April 2011

[celery]

Hi I was thinking of going to Ketton Quarry this Sunday, (17th). The weather looks fair. A bit of a drive from Wetherby, but I still need Grizzled Skipper - have you been back, or do you know if they are flying yet or indeed at any other sites in the area?

Hi Lawts, I haven't been back to Ketton Quarry... last Sunday (10th) I was at Cotham Old Station and today (Sat 16th) at Asfordby Hill, Holwell Reserves and Langar Wildflower Farm - all sites where Grizzleds are seen regularly in the East Midlands... but NO LUCK whatsoever. No Dingys or Green Hairstreaks either... just Brimstone, Peacock, Large White, Small White, Small Tort, Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Speckled Wood.

Tomorrow... I'm going for a long walk instead... Hope you have better luck, cheers, celery

[Jack Harrison]

Susie commented:

It's amazing .... she still manages to get her point across

How would she show (feign) that she has a headache?

Jack

[NickB]

Went looking for Grizzlies with Jack today at Woodwalton Marsh; despite the right conditions, we did not see one...
Did see some OT boys to go with Zonda's girls....

Also went to the Engine Bank nr Mepal to see if any Walls were around, with the same result.....

[Zonda]

Nice ones Nick, and here's my first lifer of the season. Caught flitting about the Dorset heathland this morning. Felix your pointers worked, they were on the heath. Am i chuffed? Just a bit.

[Piers]

RESULT - good man..!

Great pics too.

[Lee Hurrell]

here's my first lifer of the season. Caught flitting about the Dorset heathland this morning.

Hooray! At last. Nice one Zonda, lovely shots.

Cheers

Lee

[Padfield]

Brilliant!

I didn't even mention green hairstreak in my last diary post, out of sensitivity to your predicament, Zonda! Now I will feel free to use the G word again.

Guy

[Neil Hulme]

Congratulations on your Green Hairstreak Zonda. I hereby declare 29th April a national holiday, in celebration of this long awaited and happy event.
Neil

[Michaeljf]

Hi all,

I'm not quite back into full Butterfly-photographing yet, but I did go up to Prestbury Hill (near Cheltenham) today (Sunday 17th April) – hopefully to see some Green Hairstreaks but also to check out if any Duke of Burgundys were about. There was plenty of Cowslips in the Bill Smylie reserve, but no sign of DoB’s. I did bump into one of the local transect recorders and he confirmed that they are later at Prestbury Hill than elsewhere in the county because of the height of the site, so I should try the last two weeks in May. Anyway, I did see plenty of Speckled Browns, some Peacocks, some Green-Veined Whites and a Brimstone but missed the Green Hairstreaks, though the spotter saw three – and by the time I had learned of the ‘right spot’ to visit the weather had clouded over a bit. Bird-wise it was very nice there though – plenty of Warblers, Chaffinches, a Linnet, several Pipits / Larks, several Buzzards, a Weasel (very quick), some Rabbits and a lizard. There’s supposed to be several Wheatears there but I didn’t fancy a longer walk over the How Hill way.

I returned home slightly worse for ware, but nipped out to try and get some good pics of the local Orange Tips (some improvement but not quite succeeding) and also photographed a caterpillar web which I presume are gregarious Lackey Moth larvae? Good news on the butterfly front in my patch in South Wales (near Cardiff) is that I have seen plenty of Speckled Woods, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Orange-Tips, Green Veined-Whites, Commas and a few Brimstones. And yesterday I saw a Holly Blue in my garden. I’m hoping that’s what’s been eating my Holly Bush (it’s certainly got a lot of holes in it after winter).

Michael

Peacock, South Wales

Orange Tip resting under cloudy weather

Cowslips at Prestbury Hill

Pipit or Lark? Anyway, I got relatively close

Caterpillar Web (Lackeys?), South Wales

Orange Tip on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales

Green-Veined White on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales

[Trev Sawyer]

Hi Michael,
Your caterpillars are Buff Tip moth larvae.

Trev

[Michaeljf]

Hi Trev,

we get Buff-Tips round here, and I am familiar with the caterpillars. That was my first thought when I saw the communal web, but I would say that normally at this stage the Buff-Tip caterpillars would have longer white hairs. I've also never seen Buff-Tip caterpillars out this early in the season?

Michael

[Pete Eeles]

The larvae look more like Lackey than Buff-tip to me, not least because of the communal web which isn't, I believe, that prominent a feature with Buff-tip.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Michaeljf]

Here's a closer picture of todays caterpillars, plus an older shot of young Buff-Tips. Notice the white hairs on the buff-tips, browner hairs on todays caterpillars, plus the clearly-defined linear look of todays larvae. The Buff-tips are more broken. The large picture below may be clearer than the other one I posted from earlier today. I can see why anyone would say Buff-Tip, but I'm pretty sure they're not And yes, although Buff-Tips make a lot of mess and are gregarious I don't think they produce a communal web - certainly not in that sort of format - as was mentioned by Pete .

Buff tips from a few years back.

Todays caterpillars, closer shot..not buff tips, hopefully!

[Trev Sawyer]

Apologies... I stand corrected. They would be way too early for Buff Tips (didn't think of that )
I am used to seeing Lackey moth larvae when larger as they have blue sides and a blue head with a "smiley face" at the front. In your photos, the head and sides are black.

Trev

[Lawts]

Tried Ketton Quarries today - great habitat. I had two fleeting glimpses of what was most likely a Grizzled Skipper - the first the typical zigzag and then I disappear flight. I guess it's still early, despite my burnt head!

Would appreciate any updates from members as numbers of GS grow at this site in the next couple of weeks - plan to be back.

Steve.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Trev,
no worries - and the caterpillars are still very small, so maybe they'll look more like Lackey caterpillars in a week or so. I'll see if I can photograph one in a couple of weeks, presuming I can find em. p.s. Sorry Zonda - I've knocked your lovely Green Hairstreak shots off to the previous page!
Michael

[Trev Sawyer]

Yep, it appears that Lackey moth larvae do get the blue sides and head in later instars, so that would explain it. The colours were right for Buff Tip, but the stripes go the wrong way - That'll teach me to look a bit harder next time .

Trev

[Zonda]

Michael:

Sorry Zonda - I've knocked your lovely Green Hairstreak shots off to the previous page!
Michael

No sweat,,, onwards and upwards.

[Dave McCormick]

17 years of living here, a knowing the butterfly life well and the numbers and find a new one for an area I have monitored for past 10 years (A long river bank with ancient oaks and ash trees near an ancient oak and beech woodland), saw 2 small heath there which was quite a good find as although they are still widespread in Northern Ireland, in many sites they are declining. Also saw 14 small tortoiseshell, 8 Orange-tip (2 male, 6 female) and 4 Peacocks. Wasn't out long due to still not being 100% well but good for the time I was out. 15C and sunny. Small heaths were moving too fast to chase with with my chest still being a little sore. Can't wait to be fit again and get out there.

[Piers]

Sorry to hear that you have experienced poor health of late Dave, I hope that you return to full steam soon.

Felix.