News for Tues 31 Mar: Lots of butterflies using the newly
opened up rides at Flatropers Wood, Beckley. At least 6 Brimstone,
5 Peacock, 1 Comma and 1 Red Admiral.
There were also 2 Orange Underwing basking
on the ground. (Alice Parfitt)
What to look for in April
- Butterflies: The warm weather at the end of March brought
out all five species that overwinter as adults (Brimstone, Small
Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral and Comma) plus some emerging
Small Whites, some very early Large Whites, early Holly Blues,
Orange-tips and Speckled Woods and a ridiculously early Grizzled
Skipper. Now in April watch for the main spring emergence of this
latter group of species plus our first sightings of (with last
year's first date in brackets) Green-veined White (16 April), Dingy
Skipper (22 April), Small Copper (26 April) and Green Hairstreak (26
April).
- Moths: The numbers of moths attracted to light traps
increases slowly. Perhaps the most abundant and widespread should be
the Hebrew Character.
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Kingston near Lewes TQ3917 0859. 1 m Orange-tip, 2 Peacocks,
1 Small White (John Holloway)
Today our first Small White of the year called into our
Worthing garden. (John & Shena Maskell)
Decided to take a lunchtime
stroll in the South Downs National Park today. In the Pells area of
Lewes (TQ41361074) we found Peacock (6), Small Tortoiseshell
(1), and Large White (2) (Michael Blencowe & Roger Matthews)
I visited Arlington Reservoir today and had 7 Peacocks, 4
Commas, 1 Brimstone and 3 Red Admirals. (Jacob J
Everitt)
2 Commas basking next to each other on the ground at 16.00, TQ
33234 08929, Stanmer woods, Brighton. 1 male Brimstone TQ 42550
09136 Southerham Quarry, East Sussex. 1 Small Tortoiseshell TQ 42550
09136 Southerham Quarry, East Sussex. (Dan Danahar)
It's warmed up again! In my
Brighton garden today 2 Commas and 1 Small White.
(Caroline Clarke; Small White spotted by Ed Clarke, age almost 10)
In Peacehaven, 2 male
Large White plus 2 Commas and 4 Peacocks. No Large
Whites were reported to this website in March in 2006, 2007 or 2008,
compared with 7 this year. (Adrian Thomas)
1 Brimstone at Norton
(TQ470019), 3 Small White (TQ464022, TQ458033, TQ456032), 6
Small Tortoiseshell (TQ468018, TQ460026, 2@ TQ463035, 2@ TQ458034),
and 8 Peacock (6@ TQ463035, TQ452030, TQ449024). With records
made in five separate 1km squares today, it's no wonder I have an
icepack on my knee! (Steven Teale)
Westham, Pevency. TQ6336
0488. 1 Peacock, 2 Small Tortoiseshell. (Michelle
Brinkhurst)
News for Mon 30 Mar: In the
Downs behind Denton 2 Small Tortoiseshell (TQ463033) & 5
Peacock (TQ463033, TQ465022 & 3@ TQ463034). I also saw my first
Garden Tiger ("Woolly Bear") caterpillar
of the year. After sunset I set out to the same
location to search for Mottled Grey and saw a total of 13, which
is an improvement on the two individuals recorded in 2008. I recorded a
total of 27 moths (10 species), the highlights being Shoulder Stripe,
Early Thorn, and Engrailed (a new addition to the garden
list, which now stands at 208 species). (Steven Teale)
News for Mon 30 Mar: 1 male Brimstone SU 85662 21843
Stedham Common, West Sussex. 1 Peacock SU 85405 21939 Stedham
Common, West Sussex (Dan Danahar).
News for Mon 30 Mar: In the morning a single
Speckled Wood was seen flying in our
Worthing garden. (John and Sheena Maskell)
News for Mon 30 Mar:
The first Grizzled Skipper of the
year seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill was a great surprise and the
first one I have recorded in March. I also recorded my first Small
Tortoiseshell of 2009 with two of them visiting the violets in the
same location, as well as my first Small White of 2009 in Adur
Avenue, north Shoreham. The frequent (15) Peacock were the most
plentiful on the day which included four Brimstone mostly on the
outskirts of Shoreham and one Comma on a fleeting visit to the
Waterworks Road. 24 butterflies of seven species of were recorded in the
sunshine including a Red Admiral at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, near Mill Hill. Count: Peacock 15, Brimstone 4, Small
Tortoiseshell 2, Grizzled Skipper 1, Small White 1, Red Admiral 1. (Andy
Horton)
Monday 30 March 2009
Kingston near Lewes TQ3917
0859. 1 Small White, 1 Brimstone, 1 Peacock, 1
Comma. (Crispin Holloway)
Lindfield (TQ 348 248): This
morning I found a still very slightly crumpled, freshly emerged
Speckled Wood (below) warming itself
in the sunshine on the cover of a bench on our patio and It was a real
pleasure to watch it take its first flight a few minutes later. I had
managed to grab the camera but not any shoes and so found myself chasing
it, camera in hand through the wet grass with only socks on my feet, got
a photo though (if a little blurred). Not much on the moth front these
past few nights but I had a really good night last Wednesday 25 March
with nearly 120 moths in the trap of 16 species including my first
Dotted Chestnut (below) (Bob Foreman)
Recorded a Dotted Chestnut here at
Wadhurst at 125w MV last night 29/30 March 2009. Also recorded one last
autumn so I think the species is well established here now. (Andy
Adams)
News for Sun 29 March: I had the opportunity to check up on
the Large White chrysalises, which I reported back in December
had been found in a new shed near to the site of the wholesale
decimation of cabbages etc. in allotments close to mine in Sutton Drove
Seaford. At the time the hut-owner had vowed to "squij" them but so far
he has not carried out his threat. The one chrysalis I was able to look
at quickly seemed in an advanced state but seemed rather small for the
butterfly as it appears, though obviously the wings are pumped up on
emergence. It has now been there for 3 months, I wonder how much longer
before it decides to emerge? So far I have not seen any Whites flying in
the allotments, but the Sunday before (March 22nd) a Small
Tortoiseshell adorned my own allotment briefly, I wonder if it
fancied my patch of nettles? The allotment society unfortunately
doesn't... (Bob Brown)
Sunday 29 March 2009
Kingston near Lewes TQ3917 0859 . 1
Orange-tip (m) at 1.50pm (Crispin Holloway)
News for Sat 28 March: Kingston near Lewes TQ3917 0859. 1
Small White (Crispin Holloway)
Tuesday 24 March 2009
The Avenue, Lewes, TQ 41147 10205 . 1 Small White (Crispin
Holloway)
Sunday 22 March 2009
Kingston near Lewes TQ3917
0859. 1 Brimstone (m), 1 Peacock, 2 Comma, 1
Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on violets (Crispin Holloway)
In the late afternoon I visited Levin Down where many sheep were
grazing the scrub. My only sighting was a Small Tortoiseshell
which was active but it did settle twice on bare chalk. (Richard Symonds)
Went for a Mother's Day walk on Ditchling Common Nature Reserve today
and saw 4 Commas and 1 Peacock. (Nick Linazasoro)
Nine
species of moth visited the garden last night, which isn't too bad for
my garden's standards. They were: Diurnea fagella, Common Plume,
March Moth (2), Early Thorn (a new species for the garden list), Small
Quaker (2), Common Quaker, Clouded Drab, Hebrew Character (3) and Early
Grey (3). A couple of interesting observations jumped out at me when
comparing this year's records with March '08: so far this month I have
recorded double the number of moths than I saw in the whole of last
March. Also, I have seen three times the number of Common Quaker and
Hebrew Character than I had by the same week last year, and five times
the number of Early Grey. Of course, this is no guarantee of
wall-to-wall moths as the year progresses, but it's an exciting
indicator that things are looking up! (Steven Teale)
News for Sat 21 Mar:
Orange Underwing – at least three today at
Long Wood, Northiam (Rother), one of which landed long enough to
photograph. One pair dancing together from ground to 12 feet before
separating. (Heather Martin)
News for Sat 21 Mar: 3
Commas seen flying fast across the Dorothy Stringer Butterfly
Haven, Brighton (TQ 30931 07222). (Dan Danahar)
Saturday 21 March 2009
Kingston near Lewes TQ3917
0859. 1 Brimstone (m), 2 Small White (a mating pair), 2
Peacock, 1 Comma. (Crispin Holloway)
Early Tooth-striped, Wadhurst,
27 Feb (Andy Adams), and 3 photos of Commas, March 2009 (Bob Eade)
The 'G'-marked Comma,
Highdown Gardens, 17 Mar (Neil Hulme), and Brimstones at Park Corner
Heath, 16 Mar (Bob Eade) and Titmore Lane, 15 Mar (Neil Hulme)
Peacock at Park Corner Heath,
16 Mar (Bob Eade), and the Grayling etching presented to Michael
Blencowe, 14 Mar (Neil Hulme)
Of the original 17
Peacocks overwintering at Kingstanding in Ashdown Forest, 7 seem to
have flown, 10 are still in situ, including 2 which look like they’re
each waiting for the other to leave first. 1 of the 4 overwintering
Herald moths seems to have flown so
far. (Steve Wheatley)
Another great site for getting your grid references from [read grid
ref off from bottom right hand corner of page]:
http://wheresthepath.googlepages.com/wheresthepath.htm (Clare
Jeffers)
Another great day so decided to have another search for Small
Tortoiseshells along the river Between Littlington and Alfriston. On the
way to Littlington there were 2 Small Tortoiseshell at High and
Over (one below). Then another 3 along the river on the Western bank where enormous
quantities of stinging nettles are coming up. Then another Small
Tortoiseshell in the field behind my house in N/East Seaford. 6 in total
on the walk. Also seen were 4 Comma, 2 Small Whites and 1
Peacock. (Bob Eade).
