millerd

[millerd]

There was some sunshine on Saturday 15th March, but it was cold - only 10 degrees at most when I had a brief walk on my local patch. I managed to spot a couple of Red Admirals in widely separated spots, and then saw a splash of orange down on the leaf litter, where I imagine it was a bit warmer.

It was then cloudy for the next two days, as well as cold, and on the Monday I headed down to see an old school friend in Somerset. The sun returned on the Tuesday, but it only warmed up a little and a foray into the Devon countryside turned up nothing at all. Wednesday 19th was warmer still, but the sun was hazy and once again during a visit to Exeter there were no butterflies to be seen. Having seen not a single west country butterfly, I returned home on Thursday 20th, to be greeted by brilliant sunshine and temperatures up to 21 degrees. Pausing for a quick bite to eat, I then headed out around my local patch entirely expecting something better considering the conditions.

Dave

[millerd]

Thursday 20th March. I was completely right in my expectations - within a few minutes, one of my local Red Admirals welcomed me home in typical fashion.

Overall, I counted my highest total of the year so far, with 38 butterflies seen from four species: 15 Peacocks, 11 Brimstones, 7 Commas and 5 Red Admirals. The Peacocks provided their best showing so far - hopefully there will be more to come as the weather warms up as they seemed to have responded to the combination of high temperatures and sunshine.

A selection of the rest:

Dave

[David M]

...Overall, I counted my highest total of the year so far, with 38 butterflies seen from four species..

That's a really good tally for this time of year, Dave. Just proves that when we get some fine weather, butterflies will respond very quickly.

[Wurzel]

That is a great haul Dave especially considering that I've only seen a single Red Admiral this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Since 20th, and up until today (26th), I haven't see too many butterflies locally - there has been a bit of sun (but not much), and the total absence of Brimstones rather shows this. They do like to fly on bright sunny mornings, but if the sun doesn't appear until after lunch (unless it's very warm) they tend to stay in bed. A brief synopsis of the four days I saw butterflies looks like this:

Friday 21st
Peacock 2
Comma 9
Red Admiral 5

Saturday 22nd
Peacock 2
Comma 2
Red Admiral 2

Monday 24th
Peacock 6
Comma 4
Red Admiral 4
Small White 3

Tuesday 25th
Peacock 1

I have posted more in the March sightings thread, so am reluctant to duplicate things, but will flag the first Small Whites of the year on 24th.

However, after a cloudy morning on Wednesday 26th (which I spent at Box Hill - only a few Brimstones down there) the sun came out at home around midday, and I had an excellent afternoon on my local patch. I think that deserves a separate post.

Dave

[millerd]

Wednesday 26th March: afternoon.

With the sun shining brightly, the morning's cloud quickly dissipating and hardly a breath of wind, I set off round my local patch - or the most productive bit at this stage of the year, which is the bit nearer to home. Within a minute I had seen my first Brimstone and Peacock, and then I spotted a white butterfly a little way ahead. It was a bit nervy, and I only just managed to identify it as a GVW and grab a quick shot before it was in the air again.

I set off after it, and just as it was about to land again, there was a flash of silver right across in front of me. That could only be one thing - a Holly Blue. This butterfly (a male) was much easier to follow, as it made a beeline for an area of mud at the edge of the lake and settled down to take on minerals.

It was quite approachable here, and happily exchanged the mud for whatever there might have been on the end of my finger.

Eventually, I persuaded it to decamp to a bit of bramble, but in the end it elected to sit for a while on a dock leaf instead.

After this excitement (two new species for the year, and one of them a particular favourite), the majority of my walk was occupied with the usual suspects that have been around so far this spring: Red Admirals, Commas, Peacocks and Brimstones. It was now into the afternoon, and I only saw five of the last of these species before they vanished. However, Peacocks at last made up for their relative absence so far this year, and I counted 21 altogether. They were regularly positioned all along the paths I walked, taking advantage of the fact that these were now dried out and warming nicely in the sun.

They also were to be seen on the willow blossom which is in full swing.

They had to share the paths with the Commas, with which they often duelled, and with one or two Red Admirals. Considering the latter's propensity for chasing anything that moves, there were no clashes with the Peacocks or Commas that I observed. I suspect I've been seeing the same half-a-dozen Red Admirals over the course of the month and with so much activity they are definitely getting worn.

As the afternoon wore on, more Commas seemed to appear until I had counted 10 - including these two which just a moment before this shot was taken had been going at it hammer-and-tongs above my head.

However, others just kept an eye open for rivals.

Coming to the end of my walk, while walking close to the hedge mainly to make sure I was out of line of sight of an unpleasantly aggressive dog, I spotted a very bright new Speckled Wood flitting in and out of the shade. Unfortunately, it only settled once and the sun was too much for it to bask open-winged, so this was the best I could manage.

