Still Not Seen One.

The drifts of Common Fleabane are still attracting Comma,Red Admiral,Peacock,and Brimstone in Walters Copse,and joining them today.was this Painted Lady.It is the first I have seen for some time but it would have been good to see a Clouded Yellow as I have not managed to tick one off this year so far.

  

A Walk in Walters.

This National Trust copse  at Newtown village boasts a good selection of  flora and fauna and I took an extended wander through it today.

White Admiral numbers continue to grow with the Silver-washed Fritillary numbering just three at the moment with two males and a female.Ringlets are very numerous,as are Meadow Browns but Marbled Whites are scarce at present.A few more Small Skippers are out now together with a couple of Commas.With the weather continuing settled,in the main,butterfly numbers and species are set to increase.

More Spring Butterflies

A further visit to Whiteways Quarry this morning recorded four Green Hairstreaks.No other species seen at the moment.Then on to Walters Copse,Newtown,and a first sighting of a Green-veined White.Also several Speckled Wood,Peacock,Comma,and three Orange Tip,one of which was a female.

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First Speckled Wood.

Today started very foggy and it was not until after noon that the sun managed to shine through.When it did however it turned into a warm sunny day with no breeze.

In Walters Copse I came across my first Speckled Wood of the year.Three in fact, together with the usual good number of Comma,Peacock,and Brimstone.The main quarry was not to be seen and one wonders if the Large Tortoiseshell will not make an appearance in the copse this year.

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.

Butterfly Sightings Plummet.

Scant few butterflies today at Walters Copse.In fact I could count on one hand the number of individuals I saw there.That may be explained by the weather which has changed from the sunny,warm,and settled spell last week,to cooler,windy,and mainly cloudy..When the sun did shine today it was pleasant but there was a chilly brisk breeze.Still I did see three species,the Peacock,Comma,and a Small Tortoiseshell so let us hope that the weather improves again soon.

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.

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.

Drifts of Fleabane.

Maybe due to the prolonged summer weather we have enjoyed over the last two months,the drifts of fleabane are extensive in our local hedgerows and woods.This has continued to attract the summer butterflies in good numbers.

Yesterday at Walters Copse,Newtown  it seemed most of the high summer butterflies were on show and sightings of the Clouded Yellow have certainly increased.The Large and Small White continues to be prolific and in the copse I was treated to a male Chalk-hill Blue that had no doubt wandered from the Downs.

More Painted Ladies at Wheelers Bay

With  buddleia bushes now in full bloom at Wheelers Bay,it is attracting many butterflies to feed on the nectar rich flowers.Today on a sunny but breezy afternoon several Painted Ladies could be seen  on the bushes as well as a selection of Red Admirals,Small Tortoiseshells,Commas,and White butterflies.Maybe a Monarch will show up soon,swept in by a south-westerly wind.

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.

Another Look At Our Large Tortoisehell

The male Large Tortoisehell at Walters Copse seems not to be going anywhere which is great news for butterfly watchers.An early visit to the copse yesterday and it appeared briefly in the usual spot.A couple of hours later just after midday it returned and stayed for some time sunning itself along with several Commas and a couple of Peacocks.

There has been a report of a second Large Toiseshell seen in the copse, and making my way back through the wood I saw 'another' one at the  location of the second Large Tortoiseshell sighting.A close view and the attached photograph confirmed,unfotunately,that this time it was our original male.

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.

A Fistful of Commas

This time last year we were enjoying a period of rather dry weather with very mild temperatures.As a result butterfly emergences began earlier than usual.However this spring temperatures have remained low throughout March and it seems that everything is struggling to get started.Today I made another visit to Walters Copse at Newtown in the hope of catching a glimpse of  a rare butterfly,at least in the UK,the Large Tortoiseshell.In 2012 we were lucky enough to see this gem of a butterfly at the copse.

Although todays weather was sunny and warm I saw no sign of it but instead came upon six Comma butterflies that had come out of hibernation.It is not surprising to see these as they must be one of our commonest sights at this time

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Duelling Commas

After what proved to be the coldest March for over fifty years April has begun with plenty of sunshine for us on the Isle of Wight.However the east wind has persisted  preventing temperatures from getting up to anything like the seasonal average.Despite this,a walk through Walters Copse at Newtown today proved to be a pleasant outing with many sheltered woodland rides away from the cool breeze.It was not until mid-afternoon however that I came upon my first butterfly sighting since January.

Enjoying a warm spot in the wood were two commas,both sunning themselves and contesting the best postion. Hopefully the weather will now improve and kick start  butterfly activity

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More Autumn Butterflies

With a bumper harvest of blackberries this year the autumn butterflies are making the most of it.Today at Clamerkin NT eight Commas still tucking in to the fruit.Along with these, a Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood joined in.A short distance away the welcome sight of two Small Copper butterflies too.