May 2022

[David M]

...Sooty Coppers(?) I think (but may well be wrong) that one is Male and the other female?

They're both males, Deborah. The females look like this:

[David M]

..Spent the afternoon at cinderford linear park. No confirmed wood white for me, it was a bit cloudy but I did have a few smallish whites that didn’t stop. I’m guessing not WW though. I’ll be back in a few weeks.

Wise decision, Owen. They probably haven't emerged yet. If you revisit in 2 weeks time I'm sure you'll see quite a few.

[Deborah]

Thanks David M, hopefully some females will turn up tomorrow!

[David M]

I'm sure they will turn up if you keep your eyes peeled, Deborah.

Good luck.

[Stevieb]

Back to Cotley to get my first Adonis Blue of the year. Cotley Hill, Wiltshire

Marsh Fritillary 9
Orange-tip 1
Green-veined White 4
Green Hairstreak 4
Adonis Blue 1
Common Blue 3
Small Blue 5
Brown Argus 6
Wall Brown 2
Dingy Skipper 6
Grizzled Skipper 5

7th May

7th May

7th May

7th May

7th May

7th May

7th May

[Chris L]

Rubbish butterfly day for me. Quite a lot of sunshine and only 15 butterflies - mostly flighty whites. There were also half a dozen fresh steaming piles of dog excrement. I stormed off home to get my chalk paint spray to mark them.

[SolomonGilbert]

Marsh Frit spotted at Strawberry Banks site today. Very exciting to see everything emerge...

[David M]

Saturday 7th - 5 Green Hairstreaks seen on Fairwood Common close to where I live on the Gower.

[Chris L]

To say that I am a little bit cheesed off this morning is putting it very mildly. The weather forecast was extremely good for week commencing 2 May 2022 and I booked the time off work. I saw a few days in advance that the good week of sunny weather had been pushed back to 9 May 2022. Lots of apologies and rescheduling of appointments ensued and moving those appointments elsewhere, putting quite a few in week commencing 16 May 2022.

This morning it now appears that the week of wall to wall sunshine is going to be week commencing 16 May 2022.

Tomorrow I shall attend work and try to go through the whole rescheduling process again.

[adrian riley]

To say that I am a little bit cheesed off this morning is putting it very mildly. The weather forecast was extremely good for week commencing 2 May 2022 and I booked the time off work. I saw a few days in advance that the good week of sunny weather had been pushed back to 9 May 2022. Lots of apologies and rescheduling of appointments ensued and moving those appointments elsewhere, putting quite a few in week commencing 16 May 2022.

This morning it now appears that the week of wall to wall sunshine is going to be week commencing 16 May 2022.

Tomorrow I shall attend work and try to go through the whole rescheduling process again.

Bad Luck, Otep, but wow do I admire your determination!
Ade

[Rosalyn]

One of 7 Wall seen today nr Peterborough

I don't remember seeing so many in a single day before.

[SarahM]

I was very pleased to find this mating pair of Orange Tips on my local walk this morning.

Sarah.

[Pauline]

Well done Sarah, that's something I've yet to see.

[Chris L]

One of 7 Wall seen today nr Peterborough
Wall 184.jpg
I don't remember seeing so many in a single day before.

Nice photo Rosalyn. May I ask what the site is? It might be one that I could travel to from South Derbyshire. I have a site in Much Wenlock, Shropshire that I found last year but other equidistant sites are always welcome.

[Bertl]

Can anyone recommend a dingy skipper site in Scotland?

Would love to add it as a first.

Cheers

Bert

[Bertl]

Not much on the wing today out on my walk near Strachan, Scotland. Mostly orange tips and damselflies.

[Jack Harrison]

Dingy Skippers can be in good numbers on Ardersier Common. Quite late – early June for the Dingies and a little later for the Small Blues.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

This is my 77th Orange Tip season (yes, since a six year old in 1946!) It is my seventh in this part of Scotland.

I have to say that I have never seen so many Orange Tips as this year: they are everywhere. But there is a problem. Hedge Garlic (Jack-by-the Hedge) and the Sweet Rocket (Dame’s Violet) that they use in my garden for egg laying, are late coming into flower: unusually out of phase. Only another regular foodplant, Cuckoo Flower (Lady’s Smock) is out on time. But Cuckoo Flower is not particularly widespread here being confined to boggy areas. Only in one such small boggy area, around the edge of a small loch that is slowly contracting, have I seen masses of Cuckoo Flowers and at least five Orange Tips at once.

The butterfly is clearly not in any danger but it might be another 77 years before there is a repeat of the 2022 bonanza.
I would be 160 years old in 2099 so I don’t hold out too much hope of enjoying that! But you never know

Jack

[David M]

One of 7 Wall seen today nr Peterborough

You've caught that butterfly just perfectly, Rosalyn. Great to know they're appearing in numbers away from the coast.

[David M]

Sunday 9th - Cwm Ivy & Whiteford Burrows, NW Gower coast:

Common Blue 40-50
Brimstone 15-20
Orange Tip 15-20
Green Veined White 10-15
Dingy Skipper 8
Small Heath 3
Speckled Wood 2
Brown Argus 2
Small Blue 2
Holly Blue 1
Large White 1