[firstreesjohn]

A gentle stroll around a bit of Holt Lowes gave me my second (!) Brimstone of the year and first Large Skipper.

Several Speckled Woods, but NO OTHER BUTTERFLIES, provided a supporting cast.

[Paul Woolnough]

The only butterfly I saw at Strumshaw last Saturday was a male brimstone in the overflow car park.

Two tetrads Fifers Lane Norwich
TG2012 could not get in work's side gate early am. Rode bike along grass inside hedge to main entrance and put up a meadow brown - "year tick"
TG2212 walked around rough ground / open area at industrial estate lunchtime - three meadow browns (with two about to pair up?) and in the trees a single speckled wood
There should be blue and white butterflies of various species in this area but none seen.

[HarassedDad]

I would say a combination of weather directly - killing individuals through cold and wet - and weather indirectly - many nectar sources were late flowering because of the dire April we had. So when they did finally bloom there were very few leps to take advantage.
Another effect is that low temperatures delay maturity, so caterpillars take longer to get to pupating, and pupate for longer. In the past we have had years where 34 species had been seen by the end of June: we're currently at 26 this year with 5 days to go. So there's still hope that numbers will improve for those species we're waiting for:
Gatekeeper, Greyling, Essex Skipper, White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks, White Admiral, Dark-Green and Silver-washed Frits and Chalkhill Blue. And there's second broods to come for many species. So there's some hope that we might salvage something if the jet stream moves north and the weather improves.

I'd speculate that Speckled Wood have not been as badly affected because they're more sheltered from rain and wind in woodlands.

[O.Reville1989]

Around 5 Speckled Wood, 2 Large Skipper and 1 Ringlet the only butterflies at Foxley Wood seen today.

[James Emerson]

I saw my first Red Admiral of the year near the bird screen at Thorpe Station Marsh today (TG269079).

[Robert S J Smith]

Painted Lady feeding on some flowers on Hunstanton promenade this evening.

[HarassedDad]

Dark-green fritillary and white admiral are now reported from elsewhere in the country, so they ought to be about this weekend. If anyone's about the coast it's worth looking for them. Several new brood Brimstones and Red Admirals about, and there seems to have been a small movement of Small torts in from the continent this week.

[Tideliner]

Just had my first 2 large skippers ( a bit late i know ) but what was intersting both were very small individuals , could be one of the effects of this late summer I guess. Good numbers of red Admirals at Stiffkey later on , with the red v darters turning up a few miles along the coast could these be migrants .

Also a very bright orange butterfly caught out of the corner of my eye while driving along a track at Swanton Novers . Might have been a very bright comma , but I do not think so , first of this years SW frits ? No white admirals yet !!

[Penny Clarke]

Ringlet, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood at Sculthorpe Moore Nature Reserve today.

Penny

[Paul Woolnough]

Upton Fen
A few large skippers, out at last
Many ringlets and meadow browns
A few red admirals
One washed out (perhaps literally!) peacock
One small white sped close by (not many whites about!)
No swallowtails

[HarassedDad]

I've had the first report of Essex skipper today. Breydon south bank briefly today produced 6 Small Heath, 6 small torts, 5 Red Admirals and a Green-veined White despite the stiff breeze. The small torts and red admirals might have been immigrants from yesterday stalled by the wind given that there were none about there yesterday morning in much better conditions.

Update: Dark-green reported from Horsey Saturday.

[Lightthiscandle]

Today at Buckenham / Strumpshaw: 6 Meadow Brown, 1 Gatekeeper, 1 Small White, 1 Purple Hairstreak, 2 Small Tort, 2 Red Admiral. 1 Peacock.

[HarassedDad]

First White-letter Hairstreak of the year reported today. I was actually thinking things were going to improve until I saw the weather forecast for tonight: 2ins of rain!

[Lightthiscandle]

Saw two hairstreaks this pm on elm near Hemblington Church: pretty sure they were WL, but couldn't get a photo....
Loads of Red Admirals today.