News for Fri 20 March: Thankyou to the staff of Natural
England (Lewes Office) who took part in a special version of my quiz on
Friday night at The Crown Inn in Lewes. Seven teams battled for a
variety of prizes and a very special (and slightly bizarre) trophy - The
Charles Dickens Victory Teapot. But there can be only one winner and it
will be The Fluffy Bunnies who will be brewing their tea in a teapot
dedicated to one of our greatest authors. Thanks for all your donations
to BC (Michael Blencowe)
Friday 20 March 2009
I'm not going to tempt
fate and say 'Problem solved' but I seem to have eased the email
blockage. My apologies for the breakdown in a service I normally pride
myself on. It had to happen just at the point where it was all getting
exciting too! Hopefully normal service resumed ready for a beautiful
butterfly-full Saturday tomorrow. Adrian
Spring has definitely sprung
at Mill Hill with a minimum of 4 Small Tortoiseshell and 7
Peacock feeding amongst the profusion of violets on the lower slopes
of Mill Hill today. (Dave and Pen Green)
Recent news:
A few of my 'firsts for the year' in my garden
trap in recent nights. These include the March Tubic (Diurnea fagella),
Small Quaker and Clouded Drab. Hebrew Character is the dominant species
at present. It appears that Agonopterix heracliana (Common Flat-body)
and Twin-spotted Quaker are having a good year, as I've seen quite a few
more this year than last. I have also had two juicy Large Yellow
Underwing caterpillars crawling around the garden in recent nights.
Finally, I feel I must defend my suggestion to Bob about the Ruby Tiger
caterpillar!!! This is a species that overwinters in Sussex as a fully
grown caterpillar and is often seen basking in warm spring sunshine. It
is more widepread in southern Sussex (Pratt, 1999). I do hope Bob
manages to put a name to his caterpillar! (Steven Teale)
This is how you find your
Grid References online.
1) go to:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk
2) enter the nearest post
code to locate your site of interest
3) use the move arrow tool
(bottom right of the page) to accurately determine the location
4) look for and use the
"Click here to convert coordinates" at the bottom centre of the page
5) read off LR for
coordinates in new dialogue box
(Dan Danahar)
Following Bob Brown's plea
for a caterpillar identification: Thanks Steve (for the suggestion of
Ruby Tiger). Just checked out these sites for info on the Ruby Tiger.
http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/o322-rubytigermoth.php and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21651868@N07/2871222366/. Both the time
and the actual appearance are completely wrong, sorry. My caterpillar
was jet black with a shiny body and had spines rather than the long
hairs on the photo. (Bob Brown)
News for Thurs 19 Mar:
A brief visit to Park Corner Heath resulted in 8 very active Commas,
3 Brimstone and 3 Peacocks. Later in the day another
Small Tortoiseshell was on the 7 Sisters Country Park. (Bob Eade).
News for Weds 18 Mar:
Decided to walk from Littlington to Alfriston where last year I saw
several Small Tortoiseshells. Only saw 1 today which was between
the river and Deans Place. Also a Peacock in the village near the
church. Then walking back to Seaford over the Downs there was another
Small Tortoiseshell on the top of the Downs. Then in a field just
behind our house there were 7 Peacocks flying. (Bob Eade).
News for Weds 18 Mar:
My wife & I walked from Sainsbury's in Benfield Valley Hove up to the
bottom reaches of West Hove
Golf course and (allowing for
seeeing a lot of them twice on the way back) counted at least 12
Commas, 4 Peacocks and 4 Small Tortoiseshells. The
further reaches of the walk in particular used to be a Small
Tortoiseshell stronghold a few years ago and we would only have seen one
or two Commas on the whole walk then. It seems that the position is
reversed now. (John & Val Heys)
News for Tues 17 March:
I haven't been able to get out and make use of this beautiful weather
for a few days now, but earlier in the week (Tuesday afternoon) I saw my
first (2) Small White of the year on the banks of the Ferring
Rife (TQ090020) and an interesting Comma (picture coming soon) at
Highdown Gardens (TQ096041). The Latin name of this species (Polygonia
c-album) references the letter 'C' marking (the comma) on the underside
of the hind wings. In this aberrant specimen the marking is slightly
heavier and locally thickened, to form more of a 'G' shape. Hence the
scientific name Polygonia c-album ab. g-album. (Neil Hulme)
News for Tues 17 Mar:
I saw at least 3 Commas in Gildredge Park Eastbourne. The park is
no longer the smart, well-manicured place I remember in the 1960s when I
was young, but possibly these butterflies are happier for the decline in
park's appearance. (John & Val Heys)
News for Tues 17 Mar:
In The Pells area of Lewes (TQ41361074) Small Tortoiseshell (2),
Brimstone (1), Comma (2) and Jon saw a Small White
outside Tesco (TQ41851055) when he was buying his lunch (Roger Matthews,
Michael Blencowe & Jon Curson)
News for Tues 17 Mar:
2 Commas at Bodle Street Green TQ6522215815 and TQ6510716288.
(Roy Wells)
News for Tues 17 Mar:
A morning walk around Charleston end of the forest was very quiet until
almost back to the car park where a Comma, Peacock and
Small Tortoiseshell were found. Also 2 fantastic Grass Snakes
together. The female of which had to be the biggest British snake I have
ever seen. There was then another Small Tortoiseshell near the
Golden Galleon. It seems that quite a good number of these butterflies
managed to hibernate and with luck will produce much better numbers than
last year. (Bob Eade).
News for Tues 17 Mar:
Two Commas in a woodland near Broad Oak, flitting about amongst
Anemones. (Stuart Cooper)
News for Mon 16 Mar:
Two Commas and three Peacocks in Brede High Woods (Stuart
Cooper).
News for Mon 16 Mar:
One Brindled Beauty adult at TQ 33422
08702, on Ash in Coldean Woods, Brighton. (Dan Danahar)
News for Mon 16 Mar:
A morning visit to Park Corner Heath resulted in 4 Brimstone
males , 3 Peacocks along the main ride as well as 5 Commas.
Also managed to get photos of an obliging Brimstone and a Peacock. Good
to wipe the dust off the old camera!!! (Bob Eade).
