millerd

[Chris L]

One year I might try and do a circuit round my local patch with one of those 'clickers' and try counting just one species so I don't lose count...but as you say that would mean something would present itself to distract me Cracking Comma shots, especially the one on the blossom

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Ha, I thought about buying a Clicker too Wurzel and even got as far as putting one in my Amazon shopping basket. I thought this was a genius idea that I had - and even told someone of this parish of my brainwave.

[Chris L]

Fantastic selection of photos Dave.

[millerd]

Cheers, everyone.

Peacocks have been particularly good this spring so far, Wurzel, but then I saw large numbers back in the summer pre-hibernation (113 on one day I seem to remember) and there was evidence of a small second brood as well. It's such a contrast to the Small Tortoiseshells which surpassed them in numbers when I was young.

In fact, it's interesting to compare the fortunes of all four of the nettle-feeders on my local patch...
Small Tortoiseshell: almost disappeared from here now.
Peacock: fluctuates from year to year, but is often (like 2023) very common.
Red Admiral: boosted by migration, but there are good numbers of home-grown butterflies every year.
Comma: also fluctuates in numbers, but is much commoner than the Small Tortoiseshell. It does of course also use hops and elm, and there is quite a bit of the former plant locally.

The numbers counted so far in 2024 rather reflect this picture:
Small Tortoiseshell: 1
Peacock: 79
Red Admiral: 15
Comma: 24

Friday 29th March followed a truly awful day on Thursday (there was sleet for a while - the nearest to snow we've seen all winter), and then a wild, wet and windy night. A cool wind persisted, and despite some sunny intervals my local walk could only discover one Peacock and two Speckled Woods. All three were seen in the same small bit of sheltered light woodland.

Dave

[David M]

Excellent tally of Peacocks thus far, Dave.

My combined total of UK butterflies in 2024 doesn't even reach half that figure!!

[millerd]

March has been so much better than last year, David, more on a par with other recent years. I've seen butterflies on 13 days of the month: Peacocks are the standout at the moment, with Brimstones a close second.

Easter Saturday March 30th was a much better day, with long spells of warm sunshine and only gentle breezes. I spent a couple of hours on my local patch straddling midday, and found 41 butterflies with 8 species represented.

As expected, Brimstones and Peacocks predominated, with 13 of each species counted. As Wurzel commented about his local batch of Peacocks, they were very flighty today, probably because of the strength of the sun. I caught one at a distance enjoying the blackthorn blossom.

Only one of the Brimstones stopped in an accessible spot, unfortunately next to some of the litter left along the footpath.

Four Small Whites appeared today, but only the first settled and nectared.

There were also four Commas, probably even more energetic than the Peacocks - one of them persistently chased a Red Admiral, which eventually tucked itself down on the ground to escape the attention.

This was the first of two seen.

Speckled Woods were much in evidence today, with five counted in widely spaced out locations along the walk. They were mostly posing nicely too.

This one looks like a female, with bigger brighter markings and a chubbier abdomen.

In the same area as this last butterfly, my first Orange Tip of the year drifted by. I expected it to continue without stopping as they often do, but instead it paused to bask...

...and then again in an even better spot.

I saw another one nearer home, but this was more typical in behaviour and carried on along the hedge and then hopped over it and out of sight.

I looked in vain for Holly Blues, but just as I reached my front doorstep, one whizzed straight past me and across the back gardens. Another first for the year, but hopefully the herald of one or two more...

Dave

[bugboy]

Looks like Spring finally arrived today....and on my day off too!

[millerd]

That worked out well for once, Paul. It certainly felt properly springlike yesterday, and the Orange Tips agreed.

Easter Sunday 31st March. Not so much here today, as the stubborn cloud only cleared briefly, and the resulting sunshine was very patchy and short-lived. However, I followed the old adage - if you go out, you might see something but if you stay at home you certainly won't.

