The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Further to :

1. Brimstone (male) - 13 March
2.Small Tortoiseshell - 15 March
and now
3. Peacock - 30 March.....sunning itself on border gravel.......plus Brimstone (male) revisit.

Freddy

4. Comma - 5 April : settled on Ivy leaf

plus Peacock sunning itself on garden fence; several visits from male Brimstone (Honesty/Aubretia) and
a small unidentified White flitted across the garden.

Freddy

5. Small White - 6 April : on Mexican Orange Blossom

plus

Comma, Peacock and male Brimstone.

Freddy

The warm sunny weather certainly attracted butterflies to my sheltered BBH garden today (Saturday) :

6. Painted Lady - a most unexpected visitor, settling on Iberis (excellent close views)

7. Speckled Wood - in the traditional area of the pergola with its sun and shade mix
also
Brimstone -one female mid-morning and later several visits from males ( incl.2 seen together)
Small White - 0n Mexican Orange Blossom
Comma and Peacock.

As the forecast is good, I hope for more of the same tomorrow (plus a possible Orange Tip and Holly Blue).

Freddy

Wonders will never cease!.......Right on cue in the garden today, what should be flying around :

8. a male Orange Tip AND 9. a male Holly Blue.

In fact, both butterflies spent most of the day in the garden -the Holly Blue patrolling the Hawthorn hedges and the Orange Tip visiting a variety of flowers.
also
Speckled Wood
Small White
Brimstone, male, x 2
Brimstone, female.

Freddy

Update : 30 April

Since the spell of bright, warm weather earlier in April, there have been many days of cloud, wind (often northerly), cold and rain with fewer butterflies on the wing.

'New' 2017 butterflies in the garden :

10. Green-veined White - 19 April on Bowles Mauve Wallflower

11. - Large White - 23 April.

The following have been occasional visitors up to the end of the month :

Small White
Green-veined White
Orange Tip - both male and female
Holly Blue - up to two (males) together
Speckled Wood.

Freddy

Update : 31 May

Apart from a few sunny, warm days around 11-13 May, the first three weeks of the month were often cloudy, windy and chilly. The month ended with a much warmer spell but late May (and early June) are not noted for an abundance of garden butterflies, whatever the weather.

Only one 'new' species visited the garden during the month :

12. Red Admiral - 11 May (also 25 May)

The following put in occasional appearances during fine weather right up to the end of the month :

Orange Tip (male)
Holly Blue
Speckled Wood (2 spiralling together on 31st)
Brimstone (male)
Spp White

Freddy

Update - 30 June. Another disappointing month with many days of cloud, wind and rain. There were only a few days of little wind and warm sunshine to tempt butterflies into flight.
The first half of the month saw Holly Blue and Speckled Wood in the garden together with an occasional White and a lone Orange Tip. The emergence of Small Tortoiseshells in the second half of the month was interrupted for a few days by poor weather. Speckled Wood remained and a few Whites appeared together with Comma, Red Admiral plus :

13. - Ringlet - 25 June : one of the few butterflies that will fly on dull,wet days.

A short sunny spell between showers this morning (30 June), produced 6 Red Admirals on the Buddleia with a few Small Tortoiseshells and Whites plus a single Ringlet flitted by.
Looking forward to Skippers and Meadow Brown in July plus Gatekeeper on the Marjoram.

Freddy

Update 31 July

Although there were a number of sunny days there were also frequent days with cloud, rain and wind, especially during the final 10 days of the month.
New species appearing in the garden were :

14. Meadow Brown - 2 July

15. Gatekeeper - 8 July

16. Small Skipper - 17 July.

Frequent visitors in the first half of the month included Ringlet and Small Tortoiseshell. Regular visitors up to the end of the month included Whites, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown and Comma. Painted Lady put in occasional appearances. Gatekeeper was disappointedly seen on only 2 occasions whereas in past years I've had 20 enjoying the Marjoram on some days. Peacock reappeared mid-month.

Hopefully, Essex Skipper and Common Blue will visit during August and Small Tortoiseshell will have a good emergence.

Freddy

Update : 31 August

Although August did have some fine, sunny spells, rain fell on at least 10 days. Up to 10 species were seen, in low numbers, on some really warm days.
No new species were seen during the month.

The 3 Whites, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood and Small Tortoiseshell (in greater numbers after the mid/late month new emergence), appeared more or less daily in fine weather throughout the month. Peacock, Meadow Brown and Comma were noted up to mid-month but, disappointingly, Gatekeeper only put in 2 appearances (as usual,on Marjoram), with Brimstone (female) and Painted Lady restricted to being noted only once.

Freddy

Update - 30 September

Overall, summer 2017 -June, July and August -was the ninth wettest since records began more than a century ago. September continued with more rain, virtually on a daily basis during the whole month with just a few bright and totally rain-free days. Rain and warm temperatures swell the hedgerow and orchard fruit so this has been a bumper season for fruit and berries but not so special for sun-loving butterflies.

The month began with the appearance in the garden of Brimstone (female), Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral and the 3 Whites. They were the only butterfly species seen throughout September with Small Tortoiseshell and particularly Red Admiral dominating. The Whites had tapered off by the end of the month.
16 species were recorded throughout the year.

Freddy

Nearing mid-October but butterflies still around the garden (in the absence of flowering Buddleia) include Red Admiral yesterday and the scarcer Peacock today (Fri 13th Oct).

Freddy