PhilBWright

[Wurzel]

Lovely video Phil - I'll have to re-watch this around November time to cheer myself up when in the winter gloom

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to see what Chambers Farm Wood looks like, Phil. Other than Silver Washed, does it have any other violet feeding Fritillaries?

[PhilBJohnson]

Thanks for the replies.
Chambers Farm Wood, was known for having Silver-washed Fritillary and scabious feeding Marsh Fritillary larvae.

April 21st 2022
Our Orange-tip emerging from pupa video link, now saved in high definition (1080p):

https://youtu.be/Ak_UM_rQjfs

Kind Regards,

Philip

[PhilBJohnson]

If “outstar” (skin) number one, was an egg shell

Orange-tip “outstar” No.7

#Frohawk

Background Info:
"OTie" Orange-tip butterfly, caterpillar pupated on June 24th 2021 and kept outside for approximately 10 months, undergoing natural seasonal changes until April 18th 2022, to coincide with it's species traditional larval food plant and favourite nectar sources, flowering.
The Wild Orange-tip flight period had already started in Lincolnshire.
The butterfly emerged from pupa and was released on April 21st 2022, into garden, where egg was oviposited last year.

On April 18th 2022, as the pupa's orange wing markings, started to form, it became less camouflaged and more vulnerable to predators, so a decision was made to relocate it from a garden, let it emerge in a habitat cage, protected from predators and then released, once it's wings had dried.
Observations showed, during final stages (last day) of development, antennae darkened, abdomen darkened and black dot on forewing, became more pronounced.

https://youtu.be/EiBcPVjvoeU

[PhilBJohnson]

"A love of nature generates a strong sense of duty of care"
Reference: A butterfly rescue keeps the orange flame alive
Matthew Oates, Nature Notebook, The Times 16th April 2022

Regarding the Orange-tip butterfly, how my approach, might have differed slightly.
Vases, traditionally had a wide open top, to display cut flowers. Diet Coke bottles, in their handy four grouping, with their cardboard carry handle they came in, provided a stable base, much harder to knock over accidentally, than a vase and were a better shape, narrow at the top, for less water evaporation into the air and possibly less risk of caterpillar drowning somehow.
Bringing part of a Life cycle indoors, for scientific survey observations, might be what secretive Butterfly Conservationists hated, as some did not want others following suit, speeding up (or slow cooling) their life cycle, so that the butterflies appeared in their own wild spaces, outside of the flowering time of their larval food plants, in which their own butterfly bodies were made up of and evolutionarily dependant upon. With the Orange-tip butterfly, this was specifically an important point, as generally, the caterpillars fed mainly on developing seedpods, from Spring flowering biennials and a perennial, in the brassicaceae wider family.

With increased urbanisation, we must remember that our gardens our are own managed spaces. While some hypocrites might have trapped moles, killed squirrels, exterminated bees that swarmed, baited slugs, snails and watched their cats hunt birds, exclaiming it to be natural behaviour, then banning a butterfly egg laid in someone else's garden, from entering that person's property, for their own moral conduct code of "leave wildlife alone" to be ignorantly, not left to thrive, needed to be seen, at very least as protruding too far!

Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

BC, Garden team advised:
If one had grown Garlic mustard in a large pot, with enough water absorption from the base (or preferably, internal pot water collection), so that the female Orange-tip butterfly finds them flowering easily, place them in a south, southwest or west facing location (a sunny location, or in afternoon sun), not where the plant thrived less grazed, under Jack’s north facing hedge.
During Orange-tip early stages, a relocated pot, where the caterpillars found camouflage, amongst 3-4mm diameter overwintered woody twigs.
Don’t wait for the later caterpillar instar stages 3-5 to do this, as other predatory wildlife (particularly birds) might find changes in their hunting environment, stimulating. Once one large caterpillar becomes a meal, then a bird being successful, will almost certainly, come back for more.
If uncertain, one might try protection with a micro mesh habitat cage, during their most vulnerable transitions.

[PhilBJohnson]

Orange-tip butterfly (OT) in Lincolnshire Garden. Diary notes.

April 21st 2022

“OTie” (male OT) emerged from pupa, having bee brought indoors on April 18th for science study. Released also on April 21st, when outside micro climatic temperature was warm enough in direct sunlight for flight. (General weather app temperature 13-14ºC

April 22nd 2022

Unnamed male OT emerged from pupa, kept outdoors as pupa since June 2021. Released also on April 22nd, encouraged to cling on to top of Garlic mustard flower head, to gain future flight strength energy.

