Brilliant weather for week 2

An afternoon bathed in glorious sunshine and skies so blue they looked photoshopped – perfect weather both for butterflies and the volunteers counting them. This was only our second outing of the season, but what a difference a week makes! We nearly doubled last week’s total, proving that the butterflies were just waiting for a proper spring day to stretch their wings.
Leading the charge once again were the flashy Peacocks and widespread Brimstones, the latter spotted in every single one of the 12 transect sections – as if they’d been assigned to patrol.
We also welcomed some fresh names to the party, with season-first sightings of the darting Dingy Skipper and the dazzling Green Hairstreak, pictured below in all its emerald glory.

Count details:
​41 Brimstone
27 Peacock
  7 Orange Tip
  6 Small White
  4 Green Hairstreak (+1 off transect)
  3 Dingy Skipper
  1 Green-veined White
Total: 89 butterflies from 7 species.

Click on butterfly names for more info from Butterfly Conservation.

Butterflies of the week

Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) – Nature’s early riser.

• It’s thought to be the original inspiration for the word butterfly due to the male’s buttery yellow wings.
• Brimstones can live up to a year – remarkably long for a butterfly.
• Their leaf-shaped wings make them masters of camouflage when resting among foliage, like the butterfly on the right.

Brimstone on Bramble, Hill Wood Field –GK

Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io) – a springtime stunner.

• Its striking ‘eye-spot’ markings are used to scare off predators like birds.
• Despite its delicate looks, it hibernates through winter and is one of the first butterflies seen in spring.
• When threatened, it makes a hissing sound by rubbing its wings together.

Peacock, Stagbury –GK

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) – a tiny gem of spring.

• Though its upper wings are brown, it always rests with wings closed, showing off its shimmering green undersides.
• It’s the only green butterfly in the UK, perfectly camouflaged among leaves and grasses.
• The family name Callophrys is a Greek word meaning ‘beautiful eyebrows’.

Green Hairstreak, Fames Rough –Liz North

Survey by Brian G, Liz North and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). ​Report by GK & AI.