I managed to find only half a dozen butterflies: three Peacocks, a Comma, a Red Admiral and another Orange Tip. The Comma evaded the camera's lens (they are good at that sometimes), but one of the Peacocks couldn't resist a bit of blossom.

The Red Admiral was initially up in the same tree, but ended up right where I'd seen it yesterday.

The Orange Tip was tempted out by the longest burst of sun, but quickly realised that it wasn't going to last and settled on a newly-opened bramble leaf cluster. It then sat, opening and closing its wings as the sun came and went, and finally shut up shop as the cloud defeated the sun and the temperature dropped. It became an easy subject.

Every year I take a lot of shots of this butterfly, but its season is relatively short and it is such a lovely sight I just can't resist!

Dave

[trevor]

i think the cloud in your area ( very sunny here ) helped you obtain those superb OT shots.
Butterflies have certainly responded to this fine weekend.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant to see the OTs Dave which means that it shouldn't be too long til they're out in numbers over this way - now we just need the weather to buck up!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers Trevor and Wurzel - every moment the sun shines now is a trigger for butterfly activity it seems... I just have to keep my eye on the weather radar to see when the breaks are likely to come this way.

Plenty of sunshine first thing, but I could tell that it was going to be one of those days when the cloud bubbles up fairly quickly and probably takes over completely later on. I set off round my local patch at around ten (since the clocks went forward of course this is "earlier" than ten o'clock was last week!).

The butterflies were already up and about, with several Peacocks and a Red Admiral seen within a few minutes.

During the course of a couple of hours the totals rose steadily resulting in this list of sightings for the morning:

Peacock 12
Brimstone 6
Speckled Wood 5
Comma 3
Orange Tip 2
Small White 2
Red Admiral 2
GVW 1

The last of these was another first sighting for 2024. I spotted it at a distance make its way to some cherry blossom, and something about the flight made me suspect it was not a Small White. Sure enough, zooming in on it revealed the telltale "green" veins on the underside.

The other two whites seen were almost certainly Small though.

Several Specklies were out today - I counted five for certain, but there may have been more. Two caught up in a tussle passed right in front of the camera - a bit too close for a decent in-flight shot...

...but others posed sensibly on the greenery.

Not far from the sparring Specklies, I had previously noticed a small sprig of cuckoo flower just coming into bloom. Sat upon it this morning, rather appropriately, was a roosting Orange Tip.

I noticed that this spot was now shaded, so decided to give the butterfly a helping finger to a better location.

In full sun, it responded quickly and within a minute or two set off into the air.

The other species photographed was a Comma, the only one of the three seen anywhere near ground level.

However, there was one other less expected sighting. Over a sheltered patch of bedstraw growing up vigorously next to a fence I saw something flit back and forth. I pointed the camera hopefully at it and the heavily cropped image revealed it to be a Hummingbird Hawk Moth.

A early sighting (though a few years ago one appeared here in February). Some apparently do spend the winter here.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great find that HBHM Dave but I reserve the for the OTs and Green-veined White - still to see one round this way, in fact the white so far has been Brimstone...and that's more of a 'yellow' really

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Eight species is good going at this time of year, Dave. Things seem to have lifted off lately round your way. That hummingbird hawk moth topped things off nicely.

[millerd]

Cheers Wurzel and David - the butterflies are certainly responding to any bits of decent weather, and that Hummer was an unexpected bonus.

Tuesday 2nd April was quite warm again, and there was brightness enough to tempt out the butterflies. However, I was heading off to visit an old school friend and had a meagre five minutes to see what might be out on the closest bit of my local patch. The answer was a Peacock and a Speckled Wood.

I returned from my break away early afternoon on 4th April, and a gap between heavy showers made another soggy local walk obligatory. It was warm again (15 degrees or so), and I quickly counted 23 butterflies: ten Peacocks, four each of Orange Tips and Specklies, two Small Whites, two Red Admirals and a single Comma.

The Red Admirals were in the same spots as those I've seen on all the recent walks, and I'm pretty sure they are the same two I'm seeing each time. This is one of them.

