Butterfly Islands: October 2013

Friday, 18 October 2013

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.

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

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.

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

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.

The Adonis Blue

The Large Tortoiseshell

It seems the general view on the status of the Large Tortoiseshell in Britain is that it is now extinct as a breeding butterfly.
It is a butterfly of woodland edges and hedgerows that abound in willows,elms,and poplars.These trees are used by the adult to lay its eggs and this single brood appears in July and August.The emerging butterfly then hibernates over the winter in log piles and hollow trees until the next spring.
On the Isle of Wight sightings are more often than not made from early March to April.Have these butterflies overwintered on the Island or have they come from the continent where it is common?
Any sightings made in July/August pose the same question.Another explanation could be that captive-bred releases are responsible.Only the discovery of eggs and caterpillars will probably answer these questions.

I can now report that evidence has been found of breeding just along the coast at Portland in Dorset (June 2020) and again at the same location in the summer of 2021.

The Glanville Fritillary

This elegant butterfly is mainly confined to the crumbling undercliffs and chalk downs of the Isle of Wight.It is also found on the Channel Islands and at one or two isolated colonies on the British mainland.In Britain the Glanville Fritillary is at the extreme north-western edge of its range.On the continent it is readily found in flowery habitats.
Around the southern shores of the Isle of Wight the cliffs constantly erode causing them to slip away and provide perfect conditions for new growths of the butterflies laval host plant,Ribwort Plantain.
The eggs are laid to the underside of the leaves of this plant and normally hatch after about three weeks.The resulting caterpillars live together in communal webs spun over the plantain.In the autumn they hibernate and recommence feeding in the spring,eventually dispersing to prepare for pupation.
The adult butterfly is on the wing from May to the end of June with the female being larger than the male.They will feed on,amongst other things, Birds-foot Trefoil and Thrift.

The Wall Brown

On the Isle of Wight in particular,the Wall Brown is a butterfly of field edges,coastal cliffs and dunes,and rabbit-grazed downland.
The male is territorial and spends much of the time patrolling and basking on the ground.
The female,which lacks the males conspicuous dark sex brand across the forewings,is larger.The undersides of both sexes are beautifully cryptic when at rest.
The Wall Brown generally produces two broods a year,the first from late April until late June and the second from mid-July to mid-September.