September 2024

[David M]

Wednesday 18th, Rhossili Head, Gower (2 hrs):

Small White 120-150
Red Admiral 9
Common Blue 7
Large White 2
Small Tortoiseshell 1
Painted Lady 1

[David Lazarus]

On the day that Butterfly Conservation announces a UK butterfly emergency, coincidentally I visited Great Notley Country Park where I have been asked to help prepare their 5-year management for conservation plan. This morning there were 4 butterflies. A 100-acre country park - 4 butterflies

Rather than stay there, I decided instead to spend the afternoon at my 'go-to' site at Hatfield Forest to save a day this week to continue looking for Wall Brown along the Essex Coast. The ride profile changed once more to Speckled Wood [22] and Comma [9]. I also saw my first Brimstone for some time - a very buttery male. 8 species with 66 butterflies sighted - the butterflies went to bed by 2.30pm despite the best sun and temperature conditions of the day - perhaps a height of the sun in the sky/angle of sun rays thing going on, I don't know..

Speckled Wood female
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

Comma
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

Brimstone male
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

Small White female
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

Of the 4 at Great Notley Country Park, at least I managed to capture a Common Blue take off:

Common Blue male
Great Notley Country Park 18/09/2024

And for you moth-lovers, a Pine Hawkmoth larva under play equipment in the pine wood bark mulch - with not a Scots Pine in sight - not sure what is happening there:

Pine Hawkmoth larva
Great Notley Country Park 18/09/2024

[millerd]

A visit to Durlston Country Park near Swanage at the behest of one of my offspring who wanted to see one of the nearby disused quarries for Dr. Who-related reasons (don't ask... ). Glorious warm sunshine all day and a splendid cooling coastal breeze - it could have been July. The wind (and uneven steep slopes) made it tricky to get many shots of butterflies, but those seen included lots of Large Whites and Red Admirals, plus Small Whites, Small Heaths, Meadow Browns, Adonis Blues, Common Blues, Brown Argus, Peacocks and several Small Coppers. I did manage a shot which could have been taken round the corner at home - Small Copper on soggy fleabane flowers.

I also spotted a couple of Painted Ladies, one of which was chasing Red Admirals round a buddleia and took a break to rest on a wall.

Dave

[David M]

Wednesday 18th, Port Eynon, Gower (1 hr):

Small White 60-80
Painted Lady 6
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Red Admiral 2
Meadow Brown 2
Speckled Wood 1
Small Copper 1

[Jack Harrison]

It thinks it's Spring!

Buddleia almost over but a new flush of Dandelions.

Jack

[millerd]

Another dollop of good fortune on my local patch today, though as far as photos are concerned the morsel slipped largely off the plate... A female Clouded Yellow passed through, only stopping for the briefest moments and only then to dive into a patch of trefoil. I am guessing she was looking to lay eggs but the combination of a strong wind and hot sunshine made following her nigh on impossible. For the record anyway, as she headed across my path.

Dave

[David M]

Good to see, Dave.

With this recent spell of easterly winds there may be a few more over, although from Saturday there are supposed to be storms.

[David M]

Thursday 19th, Oxwich & Nicholaston Burrows, Gower (2 hrs):

Small White 103
Meadow Brown 20
Common Blue 7
Small Heath 2
Speckled Wood 2
Small Copper 1
Brimstone 1
Red Admiral 1

[David Lazarus]

Timing is everything, and I was very fortunate today.

An astonishing 73 Wall seen - my previous highest recorded sightings of Wall was 11 last Saturday at Benfleet Down. I was overjoyed with that one - I am now just in shock.

Can anything cap that? 3 Clouded Yellow. I can confirm they can outsprint me holding an iPhone 11 Pro with the camera pointing in their direction over a 100 metre course.

When it is easier to get a photograph of a Small Heath than a Wall or Clouded Yellow during full sun and 25 C temperatures, you know your luck is not in. But it was a great day despite the lack of photographs - 13 species and 327 butterflies which is in itself truly amazing considering the forecast was not exactly accurate. It was overcast and chilly from the time I got there at 09.30 until around 11.30, when the sun finally came out. The following 3 hours was just butterfly heaven with a great deal of activity.

The best I could come up with was when the skies were still overcast with the odd sunny interval - still the blighters would not settle:

Wall male
EWT Thameside Nature Discovery Park 19/09/2024

and a lovely female who did not want to come out to play:

Wall female
EWT Thameside Nature Discovery Park 19/09/2024

The most activity and Wall sightings, as well as the Clouded Yellow were at the location TQ693785 above, where there is plentiful Alfalfa [Lucerne] Medicago sativa in flower. The Sea Wall profile is Wall, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Common Blue & Small Heath and the odd Clouded Yellow.

