Weaving their way amongst the long grasses, fluttering delicately up and down, meandering through the meadows – the Meadow browns are out and about.
The fluttering browns
14 Tuesday Jun 2022
Posted in insects
Tag Archives: butterfly
Cheeky little flitters
10 Friday Jun 2022
Posted in insects
The skippers are here! I spotted my first Large skipper of the year on Wednesday 1 June but that butterfly flitted quickly past a couple of times before disappearing, seemingly by magic, and it wasn’t until last Friday, a hot sunny day, that more skippers appeared. On that day’s walk I saw six in total, in four different locations, and the cheeky little flitters even posed obligingly for photographs.
Of course, they weren’t actually posing for me. Male Large skippers like to find themselves a perch from which to survey their domain and keep a look out for any passing females. Even after flitting up to scare other males off their patch or to follow females in the hopes of mating, they will still return to their chosen perch. So, if you’re having trouble getting a good look at these glorious golden butterflies or taking their photographs, it can be a good idea to just stand still and watch a while until you work out their perching spot.
Small copper and friend
03 Friday Jun 2022
Posted in insects
A moment of miniscule magic! I found this Small copper perched, waiting for the sun to come out, and then a leafhopper (yet to be identified) decided the butterfly was a good place to perch.
An illegal introduction
26 Thursday May 2022
Posted in insects
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I’ve seen my first Marsh fritillaries of the year, always a magical moment, except this year that magic was dulled somewhat by the fact that these particular butterflies in this particular location have obviously been introduced illegally, possibly as eggs or as larvae.
Expert opinion is that the site is too far from known populations of Marsh fritillary to have occurred naturally and, sadly for the butterflies (at least three individuals have been identified), the site does not have enough of the right habitat, so it is highly unlikely they will survive. (You can read more on the laws that apply to butterflies, including the Marsh fritillary, a fully protected species, on the UK Butterflies website.)
A migrant returns
18 Wednesday May 2022
Posted in insects
Tags
British butterflies, butterfly, butterfly migration, Painted Lady, Painted Lady migration, Vanessa cardui
Today’s guest has travelled thousands of miles to be here with us today (and is, understandably, looking a little jaded after such a long flight). Distinguished guests, please give a warm welcome to the Painted Lady!
I’d seen a report from the Suffolk butterfly recorder on Twitter on 16 May that, a few days previously, Painted Ladies had been seen ‘in their thousands streaming through Spain from north Africa’, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for the first to reach us here in south Wales. It’s a migration miracle!
Glowing in the grass
12 Thursday May 2022
Posted in insects
They’re early, but I’m certainly not complaining. It was with huge surprise and supreme delight that I spotted my first two Small coppers for 2022, glowing in the grass at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park last Sunday afternoon.
Mating pair
06 Friday May 2022
Posted in insects
Tags
blue butterflies, British butterflies, butterfly, Common blue, Common blue butterfly, Common blue mating pair, mating Common blue butterflies, Polyommatus icarus
Tuesday’s sighting of a single Common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) was the earliest in my five years of butterfly recording, which could be due to climate change (apparently, many moths are appearing early this year as well), though it could also be that I’ve got to know my local area more thoroughly and know better where to look. Yesterday, though the weather wasn’t brilliant, I found four more Common blues, including this gorgeous mating pair.
Death in the meadow
30 Saturday Apr 2022
Posted in insects, wildflowers
Tags
British butterflies, British spiders, butterfly, Crab spider, Crab spider kills Orange-tip, Cuckoo flower, Orange-tip, Orange-tip male, Orange-tip on Cuckoo flower
Sometimes I can be a bit slow. During today’s walk, I was ambling along the edge of a meadow when I spotted a male Orange-tip butterfly flitting from one small patch of Cuckoo flower to the next. Then it stopped at one spot longer than usual so I walked quickly over to get some photos. I could see its tongue was out so knew it was feeding but, still, I was amazed at how long it was staying put on the one flower. And then I saw why …
The poor butterfly had been grabbed by a lurking, very well camouflaged Crab spider.
50 shades of brown
28 Thursday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
The latest butterfly species in my locale to flit up and say ‘Look at me’ is the Dingy skipper and, for all its supposedly dingy appearance, it’s a little cracker, a subtle blending of 50 shades of brown. And it seems to me that all the skipper species have attitude; they punch above their weight in terms of stroppiness, defending their territory with a tenacity that belies their diminutive size. Welcome back, little skippers!
Species Eight
16 Saturday Apr 2022
Posted in insects
Our warm sunny Easter weekend weather is bringing out the butterflies again. During yesterday’s long walk I saw Speckled wood, Peacock, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Comma, Small white, and, my very first Orange-tips, my eighth species of the year, both males and this beautiful female.
earthstar 
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