Review of 2019 and 2020 - Butterflies: Browns and Skippers

BROWNS (SATYRIDAE)


Grayling Hipparchia semele - I forgot to note them down at the time but we saw a few (4+?) at Winterton on 19th August 2019.


Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina - Recorded in the garden and at the meadows between 7th June and 30th August 2019 and between 30th June and 19th August 2020 with peak counts of 350+ at the meadows on 5th July 2019 and 250 there on 10th July 2020.  Also plenty at Foxley Wood both years and a couple at Thompson Common in 2020.

Meadow Brown, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th June 2019

Meadow Browns, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th June 2020

Meadow Brown, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th July 2020

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus - Seen at the meadows between 24th June and 19th July 2019 plus one relatively late one at Swanton Novers on 15th August.  Numbers at the meadows peaked at just 30 on 5th July, compared to 120 on the same date in 2018.  Fewer in 2020 when seen at the meadows between 20th June and 20th July (max just 5) and up to 10 at Foxley Wood.

Ringlet, Foxley Wood, 10th July 2020

Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus - Recorded between 5th July and 31st August 2019 and 6th July and 11th August 2020, mainly at the meadows but also several in my garden (especially in 2020) and others at Foxley Wood, Hindolveston and Thompson Common.  The total of 40 over 10 dates in 2019 at the meadows doesn't sound great but was a good deal better than the 6 over 2 dates in 2018.  2020 was in between with 18 over 3 dates.  I'm sure this species used to be very much commoner.

Gatekeeper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th July 2019

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus - Only recorded on Mull in 2019 where at least 87 seen at several locations.  Sadly I couldn't find any Large Heaths Coenonympha tullia.  5 at Brancaster on 18th September 2020 was my only record in 2020.  I usually see far more of these but I've stayed much more local than usual these two years.  The species is surprisingly scarce in mid Norfolk - the Millenium Atlas of Norfolk Butterflies doesn't show any records in my 10k square.

Small Heath, Carsaig (Mull), 9th June 2019

Small Heath, between Carsaig and Rubha Dubh (Mull), 10th June 2019

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria - Recorded at the meadows between 26th April and 14th September 2019 and between 27th May and 16th September 2020; also occasionally in my garden and at Swanton Novers, Foxley Wood and Thompson Common.  Further afield singles at 2 sites in NE Spain on 22nd February 2020 and 5 in Cornwall on 8th/9th October 2020.

Speckled Wood, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 2nd May 2019

Speckled Wood, Gava Mar (NE Spain), 22nd February 2020

Wall Brown Lasiommata megera - None in Norfolk in either year, which is unusual for me (but I mostly see them at the coast and stayed much more local these years).  Several seen at 2 sites in NE Spain on 22nd February 2020.  This species used to be well-recorded locally but has declined massively inland - I haven't found it any closer than Bittering.

Wall Browns, Llobregat Delta (NE Spain), 22nd February 2020

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SKIPPERS (HESPERIIDAE)


Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola - Recorded at the meadows on 5th and 13th July 2019 and 10th (2) and 20th July 2020.

Essex Skipper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 5th July 2019

Essex Skipper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th July 2020

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris - Recorded at the meadows on 5th July and 15th August 2019 and on 26th June and 10th and 20th July 2020.  Also at Foxley Wood.

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

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

Small Skippers, Foxley Wood, 10th July 2020

Large Skipper Ochlodes venatus - Recorded at the meadows on 24th June and 5th July 2019 and 10th June (2) and 10th July 2020.

Large Skipper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th June 2020

Large Skipper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 10th July 2020

Regal Piercer

A wander round the Cathedral Meadows on 27th June produced a good variety of interesting insects including five I'd not previously recorded.  The best of these was a new moth, but embarrassingly I stuffed up the ID at the time.  No excuses for that as it's a distinctive species, but one that wasn't really on my radar and, having found this one on a Sycamore I shoe-horned it into the vaguely-similar Sycamore Piercer Pammene aurita.  Months later I happened upon a photo of a Regal Piercer Pammene regiana and realised immediately that this was in fact the moth I'd seen (these occur on Sycamore too).

Regal Piercer Pammene regiana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

There was also an Orange-spot Piercer Pammene aurana on some Hogweed.

Orange-spot Piercer Pammene aurana, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Other moths were Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteucha culmella, and the continuing larvae of the Small Eggars.  There was a good variety of butterflies including 50 Ringlets.

Ringlet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

 Quite a few dragonflies too, including one of my earliest ever Ruddy Darters.

Ruddy Darter, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Both Common Green and Meadow Grasshoppers were found, and surprisingly both were new species for me.  I've not a huge amount with grasshoppers in the past but enough that I should have recorded these two species before now.

Common Green Grasshopper, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Bugs included a creche of 48 Parent Bugs, final instars I think, and up to 8 Orthotylus adenocarpi, a new species for me.  I say up to 8 because I only checked one of them carefully.  They were all found on Broom but there are other very similar species occurring on Broom so it is possible that they were not all the same species.

Parent Bugs, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Orthotylus adenocarpi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

This beetle proved to be a Common Malachite Malachius bipustulatus.

Common Malachite Malachius bipustulatus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

A hoverfly turned out to be Cheilosia illustrata, another new species for me, and there was also a Hornet.

Cheilosa illustrata, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

Hornet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

I really enjoyed the display of Musk Mallow in the wildflower meadow:

Musk Mallow, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

The Turkscap Lily was still looking good...

Turkscap Lily, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th June

That night at home the highlight was a Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps, only my third ever and the first for my garden. It seemed to me to be a good year for this species because I went on to have another three, including two more in the garden, however by the time of writing there were only two other records in the Norfolk Moth Survey database this year which is less than usual.

Wood Groundling Parachronistis albiceps, North Elmham, 27th June

Lesser Cream Wave and Shaded Broad-bar were new for the year.

Lesser Cream Wave, North Elmham, 27th June

Shaded Broad-bar, North Elmham, 27th June

Other moths were Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Buff Mompha Mompha ochraceella, Hawthorn Cosmet Blastodacna hellerella, Plain Conch Phtheochroa inopiana, Large Fruit-tree Tortrix Archips podana, 2 Large Ivy Tortrixes Lozotaenia forsterana, Light Grey Tortrix Cnephasia incertana, Yellow Oak Button Aleimma loeflingiana, 7 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 4 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, Bramble Shoot Notocelia uddmanniana, 10 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, Satin Grass-veneer Crambus perlella, 2 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 3 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, 5 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, 4 Elder Pearls Anania coronata, Fenland Pearl Anania perlucidalis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, 2 White Plumes Pterophorus pentadactyla, 3 Small Fan-footed Waves, 3 Dwarf Cream Waves, 5 Single-dotted Waves, 3 Treble Brown Spots, 9 Riband Waves, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, 6 Barred Straws, 2 Barred Yellows, Currant Pug, 2 Common Pugs, Double-striped Pug, Small Yellow Wave, 3 Brimstone Moths, Lilac Beauty, Willow Beauty, 3 Mottled Beauties, Engrailed, 2 Clouded Silvers, 4 Common Footmen, 8 Buff Ermines, 3 Heart and Clubs, Heart and Dart, 2 Large Yellow Underwings, Ingrailed Clay, 2 Double Square-spots, 2 Clays, Common Wainscot, 3 Brown Rustics, Treble Lines, 9 Uncertains, Mottled Rustic, Beautiful Hook-tip, 4 Snouts and Fan-foot, and there was one caddisfly, Hydropsyche pellucidula.