It then disappeared into the undergrowth and given it's bright patterning I guessed it might have been a female. Shortly afterwards, I caught sight of what I thought might be a female Brimstone - it was large and nearly white. However, it was not flying like that species, and as I approached and tried a shot of it in the air, it flew up around the tops of the trees and disappeared. Though hardly a clear photo, the dark wing tips and otherwise overall white colour made me feel confident that this was a male Large White.

At the end of the day, I had seen 45 butterflies and seen 8 species - 4 of which were new for the year. An excellent afternoon!

Dave

[David Lazarus]

Really pleased for you Dave, excellent selection. I’m nowhere near Holly Blue and Speckled Wood.

[millerd]

Cheers, David - it was a particularly good day, and the Holly Blue was the best bit.

After a "blank" day on 27th (a rare occurrence this month!), a very brief spell of rain on Friday 28th gave way to more sunshine. Over two local walks, covering slightly different parts of my local patch I found 19 butterflies:

Peacock 8
Red Admiral 4
Comma 4
Large White 1
Small White 1
Brimstone 1

The Large White was almost certainly the one I had seen on 26th, turning up in the same spot, but being a bit more cooperative.

Some of the other variety on offer today:

Dave

[millerd]

Saturday 29th March was a tad cooler and with a fresh breeze again, and I saw fewer species (5) today but more butterflies overall, entirely down to a surge in Peacock numbers. Here's the list for the day:

Peacock 20
Red Admiral 4
Comma 3
Brimstone 3
Large White 2

To complement the male seen before (which made another appearance today) I found a fresh female Large White - but nowhere near the male.

I'm still surprised at the amazingly good condition of some of the Peacocks.

Dave

[bugboy]

A good selection of species, I have to keep reminding myself it's March (well for a few more hours at least). Like you I've been noticing how fresh many of the peacocks look round my way, some wouldn't look out of place in July!

[Wurzel]

Cracking sights recently Dave - and I eel that the season has properly started now as there is a Holly Blue gracing your PD

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Paul - the Peacocks have been a delight this spring. Every walk has them popping up every few yards, and their constant scuffling with the Commas never fails to entertain. The Red Admirals don't seem to get involved, despite being likely to chase birds and harass me...

It was good to find that Holly Blue, Wurzel, and such a friendly one as well. It only needed an Orange Tip to complete the local early spring ensemble, but I'd have to wait a little longer for that.

Sunday 30th March was markedly warmer along with the continuing sunshine, reaching a high of 18 degrees locally (though it was still nippy first thing). Butterfly numbers increased, and over the day I managed to find 63, with 8 species making a contribution:

Peacock 17
Brimstone 14
Small White 12
Comma 10
Red Admiral 5
GVW 2
Large White 2
Speckled Wood 1

Both the GVW were definite IDs, and it is possible one or two of the other whites could also have been this species - though the majority were definitely Small. The Large Whites were definite as well, including this splendid new female.

All the Smalls I photographed were males...

...including this one found going to roost in characteristic pose on the pale underside of a leaf.

For some reason, Brimstones were more approachable than usual today, with several seen nectaring on both dandelions and willow flowers.

The willows are popular all round in fact.

Later in the day, the Commas started to strike poses in the afternoon sunshine.

In fact, several species took to posing along the same stretch of the river.

Finally, the late afternoon is when the Red Admirals come into their own and stake out territories.

With things thoroughly underway now, it was good to be able to take it a bit easier and record some aspects of behaviour - always good for brightening up the dark winter evenings when March still seems a long way off.

Dave

[millerd]

Monday 31st March was a cooler day, but still with long hours of strong spring sunshine. I spent a good proportion of these hours taking in the majority of my local patch and by the end of it came away with a count of over 100 butterflies. As ever, there is always the chance of a bit of double-counting, but I reckon this is balanced by a bit of under-recording when several appear at once. The Small/Green-veined ratio is trickier, but of those positively identified, 3:2 seemed about right (though 24 hours later, there were definitely twice as many GVW as Small... ).

Peacock 26
Brimstone 22 (18m, 4f)
Comma 17
Small White 13
GVW 8
Orange Tip 5
Speckled Wood 5
Red Admiral 4
Large White 1
Small Tortoiseshell 1

Propping up this list was a standout highlight - a Small Tortoiseshell. I'd seen one in the same spot at the start of the month (it is also exactly where the last sighting of 2024 was, back in July). There are lots of lush new nettles next to the river, which should be ideal for them, so it's good to see the colony persists - just about.

One species made its debut for the year today, but was rather camera-shy unfortunately: the Orange Tip. Frustratingly I counted five altogther, including a gaggle of three at one point, but all I had to show for this were only the most distant of in-flight shots. This one has rather a contemporary angle to it...

It was good to find a few fresh Speckled Woods today - the spring version is so much brighter than the summer one (presumably to match the lesser shadow from the near leafless trees in spring). One posed well...

