Review of 2019 and 2020 - Butterflies: Admirals, Fritillaries and allies

ADMIRALS, FRITILLARIES and allies (NYMPHALIDAE)


White Admiral Limenitis camilla - Seen at Foxley Wood on 10th and 11th July 2020.

White Admiral, Foxley Wood, 10th July 2020

White Admiral, Foxley Wood, 11th July 2020

Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia - An extremely worn individual at Swanton Novers on 15th August 2019, apparently f. valezina, and then at least 15 at Foxley Wood on 17th August, the majority pretty well worn too (and including sevearl apparent valezina).  Some much nicer specimens at Foxley Wood earlier in the season in 2020, on 10th-11th July, and one at Thompson Common on 7th August 2020.

Silver-washed Fritillary, Swanton Novers, 15th August 2019

Silver-washed Fritillaries, Foxley Wood, 17th August 2019

Silver-washed Fritillaries, Foxley Wood, 10th July 2020

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Clossiana selene - A total of 10 seen over 3 sites on Mull on 10th and 12th June 2019.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, between Carsaig and Rubha Dubh, 10th June 2019

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, west of Tiroran, 10th June 2019

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Glengorm, 12th June 2019

Purple Emperor Apatura iris - With several recorded locally I made a couple of attempts to see one in 2019 but neither were successful.  It took me a couple of attempts in 2020 but in the end I got good views of at least 2 individuals, 30 years to the day from when I last (and first) saw this species, at Botany Bay in Surrey.  Hopefully they will be one on my garden buddleia this year...

Purple Emperors, Foxley Wood, 11th July 2020 (the first 4 photos show one individual, the last photo a second individual that was on view at the same time as the first)

Peacock Inachis io - 2019 was a poor year with only two recorded in my garden (29th March and 7th August).  A few more at the meadows between those dates and at Foxley Wood.  2020 was better - recorded here and at the meadows on far more occasions between 23rd March and 16th August including about 60 caterpillars on nettles at the meadows on 13th June.  Also at Foxley Wood again.

Peacock, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th July 2019

Peacock, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th April 2020

Peacock caterpillars, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th June 2020

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae - My first of 2019 was at Fustyweed on 17th February, followed by one at the allotments on 24th February.  My only other spring record was at the meadows on 8th April.  Also recorded there in July, August and September, in my garden between 17th August and 13th September and at Foxley Wood.  Only seen here and at the meadows in 2020 when more in spring (between 23rd March and 24th April plus one on 27th May) but far fewer in summer (between 20th and 26th July).

Small Tortoiseshell, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th July 2019

Small Tortoiseshell, Foxley Wood, 17th August 2019

Small Tortoiseshell, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Red Admiral Vanessa atlanta - My first of 2019 was at Titchwell on 1st June, then recorded locally from 15th June with reasonable numbers at the meadows, in my garden and at a couple of other sites up until 22nd October.  A caterpillar on nettles at the meadows on 29th July.  I often don't see this species before June but in 2020 recorded from 8th May (here and at the meadows in June).  Surprisingly I didn't see any at the meadows after 20th July (they're usually commoner in the late summer/autumn) but continued to record them here in the garden until 28th October.  Also at Foxley Wood, Thompson Common and in Cornwall.

Red Admiral, North Elmham, 17th August 2019

Red Admiral caterpillar, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th July 2019

Red Admiral, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th July 2020

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui - 2019 was a good year for this migrant species.  I think I may have forgotten to record one or two previous ones but judging from my records at least, one in my garden on 16th June was a new butterfly for the garden.  I ended up recording a total of 25 by the end of August including one that went into my moth trap overnight on 19th August.  At the meadows (where I only recorded one in 2018) I found a total of 31.  Also good numbers (at least 25) at Foxley Wood on 17th August.  In stark contrast, none seen at all in 2020, anywhere.

