Review of 2019 and 2020 - Butterflies: Swallowtails, Whites, Hairstreaks, Coppers and Blues

SWALLOWTAILS (PAILIONIDAE)

Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius - A brief view of one at the Parc del Garaf in NE Spain on 22nd February 2020 - sadly too quick for a photo.

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WHITES (PIERIDAE)


Large White Pieris brassicae - Recorded here in the garden and at the meadows between 5th July and 14th September 2019 and between 15th May and 30th September 2020.  Also at Foxley Wood and Thompson Common.


Small White Pieris rapae - Recorded here in the garden and at the meadows between 5th July and 14th September 2019 and then (in relatively small numbers) between 20th May and 24th August 2020.  Also at a couple of other sites locally and at Llobregat Delta (NE Spain) on 22nd February 2020.  There are always a few white butterflies that aren't seen well enough to determine and with the late start in 2019 I imagine I must have overlooked some on earlier dates - having said that, butterflies in general were few and far between at my main study site prior to when these began to appear.

Small White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th July 2019

Small White, Llobregat Delta (Spain), 22nd February 2020

Green-vined White Artogeia napi - Recorded here in the garden and at the meadows between 30th March and 2nd May 2019 and between 5th July and15th August 2019 then between 24th April and 8th May 2020 and between 4th July and 16th September 2020.  Also recorded on Mull on 10th and 12th June 2019 and in Spain on 22nd February 2020.

Green-veined White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 19th July 2019

Green-veined White, Gava Mar (Spain), 22nd February 2020

Green-veined White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Green-veined White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 16th September 2020

Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines - Recorded locally between 19th April and 25th May 2019 and between 4th April and 15th May 2020.  The majority were from the Cathedral Meadows but a handful in my garden and elsewhere.

male and female Orange-tips, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th April 2019

Clouded Yellow Colias crocea - None.  I'm yet to record this species in the North Elmham area but should imagine I've got a good chance of finding it at the meadows in a good year.  I saw several in the Beetley/Bittering area in 2013 and I'm sure I would have found them round here had I been watching the area back then.


Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni - Mostly recorded in early spring between 22nd February and 25th May 2019, here, at the meadows and at 2-3 other sites.  Also one here on 23rd August.

Brimstone, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th March 2019

Cleopatra Gonepteryx cleopatra - One in the Llobregat Delta (Spain) on 22nd February 2020.

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HAIRSTREAKS, COPPERS and BLUES (LYCAENIDAE)


Purple Hairstreak Quercusia quercus - After a good year in 2018 I looked hard (well, ok, not all that hard, but I looked) for these along the railway at the bottom of the meadows in 2019 but only managed to see a single individual, on 29th July.  None here at all in 2020 but 4 at Foxley Wood on 10th July and 2 there next day.

Purple Hairstreak, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th July 2019

Purple Hairstreak, Foxley Wood, 10th July 2020

White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album - None.  I really must make a concerted effort to see this species one of these days as it must be the most glaring gap on my list of species recorded - not just butterflies but all taxa.  OK, there are much commoner species missing among taxa like spiders that I've not paid much attention to, and even among taxa like bugs with which I've been making a fair bit of effort in recent years, but for group that I've been interested in and looking at and for pretty much my entire life this is a gap that's a little bit embarrassing!  I have looked for it at several known sites around Norfolk over the years but I clearly need to put in a bit more effort.


Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi - No confirmed records locally (or indeed anywhere in Norfolk) although I did get a frustrating glimpse of what I think was this species at the meadows one day.  On Mull at least 3 at Glen More and 2 west of Tiroran on 10th June 2019.

Green Hairstreak, Glen More (Mull), 10th June 2019

Green Hairstreak, west of Tiroran (Mull), 10th June 2019

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas - In 2018 I only recorded this species at the meadows in August and September but in 2019 it was the other way round with 1-3 on 3 dates between 30th April and 25th May and none later in the summer.  2020 was back to summer only, with records between 10th July and 11th September.  Also one near Carsaig (Mull) on 10th June 2019.

Small Copper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 30th April 2019

Small Copper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th July 2020

Small Copper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - In 2019 recorded between 18th April and 23rd May and again between 23rd July and 17th August.  Most records from the meadows (max 5 on 26th April) but also several from my garden and in Norwich.  In 2020 recorded here and at the meadows between 10th April and 20th May and between 3rd July and 23rd August (during which period also at Foxley Wood and Thompson Common).  Also at Gava Mar in NE Spain on 22nd February 2020.

Holly Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 26th April 2019

Holly Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2019

Holly Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th May 2020

Brown Argus Aricia agestis - Recorded at the meadows on 25th May and 24th June 2019 and 20th July 2020 (2); also 2 at Foxley Wood on 17th August 2019.

Brown Argus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

Brown Arguses, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus - Recorded at the meadows between 22nd May and 15th August 2019 and between 20th July and 12th August 2020; also on Mull and at Foxley Wood and Thompson Common.

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st June 2019

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd August 2019

Next page: Admirals, Fritillaries and allies

Phalonidia manniana, new for the garden, plus a new site for a Red Data Book species

This summer has been mad, and I'm afraid blog posts have fallen by the wayside.  At last I'm ready to pick up where I left off.  It will take me a while to catch up, but now making a start...

The highlight of Thursday night, 31st May, was a new moth for the garden, Water-mint Conch Phalonidia manniana.

