February 2025

[David M]

Hopefully, no further run of winter storms....

[Kismat Neupane]

Eurema hecabe, the common grass yellow, is a small pierid butterfly species found in Asia, Africa and Australia. They are found flying close to the ground and are found in open grass and scrub habitats. It is simply known as the grass yellow butterfly
Pic: Kismat Neupane
Location: Syangja, Nepal

[essexbutterflyer]

Two Red Admirals flying strongly at Havering Country Park, Essex. First one whizzed past heading south and, just as i was soaking that in, another whizzed past which i later found circling low over grass. For just 7 degrees this was amazing!

[David Lazarus]

Two Red Admirals flying strongly at Havering Country Park, Essex.

Looks like you have probably got the first recorded sighting for 2025 of a butterfly in Essex, Zayed - congratulations


Edit: I should have checked before congratulating you. Surprisingly, 5 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral, & even a Small Tortoiseshell sighting have already been recorded in Essex this year on iRecord.

[essexbutterflyer]

Looks like you have probably got the first recorded sighting for 2025 of a butterfly in Essex, Zayed - congratulations


Edit: I should have checked before congratulating you. Surprisingly, 5 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral, & even a Small Tortoiseshell sighting have already been recorded in Essex this year on iRecord.

Hahaha that’s alright David, just glad that I got my first Essex sightings! Hopefully the weather improves so a Brimstone and Comma can come out

Zayed

[David Lazarus]

Happy for you, Zayed. I put my money on a Brimstone but Peacock won the day hands down. Interestingly, the full sun brought out a couple of sightings on the 25th when I went out on my first butterfly walk feeling a little optimistic.

[essexbutterflyer]

Happy for you, Zayed. I put my money on a Brimstone but Peacock won the day hands down. Interestingly, the full sun brought out a couple of sightings on the 25th when I went out on my first butterfly walk feeling a little optimistic.

I suspect Brimstone will need a 10 degrees and sunny for them to emerge more widespread(ly). 15th Feb last year was a legendary day in Sussex and various places of the country, lots of Brimstones and other butterflies about. Sadly this year the 15th looks too cold

Zayed

[David Lazarus]

Successful day today - very happy.

I ticked off my first butterfly of the year - Brown Hairstreak. Okay, not my first adult butterfly of the year [yet] or even a larva - but lets drop the technicalities. Brown Hairstreak is super rare in Essex coming second only to the poor Essex Grizzlie at One Tree Hill. Not only that, I managed to find 8 ova in 3 separate locations on the site at Claybury Park - one of only 2 [possibly a 3rd (edit: update and a 4th) -details to come shortly in my PD] sites in Essex, the other being Rainham Marshes.

Brown Hairstreak ova
Claybury Park 05/02/2024

I also think the photo above counts as a male and female Brown Hairstreak for my 2025 Album of the Year [the explanation above counters any argument to the contrary]. As it was the only butterfly of the 34 seen in Essex that I failed to photograph in 2024, it is good to tick it off straight away just in case I do not manage to get a photo of the elusive Brown Hairstreak [adult] in Essex later in the year - which is highly likely.

[essexbutterflyer]

Successful day today - very happy.

I ticked off my first butterfly of the year - Brown Hairstreak. Okay, not my first adult butterfly of the year [yet] or even a larva - but lets drop the technicalities. Brown Hairstreak is super rare in Essex coming second only to the poor Essex Grizzlie at One Tree Hill. Not only that, I managed to find 8 ova in 3 separate locations on the site at Claybury Park - one of only 2 [possibly a 3rd -details to come shortly in my PD] sites in Essex, the other being Rainham Marshes.

Very nice David, been meaning to head there myself! Perhaps this weekend. Still haven't found any Brown Hairstreak eggs in 2 separate locations I've been searching. Let's hope some adults are seen this year - not sure of any reports of them from 2024.

Zayed

[David Lazarus]

Still haven't found any Brown Hairstreak eggs in 2 separate locations I've been searching.

