Spring Back on Track.

A sunny day at Walters Copse and any sheltered spot was sure to turn up a Peacock butterfly.Signs of spring were confirmed by more general activity, as hoverflies and beeflies seemed to be everywhere as well as bumblebees.Some Common Carder,Tree,Buff-tailed and a Red-tailed bumblebees were seen.

No sign however of any Brimstone or newly emerged butterflies although Comma and Red Admirals came out to bask in the sun and nectar on the sallow blooms.

Common Carder Bumblebee.

Temperatures & Butterflies Takeoff.

Although there was thick fog this morning ,the day developed into what must be the hottest of the year.Not only did the temperature take off but also the butterflies, with lots of activity in Walters Copse.

The prime target was yet again the Large Tortoiseshell,but apart from a couple of possible flight sightings this week in the copse, it is proving to be elusive,as always.There is no shortage however of other species like the Comma,Peacock,Brimstone,and the Small Tortoiseshell.

The first Bee-flies have now started to appear.This one is the common Dark-edged Bee-fly.

Taking to the Shade.

A lovely warm afternoon  at Walters Copse,Newtown today,no chilly breeze and the prospect of warmer weather next week.The butterflies responded with several Brimstone on the wing together with three Comma,a Red Admiral,and a Peacock,in fact the usual suspects at this time of year.Some of the Brimstone were making for the shade of an ivy leaf.

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.

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 Summer Sweetness for Butterflies

The warm summer weather continues and now that the fleabane is in flower there are plenty of butterflies enjoying it's nectar.Around Walters Copse on the Island I came across numerous pristine Peacock on the plant as well as Brimstone,Painted Lady,Small Copper,Common Blue,Brown Argus,Whites,Silver-washed Fritillary, Meadow Brown,,and a Clouded Yellow.

On the Lookout for Valezina in Walters Copse.

I have to go back to the 1970's to recall my last sight of the valezina form of the Silver-washed Fritillary.This rather beautiful form is found mainly in central and southern England and occurs in up to 15% of the females.There was no shortage of the usual coloured Silver-washed Fritillaries in Walters Copse today together with plenty of White Admirals.Making my way to where I understand the valezina has been sighted in the Copse recently I came across an individual high up on a bramble bush.After observing it for some time nectaring on the flowers it suddenly flew off pursued by a male.Somewhat farther on and in a sunny spot of oak trees fronted by brambles I was treated to a mating pair of Silver-washed not too high up in the tree.I was very pleased to see that the female was a valezina.They remained locked together on an oak leaf and to my amazement another valezina appeared close by and started to enjoy the bramble flowers.Two in one day,a very lucky day.

Some First Time Sightings of the Year

The end of April has finished with some perfect spring weather.This week has continued sunny and mild and as a result new butterfly sightings are on the up.A visit to Walters Copse at Newtown started with no sightings until the afternoon when a male Orange Tip appeared, busily flitting around for flowering plants.Any flowers were then contested with a Green-veined White.

A wander around the copse also found a couple of Peacocks as well as my first sight of two Speckled Wood which were sparring for a sunny woodland spot.All the while the occassional male Brimstone would pass by hoping to come across the much paler looking female.

The Isle of Wight Large Tortoiseshell

Just when I feared that  the euphoria of  the 2012 sighting at Walters Copse,Newtown of the Large Tortoiseshell was a 'flash in the pan,'today proved me wrong as after several visits to the copse I came across what I had  hoped for.

The spring weather had today arrived for the first time since the middle of January when at Wheelers Bay  three Painted Ladies were seen.The prolonged sunny spells had brought out several Brimstone butterflies together with Commas and Peacocks and after some time wandering around I came across a Large Tortoiseshell enjoying a sunny spot.It certainly showed signs of a long winters hibernation but it still looked wonderful to me.I was able to get close views of this iconic butterfly and can say that I consider it to be a local overwintering specimen.Let us hope for more sightings in the next few days.

The Spring Brimstone

The Brimstone butterfly is now more in evidence with the extraordinary weather we are enjoying on the Isle of Wight.The male Brimstone can be seen motoring along the woodland rides in seacrch of females.Whereas the female Brimstone seems to take a more leisurely flight,investigating the ivy covered tree trunks,feeding on the spring flowers and sunning itself in the woodland leaflitter.

                                                                         

                                                             

                                                                       

Mating pair on ivy

Brimstone

The Brimstone can be seen in March or earlier when it appears after winter hibernation.It will feed on a variety of flowers from primroses and daffodils in the spring to thistles and other purple flowers in the autumn.The male is a sulphur yellow whereas the female is a pale greenish white.