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Norfolk Butterflies and Moths (2 Viewers)

I think they were just on a visit rather than a local, so it's unlikely. While it's interesting that some have over-wintered successfully, I suspect we'll have to wait for another invasion to get a properly twitchable individual. Emerging insects seem to head off fairly quickly in an attempt to find one another.
 
First Orangetip reported from Thursday. So far we have
Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Orangetip, Brimstone, Small and Yellow-legged Torts, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock and Speckled Wood flying. Grizzled and Dingy have been reported from southern counties so not long now.
 
Saw my first Orange Tip yesterday at Swanton Novers followed by a second male today. Fair numbers of Peacocks , Commas and Brimstones, flying , but nothing else. I would expect to see G V Whites and Speckled Woods by now. Like many moths, butterflies seem to be late in the woods this year. Most of the moths I am catching are late winter \ early spring species , ie Oak , Brindled and Small Brindled beauties, Yellow horned , common , twin spot, small and powdered quakers.
 
Speckled wood resting in the wood yard on Barn Road, Norwich, 8am this morning. Yet I didn't see any along the Marriott Way yesterday, in a more likely habitat and on what was a much warmer day.
 
Green Hairstreak seen today at Sparham Pools on gorse bushes in sheltered glade by the car park.
 

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Holly Blue now reported. Nothing at Foulden Common yesterday except a few small torts. Still waiting for small copper. There seems a general shortage of everything except torts, peacocks and large whites. Not looking good for the year at moment.
 
Green Hairstreak again today at Sparham Pools - hadn't seen any more since the one last week. Also 2 Orange Tip, 2 Brimstone, 2 Small Tort and a Small White.
 

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Where are all the speckled woods? I have usualy seen perhaps a hundred by now , but not a thing this year. They are usualy flying by April 7th-10th. I was talking to a birder today who had one at Holt Loads today so they cant be far of emerging in my wood.

Plenty of peacocks , commas and brimstones , but only 2 orange tips so far and one large white though a hand full of GV whites have apeared in recent days.
 
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Speckled Woods are weird - we have two populations, one who over-winter as pupae (and so emerge April) and one who over-winter as caterpillars (and so emerge later). These two over-lapping populations are why you can see Speckies all season, as when one is flying the other's a caterpillar. The good news for the species is that this means if one gets tempted to emerge too early and gets zapped by unexpected cold weather, the other is usually unaffected.)
having said that - in Norwich I'm seeing more speckled woods than brimstone, so it seems like localised weather effects - possibly frosts? - affecting local populations rather than a county-wide syndrome.

In other news, common blue now reported. Waiting on Wall, Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus and Small Heath now.
 
Andy, we have a strange situation with speckled woods at Swanton. A spring emergance in April followed by a decline through late May and early June . Numbers increase again to a peak in early July only to fall before a final peak in late August though a few speckled woods can usually be found in every week from mid April to mid - late September ( weather dependant ). This is a standard pattern every year.

The speckled woods also show a change in habitat useage. most are found before the leaf opening in narrow rides or small clearings where the sun can reach the woodland floor. In June they are still mainly found in the narrow rides , but only those with an open canopy where the sun can still reach the woodland floor. However in August and September the majority are found on the wide open rides. I have always thought this is because by late August we are around sixty days away from the longest day when the sun reaches its highest point. By late August the sun does not rise so high in the sky so much more of the narrow rides are in shade for longer periods than June. Of course 60 days before the longest day this is less important at there are no leaves on the oaks so the sun can reach the ground along most of the rides.

Speckled Woods have shown a huge increase in Swanton though this incease has stablised at a lower than the peak level. When the Butterfly survey was started back in the mid 1990s they had a anunal index of 9 ( number counted devided by the number of counts = index ). in the mid 2000s they had an index of around 114 dropping back in recent years to around 90.
 
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I was starting to think we had a local extinction of speckled woods at Swanton Novers. Odd ones were being seen over the past week or so in other N Norfolk Woods, but only today we had an emergance with 6 seen , several with wings still expanding in the warm midday sun. I usually seen the first individuals around April 6th-8th so they are about a month late.
 
The Speckled Wood situation at Swanton makes me wonder if you have different population levels of the two populations. It sounds (since you are seeing clear broods in the transect) like you mostly have the "over-winter as caterpillars" type. If you had both types in equal numbers you wouldn't be able to see peaks in the transect so clearly. Perhaps something hit the "over-winter as larvae" population in the mid 2000's, or perhaps you were mostly colonised by a single type? Intriguing.

In other news, Swallowtail have started to emerge - two reports so far this week.

So reported so far this year we have:
Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Orangetip, Brimstone, Swallowtail, Small Copper,
Common Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak, Small and Yellow-legged Torts, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Wall and Small Heath

So despite a slow start, we seem to be back on track. The first BC field trip of the year is today at Stoke Ferry: full list at
http://butterfly-conservation.org/291/norfolk-branch.html
 
Single Swallowtail seen at Strumpshaw fen this afternoon, 3 days later than their usual emergence date. The cool wind & predicted rain this week may hold them up further, but the next warm sunny day should hopefully see a mass emergence
 
Painted Lady seen fighting a strong wind heading, west low over the water at Stiffkey Fen this morning. Also my first rather worn red admiral of the year this morning.
 
Painted Lady and Dingy Skipper at Cranwich Camp today in a 10 minute visit.
At Foulden Common, at least two Grizzled Skippers and a few Dingy Skippers (plus Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Small Heath).
 
Swallowtails out in force today at Strumpshaw Fen, counted 12 in the insect garden outside reception.

If I could work out how to attach a pic I would, but there is one in my gallery
 
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