Hello Everyone, What a great day the 6th of September 2024 proved to be in this Region – after the low cloud cleared by 10 am here in Derby, the sun came out and despite a strong N E wind the temperature reached a balmy 25c – was it The Last of the Summer Wine’? Well 20 butterfly species across Derbyshire certainly made the most of the conditions including the latest ever sighting of the Silver Washed Fritillary in the County when Christine Crawford saw an individual at Thornhill NR, Bamford which was 1 day later than the previous County record of the 5th of September (2021).
It looks like the warm weather also brought out second brood individuals of the ‘blue’ family in the Peak District with sightings of fresh Common Blues at Lathkill Dale NNR (14 no – Debbie Worland), Hoe Grange Quarry NR ( 11 no – Max & Christine Maughan) and at Tansley/Cressbrookdale (11 no – Gordon & Alison Rooke). Similarly, fresh individuals of the Peak District version of the Brown Argus appeared with sightings from Deep Dale, Sheldon (4 no – Derek Brownlee), Tansley/Cressbrookdale (9 no – Gordon & Alison Rooke) and at Hoe Grange Quarry NR (4 no – Wilf Powell). Small Coppers were also noted this last week at a few sites in the County up to the 9th of September 2024 including Dene Quarry/ Gang Mine NR (3 no – Martin Cobham), Lathkill Dale NNR (4 no – Debbie Worland) and also at Tansley/Cressbrookdale ( 5 no – Gordon and Alison Rooke) A few Holly Blues were noted up to the 7th of September 2024 with an individual seen at Sawley ( Brian & Jennifer Sewell) with 3 recorded at Manor Farm, Long Eaton on the 6th of September 2024 (Mick & Brenda Meakin)
Other sightings of interest include :-
Brimstone :- 12 individuals were noted on the 6th of September 2024 around the Pond area at Toyota UK, Burnaston (Angie Smith)
Small Tortoiseshell :- Only 18 individuals were noted at 15 locations in the County this week, up to the 9th of September 2024, with a max of 3 seen at Findern Footpaths on the 6th of September 2024 (Lynette Nash)
Peacock :- Maximum counts in double figures have come from the Peak District this week with 11 no seen on the 6th of September 2024 at both Conksbury Bridge, Lower Lathkill Dale (Brian Cuttell) and in Chatsworth Gardens (Fred & Gill Dyson)
Dark Green Fritillary :- Sightings at just 2 locations in the County on the 6th of September 2024 with 2 seen at Deep Dale, Sheldon
(Derek Brownlee) and an individual seen in Lathkill Dale NNR ( Debbie Worland)
Painted Lady :- This migrant butterfly is still hanging on in the County with sightings of 5 individuals noted up to and including the 7th of September 2024 when one was seen in the Hartington garden of Janet Bray.
Both the Red Admiral and the Comma have been seen regularly this week with flowering Sedums, Michaelmas Daisies and late flowering yellow buddleias being the current provider of nectar but very soon the ivy plant with be flowering and their heads will prove irresistible to both of these hibernating butterflies as well as ripe fruit that I mentioned in the last Update, following which Dan Martin reminded me that he puts a ripe banana on a stick to appeal to the appetite of mainly Red Admirals (see attached photo).
With the flight period of most of the Skippers, Hairstreaks and the ‘Brown’ family now over, it is left to a couple of the latter group to catch the eye – the Speckled Wood which is seen across the County these days after it first appeared in Derbyshire 40 years ago with recent sightings in excess of 15 coming from Lowland areas of the County including Hartshorne Wood (David & Heather Bird), Swadlincote Woodlands ( Peter Brewster), Gresley Wood (38 no – Michael Williams), Manor Farm, Long Eaton (Mick & Brenda Meakin), at Belper Parks (Adrian & Rebecca Rochford), Markham Vale South (32 – April Darby) with a massive 57 seen on the WCBS survey at Pleasley Pit on the 6th of September 2024 (David Elliott). In contrast the other member of the ‘Brown’ family, the Wall Brown, is now classed as Endangered across the UK – fortunately we still have a number of reasonably good colonies in the Peak District with Andrew Woodhouse completing his annual counts over the weekend of the 30th and 31st of August 2024 at Moss Rake, Baslow Edge, Litton Edge and Tideslow Rake with a total of 40 individuals seen against 23 seen at the same sites back in 2023.However this appears to be an exception as there have only been a further 26 butterflies noted recently at 10 sites in the Peak District and Peak Fringe areas with just 4 noted at Priestcliffe Lees (Peter Faulkner), Deep Dale, Sheldon (Derek Brownlee), Hoe Grange Quarry NR (Max & Christine Maughan) and at Ashover Rock (John & Sandra Kidd). Despite a brief blast of Arctic air across the UK at the moment, it does look as though it will warm up again next week (Week 25 of the transect season) so the Wall Brown could still occur in the Peak District before its second brood comes to a close – that is to say that it might not be the end for the species in 2024 as it has produced a partial third brood in 7 of the last 10 years, although here they are regarded as a ‘suicidal’ brood with little chance of reproduction in early October – not so in Essex where Dave Chandler informs me that a third brood individual was seen on his transect in Benfleet on the 11th of September 2024 which will hopefully give the species a better chance of reproduction there later this month.
Finally this week’s photos include those of a number of moth caterpillars seen in Derbyshire recently – worth looking out for some as they tend to be quite colourful to blend in the autumn foliage.
