March 2011

[NickMorgan]

My wife saw a "little white butterfly" yesterday

Hi - I agree with you it does seem rather early for the Small Whites; could it possibly have been a female Brimstone, I wonder?
Or a Large White, which seem to be emerging now...? (Further training required for your Mrs, I reckon... )
N

Very mysterious! Sadly we don't get brimstones up here. If it was a large white I wonder if she would have described it as being a "little white"! It is also strange that two years ago she saw a "little white" butterfly in the same area in March! I have asked her to stake out the area, but so far she has only reported seeing a small tortoiseshell.
At least I saw five small tortoiseshells and a peacock when I was out on a site visit to Dunbar this morning.

[Trev Sawyer]

Just saw a real Small White in Cambridge,... followed it for ages waiting for it to land just to make sure. Also a couple of male brimstones and a peacock.

Trev

[IAC]

Hi all,
A ridiculous 18oC here in south east Scotland today....In a 2 hour circular of my hometown of Chirnside I sighted 15 Small Tortoiseshell, 13 Peacock and 8 Comma. The Comma number is a one day personal record beating last years 7....excellent stuff...


Iain.

[IAC]

[quote="NickMorgan"]My wife saw a "little white butterfly"

Hi Nick.....It is not totally impossible for it to have been a Small White...a long shot right enough....I see Brimstone being mentioned...I can tell you my eyes are peeled for Brimstone. Increased sightings in North East England over the years, notably at Berwick upon Tweed where 2 annualy consecutive sightings were made. I am fully prepared to have a seasons worth of personal " Ones that got away" they can be the most frustrating of all.



Iain.

[NickB]

3 Holly Blue (one the same tatty individual I saw before) on their laurel bush, along with 3 Brimmies, one Peacock and Comma. The Comma decided it didn't like my company and flew into a nearby ash to escape my attentions....

and a chaffinch busily eating cherry-blossom buds and flowers...

[Gibster]

Portland in Dorset had their first Small Whites of the year on 22nd March. But it is a bit of an odd micro-climate down there!

Cheers,

Gibster.

[NickB]

It is also strange that two years ago she saw a "little white" butterfly in the same area in March!....

Very possible then it IS a Small White, given the few good days we have had...you may have a favoured micro-climate nearby.

(I know this is a bit of a downer, but I do reckon those larval food plants for our Spring butterflies are really suffering and need a few good days of rain...)
N

[Wildmoreway]

Saw a Large White near Exeter Quays today.

[David M]

Another Small Tortoiseshell in sunny Swansea again today. I'm off tomorrow and the forecast is 16C and clear blue skies. If the forecast is accurate I'll be out and about near the Tawe river looking for anything on the wing.

[Rebecca]

This is now my second year of being seriously interested in butterflies and have got off to a good start with sightings.

15th march saw a red admiral, small tortoiseshell, brimmie and a comma

23rd march 10 small torties, 5 male Brimmies and 2 red admirals

24th march a small tortie and a peacock.

My husband says he saw an orangetip yesterday but I haven't as yet. No pictures either of my sightings as my camera decided to give up the ghost and so I am hoping to get a decent second-hand camera. Unfortunately my bank account looks too poorly for new

[marmari]

Hi Rebecca,
Good sightings list.
Keep sending in the reports.
Look forward to seeing your photos.

[David M]

Ventured out between 12.15 and 1.45pm to Swansea Vale, which is a patchwork of marshes, grassland and dry areas around the goods railway track which still has the odd train rumbling along it. The weather has been excellent again, a good 16C with no cloud cover and very light winds. I had hoped to see my first Comma of the year as well as photograph it, along with a Peacock and maybe a Brimstone.

Thankfully, I achieved practically all I had set out to do, although as per usual the bloody Brimstone wouldn't settle and I had to go for a pot luck air shot.

In total, I identified 24 Small Tortoiseshells, 5 Peacocks, 5 Commas and 2 male Brimstones. There were also others seen in the air that I couldn't get close enough to identify. Still, with March not yet out that's a respectable total and I'm now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Whites, Speckled Woods, Walls & Small Coppers.

This Comma was very obliging

Part underside shot

This one had beautifully marked undersides

They don't like settling in spring

Always a welcome sight

[Rogerdodge]

Rebecca
I hope your camera gets better - or your bank balance does so you can replace it!
We are about to hit (IMHO) the best time of the year for butterflies - DoB, Marsh Frits, PBs, Green Hairstreak, Orange tip, Glanvilles, Dingy and grizzleds and all those other archetypal butterflies of Spring - wonderful.
I notice you are in Somereset. A fabulous county for butterflies - I spend much time there myself as I liove just over the border in Devon.
You must try to get hold of (if you haven't already) the book I have attached to this post.

It is really good, giving "Third bush on the left" directions to all the Somerset butterflies.
Good luck - and maybe see you at Sand Point for Glanvilles?
calendar.php?view=event&calEid=2

[FISHiEE]

That does sound an excellent book I wouldn't mind getting my hands on. Any idea where you can get hold of it?

[Michaeljf]

I've got a copy and I've always thought it was a really good buy. Only problem is, as with all ring-bound books, pages tend to get a bit tattered at the edges after a while. The only site I found immediately on the web selling it was Pemberley books. See link below.

http://www.pemberleybooks.co.uk/ (main contact details)

http://www.pemberleybooks.co.uk/cgi-bin ... item=14646

[NickB]

Sneaked out of work and town this afternoon and went to the Devils Dyke; not too much evident flying - just one Brimstone - and hazy sunshine kept temperatures lower than yesterday. Did find a bank of nettles in a couple of places and saw a pair of displaying STs, which I stopped to watch. Within a couple of minutes another male had butted-in and next thing there were at least 5 males all whirring-around the slope; the female just stayed put on the ground. Eventually a male returned, but the spell had been broken and the female just flew off, male in hot pursuit....(they say nettles are good for arthritis; I hope so, as I managed plenty of stings on my knees )

Elsewhere several Comma and a few Peacocks. A good afternoon!

[Neil Freeman]

After being stuck in work for the past few days looking out at the sun shining in a cloudless sky, I finally saw my first butterflies of the season this afternoon.
Calling in at my parents house after finishing work at lunchtime, I was looking out of window into their back garden and spotted a Peacock.
A couple of minutes later a Brimstone did a circuit of the garden before disappearing over the fence.
Later this afternoon and doing some pottering around in my own back garden I spotted a smallish white cruising through. It was flying with the 'fluttering' sort of flight of a Green-Veined White but it was too far away for a definite I.D.

[Ian Pratt]

Having visited Woodhouse Copse seven times in the past three weeks without a single sighting of the Large Tortoiseshell, I thought I would submit a photo of the LT I saw exactly two years ago to the day in the same location.

[marmari]

Great shot Ian,we have not given up yet of getting a sighting.
Have a relaxing break.

[Paul Wetton]

Yes excellent shot Ian, of a butterfly I have yet to see.

I have thought about travelling from Nottingham to the IoW for the day but your comments have now put pay to that idea with the price of petrol and a good chance of not seeing a Large Tortoiseshell. Hopefully may see one in Switzerland later in the year, if they're about in July.