For previous years' lists and commentaries, often incomplete, click 2021, 2020,
2019,
2018,
2017,
2016,
2015,
2014,
2013,
2012, 2011, 2010, 2009; 2008;
2007; 2006; 2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001. I seem to have
lost the file for 2000.
Some of my friends also keep, or have kept, online
year-lists. Tim
Cowles,
living in the Monts du Lyonnais, publishes his list HERE
and Matthew Rowlings, who lives not far from me in Vevey, Switzerland,
has his HERE.
Another
friend, Robin Fox, in Italy, keeps a regularly updated sightings diary HERE.
SCROLL DOWN for the 2022 CHECKLIST or use the menu below to jump to the
COMMENTARY for each month.
NOTE TO MY REGULAR
READERS:
Following the death of my mother on 15th March 2018, I moved
to
England to keep my father company. My recent diaries are therefore very
different from the previous ones. No longer do I have alpine
species on my doorstep and purple emperor caterpillars in my local
woods. No more midwinter visits to Queen of Spain fritillaries in the
Rhône Valley or spring trips to nettle tree habitat in Italy! Thank you
to everyone who followed the Swiss butterfly years with me. I will
try to keep some interest in these pages and hope to get some holidays
abroad, but in the short term my diary will record mostly the creatures
in and around Woodbridge, Suffolk. I will try to include at least one
photo, of nature or scenery, every day, though on past evidence I will
fail as the year draws to an end ...
UPDATE: On
4th Sepember, I moved back to Switzerland. I now live in Leysin, over a
valley from my old house and in easy reach of all my former butterfly
patches. It's a busy time beginning again but I hope the end of 2022
will bring some butterflies!
CHECKLIST
FOR THE YEAR 2022
Peacock (Aglais
io) - 13th Feb - Suffolk, UK
Comma (Polygonia
c-album) - 3rd March - Suffolk, UK
Red admiral (Vanessa
atalanta) - 8th March - Suffolk, UK
Brimstone (Gonepteryx
rhamni) - 10th March - Suffolk, UK
Small tortoiseshell (Aglais
urticae) - 15th March - Suffolk, UK
Small white (Pieris
rapae) - 18th March - Suffolk, UK
Queen of Spain fritillary (Issoria lathonia) -
24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Large white (Pieris
brassicae) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Green-veined white (Pieris
napi) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Mallow skipper (Carcharodus
alceae) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides
podalirius) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Orange tip (Anthocharis
cardamines) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Eastern Bath white (Pontia
edusa) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Wood white (Leptidea
sinapis) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Speckled wood (Pararge
aegeria) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Dingy skipper (Erynnis
tages) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Camberwell beauty (Nympahlis
antiopa) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Large tortoiseshell (Nymphalis
polychloros) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Violet fritillary (Boloria
dia) - 24th March - Valais, Switzerland
Nettle tree butterfly (Libythea
celtis) - 25th March - North Italy
Holly blue (Celastrina
argiolus) - 25th March - North Italy
Wall (Lasiommata
megera) - 25th March - North Italy
Chequered blue (Scolitantides
orion) - 25th March - North Italy
Green hairstreak (Callophrys
rubi) - 25th March - North Italy
Provençal short-tailed blue (Cupido alcetas) -
25th March - North Italy
Small heath (Coenonympha
pamphilus) - 5th May - Suffolk, UK
Brown argus (Aricia
agestis) - 8th May - Suffolk, UK
Painted lady (Vanessa
cardui) - 8th May - Suffolk, UK
Common blue (Polyommatus
icarus) - 14th May - Suffolk, UK
Little blue (Cupido
minimus) - 14th May - Suffolk, UK
Pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)
- 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Glanville fritillary (Melitaea
cinxia) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Mazarine blue (Cyaniris
semiargus) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Adonis blue (Polyommatus
bellargus) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Sooty copper (Lycaena
tityrus) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Red-underwing skipper (Spialia
sertorius) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Grizzled skipper (Pyrgus
malvae) - 20th May - Leysin, Switzerland
Cardinal (Argynnis
pandora) - 21st May - Valais, Switzerland
Idas blue (Plebejus
idas) - 21st May - Valais, Switzerland
Safflower skipper (Pyrgus
carthami) - 21st May - Valais, Switzerland
Turquoise blue (Polyommatus
dorylas) - 24th May - Valais, Switzerland
Marbled fritillary (Brenthis
daphne) - 26th May - Valais, Switzerland
Heath fritillary (Melitaea
nevadensis) - 26th May - Valais, Switzerland
Iolas blue (Iolana
iolas) - 26th May - Valais, Switzerland
Dark green fritillary (Argynnis
aglaja) - 26th May - Valais, Switzerland
Meadow brown (Maniola
jurtina) - 10th June - Suffolk, UK
Silver-studded blue (Plebejus
argus) - 15th June - Suffolk, UK
Small skipper (Thymelicus
sylvestris) - 18th June - Suffolk, UK
Essex skipper (Thymelicus
lineola) - 18th June - Suffolk, UK
Large skipper (Ochlodes
sylvanus) - 18th June - Suffolk, UK
Ringlet (Aphantopus
hyperantus) - 20th June - Suffolk, UK (though probably
seen before)
White-letter hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) -
21st June - Suffolk, UK
White admiral (Limenitis
camilla) - 27th June - Suffolk, UK
Purple hairstreak (Favonius
quercus) - 27th June - Suffolk, UK
Silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) -
1st July - Suffolk, UK
Grayling (Hipparchia
semele) - 2nd July - Suffolk, UK
Gatekeeper (Pyronia
tithonus) - 7th July - Suffolk, UK
Great banded grayling (Brintesia
circe) - 5th September - Vaud, Switzerland
Tree grayling (Hipparchia
statilinus) - 10th September - Valais, Switzerland
Short-tailed blue (Cupido
argiades) - 11th September - Vaud, Switzerland
Brown hairstreak (Thecla
betulae) - 11th September - Vaud, Switzerland
Southern small white (Pieris
mannii) - 18th September - Valais, Switzerland
Pale clouded yellow (Colias
hyale) - 17th October - Vaud, Switzerland
Commentary (Links in the
commentary are to pictures of the particular butterflies referred to)
January
1st: One of the large white
caterpillars (and here)
on the curly kale is full grown and almost ready to pupate. There are
still several unhatched red
admiral eggs on the nettles in the garden. In the afternoon,
we went out to wooded heathland. There were so
many people and dogs about I was unsurprised to see few birds but I did
catch this stonechat in the distance. On the
way home, as we crossed the Deben, I photographed the first
sunset of 2022.
2nd: A day of mixed sunshine, cloud and occasional rain. Here is Minnie
in the meadow in the morning. The large
white caterpillar
is still on the kale. I didn't notice yesterday (though it was clearly
visible), but he has a disturbing constriction at the tail end. During
a sunny spell in the morning I was lucky to get this shot of a wren
in our garden.
3rd: A beautiful
day early on, though it clouded over later and the
temperatures are dropping. The large
white caterpillar is still on the kale.
4th: The large white caterpillar.
5th: Bright
but cold in the morning. In the afternoon it clouded
over (the white dot in the bank is Minnie). It was flood
tide on the Deben - I've never seen the river so full at that
point. The large white caterpillar
is clinging beneath the midrib of a kale leaf. It is conceivable it
hopes to pupate there but it may just be lying torpid because of the
cold.
6th: Another bright and cold morning. The large
white caterpillar was feeding again.
7th: High
tide on the Deben. The large white caterpillar was still
feeding.
8th: Wet and miserable from early. The large white caterpillar had gone
back to resting up beneath the leaf.
9th: The large white
caterpillar is still there!
10th:
The large white caterpillar had disappeared by the time I looked this
morning - presumed off to pupate! The alternative, of course, is that a
hungry bird had him for breakfast. In the afternoon, under heavy cloud,
we took a walk
along the river. Here is a little
egret and here an avocet.
11th: Another grim day. Here is Minnie on her enforced walk along
the river, and here a teal sifting the mud.
12th: We took our afternoon walk to Martlesham
Heath. Here is a solitary magpie
surveying his territory. We saluted him. It was a beautiful
sunset.
13th: Today we wandered over land between Martlesham and Bealings,
taking in some tracks we hadn't followed before.
There were hundreds of rabbits about, enjoying the
sunshine, so Minnie had to be on the lead for part of the walk. Here is
a flock
of linnets caught in the afternoon sun.
14th: A beautiful day, from morning to evening. In the
afternoon we took a walk near Ufford (and here).
Despite the wall-to-wall sunshine, no butterflies took to the air.
15th:
In the morning I cycled Minnie to the two sites in Ipswich where I saw
female brown hairstreaks last year. Despite searching hundreds of
blackthorn bushes, I found not a single egg. I'm not sure what the
reason is. Perhaps they lay in different places or parts of the bush
here in England from in Switzerland. Or perhaps these introduced
colonies are not really viable. The Orwell
was shrouded in mist and covered in ducks
and waders. These included my first pintail
since I came back to the UK in 2018. Pintail used to be a regular
winter feature on the Deben and I had been worried by their absence.
They clearly prefer the Orwell.
16th:
In the evening there was 100% cloud cover but the moon could still be
seen, with all her markings, through the cloud. These pictures - here
and here
- don't do justice. In both cases, the moon is behind the clouds, not
in a gap between them.
17th: A bright
morning and beautiful all day. Here are a curlew,
an avocet,
a dabchick
and the usual ruff on the Deben.
18th: A beautiful, frosty morning.
19th: I had to leave my bike in Martlesham for its annual service, so
walked Minnie back to Woodbridge through the woods and then along
the river (and here). Here are a curlew,
probing deeply, and a kestrel just about to plummet into
the grass.
21st: Morning
and night
today.
22nd: The moon
over the cemetery this morning. In the evening, I saw my
first adult lep of the year - this angleshades
moth.
23rd: A grey day. Here and here
are some godwits on the Deben.
24th: Another grey day! Some more godwits
on the Deben (and here).
27th: A fine day with fairweather clouds (and here).
28th: A cloudy
afternoon walk along the river. Among the black-tailed
godwits on the mud were a few groups of bar-tailed
godwits (and here).
Here is a bar-tailed godwit with a black-tailed godwit
behind.
29th: Wonderful cloud formations over the reeds
just upstream of Wilford Bridge.
30th: A blue tit was busy lining a nest
beneath bark
on a recently cut bough of oak, overhaning our garden. It was a
beautiful day, with plenty of flies on the wing - but no butterflies.
The maximum temperature was about 7°C, though it felt much warmer in
the sun. A red-hued sunset promised good
things for tomorrow too.
31st: January closed blustery, bright and cold. The
now-familiar ruff (and here)
was close to the bank, away from his usual bend in the river. Here are two
bar-tailed godwits with a black-tailed godwit behind.
February
1st: Quite cold and a little windy, but often bright. Here is Minnie
on our afternoon, heathland walk.
3rd: Some of the black-headed gulls are now showing
almost complete summer head markings. Here is Minnie
on our afternoon walk.
4th: Leo
over the trees in the evening, taken with my iPhone.
5th:
Cycled to Tunstall to look for white admiral hibernacula. I found a few
possibles but nothing certain - I couldn't see inside any. Here is the
kind of honeysuckle leaf I was counting as
a possible. I have seen very similar in Switzerland with tiny spiky
people inside.
6th: Windy,
rainy, sunny, cold
- a bit of everything today. As we set off on our afternoon walk I knew
there would be rainbows during the afternoon, and so there were. In
fact, there was at least a partial rainbow in the sky most of the time.
Here,
it looks like a bolt coming out of the cloud, and here it is seemingly striking the trees
as we reached Woodbridge. At other times it was complete
and intense.
10th: On a cold, grey day, here is a grey
plover on the mud. Here
and here are some bar-tailed godwits -
this little group seems to be resident on our river.
12th: Cold but bright trip to the woods in the afternoon. While looking
for purple hairstreak eggs I found this cocoon
on an oak twig.
13th:
First butterfly of the year: a peacock, that took to the wing in St
Mary's church towards the end of the morning service. It can be seen
bolting behind the altar in the YouTube video of
the service
(click on the link to start the video a few seconds before it appears).
It was cold and windy outside so it was probably better off inside,
where it might find a sheltered place to go torpid again for the rest
of the week (assuming the heating only comes on on Sundays).
16th: My birthday. Crocuses and a bee in the morning;
full
moon in the evening.
17th: A grey plover in bright sunlight on
the Deben.
18th: A great-spotted woodpecker
drumming in the meadow in the morning. During the day, storm Eunice
struck, splitting in two the largest of the white-letter hairstreak
elms.
21st: The hairstreak elm is completely split in two down the
middle - half standing proud, half lying on the ground. The
area
is cordoned off, but some branches have fallen outside the fencing. I
quickly found a hatched white-letter hairstreak egg
on one twig.
22nd:
In the morning, I collected the fallen branches and took them home to
put in a bucket of water, just in case it is possible to keep any
caterpillars alive long enough to find and return to a healthy tree.
23rd: A smart pheasant on a hayroll by the river.
26th: An egret fishing in wetland at
Bromeswell.
For
family reasons I have very little opportunity to get out at the moment.
I will try and keep a few pictures coming, especially of any
butterflies.
March 3rd:
A lovely day, especially in the morning, when this comma
was flying in the garden.
6th: A treecreeper in the forest (and here),
amazingly
camouflaged against the birch bark.
8th:
From inside, I saw a single comma and two red admirals in the garden.
The weather was bright but cool, with a wind, and nothing hung around.
10th: It never got really warm today - maximum 13°C or perhaps 14°C -
but it was very sunny and in the morning several commas
(and here - a different individual)
were parading in their usual sunspot
in the garden and occasional male brimstones were drifting through. I
also saw something darker - a red admiral or peacock, but it was too
poor a view to be sure. At one point a male and female comma were
showing great interest in each other but by the time I had got my
camera they had zoomed off to some secret place and I didn't see them
again. I was able to get a walk around the river in the afternoon. The
winter waders are still there, including the single ruff
that has been hanging around all season.
14th: My
father died at 11h00 today, at home, surrounded by his family.
A red admiral flew past when we toasted him in the garden, and
brimstones, commas and peacocks were greeting
the chilly, spring day too.
15th:
A slightly warmer day than yesterday. There was much to be done, but I
took Minnie out in the afternoon to look for small tortoiseshells. We
found some, including this female
oviposturing (she spent a long time on this nettle but I
found no eggs after she had gone) and this male
(I think) nearby. In the garden, peacocks,
brimstones (males, roding) and commas
were all parading.
18th: A small white
flew through the garden early, so I ran to check my pupae in case they
were beginning to turn. They weren't - but I did discover that the tits
had actually eaten several of them through the mesh (pecking holes in
it) and had knocked others to the ground inside the cage. I gathered
these up carefully and put them in the fridge, to keep them safe until
I could reattach them properly.
19th: I attached the four pupae I had in the fridge to a stick and put
it back in the cage. Each was attached with a blob
of glue at the tip of the abdomen, then with some cotton
gently tied over the abdomen. This worked very well last
year. Here are all four of them back in the cage.
Here and here
are some of the holes where tits (I presume tits) had pecked through
and eaten their brothers and sisters. I'm writing this up a week after
the event, but I remember small whites were flying commonly through the
garden, and peacocks, brimstones and commas were all on the wing.
23rd:
Leaving the UK in bright sunshine, I flew to even sunnier Switzerland
for a couple of days' break. I arrived in the mountains in early
afternoon, but up there the temperature was too low for butterflies
despite the sun.
24th: Today was spent in the Rhône Valley. I arrived at Martigny
station at 08h45, when it was still very cold. The first Queen
of Spain flew at 09h15, followed by many
more (and here) during the walk. This mallow
skipper was flying in the vineyard at about 09h30 and I saw another
later too. A few small tortoiseshells flew, as well as a single green-veined
white, a single large
white,
half a dozen small whites and an orange tip. I raced round the walk so
I could catch the 11h18 from Martigny to further up the valley. There,
much more was flying, partly because it was by now much warmer.
Immediately, I saw the first of many eastern Bath whites - though none
stopped long enough for a photo - as well as more large whites, small
whites and green-veined whites. I didn’t have to wait long for my first
wood
white, after which I continued seeing them throughout the
afternoon. Orange tips and brimstones
were common. No blues were flying but I did see a single small copper.
Surprisingly, neither grizzled skipper nor rosy grizzled skipper was on
the wing, but both mallow and dingy
skipper
were about in small numbers. Initially I saw no large tortoiseshells,
and at my usual large tortoiseshell site saw just a single Camberwell
beauty (and here).
After that, though, I saw three large tortoiseshells, of which just one
touched down very briefly. Queen of Spain fritillaries were the
commonest butterfly by far; I saw just one violet fritillary. Other
species out in reasonable numbers were small
tortoiseshell, comma,
peacock and speckled wood.
25th:
Today's mission was nettle tree butterflies, which I haven't seen since
2018, when I moved to the UK. So I got up early - very early - and got
to Domodossola at 09h12. I then set off for walk to my favourite nettle
tree site. On the way, I saw little - a few whites, brimstones, small
tortoiseshell. In the village just before site, two nettle tree
butterflies span past me, one landing
distantly in a nettle tree.
These were the first of many, mostly seen in flight or landing high in
the nettle trees, but one or two coming lower (still distant). Here
and here
are two different individuals. Large tortoiseshells were out in
reasonable numbers but never came to ground and were not as common as
usual. I got just one photo. In the vegetation
around the path, chequered blue (and here)
was probably the commonest species, with wood
whites coming a close second. There were also small whites,
large whites, green-veined whites and small
coppers, with green hairstreaks becoming
increasingly frequent as the day warmed up. Walls were frequent and holly
blues
were trundling around the place, often flying high into the trees. I
saw a few Provençal short-tailed blues without photographing any. That
didn’t worry me, as I thought I would see plenty at my lower site in
the afternoon, but when I got there I found most of it had been cleared
and the rest was inaccessible, so no joy there. The other species seen
were comma, Queen of Spain and peacock. It was a warm day, feeling hot
because of all the hill-climbing. After failing at the low site, I
headed for the scrubland near Domodossola. That was very dry and
close-cropped and almost nothing flew - just the odd white and a few
Queens.
All the pictures for 24th and 25th March were processed on my
iPad, on the train to Geneva on 26th March. I have many more, but
realistically I won't get them processed soon, so thought I should post
while I could ...
26th: Returned to the UK.
28th: An egret and the familiar ruff
(and here)
along the Deben. The ruff looks brighter and white than he has been
looking over the winter.
April
9th: A tiger moth caterpillar crossing a
path in the sandlings; a stonechat nearby.
10th:
Commas, peacocks and brimstones in the garden, with a few small whites
flying through. I visited a local site where orange tips usually fly
early but saw none - just more peacocks and commas,
with some small
tortoiseshells too. Here is a kestrel,
watching the show, and here Minnie,
taking a well deserved drink in the heat of the afternoon.
11th: The first local orange tips are flying, in the garden and in the
meadow. The godwits along the river are in beautiful,
golden summer plumage,
12th: My father's funeral. Poor weather had been forecast, but in the
event it was sunny, with some cloud.
13th: My first nightingale
of the year was singing on Martlesham Heath. There were very few
butterflies - a few peacocks, commas and whites - but I did find this glow
worm larva walking across a track.
14th: The first small white - a female - hatched in my cage and I
released her into the sun.
15th:
A second small white - a male - hatched
in the cage. The garden was
alive with brimstones, peacocks, small and large
whites (and here) and orange
tips. In the woods, peacocks, commas and green-veined whites were
flying with the first local speckled
woods of the year. A distant muntjac
along the track grazed peacefully - so I put Minnie on the lead then!
Here is the Good Friday moon.
16th:
A woodland walk in the afternoon. It was beautifully sunny, but little
was flying apart from peacocks, commas and whites. Here is a green-veined
white. Again the moon seemed full in the evening. I
found my first white-letter hairstreak caterpillar
of the year - a tiny third instar, I think.
17th:
Another beautifully sunny day, with peacocks, whites, orange tips,
commas and the first local holly blues of the year in the garden. In
the evening I found another white-letter
hairstreak caterpillar, on a different tree from yesterday.
This one still shows touches of pink.
18th: A white-letter hairstreak caterpillar
in the evening.
19th: In the morning, another of my small white pupae looked coloured
up. By the afternoon it had hatched
and I took it out to rest on garlic mustard.
20th: A tiny white-letter hairstreak caterpillar
in the evening.
22nd: A female small copper on the heath.
24th: Visited Ipswich parkland, where brimstones turned out to be
incredibly common. Here are four
tumbling in the air, here a female supping
at dandelion, and here a female laying
on low shrubs. There were a few small coppers about but no
other Lycaenids. Here is a mating
pair of large whites - this species is very numerous this
spring - and here a green-veined white. There were a
few small tortoiseshells about and
even some red admirals.
25th: A beautiful summer black-tailed godwit on the Deben
and a white-letter hairstreak caterpillar
with friend in the meadow in the evening.
26th: I found my first large red damselfly of the year today, seemingly
torpid on a shady pavement in town. I picked
it up and took it to the meadow to warm up - which it did
almost instantly, and flew off before I could get a natural photo.
29th: A white-letter hairstreak caterpillar
in the evening.
30th:
I went looking for April green hairstreaks on the last possible day,
without finding any. It was partly sunny and partly cloudy, and rather
cool. Speckled woods were out in good
numbers but very little else was on the wing. Here is an orange
tip, and here a brown
silver-lines, showing perfect crypitc colouration against the
brown leaves.
May 2nd: A white-letter
hairstreak caterpillar in the meadow (and here,
showing more of the leaf damage).
3rd: A sedge warbler by the river.
5th: First small heaths flying on the heath. Here is a green-veined
white.
I had gone looking for green hairstreaks but found none today, even
though the broom is out and the first hawthorn flowers are bursting.
6th: My first glimpse of a local green hairsteak (first for the year,
that is). This very distant shot
shows one nectaring on hawthorn. Small coppers and speckled woods are
common in the woods, with peacocks and the odd red admiral flying too.
8th: First brown argus of the year (and here)
on local heathland. Here is a white-letter
hairstreak caterpillar photographed on our evening walk.
First painted lady of the year.
9th: A yellowhammer in full voice.
10th: A white-letter hairstreak caterpillar.
11th: A white-letter
hairstreak caterpillar by day, perfectly camouflaged on a
leaf bud. 12th: The same white-letter
hairstreak caterpillar as yesterday, but this time
photographed at night.
13th: In the forest, several green hairstreaks (and here
- the same individual), as well as a few small
heaths. Lots of speckled woods and peacocks, though the
latter are now looking rather tatty.
14th:
I was free in the afternoon, so cycled to the Ipswich little blue site,
to see if they were flying. The kidney vetch was in full flower but at
first I thought the butterflies were absent, as I walked a couple of
times round their patch without seeing one. Then I ventured into the
patch a metre or two to photograph a green
hairstreak, and as I did so a fresh, male
little blue flew up and landed not far away. His upperside
was liberally dusted with blue scales. I saw about three in total, but
it was clear they were using the late afternoon to sun, not fly, which
is why I had initially seen none. Also new for the year were common
blues - about three males cruising over the meadow. Here is a brown
argus (and here). There were lots of
brimstones around still, and a few small coppers.
16th:
On our afternoon walk round the river, I spotted a female comma laying
an egg on elm (an elm that also hosts white-letter hairstreaks). I
watched her lay, then took this photo
of the egg. Here's a sparrowhawk
high in the sky.
17th: A walk along the river near Wilford Bridge. Common
blue damselflies (that was a male - here
is a female) are now common here.
18th:
Green hairstreaks flying near the Deben, at a site I haven't seen them
before. About half a dozen were flying around bramble, rather
inaccessibly. Here is a record shot.
20th:
After spending last night in the Gatwick Holiday Inn, I caught an early
plane to Switzerland today, to spend a week teaching, meeting my
students at their graduation and of course watching butterflies. I
arrived at Leysin in the early afternoon, and after leaving my things
in school accommodation set off up the hill to see what
the local scene looked like (and here). Almost immediately I saw pearl-bordered
fritillaries
and walls, and I'm fairly confident a couple of large walls, though
none stopped or came close enough to see. New for the year was Glanville
fritillary,
which seemed to be reasonably numerous in the woods and meadows just
above the school. The commonest blues were common and mazarine, with a
few Adonis and little blues too. I saw just one
green hairstreak. Small heaths flew over the meadows
and in a woodier part I saw a single sooty
copper. There weren't many skippers on the wing but I did see
at least one red-underwing skipper
and a couple of grizzlies. There were some huge, dark commas, looking
more like large tortoiseshells in flight, but which were definitely
commas. Other butterflies seen were red admirals and small
tortoiseshells, as well as the odd painted lady, and there were lots of
small and green-veined whites. I didn't venture high as I had to be
back down to meet someone in the late afternoon.
21st: I headed down to the valley today and along
to my old cardinal haunts. As hoped, there were plenty of these around
- here is a male, and here a female.
As I walked through the vineyards I saw Provençal short-tailed blues,
including some that looked a lot like short-tailed blues but couldn't
be identified because the relevant
bits of the hindwing were eaten off. Other blues on the wing
included Adonis, idas
and common (here
is one resting on my solar charger). I looked for Iolas blues at the
usual site but saw none. The bladder senna were overgrown with other
trees and bushes but there were enough for it still to be habitable. I
think I was just unlucky (I didn't have much time at the site, as I
wanted to move further on up the valley afterwards). A few green-underside
blues (and here) were feeding on the bladder
senna. I saw my first safflower skippers
of the year, as well as lots of dingy skippers. As I headed back for
the train I met another entomologist who was photographing this lovely purple-shot
copper. Shortly before this, I found a Provençal fritillary taking
minerals on the ground near a trough (and here).
I have seen these in this part of the valley before, but they are much
scarcer than further east. This chequered
blue was flying nearby. Continuing up the valley, I stopped
at my main Provençal fritillary site. By now
it was windy and photography was very difficult, but I saw at least
half a dozen - here and here
are a couple more pictures. Camberwell
beauties were abundant here - I saw at least 10 different
individuals, all tatty but nonetheless
energetically defending territories. My first black-veined
whites
of the year were on the wing here and Eastern Bath whites were cruising
around (never stopping). Brimstones were particularly common.
Throughout the walk, speckled woods were in evidence and painted ladies
were ever-present. More green-underside blues, common blues, little
blues and Adonis blues, with good numbers of Provençal
short-tailed blues too (and here),
and a single green hairstreak. Queen of Spain fritillaries were
constant throughout the day and there were a few swallowtails
about - also very difficult to photograph in the wind! I saw my first -
and almost certainly last - de
Prunner's ringlets on this walk, all now looking very
end-of-lifey but able to fly.
22nd: I had a presentation to give in the evening, so stayed in the
Leysin region today, climbing up to the top
of the local hills. For most of the day, the commonest
butterflies were small tortoiseshell, green
hairstreak (and here
- they were flying at all altitudes) and pearl-bordered fritillary.
Orange tips were also common, and other unremarkable species at lower
altitudes were wall, small heath, common blue, little blue (also common
at altitude), dingy skipper, Queen
of Spain and speckled wood. Berger's
clouded yellows
were flying over the meadows but not yet high up the mountain. I saw a
single clouded Apollo at the base of an interesting stepped slope but
it never paused for a picture. At the top, this marmot
posed nicely (and here) and I had excellent views of
red
kite hunting (and here).
Other birds included ring ouzel and alpine chough. On
the way back down, I investigated a sheltered, damp meadow rich with
leafy plants, where Glanville fritillaries were
flying. I found marsh fritillaries there too, then
grizzled
skippers, including this beautiful ab
taras.
This persuaded me to put my bag down and spend more time here. The next
species to appear was Duke of Burgundy,
of which I saw up to half a dozen individuals (even though there were
no obvious cowslips or primroses). Just before I left the spot, a fresh
alpine
grizzled skipper
settled very amenably on rocks in front of me. Blues included little,
common and Adonis. I thought I had a mountain dappled white a little
higher up, visiting this plant,
but the abundant orange tips, including wandering females, make me
unsure in hindsight. Throughout the walk I saw the occasional
swallowtail.
23rd: A rainy
day.
I went to Monthey for some shopping before coming back for some
teaching and then for graduation. I saw my first confirmed large wall
of the year in the village.
24th: The forecast was generally bad
but it looked better along the Rhône Valley so I headed eastward today.
I arrived at my site while the track was still in shade but
quickly found a southern white admiral
undeterred by the cold, flying along a track and pausing occasionally
on the rocks. A few whites and Queen of Spain fritillaries were
venturing out too. Then it cleared up properly and I spent much of the
time in bright sunshine. New species for the year included spotted
fritillary, rosy grizzled skipper, marbled
white, northern brown argus, Chapman's
blue and turquoise blue. I finally got a
photo of a settled large wall
too! Other butterflies on the wing included Berger's clouded yellow -
rather common over the grassy hillsides - orange tip, scarce
swallowtail, speckled wood, Adonis
blue, Provençal short-tailed blue, green hairstreak, eastern
Bath white, dingy skipper, safflower
skipper,
comma, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and small heath. Again, I had
to be back early for teaching, but it was a very worthwhile day.
25th: With bad weather forecast in the valley,
I stayed local again, finding at least part of the day sunny
up the mountain.
It was cold, though, and apart from the dozens of green hairstreaks and
small tortoiseshells, very little was on the wing. Before I got back
down to my taras
meadow it was heavily overcast so I followed a different route, just to
explore. Here is a chamois, photographed in poor
light. This painted lady posed on the track
for me near the village.
26th: For my last day, I chose to try again for Iolas blues in the
Rhône Valley. It was a beautiful day and his time, I was
more successful. I saw the first one (and here)
in the vineyards, visiting one of the widely scattered bladder senna
plants to be found there. Later, at the site I visited on 21st, I saw a
further three males, all within about a minute (I know there were three
different individuals, as the first two came through chasing and
sparring, closely followed by a third). I got just this one,
head-on picture. Cardinals
seemed to be everywhere (and here)
and I also saw my first heath,
marbled
(and here) and dark
green fritillaries of the year. At one site, there were
dozens of idas blues, all flying around what
I think was Lotus
pedunculatus. There were lots of females,
often laying eggs. Here is a female
laying, and here one
of the eggs she laid. During the day I saw lots of little, Adonis,
common, Provençal short-tailed and green-underside
blues.
I had to be back in the evening to prepare and give a presentation, but
for all the time I was in the valley the sun shone and I saw almost
everything I had hoped to see. The last butterfly I photographed as I
left the site was this turquoise blue.
27th:
Up at 04h00 to pack and catch the 05h26 down to the valley, then the
train to the airport and the plane to Gatwick. Spring break over ...
June
1st: I have seen more local (Suffolk) small tortoiseshells this year
than in recent years. I photographed this
one
today in town. When I was young, small tortoiseshells were very common.
In the last few years, they have seemed rather scarce and I haven't
seen them at this particular location since my return from Switzerland.
Here is a painted lady in the meadow in the
morning.
2nd:
I visited local sandlings this afternoon, for green hairstreaks and
other woodland butterflies. The first garlic mustard plant I checked
out as I walked along the main ride had this orange
tip caterpillar on it (the white blur in the background is
Minnie!). Along the gorse and broom path I soon found green
hairstreaks
- not fresh, but out in good numbers. I continued to see them for some
while, including along paths where I haven't seen them before. In the
more shady parts, where there was no gorse, they were hanging
around on bramble.
Other species flying were green-veined whites, red admirals and small
tortoiseshells, with speckled woods and small coppers still common. I
thought I saw an early purple hairstreak but I cannot be sure it wasn't
just a green hairstreak flying around oak - they often do this. There
were also holly blues about but I don't think I would have confused one
of these with a hairstreak. Here is a female broad-bodied
chaser.
10th: First meadow brown of the year, near my house.
13th: Meadow brown in Fen Meadow.
15th:
I've been looking after an extra two dogs for over a week now, and have
had no real chance to look for birds or butterflies (I walk them, but
they aren't trained nature dogs like Minnie!). Today, I took Minnie
alone to Martlesham Heath to look for silver-studded blues, leaving the
other dogs at home. Although it's obviously the very beginning of the
season, I did see two individuals, this male
(and here)
and this female. They were flying very near
each other, so that's enough to make babies for next year ... Here is a
female black-tailed skimmer from the same
site, and a chiffchaff chiff-chaffing in a
tree.
18th: Cycled into Ipswich in the morning, to see if marbled whites were
flying yet. They were, though in very small numbers. Here
is one. To the best of my knowledge, this town park is the only place
in Suffolk they fly ... Other new species for the year were small
skipper (out in reasonable numbers), large
skipper (just a few) and Essex skipper
(much less common than small skipper, though they will be more common
at this site later). Small tortoiseshells
were common - this year they seem to be doing really well - and the
first hutchinsoni commas were out, mostly sitting at distance on
bramble, sunning.
20th: Ringlets were out in the woods. I had gone
looking for the first silver-washed fritillaries but saw none. Instead,
red admirals and painted ladies were common and there were a few large
and small skippers around. This beautiful hutchinsoni comma
(and here) was one of many. Stonechats
were sitting around on bushes and stems, cracking stones together. Here
is a female and here a different individual.
21st:
First white-letter hairstreaks flying in the canopy of the master tree
in the meadow. I saw at least 4 individuals, but probably more were
there. They kept landing out of sight but I did manage this one proof
shot on full zoom.
24th: Hutchinsoni
commas
seem to be everywhere at the moment. That one was on bramble by the
river. There are lots in the garden, defending sunspots in exactly the
same places they do in spring.
27th: Recent days have seen more and
more summer butterflies fly, including meadow browns, small, Essex and
large skippers, commas and peacocks. Red admirals and painted ladies
are common. Today, after a mostly sunny morning, I went looking for
silver-washed fritillaries at a buddleia site. It turned out the
buddleia weren't yet in flower here and the weather was very iffy -
some sun but mostly cloud and even rain - and I saw no fritillaries.
But while exploring a corner of the forest I've never visited before,
rich in honeysuckle and bramble, I did see a female white admiral
diving into bushes to lay and occasionally
nectaring.
There was no sun at this stage. It will be a good place to return on a
sunny morning. I also saw my first purple hairstreaks of the year,
tumbling above a birch. One landed apparently out of sight, high in a
tree, but I took a zoom shot of where it had gone down and found it was
there
in the picture.
July 1st:
A mostly cloudy day with some sunny spells. In the afternoon, we went
back to where I had found the white admiral on 27th. Two white admirals
passed through, bouncing past shrubs then up and over the trees. At
this stage there was little sun and most things were sitting around -
the exception being the many hutchinsoni
commas, seemingly constantly engaged in battles. Large skippers adorned
the bracken and bramble
leaves, while small skippers
kept more to the grass. Apart from the commas, only ringlets, speckled
woods and meadow browns seemed to be generally on the wing. I then
moved to my nearby silver-washed fritillary site, where I soon saw
three males (and here
- the same individual). When the sun came out, a white admiral bounced
through here too, pausing on bramble just long enough for me to get proof
shots through the vegetation.
Sadly, it was never out for long. I saw another white admiral just
before I left. Other species evident here - mostly, again, just sitting
around - were red admirals, speckled woods, ringlets
and more commas. I need to come back on a
properly sunny day, when I'm sure white admirals and silver-washed
fritillaries will be much easier.
2nd:
I revisited yesterday's site in the afternoon. At first, it was hot and
sunny and in the space of about half an hour I saw probably 4 white
admirals at what I call 'honeysuckle corner'. I saw another on my way
back to the main ride and the silver-washed fritillary site but then
the weather turned and I saw no fritillaries. I did see my first grayling
of the year and got another absurdly distant shot of a purple
hairstreak in the canopy. Commas are abundant at the moment.
Many of them are huge, very lightly marked hutchinsoni
individuals, cruising around like fritillaries. There are
also lots of red admirals around, as well as
all the speckled woods, meadow browns, ringlets and skippers.
3rd: On a Woodbridge walk I heard two male turtle doves purring and got
some shots of one of them (and here).
In the meadow, at least 8 white-letter hairstreaks were dancing above
the elm. I shot off many pictures, in the hope of catching them on
leaves or in flight, and did manage to get a few proof shots. Here
is one. They were never settled for more than a few seconds, so it was
a matter of luck and quantity. Here is a grainy
shot of one in flight and here another one peeping
over the canopy. They very rarely come down lower at this
site.
4th:
A trip rather late in the day to the white admiral/silver-washed sites.
None of the latter, and just two of the former. The second landed on my
camera hand, and stayed while I gently got my phone out of my left
pocket and turned on the camera ... Then it flew just as I was about to
photograph it! I saw a single painted leady. These seemed to be quite
common earlier in the year but not so much now. Perhaps there will be a
big emergence shortly. A few graylings flew but it is clearly still
early season for them.
5th: Many white-letter hairstreaks dancing jigs above the elm tree in
the meadow again today. Here is the same turtle
dove I photographed on 3rd (and here),
and here a small copper on ragwort in the
meadow.
6th:
A cloudy day, and I didn't expect to see any butterflies on our
afternoon walk in the forest. For that reason, we didn't go out to the
usual white admiral/silver-washed site but stayed closer to home.
Against expectations, not only were there a lot of butterflies flying -
ringlets, meadow browns, speckled woods, red admirals, small
tortoiseshells, painted ladies,
graylings, whites and skippers - but I saw my first white admiral for
this site. It was a female, diving into and then flying around a dense
patch of honeysuckle.
7th: I revisited yesterday's site, on
another warm but often cloudy day, and this time saw no white admirals
but several silver-washed fritillaries zooming around bramble near the
honeysuckle. I saw one or perhaps two males quite frequently over a
period of half an hour, but they never stopped longer than a second or
two. I also saw a female nearby, disappearing over bracken into the
woods. The first gatekeepers of the year were on
the wing.
8th:
Back to my main white admiral/silver-washed site. This time, for the
first time ever, there were no white admirals, but I saw several
silver-washed fritillaries, always in flight. One was a female,
flitting around in dappled shade before zooming into the woods.
9th:
Another hot day, this time without much cloud in the afternoon. I
visited my newest silver-washed/white admiral site and stood and waited
while Minnie sat in the shade. For about half an hour, I had only
infrequent glimpses of one or perhaps two silver-washed fritillaries -
presumed male - swooping through, often attended by angry commas. It
(or they) never stopped to nectar, though I was waiting by a bank of
bramble. Then suddenly I spotted a white admiral dive deep into
honeysuckle. It was impossible to follow or photograph her properly
while she was in dense mass of bramble, blackthorn and honeysuckle, but
I got this record shot. After a few minutes
inside, she then emerged sat on a leaf a moment
in the sun. I lost her a bit, then she reappeared on the other side of
the track, still diving deep into honeysuckle and bramble. This
doubtless explains the tears in her wings. After a while,
she again emerged and sat on a leaf. If she laid eggs, I
didn't find any. Then another individual appeared (and here).
Continuing on our walk, we saw dozens of graylings. These have emerged en masse over the
last week. Other species flying were red admirals, commas, small
tortoiseshells, large, small and green-veined whites,
large and small skippers,
meadow browns and ringlets. A long way from our first white admiral
spot, I saw at least two more, of which just one paused long enough for
a piccie.
10th: Male white-letter hairstreaks are still easy to see, though not
to photograph, above their master elm.
11th:
A male silver-washed fritillary was frequenting brambles in Fen Meadow,
in the middle of Woodbridge, today! He rarely settled visibly, but I
did get a couple of proof shots (and here)
for the record. This species really has extended its range in Suffolk!
12th: A painted lady in Fen meadow in the
morning.
19th:
After a week spent working hard in the house, I finally got out again
today. I headed for the silver-washed woods, where plenty were to be
found. Here, here,
here,
here,
here
and here
are some shots. Hutchinsoni
commas
are still looking beautifully golden, and still abundant. I was mostly
focusing on the fritillaries, but did take this nice shot of a long-tailed
tit in full voice!
20th: A distant shot, into the sun, of one of our turtle
doves. I think at least two males have been purring here.
Here is a curlew sifting mud in the Deben
and here the ruff, presumably newly back from
his breeding adventures. Here is a godwit
in his shiny breeding plumage, and here two
together.
21st: An egret fishing in the shallows of
the Deben.
22nd:
At least a dozen male silver-washed fritillaries on the wing in the
buddleia ride in the woods, as well as an abundance of other
butterflies - skippers, browns (including hundreds of graylings), commas,
small tortoiseshells, peacocks, red admirals, painted ladies and
whites. Some of the silver-washed fritillaries were very
tatty (and here - a different individual) but
others were still in reasonable flying
nick (and here - a different individual).
Here is one of those tatty ones with a red admiral in
the same shot, and here the same
individual showing the ride. Here is a red
admiral flat out on the ground.
23rd: A common blue in the meadow in the
morning and a grayling in the woods in the
afternoon.
25th: Sunset
today.
28th:
Not especially warm, nor sunny. On a trip to my favourite buddleia ride
I found no silver-washed fritillaries or white admirals, though browns,
whites and vanessids were out in force. Here is a painted
lady and here a gatekeeper.
In the morning I could spot no male white-letter hairstreaks above
their tree, but I did see a single presumed female launch out and dive
into the foliage further down - presumably to lay eggs.
29th: Sunnier than yesterday. On a trip to the same woods, I saw a
single, male silver-washed fritillary (and
here,
with Minnie) but no white admirals. Other butterflies were abundant,
including hundreds of graylings, gatekeepers, meadow browns, speckled
woods, commas,
large whites, small whites, green-veined whites and red admirals.There
were still large skippers around but I didn't consciously see a small
skipper. It has been hot and sunny continuously for so long I think
some species have run their course more quickly than usual. But the
sheer number of butterflies along the buddleia ride was a delight to
see. Here is a cluster on ragwort. In the
morning, I photographed this unknown
caterpillar on Poa,
desperately looking for green foliage. I moved it to some shady, still
living grass not far away.
30th: A speckled wood and a red
admiral by the river.
31st: The new moon setting behind the trees
(and here).
August 1st:
Joyeuse Fête Nationale! Searching where I had seen a female white
admiral diving into the shade of honeysuckle some weeks ago, I found a white
admiral caterpillar today. It was perched on the end of a rather
grotty leaf
but there were plenty of nice ones to move onto and it seemed quite
happy where it was. Periodically, it moved to the flesh of the leaf and
nibbled,
before moving back to its platform at the end. This picture shows the context. Here is a great-spotted
woodpecker elsewhere in the woods and here a small
copper in the heather.
2nd: Starlings on bramble by the river
- there were hundreds gathered there. This rather aged small
copper was in the local meadow, defending his spot as
vigorously as when he was young ... Here is the crescent
moon in the evening.
5th: In the morning, this brown argus
passed through the garden. In the afternoon, I revisited the woods
where I found the white admiral caterpillar on 1st August. He was still
there, now having demolished considerably more of the leaf he
was eating.
7th: I checked on the white admiral caterpillar again
today. He was still in the same place, and still
more of the leaf was eaten. Here is a small
copper, feasting on ragwort, and here another
with some gatekeepers. The ragwort in the woods was covered
in gatekeepers: here are three.
I will shortly be returning to Switzerland, where this species is
largely absent - certainly, it is absent from my part of Switzerland. I
will treasure these memories!
9th: The white admiral caterpillar is still
feeding.
17th:
Over the last 10 days I've had little time to get out. Today, for the
first time I was able to get as far as the woods and check on the white
admiral caterpillar. It has made its hibernaculum and is tucked away inside it. Here is the
hibernaculum
from another angle, and here closer up.
19th: Clouded yellow flying along the river wall near Kyson Point.
[I
hope to complete August little by little during September. Preparations
for going back to Switzerland took up almost all my time in late August
but I did have some opportunities to say goodbye to my Suffolk
butterflies]
September
5th:
First full day back in Switzerland, having arrived last night with my
sister and a friend. After unloading all my belongings from the van, we
all set off for the Grand Chamossaire, to take Minnie for her first
Swiss walk in over four years. Low down, we saw adonis and
chalkhill
blues, and clouded and Berger's clouded yellow. Up the mountain, at
least one mountain clouded yellow was still flying. As we came back up
the hill to Leysin (where I now live) on the train, I spotted my first
great banded grayling off the year, flying by the railway.
9th: I
took Minnie to Villars, where I had business to sort out, and walked
her back through our old purple emperor woods. We didn't find any
caterpillars today, but we didn't have very long to look for them.
Large
walls and speckled woods were flying in the
woods and a single
silver-washed fritillary briefly nectared before zooming off.
10th:
It was raining in the morning and looked set to be cloudy all day, so I
got on with unpacking and sorting things out in the new flat. But as
the day drew on it brightened and I decided to go to the Rhône Valley
and visit some old haunts. When we (Minnie and I) reached the valley,
it turned out to be very sunny, and it stayed
so for the rest of the day,
though a strong wind made photography difficult. We visited a rosy
grizzled skipper site but found no skippers at all were on the wing -
not even mallow. Instead, there were Adonis,
chalkhill, common, Chapman's and turquoise
blues, flying in local clusters in the meadows. The first blues I saw
were turquoise, in a little group of four of five, all chasing each
other. There were very few chalkhill. Clouded and Berger's clouded
yellows were both common, and tree
graylings
were too, though not in the numbers I see them in later in the year. I
saw a couple of ordinary graylings during the walk. The only
fritillaries flying were Queen of Spain - which flies throughout the
year - and spotted,
of which there were plenty, zooming around and briefly nectaring. Wall
and speckled wood were the other browns, and small whites were the only
white until I saw a Bath white as I walked back along a rocky track. In
general, I think, numbers of butterflies were down in comparison with
the same time in other years, especially given what a lovely day it
was. Maybe the drought and continual hot weather shortened the season.
11th:
In late morning I cycled from Leysin to Le Sépey looking for likely
butterfly spots. This turned out to be very difficult, as it was steep
downhill all the way, and I found nothing good at Le Sépey. So I cut my
losses, took the train to Aigle and headed off to a favourite site for
long- and short-tailed blues. These didn't disappoint. Long-tailed
blues (and here, and here)
were numerous (males only), darting around agitatedly, spiralling up
into the air in pairs and occasionally nectaring on sainfoin - for
seconds at a time. Short-tailed blues were even
commoner, and there were both males
and females. I watched this
female (and here) carefully laying eggs on
bird's foot trefoil. Here is one of the eggs
she laid. Finally, I visited a nearby site where I find brown
hairstreak eggs in the winter, in the hope of seeing an adult. I didn't
have much time before heading off for the train and teaching, but did
find this beautiful female. She was huge -
about the size of a meadow brown - and brilliant in colour.
17th:
I've had a lot to do, getting settled in Switzerland again after so
long, and up here in Leysin (1300m) it is mostly past the end of the
butterfly season. Today I searched locally for sallow and honeysuckle,
finding both - but as yet no evidence of purple emperor or white
admiral caterpillars. Minnie did get a good view of her first alpine
black squirrel
since her stay in England. Like UK grey squirrels, it swiftly climbed
its tree and was in no danger from Minnie. In the distance, the
mountains are showing fresh snow. These mountains are in La
Vallée Blanche in France. These are the Dents
du Midi, here in Switzerland.
18th:
Set off for the Rhône Valley today, arriving shortly after 10h00. It
was still cold - just 9 degrees - but it was very sunny. First, I made
for my autumn cardinal spot, but cardinals
started appearing long
before I got there. Everywhere near the vineyards they were cruising
around, sunning (and here)
or nectaring
- almost all males but a couple of females
- sometimes nectaring in groups of four or more. Most of the buddleia
was over by now but at one site in particular there was still masses
and this, as expected, hosted many more cardinals. There is no doubt at
all - the species is really thriving here now. It was by far the
commonest butterfly seen today. Other species flying were large and
green-veined
whites (I didn’t see any small or southern small at this
first stop), wall, large wall, speckled
wood and tree grayling,
peacock, red admiral and Queen
of Spain, clouded and Berger’s
clouded
yellows, and chalkhill, Adonis,
common
and idas
blues. Moving further
along the valley, I hoped to see eastern Bath whites - and I did,
though only a couple, neither of which stopped. Instead, I added
southern
small white (and here) to the day (and year) list,
as well as grayling
and a surprise southern white admiral. I saw this
when I came out to
Switzerland in May (24th May), suggesting that there might have been
two broods this year. Alternatively, a wet early summer might have
resulted in a long, protracted emergence (before the recent heatwaves).
I don’t have enough data. The commonest blue at this second site was
Adonis,
which was glinting brilliantly on grass and flowers all over
the meadow.
19th: In the afternoon, after watching the Queen's funeral, I
took Minnie up the local mountain to the spot where I found taras,
Duke of Burgundy and several species of fritillary back in May. Despite
the wall-to-wall sunshine, it felt cold up there, and very little was
flying. There were a few brave Adonis
blues (and here - a female), a number of Berger's
clouded yellows, and some clouded yellows. This clouded
yellow was
hanging motionless beneath a plant as if already torpid, though the sun
was still shining.
26th: Lots of work and rain, so no chance for butterflies. Here is a black
redstart during one of the dry periods today, when Minnie and
I could take a proper walk.
October 1st: Rain all day. Trip to Papiliorama. As
usual, I was able to photograph a few species I hadn't seen there
before, including Charaxes
candiope, Hypolimnas usambara
(and here) and I thought Archaeoprepona amphimachus,
though when I looked through previous pictures I found I had already
photographed and identified it. I added these new species to my
butterfly house guide here. Among the many other species were Parthenos
sylvia(here
in context, and here the blue form), Morpho
peleides, Catonephele numilia, Eumaeus toxea
(the only Lycaenid at the Papiliorama), Doleschalia bisaltide,
Vindula
dejone(that was a female - there were plenty of males
too),
Cethosia
cyane (here is a female),
Papilio demodocus,
Idea leuconoe,
Athyma perius,
Papilio polytes,
Euploeia crore
and Danaus
plexippus. This moth
has been identified as Egybolis
vaillantina.
2nd: Rain most of the day, but in dry spells a
single wall (cold and torpid, but fresh) and a single red admiral. 3rd:
Up the local mountain, several Adonis
blues, a couple of common
blues
and a single Berger's clouded yellow. Occasional red admirals flying
around Leysin.
5th: Sunny and warm all day. Red admirals cruising around Villars
(where I taught in the morning) and Leysin.
6th:
Still lots of red admirals, as well as large white and small white. I
saw a Queen of Spain from the train up to Leysin near the vineyards.
7th:
With poor weather forecast for the weekend, and no lessons until 16h00,
I went to the valley today to see if the cardinals were still around.
It was hot and sunny - up to 23° C - and plenty of butterflies were on
the wing. At first, it seemed the cardinals were over, as none were
flying in the general vineyard region where they had been so common on
18th September. Instead, Queens of Spain (and here)
were the commonest butterfly, followed by red
admiral and then perhaps clouded
yellow (here is a helice
female).
But when I reached the real cardinal headquarters I found four or five
still present, flying around like ghosts - pale shadows of their
earlier selves. They rarely stopped, and when they did it was always
very briefly and usually in impossible places to photograph, but here
and here
are a couple of record shots. The commonest blue was Adonis,
with a few common blues too, but no idas or Cupido species.
Lots of walls and a single speckled wood
were flying around, as well as a fair few Berger's
clouded yellows. A few small whites completed the picture
(maybe southern small white too, but none stopped).
14th: I found brown hairstreak eggs today (and here),
on blackthorn in Leysin Village, not far from my house!
15th:
Lovely, sunny weather forecast for the Rhône Valley today, but in the
event it was all cloud and rain! No butterflies were flying and the
only lep I saw was this beautiful spurge
hawk moth caterpillar (and here),
digesting its food in the gloom and cold. Here is a red
kite (and here), hunting over the same
slopes, and here a lovely chaffinch.
With no obvious prospect of improvement, I headed back on the train,
only to find it suddenly got sunny and I could see whites flying
outside. So I continued to Montreux, then cycled back to a favourite
pale clouded yellow site in the hope of seeing one of these. There were
none, despite the lovely weather - just a few clouded
yellows in the clover fields, nectaring on dandelions.
17th: Still keen to see more Colias,
Minnie and I headed in the direction of Les Mosses today, wondering if
moorland clouded yellows might still be on the wing. They weren't,
though there were plenty of ordinary clouded yellows about and lots of
red admirals, all heading south-west. This
one
paused to take minerals on a track in the woods. When we got back to
the bus, we found more clouded yellows were flying, with some much
paler ones among them. At first, I took them to be mountain clouded
yellows, but it soon appeared they were not, and I believe they are pale
clouded.
I don't think Berger's clouded yellow flies here, and all the jizz was
for pale clouded. It's not 100%, but I'm quite confident. Here is a water
pipit from elsewhere on the walk.
19th: Up my local mountain, at 1600m, Berger's
clouded yellows (and here)
and Adonis blues (and here)
are both flying still.
23rd: Back in Woodbridge for a week to sort out affairs. Here are a grey
plover and a little egret on the Deben.
25th: A rather poor shot of today's solar
eclipse.
I had no tripod in Woodbridge, so had to hold the camera with one hand
and the binoculars with the other, making focusing difficult!
November
2nd: The Grand Chamossaire, viewed from our
afternoon walk around Leysin.
4th: The Grand Chamossaire with fresh snow,
viewed from my balcony in Leysin.
5th: Snow fell yesterday so today Minnie and I went up the
local mountain to enjoy it. Here, here,
here,
here
and here
are some pictures.
6th:
After spending yesterday in the snow, I dropped down to the valley
today for the end-of-season butterflies. I began the walk at about
11h45 and within minutes was seeing butterflies. Along the rocky walk
towards my main site there were Adonis
blues (and here), clouded yellows, Berger’s
clouded yellows, a couple of painted
ladies, a single Queen of Spain, a single small
copper, a single grayling - my latest ever, I think
- and most strangley, this very late comma.
On the site itself, Adonis blues (and here)
were quite numerous, accompanied by Chapman’s
blues (and here, with Adonis blue) and a few northern
brown arguses. Clouded yellows were also common,
including at least one helice, and there were a few
Berger’s clouded yellows too. Here is a clouded
yellow with an Adonis blue. I saw no more graylings, but a
single tree grayling flew past me at one point. There were numerous walls
- mostly females but with a few males. At one point, a larger
fritillary flew down the hill and passed me close by. It had a very
gliding flight, allowing me to see sex brands quite clearly, and was a
pale, faded orange in colour. Because of the sex brands, it must have
been silver-washed or high brown, and my intuition at the time was
silver-washed, even though that species normally glides less. Here is Minnie
trotting along during one of the frequent cloudy spells. Full day list:
Clouded yellow, Berger’s clouded yellow, small copper, Adonis blue,
Chapman’s blue, northern brown argus, painted lady, comma, Queen of
Spain, silver-washed fritillary, wall, grayling, tree grayling.
11th:
In a field near Leysin, clouded and Berger's clouded yellows were
enjoying the sun and nectar on a warm bank. This is the only photo I
got, of a Berger's clouded yellow.
12th: I went back to yesterday's sunny bank in the morning and got
photos of both clouded yellow and Berger's
clouded yellow.
13th:
I went down to the Rhône Valley today, for another dose of late season
butterflies. Surprisingly, though it was sunny (but cold, and sometimes
windy), I saw no Queens of Spain - or indeed any fritillaries. Other
things were flying, though. Clouded
yellows (here are two
together) and Berger's clouded yellows were probably the
commonest, with this female
apparently laying eggs
(I think that is an egg in the picture - I searched the plants, but
hadn't noticed this one right next to where I first saw her). Red
admirals were not quite omnipresent but not infrequent
either, and there were surprisingly many painted
ladies (and here). The only blue I found was Adonis
- and only males. They are very worn now, but when they fly they still gleam
deep, irridescent blue. Walls
were reasonably common still and there were a few small
whites. As I left the site, I saw a single, male large white
fly past, looking very fresh. Here
and here
are two of the many lizards scuttling around in the watery sun.
