November 2013

[NickMorgan]

I had a report of a Speckled Wood near Musselburgh on Sunday. Maybe our one and only butterfly record for this month given the frosts since.
It is amazing that this butterfly was first recorded in East Lothian four years ago and it has made its way right along the coast to the opposite side in that time.

[NickMorgan]

I had a report of a Speckled Wood near Musselburgh on Sunday. Maybe our one and only butterfly record for this month given the frosts since.

I was wrong. I had a report of a Peacock on the coast at Port Seton on Monday!

[Willrow]

I really hope the Red Admiral I saw struggling to stay afloat on the Brecon & Monmouthshire Canal, South Wales on Monday is not the last butterfly I see in 2013 because its been a really great butterfly year and I don't want to end it on a rather sad note, frustratingly there was no way I could rescue the poor critter from a watery demise

Bill

[badgerbob]

Amazingly I've just had a Painted Lady in the garden. It settled for a short while on the patio but didn't hang around for a photo!!

http://bobsbutterflies.blogspot.com

[badgerbob]

STOP PRESS!!!! The Painted Lady has just been followed by a Red Admiral. If I stay sitting here long enough, well Who Knows.


http://bobsbutterflies.blogspot.com

[legless2007]

2 very active Peacocks in the sunshine at Batsford Arboretum, Gloucestershire this afternoon (and a seven spot ladybird)

Jo

[walpolec]

I'd not seen any butterflies for a couple of weeks so I was pretty much resigned to that being it for the year. Well, we had a pleasant surprise to have a Peacock land on my daughter's boot this morning [however the best was yet to come]:



Then about midday I received a tweet from David James, whose blog: [http://www.davidjameswildlifediary.com/ ... -park.html] is currently mentioned in the Tweets section on the homepage of UKB. He was at the site on the edge of Northampton where he'd discovered between 20 and 30 Clouded Yellows in August. Incredibly, today - 10th November, likely descendants were still on the wing and he'd only got a pair in cop in front of him! [See his tweet] As soon as I could I jumped into the car and headed over there and arrived just in time... to see the female flying off into the distance.

Never mind, there was still opportunity to see a couple of males and grab some photos before the female put in a brief reappearance.


Male Clouded Yellow [10/11/13 Grange Park, Northampton]


Male Clouded Yellow [10/11/13 Grange Park, Northampton]


Male Clouded Yellow [10/11/13 Grange Park, Northampton]


Female Clouded Yellow [10/11/13 Grange Park, Northampton]


Female (I think) Clouded Yellow [10/11/13 Grange Park, Northampton]


My attempt at a "Padfield", rather spoilt by the flare from the sun ("rooky error")

Interestingly, despite the continued sunshine, at about 2.15pm, all three individuals that we'd been watching seemed to disappear within a few minutes of each other. Two of them were seen flying high up into a nearby oak tree. A roosting site with a view?

So, quite a memorable finale to the butterfly year!

Chris

[Rosalyn]

Rugby Truckstop

Lovely sunny day today. I just happened to mention perhaps we may get a butterfly today and not 5 minutes later ....

[Jack Harrison]

I suggested before start of month:

My predictions for November sightings (adults) somewhere in Britain

Probables
Clouded Yellow / Brimstone / Small White / Red Admiral / Peacock / Small Tortoiseshell / Comma / Speckled Wood / Small Copper

Possibles
Large White / Meadow Brown / Chalkhill Blue / Long-tailed Blue

Unlikely but not ruled out
Green-veined White / Painted Lady / Monarch / Wall Brown / Geranium Bronze

I have changed the colour to green those species that have been recorded to date(10th November). Any others that I have missed?

Jack

[David M]

Can't compete with Chris's Clouded Yellows, but I too saw butterflies today - four Red Admirals, all feasting on ivy at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales near Cross Hands.

This was the hotspot where three of the four were found nectaring:

And here's one of the quartet seen:

[David M]

Any others that I have missed?

Hoggers has a Speckled Wood AND Small Copper to his name (see his diary, Jack).

[Paul Harfield]

I searched high and low, but only one butterfly today which did not settle along my local footpath Looking into the sun I could not tell if it was Peacock or Red Admiral, the latter I suspect. It was not at all interested in the flowering Ivy nearby Also seen a Common Darter

[Jack Harrison]

I suggested before start of month: My predictions for November sightings (adults) somewhere in Britain

UPDATE at 11 November with GREEN those that have already been seen this month

Probables
Clouded Yellow / Brimstone / Small White / Red Admiral / Peacock / Small Tortoiseshell / Comma / Speckled Wood / Small Copper

Possibles
Large White / Meadow Brown / Chalkhill Blue / Long-tailed Blue

Unlikely but not ruled out
Green-veined White / Painted Lady / Monarch / Wall Brown / Geranium Bronze

Surely someone can conjure up a Small White, the only one missing from my Probables list?

Jack

[badgerbob]

Good news Jack, Dave Harris had a Small White on Sunday. Reported on the Sussex sightings page!!

[Jack Harrison]

Good news Jack, Dave Harris had a Small White on Sunday. Reported on the Sussex sightings page!!

Well there you go!

Updated list of predictions (seen already in green)

Probables
Clouded Yellow / Brimstone / Small White / Red Admiral / Peacock / Small Tortoiseshell / Comma / Speckled Wood / Small Copper

Possibles
Large White / Meadow Brown / Chalkhill Blue / Long-tailed Blue

Unlikely but not ruled out
Green-veined White / Painted Lady / Monarch / Wall Brown / Geranium Bronze

Many years ago there was a glider pilot who was more theoretical than practical - always publishing graphs and statistics, etc but seldom flying.
He used the moniker: "The Armchair Pilot".

Maybe I should call myself the "Armchair Lepidopterist".

Jack

[millerd]

Uncannily accurate, Jack!

Another one for your list - the Cornwall BC sightings page has a Large White seen at Mousehole on 2nd November.

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

If you get the chance, Denbies Hillside (perhaps near the bottom of hill) on Wednesday (decent weather forecast) for tatty Chalkhill Blue and Meadow Brown. That is known as a very late site.

Nearby is Denbies Vineyard. Denbies wine is second to none Good shop/visitor centre.

Jack

[False Apollo]

Had 2 Red Admirals in the garden today in Christchurch. On 4th November I had a Speckled Wood on the yellow buddleia (which is still flowering). On the Clouded Yellow front I saw 5 males at Southbourne Undercliff along with a female Painted Lady on 10th November. I made another visit there today but unfortunately it had clouded over when I got there, needless to say I will try again on the next sunny day.

Regards
Mike

[badgerbob]

Another Red Admiral flying around the house today.

[Susie]

Disturbed a peacock basking this morning while out with the dog and then a red admiral in cranleigh on the way into work at lunchtime.