www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Meadow Brown - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 11

With the Solstice passed and the days getting longer we can start to look forward to the new season . Also by this time tomorrow St. Nick will hopefully have paid a visit we’ll have feasted and possibly perused new lepidopteran tomes that were left in our stockings. So for tomorrow- Have a Very Merry Christmas and a ridiculously butterfly filled New Year!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Meadow Brown

It’s not surprising that the ubiquitous Meadow Brown shows such variation but even though we often become used to the common or garden looking butterflies and such variation can sometimes remain un-noticed occasionally one comes along which really catches your attention. So it was with this one from the first week of July during a lunchtime walk at work. It immediately stood out from everything else that was flying as it was more of a Meadow Blonde than Brown – a gorgeous looking butterfly with no competitors for the Fave spot!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Two fine examples of females from me, one upperside, one underside:

I didn't see too many Meadow brown butterflies this season. A few at my local patch in Aberdeen near end of June and one female at St cyrus nnr.

" Spin the Wheel ",or whatever its called is on ..................So good opportunity to post my favourite Meadow Brown ,fair numbers about at most sites visited in Mid-Kent ,with lots of variation .These two are both from an early morning visit to Temple Ewell . I have posted the pale individual before ,but it was hands down my favourite individual of the season .
Allan.W.

In terms of sheer numbers counted this is by far the commonest butterfly on my local patch, with over twice the total of anything else (Red Admirals in 2023). On some days in late June and early July I lost count at around 250 - but the annual mow of the grassland in mid-July knocked them back to the uncut edges and reduced numbers markedly.

The abundance, plus competition from everything else at this time of year, meant I took very few photos of the species either here or anywhere else. Here are one or two that obviously caught my eye. Dave

A toss up between Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper as to which was the most numerous butterfly around my patch in 2023. Gatekeepers had a very good year here whereas Meadow Brown numbers seemed to be down a bit from their usual high numbers.

I'm picking the photo below, taken at my local spot by Wagon Lane, as my favourite, as it shows a nice example with the extra orange on the hindwings that seems to becoming more common in recent years.
Cheers,

Neil.

I saw my Meadow Browns in East Blean Woods in June when I was looking for the Heath's, for once they not in long grass Goldie

Allan.W. wrote: ↑Mon Dec 25, 2023 7:41 pm...I have posted the pale individual before ,but it was hands down my favourite individual of the season

With good reason, Allan. That one's quite a showstopper!

On 25th July, there were at least a couple of thousand Meadow Browns in the open fields at Rhossili on the Gower. Amongst them, this abnormally orange female caught my eye:

Meadow Browns were in good numbers in most of the local sites with numbers generally in the hundreds at peak times across the wet meadows of the River Chelmer flood plain. Also, further afield in places like Hatfield Forest:
My favourite photograph was not of a perfect specimen, far from it, but of a cute little survivor that on first appearance looked remarkably like a Small Heath only to reveal on closer inspection that it was missing much of its wings - despite this it was happily nectaring away on the thistles

To be honest I'd say there's enough of that second butterfly left to positively ID it as a Small Heath!

bugboy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31, 2023 2:31 pmTo be honest I'd say there's enough of that second butterfly left to positively ID it as a Small Heath!

100% with you, Paul.

bugboy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31, 2023 2:31 pm To be honest I'd say there's enough of that second butterfly left to positively ID it as a Small Heath!

ooooops apologies - memory issues confused the story - obviously cute damaged Small Heath, counted as such at the time!

Didn't start catching up with Meadow Browns until quite late on. This male was at a local country park at the end of June, while we were out looking for White-letter Hairstreaks.
A rather nice female enjoying the bramble as the sun started to come out at a local recreation ground at the beginning of August.
And a rather more ancient female in the rose gardens at Polesden Lacey (NT) in the last week of September - this one gets an honourable mention as being the first butterfly I've ever photographed (or even seen) on a rose.