www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Great find with the Small Tort over the weekend Bugboy as the nip in the air was certainly keeping things down!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I was glad that ‘nip in the air’ was a distant memory for my next outing

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March 2025

Wednesday 19th. The weather Gods shone brightly on me this week, two midweek days off and two days of unbroken sunshine, light winds and warm springlike weather. A forest complex down in Kent was calling strongly and I figured the first day would be a little quieter. It was also the right side of Payday, so I duly set off at the crack of dawn, saying goodbye to £45 and headed off to Orlestone Forest. Having explored a bit on my first visit I took a scenic route along rides where plenty of butterflies were active, just not the target. Comma’s and Brimstones were particularly numerous and after the chilly start both were eager to sit and bask in the late morning sun. The Brimstones were also hungry and regularly stopped off at the numerous clumps of Primrose the bordered the rides. Both Peacock and Red Admiral were also present in much more modest numbers and along one path a Large orange butterfly flew up from my feet, flew down the path forcing me to look into the sun before flying off over the trees. I walked the path a few times just in case it had returned but to no avail. Finally arriving at the spot of the original sighting I found Neil Hulme had finally found time to join the party along with Mark Colvin. It was now long past midday and with only a brief ‘maybe’ sighting I took the small group back along my route. All the paths looking perfect from our perspective but still only the usual suspects for company. The arrival of a certain Billy Rosenberg signalled an upturn in our fortunes though...

What are the upturn in fortunes you speak of then ?

Well Trevor, wait no longer, although I’m sure you wont be too surprised.


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March 2025

Wednesday 19th cont. I’d explored this ride earlier in the day and thought it should be attractive to Large Tortoiseshells, it had a more natural feel to it, winding along rather than the straight motorway’s many of the other rides are which would help create hotspots and microclimates. The undergrowth had also recently been cleared either side of the path, leaving lots of exposed tree trunks ripe for sunbathing LT’s. After spreading ourselves out along the path it didn’t take long for Billy to call out and there was a mad rush to reach the bottom of the path where we found the target quietly minding it’s own business on a Birch trunk. Ultimately the mad rush wasn’t needed, it wasn’t going anywhere far and occasional sorties always brought it back. A second turned up and there were several chases, looking very much like a male and female, but she rejected every advance suggesting she was already mated. It really was a sight to behold watching this supposedly extinct butterfly gliding effortlessly over our heads before settling for another basking session Both individuals took time basking and were very approachable. We may only have had them for an hour, but it was worth the day out!

The large tortoiseshells are brilliant, but can I say that last shot of brimstone on primrose, showing its upperside, is just exquisite! I would be ecstatic to have taken that!

Guy

Even a peak hour 1st class return ticket would have been great value for that lot!
Great tree trunk shots, the best place to see them. I'm still dining out on my shot.
I'm still amazed that it's possible to see several Large Tortoiseshells per visit, instead
of one or two in a lifetime.

It all looks phenomenally exciting, Paul. It's been quite a show, no doubt helped by the calm run of weather we've been experiencing lately.

Hopefully the butterfly will establish itself in this area and spread to other locations successfully.

Fantastic set of shots Bugboy My cup runneth dry of

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Guy, whilst I was waiting for the Tortoiseshells to show up, I did look at that picture a few times thinking it would be a good conciliation if they didn’t show up. I admit I am rather chuffed with it
I’m not sure about that Trevor, have you seen the price of first class tickets these days!!
Thanks David, considering all the background (sightings going back several years, daily double figure sightings this spring) I’d say they’re well and truly established and have been for some time. Whether from releases, natural immigrants or a combination of both no one can say for certain but since most unofficial releases amount to nothing and numerous other factors, I favour the natural colonisation theory.
Thanks Wurzel, apologies but I went back for more the next day…

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March 2025

Thursday 20th. The next day I had originally planned to have a quiet day looking for Small Tortoiseshells locally but the Large ones had put on such a good show I threw caution to the wind and said goodbye to another £45.

