Blue

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

For years now, I've been trying to get a picture of this little butterfly: the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus). The problem is that it almost never, EVER alights! Instead, it flits around the garden, touching down (if at all) for only the briefest of moments. About the time the camera focuses, the butterfly is off again. But last week, I got lucky. This female returned again and again to a bush just outside the house, presumably checking it out as a potential site to lay its eggs. The butterfly gets its name from the primary host of its spring larvae. That first generation feeds principally on the buds, berries and terminal leaves of the Holly tree while a second generation, which emerges later in the summer, is found primarily on Ivy. In both generations, larvae will also feed on various other shrubs and vines, including spindles, brambles, dogwoods, snowberries and gorses. Our garden has both Holly and Ivy, plus plenty of brambles, so I'm sure this little female can find somewhere appropriate to lay.

The Holly Blue is one of two blue species we get here. The other, Common Blue, is distinguished by orange spotting on the underwing. Adult Holly Blues emerge earlier in the spring – as early as April, as opposed to June for the Common Blue. According to the Butterfly Conservation's website, the Holly Blue tends to fly higher than other blues, which typically stick close to the ground; maybe that's why I don't seem to see as many of them. They also go through big population swings from year to year, primarily because they're regularly attacked by a parasitoid ichneumon wasp, which lays its eggs in the butterfly's developing caterpillars. The caterpillars serve as the only host for the wasp, so when their numbers inevitably collapse, so does the wasp's population. This allows the butterflies to recover, with the wasp numbers slowly following. And so the cycle continues! The butterfly is common and widespread in England and Wales, and rarer in Scotland and northern Ireland, though it is spreading steadily northwards. Elsewhere, it is common across much of Eurasia – and serves as the national butterfly of Finland.

Quicksilver

Silver-washed Fritillery (Argynnis paphia) with Peacock (Aglais io) in the background

On a whirlwind afternoon last month, we recorded three new species of butterfly for the property. They were part of a big influx that occurred over several days, pushed in our direction by warm southerly winds and enticed to the garden by a plethora of blooming Buddleia bushes. Among the multitude of Peacocks, Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells that were sprinkled across the flower spikes, we spotted a suspiciously orange flash, which resolved itself into this slightly battered but still handsome male Silver-washed Fritillery (Argynnis paphis) – a rare visitor to our corner of England. You can tell he's a male by the long dark streaks on his forewing; these are his "sex brands". When he's courting a female, he dazzles her with his acrobatics, flying loops above, in front of, and under her as she continues to fly in a straight line. If she's impressed enough to land, he shakes loose a shower of scented scales from those sex brands to further convince her of his desirability. At first glance it seems odd to call this butterfly "silver-washed", given that it's orange and black. The steaks which give it its common name are actually on the underside of its hindwing, and are only visible when the butterfly folds its wings.

This isn't a common species in our part of England. Typically, it's found in the southern and western corners of Britain, with only the occasional strays making it futher north and east. It's primarily a woodland species, breeding in shadier parts of the forest, but moving to more open areas to feed. Adults fly from mid-June through August. Once she's mated, a female will lay her eggs in moss or bark crevices near colonies of Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana). Though they hatch in the fall, the larvae immediately go into hibernation. The following spring, they'll emerge to feed on the newly-flowering violets. The species underwent a big population decline in the 1900s, but in recent decades have started to expand their range again. Here's hoping they become more common again in our part of the country!

Wall

Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera)

While rambling around the garden on a recent afternoon, I spotted an unfamiliar butterfly resting on a blown thistle head. It looked a bit like a Gatekeeper, but with a lot of extra spots and barring. Clearly, this was something new! I snapped a few pictures and went in search of Mike for an ID. One look brought him scuttling out with his own camera. It's a Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera), a widely distributed but seriously declining species here in the UK. Since the late 1970s, its numbers have dropped by more than 75%, making it one of the island's most imperiled butterflies. It's clinging on along the coasts of England, Wales and Ireland, and in southern Scotland, but has largely disappeared from the UK's interior. And it's not common anywhere now, with only small numbers seen in most places. Wall Brown caterpillars feed on various grasses (including Common Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) and Yorkshire Fog), so our pocket meadow (which has plenty of both) might prove appealing if this male managed to find a female. Wall Browns are named for their habit of basking on walls and other stony places. This one moved from its thistle to our greenhouse door later in the afternoon, the better to catch the sun's rays. Adults fly from May to October, so we could theoretically see another one or two. Given their small numbers, that would definitely be a treat!

