As predicted the weather at the beginning of November 2022 has turned very changeable, and this has been reflected in the number of butterflies that have been seen in the County so far this month with sightings of 7 species to date, namely
Brimstone :- Just one unexpected sighting of this species on the 4th of November 2022 when Patricia Sharp saw an individual flying at North Wingfield
Red Admiral :- 14 individuals have been noted across the County so far this month from 10 localities up to and including the 4th of November 2022 with 2 noted at both Markham Pit South (Sid Morris) and also in his garden at Hartshorne (John Schofield).
Painted Lady :- Another unexpected sighting when an individual was seen resting on grass near Hardwick Wood, Wingerworth on the 1st of November 2022 (John & Sandra Kidd) – presumably a northern butterfly on its way south.
Small Tortoiseshell :- Just 1 sighting of this species by Rod Dunn on the 4th of November 2022 at Caldwell’s Mill, Rowsley
Peacock :- An individual was seen at Erewash Meadows NR, Ironville by Stephen Bacon on the 4th of November 2022
Comma :- Just 1 sighting of this species on the 4th of November 2022 when Ken & Pat Orpe noted one on flowering ivy in a garden in Hilton.
Speckled Wood :- A late October 2022 sighting was made of this species by Marilyn Horner at Elvaston C P on the 28th of the month followed by a somewhat tatty individual seen in Wyver Lane, Belper by Dave Evans on the 2nd of November 2022.
Meanwhile the Small Copper hasn’t quite made it into November 2022 as yet but 3 individuals were noted on the 31st of October 2022 in Woo Dale by Ian & Joy White, who during this Autumn have recorded in excess of 250 of the species there!
Not to be outdone by the appearance of the Painted Lady this week, Dave Evans saw and photographed a late Humming Bird Hawk moth in his Belper garden on the 1st of November 2022 – it was attracted to the aptly named plant ‘hot lips’
One of the interesting events of this hot year (which was the warmest January to October on record) has been the appearance of additional butterfly species into the UK especially in the S E of the Country which is closest to mainland Europe. Following on from a note from Pete Clark of Ironville , I received an email from Keith Ferris of Kent together with another interesting email from John Bungay also in Kent who confirmed that a new brood of the Queen of Spain Fritillary was seen near the coast there in September 2022, this probably being the progeny of an earlier migrant female of the species. Pat and I saw one whilst on holiday in Croatia and the underside was amazing – a complete sheen of silver instead of dots or streaks.( see the attached photos). With the powerful flying Silver Washed Fritillary now being a breeding species here in Derbyshire, who is to say that the possibility of the also very powerful flier, the Queen of Spain Fritillary, might well get established and move north in the near future? Then again recently I received an email from David Chandler of B C Essex who tells me that the Long Tailed Blue was seen at Walton on the Naze on 29th of October 2022 and also at Felixtowe in Suffolk on the same day, and then on the 31st of October 2022 one was seen in Northampton, this after this species was seen again this summer in Sussex, Kent and Hants. The chances of this smallish blue butterfly moving further north are now possible with climate warming as you can expect the unexpected!. Another species that can find its way to southern England is the Bath White although the last big influx was over 70 years ago now – the underside of the butterfly resembles an Orange Tip with its mottled green patterning, but the species has never been recorded in Derbyshire (yet). Pat and I have seen it in Portugal and indeed Brenda Dunn saw and photographed one in Tossa de Mar, Spain last month (see the excellent photograph attached). Also the Geranium Bronze is a butterfly species that has been accidently imported into the UK from the Continent on pelargoniums and as the name suggests other geraniums – we have seen it in Italy flying around window boxes in the centre of towns and cities and it is regarded as a pest amongst growers of the said plants – not heard of any being seen in Derbyshire yet but you never know what might arrive on the next importation of the plant. A long shot for natural colonisation is the Black Veined White which was last recorded in Derbyshire in the 19th Century but can currently be seen on the near Continent, sometimes in good numbers..
So all in all we are living in very interesting times with the Purple Emperor getting closer to the Derbyshire borders from Notts and Leicestershire so we don’t need individuals going on the internet buying butterfly ‘stock’ and then releasing the resultant imago’s willy nilly – Mother Nature is doing her own work in keeping us on our toes without interference from the cloak and dagger brigade.