The warmer day and no frosty night meant the butterflies had an early start and what were easy pickings at this time yesterday, were most definitely not today. A couple of the targets had been seen earlier in the day, before I arrived. It would seem LT’s are early risers. Also making a return trip today was Neil who had quickly booked a hotel room for the night and we joined forces to wander some different rides that had reports the previous day, but like the previous day they were of doing things out of sight, presumably playing chase somewhere in the canopy. There was a good display of Wood Anemone in this part of the wood and overhead a Goshawk surveyed his domain. It wasn’t until early afternoon when one turned up on the same path as the previous day. This one sat on the ground so I obtained some shots from a different angle. Word had got out about where the epicentre of yesterdays events had happened, and a rather large crowd of hopefuls had formed. I went elsewhere and managed to put one up who was hiding in the leaf litter with its wings closed. After turning the air bluer than the sky I wandered off and ended up where what was probably the same individuals as the day before had recently put on a good display for the attendant crowds. The butterflies had gone and the crowds had dwindled but there was still at least an hours’ worth of sun to be had so I returned alone to the early Goshawk guarded path and watched a large orange butterfly glide off up over the trees in the first sunlit section. The rest of the walk was uneventful, save for numerous Commas. But just as I approached the end and was mulling turning back I noticed something big and orange on path ahead, bingo, one all to myself! She was very faithful to this patch of path and allowed close approach, enough to finally be bale to switch to my macro lens A fitting finish to the day

A brilliant selection of Large Tortoiseshells, Paul - a terrific way to start the year off. Follow that, as they say...

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Dave, yes it was a rather good start, and they seem to be very well established. I suspect there’s been regular immigrants from the near continent for several years gradually building up the population there.

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March 2025

Saturday 29th. First day of a week off and for some reason the weather seemed to be playing ball and giving me a predicted week of warm, sunny settled weather. With all that nice butterfly friendly weather waiting for me I decided to leave my local spots for a weekday when they are less crowded and far more pleasant for a wander and spend the weekend walking the wilds of the countryside. Destinations were somewhat limited though due to various rail works, Shoreham and Newhaven would consist of scenic 2 hour+ train journeys for example. Amberley though had escaped so it was there I headed. It was a cool start, well it is March, but a brave Peacock kicked of proceedings. A little later I found a couple of Brimstones breakfasting on Ground Ivy so I spent a bit of time trying for some more upperside shots. Raptors overhead were feeling the season, a Buzzard was displaying his aerial prowess with a succession of stoops whilst in the same airspace a Red Kite was doing something with something, I’m presuming it was thinking about nesting material. There was a stiff breeze blowing which was keeping a firm lid on temperatures and the butterflies had mostly sought out sheltered sun traps, and to start with only more Peacock and Brimstones were found. It was only mid afternoon when I managed to add Comma to the day. I ended the day walking as far as I could around Burpham Meadows, a small stretch was still borderline passable and decided not to risk it. A few Comma and Peacock ended the day as the sky grew milky and the temperature dropped like a stone.

Fantastic Brimstone shots Bugboy Even though they're the same colour on the topside as the underside I always feel the topside is far superior

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, here’s some more superior Brimstone shots for ya!


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March 2025

Sunday 30th. Millerd did say ‘follow that’ after my Large Tortoiseshell escapades, well today I did have a go (of course the comment was after the event, but I shan’t let a minor detail like that derail the narrative).

With most of my regular Sussex haunts still off the table due to whatever rail works were going on, I umm’d and argh’d about other places closer but somehow ended up in Kent again…

Rather than doing the same paths as before I set my mind to exploring other paths to see what I could turn up. There was a bit of a nippy breeze but once the sun had risen enough the first few butterflies began to appear, the usual suspects, Peacock and Comma. There’s huge carpets of Wood Anemone in these woods which the Peacocks were attempting to feed from although the flimsy flower stems didn’t make it easy for them. I was pleased to get my first picture of a White this year also dining on the Anemone, and being a bit daintier, finding it a bit easier. There were also Large Whites on the wing, possibly three, but not a single time did any settle. Here’s evidence of one male flying over the Anenome. I can’t help but feel like it must seem like torture to a butterfly who’s sole role in life is to locate something else white… A female Small White did settle. Primrose is also plentiful in patches, springtime Brimstones favoured tipple, so here’s some more uppersides. It had warmed up significantly by the afternoon, Peacock and Comma’s were plentiful along all but the breeziest rides and along one of these I noticed a courting couple. She was receptive but making the eager chap work for it, fluttering here and there but never making a break for it. I followed them as they went off into the trees, the female obviously looking for a secluded nook to take him into, investigating and rejecting several until she finally found a suitable one provided by a couple of fallen branches. Having been lucky enough to have encountered this before I know they’re relatively bombproof when in cop. After their impromptu photoshoot I was able to pop them back into the honeymoon suit. I checked in on them 2 hours later and found they’d booked an overnight stay! The rest of the afternoon was filled with lots more (or more likely the same) Peacocks and Comma (plus a close encounter with a Nuthatch nuthatching). Sadly the Large Tort was a no show today but I think mating Peacock is a decent compensation.

