Butterfly Islands

Thursday 8 September 2016

Late Summer Colours.

Not too far from Wheelers Bay is Bonchurch Down, well known for its downland butterflies.This south facing Down has a good population of Adonis Blues and now the second brood of the year is on the wing.Many of the stunningly coloured males are now showing signs of wear but they are still strikingly impressive.

Among other butterflies seen on the Down yesterday are Common Blue,Brown Argus,Meadow Brown, and I am very glad to say,Small Copper.These quarrelsome and restless little butterflies have suffered a decline recently,perhaps due to poor summer weather,so it is good to encounter them now.

The Red Devil.

Red Valerian is known by numerous other names one of which is Devil's Beard.So on a long overdue visit ot Wheelers Bay yesterday it was a treat to see drifts of these red flowers along the banks and cliffs of the Bay.The flower is a magnet for butterflies and insects here, particularly as a nectar source for any new arrivals coming in off the sea.
Among the regular visitors to the Bay at this time of year is the Painted Lady ,which like Clouded Yellow, also seen at this time here too,are sometimes out in good numbers.The latter in particular can be observed flying continuously up and down the revetement only occasionally stopping to nectar from the valerian.

Wednesday 24 August 2016

A Common Skipper.

Skipper butterflies can be very insignificant mainly due to their small size and also because of their fast and low flight.While on the Greek Island of Thassos recently I saw several skippers all of which were the Mallow Skipper.This particular skipper is common in central and southern Europe perhaps due to the diverse range of habitat it is found in.

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.