Hello Everyone, Yet another poor week for our local butterflies with lots of rain and hardly any warm sunshine although the temperature is starting to rise at last as we have now lost that cold easterly airflow – mind you an easterly airflow can bring migrant butterflies from the nearby Continent – interestingly, I have just found out that the Large Tortoiseshell is moving westwards out of Germany into the Low Countries and its larval foodplant now includes Goat Willow as well as the usual Elms – so my Sallows project for the Purple Emperor could be well ahead of its time! Have a look at the attached photo of a Large Tortoiseshell taken recently in Grenoble France by Robert Wardell, once of this Region. It is over 100 years since the last verified sighting of the species in Derbyshire but 3 sightings in Notts in 2023 and 1 sighting in Lincs in 2022 gives us all food for thought! Naturally I would need some photographic evidence if you think that you have seen this species in the County. The species hibernates in hollows of trees and within log piles and a single new brood is seen during July along woodland edges (with Sallows) and hedgerows(with Elms) and as well as seeking nectar from flowers, it likes sap that oozes from tree wounds.
Also attached is an artwork for Information Boards, which are going to be erected at sites in the County, on the Purple Emperor and also the White Admiral both of which are spreading north due to climate change – as previously announced, a good number of Organisations have planted both Sallows (for the Purple Emperor) and wild honeysuckle (for the White Admiral) recently in woodlands mainly in the South of the County in the hope that both these rare species will breed there eventually. Again sightings of these species with photographic evidence would be great!
A brief sunny interval on the 12th of March 2024 allowed a Small Tortoiseshell to fly across the parkland at Manor Park’s formal garden in Glossop and when it landed it allowed Colin Ashcroft to get a close up photo (see the attached) – but that’s it for this week!
The total butterfly sightings for the first 3 months of each year since 2021 have been as follows :- 2021 (2146 no); 2022 (1174 no); 2023 (119 no) and so far this year there has been a total of just 61 sightings, which is approx. 3% of the 2021 total!
