Hello Everyone,
After a week of sunshine with temperatures in the 70’s (over 21c) it was ideal conditions for the White Letter Hairstreak to appear for the first time in the County this year with the first record coming on the 9th of June 2025 on the Disease Resistant Elms alongside the Inner Ring Road in Derby (Andy Shervill) – Pat and I confirmed the sighting the next day on another D R Elm nearby – if you would like to check out these sites in Derby then send me an email and I will give you the exact locations. Then on the 13th of June 2025 Andy Shervill saw 3 White Letter Hairstreaks at Chellaston Brickworks LNR, again on Disease Resistant Elms whilst on the same day Sue Quick saw an individual at the National Stone Centre in Wirksworth. This rare butterfly does come down to take nectar from bramble and ragwort in Lowland Derbyshire whilst in the Peak District it is mainly hemp agrimony that attracts it in the Dales.
Then on the 13th of June 2025 the first confirmed sighting of the Essex Skipper was made at Gresley Wood by Michael Williams – this being equal to the County record date of the 13th of June (2018). A second brood sighting of the Holly Blue took place on the 11th of June 2025 in the Mickleover garden of Max & Christine Maughan (this being 1 day earlier than last year) – the previous day Max & Christine Maughan saw and photographed a summer brood specimen of the Comma (variety Hutchinsoni) – the 21st of June is an important day in the life cycle of the Comma butterfly as we approach the longest day, the first appearance of the Hutchinsoni summer version of theComma are seen as the caterpillars develop during lengthening days of more than 18 hours of daylight but those that develop with less than 18 hours of daylight are likely to be ‘normal’ Commas. This phenomenon was discovered by Emma Hutchinson who lived in Leominster during the 19th Century (which was a hot spot for the species in those days). Any offspring of the Hutchinsoni will be the usual dark Commas which will hibernate over next winter.
Pleasingly the Ringlet butterfly is now appearing in the Peak Fringe area with sightings from Chatsworth Gardens on the 9th of June 2025 (Fred & Gill Dyson) and in Hoe Grange Quarry on the 14th of June 2024 ( Ray Badger Walker) whilst yesterday the species was seen in the High Peak at New Mills by Lucy Pink. – the last sighting that I have received for the first brood Wall Brown was on the 13th of June 2025 at Riber above Matlock (Alison Pritchard)
Many volunteers are still suffering from a lack of butterflies seen on their transects but Week 11 has seen some sites have decent counts, these being Salter Wood, Denby (111 butterflies (mainly Meadow Browns) in 6 species on the 11th of June 2025 – Jane Rogers, Allestree Park Rewilding (88 butterflies) in 6 species on the 13th of June 2025 – Mike & Elaine Clarke), Coombs Dale in the Peak District (84 butterflies in 16 species on the 10th of June 2025 – Andrew Woodhouse), Chee Dale in the Peak District (77 butterflies in 12 species on the 11th of June 2025 – Jay Amin) and Maple Field NR, Wirksworth (77 butterflies in 6 species on the 11th of June 2025 – Jane Flint).
There have been a few migrant Painted Lady butterflies seen recently with sightings of singletons at 15 sites across the County together with 2 seen in Two Dales on the 12th of June 2025 (Stuart Slack), another 2 seen at Hardwick Wood on the 13th of June 2025 (John & Sandra Kidd) and 2 noted in Hayfield on the 15th of June 2025 (Lucy Pink), but just 4 recent sightings of the migrant Humming Bird Hawk moth at Ingleby (Robert Shaw), Two Dales (Peter Faulkner), Wirksworth (Jonathan Page) and at Bradwell (Sally Pereira) Mind you a rare Privet Hawk moth seen and photographed on the 9th of June 2025 by John & Elaine Holloway on their allotment in Aston on Trent provided some excitement as did the pair of Scarlet Tiger moths mating on clothes on a washing line in the Allestree garden of Jenny Emerson on the 9th of June 2025.
Finally many of you will remember the ‘No Mow May’ project when you are asked to leave your mower in the shed and let your grass grow long and give both wild flowers and insects a chance – well that is exactly what Sue Walker did in her Great Longstone garden (see the attached photo) and she tells me that she has been rewarded with sightings of 13 species including Dark Green Fritillary, Green Hairstreak, Small Heath and many Small Tortoiseshells – what a great result!
