WOODCHIPS
  • Home
  • About Us
  • The area we cover
  • Featured creatures
  • Our Butterflies
    • Butterfly Blog
  • Bird Count
  • Toolkit
  • Photo Calendar
  • Countryside Videos
  • CONTACT/MORE INFO
  • Grassland Survey
  • SAFE WORKING

Butterfly Blog

More Blues

24/7/2020

0 Comments

 
The weather for Thursday's transect was warm with varying amounts of sun and cloud, and with a noticeable SW breeze. Overall, the count was quite similar to that of last week but with a few changes to the species recorded: Meadow Browns continue to head the list, we saw a higher number of Gatekeepers and Common Blues but fewer Marbled Whites and Small/Essex Skippers. Missing from this week's list were Dark Green Fritillaries, Purple Hairstreaks, Small Blues, Clouded Yellows, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas but we gained a second-brood Dingy Skipper and a Green-veined White.
108 Meadow Brown
  77 Gatekeeper
  35 Common Blue
  27 Marbled White
  10 Small White
    9 Chalkhill Blue
    7 Small/Essex Skipper
   (incl. 1 confirmed as a Small Skipper)
    5 
Ringlet
    5 Brimstone
    3 Brown Argus
    3 Small Heath
    2 Speckled Wood
    2 Small Copper
    2 Silver-washed Fritillary
    2 Peacock
    2 Holly Blue
    2 Large White
    1 Dingy Skipper
    1 
Red Admiral
    1 Green-veined White
 
Click on butterfly names for more info.
Total number counted: 304 across 20 species.
Picture
Green-veined White, Fames Rough
Picture
Male Common Blue, Hither Field
Survey by Graham H, Graham K and Brian Gardner
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report by Brian G.
​Pics by Graham K.
 
​Click on pics to enlarge.
Female Common Blue underside, Fames Rough
Female Common Blue, Fames Rough
Mint Moth, Fames Rough
Silver-washed Fritillary, Fames Rough
Speckled Wood, Barn Field
Worn male Common Blue, Fames Rough
Worn Gatekeeper, Fames Rough
Worn Ringlet, Barn Field
Picture
Worn Meadow Brown, Fames Rough
0 Comments

First Small Blue

18/7/2020

0 Comments

 
We thought that our Week 15 species count was a special one, but yesterday's topped it by three with a massive total of 22 species. The species count was boosted by finding a single Small Blue (our first one of the year) on the scattered Kidney Vetch in Hither Field,  two Clouded Yellows (our first sightings for two years), three newly emerged Chalkhill Blues and two second-brood Holly Blues. We saw a higher number of Gatekeepers but the Ringlet numbers have plummeted in only four days since our last transect.  
Here you can find the butterfly count spreadsheet detailing the season so far, along with the details of previous years' figures.
Today's very favourable weather brought out a total of  293 butterflies:
103 
Meadow Brown
  43 Gatekeeper
  36 Marbled White
  32 Small/Essex Skipper
  14 
Small White
  13 Common Blue
  10 Brimstone
    7 Ringlet 
    6 
Large White
    4 Peacock
    3 Red Admiral
    3 Chalkhill Blue
    3 
Comma
    3 Dark Green Fritillary
    3 Purple Hairstreak
    2 Clouded Yellow
    2 Holly Blue
    2 
Small Copper
    1 Large Skipper
    1 Small Blue
    1 Small Tortoiseshell
    1 
Silver-washed Fritillary
Picture
Small Blue, Hither Field
Picture
Butterfly moon: the rear end of a Silver-washed Fritillary
Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report by Brian G.
​Pics by Graham K.
 
