Butterflies at last. Butterflies count

I was beginning to wonder if the butterflies were ever going to return. Worryingly very few in numbers over the past couple of months.

I spotted the Speckled Wood in my wildlife friendly garden at the end of May. On my walks around coast and countryside I only saw a couple Orange Tips back in the Spring and very few Whites.

Yesterday I saw a good selection including

• Red Admiral (first I’ve seen this year)
• Gatekeeper (first I’ve seen this year)
• . Skipper (first I’ve seen this year)
• Comma (first I’ve seen this year)
• Large White
• Small White

There was also a solitary Brimstone among the many Gatekeepers fluttering around the beautifully sheltered Permaculture Garden at Tapeley Park.

I do the Big Butterfly Count every year, so I’m hoping my own garden count counts for something this year. I took the stunning Speckled Wood photo in  my garden at the end of May.

 

 Butterflies at last. Photo credit Pat Adams North Devon Focus

Large White - Photo credit Pat Adams North Devon Focus

Speckled Wood - Photo credit Pat Adams North Devon Focus

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 The Big Butterfly Count 2024 runs from 12 July - 4 August, spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot and help gather vital data to save butterflies and moths.

“Help the Butterfly Conservation take nature's pulse by joining the Big Butterfly Count. The Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) we see.”
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org

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Counting Butterflies “Fleeting encounters, lasting memories”

I read the news today - over ten million Painted Lady butterflies are winging their way to the UK. Until the Buddleia starts flowering in my garden I’m happy watching the Speckled Wood as they dart and dance together over the garden before separating and settling momentarily. My first butterfly sighting in January was a Tortoiseshell which I disturbed when cleaning the downstairs loo. It settled on the window sill and remained dormant until late April, which I am sad to say was when it died. To date in my garden or on my walks I have seen ten Speckled Wood, ten White, three Orange Tip, four Common Blue, one Peacock, five Brimstone and a Small Heath plus a Silver Line Moth, Speckled Yellow Moth and finally a huge Drinker Moth caterpillar. When my Buddleia and Hydrangea are in full bloom in July, they are normally covered in Red Admiral, Peacock and Tortoiseshell but I will be watching out for those Painted Ladies and hope for the return of a seldom seen Clouded Yellow or Fritillary. Spotting them is easy, photographing them, however, is quite different. Get too close and your shadow and the lens scares them away, annoyingly not too far away, normally on the next flower. I now use a long lens with an extension tube so they don’t know I’m there. Here is a photo of a Speckled Wood taken a couple of days ago. It rested for quite a time on the fresh new leaves of the Rhododendron, conveniently opening and closing its wings as if posing for the shot. I wish they were all so accommodating. “Fleeting encounters, lasting memories” was just one of the aptly descriptive quotes on a wonderful Radio 4 programme presented by Brett Westwood, who you may have just seen on BBC Springwatch Extra. The programme, Natural Histories, Butterflies, depicts how butterflies have enthralled and influenced people throughout history. 

 

Speckled Wood Photo Pat Adams (All rights reserved)

Drinker Moth Caterpillar Photo copyright Pat Adams (All rights reserved)
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•  Brett Westwood is a radio presenter and author, specialising in natural history.  
• Wikipedia Stub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_WestwoodI
• Butterflies Natural Histories http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05w99rp

• Butterfly enthusiasts should also visit The ButterflyConservation UK website for information or help with identifying species.
• Read all about it  http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/11-million-painted-lady-butterflies-set-UK/story-26705200-detail/story.html
• North Devon AONB News 

UPDATE. About 20 Painted Lady butterflies spotted on the Hartland Heritage Coast 21st June 2015