News for Mon 16 Mar:
Three Commas and a Orange Underwing
at Warnham Nature Reserve (Susie Milbank)
News for Sun 15 Mar: A
brief walk on a lovely sunny morning here in Worthing from Grand Avenue
to George V allotments 1 male Brimstone, 1 Red Admiral, 1
Peacock, 2 Small Tortoiseshells engaged in courtship
flight. (Mark Senior)
News for Sun 15 Mar: A
Comma in my Seaford garden (Roy Neeve)
News for Sun Mar 15:
In my garden in Saltdean, a Peacock sitting in the sun stretching
its wings every now and again. I know nothing about butterflies but it
was beautiful. Myself, my wife and two neighbours watched it for a good
half an hour before it flew off. (Steve Wickens)
News for Sun 15 Mar: 3
male Brimstones in Flatroper's Wood this morning. One under the
pylons near the pond, one near the stream and one along the lane towards
Beckley. (Stuart Cooper)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
Two Small Tortoiseshell, two Peacock, and a Brimstone
in Broadbridge Heath (Susie Milbank).
News for Sun 15 Mar: 1
Comma sunning itself on a cardoon leaf in my Eastbourne Garden
TQ6355402791 (Roy Wells)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
At last, my first butterflies of the year, as I spent the morning
gardening in my very warm south-facing garden in the north of the
county. Brimstones (3 sightings), one Comma and a pristine
Peacock. (Polly Mair, Ashurst Wood - TQ419367)
News for Sun 15 Mar: I
had good close views of a Comma enjoying the sunshine in Queens
Park, Brighton. I also had a fleeting view of a white (probably Small
White) in flight. (Peter Watson)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
On a 10km circular ramble fom Haywards Heath to Burgess Hill and back,
taking in part of the Kleinwort estate - 2 Brimstones, 1 Red Admiral, 5
Commas, 6 Small Tortoiseshells (including 2 mating pairs) and 6 Peacocks
(a magnificent 20 butterflies in all). (Paul Lister)
News for Sun 15 Mar: Within half an hour mid morning a male
Large White flitted across our garden, a Comma basked in the
sun and then gave chase to a Small Tortoiseshell and two
Peacocks found each other and spiralled up high. (Louise Holloway)
News for Sun 15 Mar: A considerable
increase in numbers if not with species last night with 7 macros: Oak
Beauty (3), March Moth, Early Grey, Hebrew
Character (23), Common Quaker (12), Small Quaker (16)
and Clouded Drab (11) (John Luck).
News for Sun 15 Mar: At last! My first butterfly sightings of
the year appeared in and around my Brighton garden - 3 Commas, 1
Brimstone (male) and 1 Peacock. (Caroline Clarke)
News for Sat 15 Mar:
The Brimstone floodgates have opened at Friston Forest with most
rides being patrolled by males - especially around Charleston Bottom
(TQ5412 0074). 33 were seen on a four hour hike. Also recorded
Peacock (18), Comma (5), Red Admiral (2) and Small
Tortoiseshell (1) (Michael Blencowe)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
In Kingston near Lewes at Grid Reference TQ 3915 0863. 2 or more
Brimstone (1 male & 1 female), 1 Small White, 1 Large
White!, 1 Comma, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 or more
Peacock. (Crispin Holloway)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
Comma, Peacock, Small White (having left the
greenhouse!) and Brimstone in the garden. Several other
Brimstones in and around Broadbridge Heath Cricket Club. (David
Bridges)
News for Sat 14 Mar: 3
Small White emerged in my greenhouse in my Broadbridge Heath
garden this morning. (David Bridges)
Wednesday 18 March 2009
It appears that some
sighting emails (we don't yet know how many) may have been getting lost
in cyberspace, which must be very frustrating for people submitting
sightings and then not seeing them appear. We are trying out some fixes,
so please keep submitting - every record is hugely appreciated. Adrian
Just a thought about Bob
Brown's caterpillar (see 17 Mar): could it be a Ruby Tiger? I'm pretty
sure I saw one myself the other day. (Steven Teale)
Our first butterfly sightings of the year in East Dean were two male
Brimstone on Sunday 15th March. A further two male Brimstone
were seen in Horam on Tuesday 17th March. As regards an easy way of
finding a grid reference online. When reporting sightings on the SOS
website I find it quite easy to locate the exact grid reference using
their system. David Jode (and Carole)
1 Small White in my
Brighton garden and another flying purposefully across the bowling green
next to the London Road, TQ302064, also Brighton. (Caroline Clarke)
Holly Blue in my garden today at Horns Cross in Rother.
(David Burrows)
Recent news: Plenty of
butterflies are now being seen. On Sunday (15th) I saw on the Downs
behind Denton: 3 Brimstone (2 @ TQ463034, TQ466015), 2 Small
Tortoiseshell (TQ463033, TQ463026), 3 Comma (TQ462029,
TQ463033, TQ463026), and 5 Peacock (2@ TQ463033, TQ463032,
TQ463031, TQ463026). On Tuesday lunchtime on the northern slope of
Malling Hill, Lewes, I saw 1 Comma (TQ426113) and 3 Peacock
(TQ432114, 2@ TQ429111). On Wednesday lunchtime, again on Malling Hill,
I saw a single Peacock at TQ430112. Only the Brimstones were very
active, the other species either basking in sheltered spots or nectaring
on Blackthorn and Cherry blossom. What a joy it is to report some decent
numbers at last! (Steven Teale)
News for Mon 16 Mar:
Saw a Small White in Wadhurst today at about 1.00pm. At first I
thought it was a female Orange-tip but managed to get close enough to
see that it was not. Quite surprised to see one so early. (Andy Adams)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
Although we have seen an increase in butterfly sightings of late (at
last!), today was really the start of the 'Great Awakening'. My first
Brimstone of the day was seen from the car in Titnore Lane (TQ
098053), followed by a Peacock at Arundel Cathedral (TQ 015072).
I stopped at the Fairmile Bottom LNR and walked through the woodland
glades to the NE of the grassland area, soon seeing 4 Peacock, 3
Comma and a Brimstone (SU 992097). Up in the adjacent
Rewell Wood (various points within SU 9908 and SU 9909) I saw another 10
Peacock, 5 Comma and 4 Brimstone. One of the latter
repeatedly landed and crawled from one newly unfurled violet flower to
another, taking his first drink of the year. (Neil Hulme)
News for Sat 14 March:
I would like to add my thanks to those below, to all those that attended
or helped out at the Spring Social. Karen, Lin, Caroline, Claire (and
any others) that helped with the teas raised \A341. Polly brought along
some Verbena bonariensis cuttings to add \A322 to the 'pot', which was
further swelled by Joe's raffle takings of \A362. A \A3125 total and a great
effort all round. Thanks to Dan and Michael for two great talks, and to
John, Arthur and David for showing their beautiful images. A couple of
members quite rightly pointed out that some of these deserved a more
leisurely viewing - something we can put to rights in future. I
presented a limited edition etching of a Grayling (my brother's work) to
Michael, in recognition of all his efforts in supplying us with our
fantastic Winter Quiz nights. 'Birthday Boy' Bob got the bubbly for
services to the website and an all-colour Annual Report, which is
heading your way shortly. If the couple that requested grid references
from my talk would like to Email or ring me, I will happily oblige
(unfortunately it was difficult to access these from disc while the
meeting was underway). Wishing you 'all the best' for another (hopefully
sunnier) season. (Neil Hulme)
Tuesday 17 March 2009
Many thanks for the grid
references many of you are adding to your records - we are currently
developing ways of easily harvesting web records for Butterfly
Conservation and Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre databases, and those
grid references are all important! Has anyone got an easy way of finding
grid reference online they'd like to share?
Small White and
Comma in the Pavilion Gardens, Brighton this lunchtime TQ312042
(Adrian Thomas)
News for Mon 16 Mar: A
squashed Comma was discovered on a path at the Dorothy Stringer
High School Nature Reserve, Brighton: TQ 30831 07173 today. Interestingly this
specimen had one comma mark on the underwings much smaller than the
other. (Dan Danahar)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
This morning I saw my first sightings of the year. While travelling to
Forestside in a sharp corner of the road (SU76301264) I saw a Red
Admiral fly along a hedgerow. Later on I completed a circular walk
around the vicinity of Horsley Farm where I encountered further Red
Admirals at a footpath leading past the farm (SU76591353) and then
just past Drift Road Plantation (SU764145). In the afternoon while
travelling on the train I saw from the window a female Brimstone
at Fishbourne (SU838050). (Richard Symonds Hayling Island)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
Identification needed: Whilst participating in the monthly "Friends of
Tidemills" shingle clean-up (Tidemills is between Newhaven and Seaford),
taking a break I noticed a little creature crawling over the shingle
north of the old railway track away from the grassy banks, and up
towards the track and ultimately the sea! It was jet black, about an
inch long with shiny black spines and a ruby blackish head which shone.
