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

New Pigmy for the garden

Another visit to the Cathedral Meadows on Monday 14th added a few more species to the list.  A Large White was the only new butterfly but I managed to get some better photos of other species including Holly Blue and Orange-tip (just too slow for Brimstone).

Holly Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Orange-tip, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Green-veined White, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

As well as 5 Large Red Damselflies there was this Common Blue Damselfly, my first this year.

Common Blue Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

A Dark-edge Bee-fly provided an opportunity for some flight shots...

Dark-edged Bee-fly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

I only found 3 moths: Oak Satin Lift Heliozela sericiella, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella and Vetch Piercer Grapholita jungiella.

Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

Hoverflies included another Melanostoma mellinum and my first Epistrophe eligans.

Epistrophe eligans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

I eventually identified this bee as a Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica.

Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 14th May

When I got home I found a Varied Carpet Beetle in the house.  Ironically I always seem to find them in the uncarpeted rooms - maybe the ones in the carpeted rooms are hiding in the carpets?

The star of that night's moth trap was a Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella floslactella, a new species for the garden.

Coarse Hazel Pigmy Stigmella floslactella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 14th May

Also new for the year were Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, Pale Tussock, Heart and Dart (again, worn almost to the point of being unrecognisable) and a Cockchafer.

Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana, North Elmham, 14th May

Pale Tussock, North Elmham, 14th May

Cockchafer, North Elmham, 14th May

Other moths were 3 Red Twin-spot Carpets, Garden Carpet, Green Carpet, Common Pug, Brimstone Moth, Chocolate-tip, Flame Shoulder and Nut-tree Tussock, while Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and 3 Limnephilus auricula represented the caddisflies.

Brimstone Moth, North Elmham, 14th May

Schreckensteiniella festaliella (or Bramble False-feather)

On Monday 8th May this Yellow-triangle Slender Caloptilia alchimiella was new for the year.  There were also 2 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, Garden Carpet, Streamer, Brindled Pug, Muslin Moth, Cinnabar and Flame Shoulder, and I'd had a Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana in the house earlier. A Common Toad in the garden was also new for the year.

Yellow-triangle Slender Caloptilia alchimiella (male, gen det), North Elmahm, 8th May

The following evening I found this Nut Leaf Blister Moth Phyllonorycter coryli on my front door.   I also found 2 Varied Carpet Beetles in the house but with a frosty night there wasn't a single moth in the moth trap the following morning - really crazy to be getting nil returns at this time of year - come on spring!

Nut Leaf Blister Moth Phyllonorycter coryli (female, gen det), North Elmahm, 9th May

On Wednesday 10th Dave and I headed down to Frost's Common to see what we could find. The highlight was a Bramble False-feather Schreckensteinia festaliella, a new species and a new family for both of us and quite a distinctive looking moth.

Bramble False-feather Schreckensteinia festaliella, Frost's Common, 10th May

Other moths were Large Long-horn Nematopogon swammerdamella, Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, Oak Satin Lift Heliozela sericiella and 12 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella but it seemed quieter than expected.  Quite a few butterflies: Large White, 2 Green-veined Whites, 10 Orange-tips, 12 Brimstones, 2 Small Coppers, 4 Holly Blues, 2 Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and 3 Speckled Woods.  Dragonflies were well represented too with perhaps 120 Large Red Damselflies, Hairy Dragonfly and Four-spotted Chaser (plus Dave saw an unspecified blue damselfly).  I'd have liked to have seen the Hairy Dragonfly better - I don't see many of these and haven't had a decent look at one for decades.

I retained two beetles for checking, both proving to be Phyllobius weevils: Phyllobius maculicornis and Phyllobius pyri.

Phyllobius pyri, Frost's Common, 10th May

Phyllobius maculicornis, Frost's Common, 10th May

We then had a quick look at Thompson Water though didn't stay long as the wind was getting up.  Long enough to see over 100 Azure Damselflies that had recently emerged.  Also more Brimstones and Orange-tips.

Azure Damselflies, Thompson Water, 10th May

Dave had to head off but I stopped at Lolly Moor on the way back, expecting it to be more sheltered.  It's a good site for Grass Rivulet and I saw at least 8 (probably a fair few more) including this mating pair.

Grass Rivulets, Lolly Moor, 10th May

It's also the site where I saw my first Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella and I saw another one here this time.

Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella, Lolly Moor, 10th May

Another species we recorded here last year was Knapweed Bell Epiblema cirsiana, though its a hard one to separate from its congener Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana.  I saw at least a couple that I thought were Knapweed Bell Epiblema cirsiana and the male I retained for checking did indeed have a dark hindwing (the genitalia only confirm it was one or the other but the hindwing clinches it).  I collected another one from a slightly drier thistly part of the moor and it crossed my mind that it might be scutulana, and sure enough the hindwing was pale - it was a Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana.  Good to know both species are present on site but it will make recording them harder!  The scutulana was paler overall and had slightly more white towards the tornus than the cirsiana which is typically the case (though probably not reliable except where there's a lot more).  The differences were subtle though perhaps a little more obvious in life than they seem in the photos.

Knapweed Bell Epiblema cirsiana (male, hindwing checked), Lolly Moor, 10th May

Thistle Bell Epiblema scutulana (male, hindwing checked), Lolly Moor, 10th May

Other moths here were 7 Plain Golds Micropterix calthella, Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana, Bittersweet Smudge Acrolepia autumnitella and Common Marble Celypha lacunana.

Bittersweet Smudge Acrolepia autumnitella, Lolly Moor, 10th May

There was Large Red Damselfly here too, and Orange-tip and Comma plus a few Turnip Sawflies Athalia rosae.

Comma, Lolly Moor, 10th May

Orange-tip, Lolly Moor, 10th May

Turnip Sawfly, Lolly Moor, 10th May

Only 3 moths in the trap that night - a new-for-the-year Spectacle and 2 Muslin Moths.  Also 2 Common Earwigs.

Spectacle, North Elmham, 10th May