First Butterfly Sighting of the Year.

It is always good to see the first butterfly of the season and today in my garden a Peacock  was noted fluttering around a large terracotta pot. It quickly settled on a stepping stone  to allow a hurried snap and then flew off over the hedge.

Garden Painted Ladies.

The first Painted Lady to appear in my garden was two weeks ago, which coincided with the first flowers on the Buddleia bush.It is always a favourite with the butterflies and  especially Painted Ladies. Today a total of three were enjoying the blooms along with several Red Admiral,and Peacock.

More Spring Butterflies.

It is always a treat to see a Small Tortoiseshell at this time of the year and yesterday  this individual appeared in my garden to enjoy the morning spring sunshine.

A first of the season lunchtime visit to Bouldnor Forest,Yarmouth yielded numerous Brimstone sightings.All were males and they hurriedly flew from primrose to primrose in their search for nectar. Other species on show were the ever reliable Comma  and Peacock.

Plenty of Comma's On Show Today.

 My first butterfly sighting of the year  was a Red Admiral that I disturbed while it was enjoying the sunshine in my garden yesterday. A first outing of 2022 was taken today with an afternoon walk through Walters Copse at Newtown.

It was a fabulous early spring day with full sun and a temperature of around 16 celsius.Immediately on entering the copse I came across a Comma and during the visit at least eight other individuals were encountered. It was not until leaving that I saw one other species, a Peaccok.

  

More New Spring Sightings

The month of  April was very dry with cold winds from the north and east and temperatures well below average for the time of year. However things are due to change as May begins with  rain and wind in the forecast  after the weekend. Hopefully warmer weather will soon be on the way. Today continued the April theme and when the sun shone it was very pleasant as I returned to the landslip. Descending the steps onto the landslip I at once saw a male Wall Brown on the cliff slope and that was quickly followed by two more. Unfortunately the sun then disappeared behind shower clouds and the only other species seen were a Dingy Skipper, Small Copper, and a Peacock.

Returning to the foot of Afton Down, it was pleasing to record the first Small Blue of the year with four individuals. Green Hairstreak were again present along with a very pristine male Common Blue.

 

A Walk in the Woods.

Although not as warm as the last few days, it was nevertheless a lovely early spring day and the butterflies responded to the sunshine at Bouldnor. I was disappointed not to see any new emergent butterflies but the hibernators were on show with numerous sightings of Peacock, five Comma, three Red Admiral, and  two male Brimstone. One of the latter spent some time flitting from flower to flower enjoying the many primrose plants along the track.

Lockdown Eases and Spring Arrives.

The sun was shining today and a morning walk on the landslip near to Compton was rewarded with warm sunshine and light winds. Here on our south-western coast the cliff tops are now displaying early spring flowering plants and in addition, the beautiful song of  the male Skylark that filled the air.. 

My hope of a first butterfly of the season  was  premature, but the larvae webs of the Glanville Fritillary did not disappoint as several were found. In a few weeks the adult butterfly will grace these cliff slopes and add to the glorious colour that is to be seen on this coast. The caterpillars seen today varied in size, depending on their location. Those where the webs were more sheltered tendered to be less developed than individuals in more open and sunny spots.

I was pleased to record my first butterfly of the year on my return home ,as the always dependable Peacock was seen in my garden.

.

 

A Small White on the Rocks.

It looks as though the 2020 season will be confined to garden sightings due of course, to the Coronavirus pandemic.The recent weather has been disappointing with a cold north-easterly wind, although it has remained dry with some sunshine.However much warmer conditions are promised for the forthcoming weekend and next week so I am hopeful that the butterflies will be out and about.

The last few days have produced just one Peacock and one Comma in my back garden but today in the front garden I saw my first Small White of the year.Although no big deal, it was good to see a new emergent as it flitted around over our garden stones looking for some warmth in the overcast conditions.

Weather Perks Up & Butterflies Respond.

Today we enjoyed  the first true spring day of the year with plenty of warm sunshine, and the butterflies certainly responded. A first Brimstone, and two duelling Comma's appeared in my garden this morning.A lunchtime visit to Walter's Copse at Newtown produced four Peacock,seven Comma,and three flyby Brimstone.

Primrose rides at Walter's Copse

Sunshine and Light Winds Encourage the Glanvilles

The 2020 season started with a Peacock butterfly seen in my garden on the 8th February,flying energetically while braving a strong wind.In fact here on the Isle of Wight we have endured persistant blustery winds for months although temperatures have on the whole been mild.

It was therefore a relief today when the winds abated and the sun shone.Not surprisingly the temperature was probably not into double digits but all this was enough for the Glanville Fritillary larvae, or caterpillars, to appear from their communal webs and move around  in the sunshine while staying close to or on their webs.Each individual is no more than one centimetre in length and now into their 5th instar.

Painted Lady Invasion Pays Dividends.

I could not ignore the well publicised influx of Painted Ladies to our shores since May.Now at the start of August, many newly emerged offspring are gracing our gardens and countryside with at least one sighting of this beautiful butterfly every time one is out and about.With the buddleia in full bloom it is a magnet for Painted Ladies as well as other summer species.The plant in our garden has attracted at least four Painted Ladies at any one time since yesterday, along with Red Admiral,Comma,and Peacock.

Just the Usual Suspects.

With the spring weather warming up over the last few days and set to continue,I was very hopeful of seeing the first newly emerged butterflies of the year today.

Speckled Wood and Orange Tip have already been sighted on the Isle of Wight and an afternoon walk through Bouldnor Forest and later Walters Copse at Newtown proved to be a disappointment as I failed to see any of these two species.Still,the usual suspects were out and about.Male Brimstone forever on the move, along with several basking Comma,a Red Admiral or two on the tracks,and good numbers of Peacock.The latter it seemed always to be found close to  Pussy Willow which is now flowering in our damp woods.

Late Summer Butterflies on the Landslip.

Today on the landslip beneath the coastal cliffs along the south west shore of the Isle of Wight there was a good selection of late summer butterflies.This unique area is well known for the Glanville Fritillary butterfly during May and June.A strong onshore wind blew today but in any sheltered spot,especially where yellow fleabane is flowering the butterflies congregated.Many seemed to be a excellent condition with Common Blue particularly striking.Surprisingly the Wall Brown proved to be the most numerous,as these coastal cliffs are a favourite for this species.Other butterflies on the wing were Peacock,Small Copper,Small Heath,and two flyby Clouded Yellow.

Spring Returns for One Day Only.

With the prospect of yet more cold weather on the way this week,today was perhaps only the second springlike day of the year.This sunny and warmish morning heralded the first butterfly of the season in the garden.The ever reliable Peacock appeared in the flower border close to the rear of the house where it nectared on the perennial wallflower 'bowles mauve',a real favourite it seems for butterflies.

Later,a walk around my local copse at Newtown saw an increase in the number of butterflies compared to last week's visit.Although the species were the same,more Comma,Brimstone,and Peacock were on the wing.It seems that the weather is not yet right for new emergents .and it could be another couple of weeks before the first of them will be seen locally.

Springlike Temperatures Encourage First Butterflies of the Season.

A soggy walk through my local copse today produced my first butterflies of the season.The cold wind had abated and the sun was shining with a temperature of 13 degrees centigrade.There were at least five Comma together with two Peacock and a bright male Brimstone.