The spines were quite pronounced, not hairy like say the Brown-Tail
moth. Can anyone ID what this could have been? It was really too small
to get a good photo. I put it back in the grass as I could not see any
hope that it could have found anywhere on the shingle before it dried
out or was squijjed by a walker or cyclist on the path. (Bob Brown)
News for Sun 15 Mar: I
saw a Peacock on nettles basking in the weak afternoon sun at
Devils Dyke: TQ266113 (Dan Danahar)
News for Sun 15 Mar:
My first Comma, Peacock and Brimstone and a Red
Admiral of the year were all seen on the outskirts of Shoreham. A
further five Peacock were on Mill Hill. (Andy Horton)
News for Fri 27 Feb:
Recorded an Early Tooth-striped here
at Wadhurst. According to Colin Pratt its the earliest Sussex record for
150 years. (Andy Adams)
Monday 16 March 2009
News for Sat 14 Mar: Mothing records from Pagham Harbour for
the evening of the 14th March: Twin Spotted Quaker 1, Satellite 1,
Powdered Quaker 2, Red Chestnut 2, March Moth 3, Depressaria daucella 5,
Small Quaker 6, Clouded Drab 7, Hebrew Character 12 and Common Quaker 35
(Ivan Lang)
Sunday 15 March 2009
2 Commas in Peacehaven,
Peacock and Small White at Herstmonceux, the latter
nectaring on intoxicating Daphne bholua (Adrian Thomas)
Scarlet Tiger caterpillar,
Friston, 14 Mar (Michael Blencowe)
News for Sat 14
Mar:
In our small Worthing light trap were just 3
specimens this morning and our first macros of the year: Common
Quaker, Early Grey, Emmelina monodactyla.
(John & Shena Maskell)
News for Sat 14 Mar: A
ridiculously early female Large White
unfurling her wings on a neighbour`s South-facing wall, plus a
patrolling male Brimstone in the garden. (Dave Harris_
News for Sat 14 Mar: 45 Sussex BC members gathered at the
Westmeston Village Hall for our Spring Social. Dr Dan Danahar gave an
interesting talk about the creation of a butterfly haven at the Dorothy
Stringer School in Brighton. Dan's talk highlighted the effort that he
and his pupils have put in to making this mini-reserve and also the
rewards they are reaping as plant and invertebrate species move-in to
colonise the new chalk downland habitat. His presentation also included
an informative piece on sheep wrestling. Joe Morley returned as
RaffleMaster and won a bottle of extremely strong Sussex perry while
Caroline Clarke walked away with the moth trap voucher (valid for a moth
trapping session in the location of her choice in 2009). Sussex BC
Chairman Neil Hulme presented Michael Blencowe with a framed piece of
Grayling artwork and, for his services to the website and the BC report
(coming soon), Bob Foreman received a bottle of champagne. Neil and
Michael got everybody in the mood for the year ahead with their talks.
Neil highlighted 12 top sites in the county with his 'Where to watch
butterflies in Sussex' guide and Michael gave a brief look forward to
the coming BC events in 2009. It's going to be a busy year! Thanks to
everyone who helped out at the Spring Social.
News for Sat 14 Mar: After receiving a
tip-off from BC's Southeast regional officer Dan Hoare that Scarlet
Tiger larvae are emerging in Hampshire I optimistically wandered into
Friston Forest. Sussex BC have been working with Stuart Sutton of the
Forestry Commission to maintain the rides for this moth and Stuart's
team have done a great job. After a few minutes searching I found the
first Scarlet Tiger caterpillar of the 2009. Over the next few
weeks it's work checking the brambles and nettles in your garden for
this prickly black and yellow caterpillar - especially if you live on
the south coast. Let us know if you find any tigers. (Michael
Blencowe)
Saturday 14 March 2009
Clouded Drab, 10 March and
Oak Beauty, 11 March, Ringmer (John Luck)
Our trap from last night
produced 6 macros including a Satellite perched on the kitchen window at
6pm. Also...Clouded Drab (2), Twin-spotted Quaker (2), Small Quaker,
Common Quaker (3) and Hebrew Character (5) (John Luck)
Friday 13 March 2009
On Wednesday 11 Feb at 7:30pm the BBC South programme ‘Inside Out’
showed footage of the Small Tortoiseshell parasite Sturmia bella. The
seven minute feature included interviews with Martin Warren , Owen Lewis
(Oxford Uni) and Manuel Hinge (the wildlife filmmaker who captured a
parasite emerging on camera). It’s a great piece and hopefully the
appeal will be successful in recruiting some more help. You can see it
here
News for Thurs 12 Mar:
A steady rise in numbers last night in my Ringmer
trap with 6 macros and 3 micros: Oak Beauty (2), Pale Pinion, Grey
Shoulder-knot, Common Quaker (7), Hebrew Character (6) and Twin-spotted
Quaker. The last-named being a superb specimen with strong chestnut
markings. Micros included a Beautiful Plume (John Luck)
News for Thurs 12 Mar:
Friston: Ran the moth trap in Friston between
18:15 and 22:15 on a mild, cloudy evening. Oak Beauty (26), Twin-spotted
Quaker (5), Satellite (3), Clouded Drab (6), March Moth (1), Common
Quaker (8), Chestnut (2), Red Chestnut (1) (Michael Blencowe)
News for Thurs 12 Mar:
Ashdown forest: Oak Beauty (2), Small Brindled
Beauty (1) March Moth (3) (Damian Pinguey)
News for Weds 11 Mar:
In our Mill Hill trap we had a single Common
Quaker, two Small Quaker and a Light Brown Apple Moth.
(Dave and Pen Green)
News for Tues 10 Mar:
The bright full moon on Tuesday night may have
been welcomed by the moths, but it confused a Woodpigeon in the wood
above me - it spent most of the night serenading half of Denton! With
that and the sound of migrating birds in the dark overhead, winter is
beginning to seem a distant memory. A number of moth species are making
their first appearances of the year now. New additions in the previous
couple of nights include Oak Beauty, Twin-spotted Quaker (a new addition
to my garden list), and Early Grey. I have also been recording plenty of
Common Quaker and Hebrew Character, a few March Moth, the odd Dotted
Border, and some Agonopterix species. (Steven Teale)
Thursday 12 March 2009
If you'd like a sneak
preview of the Small Blue survey we hope many of you will help with this
year, check out this amazing page that Bob
Foreman and Michael Blencowe have put together for us.
Just
the 3 species last night in my Ringmer trap with Oak Beauty, Small
Quaker (2) and Common Quaker (John Luck)
Finally got round to running the first moth
trap of the year at RSPB Pulborough Brooks last night... Oak Beauty 13,
Small Quaker 214 (approx!), Common Quaker 19, Dotted Border 1, Clouded
Drab 5, March Moth 3, Small Brindled Beauty 5, Yellow Horned 10,
Twin-spot Quaker 2, Early Thorn 1, Hebrew Character 2, Early Grey 1,
Chestnut 1. (Peter Hughes)
News for Tues 10 Mar: Warmer
temperatures yesterday evening tempted 4 species into my Ringmer trap
including a new one, Twin-spotted Quaker, plus Clouded Drab, Common
Quaker (4) and Hebrew Character (2). 'Drab' was hardly a fitting name
for this moth, which was a superb chestnut colour. One interesting
identification feature was the white spot close to the wing base, which
appears to be present in this colour version of the Clouded Drab as
depicted by Lewington in the Waring book although not mentioned in the
description....the greyer and paler versions, I imagine, being too dark
or light for this to be easily seen. I will be interested to hear if
this feature is ever displayed in the very similar Lead-coloured Drab
(John Luck).