Well done with the mating Peacocks Paul Something I have never seen despite numerous courtships over the years.

My favourite photos however are the Brimstones with the Primroses, lovely stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

More beautiful brimstone on primrose shots, Buggy! I thought your first ones were a one-off thing but you seem to have the knack! And congratulations on the mating peacocks - something I've never seen either. I was hoping for painted ladies in cop yesterday, but crowdmaker 3 turned up and the show moved far away.

Guy

Curiously, none of my local Brimstones take the slightest notice of primroses, but head straight for the dandelions! Not quite the same... Great shots, Paul. And of course another for the mating Peacocks. Like Neil, I've seen many a courtship, but never a consummation.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Neil, you just have to be lucky and find a female that doesn’t drag the male too far into the undergrowth!
Thanks Guy, the trick (I’ve discovered) is to find somewhere where Primrose grows in large clumps so the Brimstone stays in the frame as it moves between flowers .
Thanks Dave, I reckon Dandelions are like an all you can eat buffet, lots of tiny flowers all clustered together so they can just sit there and gorge .

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March 2025

Monday 31st. For the rest of the week I decided to keep things local: save the pennies, no need for crack of dawn starts and I could fit in some errands around the more important task of chasing butterflies. Kicking off with the local patch, Walthamstow Marshes. I did actually start quite early today since I wanted to take in Tottenham Marshes too. The cool morning meant no butterflies would be up yet but a circuit of the site did produce a nice selection of birds in the springtime mood. I did catch sight of the first butterfly of the day about an hour into my wander, a distant White on a mission, but it was a Comma that got things going a short while after. She was just round the corner from where I invariably encounter my first Speckled Wood of the year, and right on que, there he was, flitting around the same sunny glade his ancestors called home. His appearance meant I was to finish March in double figures, ten species.

Now the butterflies were up I did a second circuit of the site, quickly adding a second Comma and Green-veined White. The lazy Peacock and Brimstone were finally up too now. On this site there are many ‘Comma corners’ but only one Small Tortoiseshell Corner. They will occasionally pop up anywhere but there is only one small corner where I can come close to guaranteeing finding them these days and it was here where I unsurprisingly came across the only one I saw this morning. Unfortunately, it escaped the camera. The Peacocks were quite fidgety today and of the several more that I encountered, only the one sat long enough to grab a shot before I moved on to Tottenham Marshes.

March 2025

Monday 31st cont. At Tottenham Marshes for a while Whites were the most numerous butterflies, mostly unidentifiable but there was at least one Small White. An annoying amount of cloud had begun to bubble up which combined with the stubborn chilly breeze meant there was lots of standing around waiting for activity. Standing around banks of Blackthorn seemed like the best option though. For most the afternoon, aside for the White’s which remained mostly unidentifiable, it was all Peacock and Comma. There was one Small Tortoiseshell, again they are rather restricted as to where they occur here and again, it gave me the slip, the resident Peacock wasn’t happy about its presence!

Later in the afternoon the cloud cover dissipated enough to allow a pleasant finale to the day along a favoured grassy alley which included the appearance of a fresh female Speckled Wood, already busy laying eggs between basking and feeding sessions.

A belated collection of for the mating Peacocks Mind you the Green-veined Whites are pretty lush too they seem to be like hen's teeth round this way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Large Tortoiseshells, open-winged Brimstones and mating Peacocks.....been a fair spring for you thus far, Paul!