Norfolk Butterflies and Moths (3 Viewers)

[ChrisBish]

My first Small Tort of the year made the most of the sun today in Thetford, although it didn't pose in the best of positions for photography!

 

[MarcusN]

Brimstone near Swaffham today

 

[Tideliner]

Two Small Tortoiseshell at Blakney this morning. My first butterflies of the year.

 

[firstreesjohn]

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2696488&postcount=19711

See above, for Small Tortoiseshell at Walsey Hills.

 

[Tideliner]

My first comma of the year on Wenesday at Swanton Novers despite the cold wind , it was in a sunken lane in the sun where it must have been a little warmer than the surrounding fields.

 

[ChrisBish]

5 sightings of butterflies today in my garden but only 2 were 100% identifiable, both of which were Small Torts. Of the others, 1 was probably a Comma while another was very dark and most likely to have been a Peacock.

 

[ChrisBish]

A bit more butterfly activity today in the garden included 2 firsts for the year - a definite Comma and 2 Brimstone. A couple of Small Tort made this my best day for butterflies so far this year.

 

[dendroica]

Brimstone in Taverham this afternoon - first butterfly of the year for me.

 

[Archie Opteryx]

Small Tortoiseshell at Happisburgh this afternoon.

 

[tootsietim]

Comma basking in Notcutts garden centre this morning.
A brimstone and comma seen in my old Catton garden this afternoon.

 

[Nick Robinson]

To mothers that use a light trap,
Do you run your trap in the rain? The reason why I ask is that I've always not run as I believed that moths didn't fly in the rain. So, do you run your trap in the rain?
Cheers,
Nick

 

[rob lee]

Hi Nick

I`ve heard some people say that trapping in light rain can bring good results but I would definitely draw the line at heavy rain.
Personally I tend not to trap if anything more than occasional light showers are forecast overnight, as I dont think its fair on the moths, with the extra hazard of drowning or getting stuck to the outside of the trap being the main reasons. However, if your bulb & electrics are protected from water & you want to give it a go then there is no reason why you would`nt get some moths.

Rob.

 

[Tideliner]

Nick some of my best nights moth trapping have come on warm evenings with light steady rain , sometimes in quite heavy stuff too. But beware you run the risk of high mortality if the trap is unattended and\or not under shelter. Micros and pugs tend to become very bedragled. I run 3 actinics and have them under cover ( under a plastic table ) on rainy nights provided its not windy and 100 plus catches per trap on wet nights is not uncommon. I also sometime trap in an open dutch barn in wet conditions again with good results. There is a high risk with MV traps of the bulb exploding if rain hits it. Not sure if you are using a MV or Actnic traps , but if the latter try placing it under a bush rather than in the open , it will catch a lot better , espically on cool nights and you will catch species that rarely come to a MV trap. I run the traps 3 nights a week in three scattered sites around my woodland reserve from April to September and now have a list of species of over 600.

 

[rob lee]

Small Tortoiseshell

Another one woke from its slumbers today before flying off in to the spring sunshine. My third since the weekend, but yet to see any other species apart from a very brief Brimstone in the even briefer warm snap we had about a month ago, or did I dream that ?

 

[stevecbrum]

Had 6 small tortoiseshell on Costessey marsh yesterday

 

[jimbob]

Many Orange Underwing Moths flying yesterday near Thetford, and a stunning male Brimstone Butterfly.

Jim.

 

[stevecbrum]

Brimstone in Costessey today, plus 3 small tortoiseshell on Costessey marsh.

 

[ChrisBish]

Brimstone at Spooner Row today.

 

[jimbob]

Brimstone, 2 Small Tortoiseshell at Rockland and a Peacock at Surlingham today.

Jim.

 

[HarassedDad]

A very pale female brimstone had me thinking Large white for a second today. I have had a single report of Small White: a dead individual (recently emerged) photographed 29th March 2013 - I suspect it emerged and promptly froze to death.
Further south however the first Holly Blue and Green Hairstreak have been reported, so a couple of weeks of warm weather and we might catch up.