The Feel of Spring

The best day of the year by far with plenty of sunshine,a light breeze,and a 'spring is here' feeling.No excuse therefore for the butterflies to stay in and at Walters Copse,Newtown,several  were out in the warm sunshine.Another first this year for me was a very colourful male Brimstone,racing up and down the rides occasionally stopping to take the warmth.

Out too was a Comma and basking underneath a crab apple tree,still surrounded by last year fruit,a feeding Red Admiral.Finally a somewhat tatty Peacock butterfly in a sheltered sunny spot.

More Butterflies Out & About.

Another sunny morning and feeling milder as the wind has decreased.Just out of hibernation is a Peacock butterfly which is still inactive and does not want to fly away until it warms up in the sunshine.Joining it briefly in my garden today was another Small Tortoiseshell and a second Peacock.

My First Sighting of the Year.

After all the stormy weather we have had to endure since Christmas it is great to see my first butterfly of 2014.A sign maybe that spring is not too far away now, although it is only mid -February and winter has a habit of biting back.I spied this Small Tortoiseshell  fluttering around my garden in the sunshine looking for that sheltered sunny spot.It was not long before it flew on and over the hedge.

There have been several sightings of butterflies on the Island during February,including a Brimstone,a Peacock,and another Small Tortoiseshell.

More Long-tailed Blues on the Isle of Wight.

Following the sighting at Wheelers Bay on Tuesday last,another Long-tailed Blue was seen yesterday at the very same location.This individual was a pristine male and as its larval food plant is very close by and in  abundance it must be probable that these recent sightings are of locally emerged butterflies.

The following photographs of yesterdays male Long-tailed Blue are courtesy of Andy Butler.

Long-tailed Blue at Wheelers Bay.

It was a beautiful day at Wheelers Bay,Bonchurch,and I was treated to the sight of this male Long-tailed Blue feeding on the red valerian.Although the species has been spotted on the Isle of Wight in past years it is not a common sight by any means.Hopefully it may be a sign that the Long-tailed Blue could become a breeding species here as it has this year on the mainland.

Still Clouded Yellows To See.

There are still Clouded Yellow butterflies to see at Wheelers Bay,Bonchurch as the sunny and mild weather has persisted.Among these butterflies are also several helice,which are females and sport much paler upper side wings than the normal rich yellow.In fact the underside too can be almost white but in the case of the helice pictured below these undersides are more inclined towards the usual colour.

Fewer Late Summer Butterflies

Despite the continued sunny weather the feel of autumn is now about and the count of butterflies has fallen.A walk along the hedgerows at Newtown today and a visit to the adjacent Walters Copse was rather disappointing with just Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood in enough numbers to count along with eight Commas on a large expanse of bramble bush feeding on blackberries.However I did see two Small Copper,one of which was the form caeruleopunctata.Quite a common form but nevertheless attractive to see with its silvery-blue spots.

In the Copse just two Comma,a Common Blue,and a Red Admiral, all on fleabane.

Back on Bonchurch Down.

By the time I set foot on Bonchurch Down today the sunny weather of the morning had given way to cloud.However there were still plenty of Adonis Blue to see along the path as they nectared on the downland flowers.Normally in these cloudy conditions many Adonis will have taken to the shelter of the long grass at the base of the Down.

Wall Brown are now also in evidence as I disturbed several that were trying to get some warmth by basking on the path.This particular male pictured below has just flown down from a nearby buddleia bush.There are numerous buddleia plants on the slopes of the Down which are visited by an array of butterflies,including Adonis, Small Tortoiseshell ,and an attractive moth,the Hummingbird Hawk Moth.It is pictured below not too far away at Wheelers Bay feeding on red valerian.

The Meadow Brown can still be seen fluttering over the Down also stopping at flowers to feed.Unfortunately for this individual it chose a  flower that hid a spider.

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Clouded Yellows at Wheelers Bay.

The sun continues to shine and the Clouded Yellows are becoming common here at Wheelers Bay and at other locations.Along the base of the cliff at the Bay you may be fortunate enough to see the females flitting from plant to plant laying their eggs and males racing around nectaring on the red valerin which is still flowering profusely.

Second Generation Adonis on Bonchurch Down.

Now on Bonchurch Down at Ventnor the Adonis Blue can be counted in hundreds as the second generation of 2013 is on the wing.With the hot summer continuing for at least the next day or two it is well worth a trip to see the bright blue males all over the Down.Even the brown females are splendid in their dusting of blue scales.