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Last Butterfly of the year, 2018 (1 Viewer)

Farnboro John said:
I can see this thread running to 31 December!

John
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Saw a thread somewhere recently, either here or atropos. where a communal butterfly year-list was being kept. I was surprised that a couple were seen on Jan first, another a week or so later and then maybe another two before end of Jan/mid-Feb. All the usual ones, of course, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone etc but since I've never seen a butterfly before third week of Feb, I was impressed.
 
Britseye said:
Saw a thread somewhere recently, either here or atropos. where a communal butterfly year-list was being kept. I was surprised that a couple were seen on Jan first, another a week or so later and then maybe another two before end of Jan/mid-Feb. All the usual ones, of course, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone etc but since I've never seen a butterfly before third week of Feb, I was impressed.
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Do those species hibernate? I've found hibernating Red Ad & Peacock at work, which would have enabled me to kick off a Butterfly Yearlist on day one, were I to keep such a thing.
 
Britseye said:
Saw a thread somewhere recently, either here or atropos. where a communal butterfly year-list was being kept. I was surprised that a couple were seen on Jan first, another a week or so later and then maybe another two before end of Jan/mid-Feb. All the usual ones, of course, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone etc but since I've never seen a butterfly before third week of Feb, I was impressed.
Click to expand...

JWN Andrewes said:
Do those species hibernate? I've found hibernating Red Ad & Peacock at work, which would have enabled me to kick off a Butterfly Yearlist on day one, were I to keep such a thing.
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I'm sure there'll be a 'first butterfly of the year thread' in a few months time ... ;)

Yep - all those species can be seen hibernating in the adult state, or flying on sunny winter days when their hibernation site heats up (eg sheds). Don't think you can tick them unless active though ... ?!
 
JWN Andrewes said:
Seems an odd sort of rule to me - you've either seen it or you haven't, surely? Not that I'm bothered, just seems odd is all.
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That's just what I'd think - no idea if anyone else thinks the same!

My thinking is one could go around checking roost sites, but the excitement is in seeing them in flight, unexpectedly whilst in the field. Not the same, but I guess to me it's akin to seeing birds in the hand (ringing or otherwise) as opposed to in a bush or wherever ...
 
JWN Andrewes said:
Seems an odd sort of rule to me - you've either seen it or you haven't, surely? Not that I'm bothered, just seems odd is all.
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See eg -

https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/flighttimes_by_species.php

I'm pretty sure it relates to butterflies actually 'seen on the wing'?. I guess a better comparison than the one I gave above would be with flowering plants - folk are interested in counting the first Bluebells and Primroses etc of the year seen when in bloom. Whereas they could be counted weeks or months earlier when the leaf rosettes can be found ... but they don't.


That is not say that there any rules whatsoever here on BF with reporting dormant/hibernating butterfly species seen - please do ;)
 
Leaf rosettes and flowers would be comparing caterpillars and adults, but a roosting adult Camberwell Beauty is still a Camberwell Beauty, and a beauty it is, I have no issue counting it as seen - though obviously it doesn't make it to my logs for flight times (which are similar to the link above)
 
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I was going to check into this thread yesterday when we found a couple of hibernating Peacocks, both were together and doing slow wing-flaps in a log pile we were moving, we constructed a shelter for them and left them to it.

Today while ringing in the reserve where the log pile is, I saw two flying Peacocks, round about the middle of the day when the sun was actually quite warm.
 
Canterbury east Kent, last Saturday saw a dark silhouette flit across the garden. Definitely a butterfly but couldn't tell which one. Rushed in to the garden but it flew over the hedge. Sun wasn't shining but definitely warmer than the previous two days.

Den
 
Just had a Peacock flying round the front garden. Presumably disturbed from somewhere, it disappeared into some ivy, from where it could be heard fluttering about, no doubt getting comfy in order to see out the balance of winter.
 
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