Autumn Butterflies

by Richard Stewart

Although 2008 will not be remembered as a vintage year for butterflies, the late summer and autumn weather was in parts beneficial for insects. A bowl of rotting fruit pieces in our garden attracted a maximum of five Comma, four Red Admiral and two Speckled Wood through September. On the 14th September we visited Freston Tower, which was open to the public, and a walk along the River Orwell path nearby produced six Comma, two of them feeding on a sunlight clump of soft blackberries. We went on to Freston churchyard which has an abundance of Ivy, and there recorded seven each of Red Admiral and Comma, three Speckled Wood and five Hornets. It is sometimes difficult to know if Hornets, which seemed to be very abundant in 2008, are around the Ivy for nectar or meat - probably both. Also, there were good numbers of Red Admiral, Comma and Hornets on sunlit Ivy at Playford, during the weeks spanning late September and early October when I did a veteran tree survey of the parish. Fortunately my approach to measure the trunk of one veteran oak was from the side where I could see the nest of wild bees at just about the height where I usually use my measuring string.

On 18th October a visit to Landguard Common led to the welcome sight of four Common Blue feeding on Horehound and Sow-thistle flowers. The one we examined closely was in very good condition, probably freshly emerged from a late brood. Back in the sheltered and sunny Spa gardens at Felixstowe we recorded at least fifteen Large White and one Small White, probably come in from the continent, plus one Comma and fifteen Red Admiral feasting on the sunlit Ivy umbels. Here the plant festoons the high walls in some parts of the gardens, the clumps being thick and stretching some distance.

Three days later, at Tangham, a determined search of the few patches of Bell Heather in the sunshine and still flowering revealed five Small Copper, one var. caeruleopunctata with two small blue spots on the edge of each lower wing.

Comma and Peacock by Beryl Johnson

and...

A Late 2008 Butterfly

by Richard Stewart

On December 20th Marie and I were out Christmas shopping and as we turned the corner outside Sainsbury ’ s in the middle of Ipswich, at about 1.30 pm, I saw a Red Admiral fluttering on the pavement. It looked in good condition but the more immediate concern was to rescue it quickly as it could be trampled underfoot at any moment. Needless to say no one else appeared to have seen it. I cupped it gently in my hands where it kept still, and we walked down Lower brook Street and released it on a buddleia growing a few yards off the road. This was a memorable and unexpected end to a disappointing butterfly year and yet more proof of how this species arrears to be increasingly successfully overwintering in our country. Perhaps in a decade or two it may be reclassified as a resident species. This was only my second record of a December butterfly, the other also being of a Red Admiral, and it is also my latest ever record of a free flying butterfly.

Butterfly DVD

On sale to raise funds for the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Sandy Harman has produced a new DVD entitled “The Best of Butterfly Days PLUS” . It is compiled from some of the best clips from the past five versions of “Butterfly Days ” and much fresh material. The PLUS refers to a new section showing some of the rarer butterflies that visit this country and/or were resident here – a further eleven species. This DVD can be likened to a field trip around Britain to see butterflies during the six months from April to September. 58 species (in addition to the 11 in the PLUS section) are identified by discreet captions, as are most of the other subjects. These include caterpillars, dragonflies, moths and wildflowers etc. There is no music, minimal voiceover and only natural sounds of the countryside. Detailed close-ups abound. The DVD costs £8.00, including p&p, and of this, at least £6.00 goes to our Branch funds – more if you add something to cover the postage costs, as many members have. To buy, just send a cheque, payable to ‘S. Harman ’ to 31, Upper Manor Road, Milford, Godalming, GU8 5JW. Why not get one for a friend as well – Sandy would be happy to send this direct, if you so wished. You can enjoy beautiful views of our wonderful butterflies, and help support this Branch at the same time.