.

[Lee Hurrell]

The brightest and best selection of butterflies today were right on my doorstep - an afternoon along the Chilterns produced very little and nothing unusual, but the morning near home was full of colour.

Dave

Sounds exactly like my weekend Dave:

Chilterns on Saturday (no success)
Garden/cemetery on Sunday; more butterflies (and photo ops) than you could shake a stick at.

Update to follow in my diary when my internet is fixed...

Cheers

Lee

[David M]

Marsland is an incredible place. I spent two days there this weekend and had 13 species in total. Not bad for early April.
Despite a stiff breeze it was blisteringly hot.

13 is indeed excellent for early April.

Where exactly is Marsland, Roger?

[Rogerdodge]

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=22 ... 17100&lm=0
The arrow is on the best P-b F spot.
Parking is tricky. All access needs a bit of a walk in, and a steep walk out, but it is lovely.
Do not try to drive to Gooseham Mill - the road is steep, rough, and you can't park at the bottom anyway.
Try SS217169, on the corner, or in the pub car park (my favourite) at SS231179.
After exploring the area around where I have marked, follow the stream towards the sea. There are a few other felled areas where you will find P-b F, and a host of other butterflies as well.
The coast is also wonderful to explore.

[richardh]

Hi All

My first posting of sightings as I haven't been able to get out much so far this year.

Saturday I spent a couple of hours on a 2 mile tour in the fields and woods south-east of Oadby (basically just south of Leicester). Unfortunately it was middle of the day and nice and sunny so they were all very active and not hanging around to be artistically photographed but the quantities were quite good for April.

Small Tortoiseshell 10+
Peacocks 10+
A very solitary Red Admiral
Brimstones 2+ - very hard to be exact as they were staying up in the low canopies and hedge-hopping whilst I had to walk round but I did see two meet at one point so I was sure I wasn't seeing the same one repeatedly.
A single blue in the trees which I suspect was a Holly Blue by the flight but couldn't get close enough to confirm.
And a single Comma that tried to take my head off on the way back to the car.

On Sunday I didn't even have to leave the garden:
Male orange-tip joined me for lunch (and left whilst I went to get the camera)
2+ Holly Blues inspecting our extensive ivy for laying sites.
and a Speckled Wood taking in the evening sun in our laurel tree.

Rich

[cavour]

Painted Lady spotted on St. Catherine's Hill Wincheter. Lots of Holly Blues about also.
If you are reading this Gruditch - thanks.
I was talking with you on Sunday.

[NickB]

Left my camera behind for once as I took my sister to see her first Green Hairstreaks today; at least another 12 in the same general area as before, where the Devils Dyke is cut by the old Burwell railway line. Also a couple of GVW and odd OT and Peacock. Then went to see the Marsh Harriers again and were treated to 4 in the air in front of us as once, with another seated in a tree; at least 2 males and 3 females with one immature bird, likely a male. Not a bad morning!