Hello Everyone, Just as we thought that the snowy weather of the 3rd of December 2023 had sent all our butterflies into hibernation, John Barker informs me that a Small Tortoiseshell was seen in the snow at Wirksworth on that date – this has happened before in the County when another Small Tortoiseshell was also seen on the snow and was photographed by James Evans at Farley near Matlock in recent years (see the attached photo) – they don’t half breed them tough here in Derbyshire!
Other recorders have been out and about recently looking for hibernating butterflies and moths with some interesting results :-
Lox Brooks saw and photographed a Peacock on the bird hide ceiling at Pleasley Pit (see attached photo); both Alf Bousie and Mark Searle visited the tunnels at Calke Park recently and a total of 3 Peacocks and 10 Herald moths were seen hibernating there. Meanwhile in the Peak District, Vic Pearson informs me that Peacocks were seen hibernating in the pillbox at the former RAF Station on Harpur Hill, Buxton – a bleak spot even in summer on the 450 metre contour! Emma Bungay informs me that she has got a Peacock hibernating in her Duffield house – the best thing to do in this situation is to carefully put the butterfly into a small cardboard box (or similar), without a lid, and place it inside a cool but frost free shed or outbuilding, preferably away from any evidence of spiders. Then on a warm sunny day in spring 2024 leave the shed door open so that the butterfly can fly out and look for nectar (usually dandelions or crocus in March)
Nigel Davidson recently sent me some interesting distribution maps regarding the expansion of the Large Tortoiseshell and the Yellow Legged Tortoiseshell in the Netherlands in recent years – it looks like they are coming out of Germany towards the Low Countries and Northern France and then into the UK. During the last 20 years around 400 Large Tortoiseshells have been seen mainly in S E England, and apparently the females are laying their eggs on Goat Willow as well as Elm, which as you are probably aware, they have been suffering as a result of Dutch Elm Disease. So the project to plant Sallows for the Purple Emperor could also provide the foodplant for the Large Tortoiseshell as well, although the last confirmed sighting for the latter species was back in 1917 in Alderwasley, so it is about time that we had it back in our County!