Water-mint Conch Phalnidia manniana (female, gen det), North Elmham, 31st May

A few others were new for the year including the marvellous Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, May Highflyer (just in time?), 2 Vine's Rustics and Burnished Brass.

Rough-winged Conch Phtheochroa rugosana, North Elmham, 31st May

Common Yellow Conch Agapeta hamana, North Elmham, 31st May

May Highflyer, North Elmham, 31st May

Vine's Rustic, North Elmham, 31st May

Burnished Brass, North Elmham, 31st May

Other moths were 5 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 3 Buff Rush Case-bearers Coleophora caespititiella, 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Light Brown Apple-moth Epiphyas postvittana, 8 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Rush Marble Bactra lancealana, Crescent Bell Epinotia bilunana, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Triple-blotched Bell Notocelia trimaculana, 4 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, Pebble Hook-tip, 2 Blood-veins, 3 Silver-ground Carpets, 5 Green Carpets, Mottled Pug, 4 Common Pugs, Scorched Carpet, Brimstone Moth, Pale Oak Beauty, 2 Pale Tussocks, Orange Footman, 4 White Ermines, 2 Buff Ermines, 6 Heart and Darts, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Common Wainscots, Brown Rustic, 8 Treble Lines, Spectacle and Straw Dot.

There was also a Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum (mayfly), another Dasytes aeratus following my first ever the previous night and, new for the year, Cantharis decipiens.

Cantharis decipiens, North Elmham, 31st May

Next morning I went up to Brancaster mainly to look for birds, though of course I can't help looking at invertebrates at the same time.  Moths along Gypsy Lane included Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana, Silver-ground Carpet and 15 Silver Ys. There were lots of moths on the golf-course too but the most unexpected was a lovely Tawny Wave, a Red Data Book species that is mainly found in the Brecks.  There are very few records indeed from the north Norfolk coast, except for Scolt Head where Neil records them regularly.  Looks like this was a good year for them there.  Not sure if this one hopped across the chanel from Scolt or if they're breeding here too.

Tawny Wave, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

 Other moths here included 8 Plain Fanners Glyphipterix fuscoviridella, 26 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, 3 Hook-streak Grass-veneers Crambus lathoniellus, Yellow Shell, Green Carpet, 15 Cinnabars and 35 Silver Ys. Caterpillars included about 25 Brown-tails and a similar number of Garden Tigers.

Brown-tail caterpillar, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

Garden Tiger caterpillar, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

Among the butterflies Green Hairstreak was the highlight, along with Small Copper, c. 25 Common Blues, Painted Lady and about 25 Small Heaths.

Green Hairstreak, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

I noticed a couple of masses of small dark insects clinging to the trunk of an Elder tree by the huts.  Turns out they were Elder Aphids Aphis sambuci, the first time I've noticed any of these.

Elder Aphids Aphis sambuci, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

There's a really impressive display of Yellow Rattle here too.  This is a species I associate with damp meadows but apparently dry duneland habitat like this is good for it too.

Yellow Rattle, Brancaster golf-course, 1st June

A slow week but still several new for the year

Best moth on Tuesday night was a Broken-barred Carpet, my first this year.  Also new for the year at home was a Shears.

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 24th May

Shears, North Elmham, 24th May

Other moths were Red Twin-spot Carpet, Mottled Pug, Brimstone Moth, Iron Prominent, Pale Prominent, White Ermine, 2 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Flame Shoulder, Bright-line Brown-eye and Rustic Shoulder-knot.

Pale Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Iron Prominent, North Elmham, 24th May

Rustic Shoulder-knot, North Elmham, 24th May

Bright-line Brown-eye, North Elmham, 24th May

The only caddisflies were a Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 2 Limnephilus auricula.

There weren't many moths on Wednesday night but they included 3 more new for the year: Light Brocade, Grey Dagger and Clouded-bordered Brindle.

Light Brocade, North Elmham, 25th May

Grey Dagger (male, gen det), North Elmham, 25th May

Clouded-bordered Brindle, North Elmham, 25th May

Also Red Twin-spot Carpet, Common Pug, Waved Umber, Poplar Hawkmoth, Swallow Prominent, 3 Muslin Moths, 2 Cinnabars, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts, Rustic Shoulder-knot, 5 Treble Lines and 2 Spectacles. A Garden Snail was my first at home (but I've only started identifying snails this year).

Thursday night was poor - just Common Pug, Waved Umber, 4 Muslin Moths, White Ermine, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Flame Shoulder, Treble Lines and Angle Shades.  Oh, and a Cockchafer and a Common Wasp.

A lunch break on Friday at Thornham only got me one moth (a Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella) but also a Green Hairstreak butterfly, the first time I've seen one at Thornham.

Green Hairstreak, Thornham, 27th May

A number of other moth-ers reported another poor night on Friday but although I didn't get a huge number of moths, it wasn't all that bad for me.  Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acuminitella was new for the house while Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis and Small Angle Shades were all new for the year.

Pointed Groundling Scrobipalpa acumintella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 27th May

Small Angle Shades, North Elmham, 27th May

Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella, North Elmham, 27th May

Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, North Elmham, 27th May

By the way, is this plant from Thornham earlier in the week a garden variety of Columbine, or am I missing something in my field guide?

Columbine variety?, Thornham, 23rd May