First Butterflies of the Season.

Although I have already seen a  Red Admiral this year on the 25th February,today was the first time that the butteflies were around in numbers. This morning the sun shone in a cloudless sky and in Walters Copse any trace of the nagging easterly breeze that we have had recently was gone.It was very pleasant along a rides with primroses now in flower.In flower too were the sallows which attracted numerous hoverflies.Visiting the primroses was the odd queen bumblebee and also I noticed a Dark-edged Bee-fly. 

A female Brimstone was my first sighting of the day. I disturbed her enjoying a sunny moment.She took off and disappeared into the trees.It was not long before I came across a Comma and during the course of my wander in the copse I encountered at least three more.Finally,I finished by again disturbing a butterfly which had found a sunny spot,this time a Peacock.

Out Enjoying the Sun.

After a frosty start to the day the sun shone in a near cloudless sky this morning.Once the Glanville caterpillars had warmed up they became active and proceeded to bask in the sun near to their web.These webs can have up to 150 individuals and are always close to their foodplant.Should a web with a large numbers of caterpillars exhaust its food supply ,they will move on in search of further Ribwort Plantain.

Defyng the Inclement Weather.

The caterpillars of our own Isle of Wight Glanville Fritillary have a lot to put up with.Their habitat is our coastal cliffs which bare the brunt of winter and spring storms that batter the south west shore of the Island.Still this butterfly is use to all that the weather can throw at it and continues to survive in its unique habitat.

Not surprisingly then, that this morning I came across several glanville webs in which the caterpillars remain until April when they disperse to find a suitable place to pupate.The weather today was particularly cold and wet so they congregate in the web for protection from the elements.On sunny days at this time of year they will become active around the web and feed on their food plant,Ribwort Plantain.

Further information on this special butterfly can be found  here.

Glanville caterpillars huddle up against the wet and cold weather.

The Mallow Skipper.

In contrast to Orientalis the Mallow Skipper is widespread in Southern and Central Europe This species is particularly common in the south of its range and the Greek Islands are no exception.It is the first skipper to appear normally in March and can still be encountered in October.

Oriental Marbled Skipper.

There are many species of skipper found in Greece but one, the Oriental Marbled Skipper is restricted almost wholly to Greece.Here it is widespread and locally common appearing from March to October.

While walking the hillside paths on the Ionian Island of Lefkada I came across this delightful butterfly as it sped low over the ground regularly alighting on stones and bare ground.

A Couple of Greek Graylings.

There are several species of Grayling in Greece and the Greek Islands.Two species that I have come across on the Island of Lefkada are the Balkan and the Woodland Grayling.The former is rather common in the South Balkan Peninsula,European Turkey,and many of the Greek Islands.It likes dry and rocky grassland,scrub and small woodland.

The Woodland Grayling on the other hand has an extensive range from the shores of Western France to the Black Sea.However it is not common in most of its range and is evaluated as 'Near Threatened'.This species prefers warm light woodland, scrubby clearings and woodland rides usually at low altitudes.

Balkan Grayling

Woodland Grayling

Woodland Grayling

First Trip to Greece.

My first ever visit to Greece was thirty years ago this year in 1986.My stay was spent on the Sithonia  peninsula of the Halkidiki region on mainland Greece.The terrain here is rugged and at that time relatively pristine.Two enormous hotels and a golf course dominated this shoreline but just a short walk gave way to a completely rural landscape.I well remember that Nightingales seemed to be everywhere and as it was May they were very vocal.In the meadows the butterflies were numerous with Queen of Spain and Spotted  Fritillaries as well as several species of 'Whites'.Among them were the Eastern Bath White,Eastern Dappled White,and my personal favourite, the Black-veined White.
Superficially the Dappled and the Bath White look the same but there are features which can separate the two.The green mottling on the underside of the Dappled can be said to resemble shadows formed by dappled sunlight through tree leaves and usually has a yellowish appearance to it.There are neat white "keyholes" around the outer-margin of the hindwing, and also of the outer-margin of the forewing but especially towards the wing tip. The underwing  green  of the Eastern Bath White is not so dappled and more of an olive green and less often yellowish.
This can be seen in the following photo of a mating pair of Dappled Whites from '86 and two examples of the Bath White,one from the same date and another seen on Lefkada in 2013.

  

    

The Queens' Pearls.

The Queen of Spain Fritillary is widespread in continental Europe and most abundant in the southern range.It is a rare migrant in the UK although occasionally a colony is discovered in the counties that border  France and the Low Countries across the English Channel.The most recent seems to be in Sussex where the butterfly was suspected of breeding in 2009.

This fritillary is particularly distinctive with its elegantly curved forewings,which is a unique feature among european fritillaries.So too is the underside which displays a collection of large silver spots or 'pearls' that can glitter and shine when struck by the sun's rays.Hopefully these features can be appreciated from my two photographs taken in 1986.This individual was seen in the Halkidiki region of Greece and although regarded as being common it is the only time that  I have seen this species.

   

Seeing Out the Winter.

In the top corner of a sheltered window frame on the outside of our house is a Large White pupa or chrysalis.It will remain there for up to eight months until the arrival of spring.The chrysalis is secured by a silken pad and girdle, and its colour can depend on its surroundings. Length is 25mm. 

Top Highlight of 2015.

The past season has thrown up several exciting sightings, such as the close encounter with White-letter Hairstreaks  on an elm in Newport town centre,the joy of seeing the valezina form of the Silver-washed Fritillary in numbers at Porchfield,and finding a colony of Lesser Spotted Fritillaries on the beach on the Greek Island of Thassos. However the best must be the discovery of Glanville Fritillary pupae or chrysalies on the Island back in May.Here the habitat for this fritillary is unique as the continental Glanvilles frequent meadows,riverbanks,and woodland clearings.On the Isle of Wight it is a butterfly of our cliffs and clifftops.Therefore finding a spot to pupate can mean under stones or rocks and this is the place where these chrysalises were found.As normal they use a strand of silk to attach themselves to their chosen stone where it will take up to three weeks to emerge as an imago.
  

A Small Copper in the Sun.

Today on a sunny bank along the cliff top at Compton Chine was a Small Copper.She was busily egg laying on a warm afternoon now that the wind of the last few days had abated.Not many butterflies to see however on the landslip apart from a single Large White and a couple of Clouded Yellows.

Adonis on Bonchurch Down.

With  the prospect of several days of settled sunny weather there was no better time to take a walk on Bonchurch Down  to see the Adonis Blue.It seems numbers are less than other years so counts are in tens rather than hundreds. Nevertheless it was a joy to see this most brilliant butterfly on the wing feeding on downland flowers and flying strongly on the Downs' slopes.That is,of course the males as they display those sky blue wings.The females are altogether different with brown wings,although sometimes they show variable amounts of blue.

Sky Blue Adonis Blue.

A long overdue visit to Wheelers Bay at Bonchurch yesterday discovered  some late summer colour behind the revetment at the base of the cliffs.Several species of butterfly were feeding on the ample drifts of Red Valerian and other flowering plants. Among them, a single male Adonis Blue splendid in striking sky blue. August and September is the time of the Adonis Blue second emergence of the season on our downland,so this individual is some distance away from his usual habitat on Bonchurch Down.