Hello Everyone, After a good couple of days last weekend, this week has been another disappointing week with a good deal of rain but hopefully it should be better this weekend, fingers crossed!
The Peak District version of the Brown Argus first appeared on the 17th of May 2024 with sightings at both Longstone Edge (Sue Walker) and in Lathkill Dale NNR (Chris & Sheila Ragg) but only in low numbers. This species can be distinguished visually by the number of orange lunules on the wings – the Migrating version normally has a full set of lunules whereas the Peak District version normally has a reduced number of lunules (see attached photos from Cunningdale by Steve Orridge and from Whitwell Tip by Terry Evans) – records of the Migrating version have come from Stanton Lagoons, Ilkeston (Ken & Pat Orpe) and also from Drakelow NR
(Andy Large). Still low numbers of the Common Blue with sightings from just 4 sites this week and the Small Copper is still fairly scarce in the County with sightings from just 9 locations. Understandingly numbers of the first brood Holly Blue are now tailing off with records from 8 locations including a couple in the Peak District at Hay Dale (John Coupland) and at Parwich (Ray Walker). Again the Green Hairstreaks are starting to show their age but at least they appeared at 10 locations in the dales and also 8 sites on the moors recently. Dingy Skippers are at last beginning to show themselves after a slow start with sightings from 24 locations across the County with 27 no seen in Cressbrookdale on the 19th of May 2024 (John Coupland). Similarly the Wall Brown is now showing itself with records of 47 individuals across mainly the Peak District and Peak Fringe areas (max count of 11 no by Martin Timms at Longstone Edge on the 18th of May 2024) although an individual was seen on the 19th of May 2024 at Dronfield by Joe Margetts which again suggests a movement eastwards towards North East Derbyshire. The other first brood species to be seen in low numbers is the Small Heath with sightings at only 10 locations – the highest count being 10 no on the 19th of May 2024 at Markham Pit South (Sid Morris) with the Speckled Wood just hanging on in its first brood.
The big news this last week is the appearance of 20 Painted Lady butterflies seen in the County with about half a dozen in Lowland areas and the rest mainly hill topping in the Peak District. A similar number of Red Admirals have been seen recently with 6 noted
In Hay Dale on the 19th of May 2024 (Ian & Joy White). It looks like the Comma is now between broods with the special summer Hutchinsoni brood expected towards the end of June 2024. Before that a new brood of Small Tortoiseshells is expected although the caterpillars seen by Pete Clark in the re-wilding area of Allestree Park suggests that this new brood will be later than normal this year.(see attached photo). Peacocks can still be seen on the wing but their new brood doesn’t usually appear until early July in the County – similar to the Brimstone which is still showing in good numbers at a few sites including 28 no noted on the 18th of May 2024 at Pleasley Pit (Willy Lane) and 10 no seen in Chee Dale on the 17th of May 2024 (Jay Amin).
As we are approaching nearly the third point of the transect season, overall butterflies have in the main struggled with the very wet weather and in week 8 some sites have yet to record a single butterfly, not even one of the ‘whites’! As Derbyshire is such a diverse County the differences at some of the transect sites is quite startling …. the magic number of 100 butterflies recorded in 9 species occurred in ideal conditions on the 17th of May 2024 in Lathkill Dale NNR (Chris & Sheila Ragg) which included 53 no Orange Tip butterflies! A few years ago Lathkill Dale NNR had the highest number of Orange Tips recorded on transects throughout the UK.
Attached to this email is a map of the 160 locations where surveys are being carried out in the County this year – 145 full transects and 15 Wider Countryside Butterfly Surveys (WCBS) – there is still time for you to help this year as there is a vacancy on a WCBS site in South Derbyshire at Radbourne – let me know if you are interested in doing just 4 walks at this site during the summer?
Finally, David Kershaw Wright emailed me a photograph of probably Derbyshire’s rarest resident moth – the day flying Argent & Sable which is a beautiful black and white moth that appears to be restricted to the woodland slopes of the Derwent Valley here in the County – please let me know if you see this special moth, ideally with a photograph, during the next few weeks.
