Lack of butterflies? (1 Viewer)

Keith Dickinson · Aug 27, 2008

I've just done my late survey for the BBS Butterfly Survey. Two hours on site, good conditions and all I had to show for it was a single large white. The early survey gave loads of ringlets, and both small and large whites. I was hoping for maybe peacock and small tortoiseshells.
Is there a lack of butterflies this year?

Peewit · Aug 27, 2008

Keith Dickinson said:
I've just done my late survey for the BBS Butterfly Survey. Two hours on site, good conditions and all I had to show for it was a single large white. The early survey gave loads of ringlets, and both small and large whites. I was hoping for maybe peacock and small tortoiseshells.
Is there a lack of butterflies this year?

hi Keith

Yes, I think that there has been a lack of Butterflies this year, and the ones which have appeared have done so quite late on in the year.

There have been lots of whites, a few Red Admirals, a few Peacocks, one sighting of a pair of Brimstones, a Comma or two, and a few Holly blues from what I can remember in my own garden area.

No Small Tortoiseshells here sadly though we had a couple last year.

It feels different this year compared with last year. I wish your survey had some better news attached.

Are you doing any more surveys this year or is this the last one that you do now until next year?

Kathy
x

Karl J · Aug 28, 2008

i'm fairly sure this was on the news the other week, small toroiseshell in particular. But i can't find the link now

Karl J · Aug 28, 2008

Aha, here it is b

Marmot · Aug 28, 2008

I think they must have all come in this direction, I have never seen so many butterflys of all different kinds here.

harry eales · Aug 28, 2008

Marmot said:
I think they must have all come in this direction, I have never seen so many butterflys of all different kinds here.

In a way I have to agree with Marmot,

Butterfly numbers especially in the NE of England are well down on three years ago, especially after last years 'Monsoon'.

On the Buddlia's in my garden today I had, in a five minute period, 4 Commas,
seven Small Tortoiseshells, six Peacocks and three Red Admirals. Plus an assortment of Large, Small and Green-veined Whites.

Three years ago there would have been at least five or ten times times that number.

Sorry folks, some years are good and others are bad.

Harry

Capercaillie71 · Aug 29, 2008

I think they are all up here. There were 50+ Peacocks on the Buddleia in my garden yesterday. Amazing considering they were a real rarity here until 5-10 years ago. Very few tortoiseshells though, which used to be by far the most common butterfly on the Buddleia before the peacocks spread north.

Peewit · Aug 29, 2008

Capercaillie71 said:
I think they are all up here. There were 50+ Peacocks on the Buddleia in my garden yesterday. Amazing considering they were a real rarity here until 5-10 years ago. Very few tortoiseshells though, which used to be by far the most common butterfly on the Buddleia before the peacocks spread north.

Please send some more down this way.

How many Tortoiseshells have you managed to see this year alone?

We have seen none so far. :-C

Kathy
x

NoSpringChicken · Aug 29, 2008

I still seem to be seeing mainly Red Admirals, Peacocks and Commas and a few assorted Browns, which I am not good at identifying, here in Norfolk. There are very few Small Tortoiseshells about. The other day at Hickling Broad there were several Speckled Woods and I attach a rather poor shot of one sunning itself on the boardwalk. There were masses of dragonflies there too.

Ron

Woodchatshrike · Aug 29, 2008

Loads of Peacock and Red Admirals today at Vane Farm plus a few Small Coppers in Fife. Only the odd small tort however and just one Painted Lady.

Dozey · Sep 7, 2008

Capercaillie71 said:
I think they are all up here. There were 50+ Peacocks on the Buddleia in my garden yesterday. Amazing considering they were a real rarity here until 5-10 years ago. Very few tortoiseshells though, which used to be by far the most common butterfly on the Buddleia before the peacocks spread north.

Interesting northern version of my own experience. S. tortoiseshell used to be my garden's most common, but out numbered now by red admiral, peacock, comma etc. But my most regular, which up to 8 years ago I never saw at all is speckled wood.

