Sunday 14th June 2020

Butterfly Species: Meadow Brown (25) Small White (1) Green-veined White (1) Small Skipper (2) Marbled White (8) Small Tortoiseshell (1) Red Admiral (3)

Marbled White - Tucking Mill 14-06-2020

Fine weather greeted me as I headed out of the Combe Down tunnel near Tucking Mill this Sunday. The temperature was hovering around 21c and it was my first visit there in nearly three weeks. On my last visit I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year and, as predicted, they were now numerous. 

Marbled White - Tucking Mill 14-06-2020
 
June is a great time for butterflies. It is the month I look forward to, as the grassy meadows and hedgerows are in full bloom and one of my favourite butterflies start to appear. The Marbled White is a wonderful grassland species and very photogenic. It's intricate black and white markings are particularly striking when freshly emerged. Despite it's appearance it is in fact a closer relative of the Meadow Brown than of the Large and Small Whites and live along side the Meadow Browns in their grassland habitats.

Meadow Brown - Tucking Mill 14-06-2020

Further along the path at Midford the cycle-path continues over a viaduct which is in almost constant sun when the weather is fine. It is lined on both sides by a variety of wild flowers which attract butterflies over the summer months. On this trip, there were Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells, a Green-veined White and a large Skipper.

Red Admiral - Midford 14-06-2020

Red Admirals are a common sight through most of the warm months of the year. Their wing patterns are both striking and very consistent. Males and females are pretty much identical and cannot be confused with any other British butterfly. 

Red Admiral (ab. bialbata) - Midford 14-06-2020

However, if you take a closer look, you may see a small difference. A fairly common 'aberration' is that in certain individuals there is an additional white spot in the red band on the forewings. This form of the Red Admiral has been named ab. bialbata or ab. ocellata depending on the individual butterflies gender (See above). 

There has, for centuries, been heated debates amongst lepidopterist over the naming of 'aberrations'. Fortunately, there are some good authorities on the subject these days including the Natural History Museum in London and the British Butterfly Abberations website.

Small Tortoiseshell - Midford 14-06-2020

The Small Tortoiseshell seems to be having a good year. There were good numbers emerging from hibernation this spring and the first of this years generations is now beginning to appear. This one I found sunning itself in the evening light close to a Large Skipper, as I made my way back along the cycle-path home.

Large Skipper - Midford 14-06-2020


Green-Veined White - Midford 14-06-2020

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