Saturday 1st June 2019

Butterfly Species: Red Admiral (1) Small White (1) Peacock (1) Brimstone (2) Holly Blue (1)

Peacock Butterfly - Midford 01-06-2019

It's the 1st of June and the temperature was around 24 degrees C as I set off down the path. I was hopeful of seeing a good number of butterflies. I was surprised therefore that I got all the way to the Midford viaduct before seeing any butterflies at all. Here I managed to see an ageing Peacock butterfly which was nectaring on the Valerian flowers that were growing there in great profusion. This butterfly would have emerged sometime around July/August last year. Definitely a veteran!



This lack of butterflies reminds me that I was I need to do is to compare the actual numbers of butterflies recorded this year against the numbers recorded in the same week last year. My impression so far is that although I'm seeing the same species this year that I saw last year the numbers of each are lower this year than last. Once I've done this, I will publish the results on the blog.

Wild Flowers on the Midford Viaduct - 01-06-2019
It was also on the bridge where I saw what was one of the first Red Admirals I've seen this year. This butterfly appeared freshly emerged, it's bright black, red and white wings all seemed very new. Sadly, it wasn't hanging around and soon flew off over the parapet and away.

Brimstone Larvae on Buckthorn Leaf - Midford 01-06-2019
I travelled further down the track towards Wellow and after the first gate I visited the Buckthorn bush where I found a Brimstone egg a couple of weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find at least two brimstone caterpillars feeding on the leaves. There was much evidence of other caterpillars being present, although I didn’t manage to find them on this visit.

Brimstone Larvae on Buckthorn Leaf - Midford 01-06-2019
It was here where I saw the first ‘blue’ of the day this was a female Holly Blue gently and carefully flying between the shrubs looking for its food plant, which at this time of year is Holly.

I decided at the beginning of the year that I would also use the footpaths around the track between Tucking Mill and Midford to survey for other butterflies in the area. Today I managed to cover two or three footpaths where I saw Common Blues, Small Copper, Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper. This is a useful exercise which helps me better understand the butterflies that I find on the cycle path.

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