Kathpeter · Sep 9, 2008

Just caught up with this thread and must contribute with a rather negative report of an almost if not 100% disaster in my neck of the woods in N Lanc's. No dates to hand but reckon I'm pretty unusual in having seen just two Painted Lady and not a cat in hells chance of Clouded Yellow. Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock virtually 'missing' especially the former though I did manage about 26 of the latter in a day recently.

Pete.

HarassedDad · Sep 12, 2008

Ahem! So far this week I've seen 230+ Small Tortoiseshells. Last week was just under 200. However, I'm at Great Yarmouth and I'm fairly certain they're coming in from the continent - at Kings Lynn someone saw 65 on Tuesday, and just in from the Wash at Peterborough another reporter had "hundreds" - similar numbers from Southwold in Suffolk.

So with any luck they'll be heading inland, and you should be getting them next week.

Peewit · Sep 12, 2008

HarassedDad said:
Ahem! So far this week I've seen 230+ Small Tortoiseshells. Last week was just under 200. However, I'm at Great Yarmouth and I'm fairly certain they're coming in from the continent - at Kings Lynn someone saw 65 on Tuesday, and just in from the Wash at Peterborough another reporter had "hundreds" - similar numbers from Southwold in Suffolk.

So with any luck they'll be heading inland, and you should be getting them next week.

Hi Harassed Dad

You are so lucky to see that many. :-O

Surely they would have come inland by now. There are years when some species congregate, and that is what you have at the moment.

My OH said he remembers the Red Admiral influx at Grangemouth, Scotland one year
Another time I remember the Ladybird influx in one coastal sea town in England.

Just nature doing what it does.

Kathy
x

NoSpringChicken · Sep 12, 2008

HarassedDad said:
Ahem! So far this week I've seen 230+ Small Tortoiseshells. Last week was just under 200. However, I'm at Great Yarmouth and I'm fairly certain they're coming in from the continent - at Kings Lynn someone saw 65 on Tuesday, and just in from the Wash at Peterborough another reporter had "hundreds" - similar numbers from Southwold in Suffolk.

So with any luck they'll be heading inland, and you should be getting them next week.

I'm in Great Yarmouth too, so I think I need to look a bit harder. Perhaps we will get some sunshine this weekend and a few will turn up in my garden. They have been very thin on the ground there so far this year.

Ron

HarassedDad · Sep 15, 2008

Hi Ron,
They were on the South Bank between the bridge and burgh castle. Camberwell Beauty reported yesterday from the cemetary apparently.

Peewit · Sep 20, 2008

I was out today for a business trip with my OH to Earl Shilton close to Shilton itself (Mollary Park) - Leicester direction.

While my OH attended his business I looked around outside. There was a beautiful area of water full of dragonflies, and Damselflies. They where everywhere. I could hear buzzing inches about my head.

As I wandered around my attention focused on two purple buddlea (sp) bushes close the the waters edge. There where lots of butterflies fluttering around and landing on the two bushes.

I came up closer and took a shot or two of the Butterflies and I realised that there where both Painted Lady's and Small Tortoiseshells. I found them hard to divide so I was not sure how many they where. I had them landing on my head at one point. Lovely

So pleased to see a Small tortoiseshell this year (even if it is not in my back garden), but someone Else's office yard instead. The areas had a lot of farmland around.

Made my day so now I have a big smile. Here are the pictures.

Picture 1 - Painted Lady
Picture 2 - Small Tortoiseshell
Picture 3 - Area of water.

Kathy
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harry eales · Sep 20, 2008

I believe everyone will agree that it has been a very poor year for migrant and indeed many resident species of both butterflys and moths.

However the last couple of weeks have produced some of the usual migrant species in the NE of England. Red Admirals have occurred in small numbers and there have been no less than four Convolvulous, 1 Death's Head, and a couple of Hummingbird Hawkmoths reported locally.

For every one of those Hawkmoths seen, there must be hundreds that have been overlooked. A case of keeping your 'peepers open' at all times.

Harry

Wildmoreway · Sep 27, 2008

reportely an influx of migrant vannesids, certainly a few Small Tortoiseshells have reached Nantwich in Cheshire, missing species now is the Peacock.

Len

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