Painted Lady, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 12th August 2019

Painted Lady, North Elmham, 17th August 2019

Painted Lady in the moth trap, North Elmham, 19th August 2019

Comma Polygonia c-album - Recorded between 29th March and 30th September 2019, mostly at the meadows (max 3) but a few in my garden and a couple elsewhere locally.  In 2020 not recorded until one at Foxley Wood on 10th July but then recorded at home up until 19th September (with just a single record of 2 from the meadows).

Comma, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th March 2019

Comma, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 11th September 2020

Marsh Fritillary Eurodryas aurinia - 3 seen on Mull on 10th June 2019, 2 just west of where we were staying at Carsaig and one at Glenmore.  A completely new butterfly for me.

Marsh Fritillaries, near Carsaig, 10th June 2019

Next page: Browns and Skippers

A new flower and a new hoverfly

It was another very quiet night for moths on 13th September with just 8 species, all macro: Blood-vein, Common Marbled Carpet, Brimstone Moth, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, 3 Lesser Yellow Underwings, 2 Lunar Underwings, 2 Flounced Rustics and 3 Frosted Oranges.  But there was some interest among the other insects, including this Devil's Coach-horse beetle, a new species for the garden.  Perhaps the mites on it were new too, but I've no idea how to identify them...

Devil's Coach-horse Ocypus olens, North Elmham, 13th September

Among the caddisflies Limnephilus ignavus was my second ever and Halesus radiatus was new for the year.  Others were Limnephilus flavicornis, 10 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus sparsus.

Limnephilus ignavus (male), North Elmham, 13th September

Halesus radiatus (male), North Elmham, 13th September

Next day an early wander round the meadows produced this fine Roe Deer, one of the first I've seen actually on the meadows themselves (usually too much disturbance from dog-walkers).

Roe Deer, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th September

Butterflies included Small Copper and Comma.

Small Copper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th September

Comma, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th September

There were 7-spot Ladybirds, a Hornet and this hoverfly which proved to be my first Epistrophe grossulariae.

Epistrophe grossulariae, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th September

I didn't get round to identifying this umbellifer until recently - turns out it was Burnet-Saxifrage.  By no means an unusual plant but apparently the first time I've identified it.

Burnet-Saxifrage, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th September

That night at home moths included my first Pink-barred Sallow of the year.

Pink-barred Sallow, North Elmham, 14th September

This Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella wasn't new for the year but was a good deal rarer here - only my third record.

Ash-bud Moth Prays fraxinella, North Elmham, 14th September

Other moths were Wainscot Smudge Ypsolopha scabrella, Long-horned Flat-body Carcina quercana, Garden Rose Tortrix Acleris variegana, 2 Narrow-winged Greys Eudonia angustea, Chinese Character, Single-dotted Wave, 2 Common Marbled Carpets, Sharp-angled Carpet, 2 Brimstone Moths, 2 Dusky Thorns, 2 Light Emeralds, Buff Ermine, 3 Large Yellow Underwings, 5 Lesser Yellow Underwings, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Square-spot Rustic, Common Wainscot, 3 Lunar Underwings, Sallow, 2 Flounced Rustics, Frosted Orange, Straw Dot and 7 Snouts.

There was one mayfly, one green lacewing: Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum and Chrysoperla carnea.  The caddisflies were 4 Mottled Sedges Glyphotaelius pellucidus, 6 Limnephilus auricula, 14 Limnephilus lunatus and Limnephilus marmoratus. An Aphodius rufipes was the only beetle and a bug was probably Lygus pratensis but I seem to have lost the specimen to confirm it.  This hoverfly was Melangyna cincta, new for the year.

Melangyna cincta, North Elmham, 14th September

Next day I found a Corn Moth Nemapogon granella on the outside of my window of the front door, my fifth here since 2016.  Not bad for a moth that's only had six other records in Norfolk this millenium.  I don't think we have any stored grain or vegetable products here that are likely to hold a population of these so can only presume they are originating from somewhere else.  They do also breed on fungus, which was presumably the source of one that I netted up the road at the meadows earlier this year.

Corn Moth Nemapogon granella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 15th September