Which locations are those Zayed - I am presuming Rainham Marshes? I know of one other ova at Claybury Park which was seen last year & one at Chigwell Row in January. So far, no recorded sightings at Rainham Marshes - I plan to go there next week to have a look for myself at some suckers I identified last summer. And the usual places.

Let's hope some adults are seen this year - not sure of any reports of them from 2024

Do you mean in Essex? I am going to do my Brown Hairstreak report shortly - I personally had 4 sightings, 3 at Rainham Marshes and one at Claybury Park. And Bill reported 6 or 7 sightings at Rainham Marshes, including 3 males in a master tree.

the shocking amount of ova from various reports seems to say they had a good year.

I think you must mean in the UK? I certainly haven’t heard of any reports of “shocking amount of ova” in Essex or anywhere else actually - where are these reports, and which locations are the sightings referring to please? I am hoping Ian has withheld reports of ova sightings at Rainham Marshes and Claybury Park due to conservation reasons.
edit: wow - just saw updated records on iRecord - couldn’t be happier planning to discuss further in my Brown Hairstreak in Essex report in PD soon

Admittedly, 8 at Claybury Park is an amazing find. I am not sure how to calculate a total for the whole site or the success rate for Brown Hairstreak ova. Given the number and where I found them I am more confident of finding an adult in 2025.

Sorry everyone, I probably should have written this in the Brown Hairstreak thread and/or waited until I posted my report in my PD.

[David Lazarus]

Just returning from RSPB Rainham Marshes where I found 7 Brown Hairstreak ova. Disappointingly I didn’t find any in the place I had hoped I would - I think because the Blackthorn, although south-facing, is not sheltered and probably females feel the prevailing winds. Where I found the ova, it is sheltered and relatively warm - it felt 2° warmer when I was searching out of the wind. 4 in the car park, 3 just inside the reserve where they were found in previous years.

Brown Hairstreak ova
RSPB Rainham Marshes 14/02/2025

I shall update my Brown Hairstreak report in my PD tomorrow.

Update: I have edited the Brown Hairstreak section with new maps and totals for ova count.

[David Lazarus]

Peacock [6 mostly in North Essex], Red Admiral [5]. Small Tortoiseshell [30.01 Billericay], and Comma [06.02 Hanningfield Reservoir], have all been seen in Essex so far. Unfortunately, I have not seen an adult butterfly yet despite being out and about. I am very hopeful of seeing my first one next week with the days forecast to be warmer with some full sun.

[millerd]

...I am very hopeful of seeing my first one next week with the days forecast to be warmer with some full sun...

Indeed, David, the Met Office forecast looks really quite favourable from about Thursday 20th for a few days, so it may well be enough to wake a few things up and encourage them into the air. Fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Dave

[David M]

Looks like it could reach 15c by the latter end of this week. If anyone is fortunate to be blessed with some sunny intervals I have no doubt there will likely be a few butterflies tempted out.

[David Lazarus]

So much for a good end-of-week forecast

[Jack Harrison]

Found this escapee in the kitchen this morning.

I had bred about a dozen Small Whites and the chrysalises are now in a box in the fridge, my usual way of preventing early emergence. But 'Houdini' obviously wasn't caught, when as a caterpillar, he wandered off.

Houdini is now in a box (not in fridge) and I plan to release outside on Friday when forecast much milder, possibly 15C

Jack

[David M]

So much for a good end-of-week forecast

Indeed. Not much in the way of sunshine forecast to go with the mild temperatures.

If you take a ride up near Inverness though you might get to see a Small White.

[David Lazarus]

on the train now David - Jack, I am on my way.

[Jack Harrison]

Friday 20th 1140 GMT
Houdini was released as planned. I let him warm in his box indoors in sunshine through the window. He fluttered happily.
Outside temperature 14.5C, bright sun. I opened the window, then his box. He shot off at high speed and vanished. Good luck Houdini.

Jack

[David M]

Nice work, Jack. Let's hope things remain on the mild side otherwise luck is exactly what he'll need.