Wednesday 11 March 2009
News for Tues 10 March:
Start of the new year at Pagham Harbour and
despite a few traps during February which caught only the odd moth, last
night (10th March) was surprisingly productive with Small Quaker 1,
Depressaria daucella 1, Oak Beauty 1, Tawny Pinion 1, Powdered Quaker 3,
Hebrew Character 5, Common Quaker 28 (Ivan Lang)
Monday 9 March 2009
We are currently
investigating better ways to harvest all the wonderful records you send
through so that they drop straight into ours and the Sussex Biological
Records Centre databases. If you get chance to include a grid reference
with your sightings, we'd be grateful while we are in experimenting
mode.
Dotted Border, Denton, 23/02/09, darker than usual specimens
(Steve Teale)
Three Red Admirals were in basking on Daphne bholua
this morning in a brief glimpse of sunshine at Wakehurst Place; my first
butterflies of the year and well worth the wait! (Susie Milbank)
Sunday 8 March 2009
Clockwise: Comma, Buchan CP,
25 Feb (Damian Pinguey); Peacock, Stump Bottom, 27 Feb (Steve Teale);
March Moth, Ashdown Forest, 25 Feb, (Damian Pinguey); and Park Corner
Heath, and Red-green Carpet, 8 Mar (Michael Blencowe)
The lovely sunny weather
around West Sussex today encouraged us out of our winter hibernation! We
saw no butterflies unfortunately but during our visit to Warnham Nature
Reserve near Horsham the bed of heather outside the visitor's centre was
full of bumble bees, both huge White-tailed Bumblebees and what I think
were slightly smaller Buff-tailed Bumblebees. Both of these sorts of
Bumblebees have been visiting the spring flowers in our Midhurst garden
all week. (Sophie-May Lewis)
It was a warm - but breezy
Spring morning at Park Corner Heath. Bees were buzzing and adders were
basking in the sun and the BC Work Party was busy raking, dragging and
clearing up the reserve. The new area which links to the adjoining ride
looks fantastic and bluebells and violets are alreading pushing through
the pine litter. I even saw one of those things, I've forgot what
they're called, those bugs with brightly coloured wings - a BUTTERFLY!
It feels like years since I last saw one! Back in 2007 my first
butterfly of the year was 67 days earlier (a Red Admiral on January 1st)
- it certainly has been a long cold winter. This one was a Peacock.
Back in the shed the team swapped tall tales about reptiles and
amphibians and made some confessions about buried pets. Eagle-eyed
Steven Teale spotted a Red-Green Carpet
camouflaged on the shed roof which I cleverly identified as a female
(only the females of this species overwinter - the males would have all
died in the autumn). Many thanks to Dave, Steve, Dave, Steve, Dave,
Hilary, John, Roger, Clare and Keith (Michael Blencowe)
My first butterfly seen this
year was a Red Admiral induced out of hibernation by the weak
sunshine over the grass and the edges of the copse at the top of
Chanctonbury Drive, south-east of the bridge over the A27 to Mill Hill,
Old Shoreham. (Andy Horton)
News for Sat 7 Mar:
Our first moth of the year found in our Worthing
light trap this morning (Sat) was a Tortricodes alternella.
(John & Shena Maskell)
Saturday 7 March 2009
Single
Early Grey and Common Quaker moths managed to ensconce
themselves in our moth trap last night. (Dave and Pen Green)
Friday 6 March 2009
My first butterfly of the
year, a Small Tortoiseshell at Pevensey Levels. (Roy Wells)
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Early afternoon today, a Peacock flying in our front garden at
Kingston near Lewes. We had brilliant sunshine earlier in the morning
and again later in afternoon but this one was flying when we had a cold
cloudy spell. Come on Spring! (John Holloway)
News for Tuesday 3 Mar: A Red Admiral was spotted in
the sunshine yesterday in a garden off Gerald Road just under Seaford
Head. Seaford Head at this point faces almost due west! (See Steve
Teale's observation yesterday). Another was apparently seen
elsewhere in Seaford on the very sunny Saturday just over a week ago.
(Bob Brown)
News for Fri 27 Feb: Park Corner Heath, one male Brimstone
(and one common lizard) 13 degrees C. (David Bradford)
News for Fri 27 Feb: I saw 1 Small
Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) and 1 Comma (Polygonia
c-album) on chalk grassland at TQ 33393 08766, near Stanmer Park,
Brighton (Dan Danahar)
Tuesday 3 March 2009
News for Mon 2 Mar:
Friston Forest, sunny but nippy breeze: every week I have checked the
website with envy for other people’s sightings. Today was my lucky day,
at last! Spent about an hour in Friston Forest before my first butterfly
sped by. Didn’t stop, but my ‘best guess’ would be a Comma. Hope
kindled, I spent another hour wandering to all the ‘sun traps’ I could
think of, but nothing, sigh…. Then, not far from the car park, two male
Brimstone gold in the sun! (Susan Suleski)
News for Sat 28 Feb and
Sun 1 Mar: Over the weekend our trap finally
caught our first moths of the year, one each of Pale Brindled Beauty,
Small Brindled Beauty, Common Quaker and Winter Shades.
Perhaps the most surprising thing however is that this followed a run of
17 blank moth traps since November 08 (and yes, we had remembered to
turn on the light). It was very cold on many of these nights so it was
not surprising to draw a blank, however over the last few weeks we have
run the trap on nights when other people around the county have had good
catches. A number of people have suggested this may be due to our
proximity to the coast and the lack of any woodland around our house,
but hopefully things will start to hot up now. Also, over the
weekend, one Small White in our garden. (Dave and Pen Green)
Monday 2 March 2009
Peacock in my Keymer garden this morning, sunning itself on
the patio, quickly followed by a Red Admiral nectaring on flowers of my
Daphne bholua bushes. A brilliant start to the butterfly year in
my garden, with today's visitors following on from the Small
Tortoiseshell present on 27 February (Malcolm Le Grys).
A Small Tortoiseshell flew into our Isfield garden today,
inspected the impressive show of crocus, found them not to his liking,
and departed in short order. (Graham Parris)
News for Fri 27 Feb: A single Peacock was seen basking
and making short flights above Stump Bottom near Denton. It emerged as
soon as the sun appeared. Incidentally, many overwintering butterflies
that I've seen in recent years first appear on east-facing hills. It
would be interesting to see if other people observe similar habits. If
there is a pattern, could some butterflies choose sites that are warmed
by sun earlier in the day? Could they be choosing sheltered situations
away from the bulk of our prevailing weather? Could it be both? It would
be interesting to read other peoples' observations from other 'hilly'
areas. (Steven Teale)
Join the Graffham Downs
Trust in a search for Grizzled and Dingy Skippers from mid April through
May - no experience necessary!
The GDT maintains a downland
area with stunning views adjacent to the South Downs Way, above the
village of Graffham (near Petworth and Midhurst) in West Sussex (Grid
ref: SU927168). 28 species of downland and woodland butterflies were
recorded in 2008 on cleared chalk grassland, scattered scrub and
woodland. The walk to the reserve includes a fairly steep ascent and
descent which can be deeply rutted (not too difficult if taken at a
measured pace) and a flat walk along the crest of the downs, involving a
total distance of about 3 miles. Strong footwear with ankle support is
recommended. We would welcome hearing from anyone with an interest in
butterflies or wildlife, who would enjoy a search particularly for the
'spring skippers' on this lovely downland reserve. For more information
contact Dianne Hardcastle on 01798 867446 or Biddy Dimmer on 01798
867454. The 2009 'Save Our Butterflies Week' kicks off with a walk here
on Saturday 25th July. (Neil Hulme)
Call for Transect Walkers.
Several areas of prime
downland are currently without Transect Walkers. We would like to hear
from anyone interested in performing regular surveys at either
Wolstonbury Hill or Newtimber Hill. The former site has species
including Adonis, Chalkhill, Small and Common Blue, together with Green
Hairstreak, Grizzled and Dingy Skipper. The latter site has an important
colony of Silver-spotted Skipper and although our Species Champion
monitors the hill, additional transect data would be very useful in
assisting our understanding of how colonisation of this area proceeds. I
counted 30 species (downland and woodland) here over 2 consecutive days
last summer! If you are interested please make initial contact with Neil
Hulme (01903 233172).
