Butterflies in Disguise

Nearly the end of July, and the end of the 'heatwave' but the days are still warm and it's hot in the sun.

Butterflies which were seen later than usual this year on the riverside have made up for lost time and have appeared in large numbers over the past few days. 

What's this, just a shadow, a dead leaf, a piece of bark?

No it's a Peacock butterfly alive and well, feeding on nectar in the hot midday sun.

The inky black colouring of the outer surface of its wings enable it to absorb heat from the sun more efficiently, even early and late in the day when the angle of the sun is low.

 Another tatty dead leaf?

No, this is a Comma butterfly feeding of brambles on a hot day.

Basking with open wings is only necessary for part of the time. Note the white 'comma' mark on it's wing, from which it gets its name.

What's this unexciting old piece of vegetation?

It's  a fine Small Tortoiseshell butterfly on it's favourite plant, nettle on which the Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars feed when the eggs hatch. These are usually laid on the underside of a new nettle leaf.

In the shade, well camouflaged except of the double eye on the 

bright orange corner of the inner wing...

Two Gatekeeper butterflies mating amongst the riverbank vegetation.

BIRDS first

Friday 26th July 2013 - looking for butterflies along the riverside here - a late start (10.30) as some butterflies don't appear early - being cold-blooded, they need warmth from sunlight in order to gain strength to fly. Other wildlife seen is recorded as well.

Mainly cloudy but bright with breaks in the cloud, becoming warmer, sunny and hot. 

A very good sign for the coming winter, a Blackthorn hedge laden with sloes! There is an abundance of Hawthorn berries too, still green.

Down on the river bank, house sparrows were enjoying bathing, coming up to dry perched on the dead branches to get the most of the sun.  A colony was coming and going from a hedgerow whilst others were chatting in the dense Brambles (36). Blue tits (15) could be heard bickering, for once not busy foraging but just preening (15), watching the Bumblebees whirr past. Great tits (7) were very quiet, foraging in a Hazel tree. 

Hweeet calls from the Willows gave away chiffchaffs (3). These never stop foraging for insects.

Woodpigeons were looking very well fed, with most dozing in shady places in leafy trees (10).

Only one carrion crow was seen, calling - they too are well fed now, with food easy to find. 

In the shade under the bridge a Song thrush (2) was bathing in the clear running river water and another was seen foraging under a hedge, obviously still collecting food for young in the nest. Blackbirds too (5) were still foraging and collecting food for nestlings, searching amongst the moist shady grasses, beaks full with enough food for several young.

Wrens were at their most elusive, only three seen, two of them singing in the Blackthorn. They are all there, hidden on the river bank but have no need for song quite yet, they may have young close by. Robins (2) hiding away like the wrens were even quieter - and two juvenile dunnocks were seen in the same area in deep shade under cover at the base of a hedge. Movements in the Willows overhanging the river, so slight it could just have been the breeze catching the leaves - but long tails can't be hidden - they belonged to 5 juvenile long-tailed tits, obviously just fledged and uncertain what to do next, staying close together, reaching out to passing insects, giving very quiet contact calls. 

Further along, two juvenile blackcaps were quietly foraging.

Up in the sky, a Buzzard was gliding and circling, calling - then it's call was answered by another, unseen behind the trees, whilst magnificent swifts (9) turned and dived, catching insects - far more than last year, they are with us over the river every day, a good indication that they have nests and young to feed not very far away, although if food is scarce they can fly very long distances to forage. Herring gulls (5) were seen scanning the fields then disappeared.

The only alarm call today was from a great spotted woodpecker in an old oak, perhaps a jay or magpie was annoying it, although none were seen.

Now back to the intended species - the insects!

BUTTERFLIES and their companions:

Only five days ago many more birds made themselves visible but there were fewer insects...

Green-veined White butterfly in our landscape - feeding on the riverbank plants in the hot sun.

Each butterfly species has its own characteristics with different preferences  of food plants, habitat and range. The species found here on the riverside are here because of the diversity of the riverside plants, trees and grasses. Some are scarce and some are quite numerous in good years but all species are under threat of extinction in the not-too-distant future, not just here but everywhere in the English countryside. The Large Tortoiseshell butterfly is already extinct.

Here today on the riverbanks a short survey revealed:

Gatekeeper butterflies (21) 'sunning' on nettle leaves awaiting the sun, some nectaring on Brambles, others on Senecio jacobaea, most just patrolling their territories along the riverbank nettles, chasing off intruders.

Green-veined White (7) mostly identified when perching, they have a unique pattern on the wings, sometimes very pale grey-green - the one pictured above is a clear example with a good pattern.

Large White (18) butterflies along the banks and over the fields of winter wheat.

Small White butterflies (6) could be confused with the Green-veined White but behave more like the Large White, wide ranging across the countryside.

Speckled Wood (3) butterflies chasing each other in circles higher into the trees.

Large Skipper (7) butterflies chasing each other along the drier margins of the banks and on bright wild flowers.

Small Skipper butterflies (3) just as the Large Skippers but without such dark markings and without the light pattern on the underwing, also favouring dry long grasses and bright wild  flowers.

Meadow Brown butterflies (17) are quite common, ranging over drier areas with long grasses. They can become worn with paler colours, sometimes basking on the ground.

Comma butterflies (9), always beautiful in bright orange colouring, unique shape and ragged-looking wing margins. The white 'comma' can only be seen when it perches with wings closed (as on the above photo)

Ringlets (22) very numerous today, favouring the damper places, some basking to warm up but being disturbed and chased by bees. They are modestly coloured in dull brown but have beautiful outer wings studded with rings, unmistakable when perched with closed wings. 

