Looking back at 2012 – Summer.
As late spring turned into summer on the calendar, even if it didn’t really feel like it, I managed to get out a fair bit to various sites around the midlands.
With the weather being as ‘unreliable’ as it was and my time being limited to some weekends and occasional days off work during the week, I tried to be careful with my selections of where to go.
I found that by checking sightings and looking at last minute weather reports, I managed to have mostly successful days even if the weather was not ideal. In fact I found that on some days I found surprising numbers of butterflies flying during brief sunny spells between the cloud and rain.
Travelling a bit, usually between 60-90 minutes from my house, I went to some excellent sites including The Wyre Forest for Pearl-bordered and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Salcey Forest (Wood whites), Prees Heath (Silver-studded Blues), Whixall Moss (Large Heath), and Fermyn Woods (Purple Emperor)
- SPBF - Wyre Forest
- Wood White - Salcey Forest
- Silver-studded Blue - Prees Heath
- Large Heath - Whixall Moss
- Purple Emperor - Fermyn/Souther Woods
A little closer to home, around 30-45 minutes’ drive, I went to Oversley Wood, Snitterfield Bushes and Ryton Wood and saw Silver-washed Fritillaries in good numbers at all three sites. I also saw white Admirals at these sites but only a few at each, this seemed to be a second year that white Admiral numbers were down in Warwickshire.
- Silver -washed Fritillary - Oversley Wood
- White Admiral - Oversley Wood
Of my local sites near Solihull, I spent most time at Castle Hills and Shadowbrook Meadows plus also started visiting Babbs Mill LNR which was a new site for me.
Meadow Browns and Ringlets were at all these in large numbers as in fact they had been at all the sites I visited around the midlands. Meadow Browns especially seemed to increase in numbers even more as the Ringlet flight season came to an end.
Gatekeeper numbers were definitely down on last year, there were still good numbers at most sites but not the profusion that I saw last year.
- Ringlet - Babbs Mill LNR
- Gatekeeper - Babbs Mill LNR
- Meadow Brown - Shadowbrook Meadows
Large and Small Skippers were at all local sites in good numbers and I found Essex skippers at both Castle Hills and Babbs Mill (eventually
) although I didn’t manage to check Elmdon Park where I had found Essex last year.
- Large Skipper - Babbs Mill LNR
- Small Skippers - Castle Hills
- Essex Skipper - Babbs Mill LNR
I also found Marbled Whites at these two sites, only a few including a mating pair at Babbs Mill but I had not found any at all around Solihull last year although they may be found in good numbers not far away including at Ryton and Snitterfield.
- Marbled Whites - Babbs Mill LNR
As the ‘summer’ continued, I became increasingly worried at the lack of Small Coppers and Common blues around my local patch and it was not until late August that I found the first examples of both species at Shadowbrook Meadows along with good numbers of Peacocks which had also appeared much later than last year. Small Copper and Common Blue numbers both appear to have suffered locally, I only found Small Coppers at one site (three last year) and a few Common Blues at two (also three last year).
- Small Copper - Shadowbrook Meadows.
- Common Blue - Shadowbrook Meadows
- Peacock - Shadowbrook Meadows
Summer broods of all three common Whites were also late to get going, these also not appearing in good numbers until late August.
In the garden the Speckled Woods were ever present apart from a brief gap in late June which was a bit later than last year. Holly Blues also showed up regularly, perhaps not quite as many as last year but still enough for 1 or 2 to be seen every time the sun popped out.
From mid-July I also seemed to have a constant Red Admiral in the garden which actually proved to be 2 or 3 individuals which followed each other in claiming a territory over a patch of nettles.
Apart from my trips around the midlands, I also had a week in Norfolk at the end of May, a few days at Arnside Knott at the end of July and a week in Dorset during the first week of September but as these have been covered in some detail previously in my diary I am not going to go into them again now.
Bye for now,
Neil.
all busy nectaring on the Ivy flowerheads which have only just started to flower.
I've still got a couple of catch up posts to go before I start reflecting back on the year but I imagine I'll say similar things, fingers crossed for a good one next year 