I would highly recommend a visit either tomorrow or Saturday when you are guaranteed to see plenty Wall and have a good chance of a Clouded Yellow before the storms arrive Sunday. Good luck

[David M]

..An astonishing 73 Wall seen...

That is astonishing, David.

Clouded Yellow too.

I've always believed if you're determined and put the footwork in, eventually you get rewarded.

[David Lazarus]

I've always believed if you're determined and put the footwork in, eventually you get rewarded.

I’ve certainly done that in the last month David - I’ve done a whole week at the end of the 2nd brood regretting I didn’t go a week or so earlier in August - 5 x 8 miles a day along the Essex Coast Sea Wall and around open marshes.
Then 3 times around Wallasea Island 8 miles a day searching for the first Clouded Yellow of the season, then around Benfleet Downs earlier in the week.
Yesterday, 9 1/2 miles for my reward

If that is not enough - back to Rainham Marshes today followed by popping back to the Thames Estuary Path in pursuit of more Clouded Yellow sightings in the place I went yesterday- a bit optimistic I feel.

[David M]

Yes, I've been reading your reports, David. You've literally been doing marathons so any reward is richly deserved.

[millerd]

Me too, David. Your thorough coverage gives a far better overall picture of things and as far as the Walls are concerned sounds very encouraging! Congratulations on tracking down some Cloudies too - they are pretty well uncatchupable in windy warm and sunny weather... (Try doing it on chalk hillsides!).

Cheers,

Dave

[David Lazarus]

Congratulations on tracking down some Cloudies too - they are pretty well uncatchupable in windy warm and sunny weather... (Try doing it on chalk hillsides!).

No thanks Dave, I’ve learnt my lesson!!!

[Jack Harrison]

Although I cannot visit your location, David (Lazarus), I have to say how helpful it is to have a map reference.  I can plug it into Street Map (for example) 
https://www.streetmap.co.uk/ 
and I get an immediate 'feel' for the place, far better than wordy descriptions .

This is where I grew up : TG516052 and Wall Browns were one of the commonest species in the late 1940s. I doubt that any are to be seen today under all the concrete.

Jack

[David Lazarus]

Caught up with the Clouded Yellow at the same place as yesterday's party

Clouded Yellow male
Thames Estuary Path 20/19/2024

Not great quality but a first for me - somewhere between 'record shot' and 'almost there shot' as well as being highly cropped.

.... and just as I was leaving, I finally managed to get a decent photograph of the little blighters who had given me the run-a-round for two days. This couple were a little too preoccupied at the end of the day to care:

Wall male + female
Thames Estuary Path 20/09/2024

and a female Common Blue for good measure:

Common Blue female
Thames Estuary Path 20/09/2024

A momentous day for me personally that is deserving of its own PD report which I hope to write up this weekend while recovering from the week's events.

[millerd]

Well done on catching up with a Cloudie, David!

I didn't see any more today on my local patch - in fact the major storm that traversed Southern England today missed me by a whisker and the sun didn't appear until lunchtime. The highlights this afternoon were a mating pair of Brown Argus (the female looked newly emerged)...

...fresh female and male Common Blues...

...and a couple of brand new (second brood?) Peacocks.

I assume the new lycaenids are all third brood butterflies at this stage of the season.

(Incidentally, for the benefit of Jack and anyone who may be interested in the detail, these butterflies - and others - were all seen at grid ref. TQ 040755, as was yesterday's Clouded Yellow).

Dave

[Toby Ludlow]

That's more like it! Today I paid a trip to Kirkby Moor Nature Reserve, Lincolnshire, and was pleased to find that third brood Small Coppers are now emerging in good numbers. An afternoon spent on site produced a very respectable count of 134 Small Coppers, which included one mating pair. Many of them were quite worn, but I did manage to find a few fresh ones. Of note were two aberrant individuals:


Small Copper ab. caeruleopunctata


Small Copper ab. subradiata

But perhaps the most rewarding sighting of my visit was that of 10 Small Coppers on the same Ragwort plant - something you don't see every day! Incredibly, the Ragwort plant next to it also had 8 Small Coppers on it!!!


Small Copper Collection on Ragwort

[Jack Harrison]

Absolutely stunning Small Copper photos Toby. Sure winner there for the annual photo comp.

Jack

[David M]

Yes, that first image is particularly stunning.

The group images are fabulous too. This is not a species you generally see in numbers next to each other.