Essex

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Now that we're finally into "summer proper", with temperatures regularly above 20 C (68 F), the numbers of butterflies have increased pretty dramatically. In addition to many Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, Essex Skippers (Thymelicus lineola) are dancing through the grasses of the pocket meadow. They're typically on the wing from mid-June through August, though they were quite late in appearing this year. Like many skippers, these little butterflies often hold their forewings at almost right angles to their hindwings when resting, which gives them quite a distinctive profile; they remind me ever so slightly of the American A-10 military plane (the "Warthog"). Their darting flight and bright orange upperwings separate them from all but their close relative, the Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris). In fact, the skippers are so similar that until the end of the 1800s, naturalists didn't even realize that there were two distinct species. The best way to tell them apart is to check undersides of the tips of their antennae; those of the Essex Skippers are dark (see above), while those of Small Skippers are pale. Needless to say, that regularly results in us scuttling around the garden, and getting down on our hands and knees to peer at butterfly undersides. (Yes, we're still nerds.)

In our garden, Essex Skippers far outnumber their cousins. They're common and widespread across southeastern and central England, and edging into the eastern part of Wales; their distribution that has more than doubled over the past few decades, and they're one of the few UK butterflies that isn't in trouble. They like tall, dry, sunny grasslands, so our pocket meadow is ideal. Essex Skippers spend most of their lives in an egg: from July until early April, in fact! The female lays her eggs in the sheath between a grass stem and leaf blade. The larvae hatch in early spring and feed on grasses, particularly Common Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata). The nectar-feeding adults prefer thistle flowers. Luckily, our garden's buffet includes plenty of choice for both larvae and adults!

Speckled Wood

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

These days, our Crab Apple (Malus 'John Downie') is shedding fruits left, right and centre. Mike has been gathering them up and piling them atop a dead stump in the back corner of the garden, and that pile has been attracting all sorts of insects. The other day, those insects included a rather battered Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), a species that is most common in woodland, but also occasionally found along hedgerows and in gardens. It's common and widespread across much of Britain, though missing from northern England and southern Scotland. Although it declined precipitously at the end of the 19th-century, it has recovered and recolonised much of its former range. Elsewhere, it's found across northern and central Europe and northern Africa, east as far as Russia and central Asia. Its colouration is perfect for its preferred habitat — dappled sunlight in shady forest understorey. Adult Speckled Woods spend most of their lives sipping honeydew from aphids high in the treetops. They're rarely seen at flowers (or rotting fruits), except early and late in the year, when aphids are less common. Speckled Wood caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses, many of which grow in our pocket meadow, so maybe we're hosting youngsters even though we haven't knowingly seen any.

Green veins

Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Over the past few weeks, we've begun to see increasing numbers of Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi) in the garden. Some, like this pair, have even been stuck together, busily making more Green-veined Whites. It's not hard to see how they got their common name. From the top, they can look bewilderingly similar to Small Whites (which are known as "Cabbage Whites" in the US), but the green lines on their undersides are gratifyingly distinctive. Unlike the other butterflies I've profiled so far, this one is double-brooded. The offspring of one brood overwinters as pupae (no longer caterpillars, but not yet butterflies), emerging as adults from early April through June. These mate and lay eggs, and a second brood emerges as adults from mid-July into September. This second brood lays the eggs that hatch and develop as far as pupae, which then overwinter. Green-veined Whites are common and widespread across the British Isles, found everywhere except the highest peaks. They're drawn to damp areas with lush vegetation, where the larval food plants — a variety of wild crucifers — can be found. In our garden, the patches of Garlic Mustard likely fit the bill, at least for the first brood. These butterflies are most common in wetlands and damp meadows, along water courses, and in damper hedgerows and wood edges, but they clearly venture beyond those areas. Maybe, once we've put our pond in, they'll even stick around!

Brown

Male Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Just recently, the Meadow Browns have arrived. They've been pretty conspicuous lately because they're one of the few butterfly species that remain active in dull weather — and we've seen plenty of cloud in the past week. We're getting into the peak flight time for this subtly-coloured butterfly; they're most plentiful in July and August, though they start to appear in June and continue through September. Butterfly Conservation (a UK charity dedicated to saving butterflies and moths) says the Meadow Brown is one of Britain's most widespread butterflies, found across the British Isles, though numbers appear to be declining fairly signficantly in much of Scotland. They're found in a wide range of grassland habitats (hay meadows, heathland, coastal dunes, roadside verges, etc.) as well as in cemeteries, gardens and parks. Females lay their eggs on grasses, particularly on fescues, bents and meadow-grasses, all of which we have here. These eggs soon hatch, and the resulting caterpillars munch grass for the rest of the summer before overwintering. 