...but two others were just intent on battling with each other over a smelly bit of ditch.

A couple of Brimstones posed on dandelions...

...and one of the GVW sat still long enough for a couple of shots too.

This particular Comma seemed in pretty good condition and sported a particularly rich shade of orange...

...and another nicely demonstrated the art of dead-leaf camouflage.

Peacocks continue to appear from hibernation in sparkling condition...

..but I think all the Red Admirals that survived the winter are out and about now as I keep seeing the same ones, getting tattier and tattier.

March ended up a very good month indeed on my local patch, assisted no doubt by it being the sunniest on record here I believe (almost exactly 6 hours a day on average). Daytime temperatures were above average overall too, by a couple of degrees, but nights were a little colder than average - there were even seven frosty ones (bearing in mind there were none in December!). I ended up with 11 species during the month, with well over 400 butterflies counted (of which 100 were seen today).

Now for April, and I shall no doubt be heading further afield...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Fantastic collection of shots Dave - those whites are brilliant and a Small Tort Things are progressing nicely over this way - Greenstreaks are out and the Dukes can't be far behind so I'm wondering whether you'll be going west when you head further afield

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - I have no doubt there will be trips westwards at some point! Hopefully several...

April kicked off with more sunshine, but a chilly breeze on Tuesday 1st. This reduced the numbers of butterflies seen, and the tally was half that of the previous day:

Peacock 15
Comma 10
GVW 9
Brimstone 4
Small White 3
Red Admiral 3
Large White 2
Speckled Wood 2
Holly Blue 1

There was a good array of Commas...

...including one that had decided that a bird dropping was a better alternative to willow blossom or dandelions.

GVW definitely outnumbered the Small Whites today, and included a mating pair. They were disturbed from the ground by a male Brimstone that was clearly over-excited by the pheromones they were giving off, and ended by chasing them up into a tree where they were at the furthest range of my zoom.

Another male Brimstone was looking a bit ragged...

...and I managed a shot of each of the other two White species

- but there were curiously no Orange Tips around today.

With Speckled Woods starting to appear now, I found one that allowed a close approach.

Peacocks appear to be doing well here after being a bit slow to appear, and I still can't resist a photo or two.

Likewise the Red Admirals - a hardy little selection that appear every afternoon (though not always the same ones each day - it's as if they sit down together and work out a rota...

Finally, the day provided a traditional highlight. Holly Blues have been very slow to get underway alongside everything else (only one seen up to today), but another one made an appearance around lunchtime. Better still, it was a lovely new female.

Another very satisfactory spring day.

Dave

[David M]

Very envious of your female Holly Blue, Dave. I've seen 75+ of this species these last few days but all have been males.

[robpartridge]

A fresh female Holly Blue is one of our most attractive butterflies - excellent images of one there.

[bugboy]

Very envious of your female Holly Blue, Dave. I've seen 75+ of this species these last few days but all have been males.

non in east London yet!

[millerd]

I was surprised to find that Holly Blue was a female, David, as it was only the second I'd seen this year, and the females tend to appear a while after the males. They are only gradually showing now, and certainly not in the numbers you've been seeing in South Wales. Must be all the ivy that the site was named for...

Thank you Rob for your appreciation - I agree that female Holly Blues are most certainly up there with the best, and my local ones at least are relatively easy to approach closely and photograph.

They must be on their way, Paul - to be fair, I've only seen a handful so far here and had also been wondering where they'd all got to!

Wednesday 2nd April - the sunshine continued. The morning was devoted to a walk in Black Park near Iver, mainly because my youngest had got wind that the adjacent Pinewood Studios might be kicking of some outdoor stuff for the next Marvel film and/or clearing up after the previous one. Well, a portion of the woodland had been cordoned off and there were plenty of vans, cables and kit in and around it - but this is nothing unusual: many cinema blockbusters have been partially shot in among the trees here over the years. In July, one section (Strawberry Wood) is home to White Admiral and SWF, but today all we saw flying were Peacocks, frequenting all the sunnier bits of the rides.

In the afternoon, I had the usual wander around my local patch, clocking up ten species - though not in any great numbers:

Peacock 15
Comma 10
Brimstone 3
Large White 3
Small White 3
GVW 3
Orange Tip 3
Speckled Wood 1
Red Admiral 1
Holly Blue 1

Today's Holly Blue was a male, and not particularly new, either.

I managed shots of all three of the Whites, often a difficult ask.

No Red Admiral photos today (the one I spotted was no stranger anyway), but Peacocks and Commas obliged well enough.

Pride of place on the day though went to the Orange Tip, with my first decent shots of the year.

Dave

[Wurzel]

A belated "wow" for that female Holly Blue Dave Cracking that is! The Orange-tip is none too shabby either

Have a goodun

Wurzel