David M

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, some lovely scenery shots and I love the last two shots I've not done too good with the Coppers this year I've only seen two and they were in a hurry
Busy time here at present, not got time really to look for the Butterflies, hope fully when I get the garden sorted things will happen next year. Goldie

[David M]

Small Coppers have been extremely scarce here until about a month ago, Goldie. Since then I've seen quite a few.

You've got a fair bit of time now to get your garden how you want it, Goldie. I'm sure you'll do a fine job.

Saturday 10th September – In the dunes again…

Routine visit to Port Eynon threw up the usual suspects, 40ish Small Whites, mainly on the dunes along with a solitary male Common Blue and the odd Red Admiral and Painted Lady.

Sadly, I also came across this dead gannet, presumably a victim of the avian flu that is decimating sea bird populations at the moment:

Things were a little better in the nearby churchyard though:

This Red Admiral was nectaring on ivy:

There were a few Painted Ladies visiting the valerian:

Most surprising though was this fairly decent looking Brown Argus in a grassy area of the cemetery:

Other species seen were Speckled Wood, Large White and an in-flight Peacock.

[Goldie M]

Very sad about the bird flu David, I went to one or two Nature reserves here and they were closed hope fully things will get better.

I've set up a watering place and bird food place for the smaller birds which is in the shade under a couple of Budleia bushes so the Sea gulls can't disturb them, I'd hate to see these small birds get sick, it seems to have worked well up to now.Goldie

[David M]

Yes, these birds are suffering right now, Goldie, and it's good to know you have plans to help them and keep them safe. I'm sure you'll have a few new ones to welcome into your garden that you didn't get in the north west.

Saturday 10th September – Rhossili…

After leaving Port Eynon, it was such a pleasant day I thought I’d drive down to the very south western tip of the Gower – Rhossili.
This is maybe the most picturesque spot on the whole of the peninsula, with its long, sandy beach and steep hillside:

A few of the fields round here are used to grow sunflowers, although by mid-September, they are past their best:

There were plenty of Small Whites flying around these fields, but equally there were double figures of Small Copper; 13 in total, which is easily my best return of the year:

This beautifully marked female Large White also flew by, settling for a while on some thistles:

There were 14 Red Admirals, a handful of Common Blues, and also a medium sized butterfly which caught my eye as I watched it settle in the grass. I tiptoed over to find it was a female Wall Brown in very good condition:

Walking back through the fields I saw three Painted Ladies and a couple of elderly Meadow Browns. However, all of a sudden a fresh satyrid passed me and I followed it over to a patch of thistles where it settled:

This female Wall was again in excellent condition, and is clearly residing in perfect habitat, with plenty of grasses to lay her eggs on. The view beyond the field is out to sea at Worm’s Head:

It’s not often this exposed part of the Gower benefits from warm temperatures and extremely light winds at this time of year, and it was a rare treat to spend a couple of hours here in precisely those conditions.

[David M]

Friday 16th September – Autumnal feel…

A mainly sunny morning tempted me out to Nicholaston Burrows, which is a 15 minute drive from where I live. A couple of Red Admirals flew by as I was walking down the path to the site:

When I got to the woodland, there were several more, along with a solitary Painted Lady, nectaring from a sunlit and sheltered stretch of ivy:

I came across 3 Common Blues on the burrows themselves, including this mint fresh male, which I presume to be a 3rd brooder:

There were 5 Small Coppers seen, one of which was this striking caeruleopunctata:

A couple of dozen Small Whites were seen flying around the grassy dunes, and 5 Speckled Woods as I walked back through the light woodland. This pale individual caught my eye:

So, with only 6 species seen, this is a sign that things are now on the downturn. The Clouded Yellows seem to have vanished too.

[David M]

Saturday 17th September – Garden visit…

In spite of the mixed weather forecast, I headed out to the National Botanic Gardens near Cross Hands today, hoping that the huge array of flowering plants would see plenty of butterflies attracted to these nectar sources. Upon arrival, it was fairly overcast with some patches of blue sky:

My hopes were raised when the first butterfly I saw was this Small Tortoiseshell:

The walled gardens are generally the best spot at this time of year; sheltered and full of flowers:

There were plenty of Small Whites flying here:

There were over two dozen Red Admirals:

Surprisingly, this was the only Painted Lady seen:

Five Large Whites in total:

Two Commas, one of which was sharing a sedum with a Small Tortoiseshell:

In the wild areas outside the Garden complex, I found 3 Small Coppers:

There was also a Green Veined White

Sadly, the cloud was persistent so it’s hard to know how many more butterflies there would have been had it been continually sunny. It seems like numbers are dropping off now and season’s end is looming.

[David M]

Monday 19th September – Next generation…

A sombre day, with our much respected late Queen being laid to rest. In an attempt not to get too down about things, I decided today would be better spent out in the Pembrokeshire countryside, doing my annual count of Brown Hairstreak ova, so I left at 9am and was on the site shortly after 10.15.

The horse which usually occupies the top field was thankfully absent, as it is a young one and follows people around constantly, making it difficult to do anything. So, I was able to find 14 ova in this field, including this ‘triple’:

I then had a pleasant surprise:

I watched this worn female lay a solitary egg and eventually settle on a low-growing leaf, where she still was over an hour later when I returned from the foreshore, no doubt due to the heavy cloud that had arrived by 11.30am.

I went on to find a respectable total of 53 eggs in the 3 hours I was there, reassuring me that the species is still thriving here in spite of the ash die-back which has affected so many of the trees at this site.

