Durham ,Butterflies, Moths and Dragonflies. (1 Viewer)

[rokermartin]

thanks martin.
testos pond this morning was alive with butterflies, damsel and dragon quite alot of bees and wasps to.

lots of whites, copper (looks like large in my book )all very bright.
peacocks to.
still 6 cygnets and loads of coots.

It's a Small Copper they are common butterflies.Large Coppers are very rare and there's been 1 or 2 attempts to re-introduce them in the past but they have failed.

 

[rokermartin]

Not a bad day for butterflies in the garden 2 Peacocks,3 Small Torts and a Comma.Still no Painted Ladies.

 

[Andyclose]

Speckled Wood

Hi Martin, how are you doing? I am seeing a lot of speckled woods around at the moment- and in Roker Park, too, the first time I have seen them there.

 

[rokermartin]

Hi Martin, how are you doing? I am seeing a lot of speckled woods around at the moment woods; in Roker Park, too, the first time I have seen them there.

Hi Andrew i am not so bad.Yes there's lots of Speckled Woods around in our area i even get them in the garden.We didn't used to see them years ago.They have expanded there range north same with Small Skipper and Ringlet they are getting common in the North East.

 

[Andyclose]

Oh, and last week I saw a Small Heath at Barmston. Nothing in the way of birds mind you...

 

[gogsy]

I have noticed on my patch(Marsden area,Shields) a marked drop in Butterfly numbers from last year,never seen a Painted lady this year,the most common are the Small Torts at the moment,with only a few Peacock and not many Red Admirals either.I thought with the better weather than last year there would be more not less!!.............Laurence

 

[rokermartin]

I have noticed on my patch(Marsden area,Shields) a marked drop in Butterfly numbers from last year,never seen a Painted lady this year,the most common are the Small Torts at the moment,with only a few Peacock and not many Red Admirals either.I thought with the better weather than last year there would be more not less!!.............Laurence

Hi Laurance there were very good numbers of butterflies a few weeks ago around Shields,Whitburn and Marsden especially Small Skippers ,Meadow Browns and Ringlets.I have never seen as many Small Skippers in our area before.The butterfly numbers have dropped off recently because some species have come to the end of there season.As for Painted Ladies it was exceptional last year for them i have only seen one this year.As you say seems to be a good number of Small Torts around at the moment.

 

[rokermartin]

Had the moth trap out again last night not so many moths trapped 14 species.
Common Rustic 7
Twenty Plume Moth 2
Lesser Y Underwing 2
Large Y Underwing 15+
Lesser BBY Underwing 6
Brimstone Moth 1
Willow Beauty 5
Garden Carpet 3
Shuttle-shaped Dart 4
Dark Arches 4
Marbled Beauty 3
Riband Wave 3
Dun-bar 1
Toadflax Pug 1

 

[rokermartin]

2 Peacocks and a Small Tort in the garden today.

 

[yukonite]

2 Peacocks and a Small Tort in the garden today.

maybe no more can get in for all the moths you keep getting ha ha :-O
traps going out tonight with a cover over if its going to be showers.
have you used a black bulb before martin ?
i was thinking of getting one to try my front garden.

 

[rokermartin]

maybe no more can get in for all the moths you keep getting ha ha :-O
traps going out tonight with a cover over if its going to be showers.
have you used a black bulb before martin ?
i was thinking of getting one to try my front garden.

No i have never used a black bulb before.I think i'll be putting my trap out tonight.Weather isn't really ideal but you never now.

 

[yukonite]

cheap mercury vapour bulbs on ebay but not the screw type

 

[rokermartin]

Put the moth trap out again last night not many moths trapped.I had a feeling it wasn't going to be very good the weather wasn't ideal for moths.It was the first night that i hadn't trapped any Riband Wave and Marbled Beauty.Moths seen 15 species

Willow Beauty 3
Large Y Underwing 20+
Shuttle-shaped Dart 4
Garden Carpet 1
Dark Arches 3
Burnished Brass 1
Silver Y 1
Common Rustic 5
Lesser BBY Underwing 3
Cabbage Moth 1
Dot Moth 1
Brimstone Moth 1
Bird- cherry Ermine 2
Lesser Y Underwing 3
Dark Spectacle 1

 

[rokermartin]

In the garden this afternoon 1 of each Comma,Small Tort and Peacock.

 

[seggs]

Belated post sorry!
Trip down the Scotch est dene on Sunday, the commonest butterfly down here this day apart from the Whites were Peacocks, and loads of them! never seen so many...also 3 Small coppers and 2 Coma,s of note.
A buddlia bush near the west end of Station burn had 10 Peacocks and a Coma on it feeding.

 

[rokermartin]

Belated post sorry!
Trip down the Scotch est dene on Sunday, the commonest butterfly down here this day apart from the Whites were Peacocks, and loads of them! never seen so many...also 3 Small coppers and 2 Coma,s of note.
A buddlia bush near the west end of Station burn had 10 Peacocks and a Coma on it feeding.

Hi Steve i am starting to see more Peacocks around now.All of them in perfect condition they must have just recently emerged.Seems to a few more Comma around this year.

 

[jason-t-71]

Seen my first Wall Brown of the year today. Still not seen any Comma's yet!

 

[tom tams]

Hi your first pic is a Scalloped Oak,pic 2 Large Y Underwing,pic 3 Shaded-broad Bar,pic 4 Looks like a very worn Cabbage moth,pic 5 Riband Wave.

Second Moth is a Dotted Clay, 4th moth looks like a Common Rustic agg

Tom

 

[tom tams]

first attempt with the moth trap.
6 orange underwing
8 common carpet
1 yellow belle i think it done away as soon as i tried to get a pic
i dont know what the second one is.
right iv got to try and get them back out of the kitchen now:-O

Hi Yukonite

Just looking through the posts and came across yours
Yellow Belle is an extreme rarity up here with only one record for Durham and one record for Northumberland.
Orange Underwing's flight period is over unless you meant one of the Yellow Underwing species.
Your pic is a Common Carpet

Cheers

Tom

 

[rokermartin]

Second Moth is a Dotted Clay, 4th moth looks like a Common Rustic agg

Tom

Hi Tom i agree the second one is a Dotted Clay just had a look in my new field guide the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland.It's an excellent book much better than the two Richard South moth books i have.