Sunday 1 March 2009
Considering that it's been
such a (relatively) cold winter, we seemed to do pretty well in the
county for sightings. The Met Office 15-day forecast are predicting a
colder snap and then warming up a bit into mid-March, but their seasonal
forecast is predicting a cool spring. So moth-ers may get the best of
the early action and maybe we won't see March Orange-tips or Speckled
Woods, but time will tell!
News for Sat 28 Feb:
The first butterfly of the year in our Saltdean garden turned up around
lunchtime in the shape of a fast moving Small Tortoiseshell -
hopefully a sign of things to come (David West)
News for Fri 27 Feb:
Comma and male Brimstone at Buchan Country Park (Damian
Pinguey)
News for Fri 27 Feb:
Small Tortoiseshell in my Keymer garden this afternoon, on
flowers of cyclamen in the warm sunshine. (Malcolm Le Grys).
News for Fri 27 Feb: On a walk in Beckley Woods, a single male
Brimstone was flying in the ride newly widened as part of the
Rother Woods project. Further up the main track, towards the power
lines, I also encountered a pristine Peacock patrolling the track
between the conifers, occasionally settling on the warm, sunlit ground.
(Stuart Cooper)
News for Sat 21 & Fri 27
Feb: A superb male Brimstone was sighted in our Lewes garden
on 21 and also 27 Feb. (Louise)
News for Weds 25 Feb: March Moth in Ashdown Forest
(Damian Pinguey)
News for Sat 21 Feb: The first butterfly that I have seen this
year was a Peacock in a garden in West St. Leonards. (Su Reece)
Saturday 28 February 2009
Dark Chestnut
(23 Feb),
Chestnut (19 Feb) and Satellite
(25 Feb), all Ashdown Forest (Damian Pinguey)
News for Fri 27 Feb: Over at the Half Moon PH site I found 3
Red Admiral and a possible Peacock. I then had a male
Brimstone in the garden and saw 2 Comma nearby at Broadfield
Pond. (Vince Massimo)
News for Fri 27 Feb: I spent a very pleasant afternoon with
WSCC Ranger John Knight, walking around Binsted Wood. We were looking at
the possibilities for improving some areas for woodland butterflies,
such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Purple Emperor. In the
beautiful, sunny conditions it seemed inevitable that we would see our
first butterflies of the year. In a wayleave below some powerlines we
watched a pair of Comma perform a courtship dance, before
returning to sunbathe on either logs or leaf litter. The fact that the
male showed considerable 'wear and tear' seemed irrelevant - the first
of the year always provides a special moment. (Neil Hulme and John
Knight)
News for Fri 27 Feb: Small White at the University of Sussex
campus, Falmer. Brimstone recorded by John Holloway in Kingston,
Lewes. (Crispin Holloway)
News for Fri 27 Feb: Male Brimstone in garden at
Plaistow, and Comma in wood near Plaistow (Margaret Hibbard)
News for Thurs 26 Feb: On a chilly
evening, just the 3 species - Hebrew Character, Common Quaker
and Dotted Border (John Luck).
News for Sat 21 Feb: I visited my local Red Admiral roost site
just north of the Half Moon PH in Crawley and was rewarded by the sight
of 2 Red Admiral basking and jousting in the sunshine. There was
also a male Brimstone. Earlier in the week
my porch light attracted a Pale Brindled Beauty and a Dotted
Border. (Vince Massimo)
Thursday 26 February 2009
News for Mon 23 Feb:
Good numbers of Dotted Border (23) and
Early Moth (13) were seen 'in the field' tonight (23rd). They
certainly seem to be the two dominant species on the wing at present in
Denton. Results in the garden trap have shown encouraging signs that the
season is now getting well underway, with nine species recorded during
the past week. Highlights include a new species for the garden list,
Tortricoides alternella (Winter Shade), Spring Usher (10) - a
species which seems to be having a decent year, and a single Common
Quaker, the first emergent Noctuid of the year for me.
(Steven Teale)
News for Sun 22 Feb:
I drew up a target list of 8 species and I was
delighted to find 4 of them in this morning's trap in Ringmer. These
were March Moth (2), Spring Usher, Pale Brindled Beauty
and Early Moth (2). Also present were Hebrew Character, Common
Quaker and Early Grey plus 2 micros - Winter Shade (Tortricodes
alternella) (5) and Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (John
Luck).
Below - Beckley Woods superb
woodland ride widening for butterflies, and the work party responsible!
Sun 22nd (Steve Wheatley)
Monday 23 February 2009
News for Sat 21 Feb:
Typical! The sunniest, warmest day of the year so far and I was stuck
inside behind closed curtains in charge of a stall at the Sussex
Biological Recorders Seminar in Hassocks. Still, it was nice of people
to keep coming over and tell me what I was missing. Apparently there was
a Peacock on the roof and a Small Tortoiseshell next to
the car park. BC were represented on the stage by Dr Dan Hoare who gave
an interesting presentation on the conservation work BC are doing across
the county to help the Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Michael Blencowe).
News for Sat 21 Feb: 2 Brimstone
in Sandpit Wood (Dave Mitchell)
Sunday 22 February 2009
The final Beckley Woods Work Party took place today in Rother. 20
enthusiastic volunteers came to widen a superb woodland path for
Grizzled Skippers. Thank you to everyone who came along this winter to
carry out this important conservation work. (Steve Wheatley)
Thanks to Carol, Nigel, John and Dave for forming a hastily arranged
work party (below) to help with some coppicing on private land this morning. The
habitat created looks perfect for some of our rarest butterflies - but
will the butterflies will make use of this area in 2009? We'll have to
wait and see (Michael Blencowe)
News for Sat 21 Feb: On the edge of Malthouse wood (Rother) I
saw an early Comma sunning itself on
the ground. So spring has started. (Gordon Jarvis)
News for Sat 21 Feb:
Two Brimstones were seen at
Leechpool and Owlbeech Woods, Horsham today (Mike and Patricia Hall, per
Sam Bayley)
News for Sat 21 Feb:
My first butterfly of the year was a Small
Tortoiseshell in my Edburton garden. Also
Dotted Border (below) (Tony Wilson)
News for Fri 20 Feb:
Last week's Moth
meeting and the various exhibits convinced me to come out of
hibernation. So I looked in the trap this morning and it was completely
empty. Fortunately nearby on the ground I found a Satellite and a
Dotted Border plus 2 Tortricoides alternella...all
new species for me (John Luck).
News for Weds 18 Feb: Here is a photo of an
early Acleris cristana in Etchingham, East Sussex. My moth trap
also included a Spring Usher, a March Moth, a Small
Brindled Beauty, three Tortricodes alternella, six
Pale Brindled Beauties and seven Satellites. (Caroline Moore)
Wednesday 18 February 2009
More from Edburton - by the morning of the 18th the March Moth at the outside light had been joined by a Hebrew Character and a Dotted Border (Tony Wilson)
News for 15 Feb:
March Moth and Spring Usher at the Roebuck Hotel in Ashdown Forest on the 16th Feb. (Damian Pinguey)
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Winter has loosened its icy grip for a few nights and I have taken the opportunity to whip the covers off the actinic light and fire it up. Species recorded include Agonopterix heracliana, Early Moth, Spring Usher and Chestnut, the latter two being firsts for the year for me in Denton. (Steven Teale)
My first March Moth of the year in Edburton this evening. Up to 3 Pale-brindled Beauties and 4 Early Moths each night recently. (Tony Wilson)
Monday 16 February 2009
News for 15 Feb:
The temperature was forecast to stay above zero for a change last night so I decided to run my first moth trap of 2009. The results were 2 Satellite and 16 Pale Brindled Beauty of which one was the dark form monacharia. In 'A Revised History of the Butterflies and Moths of Sussex' Colin Pratt estimates that this form constitutes 5% of most Pale Brindled Beauty communities. (Michael Blencowe)
Sunday 15 February 2009
For those of you who missed Michael Blencowe's review of 2008 at the AGM last year he will be giving a talk entitled "The Butterflies and Moths of Sussex - a Lepidopterist's Diary" to the Seaford Natural History Society on Tuesday 17th February at 2.15. The meeting is at the Olympic Room, Downs Leisure Centre, Sutton Road Seaford. Non-Seaford Nat. Hist. Soc members £2. Call 01323 890201 for more details.