Specklies are turning up everywhere, and all of today's sightings were well-separated and nowhere near their usual hotspots.

Unusually, the intermittent nature of the sunshine was not grounding the Orange Tips in the way it normally does does, so my only shot was of one I hadn't seen flying at all and nearly stepped on.

The Peacocks were very energised too, and rarely stopped for long today.

Nor did the Comma, which hared off into the trees before I could get anywhere near it. However, both the Small Whites I found were exactly the opposite, and allowed close approaches.

I was actually out for less than an hour before the rain came down again.

Dave

[millerd]

Overnight it rained a fair bit once again, but by ten o'clock on Friday 5th April, the rain had cleared to blue sky and blustery winds. However, with so much moisture on the ground the sun just evaporated it into low fluffy clouds within an hour. It was warm though, and the sun/cloud mix was enough to mobilise some of my local butterflies - but not the Brimstones. It has to be much more full-on sunshine to wake them up into full hedgerow patrol mode.

Today's count:

Peacock 11
Orange Tip 7
Speckled Wood 6
Comma 2
Small White 2
Red Admiral 1

It was ideal Orange Tip observation weather: they flew when the sun was out and quickly settled when it wasn't. They could easily be found and approached during the cloudy spells and watched coming back to life when touched by the sun again.

The two Commas seen today posed well too, unlike the others I've seen recently.

Specklies can always be relied upon...

...and with so many Peacocks around, I nearly forgot to tackle one (though it looks as if a bird had already had a crack at this one).

I'm still waiting for the real emergence of Holly Blues to bring things fully into spring here.

Dave

[millerd]

Saturday 6th April: As forecast, a very warm day for early April, but very windy and unfortunately the sunshine was very hazy indeed. However, there was enough strength in it (it's as strong as it is in early September) to encourage the butterflies out.

I made a good start - the first butterfly I saw was a Holly Blue, and with the conditions as they were it was keen to sit and bask. Better still, it was a lovely new female.

During my local walk, I saw another three, all males, and none so cooperative.

Brimstones were flying today - but not for long as the cloud thickened as the day wore on. I watched one select a suitable place to roost and wait for something better.

The other highlight of the day was the first female Orange Tip of 2024. Though it looked normal from above...

...and from one side just looked a bit wonky...

...from the other it appeared very strange indeed.

Overall, I counted 59 butterflies (the highest total of the year so far) with nine species represented. A few others from the mix:

The breakdown of the sightings on the day:

Peacock 19
Orange Tip 9
Speckled Wood 8
Brimstone 7
Holly Blue 4
Small White 4
Red Admiral 3
Comma 3
GVW 2

Dave

[Chris L]

Absolutely awesome photos Dave. Really surprised to see the Orange Tip on the finger photos. I am lucky if I get within 10 foot of one round my way. Do you use Garlic Mustard aftershave?

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of images Dave -especially like the Holly Blue , looks like you've remembered the whispering ways Still can't find an OT over this way despite hours of wandering in their usual haunts...there's still time yet though, fingers crossed...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Great to see such numbers and variety, Dave. We've a fair bit of catching up to do in persistently dank and cloudy south Wales!

[millerd]

Absolutely awesome photos Dave. Really surprised to see the Orange Tip on the finger photos. I am lucky if I get within 10 foot of one round my way. Do you use Garlic Mustard aftershave?

Thank you, Chris! Well, I'm no stranger to garlic... However, there's a knack in approaching Orange Tips, and the current weather with sunny intervals plays a big part. When it's cloudy, they settle on flower heads and go to sleep. In that state they can be gently persuaded to walk onto a finger, and then you wait for the sun to reappear. They then start to open their wings and you have a few seconds to snap away before they fly off.

Cracking set of images Dave -especially like the Holly Blue , looks like you've remembered the whispering ways
Wurzel

Cheers, Wurzel. I'm a bit rusty after the winter, and there have been very few Hollies to practice with so far - but these few have been very amenable, as you'll see.

