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That second Small Tortoiseshell image is particularly striking, Neil. The darker variations of this species are, for me, the most desirable and that one is especially eye-catching for that reason.

Like the Commas too. I tend to miss out on these fresh individuals through being out of the country, but I have a few days to keep an eye out for them next week.

Cheers Wurzel. Can't go wrong with a bit of Scorpions, funnily enough I have been catching up with some of their old stuff on YouTube recently

Thanks David. I am actually seeing more Commas than Small Tortoiseshells round here at the moment, the reverse to what I usually see at this time of year.

Thursday 13th July.

Thursday was a similar day to Wednesday but with more cloud and fewer sunny spells and with a more blustery wind. I was pretty tied up for most of the day with various jobs but in between I managed to pop into the garden a few times when the sun popped out. Quite a few butterflies were passing through including increasing numbers of whites and I managed to confirm examples of Large, Small and Green-veined plus a number that just carried on without being identified.
At least two different Commas came in and settled at different times along with singles of speckled Wood and Red Admiral.
A nice fresh looking female Holly Blue was also fluttering around the brambles but only touched down briefly and that was on the wrong side of the brambles for a photo.


Saturday 15th July.

Friday was a shocker with constant rain from early in the morning up until the evening. Consequently, it was the only day recently that I haven’t seen a single butterfly.

Saturday was better, but only in as much as we didn’t have as much rain although we still had some heavy showers through the day, all accompanied by very strong gusty winds. Despite this there were a few sunny spells although they only lasted a few minutes at a time, but this was enough for me to see a few butterflies. Apart from a few whites that I saw getting blown through there were also singles of Red Admiral and Comma that managed to settle long enough for me to get a couple of photos.

Sunday 16th July.

Another day of showers with a few sunny spells but at least the wind had lost some of its strength although it was still blustery at times. Once again I spotted a few whites passing though and managed to get a photo of a male Green-veined White that settled for a while during one of the sunny spells.
The only other butterflies seen today were a couple of male Speckled Wood having a tussle down the bottom of the garden before the victor returned to his perch.

Lime Hawk-moth caterpillars.

I still have all six Lime Hawk-moth caterpillars and they are now in their last (4th) instar and just about fully grown. In fact three of them have now changed colour which indicates that they are ready to pupate.
This is the stage at which they would normally descend to the ground and go walkabout in search of somewhere to pupate when they can sometimes be seen crossing pavements underneath Lime trees along town and city streets.
They are currently housed in a large plastic container and I have now put approximately three inches of mixed soil and leaf mould in the bottom for them to pupate in. Lime Hawks don’t burrow as far down as some other Hawk-moth species and often pupate just under the surface so this should be plenty of depth for them.


The weather looks to be a little less ‘wild’ going into next week although there still looks to be a lot of cloud around here with showers possible most days. At least it looks better than the past few days have been. Fingers crossed.

Bye for now,

Neil.

That first Speckled looks to be if not blind at least partially sighted in the hind wing eyes Neil - quite eye-catching You can tell that the summer holidays aren't far off now, this Friday, as that's when the weather really goes bad

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Ah yes! the school summer holidays, as if the weather wasn't bad enough already

Monday 17th July.

A better day than we have had here for a while but there were still a couple of showers and a bit of a breeze. In the morning I took Jane to one of her regular check-ups at the doctors but back home in the afternoon I decided to chance the weather and go for a wander down to my local spot at Wagon Lane. I had just arrived when I got caught in a brief shower and took shelter under some trees but this only lasted a few minutes and looking at the dark clouds just to the north of us over Birmingham we missed the worst of it. After this there was a pleasant hour or so with plenty of white fluffy clouds blowing over and some warm sun in between.

In comparison to my last visit here last week, there were fewer Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Small/Essex Skippers and I reckon the storms over the weekend may have taken a toll of these.
Gatekeeper numbers were about the same however with around half a dozen seen, all males still.
There were a few more Small Tortoiseshells and Commas flying today with maybe a dozen of each seen.
Half a dozen Red Admirals were flying around, mostly either rapid flypasts or staying too far away for photos apart from one individual that I saw on one of the big old buddeias at the far end of the site that sat still long enough for a couple of underside shots.
Numbers of Small and Green-veined Whites continue to increase with 12-15 of each seen today including mating pairs of both species.
I counted three definite Large Whites with a few that I am not sure of due to being too far away.