[Paul Woolnough]

Had time this week to do a couple of botanical and butterfly surveys in single kilometre squares, walking along public footpaths

A few meadow browns and ringlets about. Large skipper in one of the two squares. No blues. A single small white in both squares the only white seen.

[tootsietim]

Buxton Heath.
At least 8 male and 2 female Silver Studded Blues.
Three Meadow browns, A large White, a speckled wood and a skipper species (possibly a large but not very big, if that makes sense)

Also a Ringlet and Red Admiral on Barn road, Norwich this morning.

[Paul Woolnough]

No swallowtails at Strumpshaw mid afternoon but three large whites plus red admirals, ringlets and meadow browns.

Did not see any large whites in June at all.

[firstreesjohn]

One near Holt Country Park this afternoon.

[Tideliner]

My first small skipper of the year a Swanton Novers today , still no white admirals or purple hairstreaks. A butterfly survey today found just 7 species and 141 butterflies when I would expect 11-12 species and perhaps 400 - 500 butterflies.

[firstreesjohn]

In several strokes of luck, I spotted the beauty of high rank (well, it is an Admiral!) below, in a hedge near Holt.

I only had a few seconds, before a deluge of Old Testament proportions dropped from the impressively black-clouded heavens and nearly washed away both the poor creature and myself.

It’s only the second I’ve seen this ‘summer’.

[HarassedDad]

First Gatekeeper reported yesterday. That only leaves Chalkhill to emerge this year (plus various second broods of course).

[Paul Woolnough]

On the BBC Breakfast News Thursday 12 July, there was a plug for the upcoming Butterfly Conservation Big Butterfly Count survey, starting this Saturday 14 July.

Presenter said "can you tell the difference between marbled white and large skipper?" Photos of both shown.

Other pictures sent in by viewers were shown, one or two I would not have saved or shown to people.

The presenter said this butterfly (and made the point it was not they who had identified it) was a bath white. Taken in some one's garden

It was a magpie moth

[HarassedDad]

Originally Posted by Lightthiscandle

Today at Buckenham / Strumpshaw: 6 Meadow Brown, 1 Gatekeeper, 1 Small White, 1 Purple Hairstreak, 2 Small Tort, 2 Red Admiral. 1 Peacock.

Whoops! Sorry, I'd missed this.

The presenter said this butterfly (and made the point it was not they who had identified it) was a bath white. Taken in some one's garden

I remember seeing a "This Morning" a few years ago where they had asked for viewers' photos of wildlife in their garden. The presenters were trying to name the creatures: result was Sparrowhawk called as Peregrine and Small Tort as Peacock. I doubt the general public could correctly Id anything other than a Swan.

[jimbob]

Completed my first Big Butterfly Count this afternoon, at Catfield Fen.

I wonder if any of the forum members are familiar with this site? This was my first visit, and whilst I 'found' the right spot, there was no map or marked trail to follow. Did I get it right?
From Catfield village, I headed down Church Road, Hall Road and finally Fenside. At a small Staithe, I parked up and headed out on foot. The track then spilt in two; the main 'road' appeared to lead to someone's house (?), so naturally I avoided this and walked left which led to the fen itself.
I walked until I was tired, ended up near the remains of an old mill and felt I was heading towards How Hill, so turned back. Could I have kept going?!

Anyway, Butterflies. 2 Swallowtail, 3 Ringlet, 5+ Small Tort and 2 Red Admiral. Suprised to see the Swallowtail this late in the season, but really hoped for more than the above. A tough season.

Cheers,
Jim.

[ben_lewis]

Originally Posted by jimbob

Did I get it right?
Jim.

Sounds right to me Jim, if you park just before the house with the barky dog you can walk West along a small track until you get to the 'rond' which heads south then kinks to the east sharply, heads toward the old mill and then kinks south again. I am not sure how far you are 'allowed' to walk south along this path but from by Bittern research days you can walk quite far south and end up at Mud Point right on the river. I had a bit of an experience with a large red deer stag around there one night after dark(!)

I spent all last week in this area and a bit further north carrying out fen plant quadrats, weather was pretty poor but there were quite a few Swallowtails around when the sun shone, max of 6 individuals seen on one of the days.