Norfolk Butterflies and Moths (1 Viewer)

[Paul Woolnough]

Early butterfly season

Purple hairstreak Buxton Heath 20 June (and two out of county at Brampton Wood Huntingdon 19 June plus elusive black hairstreaks). Ringlets at both sites, newly out at Brampton.

Earliest ever season for black hairstreaks. May well be going over this year, when normally only just out.

Comma west end of Fifers Lane Norwich this afternoon.

 

[firstreesjohn]

Two Whites certainly don’t make a wrong

Imagine my astonishment when, reviewing this shot, I saw the Hairstreak in there, too. I’d tracked the White Admiral and just fired off a few shots, focusing on him, without looking elsewhere in the frame. Wow !

Holkham held no further delights, today, save for an increase in numbers of butts. Very few moths- perhaps as a result of the heavy rain last night.

 

[firstreesjohn]

It just won’t wash

Well, not totally, anyway !

Around 80% of a Silver-washed Fritillary is displayed below. It can be seen that it lacks spaces 1-5 of its left hind-wing.

It was not, as expected, on the Buddleia by the visitor centre (at Holt Country Park), but along the track down to the pond.

A non-photogenic White Admiral flitted around.

 

[HarassedDad]

Holbrook in suffolk also had a silver-washed today, while I had a report of a large number of large whites moving along the coast at Beeston at lunchtime, together with two small fritillaries. The observer thought these two were too small to be silver-washed, more queen of spain sized!

Possible yellow-winged darter at great yarmouth, and a sharp increase in ladybirds and hoverflies suggest we had migration along the east coast last night.

 

[O.Reville1989]

Thoughts? Yellow lower wings when open!

 

[NoSpringChicken]

Does anybody know if there were any Swallowtails at Strumpshaw yesterday? I met a Welsh bloke there on Saturday who had been desperate to see a Swallowtail for years but, as the weather was overcast, he had failed again. He was going back yesterday and with the much more favourable conditions it would be nice to think that he might have succeeded at last.

Ron

 

[O.Reville1989]

Does anybody know if there were any Swallowtails at Strumpshaw yesterday? I met a Welsh bloke there on Saturday who had been desperate to see a Swallowtail for years but, as the weather was overcast, he had failed again. He was going back yesterday and with the much more favourable conditions it would be nice to think that he might have succeeded at last.

Ron

Not sure about yesterday but went last Tuesday and saw 3. 2 on the trail bit right at the back of the reserve and one in the gardens just before the sewage plant.

 

[ben_lewis]

That'll be a large yellow underwing moth.
A nice, variable maoth, give it a month and you'll be fighting with 100's in a moth trap!

I saw at least 2 Swallowtails yesterday, I believe we are currently inbetween broods though. I would not be at all surprised if there is a bit of overlap between the broods as I saw a very fresh looking one last week.

PS

Does anyone know anything about the Deaths Head Hawkmoth at Strumpshaw on Saturday??
I have just seen it (the report) on the notice board in reception. I'd love to know more about the record!

 

[HarassedDad]

Those caterpillars that are going to emerge as a second brood (and only about 30% do) normally take about 8 weeks from egg to emergence. If we assume the earliest egg was laid about the beginning of May, then we might see new individuals appear from next week. But - the milk parsley was not ideal that early in the season, and it's only recently that I've been seeing big caterpillars. I suspect that new brood is likely to be about two/three weeks away.

Here's a flight times graph for the last 20 years. Each dot represents a day on which at least one swallowtail was seen: as you can see the neat little flight time bar charts in the books are an idealised representation of a messy reality. Although at a particular site the two broods are often clear-cut, with a gap between them, across Norfolk as a whole there is nearly always one flying somewhere.

 

[sacha]

Thoughts? Yellow lower wings when open!

Large Yellow Underwing Moth.
Quite common at this time of year. They tend to scuttle around quite a bit when caught in moth traps.

 

[sacha]

Oops just seen Ben replied with the ID ages ago!

 

[HarassedDad]

Two more Silver-washed Fritillaries reported. Sheringham Common and Marsham Heath, both seen this morning

 

[ben_lewis]

Those caterpillars that are going to emerge as a second brood (and only about 30% do) normally take about 8 weeks from egg to emergence. If we assume the earliest egg was laid about the beginning of May, then we might see new individuals appear from next week. But - the milk parsley was not ideal that early in the season, and it's only recently that I've been seeing big caterpillars. I suspect that new brood is likely to be about two/three weeks away.

Here's a flight times graph for the last 20 years. Each dot represents a day on which at least one swallowtail was seen: as you can see the neat little flight time bar charts in the books are an idealised representation of a messy reality. Although at a particular site the two broods are often clear-cut, with a gap between them, across Norfolk as a whole there is nearly always one flying somewhere.

Thanks for that, its something I always get slightly confused about!
Graph and explanation appreciated.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Short video of the Silver washed fritilliary at Holt Country Park on Sunday, taken by Pete Snook: http://pennyshotbirdingandlife.blogspot.com/2011/06/hot-birding.html

 

[Penny Clarke]

.........Does anyone know anything about the Deaths Head Hawkmoth at Strumpshaw on Saturday??
I have just seen it (the report) on the notice board in reception. I'd love to know more about the record!

So would I!!!! Never seen one and neither has my dear father - who dreams about finding one in his moth trap!

Penny:girl:

 

[Jabberwocky]

Red and White Admirals were sharing the same patch of Brambles at Gt. Hockham on Saturday, along with loads of Large skippers.

Dozens of Ringlets and Meadow Browns were also on the wing. Saw a couple of Speckled Wood and Commas too, these seem to be down on numbers around here so far this year. Peacocks were out in numbers but only on foot.

 

[Tideliner]

harrsaed dad your large whites reached Swanton Novers late morning. None yesterday , but saw about 40 today. Interesting what you saud about the QoS Frits. I saw a butterfly that at the time I thought was a distant gatekeeper. I was not happy with the ID , but it was gone very fast before i could get closer than 20 yards. Its also a tad early for gatekeepers yet.

 

[O.Reville1989]

W

So would I!!!! Never seen one and neither has my dear father - who dreams about finding one in his moth trap!

Penny:girl:

I have a picture I took of an elephant hawk moth and another which I didnt know, useless with moths.
will post shortly.

 

[O.Reville1989]

Here we go guys and girls....

 

[C B Allen]

W

I have a picture I took of an elephant hawk moth and another which I didnt know, useless with moths.
will post shortly.

The other is a Privet Hawk-moth (if you lift the forewing you should see the pink banded hindwing & abdomen!).

Chris A.