Butterfly Islands: Meadow Brown

Showing posts with label Meadow Brown. Show all posts

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Back on Bonchurch Down.

By the time I set foot on Bonchurch Down today the sunny weather of the morning had given way to cloud.However there were still plenty of Adonis Blue to see along the path as they nectared on the downland flowers.Normally in these cloudy conditions many Adonis will have taken to the shelter of the long grass at the base of the Down.

Wall Brown are now also in evidence as I disturbed several that were trying to get some warmth by basking on the path.This particular male pictured below has just flown down from a nearby buddleia bush.There are numerous buddleia plants on the slopes of the Down which are visited by an array of butterflies,including Adonis, Small Tortoiseshell ,and an attractive moth,the Hummingbird Hawk Moth.It is pictured below not too far away at Wheelers Bay feeding on red valerian.

The Meadow Brown can still be seen fluttering over the Down also stopping at flowers to feed.Unfortunately for this individual it chose a flower that hid a spider.

Sunday 11 August 2013

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.

Thursday 18 July 2013

A Hot Afternoon in Firestone Copse.

On a hot afternoon the partial shade of the woodland glades in Firestone Copse was welcome today.Almost immediately along the first track,I was passed by a string of Silver-washed Fritillaries and one of my encounters here was with a female Silver-washed looking for a shady spot to lay her eggs.They tend to choose the base of a tree trunk and this one fluttered into the dark to lay on several trees.This was mixed with feeding on convenient bramble flowers and resting in the dappled sunlight

White Admirals were also plentiful and found particularly on bramble flowers and any damp spot on the ground where they could obtain moisture.Meadows Browns and Ringlets were very numerous.

Saturday 6 July 2013

Newtown Meadows

Thanks to a good friend I was directed to Newtown Meadows,a collection of fields owned by the National Trust.These are full of wild flowers and a magnet for butterflies.It was not long before I came upon several Marbled Whites,my first of the season feeding on thistles and bramble flowers.They were also accompanied by Meadow Browns now out in ever increasing numbers.

Also on the giant thistle was a Painted Lady regularly taking time to find new growing thistle plants to lay her eggs on.

Also first Ringlet sighting of the year.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Butterflies on West High Down.

It will not be long now before the Chalk-hill Blues appear en masse on West High Down together with the Dark Green Fritillary.The second week in July is normally the time to see the first emergent however this may be affected by the lateness of the season this year.

Approaching the Down today via the usual bridleway and the first butterfly seen was a Painted Lady busily feeding on dandelions and if I am not mistaken egglaying on giant thistles.It was not long before sightings of Speckled Wood, a Small Tortoiseshell,a Red Admiral,and several Dingy and Grizzled Skippers followed.

Once in the open space of the Down a good number of fresh looking Meadow Browns were evident along with both Skippers mentioned earlier,Large Skippers,Small Heath,Common Blue, and a rather worn Green Hairstreak.

Friday 21 June 2013

The Lady Returns

It has been over five months since I last saw a Painted Lady when on a spring like day at Wheelers Bay I saw three of them were feeding on Winter Heliotrope.That was just before the winter started here and now there are reports of this butterfly coming to our shores again.

Butterflies have been scarce this spring so it was good to see this one feeding in a sunny spot.In addtion,along the field edge on National Trust land at Newtown I came across Large Skipper,Meadow Brown, and a Small Tortoiseshell.

Sunday 8 July 2012

Woodland Butterflies

The weather this week has continued to be wet.Woodland butterflies will no doubt suffer from this dismal time and species such as the White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary will have a disappointing season.

A visit today to Walters Copse at Newtown was a mixed one of sunshine and showers.Meadow Browns were numerous as this butterfly is a common sight.Just a single Marbled White was to be seen together with a Red Admiral.The White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary were also flying.

Sunday 17 June 2012

More First Sightings of 2012

Recent visits to Ningwood Common in search of the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary have led me to two first sightings of this season.This protected heathland is the only known site for the Small Pearl Bordered butterfly on the Isle of Wight,and as with many species this year they are late to emerge.

The Meadow Brown and the Large Skipper are two that can now be seen on the heath.As is normal the males are seen before the females.

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.