Norfolk Butterflies and Moths (1 Viewer)

[Tideliner]

First ringlet of the year today at Swanton Novers. This is the first time I have seen ringlet before meadow browns. Otherwise very few butterflies about just a handful of
Speckled woods at both Stiffkey and Swanton.

 

[Adam W]

First ringlet of the year today at Swanton Novers. This is the first time I have seen ringlet before meadow browns. Otherwise very few butterflies about just a handful of
Speckled woods at both Stiffkey and Swanton.

I saw a Meadow Brown at Foxley woods on Tuesday,plenty of speckled Woods there too.
The pretty poor weather during my holiday to Norfolk meant I didnt see the amount or variety of Butterflies I was hoping for But I did get my main target of Swallowtail with half a dozen or more at Hickling broad last Sunday, fantastic Butterflies they look so out of place in this country.

 

[HarassedDad]

Both Meadow Brown and Ringlet at the Bioblitz at Lenwade yesterday - but only singles of each.

 

[Dicky Ticker]

Well thanks for teasing us!
Lots of STs at Strump today....

Any recent news on Swallowtail sightings in Norfolk, was thinking How Hill & Strumpshaw as may visit this Friday if weather ok. have cancelled to intended trips already due to the weather :-C

 

[jimbob]

Any recent news on Swallowtail sightings in Norfolk, was thinking How Hill & Strumpshaw as may visit this Friday if weather ok. have cancelled to intended trips already due to the weather :-C

Single reported at Upton Fen on Saturday, 6 from Catfield Fen.

Jim.

 

[firstreesjohn]

A walk around Walsey produced a mere half-dozen butterflies: Large White, 2 Red Admirals and 3 Speckled Woods.

There is a worrying paucity of all species, so far this summer.

At Gramboro’, the Small Heaths and Common Blues are in even lower numbers than last year- and that was bad enough.

Are others finding the same, as several have remarked to me ?

 

[HarassedDad]

A walk around Catton Hall in Norwich this lunchtime in perfectly acceptable conditions - warm, no wind - in a perfectly acceptable site - open grasslands with oxeye daisy, bird's foot trefoil, mallow in flower - produced no butterflies at all across 39 Hectares. It did produce a hunting Emperor and a nice clump of Common Broomrape so not an entirely wasted hour - but zip,nada, zilch on leps. I'm getting the same from my recorders - they just ain't out there.
On Sunday (admittedly not great weather) I managed one small tort in four hours at Strumpshaw. On Saturday the bioblitz involved c20 people searching the Lenwade Disnosaur park all day to produce a grand total of 20 sightings probably involving less than 15 individual insects. It's dire.

 

[firstreesjohn]

I'm getting the same from my recorders - they just ain't out there. It's dire.

And to what do you attribute this situation, Andy ?

Is it a combination of last and this year’s unusual/adverse conditions- the right weather happening at the wrong time ?

 

[C B Allen]

Similarly bleak in the SE of the county: by now we should have "clouds" of butterflies on our 40 odd acres of rough grass marshes, alder carr etc at Thorpe Marshes. Actually an hour or so in light winds & warm sunshine this morning was my best count for weeks with 4 or 5 Meadow Browns, single Small Tort, Red Admiral, Small White & Small Skipper (first of the year) - in total outnumbered by 10+ Speckled Woods. I never thought we would get to late June without a single Common Blue or Brown Argus ... and - in a good year - by now we should have Meadow Browns in their hundreds!

Most notable today was the first good numbers of Norfolk Hawkers (probably 30+ in total) ... with a couple of marauding Hobby's for company!!

Chris A.

 

[Tideliner]

I would think the weather is the main cause for the lack of butterflies and moths. Since early April its been cool and raining most days of the week with just a few fine days and many of them were too cool for many butterflies to show. Plus south winds have been rare so little chance for migrant butterflies to come up from France.

Its strange that speckled woods seem to be faring better than most other species. They are a species that did not exist in Norfolk when I was a kid and to see them you had to go to warm parts of southern England such as Devon.

 

[firstreesjohn]

A gentle stroll around a bit of Holt Lowes gave me my second (!) Brimstone of the year and first Large Skipper.

Several Speckled Woods, but NO OTHER BUTTERFLIES, provided a supporting cast.

 

[Paul Woolnough]

The only butterfly I saw at Strumshaw last Saturday was a male brimstone in the overflow car park.

Two tetrads Fifers Lane Norwich
TG2012 could not get in work's side gate early am. Rode bike along grass inside hedge to main entrance and put up a meadow brown - "year tick"
TG2212 walked around rough ground / open area at industrial estate lunchtime - three meadow browns (with two about to pair up?) and in the trees a single speckled wood
There should be blue and white butterflies of various species in this area but none seen.

 

[HarassedDad]

I would say a combination of weather directly - killing individuals through cold and wet - and weather indirectly - many nectar sources were late flowering because of the dire April we had. So when they did finally bloom there were very few leps to take advantage.
Another effect is that low temperatures delay maturity, so caterpillars take longer to get to pupating, and pupate for longer. In the past we have had years where 34 species had been seen by the end of June: we're currently at 26 this year with 5 days to go. So there's still hope that numbers will improve for those species we're waiting for:
Gatekeeper, Greyling, Essex Skipper, White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks, White Admiral, Dark-Green and Silver-washed Frits and Chalkhill Blue. And there's second broods to come for many species. So there's some hope that we might salvage something if the jet stream moves north and the weather improves.

I'd speculate that Speckled Wood have not been as badly affected because they're more sheltered from rain and wind in woodlands.

 

[O.Reville1989]

Around 5 Speckled Wood, 2 Large Skipper and 1 Ringlet the only butterflies at Foxley Wood seen today.

 

[James Emerson]

I saw my first Red Admiral of the year near the bird screen at Thorpe Station Marsh today (TG269079).

 

[Robert S J Smith]

Painted Lady feeding on some flowers on Hunstanton promenade this evening.

 

[HarassedDad]

Dark-green fritillary and white admiral are now reported from elsewhere in the country, so they ought to be about this weekend. If anyone's about the coast it's worth looking for them. Several new brood Brimstones and Red Admirals about, and there seems to have been a small movement of Small torts in from the continent this week.

 

[Tideliner]

Just had my first 2 large skippers ( a bit late i know ) but what was intersting both were very small individuals , could be one of the effects of this late summer I guess. Good numbers of red Admirals at Stiffkey later on , with the red v darters turning up a few miles along the coast could these be migrants .

Also a very bright orange butterfly caught out of the corner of my eye while driving along a track at Swanton Novers . Might have been a very bright comma , but I do not think so , first of this years SW frits ? No white admirals yet !!

 

[Penny Clarke]

Ringlet, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood at Sculthorpe Moore Nature Reserve today.

Penny:girl:

 

[Paul Woolnough]

Upton Fen
A few large skippers, out at last
Many ringlets and meadow browns
A few red admirals
One washed out (perhaps literally!) peacock
One small white sped close by (not many whites about!)
No swallowtails