Butterfly Islands: May 2016

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

Pearly Kings and Queens.

The Pearl-bordered Fritillary is no longer found on the Isle of Wight.Perhaps the nearest site to see these lovely butterflies is the New Forest in Hampshire which is a short ferry ride across the Solent.

Yesterday we made the trip despite mainly cloudy and breezy conditions.However the sun did appear at intervals which encouraged the butterflies into some activity.Here in the Forest these Fritillaries seem to thrive due to sympathectic woodland management which unfortunately is completely lacking in their former Island site of Parkhusrt Forest.

New Forest Pearl-bordered Fritillary Habitat.

Friday, 13 May 2016

Orange Tips at Walters Copse.

It was a sultry afternoon at Walters Copse yesterday.Fortunately the thunderstorms had not yet rumbled by and I was treated to some hazy sunshine.Earlier in nearby fields I had heard my first cuckoo of the year and also a nightingale from the hedgerows.

In the copse there were plenty of Orange Tips to see and several females fluttered around the Lady's Smock or cuckooflower as it commonly known.Named of course for the plants flowering time which coincides with the arrival of the first cuckoo.This is a primary larval plant of the Orange Tip so it is a usual sight to see the females laying their single egg on it.For both the male and female it is a favourite nectaring flower.

Sunday, 8 May 2016

More New Butterflies.

Yet another very warm day and good to see my first Brown Argus of the year.Unfortunately it proved elusive but soon they will be abundant.Also at the same location was the rather underrated Dingy Skipper.I do not find them as dull as some think and fresh specimens can have subtle colours.There was also a Small Heath which was very active in the sunshine and breezy conditions.

Wednesday, 4 May 2016

All Now in Top Gear.

That prolonged spell of cold and windy weather has seemingly passed and we are now enjoying very warm sunshine and light breezes.Needless to say that has produced great activity in the butterfly world.

A visit to Bonchurch this morning was rewarded with my first sighting of our Glanville Fritillaries,just two were spotted but numbers are expected to increase quickly in the sunshine over the next few days.Judging by the high count of caterpillars and webs earlier in the year it could well be a bumper year. Another new species for the season was the Common Blue,seen at the same location.This was followed by a walk on Bonchurch Down and after some searching we succeeded in seeing four Common Blue,a Small Copper,one Small Heath,and two Dingy Skippers.The latter two species were also first sightings of 2016.

The Holly Blue pictured below had just emerged and when the wings have developed,she would expect to take to the air.

Sunday, 1 May 2016

Spring Gets Going.

Today the first adult Glanville Fritillary was seen here on the Isle of Wight at Wheelers Bay.Seemingly an early date for the first emergence as the weather has not been kind

I had confined myself to yet another visit to Whiteways in the hope of seeing the Dingy Skipper.Alas no luck,but a count of 3 Green Hairstreak including a mating pair,a Small Copper plus two male Small Blue having a aerial duel was an encouraging total.

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.