Saturday 14 February 2009
There were tense scenes in the Royal Oak at Barcombe last night where over 40 members and their friends battled for the Red Admiral Ceramic Milk Churn of Victory - the hallowed prize in the Sussex BC Quiz Night. Eight teams answered six rounds of rather ridiculous questions on topics ranging from chemical warfare to Carry-on movies - all loosely linked to butterflies and moths. Current churn-holders The Camberwell Beauties took an early lead over teams including Eastbourne Birders Supreme, The Brighton Brimstones and Larva Palaver. However, Naomi Forbes team, Molten Larvae commanded the lead until the final round when, from out of nowhere, The Cousin Germans (Steve Wheatley and partner Sarah, Wendy and Keith Alexander and Crispin Holloway) snatched the top prize. There were emotional scenes as Neil Hulme of The Camberwell Beauties reluctantly handed the trophy over to the new winners - who kindly donated the £50 prize money raised back to Butterfly Conservation. Thanks to everyone who attended for making it an enjoyable evening. (Michael Blencowe).
Clockwise from top left: A tearful Neil Hulme presents The Cousin Germans with the Red Admiral Ceramic Milk Churn of Victory, the competing teams, The Eastbourne Birders Supreme, the illustrious quiz-master, The Brighton Brimstones and lastly, Neil and the indisputable truth.
Whilst waiting for the Waxwing to appear near Goring Station, (they didn't!), we watched a
Small Tortoiseshell fly rapidly by in the sunshine. Our first butterfly of the year. (Dave and Pen Green)
Friday 13 February 2009
I would like to say a huge "thank you" to Michael Blencowe for all the work he put into providing us with another great BC Winter Quiz Night at Barcombe. Did the luscious 'Camberwell Beauties' hang on to their trophy? You will have to wait for Michael's full report to find out. Many thanks also to Clare Jeffers, who kept 'the scores on the doors' and whose mathematical genius surpassed that of Carol Vorderman - even Michael's bizarre scoring system couldn't throw her. (Neil Hulme)
Red Admiral seen at
around mid-day in Ardingly fooled into thinking that spring had arrived
because the sun was shining brightly for a few hours. Builders alerted
me to the butterfly! (Linda Bridges)
Wednesday 11 February 2009
News for 10 Feb: A
Small White was reported from a Mr C
Barnard of Findon Valley. It was found in his kitchen during the
evening. (per Penny Green)
News for 10 Feb:
18.30: Denton Wood, Newhaven (TQ460026). 2
Dotted Border seen sheltering from the low temperatures (3\B0C). First
of the season for this species and my first moths of any kind since 26th
Jan! (Steven Teale)
Monday 9 February 2009
Park Corner Heath today: It was an icy start to the day but there
were some brave Sussex BC volunteers working hard at Park Corner Heath
today. Brash from the previous work party was cleared and a new ride was
cut to allow future Fritillaries to move around the reserve. It wasn't
long before we were joined by some lovely sunshine and a Raven 'kronking'
overhead. Thanks to Bert, Dave, Dave, Nigel, Clare, Roy, Keith, Roger,
Bob and Lucas. (Michael Blencowe)
General anorak stuff: There may be the odd sleepy Peacock on the wing
but on this weekend last February (2008) there was an explosion of
butterfly activity. On the 9th February last year 18 butterflies of 5
species were reported to the website. 5 Brimstone were seen (the first
pair being reported on February 8th) along with Comma and Small
Tortoiseshell (all yet to make an appearance in 2009). The graph shows
that February sightings stopped with the onset of poor weather on 20th -
but not before 47 sightings of 6 species had been reported. Looking at
the sub zero temperatures and sleet forecast for the coming week
February 2009 will need a drastic turnaround if it wants to compete with
2008.
Sunday 8 February 2009
A single Peacock today
at 12.20 near Poverty Bottom near Newhaven (TQ462028). Still very
sleepy, it flew for short distances in between basking in the sunshine.
A very satisfying sighting and my first for the year. (Steven Teale)
News for Sat 7 Feb:
Not wanting to be out-anoraked by Mr Thomas & Mr Teale (see 3 & 2 Feb
entries), I purchased my own amateur weather station today. I figured
out how to get it working just in time to watch the temperature plummet
to -2. Despite the sub-zero conditions I recorded 5 moths tonight on my
stroll around Friston Forest - the first moths I have seen since January
1st despite regular evening walks around the area. All of them were
Early Moths. (Michael Blencowe)
Thursday 5 February 2009
In response to recent queries, some insight from Colin Pratt:
THE WINTER WEATHER AND BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS: There can be no doubt
that the fate of our butterflies and moths is intimately and crucially
dependant upon prevailing weather and climate. All of "The Old Boys" who
spent a lifetime hunting these insects in Sussex concluded that a
traditional winter, such as that currently being enjoyed, was
advantageous to the quality and quantity of the lepidoptera emerging
during following months. They also deduced that a poor Spring - low
temperatures with a higher than average rainfall - was an overriding
deleterious influence. (Colin Pratt)
THE MONARCH IN SUSSEX: There have been 85 Monarchs detected in Sussex
since the first was seen at Hassocks Gate in 1876. The details of each
sighting, a bar chart of numbers versus the year of occurrence, and a
distribution map, are shown in "A Revised History of the Butterflies &
Moths of Sussex". Larvae have only been found feeding on Silk Weed (Asclepias
spp.) in this country, although a whole range of potential foodplants
were listed in the Entomologist for 1935 by C. Nicholson. (Colin Pratt)
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Fellow lepidoptera lovers -
the time has come to put down your snowballs and put your thinking caps
on because, (drum roll) back - by curiously popular demand - it's the
Sussex Butterfly Conservation Quiz Night!
Last year seven teams of
quizzers gathered to compete for the hallowed trophy - the Red Admiral
Ceramic Milk Churn of Victory - with The Camberwell Beauties beating The
Eastbourne Birders and Super Pupa amongst others to the title
The questions are all
general knowledge so people of various mental capacities are catered
for. Come along and find a use for all those worthless facts you've
accumulated over the years.
No expert knowledge of
butterflies and moths is required - in fact it's a distinct
disadvantage!
So why not join a team and
see if you'll be lucky on Friday 13 February at the Royal Oak
in Barcombe (North of Lewes) http://royaloakbarcombe.co.uk/ .
Everyone is welcome.
Bar meals are available and
there's plenty of time between rounds for Sussex butterfly and moth
gossip.
Round One starts at 8pm
sharp. Entry is \A31 per person with top prizes to be won.
Contact me if more details
are required - Michael Tiberius Blencowe (sussexgrayling@aol.com)
Good to hear that "WW" is
clinging on to a precarious existence, presumably with the longer days
he/she will be able to feed up more. By the way when in the butterfly
lifecycle do the two sexes diverge? Can you "sex" a larva? Presumably
DNA could sex even an egg, but do the larvae display any separate gender
characteristics?