​Click on pics to enlarge.
Picture
Common Blue?
Picture
Gatekeeper, Fames Rough
Picture
Silver-washed Fritillary on Blackberry, Fames Rough
0 Comments

New sightings this week

14/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Monday's midday walk around was in warm and partly sunny weather. We got off to an immediate good start on Section 1, Hither Field (where sightings are usually scarce). We counted butterflies from ten species including three Small Coppers, two Dark Green Fritillaries, and one Red Admiral. Although this week's total count of 232 was much reduced from last week's, it was the Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites that were the most common sightings across all sections but Ringlet numbers have crashed  to only 14. We recorded our first-of-the-season sightings of a Silver-washed Fritillary, Gatekeepers, Brown Argus(es) and Purple Hairstreaks plus second brood Common Blues. So, despite total numbers being reduced, we gained by counting butterflies from an impressive 19 species.
Count details:
87 
Meadow Brown
40 Marbled White
16 Small/Essex Skipper
14 
Ringlet
14 Small White
10 Large White
  9 Brimstone
  7 Small Copper
  7 Gatekeeper
  6 
Dark Green Fritillary
  5 Common Blue
  4 
Comma
  3 Purple Hairstreak
  3 Brown Argus
  3 
Red Admiral
  1 Peacock
  1 Small Heath
  1 Large Skipper
  1 Silver-washed Fritillary
Click on butterfly names for more info.
Picture
Purple Hairstreak, Hill Wood Field - GK
Picture
Silver-washed Fritillary, Fames Rough - GK
Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report by Brian G.
​Pics  by Brian G & Graham K.

Click on pics to enlarge.
Brimstone, Fames Rough - GK
Gatekeeper, Harholt - GK
Brown Argus, Fames Rough - GK
Female Common Blue, Fames Rough - BG
Marbled White Fames Rough - BG
Peacock, Fames Rough - BG
Ringlet, Harholt - BG
Small Copper, Hill Wood Field - GK
0 Comments

Red Admirals sail in

4/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Because of the changeable and largely unfavourable week's weather we held out for Friday being the best day for our transect, and in doing so we inadvertently skipped week 13 as we passed the Wednesday to Wednesday transect-calendar week. 
 
Our walk-around started in the face of strong gusty wind, cloudy sky and barely suitable temperatures but it obviously didn't deter our butterflies because in Section 1 (where sightings are usually sparse) we counted five Marbled Whites and ten Meadow Browns. We went on to have a very successful transect seeing butterflies from 15 different species, including five Red Admirals and our first Silver-washed Fritillaries of this season. As in previous weeks, we saw no Blues (Small, Common or otherwise) on our walk but maybe we'll see a second brood from the Common Blues and, of course, we're only two or three weeks from the start of the Chalkhill Blues' flight season.
Count details:
146 
Marbled White
102 Ringlet
  99 Meadow Brown
  24 Small/Essex Skipper
    5 Red Admiral
    4 
Comma
   4 Dark Green Fritillary
   4 Large Skipper
   2 Silver-washed Fritillary
   2 
Small Copper
   2 Small White
   1 Speckled Wood
   1 Small Heath
   1 Brimstone
   1 Peacock
 
Total: 398 Butterflies from 15 species.

Click on butterfly names for more info.
Picture
New bloom: Marjoram, Hill Wood Field
Survey by Graham H, Graham K, Brian Gardner and Roger Vye
​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report by Brian G.
​Pics  by Brian G & Graham K.

Click on pics to enlarge.
Red Admiral underside, Harholt - Brian G
Red Admiral upperside, Harholt - Graham K
Comma, Harholt Plantation - Graham K
Marbled White on Field Scabious, Fames Rough - Graham K
Ringlet on Bramble blossom - Brian G
Dark Green Fritillary, Fames Rough - Graham K
Small/Essex Skipper, Coneyboro Hill - Graham K
Large Skipper, Fames Rough - Brian G

Bonus creatures

Picture
Common Darter, Fames Rough
Picture
Grasshopper, Fames Rough
0 Comments
    Picture

    The Transect Team

    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

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    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

​
​


Send us an email*

[email protected]m

*Supply your email address and it will be used solely to keep you informed about WoodChip activities. You may unsubscribe at any time.
​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 other media.
  • Home
  • About Us
  • The area we cover
  • Featured creatures
  • Our Butterflies
    • Butterfly Blog
  • Bird Count
  • Toolkit
  • Photo Calendar
  • Countryside Videos
  • CONTACT/MORE INFO
  • Grassland Survey
  • SAFE WORKING