[David M]

Monday 19th September – Short window…

Although hunting Brown Hairstreak ova is not dependent on sunshine, the appearance of butterflies on the wing usually is.

There were only around 40 minutes of suitable flying conditions in the three hours I was on site, so no surprise that apart from the solitary Brown Hairstreak, I only saw six other species, all in single figure numbers.

Four Small Whites, two Large Whites and singletons of Red Admiral and Comma were seen, as well as this Small Copper which kept me company for a while during my early search of the blackthorn in the top field:

There were also three Small Tortoiseshells, which are always a pleasure to see:

[Katrina]

Beautiful Small Tortoiseshell. I love the brambles in the background.

[David M]

Thanks, Katrina. There haven't been too many of them around this summer so any sightings have been more welcome than usual.

[millerd]

Monday 19th September – Next generation…

I went on to find a respectable total of 53 eggs in the 3 hours I was there, reassuring me that the species is still thriving here in spite of the ash die-back which has affected so many of the trees at this site.

That sounds very encouraging, David. It also makes you wonder whether Brown Hairstreaks are as dependent on ash trees for assembly areas as the literature indicates. I can recall seeing them gather in a field maple during an excursion to Shipton Bellinger, and prominent ash trees are not much in evidence in much of the area where they are regularly found at Bookham. Let's hope they are adapting...

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Lots we don't know about this species, Dave. In the first couple of years following ash dieback at this site, I was very concerned as numbers seemed to have dropped alarmingly, but these last two years have seen a great recovery so clearly they are adapting somehow.

Late September…

Tuesday 20th

Still plenty of Small Whites about at Port Eynon dunes on a mild and largely sunny day. Not a great deal else though - 4 Red Admirals and a Painted Lady in the nearby churchyard and a Comma on a residential ivy bush. Solitary Green Veined White nectaring from valerian on the dunes and half a dozen Large Whites, most of which were in the cemetery:

Friday 23rd

A brief trip to my springtime haunt, Lower Kilvey Hill & Dan-y-Graig Cemetery, provided more than two dozen butterflies, with Speckled Wood being the commonest with 9 seen:

There were 8 Small Whites and 2 Large Whites, and 2 Common Blues were active in grassy areas amongst the graves.
There were also 4 Small Coppers, a regular sight at this location:

Thursday 29th

Half an hour in mainly cloudy conditions at Limeslade Bay returned a surprising 17 Small Whites along the sheltered part of the coastal path:

There were also 7 Large Whites:

The only other species seen was Speckled Wood with two turning up, one of which was settled on the ground near the beach:

[millerd]

Lots we don't know about this species, Dave. In the first couple of years following ash dieback at this site, I was very concerned as numbers seemed to have dropped alarmingly, but these last two years have seen a great recovery so clearly they are adapting somehow.

That's good to hear, David, not just for your site but for the species as a whole if it holds true elsewhere.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Sunday 2nd October – Half century.…

A surprisingly good butterfly return of over 50 at Port Eynon today. There were still plenty of Small Whites flying amongst the dunes with 28 seen in total.

There were also a dozen Speckled Woods:

I came across this mating pair, only the third time I’ve seen this species in cop:

There was one Painted Lady and a single Small Copper, which was a caeruleopunctata:

There were still a few plants in flower in the nearby churchyard:

This area played host to 3 Large Whites and half a dozen Red Admirals:

Driving home was a joy, the 18c temperatures allowing me to take my car’s roof down. Surely can’t be many days like this left in 2022.

[David M]

Thursday 6th October – Quick stop off.…

Prior to returning home after a visit to Abergavenny, I decided to spend 45 minutes in Linda Vista Gardens to see what was about.
Four Small Whites were around, as well as three Large Whites, including this male nectaring from buddleia:

The buddleia is situated on this sheltered, south facing slope which is always popular with butterflies:

This Speckled Wood was holding territory near the north perimeter wall:

Two Red Admirals were present, including this one which was feeding from a smaller buddleia further into the site:

Other butterflies seen were singletons of Small Copper and Comma.

[trevor]

Nice Autumn selection recently David.
It's almost over around here now, but yesterday I had my first ever Box Tree moth sighting,
on the window silll in my lounge, and a female Brimstone in the garden.

Trevor.
PS. I met someone the other week who had been on one of your guided tours, he said it was excellent.

[millerd]

I've just seen your mating pair of Specklies, David - definitely not a common sight. I think I've come across it only three or four times in the last 15 years. I think they must generally hide themselves up in the trees out of sight.

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Still a few on the wing here, Trevor, though numbers are seriously thinning out.

A Brimstone in your garden is fabulous at this time of year. Box moth I'm not so sure. I still haven't forgotten the devastation their larvae caused in the French Alps a few summers ago. I hope they don't end up doing likewise over here.

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, your still seeing a few Butterflies, I was surprised to see A Red Admiral in the garden yesterday but couldn't get a shot nothing really in the garden to get it's attention, hope to sort that out next year

My garden at present was full of these large leaves, I got quite worried, my neighbour next door said they were Rhubarb leaves, I felt such a fool I'm not into fruit and veg only Butterflies Goldie

[David M]

I've just seen your mating pair of Specklies, David - definitely not a common sight. I think I've come across it only three or four times in the last 15 years. I think they must generally hide themselves up in the trees out of sight.

They must be doing something to remain out of sight, Dave. Same with Ringlets and Small Heaths - common enough butterflies but seldom do you find a mating pair.