With the arrival of the Autumn Equinox, the change of weather patterns has well and truly arrived with sunshine and heavy rain and showers – butterfly sightings were at a premium this week but nonetheless 15 species including some decent numbers were seen by a number of our intrepid volunteers during the Week 25 of the transect season, although a Nil return was the order of the day at some 12 sites across Derbyshire.
Species seen this week include :-
Large White:- Sightings up to and including the 22nd of September 2023
Small White:- Sightings up to and including the 22nd of September 2023
Brimstone :- Just I sighting this week, in the Allestree garden of Pat & Ken Orpe on the 21st of September 2023
Common Blue :- Just 2 sightings on the 17th of September 2023 from Lathkill Dale NNR (Peter Faulkner) and at Chee Dale (Robert & Margaret Davies) together with 2 at Tansley/Cressbrookdale on the 21st of September 2023 (Gordon & Alison Rooke)
Brown Argus Peak District Race :- A late sighting of an individual on the 21st of September 2023 in Tansley/Cressbrookdale (Gordon & Alison Rooke)
Holly Blue :-Singletons were seen on the 16th of September 2023 in Goseley Cutting (Kate Allies & Ruth Frudd) together with another on the 17th of September 2023 in Chee Dale (Robert & Margaret Davies) and finally one in Tideswell Dale on the 22nd of September 2023 (Esther Weir)
Small Copper :- There were 12 sightings at 7 locations this week at Millers Dale (Chris Thirtle), at Clover Close, Elvaston (Joan Breakwell), at Clough Wood (Simon Roddis), Goseley Cutting (Kate Allies & Ruth Frudd) and on the 21st of September 2023 at Rowland (Karen Mort), Haddon Hall Estate (Steve & Lin Orridge) and Tansley/Cressbrookdale (Gordon & Alison Rooke)
Small Tortoiseshell :- 16 individuals were noted at 10 locations this week including Curbar Edge (Jane Taylor),at Lathkill Dale NNR (Peter Faulkner), Bradwell (Sally Pereira) and on the 22nd of September 2023 at Shelton Lock (Jean McMahon) and in Two Dales (Stuart Slack)
Peacock :- Just 1 sighting this week at Haddon Hall Estate on the 21st of September 2023 (Steve & Lin Orridge)
Comma :- A total of 76 individuals seen at 31 locations with the highest gatherings on either ripe blackberries or flowering ivy coming from Linton on the 17th of September 2023 (12 no – Long Close Wood) and ( 11 no – Foxley Wood) – both Chris Leverington.
Red Admiral :- Still being seen at 54 locations with the highest counts coming from Mickleover Meadows (17 no – David & Margaret Gibbons), Findern Village (23 no – Brian & Jean Hallam) and on the Kings Newton Track (19 no – Brian & Jean Hallam) on the 22nd of September 2023
Speckled Wood :- Numbers of this multi brooded species build up over the year so it is normal to get a good late flush over the Autumn and this is proving to be the case this year with sightings of 174 individuals at 41 locations with counts in double figures coming from Foxley Wood, Linton (22 no – Chris Leverington), Long Close Wood, Linton ( 12 no – Chris Leverington), on the 19th of September 2023 at Craft Wood Wessington (10 no – Eric Easom) and finally on the 22nd of September 2023 in Tideswell Dale (26 no
Esther Weir).
Wall Brown :- A tatty late individual was noted on the 21st of September 2023 in Hoe Grange Quarry (Jim Alder)
Meadow Brown :- A late individual of this species was seen on the 20th of September 2023 at Creswell Crags ( Brendon Betts)
Small Heath :- A late sighting on the Rose End Meadows Extension on the 16th of September 2023 (Angela Bent) together with 5 no on the 21st of September 2023 in Tansley/Cressbrookdale ( Gordon & Alison Rooke)
Painted Lady :- A mint individual was seen on a late flowering buddleia in the South Wingfield garden of Eric Easom on the 17th & 18th of September 2023 (see attached photo) – another sighting of a mint individual came from the buddleias at Willington Gravel Pit on the 21st of September 2023 (Chris Perry) together with sightings at Mickleover (Max & Christine Maughan) and along the Cromford Canal at Whatstandwell (Patricia Sharp), both on the 22nd of September 2023 – no doubt these are the offspring of earlier migrants that arrived in the UK so they will soon be making their way south to their wintering areas of Equatorial Africa – good luck to all of them!
A number of observers have informed me of sightings on the 15th of September 2023 of several Red Admirals flying south – at Parsley Hay (Nick Brown & Kath Patrick), Curbar Edge (Jane Taylor) and on Lose Hill, near Castleton (Marian Bartley). No doubt the species will be massing on the South Coast of England prior to a shorter crossing of the English Channel back to Continental Europe, although in recent year a number decide to stay on in the UK, even here in Derbyshire, as they over-winter mainly in cracks and crevices of trees in some of our woodlands
However a sighting of a late Humming Bird Hawk moth on the 17th of September 2023 at Holloway (Alison Pritchard) would normally suggest that this migrant moth might be heading south but in recent years some of them have been over-wintering here in Derbyshire so don’t be too surprised if you keep seeing them on late flowers (particularly red valerian) in your gardens.
Recently, Butterfly Conservation issued the National Distribution maps for all the UK butterflies for the period 2015 – 2019 and they can be downloaded, together with a copy of The State of Britain’s Butterflies 2022, if you click on the link below:-
https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/the-state-of-britains-butterflies
Interestingly, since 2019, the spread of the Purple Emperor has occurred in the Region with many sightings across Notts and Leics and I have just come up with the idea of getting local Organisations and Companies to plant Sallows in South Derbyshire to try and encourage Iris to come and get established here in the County – more details later…