Butterfly Diary
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field notes by Adrian Hoskins
note :
earliest
sightings of each brood are in bold type
2012
Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jly
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
March
Friday 30th March
No
less than 3 Large Tortoiseshells were recorded today in southern
England, bringing the total seen this year to 4 specimens. Two
different individuals of this great rarity were seen and
photographed by different observers at Walter's Copse on the Isle
of Wight; and on the Hampshire coast another specimen was seen and
photographed basking on a tree trunk on a busy main road at
Warblington. This gorgeous butterfly became extinct in Britain in
the late 1980s - early 1990's but there can now be little doubt
now that it is beginning to recolonise the southern
coast of Britain, either as a result of migrations from Europe, or
due to an unpublicised reintroduction program.
Other records for
today included 2 Small Blues seen at Afton Down on the Isle
of Wight, 5 Grizzled Skippers at Mill Hill in Sussex, and no less
than 14 Orange tips at Stansted Forest, also in Sussex.
Thursday 29th March
The first
Green Hairstreak of 2012 was reported today from Beacon Hill
NNR near Exton in Hants.
Tuesday 27th March
Grizzled Skippers
have now been reported from Ramsdean Down and Magdalen Hill Down
in Hants. Holly Blue, Orange tip, Small White and Speckled Wood
numbers are building slowly at sites across Hampshire, Sussex and
Dorset. As predicted Small Copper has now started to emerge
at Ballard Down in Dorset. Another Large Tortoiseshell has been
reported, this time from Walters Copse on the Isle of Wight. This
species has been reported several times on the Isle of Wight in
recent years although as yet there is no evidence of breeding.
Saturday 24th March
Emily and myself
visited one of our favourite haunts today, Stansted Forest in West
Sussex. Among the butterflies we saw were 8 Commas, 5 Peacocks, 1
Red Admiral, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Small White and 9
Brimstones. We also found an Orange tip chrysalis with its wing
patterns just beginning to show through.
Several
sightings of all the above-mentioned butterflies were also
reported from sites across the south of England. The first
Grizzled Skippers of the year were seen at Mill Hill in Sussex
today, and with warm sunny weather forecast for the rest of the
week we can expect to see Green Hairstreaks and Small Coppers
putting in an appearance very soon!
Peacock,
Inachis io Stansted Forest, West
Sussex
Friday 23rd March
The first
Green-veined White of 2012 was reported today from Blackstone
in Sussex.
Wednesday 21st March
The first Orange
tip sightings of the year came today from Weston Colley in
Hampshire, and from Henfield and Stedham in Sussex. Other
sightings included a Speckled Wood at Woodhouse Copse on
the Isle of Wight, a Holly Blue was reported from Chichester in
Sussex. Brimstones, Peacocks and Commas are being reported from
many sites in the southern counties of England now. Small Whites
are starting to emerge in low numbers, and there are still plenty
of battered Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells to be seen.
Thursday 15th March
The second Holly
Blue reported this year was seen at Cowes on the Isle of Wight
today. Hampshire sightings included several Small Tortoiseshells,
Red Admirals, Commas, Brimstones and Peacocks. A similar range of
species were reported from Sussex, which also produced 2 Small
Whites seen in a garden at Rye.
Wednesday 14th March
Today a Large
Tortoiseshell was seen and photographed at Plymouth. It is
likely that the insect emerged last July and almost immediately
went into hibernation, hence the fresh appearance of the specimen
photographed. It is possible that the butterfly was the progeny of
a small and previously undetected resident population. It is more
likely though that this sighting represents a captive-bred
butterfly of European origin that escaped or was released last
summer. The Large Tortoiseshell is widely available as livestock
from entomological dealers, and is commonly released.
Monday 12th March
Another fine
spring day brought many records from the southern counties of
England. Brimstones and Commas were recorded at numerous sites in
Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. There
were also several records of Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Red
Admirals and Small Whites.
Sunday 11th March
Spring has
finally arrived in Leicester! We had a clear blue sky all day and
the temperature reached a staggering 17°C. We took this as a
signal to go on a 3 hour long walk around the fields and lanes
east of Oadby, and during this time we were lucky enough to see 3
Commas, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Peacock and 3 Brimstones.
Sightings of these species were also reported from West Sussex and
Hampshire. Unsurprisingly the most interesting sighting of the day
also came from Hants, where the first Holly Blue of the
year was seen in a garden at Fareham. The first 2012 Large
White was also reported today, from Uckfield in Sussex.
Comma,
Polygonia c-album
Monday 5th March
Here in Leicester
there have been no signs of lepidoptera since the Grey
Shoulder-knot moth which I found on a tree trunk back in January,
but on a visit to Hampshire a couple of days ago I spotted a
Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla.
Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla
Thursday 1st March
Today there were
reports of Brimstones from Northington Down and Winchester in
Hampshire, and from Steyning in West Sussex. The latter site also
produced a pair of Small Tortoiseshells
that were seen nectaring together on blackthorn blossom.
Red Admirals were seen at several sites including Fleet, Gosport
and the New Forest. Other species reported included a
Peacock at
Grayshott in Hants, and a Comma seen at Woodhouse Copse on the
Isle of Wight.
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