A Pristine Small Copper.

Despite a stiff wind today the sun was shining and another new species was added to my springtime list at Whiteways Quarry.A pristine Small Copper was enjoying the warm at this sheltered spot along with a couple of basking Peacock butterflies and the Green Hairstreak that has been at the site for several days now.
Other species likely to be here soon are Dingy Skipper,Small Blue,Brown Argus, Wall Brown,and next month, the Glanville Fritillary.

Extensive areas of the Isle of Wight and in particular the south-west coast and the Downs  are owned by the National Trust in order to preserve the natural beauty of our Island.
Whiteways Quarry,now locally known as Afton Down Carpark or Chalkpit is part of this,located at the base of Afton Down itself.The shelter of the Down and its south-westerly position provide an ideal habitat for these spring butterflies.

My entry of the 7th April 2012 entitled More Spring Butterflies shows a photograph of this seemingly innocuous carpark Please click on the following link to known more about the Natural Trust in the area.  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356404569197/

Will They Be Back in 2015?

The recent history of the Large Tortoiseshell on the Isle of Wight is one of several sightings of individuals scattered around the Island mainly during the summer months.This has been interpreted as migrants from the continent and that is probably a correct assumption.However in 2009 at Woodhouse Copse no less than five were reported on the 19th March.All it seems were along a single woodland ride in what was then a well managed copse.Where did all these originate from?who can tell, although the time of year would indicate they had just emerged from hibernation.

The following year it seemed that this would be 'a one off' for the copse as none were seen there and sightings in general were again restricted to the odd one or two about the Island.But in 2011 the Large Tortoiseshell was back at Woodhouse with three seen on the 7th March,another two on the 22nd March,and seven more sightings of 'ones' until the 8th April.

When it seemed that the copse could be the next 'stronghold' of this iconic species,2012 proved to be a disappointment as Woodhouse Copse was sold,woodland management was abandoned, and human disturbance put an end to the chance of further sightings.As far as I am aware no sightings of the butterfly have been made there since.

Still,there are other woodlands,and at Newtown the National Trust maintain several copse,one of which is Walters Copse.This is very well managed and without a doubt my favourite haunt for all sorts of wildlife.

So it was here on 27th March 2012 that a Large Tortoiseshell was spotted taking moisture from a damp area of ground in a clearing.It was a female in excellent condition and recently out of hibernation after maybe spending the winter in or around the copse.Over the next few days many butterfly watchers visited the copse and two further sightings were made of different individuals.

Hopes were now high for a repeat performance at Walters Copse in 2013 but due to the very cold weather that lasted  into March the spring was put on hold for a while.Finally, in April it warmed up and on the 19th a rather tatty male was seen in Walters.This male proved to be very accommodating and stayed on its territory for several days allowing all to get a good view.In fact it was not the only Large Tortoiseshell in the immediate area as others were also recorded in.the copse and in the surrounding meadows.

In contrast to the previous two years,the spring of 2014 did not produce any probable sightings at Walters Copse,so we can only hope that this year the Large Tortoiseshell will return to grace our Island woodlands.

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.

On Bonchurch Down

Owned and managed by the National Trust,Bonchurch Down rises steeply over Bonchurch village and the town of Ventnor.This south facing hillside is home to a good population of the Adonis Blue butterfly as well as several other species.Yesterday on a very warm and sunny afternoon I made my first visit of the season to the Down and was rewarded with a sighting of four Small Copper,a Brown Argus,a Small Heath,a Green Hairstreak,also a Wall Brown together with a Dingy Skipper and three male Orange Tip.

Then a short trip down to Wheelers Bay in Bonchurch in the hope of seeing a Glanville Fritillary.I was not lucky enough to see one but I have it on good authority that a Glanville was spotted today at the Bay.

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.

Butterflies On Bonchurch Down

Bonchurch Down owned by the National Trust rises steeply over the village of Bonchurch and gives spectacular southward views out into the English Channel.At this time of year several species of downland butterfly appear on this Down.Most notably is the Adonis Blue not, it must be said common in the UK.

Today on its third outing of the year the Isle of Wight Group of the Hants&IOW Branch of Butterfly Conservation enjoyed a walk over the Down to see its many springtime species.We soon came upon numerous male Adonis,more easily noticed than the females due to the males bright blue colour.Despite a stiff breeze they were out in good numbers and we all took advantage of many photo opportunities.Mating pairs and emerging butterflies were seen.

Other species to be savoured were Brown Argus,Common Blue,Small Heath,Small Copper,Wall Brown,and a couple of Large Skippers,as well Dingy Skippers.All in all a very successful trip on a sunny afternoon.

A Walk on Freshwater Cliffs

Last  Friday,the 25th was the second meeting in 2012 of the Isle of Wight Group of the Hants&IOW Butterfly Conservation Branch.For the second time too this year we were blessed with glorious weather for our meeting on the Freshwater Cliffs.The eroding cliff tops just to the south of Freshwater Bay are of sandstone and backed by chalk downland.

Attendance on the day was a record 25 with a contingent of our friends from Hampshire.We soon saw Small Blue,Common Blue,Small Heath and other downland species,in particular several Glanville Fritillary which  fly on the cliff top.The walk ended at the excellent butterfly site of Afton Down Chalkpit where we noticed a brand new sign erected by the owners of this beautiful section of Island coast,the National Trust.

More Spring Butterflies

The Whiteways Quarry Carpark at Freshwater,locally known  as Afton Down Chalkpit  is National Trust land and looks out  over the English Channel to the southwest.Looking right from the carpark and one is fortunate enough to see Tennyson Down  with its white cliffs.To the left and the veiw is southward down the Island coast towards Compton Bay and Glanville Fritillary habitat.

Here at back of the carpark, at the foot of East Afton Down and Compton Down is the ideal habitat for several chalkland butterflies.On the 30th March Small Blues were seen here a full month ahead of their usual flight time and yesterday the 6th April I was pleased to see a Grizzled Skipper and a Green Hairstreak at this spot.Hopefully another chalkland species the Dingy Skipper will soon be seen here.

Back to Walters Copse

Since my sighting of the Large Tortoiseshell at Walters Copse on the 27th March,I have made several return visits to this well managed National Trust woodland.

However I have not been fortunate enough to see the Large Toetoiseshell again but there have been at least two recorded sightings here in the last two weeks.As a result of the photographs taken it is certain that there is more than one individual to be seen.

Yesterday the weather remained sunny albeit somewhat cooler than of late and as a result no butterflies were to be seen in the copse until after noon.My first sighting of the day was my first sight also this year of the male Orange Tip.A beautiful butterfly of white and bright orange,it nervously visited the spring flowers in the open rides but when it rested among the dense shrubbery it became easier to approach.

Large Tortoiseshell on the Isle of Wight

Sightings of the Large Tortoiseshell butterfly have been made at Woodhouse Copse on a regular basis during March and April.This year it seems that if any butterflies were present at the Copse they may have already dispersed,as no sightings to date have been recorded.

Consequently I decided to cut the time spent in visiting the copse and turned my attention to another wood,Walters Copse at Newtown,owned by the National Trust..Not to look for the Large Tortoiseshell but to see what new species of butterfly are now on the wing.The weather has been exceptionally warm during the last weeks and newly emerged species are reported some time ahead of their normal flight times.

Therefore it came as a great surprise to me to stumble upon the elusive Large Tortoiseshell in Walters Copse yesterday the 27th March.

What a magnificent butterfly it is,larger maybe than the Peacock with a light orange upperside.This butterfly pictured is probably a female and maybe looking to lay her eggs on sallow or willow.