Five Speckled Wood were seen, again all males, mostly looking fresh or nearly so.
A couple of Holly Blues made up the final tally of 13 species seen today. Nothing special but a nice selection of typical summer butterflies for what is actually a small site adjacent to a local park surrounded by houses on the Solihull/South Birmingham border.

Bye for now,

Neil.

A lovely collection Neil Chancing the weather is the only way of butterflying at the moment, I just wish the jet stream would move North a bit - it probably will and we'll have a balmy September

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That last Speckled Wood is gleaming, Neil. This is a nice time of year for an array of fresh butterflies. By August many of them will be looking ragged.

Thanks Wurzel and David. Yes, lots of butterflies around at the moment in the more pleasant windows in the weather.

Wednesday 19th July.

Another day of mixed weather that started off wet but brightened up a bit later in the morning. Jane was going to spend the day with her mom so after dropping her off there I carried on the extra 10 minutes to Blythe Valley Park, arriving just after 10.00am under a mixture of clouds and sunny spells.
Setting off along the path across the first meadow I soon started seeing the usual Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers plus Small and Essex Skippers.
Reaching the spot where the path enters a small wood I stopped for a while and scanned the oak trees to either side of the path looking for Purple Hairstreaks. There are a lot of mature oaks around this site and I have often looked for PHs during previous visits but failed to see any, in fact this year I was beginning to think that I was the only person in the country not to have seen a Purple Hairstreak so far, not helped by the blustery winds that have often been blowing when I have been able to get out.
Anyway, with just a light breeze blowing this morning I had another look and was finally rewarded with a couple flitting about high up to one side of the path. This was quickly followed by another one up above the other side of the path so there were at least three up there. A bit later I spotted another couple squabbling high up above some more oaks further along, again too high up for photos but I was chuffed to finally confirm their presence here.

Carrying on through the wood and out onto the next meadow areas, there were loads of butterflies flying, again mostly Gatekeepers, including many females now, and loads of Small/Essex Skippers.
Some of the Gatekeepers were showing faint extra spots, ‘almost excessas’.
With the Skippers, I confirmed a few of each species and then didn’t bother counting them, there were just too many zipping about all over the place.
At one point I watched a female Small Skipper pirouetting around some grass stems and laying eggs in them.
Meadow Browns were flying in good numbers but not as many as I would normally expect to see here.
A few Ringlets were also still flying but they were very tatty and faded now and looked to be just about over here for this year. A single faded Marbled White was the only example of these I saw, these also looking to be practically over here now.

A few Speckled Wood were flitting about along the paths through the more wooded sections.
Half a dozen each of Comma and Red Admiral were seen scattered about but no summer brood Small Tortoiseshells or Peacocks here yet.
Green-veined and Small Whites were both flying in good numbers with a few Large Whites also seen.
A Small Copper was my first one seen locally this year, even better it was a nice ‘blue badger’.
A bit later I spotted another Small Copper in a corner of one of the other meadow areas.
I was also on the lookout for Common Blues and maybe Brown Argus but neither were seen today. Given the poor weather here recently I am hoping they have just been held back rather than been clobbered by the heavy rain and storms we had last week, a fate that befell the summer broods of lycaenids here in 2021 and led to reduced numbers last year.

After a pleasant hour and a half, the breeze started picking up again and some darker clouds were blowing over so I made my way back to the car and headed home.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Cracking collection of spotty and not quite as spotty Gatekeepers Neil They seem to be a bit more common this year? Also love the Blue Badger - definitely quite high up the ranks of the Constabulary that one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, there does seem to be a lot of 'spotty' Gatekeepers about this year. Should keep the ab. obsessives on Facebook busy for a bit

Back on page 208 of this diary I reported that a Dewick's Plusia had come to the Ni Moth lure here in my garden.

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5424&start=4140

I have continued to put this lure out in my garden, sometimes on the same nights that I have run my actinic light trap and sometimes by itself. It has continued to attract Silver Y Moths in numbers but no further Dewick's Plusia until a couple of nights back. On the night of 20th I put it out by itself again and had no less than 3 Dewick's Plusia along with another couple of Silver Y Moths.
A slight tap on the side of the trap induced them to play dead.
As I released them I tried to take a few shots but it was a bit too breezy and this was the best I managed, a bit blurry around the head.
Given that I am not seeing many other migrants around here (I am still not seeing the high numbers of Red Admirals that are present down south) I strongly suspect that these are breeding somewhere close. They are certainly breeding regularly in the UK further south and there is increasing evidence that they are now breeding in the midlands too.

