The Big Butterfly Count 2018

The big butterfly count 2018 is now well underway with records from all parts of the UK being invited. The count is organised by Butterfly Conservation and runs until the end of August and is open to everyone and is easy to take part in.  It only takes 15 minutes during bright weather and full details are available at www.bigbutterflycount.org. The count is an annual check on changes in butterfly numbers, which is important in helping to identify how various butterfly species are reacting to changes to their environment and potentially may flag up early warnings for other wildlife losses.

The garden is proving to be an ideal place to sit each day with a cup of tea for 15 minutes and watch visiting butterflies.  So far small white butterflies occupy top spot with holly blue holding onto second place, which is surprising for a species once uncommon in the Wakefield district.  Some of the same individuals appear to stay in the garden for several days patrolling a long hedge, which contains plenty of ivy looking for suitable egg laying sites.  Images of a female holly blue feeding on common fleabane and a tiny egg placed just below a developing ivy flower bud are attached.  There are generally two broods each year.  The holly blue overwinter has a chrysalis with the adults emerging in early spring when the first eggs are generally laid on holly. These form the second brood of adults at this time of year, which lay eggs on ivy although other shrub species may be used.

Other species continue to visit the garden, but not necessarily in the 15 minute recording time.  These include large white, green veined white, speckled wood, ringlet, meadow brown, gatekeeper, comma, small tortoiseshell and a single small copper.

Holly Blue

Holly Blue

Holly Blue egg on ivy

Holly Blue egg on ivy

Red admiral autumn

Today we had some beautiful warm October sunshine which not only tempted me out for a walk but brought out plenty of red admiral butterflies as well as a few speckled wood and large white. It’s great to see butterflies still on the wing and the local ivy patches on the edge of Ryhill are in full flower and very attractive to these late insects. There were around 30+ red admirals on one strecth of ivy alone, plus the odd late speckled wood basking in the sunshine on the nettles lower down. The hawthorns are looking good too being laden with berries as well as having superb autumn colour

Red Admiral butterfly

Red Admiral butterfly on ivy flower

Red Admiral butterfly

Red Admiral butterfly

Speckled wood on nettle

Speckled wood on nettle

hawthorne berries

hawthorn berries

Red Admiral butterfly

Red Admiral butterfly

Autumn butterflies

Chilly evenings and shortening daylight hours remind us that summer is now slipping away and autumn is here. This is confirmed by a bounty of sloes and elderberries, together with a good crop of acorns. A further sign of the changing seasons are fewer wildflowers in the surrounding countryside.  Even so, this remains a good time to enjoy watching butterflies, especially comma and the other species that overwinter as adults rather than eggs, larva or chrysalis.  They now gorge themselves on life giving nectar offered by flowers in many of our local ornamental parks and gardens to help them survive the winter and breed next spring. This also includes red admiral, which can currently be seen in very large numbers around Wakefield.  This species can be seen flying during milder days well into November and sometimes beyond.  This may suggest it overwinters in a reduced state of dormancy compared to our comma, peacock, brimstone and small tortoiseshell.  Indeed, there is growing evidence to suggest this butterfly is beginning to be accepted as a resident, especially in the south of the UK.

Photos of red admiral feeding on Buddleia x weyeriana and comma feeding on Sedum spectabile at a Wrenthorpe garden during the past week are attached.  In addition, to our garden flowers look out for our native ivy.  This is starting to flower now and is a magnet for a wide range of insects searching for nectar at this time of year.  This important plant is one of our few native evergreen plants sheltering many wildlife species during the winter months.

comma on sedum

comma on sedum

Red Admiral butterfly

Red Admiral butterfly