March 2009 Lepidoptera Sightings

[Denise]

Mostly cloudy today, but in a brief period of sunshine I saw Small and Large White (one of each) and three Comma.
No sign of Holly Blue yet, despite the Holly tree starting to bud up.
I love your HB pic Pete.

Denise

[Deano]

Hello all.
I saw my first Small White of the year today, initially spotted by my wife, in our garden. It is the same date as my first of last year. No pictures, as it just wouldn't settle!
Regards
Deano.

[Jack Harrison]

I had my first ever March Small White (male, no photograph due interest by cat) in my Cambs garden today 21st March. 142 metres above sea level, temperature 13.5°C and bright rather than sunny.

I haven't bred Small White recently so not an escape. Home bred butterflies do have a tendency to emerge early. My Orange Tip pupae are still in the fridge at +4°C till mid-April.

Jack

[thepostieles]

saw two peacocks earlier while sun out and small white, springs here

[Dave McCormick]

One Small Tortoiseshell today, flying quite fast, but I did manage to get this in a field near my house:

Canon 400D
Sigma 105mm
Speed: 1/200 Sec
Aperture: F/14
ISO-400
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash On



Looked for Holly Blues, but did not see any, only saw this one butterfly today, but its a good start my dad saw another one of these about a few hundred yards away from where this one was, but it was not this one.

[Eris]

I saw an Orange tip in my garden near Petworth today.
That's a first for me as I didn't see those here last year, so its another one to
chalk up on my garden list.

[Shirley Roulston]

One Tortoiseshell and one Holly Blue- wrong lens on camera.
Shirley

[Perseus]

Hello,

30 March 2009
The first Grizzled Skipper of the year seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill was a great surprise and the first one recorded in March. I also recorded my first Small Tortoiseshell of 2009 with two of them visiting the violets in the same location, as well as my first Small White Butterfly of 2009 in Adur Avenue, north Shoreham. The frequent Peacock Butterflies were the most plentiful on the day which included four Brimstone Butterflies mostly on the outskirts of Shoreham and one Comma Butterfly on a fleeting visit to the Waterworks Road.
24 butterflies of seven species of were recorded in the sunshine including a Red Admiral at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, near Mill Hill.

A bit late with the reports because of a hard disc failure.

The full records can be found on the following page:

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: April 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/April2009.html