Highlights of 2023.

Two highlights stand out during the 2023 season. One of them is the return of the Long-tailed Blue to my garden.I have had several visits of this species in the past attracted by the Everlasting Pea plants that grow in the borders.These visits have been during the latter part of August,but this year a female turned up on the 27th June.She stayed for a while and egg laided on various  flower buds.Although I was not fortunate enough to witness the any offspring ,I am confident that homegrown Long-tailed Blues ensued.

The other is a holiday in the Greek Islands,the first visit I have made since the pandemic.We spent a very pleasant fortnight on the island of Rhodes,close to the coast at Kiotari. A few weeks later this area was ravaged by wildfires and the brown and greens of the countryside were turned black.The result of the fires at the spot of our accomodation can be seen in the photo below taken from drone footage.I am glad to say that the villa where we stayed looks as though it survived the fires.

Among the butterflies encountered around the village of Kiotari were The Aegean Meadow Brown,the Pygmy Skipper,together with the Small and Lulworth Skipper. A great delight was the visit a Two-tailed Pasha on several occasions to nectar from a can of Mythos lager.

Long-tailed Blue Leaves it's Calling Card.

As a result of the visit by the Long-tailed Blue to our Everlasting pea plants on the 27th June,I today examined a small bunch of flower buds and was pleased to discover several eggs. One of them can be seen below and hopefully in  a week or so it will hatch. Detailed information into the life cycle of the Long-tailed Blue can be accessed on the following link from the excellent UK Butterflies website  https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=boeticus .

Early Return for the Long-tailed Blue.

I have never seen the Long-tailed Blue in the UK earlier than late August,so it was a surprise to have this female in my garden this morning. She took some time investigating the Everlasting pea plants which have a prolific number of flower buds, and now and again would egg lay on the new buds.

 

Everlasting Sweet Pea Brings In a Long-tailed Blue.

 In my back garden there is a well established Everlasting Sweet Pea  plant. It has now grown to a good size and flowers profusely. At this time of the year I always look out for the possibility of a visiting Long-tailed Blue as  I have just one record on  the 23rd August 2019 when a female was seen briefly close to the same plant. So it was with some excitement that I recorded one today flying vigorously around  and landing several times on the flowers.

Top Highlight of 2019.

Without doubt the highlight of the 2019 season was the sight of the Brown Hairstreak at Shipton Bellinger in August,although the all but brief encounter with a female Long-tailed Blue in my garden on the 23rd August was a treat.
Several visits to Shipton over the last three years have proved fruitless in my attempt to see the rare and elusive Brown Hairstreak.However this year I was rewarded with multiple sightings as described in my post of the 21st August 2019.
Shipton Bellinger is regarded as the best location to see  'Brownies' in Hampshire.The village stands in the middle of a large area where this hairstreak can be seen, as round about there is suitable habitat of Blackthorn and Ash.My sightings in the summer were along a hedgerow renowned for producing views of the Brown Hairstreak.It is a hedgerow of Blackthorn with plenty of brambles and backed by trees(seen in the photo below).Here behind the hedgerow runs the county boundary with Wiltshire.
Depending on conditions,August is probably the best time to see this butterfly with males normally the first to appear early in the month and followed soon after by the females.Egg-laying then commences in the second half of August and continues until at least mid-September.

Male

Male

Villa Garden Visitors.

Although butterfly friendly plants were very limited in the extensive garden of our holiday villa on the Greek Island of Lefkada last week, up to fifteen species were noted either in the garden or passing through it.Fortunately the grounds were sided by olive groves and pasture pens,both with a profusion of wildflowers so there was plenty to interest the butterflies.

The villas vast lawn had patches of clover which attracted Long-tailed Blues and Common Blues while a large fig tree at the front housed a couple of Lattice Browns and Speckled Woods.The former nectared from any damaged half ripe fruits while the Speckled Woods competed for the dappled sunny spots around the base of the tree.A small honeysuckle plant on the porch was favoured by a Southern White Admiral and the magnificent flowering geraniums along the length of the rear veranda were visited by Cleopatra's as well as that Geranium Bronze already mentioned in the previous blog entry.

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.

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.