Peacock butterflies (5) perhaps the most showy and distinctive of those seen here, emerged into the sunlight late in the morning but clearly needed to warm up more as they perched with closed wings with the almost black colouring absorbing the heat of the sun. Only occasionally did they spread their wings showing the fine Peacock colours and eye markings.

Red Admirals (4) probably the toughest and most brilliantly coloured of all - and the most inquisitive, were investigation our new 'wild flower meadow' patch only recently seeded where just a few flowers were showing. They can be seen much later in the year than any other butterfly, having good furry body insulation. They hibernate in our sheds and outhouses.

Small Tortoiseshell (1) only one,  rather faded, was seen today but this was probably an intermediate phase between the early first butterflies appearing and the later emergence. 

Holly Blue butterfly (1) also just one seen, flying high near Holly and Ivy, it's never seen in large numbers.

and others:

Lots of small day-flying moths were seen amongst the grasses, all food for birds!

Good numbers of Bumblebees, white-tailed, buff-tailed and red-tailed mainly, a few wasps, many hoverflies, good numbers of ladybirds, mainly 7 spot, all on the nettles and trees after the aphids.

Last but not least, Banded Demoiselle Damselflies (8) on nettles, reeds and lily pads in sheltered places on the river and Southern Hawker Dragonflies (2) in different locations, fast-flying over the nettles just as the sun appeared from the clouds, one investigated me with interest, flying towards me then away, then back again several times before flying high up into the trees.

As birds hide, butterflies colour the Riverside

July 10th and still hot with a NE breeze - there are always sheltered areas to be found on the banks of the meandering rivers, varying with the wind direction. Butterflies and damselflies take advantage of this. Today was an excellent day for butterflies, some areas becoming so popular it appeared that species would collide. One sheltered sunny nettled and brambled bank held Small Tortoiseshell butterflies and very fresh Comma butterflies chasing, brilliant colours of the Commas visible high in the Hawthorns and low over the water with Speckled Wood butterflies spiralling up and down in the shade. 

This Comma butterfly was perched on one of the best plants for

many butterflies, the nettle, today. There were more Commas than

I have ever seen here in this wooded corner, they are usually seen in ones and twos.

Small Tortoiseshell butterflies however were the stars of today, mingling with the Commas and perching on the nettles, some laying eggs on the undersides of young nettle leaves, ensuring

another generation sees the light of day. These will seek out flowers and feed up before hibernating over the winter.

Several Gatekeeper butterflies were seen for the first time this summer, ranging along the verges and fences and there were several here over the riverbank today, together with Red Admirals, Large Skippers,  Meadow Browns and Large Whites over the rapidly drying grasses, and a Ringlet in damp grasses.

Over the river, male Banded Demoiselle damselflies chased each other, quite aggressive but beautiful creatures. Low down over the river they dance like dark shadows and suddenly transform when the sun hits them, showing their true colours - brilliant metallic blue males and green females with green translucent wings.

This female Banded Demoiselle damselfly today chose a warm sunlit 

bramble leaf on which to perch whilst watching out for insects, rapidly flying out to catch one, returning to the same leaf to perch and eat - then watch again and dart out for the catch.

There always appear to be more males than females but this is mainly due to the females having near perfect camouflage, perhaps just the white false wing spot gives her away.  

Birds will of course catch insects especially when feeding young, including butterflies, moths, damselflies and dragonflies but with such plentiful insect life of all kinds on the river, these are not endangered.

Today most birds were quiet - but with exceptions -  blackcaps and a whitethroat were singing, but most of the song came from wrens along the river. Robins and blackbirds were seen foraging low down on the river, carrying off food for their young. High above, three buzzards were again seen circling over with some swifts disappearing into the distance. 

Tree Bumblebee time in the Brambles

The First of July - and yesterdays Peacock caterpillars are still doing well on the river bank, venturing further afield after finishing off their home nettle foodplant. It's still warm, mostly sunny and dry with Brambles flowering at last - the bees taking full advantage. Several types of Bumblebee were foraging on the open flowers, shooting across to land on the centre, making a rapid turn to forage and taking off again. It was windy and bees are not usually found basking!

This one is a Tree Bumblebee ( Bombus hypnorum) in action,

taking off from a Bramble flower, laden with pollen, wings whirring.

The Tree Bumblebee is of interest as it suddenly decided, in 2001, to

investigate living in England, when the very first one was found near Southampton.

They had formerly not been seen here but were resident in other countries

including mainland Europe. They are probably named 'Tree Bumblebee

as they nest above ground. It is known as an excellent pollinator.

They have made steady progress north since 2001 and ONLY 4 DAYS AGO

the first one was found in SCOTLAND.

Congratulations to that courageous bee, we hope it survives! 

Whilst studying the Brambles, I was alerted to faint but familiar cries. Looking up into the windswept sky - nothing - but gradually the calls became louder, then a common buzzard appeared over the tree line, sailing very high, then it was joined by another, gliding, circling around, coming closer to the river, then a third buzzard appeared - all three enjoying the wind, gliding against it then dropping fast and around again, calling each other.

Later, after they had sailed away, a kestrel was seen - wings beating against the wind. Swifts were present too, they are seen now every day over the river.

A whitethroat was singing in the old wildflower meadow (AKA Reptile Field) then flew over to perch on a fence post, still singing. They always choose this field to nest in the scrub each year - it's popular too with foraging house sparrows as soon as the grasses produce seeds. . Several pied wagtails were seen on the bare earth, blackbirds were foraging on the damp grass and a fine treecreeper was making its way along the branch and up the trunk of one of the old oak trees over the river.