April 23rd-28th

Slow (or paused) pupal development. General weather app high temperatures, mostly 9-11ºC, with winds from north and north east.

Notes from BBC weather app, location near Lincoln
Friday 29th April
10:00am-2:00pm
General forecast 9-11°C. Light winds from the North East.
In direct sunlight, it felt much warmer than forecast (t-shirt working weather).

Our last three OT emerged, all before 11:00am. Two male (OT) from habitat cage, left in sheltered (part shade) environment. The pupa had been outside in a garden, going through natural seasonal changes, since June 2021 (not refrigerated over winter).
The other OT (“OTelia”) was a female that was left insitu, that had pupated on native honeysuckle at the back of a garden last June.
“OTelia” had gone through full life cycle outdoor seasonal changes from being left as an egg last end of May, or early June.

Saturday April 30th 2022
12°C by 11:00am to 16°C by 3:00pm
Full sun then part white cloud. Habitat cage emptied. One OT pupal case, that did not have a butterfly emerge was held up to the sky and "backlit" by the sun, to make sure it was butterfly empty.

"Butterfly Empty" pupal case. An unnamed chrysalis was found in corner of habitat cage, looking like a smaller version of a fisherman's caster, presumed to be an Orange-tip parasite. It was squashed before record (possible scientific mistake).

"Out, Star!"

April 30th 8:51am Roosted position. Camauflaged on top of Garlic mustard (Primary larval food plant), that also might provide nectar source or chemical sedative (Comfort sleep?) Before flight warmth, in direct sunlight, butterfly kept wings closed, but tilted it's wings, to be perpendicular to direct sunlight, to capture more warmth, for first morning flight.

Warning ! These are mobile iPhone images. If one has a camera where one views through the lens, please do not point it, in the direction of the sun, for the sake of one’s eyes,
Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

Orange-tip butterfly, Egg Survey May 2nd 2022, Lincolnshire.
I saw my first of the year, Orange-tip butterfly egg recently. One might look out for them first, on slightly taller Garlic mustard plants (where seed pods had started to develop) and where plant received some afternoon direct sunlight (part shade).
It was thought that the OT females will do their thing, in the next 3-4 weeks, in the weather spells, with direct sunlight.
Please do not trample habitat, keep to a path and follow The Countryside Code of respecting wildlife.

Near Boultham Park, Lincolnshire. May 2nd 2022

A favourite size overwintering woody twig, for a larva to pupate on, was thought to be 3-4mm diameter

Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

A Countenance Survey of Butterflies
“Horseshoe vetch chalkhill blue” (CB)
Chalkhill blue
Before two World wars, which prompted more land use change to farming, to feed human populations without wartime rations, this butterfly was thought to be locally common, in places, on the Lincolnshire Wolds (Chalk hills), which formed some of CB's most northerly populations in the United Kingdom.
A Common name “Chalkhill blue” helped someone identify a habitat it was found in (for example, the South Downs) but it also occurred on Limestone downland, suggesting that Horseshoe vetch liked “poor” (easier to compete with vigorous grasses), alkaline top soil, to grow in.
A Common name also connected with a chalky blue dusting appearance of a male butterfly. For people wanting to see more of these butterflies, an important thing to remember was:
“No Horseshoe vetch, no sustainable population of Chalkhill blue”
As a child I remembered this butterfly in meadows with Chalk geology, along with Adonis blue butterfly (Another habitat site specific dependant on Horseshoe vetch) and Marbled white butterfly.

Chalkhill blue
“It has one generation that flies in July and August, and their eggs hatch in the spring when the larvae begin feeding on their sole food plant, horseshoe vetch”
Reference- Page 20,, A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies, Jonathan Bradley 2020

"In Volume 1 of the LNU Transactions G.W.Mason describes the Chalkhill Blue as "common in Lincolnshire on chalk... in the 1890s" -Reference Page 192 Butterflies of Lincolnshire by Peter Cawdell & Pete Smith, April 2021
Page 280 Abbreviation- LNU Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union

[PhilBJohnson]

A Countenance Survey of Butterflies
Silver-washed Fritillary (SWF)

For someone, an “obvious” war time loser, was the Silver-washed Fritillary, with vulnerable 1st instar larvae needing to hide in ancient, mature Oak bark crevices to overwinter, rather than in younger, smoother bark.
“Economy stretched during world war time, meant that under economic pressure, many ancient mature Oaks were lost (Specifically noticeable in Lincolnshire). An increased human population trample of violets in winter, that stayed in leaf, unlike wood anemonies, might have also been a factor. 

