Butterfly Islands: Missed Mega Highlight of 2014.

Monday, 27 October 2014

Missed Mega Highlight of 2014.

The UK has its own sub-species of Swallowtail Butterfly,Papilio machaon britannicus, which is only found in the fen land of Norflok So when news got around that a European Swallowtail had emerged in a garden at Ventnor it was a must to go and have a look.

Sighting reports of this continental cousin of our British Swallowtail are received on a regular basis in Southern England but a local emergence is almost unique.

This magnificent butterfly was noticed clinging to a flower pot by the house owner and as it had a deformed wing it was not expected to travel very far,if at all. By the time I reached its last known resting place which turned out to be an area of very overgrown former allotments the butterfly had moved from its spot within the last hour.I am very disappointed to say that despite an extensive search of the immediate vicinity I was unable to locate it.

Still,although I was unable to see this beauty I am glad to say that Andy Butler did and it is with his kind permission that I am able to use his excellent photographs on my blog.(Taken early July 2014)

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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.

Monday, 27 October 2014

Missed Mega Highlight of 2014.

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