Day-flyers 2023. (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

Simple enough, decided this year to try and see all the butterfly species available in North East Wales, several of which would be new to me, never really having persued butterflies much. In the process there will hopefully be plenty of day flying moths as by-catch.

Did my first proper outing specifically for a butterfly a couple of days ago, but before getting to that, here's how the year started -

3rd April
1 - Small Tortoiseshell, Fellows Lane Bridge, Caergwrle.
2 - Red Admiral, Rhyddyn Hill, Hope.

20th April
3 - Brimstone, Rhyddyn Hill, Hope.
4 - Speckled Wood, Rhyddyn Hill, Hope.
5 - Orange-tip, Fellows Lane Bridge, Caergwrle.

29th April
6 - Peacock, Fenn's Moss.

4th May
7 - Wall Brown, Gronant.

13th May
8 - Holly Blue, Gresford Cricket Club.
9 - Green-veined White, Gresford Cricket Club.

17th May
10 - Comma, World's End.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

On the moth front, not strictly a day flyer, but a day found Vetch Piercer (Grapholita jungiella) down by Bettisfield on 29th April.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

So, after a morning at Panorama Walk (where there were scores of Common Heaths, almost none of which would settle for more than a couple of seconds) and World's End I headed off on my first proper butterfly quest, to Eyarth Rocks, just south of Ruthin. Another day flying moth, Speckled Yellow, was much more obliging, but the real star here were the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, half a dozen plus scattered about, giving me my first Buttie tick of the year, deeply satisfying! Lots of Small Heaths, a few Speckled Woods, Dingy Skippers and Cinnabars complete the picture.

17th May
11 - Pearl-bordered Fritillary
12 - Small Heath
13 - Dingy Skipper

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A few more pics...

 

[JWN Andrewes]

And the best I could manage of Common Heath, despite of their abundance!

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Simple enough, decided this year to try and see all the butterfly species available in North East Wales, several of which would be new to me, never really having persued butterflies much.

Out of curiosity, how many would that be?

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Oops, meant to say, thirty three.

 

[Farnboro John]

Wall Brown is a good one these days, nothing like as easy as it used to be even where it still occurs.

John

 

[Owene]

Nice to see this thread. Year listing butterflies can take you to some cool places and are especially good if you’re taking in the other insect life at the same time

Lovely pearl bordered frit pictures. Think I might have missed that one this year

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Visited my sister over near Burton on Trent (Mint Moth in her garden), then dropped in on Fenn's Moss on the way home. Quite breezy, which is possibly why activity was low, despite the sunshine, although a few Hobbies were hopefully cruising about, and I did get brief flight views of two or three White-faced Darters, but none stopped for me.

Was beginning to lose hope, until I reached a small willow copse out on the Moss, a nice little sheltered spot and bingo! Green Hairstreak flitting up to land on the side of a bush, occasionally sallying forth to see off a rival before returning.

14 - Green Hairstreak, Fenn's Moss.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Some of the big broad verges at Wrexham Industrial Estate are managed for Grizzled Skippers, so with an afternoon spare today I swung by that way on my way back from work, and half an hour of slow meandering eventually earned me brief views of a single Skipper that wasn't in the mood for hanging about. Along the way there were Green-veined Whites, Small Heaths, a Dingy Skipper, Burnet Companions, a Mother Shipton and Broad-bodied & Four-spotted Chasers.

That's me about caught up now with everything whose season finishes soon.

15 - Grizzled Skipper, Wrexham Industrial Estate.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A short trip to Mull over half term, and a few nice day-flyers on offer, although I never managed to go after either of the special Burnets.

A couple are on my target list for north east Wales, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (quite a few of those) and Argent and Sable (with Arch gripping me off with Small Argent and Sable, one I still need, his photo attached).

Best of all though, and completely unexpected, a couple of Chequered Skippers, I hadn't realised they'd even made it to Mull.

I'll get back to seeking out local stuff soon hopefully, plenty of good weather coming down the pike, so fingers crossed.

 

[Owene]

Are you back home now? If you’re still up north I Need to check my photos but pretty sure I just had argent and sable and/or small by roadside in glencoe plateau

Well done on the skippers. Lovely things. Just had my first by Oban last week

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Home now, after an epic 18 hour journey, courtesy of Calmac's venal incompetence, rot them. Hope you're having a good time up there, I'll have to check in on your year list thread, see how you're doing!

 

[Owene]

Made it home as far as cumbria now, finishing the trip to wales tomorrow.

These are the ones I had this afternoon, not really a moth guy but they were gorgeous. Around the lochs that come right up to the A82 a few miles east of Glencoe ski lift. Beautiful summer plumage GND on the lochs as well.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Hi Owene, your pics show Argent and Sable. There are some great day-flying moths that you can come across when out looking for butterflies.

 

[Owene]

Thanks. Yes. I always enjoy when I come across some. Lots of speckled yellow this week in Skye. I’ve never run a trap but I do try and keep a note of what I’ve seen and it’s always cool to see a new one. I’m getting quite into insects generally but not sure about setting up a trap yet so day flying ones are a good halfway point

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Went to recce a new site for me yesterday, Aberduna LNR, the closest site to me that seems to get Brown Argus on a regular basis. It was early evening, happened to be when I was up that way anyway with time on my hands. It was a bit late in the day, so I wasn't really expecting any activity, and as it happens, there wasn't any, but I did spot an inactive Common Blue hanging up which was new for the year.

16 - Common Blue, Aberduna LNR.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Stopped by Minera Quarry after work yesterday, first couple of glades checked just held Orange-tips & Green-veined Whites, the third was where the action was, with a Common Blue, several Dingy Skippers & Small Heaths, at least one Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and a Large Skipper.

17 - Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
18 - Large Skipper

Then late this morning I nipped up to Graig Fawr near Prestatyn, the only site in my year list range that holds Silver-studded Blues, at least a dozen of which were busy about one of the sunny, sheltered slopes, with a couple of scrappy, flighty Wall Browns nearby. A drop in on Gronant afterwards added nothing in the Butterfly line, but I did find a Sandy Carpet.

19 - Silver-studded Blue

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Another early evening visit to Aberduna, clearly a recent emergence of Meadow Browns, scores of the things bobbing around, getting into chases with red Admirals, sitting out in the sun and so on. Quite a few Large Skippers too, and a Yellow Shell.

20 - Meadow Brown, Aberduna LNR.