This is another case of pheromone lures showing that a scarce moth is actually more widespread than previously thought. To show how much more effective lures are than light traps at attracting some species, I have now had 42 Silver Y Moths to the lure and just 5 to the light trap.

Bye for now,

Neil

Some great observations Neil and having seen your images I feel quite confident in differentiating between the two in future.

Interesting to see them again Neil, and also interesting to read this; "a scarce moth is actually more widespread than previously thought" having just read what Benjamin wrote about perceptions of a 'good/bad' year' - a reminder that it works the other way as well

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Pauline. They look very similar to Silver Y Moths in flight but quite distinct if you can get a good view of one settled.

Cheers Wurzel. Our perceptions are always based on our own experiences and the information that we ourselves pick up on and may well differ from other peoples experiences in other areas or based on other inputs. For example I always notice how my perceptions of things up here in the midlands can be quite different from how things seem to be down south.

Tuesday 25th July.

Saturday was another horrible day here with non-stop rain from sometime in the early hours right through until the evening.
Sunday was better with a few pleasant sunny spells but still quite windy with a lot of cloud. I spotted a few whites passing through the garden during the nicer spells plus a couple each of Holly Blue and Speckled Wood.
Yesterday (Monday) was a wet morning that cleared up a bit later in the afternoon but too late to be of much use. Nevertheless, the late sun brought out a few whites and singles of Speckled Wood and Holly Blue.

Today (Tuesday) was another changeable day but a pleasant period this afternoon tempted me to have a wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane.
During the hour or so that I spent going round my usual circuit, the mixture of butterflies was similar to my visit a week ago, that is mostly Gatekeepers (20), Commas (10), Small Tortoiseshells (7) and Red Admirals (5) along with a couple of dozen whites made up mostly of Green-veined and Small with a few Large Whites.
As with last week, the hotspot for Small Tortoiseshells and Commas was a patch of thistles growing in a dip amongst some brambles.
I only saw half a dozen Meadow Browns today along with a couple of faded Ringlets, I reckon the recent downpours have clobbered these a bit here, especially if they were roosting down in the grass in the more open areas.
Likewise with the Small/Essex Skippers of which I only saw a about a dozen in total today.

I was chuffed to find a mating pair of Small Coppers. I have mentioned previously that there is only a small colony of these at this spot and some years I don’t find any here at all.
I kept my eye on them whilst a cloud was covering the sun and when it came out again the male opened up to show he had been around for a while.
I was still keeping a watch on them a little later when they separated and the male flew off. The female stayed put for a while and opened up to show she was a much better looking example.
Even better, I was wandering back through another part of the site later when I found another female, this one looking fresh enough to have emerged earlier that day, some slight blue spotting too.
As well as the species already mentioned, I saw a few Holly Blues and managed a long distance shot of a male which is cropped by about 50% below.
I also checked out the spot where I had found a couple of first brood Brown Argus earlier this year and was pleased to find a second brood male. This is another species that just holds on here in small numbers so is always good to see.
As has often happened here this year, a freshening breeze heralded some thick dark clouds approaching so I stepped it out back home. In the end it did not rain but we remained under a thick overcast for the rest of the day.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Brilliant to see the mating Small Coppers Neil - something I've still to find That Meadow Brown is a really nice one too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. I only saw my first mating Small Coppers last year, strangly enough at this same small local site albeit in a different part of it.

Wednesday 26th July.

After a clear night and a chilly start, it soon turned into the best morning so far this week with lots of blue sky and some thin high level cloud that allowed for plenty of sun. As it happened, I had already promised my mom that I would pop round and mow her lawns and cut back some low hanging tree branches that the recent winds had half broken and were now dangling over her flower beds.

Between these jobs I took a break and wandered down to her local park for a look around. With the warm sun I soon saw plenty of butterflies, again mostly Gatekeepers with a conservative 35 counted in the 30 minutes or so I spent here.
These included a mating pair that I spotted on one of the bramble patches. As I was taking a few photos, another male tried to barge in and this disturbed the pair and they flew off deeper into the brambles.
Like at Wagon Lane the previous day, I didn’t see many Meadow Browns with just half a dozen counted along with a few Small Skippers and a couple of Essex Skippers confirmed.