Great to see such numbers and variety, Dave. We've a fair bit of catching up to do in persistently dank and cloudy south Wales!

I think things have been better over this way for the last couple of weeks, David. Still plenty of rain, but mostly overnight and there have been lots of days with an hour or two of sunshine in them. Hopefully it'll improve in South Wales soon, and you'll be tripping over Holly Blues in Cwm Ivy as usual!

Sunday 7th April. It remained just as windy as Saturday, but instead of hazy sunshine, there were bright sunny intervals which became shorter and shorter as the day progressed. I saw fewer butterflies, but the same nine species all made an appearance.

The first of these was a female Orange Tip, with noticeably bold markings. I saw this individual at the start of my walk, and she was still flying around the same spot when I came back some while later. Her preferred spot was on a wild rape plant, to which she frequently returned. Whilst sitting atop the flowerhead she appeared to be going through the motions of laying, but there were no eggs that I could discover afterwards.

She was also happy to wander onto a finger.

The next butterfly I encountered I disturbed from a patch of soggy ground where it had been puddling. A male Holly Blue, it flew up to a nearby bit of bramble and (like me) patiently waited for the sun to come out again.

The slightest hint of sun, and it would twitch its wing open a little.

It turned around and appeared to try and stare me down...

..and was briefly joined by a handsome hoverfly.

At last, there was a longer bit of sunshine, and it took advantage.

A couple of fresh male GVW occupied most of the rest of my camera time. These butterflies seem intensely white at this time of year and dazzle the lens somewhat.

However, they have very attractive undersides.

Among the other butterflies...

...plus a well-marked female Speckled Wood that seemed more orange than usual.

There was also a splendid Comma, completely unmarked from hibernation, looking almost as fresh as it would have done back in October.

At the end of my walk, there was a different Red Admiral - not one of the territorial males, but a female egg-laying.

Dave

[millerd]

Monday 8th April was much less windy, and quite a bit warmer than Sunday, with temperatures reaching 18 degrees locally. However, it was often cloudy and a lot of the sunshine was hazy, giving the day a bit of a muggy feel. However, I saw quite a few butterflies - all ten of the species seen here this year made an appearance.

I started the day by popping round to post a letter (remember those?). As I passed close to a bit of hedge intertwined with ivy, something fluttered across my vision. I looked up, and peering back down at me was this little chap.

Disturbed by someone coming the other way, it relocated lower down.

Here is a bit of context, demonstrating that the Holly Blue is quite at home in a suburban setting.

It was fairly early, and the sun not particularly strong, so the butterfly stretched its wings wide.

Its a good thing I'd popped the camera in my pocket out of habit.

After returning home to drop my coat off, I set off on my usual walk, but extended it over a greater area now that things had dried out a bit. My next encounter was with a male Orange Tip, just warming up for the day.

Nearby were several Peacocks as usual...

...and a Specklie.

As I carried on, there were one or two more of both these species, but the next butterfly I concentrated on was a Green-veined White. Over the last couple of days, I've seen more of these than I have Small Whites. They are as fond of garlic mustard as the Orange Tips and this is where it was sitting.

While concentrating on the GVW I actually nearly missed an Orange Tip waiting for the sunshine on another flower nearby.

I then set off round the perimeter of the large open grassland area between the M25 and the River Colne, and the most noticeable aspect of this bit of my walk was disturbing Peacocks from the grass every 25 metres or so. In amongst them I found a single Small Tortoiseshell (which flew off as I approached), one or two Brimstones and a couple of Small Whites. I spotted another White flying much more daintily and nearer the ground, and as I expected this turned out to be a female GVW.

About 20 minutes later, I came across another one.

The cloud now increased and put a bit of a dampener on events, so I returned home for lunch. However, things improved again later, so I had a second bite of the cherry in the afternoon. I shall therefore split this post or it will get a bit overloaded...

Dave