All Change.

After a prolonged spell of hot  and sunny weather, yesterday began fresher,windy,and cloudy.These conditions lasted all day so the prospect of seeing any butterflies in my local wood seemed to be limited.Thankfully the temperature was  up at around 20C so activity was moderate despite the lack of sunshine.Marbled White numbers have increased dramatically since last week as too Meadow Brown and Ringlet.I was very pleased to see several White Admiral and also a first sight this season of Small Skipper.

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Butterflies Out in the Hot & Sunny Weather

A walk in Bouldnor Forest near Yarmouth yesterday produced four first sightings of the year The hot and sunny weather continues and the butterflies certainly responded with plenty of butterflies on show.Apart from several species already seen this season, new sightings were White Admiral,Marbled White,Large Skipper,and Ringlet.

Other sightings included Silver-washed Fritillary,numerous Meadow Brown and Common Blue,and a Grizzled Skipper.

First Silver-washed Fritillary.

A wander along the wooded rides of Firestone Copse,at Wootton today resulted in my first high summer butterfly.A male Silver-washed Fritillary glided past me and landed at a nearby mud-hole where he proceeded to take the waters.Unfortunately there was no sign as yet, of that other majestic woodland butterfly the White Admiral.

Sunshine At Last.

Two target species today were the White Admiral and the Marbled White.The former had already been seen in Bouldnor Forest a few days ago although I was yet to find my first Marbled White of the year.At last the sun was out today following a period of wet and windy weather.However, the wind has not abated and perhaps it had an effect on the butterflies as both species were flighty.Despite seeing several White Admirals none took the opportunity to feed on the abundant bamble flowers in the forest.The two Marbled Whites I encountered were just as jittery and I was lucky to catch any at rest.

Happily the Silver-washed Fritillaries were more accommodating and I managed to get good views of these handsome woodland butterflies.This included my first female of this summer seen basking in a sunny glade

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Back to Bouldnor.

Following the brief sighting of a Silver-washed Fritillary at Bouldnor Forest yesterday, I decided to have another attempt to get a better look at this butterfly today.Things did not look good as shortly after I arrived it started to rain.This has been the way of the weather recently with  regular thunderstorms.Eventually the rain stopped and blue sky appeared.It was not to last long, but just long enough for the sun to shine and tempt out some butterflies.Several Silver-washed Fritillaries made for the bamble flowers as did a White Admiral which is a first sighting of the year.

It's Hotting Up.

With the promise of a heatwave this week the weather today was warm and sunny,and just right to prepare us for soaring temperatures by Wednesday.The butterflies certainly responded to the heat and there were plenty to see in my local copse.From just one Silver-washed Fritillary at the weekend,their numbers had increased to at least six.Also on show are the first White Admirals on the season and whereas the Fritillaries are happy to feed on the bramble and thistle flowers,the Admirals prefer at present to fly around the trees only occasionally coming down to land on the sunny spot.

More Marbled Whites are now in the wood and a real treat was to see a female Purple Hairstreak  leave the upper branches of an oak tree to bask in the sun almost at ground level.Many thanks to Andy Butler for the use of his photograph of this hairstreak.

Best Bits of 2014.

Unlike 2012 and 2013 which were highlighted by sightings of the Large Tortoiseshell at Walters Copse,Newtown, this year the butterfly was not to be seen despite a good search in the spring.We can just hope that next season it will excite us with it's presence.

At the end of May I took a trip to Hod Hill in Dorset to get my first look at the Marsh Fritillary. This lovely butterfly is no longer resident on the Isle of Wight and I was not disappointed when at last I came across several individuals sheltering away in a grassy old hill fort moat from the inclement weather that day.

Another excellent highlight was a second brood of White Admirals in Walters Copse in September.This species had done well here in the summer but to see three pristine White Admirals  so late in the season was a treat.

Perhaps the highlight of 2014 though,had to be recording the first Glanville Fritillaries on the wing in the UK.As usual they appeared at Wheelers Bay,Bonchurch in April.This site is always the first site to produce this unique butterfly and is followed throughout May by other Island colonies on our south west coastal cliffs.

The Glanville pictured below is from Wheelers Bay,photographed on the 30th April and it can be classed as a variant partly due to it's rather dark hind wing colouring.

White Admiral Pupa.

Following the sighting of a second generation of White Admirals on the Isle of Wight earlier this month(see blog entry of the 15th September) what better time to show a photo of the butterflies' pupa or chrysalis stage.
The pupa is typically formed upside down suspended under a leaf or the stem of the foodplant and secured by the cremaster.It is a very unusual shape with two prominent horns on the head and a curious protrusion at the back.This stage lasts two to three weeks. 

A Quiet Day.

It has really been a pleasure to wander around Walters Copse this week.The excitement of discovering a second generation of White Admirals this year and the activity in the copse this week with the warm and sunny weather has been a joy.

Today in contrast was disappointing as the clouds returned and we had only the occasional sunny interval.

The butterflies did not seem to get going and sightings were low.When the sun did appear just the odd Red Admiral,Comma,and Meadow Brown showed.However the Wall Browns are still in the copse and along the main path two males vied with each other for any sunny spot.

Back on the Wing.

A beautiful calm  and warm afternoon at Walters Copse,Newtown, and among the usual late summer butterflies were three White Admirals.This seems to be late for this species and as they all looked 'new', they must have very recently emerged.

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.

Summer Hots Up.

We are enjoying a settled period of hot, early summer weather and butterflies are certainly responding to the conditions by emerging a little head of time than one would expect.In Walters Copse today I saw my first Small Skipper of the year and the first Marbled Whites are now flying with the ever increasing numbers of Meadow Browns and Ringlets.With the White Admirals now in the copse they have been joined by Silver-washed Fritillaries and with their strong flight they seem to rush from one nectar source to the other.
Of the several types of orchid now to be seen in our woods and copse is the beautiful Bee Orchid as discovered today in Walters Copse.

Wight Elegance.

A quick visit to Walters Copse today in the hope of seeing some new species for this year.It was a very sunny late morning with a light breeze.I soon came upon numerous Meadow Brown butterflies together with some Speckled Wood.However a butterfly flitting around the tree tops at about thirty feet up took my eye and it was my first White Admiral of the season.Eventually with that very elegant flight,it made its way down  to feed on the ample crop of bramble flowers that are dotted along the ride edges.This individual was quickly joined by another and despite a few encounters with the resident Speckled Woods they remained on the bramble for a time.

A little later I had two further White Admiral sightings in the copse plus a well traveled Painted Lady.

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.