Popular, progressive “Spring carpet flower power” encouragement, without scientific thought for later seasonal summer Fritillary butterflies, larvae evolutionarily dependant (or needing) the smaller, less significant dog violet flowers, in that shady light-space.

It was considered that Ash and Beech trunk bark might be unsuitably smooth, for first instar larvae hibernation. An Ash woodland might have been rotationally coppiced, not allowing a suitable rugged, old trunk to mature and Pines, if they were used in Sweden, by first instar SWF, at a latitude further north than Scotland, then sometimes tree spacing might have been further apart for ground florae, violet light/space (not too dark and dry), but possibly with a lower Forestry yield, per given area.



“The Silver-washed Fritillary is found primarily in deciduous woodland, although it will occasionally use coniferous woodland or a mix of the two”

and:

“Oak woodland is preferred, with Ash and Beech woodlands appearing unsuitable”

Reference: Page 198 Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies, 2019 Peter Eeles




[PhilBJohnson]

May 27th 2022
Early Grown “June Gap” Nasturtiums,
just starting to flower. Needing to be kept well watered and fed now.
Older varieties with bigger leaves (than some more recent, more flower abundant hybrids) were used for next generation seed collection, later in the summer.

I have yet to identify and witness a less common, over-wintered generation of White butterfly, lay eggs on Spring Nasturtiums.

#FrostTender

Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

“Keeping a yellow flame alive” (Helping the Brimstone species)
Thorny Brimstone Buckthorn (A Brimstone’s dependancy).
Common buckthorn (old name)
“More nationally common Blackthorn (White early Spring blossom before leaf) and more Nationally common Hawthorn (May tree, white or pink blossom flowers after spring leaf) were favourites in a Lincolnshire hedgerow planting scheme.
Relevance was to do with possibly, more than one native species, possible slow decline, in more intensely managed urban environments, with National UK Human Population Growth Increase.

No foraging signs on UK Butterfly Conservation Nature Reserves, might have meant:
No nettle soup
No tummy purged by Buckthorn
No Cookoo flower (Brassicacea) eaten by humans and
More fruit, nuts & berries for wildlife.

#UrbanSprawl #Urbanisation #Nature Reserve


Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

Early Grown "June Gap" Nasturtiums (for aesthetic appeal & seed collecting later)

"June Gap" did not reference a specific cultivar, but a plant's full flower timing, for when there were less Cabbage white butterflies, which were in-between Spring and Summer generations. The nasturtiums were grown from seed indoors to begin with from the beginning of March, outdoors under plastic in April, uncovered from under plastic at beginning of May. When first uncovered from plastic, leaves were kept water misted and plants watered in the shade first, to allow to acclimatise (adjusted to less air humidity). Plants were encouraged to climb.

April 30th 2022

June 14th 2022

June 14th 2022

June 14th 2022. Flowering plants to be kept well watered and fed, some of the older yellowing leaves, which had lost much of their energy providing capacity (and using up light-space) were removed, for aesthetic appeal also.
Think of them, a bit like an early grown tomato plant (grown early, avoiding frost damage, for fruiting longevity).

Gardening for Butterfly Ovipositors
June 14th 2022
Some "broadleaf" native grass (as compared with narrow leaved lawn grass) was kept at the back of a garden, to help with a life cycle of a Speckled wood butterfly. When one was lucky enough to have a colony of "Trefoil Blue" butterflies nearby and grew bird's foot trefoil in their garden, to promote their life cycles, in Lincolnshire, it was coming into flower, so was kept watered and fed.
Consider watering brassica vegetables (if they needed it) early in the morning, rather than late at night. That gave the surface area a chance to dry out during the day, before possible nocturnal slug & snail leaf attack ,in an environment they liked the most.
Pots and water trays might be removed, checked underneath, for slug and snail relocation (it was the big ones that caused the most damage and were food for other wildlife).
In England, the hottest days of the year were forecast for later this week, so use saved water butt water, to keep a garden leaf fresh (like an Oasis). Even an Ash Tree was in leaf now.
All trees drew up moisture from the ground underneath while "umbrella canopying" with leaves, so with that understanding, one might keep those ground flora areas, a little more lush, by watering.
Where Garlic mustard had lost it's aesthetic appeal & was found near front of garden border, for other critiquing eyes, once a plant had been checked for "no Orange-tip butterfly life cycle, top of plant seedpods were removed, which kept this biennial attempting to flower, with greener leaves.
Other Garlic mustard near the back, or more out of sight (under a hedge) was kept for seed collection or dispersal in July.

