Despite some sunshine over the Easter weekend which allowed many volunteers to carry out Week 2 of the transect season, the weather remains very changeable and quite stormy at times which are not the ideal conditions for butterflies to either appear or indeed complete their life cycle. Accordingly a total of 23 sites that were walked by volunteers in sunshine failed to record any butterflies on their transects and indeed many gardens remain devoid of sightings and butterfly activity which for the middle of April 2023 is very concerning. With the temperature likely to rise next week, hopefully this will allow numbers of butterflies to increase with species such as Green Hairstreak and possibly Dingy Skipper making their first appearances of the year?
The latest batch of sightings are summarised below and pleasingly the Red Admiral has finally appeared this month with sightings from 4 locations during April 2023 at Creswell Crags (Brendon Betts), Rowland (Tracey Sharkey et al), on Longstone Edge (Sue Walker) and on the 9th of April 2023 at St Chads Water, Wilne (Roger Martin).
Other sightings during the last week include :-
Brimstone :- A total of 149 sightings from 53 locations in the County including a massive 25 at Chee Dale on the 8th of April 2023 (John & Anne Coupland)
Small White :- Seen in ones and twos only from 10 sites across the County which is extremely poor for the time of the year.
Orange Tip :- This harbinger of Spring is now starting to appear at a number of sites across Derbyshire with records from 20 locations including some in the Peak District with the highest count of 5 coming from Hall Lane Ponds, Staveley on the 7th of April 2023 (Sid Morris).
Holly Blue :- Just 6 sightings of this small busy blue butterfly recently with records coming from Hilton (Peter Hendry and Wayne Cooper), Trent Lock, Sawley (Marion Bryce), Wingerworth (per Robin Elliott) Creswell Crags (Jason Lowe) together with a first from the Peak District this year in Monsal Dale on the 8th of April 2023 (per Sue Walker).
Small Tortoiseshell :- A similar number seen this week compared to Week 1 of the transect season with 77 individuals noted at 41 locations – the maximum count of 6 coming from Doe Lea on the 9th of April 2023 (Mike & Mavis Allen)
Peacock :- A slight increase in numbers seen this week compared to Week 1 of the transect season with 104 individuals noted at 44 locations with the highest count of 9 seen on the 7th of April 2023 at Swadlincote Woodlands (Arthur Jackson)
Comma :- Again a similar number of this species were seen this week with 119 individuals noted at 48 locations with the highest count of 11 coming from Allestree Park (Mick Connell)
Speckled Wood :- Records of this species have been received from just a couple of additional sites recently with a singleton seen in Goseley Cutting, Woodville (Kate Allies & Ruth Frudd) and 2 seen at Forbes Hole LNR, Long Eaton on the 9th of April 2023 (Jen Smith)
Last November (Update no 48) I mentioned that a number of continental butterfly species had appeared in S E England during 2022 and surprisingly another rare species, the Large Tortoiseshell, has been seen in the same part of the UK earlier this month. Nigel Downes, who lives in Derbyshire, emailed me with an interesting account of how his former school friend Dave Brown, who lives in Kent, set about hunting down the Large Tortoiseshell in Sussex. Nigel’s email reads :-
“Background to the photos of the Large Tortoiseshell: It suddenly got quite interesting on the LT front down here a week ago with someone recording seeing 3 in Peacehaven on 2nd April……so next day headed there. Had looked at satellite maps to try and work out where to focus search; arrived at what had seemed like a sensible starting point and in manoeuvring to park did a three point turn under a flowering willow, out of which flew an LT, passing right in front of car windscreen, camera in boot!!! Failed to relocate!!!
Did a lot of walking, in the course of which met a guy gardening in his front garden, who turned out to be the person who had posted the sightings the previous day. A bit later we briefly saw another, which dived out of a tree to investigate a Peacock flying just above some bramble, but that one disappeared into dense scrub, and couldn’t locate.
Another one was reported at the foot of the scarp (N) slope of the S Downs on the 4th, but work full on and couldn’t follow up, then on Thursday (6th) one was reported at Horseshoe plantation, a very small sheltered woodland surrounded by Chalk grassland close to Beachy Head I know quite well (including where the few elm trees in the wood are), so headed there on Friday. Another guy arrived same time as me; we checked the edge of the wood very thoroughly, including with binoculars, couldn’t find it, he thought it might have moved on, so he departed. I felt more hopeful and stayed; after another 15 minutes or so I found it on dry grass litter beside an ill defined path bordering the eastern side of the wood, but startled it and it flew straight up! It then did some circling around in a dense network of Ash branches, before come to rest about 7m up….. this didn’t present much of a photographic opportunity, best that could be achieved (heavily cropped) attached. However, it seemed settled, sunning itself up there, and I thought, “well, if I can get myself level with it, this has got potential”. Not routinely carrying a ladder, this was an interesting exercise, but I was quite pleased with the sunlit side-on shots of it I managed to get and forwarded previously. After basking there for maybe 10 minutes it took off again and spent some time circling the very tops of the (15m or so high) trees and perching for a while on the very highest twigs, could just about see it. It then headed straight for the ground, landing close to where I had first disturbed it, and I managed to get both open wing and underwing shots I was reasonably happy with – but it was a very twitchy, nervous butterfly which couldn’t be approached closely. So, having secured shots I was happy with, I left it alone, but on the drive back on a hunch called in at Cradle valley, a couple of miles inland (close to Seaford/Tide Mills). And there, after walking about a mile up the valley, I found another! Again, sitting on grass by a path.
The Sussex BC sightings page also reports single specimens in other locations, in total 8 different individuals seen in 6 locations this year, more than in any other year. Are they natural migrants, or their progeny? Or are some releases? It’s interesting that the sightings are nearly all very close to the coast; the three sites I’ve now seen them at are very sheltered, east- west orientated valleys between half a mile and two miles of the coast – the first suitable egg deposition sites LT’s crossing the Channel would reach. So my guess would be that colonisation by cross-Channel migrants is probably most likely explanation. Will have a look for larval webs in a couple of months!’
Meanwhile here in Derbyshire the last sighting of the Large Tortoiseshell was back in 1917 at Alderwasley but with climate change who knows what could turn up – any unusual Small Tortoiseshells should be carefully checked out and preferably accompanied by a photo for certainty of identification Good Luck!
Finally the grass verges and open spaces in our part of Derby are looking good with a fine display of dandelions and indeed I was fortunate to see and photograph a Brimstone taking nectar from one of these colourful plants but will they survive until no mow May or will mower man be given licence to decimate them very soon? Let’s hope that Local Authorities who are crying out for savings make the correct decision and let the dandelions continue to provide us with their bright and cheery display – or will they get the chop when in full bloom as usually happens?