Around 12-15 Green-veined Whites were seen with slightly fewer Small Whites with many of both species now looking worn and faded.
I was pleased to find a nice fresh male Common Blue, this being the first of the summer brood that I have seen around here.
Five male Speckled Wood were spotted, mainly actively fluttering about in the dappled shade between the trees in a small wooded area.
The only Nymphalids seen were singles of Comma and Red Admiral, the Comma being the only one that settled with the Red Admiral being a rapid flypast.
Back home in the afternoon a couple of whites and a single Red Admiral flew through the garden before the clouds built up once more.
Later in the afternoon (around 5.00pm) it started raining and this continued for the rest of the evening and into the night.
As I write this on Thursday morning it has stopped raining but everything is very soggy and overcast.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Your second generation Common Blue is very nice specimen, Neil.

That Green-veined White is wonderfully marked Neil Great to read of the excess of Gatekeepers - awesome

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Common Blues Neil, I've not seen many Speckled Woods lately when I've been in the Woods, I've found that strange.Goldie

Thanks Mark. Given that it was the only one flying there so far it really stood out.

Cheers Wurzel. Gatekeepers are certainly doing well around here this year.

Thanks Goldie. I always find the highest numbers of Speckled Wood from late August into September around here so you have plenty of time yet.


Wednesday 2nd August.

Since my last report a full week ago, it haven’t managed to go anywhere. Last Thursday and Friday saw us under a thick overcast and then our son and his wife came up from Bristol over the weekend so it was family time, not that the weather was much good anyway, but there were some brief sunny periods on Saturday during which I spotted a few Whites and a couple each of Speckled Wood and Holly Blues passing in the garden.
Monday was a bit of a shocker with rain and blustery winds and then yesterday was mostly cloudy with a few sunny spells in the morning during which the now familiar Whites, Specklies and Holly Blues were spotted at various times.

After a cool night with some heavy rain, it was very soggy this morning although an hour of sun from around 09.00 went some way towards drying things out. The usual suspects were soon flying around the garden and I took my camera out to try for a few photos.

A couple of male Green-veined Whites both settled in the same spot to warm up and stayed there long enough for me to get a few shots before they were off again.
At least one Large White came through but didn’t stop.

A couple of male Speckled Wood were chasing each other about and at one point a third joined with all three circling up into the sky and then two of them returning to their spots at each end of the garden.
A female also came wandering through and went unnoticed by all the males.
The clouds then built up again until we were under a thick overcast until mid afternoon when it brightened up enough to tempt me to have a wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane.

Gatekeepers were once again the most numerous species with 30+ counted with many of these now looking past their best, in fact some were looking very bedraggled after the recent rain here.
At one point I put a mating pair up from the side of the path and they flew up into a nearby blackthorn.
Apart from the Gatekeepers, there were not many other butterflies about. The Small Tortoiseshells had all vanished now and just a couple each of Comma and Red Admiral were seen, none of which came close enough for a photo. Still no summer Peacocks here although I am seeing them being reported from elsewhere around the midlands.

Just two Meadow Browns were seen along with a couple of tatty Small Skippers and one better looking Essex Skipper.
Four Speckled Wood were spotted, including a nice bright female with a chunk missing out of a hindwing, once again proving the value of those eye-spots.
I was pleased to find four Common Blues, all males, and a single Brown Argus, quite possibly the same one that I saw here last week looking the worse for wear now.
Also a nice male Small Copper with blue spots, looking fairly fresh apart from a small chunk out of one hindwing.
After an hour or so the clouds once again built up until we were once again under a thick grey overcast so I headed back home.

Bye for now,

Neil.

It's always worth grabbing every sunny moment you can at the moment, Neil. Let's hope things do change next week as the Met. Office promise.

Nice Small Copper and I do like that GVW pair together. There are quite a few appearing now round my way too.

Cheers,

Dave

You've demonstrated perfectly how butterflying has been going this summer Neil - get out when you can However get ready for the end of next week so long as the Mail and other tabloids don't pick up on the story we might get some proper summer weather

Have a goodun

Wurzel