March 2010 Sightings

[Rimo]

Male Brimstone in the sunshine in Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxon on the 1st March: Purple and Brown Hairstreak eggs at Brasenose Woods, Oxfordshire on the 6th March

[thepostieles]

saw my first butterfly while on post today, nice sunny day too, a peacock and looking in good condition too

[Jack Harrison]

Back from Malta. Numerous Small and Large Whites, a couple of Geranium Bronze but nothing else.

And I DIDN’T trip down the steps this time!

Jack

[Elaine]

Male Brimstone ("Citron" in French) yesterday (Thursday 12th). Several bees, including Bumble Bees (well, what I would call Bumble Bees) on the wing this week.

The forecast is for warmer weather next week here (between 16 and 19°), so fingers crossed - it is about time.

[Lee Hurrell]

With temperatures like that Elaine you may start seeing spring emergees...let us know!

Cheers

Lee

[Denise]

A Peacock and a male Brimstone flitting around my garden primroses this morning. So good to see.

Denise

[Jack Harrison]

Lucky you Denise.

I am most interested in the temperatures necessary for butterfly activity. I once saw a Red Admiral basking in the sun on a conifer when the shade temperature was a mere +2deg C. Different species clearly have different thresholds; the Red Admiral obviously has a very low threshold.

I use digital thermometers with external probes. One is used in the car with the probe in the airflow under door mirror – don’t be mislead into thinking the airflow when moving gives a false reading although in the draft it might feel colder. Another thermometer has the probe in the shade and the temperture can be read indoors. This is the model I use:

http://www.thermometersdirect.co.uk/aca ... Black.html

but it is available from many sources. It measures to a precision of 0.1 degs C but that does not imply an accuracy of 0.1C although i practice I have found with several examples, they are accurate to 0.5C at the very worst but usually much better. I get a rough idea of the error by dunking the probe in melting ice/water mix. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP STIRRING the mix until thermometer readings stabilise. There is no certainty that the error will remain the same throughout the temperature range, but the melting ice method is better than nothing.

Both the car and outdoor shade thermometers seem to have an error of no greater than 0.1C although I have a back-up that over-reads by about 0.5C, quite the worst I have experienced.

Current outdoor reading 8.3C, it's cloudy and of course no butterfly activity.

Jack

[IAC]

Hi all,
Up here in the Scottish South East today 1 Comma and reports of Small Tortoiseshell. That duck breaking Comma has cheered me up big style after this long and miserable winter.

Cheers, IAC.

[Padfield]

I am most interested in the temperatures necessary for butterfly activity. I once saw a Red Admiral basking in the sun on a conifer when the shade temperature was a mere +2deg C. Different species clearly have different thresholds; the Red Admiral obviously has a very low threshold.

I didn't take a thermometer with me today, but when I left home It was about -7°C and the forecast minimum temperature for Martigny, my destination, was -8°C (that would presumably have been some time before dawn). It was bitter. The forecast maximum temperature for Martigny was 6°C, with 8°C forecast for further along the valley. A chilly wind was blowing. NEVERTHELESS, I saw 11 small tortoiseshells, 5 Queens of Spain and one large tortoiseshell, all very active, during the morning and early afternoon. By 2.30pm it was again far too cold and an increasingly strong wind was blowing. At this site it is all about radiant heat. It is a mountainside with a fantastic aspect and plenty of rock. The air temperature might not have risen much, but a well-placed butterfly could evidently heat its thorax up enough to get off the ground. I snapped this large tortoiseshell from some distance as it basked on rocks:



This gives an idea of what kind of day it was...



Guy

[Matsukaze]

Peacock at Sand Point (Somerset) this afternoon. No sign of Glanville fritillary larvae - not that I looked particularly hard - would they be out yet?

[xmilehigh]

Mendip Hills (Velvet Bottom).

2 peacocks & 1 Brimstone seen on Sat 13 in the afternoon.

[Pete Eeles]

A Red Admiral flying slowly across my garden yesterday (13th). It also looked quite fresh!

No Large Torts though

Cheers,

- Pete

[Dave McCormick]

Still nothing around here, only report I did get was of a Peacock in Co Armagh, but it was found dead the next day after it was found. Well I didn't start seeing any butterflies until 3rd April last year, so could be similar this year

[Robin]

A bit later than some, but Pat and I got the season off to a start today with 2 Brimstones and a Comma in the garden this morning.

[NickB]

Hooray! My first butterfly of 2010 - a Comma, very light-coloured too!
Managed a quick pic too!
Last year first Comma was on 21st February as a comparison
N

[Charles Nicol]

Huzzah !! First Butterfly pics of 2010 !! Taken at Stirtloe near Huntingdon this morning...

Last year my first pics were of Peacocks. I could not see any flowers or other nectar sources for these Brimstones.

Charles



PS Lovely Comma Nick !! Also lovely Large Tortoiseshell Guy !!

[felix123]

I didn't see one but my brother did he saw a Speckled Wood on a walk. ARHHH


Felix

[Denise]

2 Peacocks and a Comma in my garden today.

Denise

[Wildmoreway]

3 Peacocks alongside the railway at Goodrington near Paignton this afternoon and another one along the Dartmouth Road near the turning for Broadsands.

[geniculata]

finaly the long winter fast is over!
i saw my first butterflies of the year today also, both male brimstones in walkford and highcliffe, on the hants dorset border.
great to see your photos guy, nick and charles.

gary.