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

Cornwall part 2 - other insects at Tresidder

I've just posted a separate page about the moths I caught while staying at Tresidder last autumn between 1st and 6th October.  Here's a post about the other insects I found there.

There were a few caddisflies, the best of which was Hydropsyche instabilis on 4th, a species I've only seen once before.  The other caddis were Limnephilus auricula (41 over the first 4 nights, max 23 on 2nd), Limnephilus lunatus (10 over the first 4 nights, max 5 on 2nd), Limnephilus sparsus (4 on 3 of the first 4 nights), Limnephilus vittatus (singles on each of the first 3 nights) and Halesus raidatus (4 on 3rd followed by up to 4 on each of the final 3 nights).

Hydropsyche instabilis, Tresidder, 4th October

Halesus radiatus, Tresidder, 3rd October

The only true bug to appear in the moth trap was this Pantilus tunicatus on 4th.

Pantilus tunicatus, Tresidder, 4th October

The best leafhopper I caught was a Ribautiana tenerrima (on 4th), a new species for me.

Ribautiana tenerrima, Tresidder, 4th October

Other leafhoppers were Empoasca vitis (1 on 3rd), Empoasca decipiens (2 on 4th), Fagocyba cruenta (different single males on 2nd and 4th) and Edwardsiana rosae (different single males on 2nd, 3rd and 4th; also a female Edwardsiana sp. on 3rd).

This striking barkfly (or booklouse) turned out to be Atlantopsocus adustus, a lifer for me.

Atlantopsocus adustus, Tresidder, 4th October

The only beetle I identified while I was in Cornwall was this one, a new species for me, Chrysolina banksii.

Chrysolina banksii, Tresidder, 4th October

This bee turned out to be a Common Furrow Bee Lasioglossum calceatum, a species I'd not identified before.

Common Furrow Bee, Tresidder, 3rd October

This Wall Brown butterfly was roosting in the garden near the trap on 2nd.

Wall Brown, Tresidder, 2nd October

There was a lot of grasshopper chirping going on in the garden but they always fell silent when I started pointing a torch in their direction so it was very hard to find them, and the sound didn't seem to quite match the sounds on the iRecord Grasshoppers app.  Eventually I identified them as Meadow Grasshoppers, but I also found a single Field Grasshopper.

Meadow Grasshopper, Tresidder, 4th October

Field Grasshopper, Tresidder, 4th October

While trying to catch the grasshoppers I swept a couple of bugs, Stenodema laevigata and my first ever Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides, both on 2nd. Also 2 Common Shiny Woodlice on 2nd.

Stenodema laevigata, Tresidder, 2nd October

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides, Tresidder, 2nd October

Well that's just what I found at the place we were staying.  There were a few things to note from elsewhere too, though mainly my focus was on birds for the rest of the trip.

On 3rd October we walked down the Penberth Valley from our cottage and along the cliffs to Porthgwarra.  Here there were lots of Ivy Bees, a new species for me although it has now colonised Norfolk.  Butterflies at Porthgwarra included 2 Red Admirals, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown, and there were also 5 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana and a Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla.

Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Rosketal, Porthgwarra, 3rd October

This thick caterpillar was on those huge-leaved plants (Gunnera I think?).  I can't figure out what species it is - let me know if you can please!

unidentified caterpillar, Rosketal, Porthgwarra, 3rd October

As we walked back across the fields at Polgigga I found another caterpillar I can't identify.  This was on the crop growing in the field - Oil Seed Rape or something similar.

unidentified caterpillar, Polgigga, 3rd October

I think I can identify two caterpillars I found on the moor at Porthgwarra the next morning - Fox Moths.

Fox Moth caterpillar, Porthgwarra Moor, 4th October

I also found a couple of Ivy Bees at Tresidder that day too.

Next day at Porthgwarra I found a few butterflies: Small Copper, 5 Red Admirals and 2 Speckled Woods.  There were also a few moths including a Grey Pine Carpet and 5 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana.  I spent some time looking for migrant birds at Trevean Pool and didn't find any, but I did find 3 migrant moths on the adjacent bit of moor: Diamond-back Plutella xylostella, Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella and Silver Y.

Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella, Trevean Pool/Porthgwarra Moor, 5th October

The only other migrant I found there was a Migrant Hawker.  Also Common Darter.

Migrant Hawker, Trevean Pool, 5th October

I have seen mayflies doing what I took to be a display flight where they fly up and down in the air like a yo-yo, and imagined they would be males displaying.  But I saw a mayfly doing this at Kenidjack and caught it in order to identify it.  It turned out to be a female ready to lay eggs, a Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita.

Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita, Kenidjack Valley, 5th October

I didn't have much else to add after this, except for a few butterflies at Porthgwarra on the final morning (7th): Small Copper, 4 Red Admirals and Wall Brown.