Butterflies of Lithuania, 2018 (1 Viewer)

With the ice recently gone and sun truly in control, so starts another year of butterflies here in Lithuania. Hope to see somewhere close to 100 species again this year, but also concentrate on dragonflies a little more too.


MARCH.

24-25 March, snow still in the woodlands, lakes and pools still under the grip of ice, but it is a time of change - temperatures climbing to above 5C, skeins of geese heading north, White Storks and Cranes newly arrived.

And, despite the temperatures remaining low, just enough sun these couple of days to kick the season off - in vivid yellow, a male Brimstone on the 24th, then a Small Tortoiseshell the next day, one Siberian Winter Damselfly too.



APRIL.

Back after a splendid week of butterflies in Greece, I returned to Lithuania just in time was a major upswing in the temperature - cold and snowy when I departed, 20 C and sun when I returned on the 7th. And with the rise in temperature, a dramatic flush of early season butterflies, even to the extent of seeing a half dozen Small Tortoiseshells at the airport! It was however the next day that the more impressive numbers were to be seen. Visiting meadows not far from the capital, things were immediately looking good - four species in no time at all, Brimstones fluttering along, plenty of Small Tortoiseshells along woodland edge, a dozen Peacocks and a couple of Commas. Within a couple of hours, my tally of butterflies had already reached about 140 individuals, a very good number for so early in the season. Six Siberian Winter Damselflies too.

The real piece de la resistance however was to come as I exited the site - spying an area of recently cut birches, I noticed that the stumps were actively oozing sap. And around the sap, butterflies. Exploring more widely, the stumps proved totally amazing - a source of rich nectar at a time when flowers are few and far between, every single stump had gatherings of butterflies, amounting to a massive 195 individuals in total! Small Tortoiseshells in the main, but also Peacocks and Commas, it was very much a candy store for butterflies.

Total counts for the day:
- Brimstone - 44
- Small Tortoiseshell - 242
- Peacock - 25
- Comma - 12

A week later, continuing good weather, sun and 18C today. First Swallows of the year at Labanoras, plus booming Bitterns and displaying Marsh Harriers too. As the day warmed, Brimstones, Commas and Small Tortoiseshells on the wing, then Peacocks too. Butterfly of the day however, patrolling a sunny fringe to woodland, a classic beauty - Camberwell Beauty, glorious and fresh. Failed to find either of the larger tortoiseshells - should be flying any day.

Candy store for early butterflies ...

So the Lithuanian year list so far:

1. Brimstone.
2. Small Tortoiseshell.
3. Comma.
4. Peacock.
5. Camberwell Beauty.

Will do a write up for Greece?



A

andyadcock said:

Will do a write up for Greece?

Click to expand...

At your service, will be ready in the next days.

Meanwhile, 15 April, warm weather bringing a nice run of early species - nine species today, including no less than ten Camberwell Beauties, plus four new for the year - two Orange Tips, one Green-veined Whites, a couple of Holly Blues and a Green Hairstreak (all two weeks in advance of dates last year).

Lithuanian Year List:

6. Orange Tip.
7. Green-veined White.
8. Green Hairstreak.
9. Holly Blue.

Jos Stratford said:

At your service, will be ready in the next days.

Click to expand...

Saw the first Butterfly in Russia too, Peacock but it's still cold and ground water is frozen.


A

20 April. The Surge!

Remarkable day for so early in the season, a few hours in meadows south of the capital producing a very impressive haul - in pleasantly sunny conditions at 20 C, no less than 13 species were seen, four of which new for the year and most of which flying a good two weeks earlier than in the previous two years!

In the open meadow, an absolute minimum of 45 Green-veined Whites on the wing, amongst them two Eastern Bath Whites, while at the meadow-woodland fringe an emergence of at least 25 Map Butterflies and 18 Wood Whites, the latter three all new for the year.

More good butterflies in adjacent clearfell and on willow catkins - top being my first Large Tortoiseshell of the year in Lithuania, along with two Green Hairstreaks and two Holly Blues. Also, another Camberwell Beauty resting on a forest track and Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks and Commas all continuing in good numbers.


LITHUANIAN YEAR LIST

• 10. Eastern Bath White.
• 11. Wood White.
• 12. Large Tortoiseshell.
• 13. Map Butterfly.

And in cooler conditions, one more addition for the year:

14. Yellow-legged Tortoieshell - a single in middle Lithuania.

29 April. Thousand Up!

In terms of both species diversity and absolute numbers, this was my best ever April day for butterflies in Lithuania - a remarkable 16 species and well over 2500 individual butterflies!

All started in the south of the country, a glorious sun displacing early clouds. And with the sun, an immediate emergence of numerous butterflies - gathering around flowers, scores of Green-veined Whites, a handful of Wood Whites and, new for the year, a single Small White. Holly Blue sunning, a bunch of Green Hairstreaks flitting about, Peacocks, Orange Tips and Brimstones adding to the mix.

A short while later, as I reached my destination, a couple of Swallowtails drifting past, a Camberwell Beauty on the track. Oodles of Green-veined Whites and Wood Whites here too, plus my first Speckled Woods of the year, a couple of Commas and more. Temperature was nicely climbing to 25 C, the next few hours were truly pleasant - a good mix of species, most noteworthy being more Swallowtails and Camberwell Beauties, plus increased numbers of whites and Map Butterflies.

Nothing was to prepare me for my final stop of the day however - almost an afterthought, I decided to pause at meadows near Vilnius on route home. And what a good decision - not only a Marsh Sandpiper sharing a boggy patch with Ruff and Wood Sandpiper, but a sea of Pierids! Puddling at damp patches, flying in mass over the grassland, it was just immense numbers of Green-veined Whites everywhere! Very difficult to estimate numbers, but fairly safe to say there were at least 2000 over the relatively small area of meadow I checked, almost certainly many times more. Also here, at least 60 Wood Whites and my second Small White of the day. In addition, found my first Lithuanian Queen of Spain Fritillary of the year and had a Large Tortoiseshell at woodland edge.

All in all, a stunning day - such numbers and species more typical of mid-May onward.

Total butterfly tally for the day:

Swallowtail - 10
Small White - 2
Green-veined White - 2250++
Orange Tip - 150+
Brimstone - 90
Wood White - 140+
Green Hairstreak - 45
Holly Blue - 4
Camberwell Beauty - 6
Large Tortoiseshell - 1
Small Tortoiseshell - 17
Peacock - 160+
Comma - 7
Map Butterfly - 100+
Queen of Spain Fritillary - 1
Speckled Wood - 6


LITHUANIAN YEAR LIST

15. Grizzled Skipper (on 28th)
16. Swallowtail.
17. Small White.
18. Queen of Spain Fritillary.
19. Speckled Wood.

Good things predicted for May - increased diversity of butterflies, increasing numbers of dragonflies, superb birding.

1 May. Dragons and Damsels.

With the turn of the month, so the dragons and damsels take the stage. I did see a small number if Siberian Winter Damselflies in early April, but otherwise these were the first flights if the year - and dramatic they were, at least 80 Common Winter Damselflies decorating grass stalks adjacent to a pool in Labanoras, perhaps 40 Northern White-faced Darters in the same area. A few hundred away, in a clearing in flood forest, yet another emergence of the dragons - rather splendid Downy Emperors also taking to the wing in considerable numbers. And just to round things off, one Four-spotted Chaser too.

So spring is truly here, butterflies and dragonflies now both active. In the butterfly category, also saw another Swallowtail this day, the eleventh in just a few days.

Photographs, some of the day's dragonflies: