WOODCHIPS
  • Home
  • About Us
    • The area we cover
  • Covid-19 Guidance
  • Featured creatures
  • Our Butterflies
    • Butterfly Blog
  • Toolkit
  • Photo Competition
  • WoodChips Blog
  • Countryside Videos
  • CONTACT/MORE INFO
  • Activities Report 2019

Butterfly Blog

Busiest count so far

24/6/2020

0 Comments

 
With a total of 517 butterflies counted acoss 12 species, Tuesday's Transect No. 11 was our busiest count this year, but we've certainly got a long way to go before we match our record of 1,207 butterflies for week 14 of 2019. Tuesday's perfect conditions yielded a much higher number than last week's of Marbled Whites (216) and Meadow Browns (169). The Dark Green Fritillaries are most commonly seen in Fames Rough but for this transect they were also spotted on Coneyboro Hill, Hill Wood Field and Great Parson's Field. Similarly, the Small/Essex Skippers were also more widely spread than on previous weeks. No Blues were found. 
Report from Brian G.
Here's this week's count:
216 
Marbled White
169 Meadow Brown
  58 Small/Essex Skipper
  25 
Ringlet
  25 Small Heath
    9 Dark Green Fritillary
    5 Speckled Wood
    3 Small Tortoiseshell
    3 Large White
    2 Large Skipper
    1 Brimstone
    1 Small White
Click on butterfly names for more info.
Picture
Fames Roughnecks: Brian G, Roger V & Graham H
Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Pics  by Graham K.
Click on pics to enlarge.
Dark Green Fritillary, Fames Rough
Large Skipper, Coneyboro Hill
Marbled White, Fames Rough
Small Tortoiseshell, Coneyboro Hill
0 Comments

A White Admiral visits

16/6/2020

0 Comments

 
The weather for this week’s butterfly count was a repeat of last week’s. After a fine start, it clouded over by the time we started Section 4 (the second part of Fames Rough).  
Despite the encroachment of thorny scrub (previously reported),  Fames Rough remains the high point of every week’s transect – it rarely disappoints. It was where we saw most of this week’s butterflies, notably Meadow Browns (57) and Marbled Whites (32) and when we stepped off the transect route into the shade for a tea-break we were visited by a White Admiral – the first we’ve seen in four years of counting for the BCT (and certainly the first I’ve seen). It glided in and settled in a sunny spot on the ground, posing while we took our photos, took off, circled a few times and then returned for more sunbathing before its final departure.
We checked for the Small Blues but they were once again absent, as were their Common cousins. 
Report from Brian G.
Here's this week's count:
57 Meadow Brown
32 Marbled White
  9 Small Heath
  7 Small/Essex Skipper 
  5 Large Skipper 
  4 Dark Green Fritillary
  3 Ringlet
  3 Small Tortoiseshell
  2 Brimstone
  1 Small Copper
  1 Small White
  1 Large White
  1 Comma
 
Total: 126 from 13 species.
Click on butterfly names for more info.
​

Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Pics  by Graham K.
Click on pics to enlarge.
Dark Green Fritillaries mating, Coneyboro Hill
Ringlet, Fames Rough
White Admiral near Fames Rough.
White Admiral underside
Large Skipper, Fames Rough
Small/Essex Skipper, Stagbury Field
Picture
Transectuals finding the path near Harholt.
0 Comments

Missing the Blues

10/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
This week's transectuals in Fames Rough, l-r: Graham Kenward, Roger Vye, Brian Gardner, Graham Harris.
Report from Brian G.
​
Yesterday morning four of us (shown above), walked this week's transect. Although we got off to a warm and sunny start, the weather soon deteriorated to cool and cloudy conditions. We saw 90% of the butterflies while the favourable conditions lasted (while we were walking the first four sections). Meadow Browns were the only species that were out in any number, we counted 35 (three more than last week), but also saw two Marbled Whites (the first of this season). The Large Skippers are still hanging on. And, despite Bill Downey's success in finding his lone Small Blue at the Lagoon over the weekend, we didn't manage to find one, although we had a thorough look at the KV patches. In fact, we didn't even see a Common Blue, which in previous years have been plentiful about this time. All in all it was a poor week: we saw fewer butterlies from fewer species than last week when we saw 88 butterflies from 11 species. 

This week's count:
35 Meadow Brown
  9 Large Skipper
  7 Small Heath
  4 Dark Green Fritillary
  4 Small Tortoiseshell
  2 Marbled White
  1 
Brimstone
  1 Green Hairstreak
  1 Small Copper
 
Total number of butterflies: 62 from 9 species.

Click on butterfly names for more info.
​

Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Pics  by Graham K.
Click on pics to enlarge.
Green Hairstreak, Fames Rough
Dark Green Fritillary, Coneyboro Hill
Mother Shipton Moth, Fames Rough
Mother Shipton Moth underside, Fames Rough
Large Skipper on Birds-foot Trefoil, Fames Rough
Small Copper, Fames Rough
Pyramidal Orchid, Hill Wood Field
Small Tortoiseshell, Fames Rough
0 Comments

A thorny problem

3/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Report from Brian G.
​
GH and I walked our transect on Tuesday morning as the weeks of fine warm weather were forecast to break the following day. Conditions for the walk were ideal but we didn't see the higher numbers of butterflies that we were hoping for (details below). This may be down to the 'June Lull'.
 
Bill Downey of BCT was specifically keen for any reports of Small Blues that he hoped would be enjoying our flowering Kidney Vetch, but I'm sorry to say that, despite giving the plants an especially long look-over, no Small Blues were seen. This is a disappointment, as over the recent seasons we've spotted them in ones or twos and were therefore expecting that, as the Kidney Vetch became more established, so would the Small Blues. These butterflies are most active from the end of May to the end of June so there's still plenty of time for them to put in an appearance – here's hoping.
 
It was pleasing to have a pair of Dark Green Fritillaries flitting up and down the length of Fames Rough (Section 3 and 4) as we were walking through. This was also where we saw the Green Hairstreaks and most of the Large Skippers. Fames Rough is where in previous years we have seen the most species in the greatest numbers. However, the area of flower meadow on which the butterflies depend is steadily being reduced by of the encroachment of hawthorn and other scrub and this might adversely affect the butterfly populations there. The hawthorn also makes it increasingly difficult to walk the route set by BCT, so we may have to consider a route change within a couple of years.


​Survey by  Graham H and Brian G,
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Pics by Brian G.
We recorded:
32 
Meadow Brown
18 Small Heath
13 Large Skipper
  6 Dingy Skipper
  5 Green Hairstreak
  4 Common Blue
  3 Large White
  3 Brimstone
  2 Dark Green Fritillary
  1 Comma
  1 
Speckled Wood
 
So that's 88 Butterflies across 11 species.

Click on butterfly names for more info.
Picture
Bee Orchid, Coneyboro Hill
Picture
Chicken of the Woods fungus, Coneyboro Hill
Picture
Once was a flower meadow. Hawthorn is an increasing problem in Fames Rough.
0 Comments
    Picture

    The Transectuals

    Here you'll find details and pictures from the team carrying out our regular  butterfly surveys (known as transects) over 26 weeks during Spring and Summer.

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture

​
​Give us a call

01737 363013‬


Send us an email

woodchips1@btinternet.com
See blog for latest info
The content on this website is subject to copyright of the WoodChips and their volunteers. Please get in touch if you wish to use any of the text or pictures.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • The area we cover
  • Covid-19 Guidance
  • Featured creatures
  • Our Butterflies
    • Butterfly Blog
  • Toolkit
  • Photo Competition
  • WoodChips Blog
  • Countryside Videos
  • CONTACT/MORE INFO
  • Activities Report 2019