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First Butterflies 2024 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter aeshna5
- Start date
WalterRayle
Well-known member
My first Marbled White in S. Hants on Monday 17/06 and another at a different site yesterday 18/06 along with first Gatekeeper too.
Success today on the Silver-studded Blue front at Chobham Common. Sunshine to start but unexpected high cloud from just after midday, The advantage of the latter was many of the SS Blues were just sitting on the short Bell Heather posing. All were very fresh & all 24 were males, so females not started to emerge.
Other butterflies were very scarce with c10 Meadow Browns, a Ringlet, 4 Small Heath & a single Large Skipper. Not a single moth was seen flying about-not even any micros.
Insect numbers overall very low. Other than quite a few Honey Bees on bramble flowers the only other bee I saw was a leafcutter species, no hoverflies, a couple of Ammophila sand wasps & their parasitoid, the beefly, Thyridanthrax fenestratus.
A handful of common Odonata plus a brief male Keeled Skimmer & a Hairy Dragonfly; the latter not one I expect to see here.
Other butterflies were very scarce with c10 Meadow Browns, a Ringlet, 4 Small Heath & a single Large Skipper. Not a single moth was seen flying about-not even any micros.
Insect numbers overall very low. Other than quite a few Honey Bees on bramble flowers the only other bee I saw was a leafcutter species, no hoverflies, a couple of Ammophila sand wasps & their parasitoid, the beefly, Thyridanthrax fenestratus.
A handful of common Odonata plus a brief male Keeled Skimmer & a Hairy Dragonfly; the latter not one I expect to see here.
My first Marbled Whites locally today with 46 counted on Ealing's Horsenden Hill. Only Meadow Brown more numerous. Very little else- a Ringlet, Comma & 2 Holly Blues. A few 6-spot Burnets. Dipped on White-letter Hairstreak-one was photographed there a couple of days ago on bramble blossom.
Otherwise Emperors hunting over the meadows & the longhorn beetle, Rutpela maculata & a beefly, Villa cingulata.
Otherwise Emperors hunting over the meadows & the longhorn beetle, Rutpela maculata & a beefly, Villa cingulata.
Xenospiza
Distracted
I was in North Hessen two weeks ago and the usually butterfly-filled chalk grasslands were poor. Similar news from Belgium.
All those bone-dry years followed by a 12-month deluge...
My major butterfly find this year was stumbling onto the secret Dutch location of Small Blue. I assumed I was at the site when I saw some nice kidney vetch...
cafe birder
Well-known member
White-letter hairstreaks performing OK in Plymouth but not as close as hoped
cafe birder
Well-known member
Clive Watson
Well-known member
Quick summary of Cumbria butterflies from last week:
Finally got Mountain Ringlet at Irton Fell on 20/6/24 after three years of trying. Speaking to people, it seems that the lower colony is doing pretty badly with just odd ones and twos seen in the last couple of years, but the higher colony at Greathall Gill is much healthier. We saw about 50 between the cairn and the Gill.
A couple of Large Heath at Foulshaw and about six at nearby Meathop Moss.
Latterbarrow was disappointing despite a fantastic floral display with only two Northern Brown Argus seen in about an hour's search.
Finally got Mountain Ringlet at Irton Fell on 20/6/24 after three years of trying. Speaking to people, it seems that the lower colony is doing pretty badly with just odd ones and twos seen in the last couple of years, but the higher colony at Greathall Gill is much healthier. We saw about 50 between the cairn and the Gill.
A couple of Large Heath at Foulshaw and about six at nearby Meathop Moss.
Latterbarrow was disappointing despite a fantastic floral display with only two Northern Brown Argus seen in about an hour's search.
Xenospiza
Distracted
Also after multiple attempts over the past years, I finally managed to see Poplar Admiral.
The first time I was at the location, I didn't know it occurred, but amazingly I met someone who had just seen one. I have never seen anyone interested in nature there since (the handful I saw today meant it was "busy").
It was still difficult enough: I had walked past all the aspen twice and decided that I should have another try before heading on to my next target.
Then I saw it fly (not good enough with both emperors and White Admiral also possible) and had to wait another 20 minutes until it flew around in the top of an aspen tree. Of course this was just when the first gale of the day decided to blow, but it held on long enough for me to get some pictures.
The first time I was at the location, I didn't know it occurred, but amazingly I met someone who had just seen one. I have never seen anyone interested in nature there since (the handful I saw today meant it was "busy").
It was still difficult enough: I had walked past all the aspen twice and decided that I should have another try before heading on to my next target.
Then I saw it fly (not good enough with both emperors and White Admiral also possible) and had to wait another 20 minutes until it flew around in the top of an aspen tree. Of course this was just when the first gale of the day decided to blow, but it held on long enough for me to get some pictures.
cafe birder
Well-known member
My first Purple Emperors for two decades at Alice Holt today. Several White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries present plus some treetop purple hair streaks. PE and WA pics
KenM
Well-known member
Today will go down as a momentous one for me!
At 12.10 a large slow gliding butterfly watched for a minute+ before disappearing over a neighbour’s house.
Apart from a single flap, it proceeded gliding slowly (never seen a big butterfly fly as this, have to presume it must have been a female P.Emperor.
At 12.55 I caught sight of a White Admiral (NFG) flying out of/ through my honeysuckle hedge.
If that wasn’t enough, a 2nd (NFG) alighted on my Buddlaia….unlike the other two, this I was able to image, in football parlance a “hat trick”, global warming?, this would have been impossible 5 years ago at this locale.😮
At 12.10 a large slow gliding butterfly watched for a minute+ before disappearing over a neighbour’s house.
Apart from a single flap, it proceeded gliding slowly (never seen a big butterfly fly as this, have to presume it must have been a female P.Emperor.
At 12.55 I caught sight of a White Admiral (NFG) flying out of/ through my honeysuckle hedge.
If that wasn’t enough, a 2nd (NFG) alighted on my Buddlaia….unlike the other two, this I was able to image, in football parlance a “hat trick”, global warming?, this would have been impossible 5 years ago at this locale.😮
Attachments
Guess we're now approaching the time of the year for the last species to emerge.
Walking around my local Sunday patch I was pleased to find my first 2 Brown Hairstreaks of the year. This is a species that seems to have very successfully colonised some of the west London suburbs in recent years.
Walking around my local Sunday patch I was pleased to find my first 2 Brown Hairstreaks of the year. This is a species that seems to have very successfully colonised some of the west London suburbs in recent years.
KenM
Well-known member
Still one I need to get to grips with A 😩
earthdragon64
Lurker
Saw my first Scotch Argus of the year yesterday at a mothing event at Insh Marshes RSPB reserve near Kingussie.