I was interested in the
Monarch butterfly photo, having long harboured hopes of seeing one in
the UK, although I have seen and photographed "Monarchs" in Australia
and New Zealand just under 20 years ago. I remember as a boy reading L
Hugh Newman's description of netting one near the Lizard in Cornwall
over 100 years ago, which he believed must have flown the Atlantic. If
they are in the Azores now maybe they were then. It would only take a
fierce Sou'westerly to blow them up the Channel. How many have been
reported from Sussex so far? And is there really no plant here which
could support the caterpillars; I thought nasturtiums were the right
family. (Bob Brown)
I keep extra-amateurish
weather records in Newhaven, so I was interested to read the average
temperature in Peacehaven mirrored my own of 3.8\B0C. The coldest night in
Denton was on 9th January, when I recorded a low of -6.9\B0C. Despite the
low temperatures I did manage to record 7 species of moth during the
month, but no butterflies. Will the cold start to the year affect
butterfly and moth numbers? I hope not, things are slow enough now and I
can't wait for the season to get going! (Steven Teale)
Monday 2 February 2009
I'm a bit of a weather
anorak, and have run an amateurish little weather station here in
Peacehaven since 2003, so was interested to see if January really was as
cold as it felt or whether it was another of those tricks your memory
plays. It turns out the average Jan daily low this year was 3.7 degreesC,
the coldest of any January in the six years but warmer than the 3.5
degreesC in Feb 03. The average daily high was 6.4 degreesC, the coldest
of any month in these six years. The lepidoptera question from this all
- is this likely to have any effect on the butterfly and moth year
ahead? Responses and crystal-ball-gazing welcome (Adrian Thomas)
News for Sat 31 Jan: Had another check today to see if my
little Large White caterpillar was still with us and thankfully
it is still well but seemingly hasn't moved from where I last saw it. I
gave the plant a little shake and it moved about a centimetre then
stopped and didn't move again for the rest of the day. Will Warnham
Wrigglie last it to adulthood or is it destined to a chilly end next
week? (Sam Bayley)
Saturday 31 January 2009
A name for the Large White caterpillar? I wondered whether Warnham
Wrigglie might be more appropriate? No sign at all of any competition
from the Seaford allotments! PS Is there anyone in Seaford interested in
joining a group looking at bumble-bees? I am in touch with the
Bumble-Bee Conservation Society who would like to create a reserve in
the area. (Bob Brown)
Friday 30 January 2009
Now we are normally quite
strict to keep these pages solely for Sussex butterflies and moths, but
given the harshness of the winter, I couldn't resist sharing some photos
just received to brighten your viewing. They may n ot be from Sussex but
at least they are from a Sussex butterflyer!
We have just spent a week in Madeira and saw a large number of what
looked like Wall butterflies, but on checking turned out to be Southern
Speckled Woods. Also fairly numerous Monarchs gliding about. Very
pleasant weather, 21 degrees and loads of flowers out. Rather different
back here now. (Mike Christieson)
Tuesday 27 January 2009
A Red Admiral flying in Friston Forest today (Nigel Kemp)
News for Mon 26 Jan: A Red Admiral was flying around on
our Worthing patio late this morning (Shena Maskell)
Monday 26 January 2009
News for Sun 25 Jan: Despite torrential rain, high winds and
the official cancellation of the Beckley Woods Work Party, eight
determined volunteers from Hastings Conservation Volunteers arrived,
keen to get some good conservation work achieved. With waterproofs and
high spirits, they spent hours clearing encroaching saplings and scrub.
The brilliant result is a significant extension of an important area of
Grizzled Skipper habitat. (Steve Wheatley)
News for Thurs 22 Jan: Found this
Pale Brindled Beauty at the Roebuck Hotel in Ashdown Forest (Damian
Pinguey)
Wednesday 21 January 2009
Having spoken to Sam Bayley and hearing that his Large White
caterpillar is still alive and kicking I thought it would be amusing
to give it a name!? Any suggestions? My Mum thinks 'January King' and
anyone who knows their cabbages will know what she means! (Sophie May
Lewis) Being a cabbage novice, I didn't know what Sophie's mum meant,
so I Googled and 'January King' is a 'crisp and crunchy' variety of
cabbage. Don't say we don't educate you here! - Webmaster
Sunday 18 January 2009
The butterfly records are
flooding in now ;-)
News for Sat 17 Jan:
Red Admiral
flying around at 1pm, The Avenue, Lewes. Recorded by Louise
Holloway (Crispin Holloway)
News for Sat 17 Jan: In addition to the Brown Hairstreak
eggs that are on blackthorn, today I found some eggs on the young
Victoria plum tree I have in the back garden too. It will be interesting
to see how the caterpillars progress (if they survive that far). (Susie
Milbank, Broadbridge Heath)
Saturday 17 January 2009
Here it is, when I bet you'd have thought Sussex might go for a
whole calendar month without a single adult butterfly sighting:
One Peacock seen flying along a
ride in Abbot's Wood this morning (17/1). regards, Nigel Kemp.
Just an observation on Sam Bayley's report on January 14th: Is it
possible that some caterpillars, or possibly the eggs, laid by Large
Whites are able to go into a kind of hibernation to possibly avoid
extreme weather conditions? Or is it that the caterpillar emergence is
triggered by sunlight which might in the odd instance, depending on
where the egg is laid, not all happen at the same time? The cabbages
etc. on my area of Seaford allotments now seem to be completely devoid
of caterpillars of any kind. (Bob Brown)
News for Fri 16 Jan:
Moth reports from Rother: Pale Brindled Beauty,
Mottled Umber and Spring Usher at the lights of the
Doctors surgery in Northiam. (David Burrows)
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Checking my wintering Large White caterpillars in my Warnham
garden again today proved rather disappointing as all but one had died,
turned black and were half hanging off the undersides of the plant.
Interestingly, the one remaining larva was smaller than the other dead
ones and had just shed another skin. Hopefully, now that the weather has
turned milder this solo feeder will be able to survive. (Sam Bayley)
News for Tues 13 Jan:
It was another excellent night for watching
Winter Moth .
I saw 79 while out dusking this evening, including 3 mating pairs - the
first time I have seen the wingless females. The males were very active
just after dark along Ranscombe Lane near Glynde, but less active
between 20.00 and 21.00 on the Downs behind Denton, under a clear sky
with a falling temperature. I also saw a single Early Moth.
(Steven Teale)
Sunday 11 January 2009
It was good to see that the
Park Corner Heath work party had survived the Christmas 'flu bug and the
lowest temperatures for a decade and were back working on the reserve
today. The alder buckthorns were covered in ice and the pond was frozen
but the team soon warmed up as we continued to clear a corridor between
the reserve and the new habitat created in 2008. Hopefully this corridor
will provide a crucial link to allow species to expand into the
adjoining ride network in 2009. Thanks to Bob, Dave, Dave, John, Bert,
Roger, Clare, Keith, Roy, Steve, Ed, Alex, Caroline and Wendy. (Michael
Blencowe).
Thursday 8 January 2009
News for Weds 7 Jan:
Newhaven. Despite extreme frosts two Large White caterpillars
(now silk girdled up under the front soffit) and two Red Admiral
caterpillars ( very tightly rolled in ice ravaged, almost leaf-bare
nettles ) were very much alive today.
Sunday 4 January 2009
Steve Wheatley has updated
the Rother Project pages here
News
for Sat 3 Jan: Our first moth of 2009 was, unexpectedly, a
Double-striped Pug that we found in our kitchen today (Mill Hill,
Shoreham). (Pen and Dave Green).
News
for Sat 3 Jan: The bleak midwinter. Strolling 'round Friston with my
torch over the past three nights has added the first 2 species of moth
to my 2009 list - Winter Moth and Mottled Umber were both
recorded on New Years Day. Since then it's been nothing but foxes, owls,
rabbits and ice. In the daytime the garden is full of Fieldfare and
Redwing feeding on fallen apples. It's prompted me to look back to the
website butterfly records from January of 2008. There were 16
butterflies of 4 species reported in January 2008 - the first sightings
coming in on January 6th - I wonder if we'll match that this year? Happy
New Year to all (Michael Blencowe)
Thursday 1 January 2009
Happy New Year!
It has now become a bit of a tradition for me to go out hunting for
new Brown Hairstreak colonies on New Year's Day, by looking for
their eggs. This surprisingly satisfying pursuit has resulted in the
discovery of good populations at Cissbury Ring and Steyning Rifle Range
in 2007 and 2008. We were just about to give up on our 2009 hunt, after
thoroughly searching the blackthorn hedges around Tortington Manor near
Arundel, when we finally located a single egg. Having stuck another pin
in the map we moved on to the Steyning site, where a brief search
revealed a very respectable total of 27 ova. (Hannah Sanders and Neil
Hulme)
Earlier
Sightings