April 2013 Sightings

[Hugh Middleton]

Lots of Peacock and a single Small White in the Limewoods today

Hugh

[marmari]

Two Painted Ladies,very probable migrants, seen at Wheelers Bay today by a local resident

[David M]

Spent from 2.15 - 3.45pm on Kilvey Hill in Swansea this afternoon.

Plenty of surprises, the first being that there were NO vanessids seen. However, Whites appear to have taken over with at least a dozen seen, of which 2 Large, 3 Green Veined and 1 Small were positively identified.

In addition, I spotted half a dozen or so Speckled Woods, 2 Holly Blues and a male and female Brimstone.

[Jack Harrison]

26 April Tobermory Isle of Mull
Pair of courting Small Torts in a sheltered large garden. Bright sunshine but air temperature a mere 8.5C

Jack

[NickB]

Still waiting for Speckled Wood over here, David.
Temperatures have been quite low apart from the few warm days this week.
I keep looking.....can't be long now. ....

[David M]

Still waiting for Speckled Wood over here, David.
Temperatures have been quite low apart from the few warm days this week.

It's pretty hard to explain, Nick.

Whilst much of the south east has seen 3 or 4 successive days where temperatures have hit the mid-sixties, here in Swansea it has been dank, misty and cool ALL this week (12c absolute max).

This morning was sunny, but it's been quite windy with a couple of heavy showers, so quite why Speckled Woods should be out here and not where you are is a mystery.

To be honest, I was very surprised to see Holly Blues as well.

[Jack Harrison]

temperatures have hit the mid-sixties, here in Swansea it has been dank, misty and cool ALL this week (12c absolute max)

A strange mixture of units there. Let us please forget degrees Fahrenheit once and for all. Here, even old wizened retired professional fishermen use degrees C in everyday conversation.

Jack

[JohnR]

A strange mixture of units there. Let us please forget degrees Fahrenheit once and for all. Here, even old wizened retired professional fishermen use degrees C in everyday conversation.

Jack

But here in the sunny south retired, wizened, senile old soldiers still use the system that they used in the good old colonial days and completely fail to understand this new fangled foreign metric system whether it relates to mercury or weights and measures. At 100F I know that I am boiling and that at -32F it's a bit nippy.

[NickB]

I tell a lie - a single Speckled Wood seen in Essex on 20th April
Still none reported in Cambs...

[David M]

A strange mixture of units there. Let us please forget degrees Fahrenheit once and for all. Here, even old wizened retired professional fishermen use degrees C in everyday conversation.

Jack

I generally DO use Celsius, Jack, but saying "temperatures in Swansea have yet to hit 15.5c thus far" is far clumsier than saying "yet to enter the sixties".

For the record, 14c is the highest I've seen and that won't change before May, which is probably the coldest start to a year I've ever known.

There'd BETTER be some payback later on this year!

[Paul Harfield]

For the record, 14c is the highest I've seen and that won't change before May, which is probably the coldest start to a year I've ever known.

There'd BETTER be some payback later on this year!

I feel slightly sorry for you
We had 22c (or 71.6f ) (quite warm )here yesterday, but I still have not seen a Speckled Wood so far this year

[MikeOxon]

For the record, 14c is the highest I've seen

I prefer Kelvin 287K sounds soooo much warmer

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

Mike: I prefer Kelvin 287K sounds soooo much warmer

So in Kelvin, below what temperature do certain attributes of a brass monkey freeze?

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

Tobermory 27 April - Sad tale of a Torty. Sun with temperature 9 degs C.

I came out from the paper shop to find my wife with a Small Tort on her trousers. “It’s been there for some time.” It had a damaged wing and was reluctant to fly. She carefully removed it, the butterfly fluttered feebly across the road but didn’t quite it make landing before it reached the far side. Along came a 4x4 with its fat wheels. No further sign of the poor Tort.

Jack

[David M]

Strange goings on at Castle Meadows in Abergavenny this afternoon.

14 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Comma and 1 Peacock seems a decent return on a blustery, cool day. However, there wasn't a White to be seen (much less an Orange Tip, even though some of the Cuckoo Flower has started to bloom).

In contrast, Vanessids have disappeared on Kilvey Hill in Swansea, yet Whites and Speckled Woods are quite conspicuous.

Abergavenny is generally warmer and one would expect it to be slightly ahead in terms of butterfly emergence, but in late March when we suffered that unseasonal snowfall, the Swansea area remained largely untouched. The nearest snow was a good 20 miles away on the Brecon Hills. What's more, night time temperatures never got down to the penetratingly cold levels seen inland.

Perhaps this explains why it is Swansea that is currently ahead of Abergavenny (and even some areas in the south east parts of England). It won't last long. The first truly hot spell will see south Wales a good 5c cooler than the SE of England and normal service will be resumed.

[Mark Tutton]

Hurrah first Grizzled Skipper of the year for me this morning atButser Hill - Hampshire

[marmari]

Yesterday at Wheelers Bay,on the Isle of Wight just one Peacock,but later a Painted Lady seen flying along the base of the cliff and a pair of courting Small Tortoiseshell.The latter seem to be more numerous than in the past.Shouldn't be long before a first Clouded Yellow is seen at this location.

[badgerbob]

My wife is quite correct in her assumption that I am obsessed!!! I have now spent upwards of 6 hours this week desperately trying to find a Wall Brown pupa. Despite having 3 fully grown larva just over a week ago I have failed. This morning however, I witnessed natures hard side when I found a third of a pupa. Unfortunately the other two thirds had been eaten by ants. I assume they found the poor creature as it was part way through pupation before the casing hardened up. The 6 hours plus hasn't been totally wasted as other insects have been found. A Wall larva was found this morning as well as a couple of moth larvae and yesterday a very smart Ruby Tiger was found.
Also found yesterday was an Ichneumen Wasp, if anyone knows which type it is please let me know.

[Mildheart]

Nearly three hours at Bookham Common on Saturday produced just one butterfly - and that, based on location, was probably the same Red Admiral I'd seen a week previously. I've had some bad butterflying days - notably last year - but that is going to take some beating.

[Willrow]

Interesting to read DavidM comparing the different species seen at Swansea with those seen at Abergavenny in south Wales over recent days. I'm yet to see a white of any species this year but I'm pleased to say that last Friday at the Newport Wetland NNR I was overwhelmed by Vanessids; at least a dozen Small Tortoiseshell and four Peacock battled the cold winds. It could just end up with this April being the first I can ever remember without seeing a single white butterfly - however, this coming week promises some sunshine and a bit of a rise in temperatures...and I'm an eternal optimist two days still to go before April is out!!!

Bill