Kind Regards

[PhilBJohnson]

Old Wood, near Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire.
This was my less hurried version of June 17th 2022, for public view in high definition::
https://youtu.be/0T0FBozoISw

Video clips included an interaction with Silver-washed Fritillary & White Admiral, also the same Silver-washed Fritillary, that chased a Broad-bodied chaser, Dragonfly!
Holly Blue on path near the end, was thought to have been an old first annual Spring generation butterly (Not second annual generation).

Thank you Mrs Melissa Johnson, Life Member of the Woodland Trust

[David M]

Nice footage, Phil. White Admirals are even more elegant in flight in slow motion.

[PhilBJohnson]

Thinking Outside of a Net - Part 2
June 26th 2022
From about now, onwards, near Lincoln, Lincolnshire, expected were many Cabbage White butterflies, looking to oviposit on Brassica.
Early summer Generation
Cabbage White butterflies, were encouraged to look elsewhere, if Brassica was to be grown for eating, or grown on for second summer butterfly generation.
Please see youtube video link:

https://youtu.be/PpyKQTT-__4

Possible Forward Design Improvements
Purpose made, Bamboo Cane toppers, possibly given height in all four corners. Requirements, to stop sharp end and give structural height to the netting above plants
Bigger Elasticated Mosquito Net. Micro-mesh had a multitude of uses. it might also stop carrot fly, etc, or used to protect caterpillars from parasite and/or predators (thinking inside a net).

Kind regards.

[PhilBJohnson]

Brimstone Butterfly
“It was thought that, when a Brimstone butterfly had first emerged from pupa, it’s body was not ready for breeding before hibernation, so for the sake of it’s own longevity (possibly 10 months) it learn’t to hide under leaves, to avoid losing energy in flight interactions and wing damage with other summer White butterflies, that only had a life expectancy of four weeks! It came out of hiding to nectar feed, in preparation for hibernation”

Picture: fresh Male Brimstone,
July 1st 2022, Lincolnshire. An early male that had been outdoors, throughout all it’s immature stages”

Kind Regards,
#Brimstone #ButterflySpeciesConservation

[PhilBJohnson]

Brimstone from Buckthorn July 11th 2022

Immature stages of a Brimstone butterfly, were camouflaged.
I thought that an outdoors Brimstone butterfly emerging from pupa, was rarely witnessed and as seen as a video presentation.
For me, to present this, some hard work was done, trying to understand a butterfly's timing.

Help to understand a Method Statement
For long "Stakeout" video clips, an external power supply, was used to keep mobile phone battery charged and in sunny July temperatures up to 30ºC and light winds, Something was used to keep an iPhone in the shade, to prevent overheating in direct sunlight.
Before butterfly emerged, many long field data, video clips, were deleted to save iPhone storage space.

A female Brimstone emerged from pupa on July 11th from a Rhamnus cathartica (Buckthorn) in a Lincolnshire Garden
Please see youtube video link:

https://youtu.be/C6mLakDbtSY

"oops, I know butterflies emerge, not pupae"

Kind Regards

[David M]

Superb sequence, Phil. You've clearly invested a great deal of time and effort into doing that and the result is spectacular.

Just shows how vulnerable a time it is for a butterfly when it emerges from the pupa.

[PhilBJohnson]

Thank you, David for your kind comments.

A female Brimstone butterfly’s first flight

After taking a long time to dry her wings and rest (one was timed at approximately 4 hours & 17 minutes), just prior to take off, for the first time, a female Brimstone quivers (or shakes like a leaf).
Flight dispersal
In first flight, she was often engaged & harassed immediately, by male Green-veined White, male Small White or male Large White, where she will learn quickly, to hide under a leaf, to avoid wing damage and to protect her life expectancy of, up to 10 months, compared with 3-4 weeks, of the other white species mentioned.
As she probably will not breed until the Spring, she will need to find nectar rich plants to feed on, to prepare for hibernation, when “the coast is clear”

Kind regards