After a week of fairly changeable weather at least the day time temperatures have kept reasonably high and, with no night time frosts as yet, a reasonable number of our local butterflies have been seen on the wing in the County. In fact there have been sightings of 11 species already this month including :-
Brimstone :- A late sighting on the 2nd of October 2022 at Wingerworth (per Robin Elliott)
Large White :- Just 4 sightings of this species during the last week with the last seen on the 3rd of October 2022 in Buxton (Ian & Joy White)
Small White :- Sightings of 12 individuals in the County during the last week with the latest seen on the 6th of October 2022 in Wyver Lane, Belper ( Dave Evans)
Small Copper :- A total of 38 individuals have been seen this week at 9 sites with the strong colony in Woo Dale still having 29 no on the wing on the 2nd of October 2022 (Ian & Joy White) and a late sighting today (8th) at Overseal (Ruth Moore)
Common Blue :- A well-worn individual (see attached photo) was seen on the 2nd of October 2022 in Hay Dale (Ian & Joy White)
Red Admiral :- Another 44 individuals were seen recently at 12 sites across the County with the highest counts of 12 coming from Ashover (Paul Townsend) on the 2nd of October 2022 and 10 seen at Matlock the next day ( Dave Evans).
Painted Lady :- Surprisingly 5 individuals have been seen in the County up to and including the 2nd of October 2022 with records on ivy outside the Evergreen Club in Allestree (Felicity Jackson), the Buxton garden of Bob Billings, in Matlock (Dave Evans), in the Godfreyhole garden of Jean Hurdle and at the Erewash Meadows NR near Ironville ( Stephen Bacon).
Small Tortoiseshell :- Just 2 individuals seen this last week – both on the 3rd of October 2022, with one at Glapwell (David Elliott) and the other in Hoe Grange Quarry NR (Ray Badger Walker)
Peacock :- Just 3 sightings of this species this week – all seen on the 3rd of October 2022 at Markham Vale North (Aline & John Roberts), Erewash Meadows NR near Ironville (Stephen Bacon) and in the Whaley Bridge garden of Alan & Angie Seymour.
Comma :- 15 individuals were seen at 10 locations with the highest count of 3 coming from both Matlock (Dave Evans) and on the sedum plants behind Kedleston Hall on the 3rd of October 2022 (Ken & Pat Orpe)
Speckled Wood :- Numbers finally dwindling down with just 12 individuals noted at 9 sites up to and including the 6th of October 2022 with most in a very poor condition now – see the attached photo of one of them taken by Dave Evans in Wyver Lane, Belper.
Just a couple of late September 2022 to report – a Wall Brown was seen near Dene Quarry on the 28th of September 2022 (Adrian & Rebecca Rochford) and a Green Veined White was seen on the 30th of October 2022 in the Buxton garden of Bob Billing. There was also a surprise sighting on the 1st of October 2022 for Bill Bacon in his Bingham garden when he saw a mint Holly Blue on an ivy hedge.
It has certainly been a good year for the migrant Humming Bird Hawk moth with another 6 individuals seen this week across the area with sightings up to and including the 6th of October 2022 at Buxton (Bob Billing), Parwich (Ray Badger Walker), Clay Cross (Peter Kidd), Bradwell (Sally Pereira), Glossop (Dave Mallon) and just across the County boundary in Sheffield (John Hall)
Photographs of wildlife 2022 :- With 2023 rapidly approaching, Longcliffe Quarries are in the process of organising their Wildlife Calendar for the new year so if you have got some photos taken on their land including Hoe Grange Quarry, of course, that are suitable for inclusion then please email them to me – naturally full recognition will be given. Also Longcliffe Quarries have informed me of the launch of a 2023 nature photographic competition by the Mineral Products Association aimed at volunteers who visit N R that were formally quarries – that is something that we have got in abundance here in Derbyshire! If you would like to see the details of this competition then please send me an email and I will forward the information on to you.
Finally, many thanks to those of you who have entered your group transect data direct into UKBMS this year – at the last count there are about 30 sites on line here in Derbyshire which means that I have only got to enter about a further 100 sites into the project – hopefully next year I will get even more volunteers who are keen to participate and lighten my work load! If you have any record sheets that you have yet to email to me, could you please let me have them as soon as possible. Early indications regarding butterfly numbers seen on transects in 2022 are not looking good although some species had a reasonable year and at Hoe Grange Quarry NR the Dingy Skipper, Comma and Gatekeeper had their highest daily totals there since transects commenced in 2015.
