Hello Everyone, According to the Met Office, Autumn has arrived and after the hot summer of 2022 it now looks like the Atlantic will start throwing weather fronts at us which will hopefully start to fill up the reservoirs ( as at the 29th of August 2022, Howden is 17.5% full; Derwent is 27.4% full; Ladybower is 45.4% full; Carsington is 57.3% full and overall in the Severn Trent catchment areas the figure is 48.9% full). But whilst 2022 is regarded as one of the hottest on record, weather figures of mine for this year in Derby suggest that it were less sunny days, more rainy days and less days where the temperature rose above 21c than those of 2018!
The main reason of course was the intensity of the heat – 39c on the 19th of July and 37c on the 18th of July with August having 5 consecutive days ( 10th to the 14th) of temperatures 30c and above. Consequently the dryness of the grasses and the wilting of the wild flowers ensured a premature ending to the flight period of many of our local butterflies, although in the cooler Peak District areas this has not been so obvious with late sightings of a number of species being made till the end of August 2022 and second broods of the Common Blue and a new brood of the Small Heath appearing as examples.
Moving on to our speciality Endangered Species, the Wall Brown butterfly, the second brood has certainly been a strange affair with recent sightings away from its normal range including Cown Edge, Glossop (Dave Mallon), Gnat Hole Farm, Glossop (Marc Whitlock), Gibbet Moor and Holmesfield (both Andrew Woodhouse) and yet a search by Dave Mallon of its former hot spot on Bonsall Moor recently failed to produce a single sighting! So what is going on with this butterfly species yet again? Interestingly David Chandler of B C in Essex tells me that the Wall Brown has been moving inland from the coast in South Essex and also along the tidal stretches of the River Ouse in Cambridgeshire. David also thinks that because of climate change the species is changing to a definite third brood species rather than a double brooded species, and indeed fresh third brood specimens have just started to appear there.
Here in the Peak District of Derbyshire, we have experienced a partial third brood (suicidal) of the species during 17 of the last 20 years – and although most of the current sightings this week (74 number from 30 sites) are for tired and worn specimens, Sally Pereira saw a fresh male in her Bradwell garden on the 1st of September 2022 and Jonathan Page saw two mint male individuals on the 2nd of September 2022 on the High Peak/Tissington Trails in the Parsley Hay/Friden areas which suggests that a third brood has commenced really early here this year!! Please let me know if your September 2022 sightings of the species are in mint condition and also whether there are any females amongst them!
Moving on to other sightings this week, another Clouded Yellow was seen by Tina Carter – this time on the 26th of August 2022 in the kitchen garden at Chatsworth House (no 12 of this year in the County). The Painted Lady continues to have a good season with yet another 76 individuals noted from 31 locations in the County during this last week including gatherings of 15 at Ryder Point Quarry (Bridget Edwards), 11 at Carsington Water (Mark Longdon), and 8 at Godfreyhole (Jean Hurdle) – are these butterflies filling up in readiness for their migration back to Africa soon?. The Humming Bird Hawk moth is also doing well this year with another 22 seen at 21 locations across Derbyshire including 2 noted in the Bradwell Garden of Sally Pereira and Steve Byers on the 26th of August 2022 and interestingly this species is capable of over – wintering here in the County!.
Other recent sightings of note include :-
Small Copper :- Still not as common as normal at this time of the year but 112 individuals at 42 locations is a decent increase on the previous week with the highest counts coming from Woo Dale (18 no – Ian & Joy White), Cunningdale ( 7 no – Sheila Stubbs and Rachel Purchase) and Lathkill Dale (7 no – Chris & Sheila Ragg).
Brown Argus (Peak District Race) :- Sightings received from just 7 sites this week including 4 seen in Chee Dale on the 28th of August 2022 (Robert & Margaret Davies) and 2 noted in Coombs Dale on the 3rd of September 2022 (Al & John Roberts).
Brown Argus (Migrating) :- Similarly sightings were received from just 6 sites in Lowland Derbyshire this week with the latest noted on the 3rd of September 2022 at the former Staveley Works (Andrew Woodhouse).
Common Blue :- Decent counts are still being made at some ‘brownfield’ sites across Lowland Derbyshire including 107 noted at Markham Vale South on the 27th of August 2022 (Sid Morris & Mark Radford), 38 seen at Salter Wood, Denby on the 30th of August 2022 (Jane Rogers) and 37 seen along the Blackwell Trail on the 26th of August 2022 (Helen Naylor).
Holly Blue :- This busy little butterfly has had a great year in 2022 and sightings of 12 individuals were still being made up to and including the 1st of September 2022 with the highest count of 3 coming from Godfreyhole on the 28th of August 2022 (Jean Hurdle)
It is quite possible that the species will have a third brood later this month and parks and gardens are the most likely habitat to see this species as it flies endlessly in search of a mate!
Red Admiral :- It has been somewhat of an average year for this species but the buddleias at Ryder Point Quarry continue to be a big attraction for the species with 26 seen there on the 26th of August 2022 (Bridget Edwards), whilst smaller gatherings have been noted at Fenny Bentley (8 no on the 30th of August 2022 – Derek Brownlee) and 8 seen in the Bradwell garden of Sally Pereira and Steve Byers on the 26th of August 2022.
Small Tortoiseshell :- Not the best of years for this species locally but again the buddleias at Ryder Point Quarry on the 26th of August 2022 attracted 59 individuals on the 26th of August 2022 (Bridget Edwards), 42 were seen on buddleias in the Bradwell Garden of Sally Pereira and Steve Byers on the same day whilst Mark Longdon saw 29 individuals on the 28th of August 2022 on water mint at Carsington Water.
Peacock :- Definitely a poor summer for this normally common species (were their caterpillars killed off by the heat before they pupated?) – recent sightings of just 20 individuals from 7 sites across Derbyshire illustrates how bad the situation has become with the recent highest counts of 6 from Grin Low, Buxton ( Clare Chable) and 5 from Carsington Water (Mark Longdon) – let’s hope that the majority have already entered hibernation and remain safe from predators!
Dark Green Fritillary :- Just hanging on till September with one sighting on the 1st of this month in Tansley Dale (Gordon & Alison Rooke)
Silver Washed Fritillary :- Just a couple of recent sightings with one in Chee Dale on the 28th of August 2022 (Robert & Margaret Davies) and a couple in Tansley Dale on the 1st of September 2022 (Gordon & Alison Rooke).
Speckled Wood :- As expected, numbers are beginning to build up with a maximum of 66 seen on the 28th of August 2022 at Pleasley Pit (Willy Lane et al), and 40 no seen at both Whitwell Wood (Jess Bailey) and in the lower reaches of Lathkill Dale NNR
(Chris & Sheila Ragg), both on the 1st of September 2022.
Small Heath :- New brood individuals are now being seen at some sites with the highest counts coming from the ‘brownfield’ sites in Lowland Derbyshire with 15 noted on the 3rd of September at the former Staveley Works (Andrew Woodhouse), 13 seen along the Blackwell Trail (Helen Naylor) and 10 seen in Pleasley Pit NR (Willy Lane et al)
This week’s picture gallery includes an amazing photo of an albino Brown Argus that was taken at a site south of Derbyshire (per
Dan Martin) together with other great photos of butterflies and moths that were seen in Derbyshire recently – keep them coming!