Meadow Browns look a bit like a couple of other brown butterflies we have in the garden these days: the Gatekeeper and the Ringlet. Meadow Browns are distinguished by their larger size, the restricted orange patches and single "eyespot" on their forewings (with a single white "pupil" within that eyespot), and the lack of spots on their hind wings. Meadow Browns are among the UK's most abundant butterflies, with reports of hundreds accumulating in some spots. We don't see anywhere near that many here, but they are congregating in ever larger numbers in the garden, chasing each other around over the pocket meadow and resting on its mown paths. It's nice to know that we'll be seeing them around for the rest of the summer.

Checkers

Male Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines)

One of the early-season butterflies that has made quite a splash in our garden this spring is the unmistakable Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines). Somehow, they weren't on our butterfly list until this spring, though I'm sure we must have seen some before then. This year, however, they've been hard to miss! Mike got the nice snap of the male above; it's certainly easy to see how it got its common name. The female (pictured below) is a bit tougher to identify. From above, she looks very similar to the Small White. Underneath, though, is a different story. The green-and-white checkered pattern (found on the underside of both males and females) is unique among Britain's breeding butterflies, and shared by only a few closely-related species elsewhere in Europe. The Orange-tips are in our garden thanks to our burgeoning stands of Garlic Mustard, which we've left specifically to attract them. Both that and Cuckoo-flower are favoured larval food plants. Other crucifers (members of the cabbage family) are also used to a lesser extent, but caterpillar survival isn't thought to be good on those plants.

Orange-tips are now common and widespread across most of the British Isles, having surged north well into Scotland over the past 30 years. Their range extends throughout Europe and across temperate Asia as far as China. Although they prefer damper habitats, such as the banks of streams and rivers, woodlands and hedgerows, they'll readily visit gardens too. Adults are on the wing between April and July. Females lay their tiny eggs, which turn bright orange as they mature, near the developing seeds of the host plants. When the caterpillars emerge, they eat first their eggshell, and then any nearby unhatched eggs — eliminating the competition. By July, the caterpillars will pupate, remaining encased until the following spring, when they emerge as adults.

Female

Punctuation

We've seen relatively few Comma (Polygonia c-album) butterflies in the garden this year, which is surprising, considering that adults feed on a huge variety of flowering plants and larvae feed on Common Nettle, which is growing (almost bush-like) in all corners of the garden. This one fluttered its way around the patch recently, spending much of its time visiting Buddleia flowers or resting, spread-winged, on nearby vegetation. The jagged edges to the wings, and the bold orange and black pattern on their upperside make this an easy species to identify. The underside is far more cryptic; when its wings are closed, the butterfly strongly resembles a dead leaf — with a little "comma" mark (hence its common name) on the hindwing. This one has clearly had a close encounter with a bird; that nip at the back of the right hindwing is just about the perfect beak shape!

According to Butterfly Conservation, Commas underwent a huge decline in the British Isles in the last century, before their populations rebounded again. Now they're common and widespread across much of England and Wales, though still rare in Scotland and Northern Ireland. They're recorded in virtually every month of the year, though they're not typically seen flying between November and late February. They overwinter as adults, hibernating in sheltered places, and are among the first butterflies to be seen in early spring.

Small Copper

Does the blog seem butterfly-centric lately? That's because they're fluttering around in rather impressive numbers these days, visiting the many flowers we've planted specifically to draw pollinators into the garden. This one is a Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), a fast-flyer found throughout much of the British Isles (though missing from north-western Scotland, some of the northern Scottish islands, and mountainous areas). It prefers open areas, and lays its eggs on Common Sorrel, Sheep's Sorrel or Broad-leafed Dock — none of which we have in any significant amount in the garden at the moment. We'll have to add some to the bank we're planning to develop and plant in the coming year, because it's definitely a treat to see these handsome insects up close. They typically have 2 - 3 broods per year (4 in exceptionally good years), so we'd have multiple chances to make a difference for this declining species. And that's certainly something to aim for!

Tortoiseshell

They finally showed up this past weekend, the Small Tortoiseshells (Aglais urticae) that have been mysteriously and distressingly absent so far this summer. We didn't get many; it was only a trio buzzing around the Buddleia bush in one corner of the garden. But that was three more than we'd seen so far this summer — which is concerning. Insect watchers everywhere in the British Isles are reporting the same thing: the nearly complete collapse of this formerly common and widespread species. Unfortunately, no one is quite sure what's happening, particularly as some other species appear to be having a banner year. It can't be a lack of available food plants for either the adults or the larvae. Adults feed on a variety of plants, and the larvae feed on Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) which is ubiquitous throughout most of the islands. Hopefully, our many nettles will prove irresistible to any egg-laying female in the area!

Gatekeeper

The last few weeks have seen the emergence of a host of Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus), small brown and orange butterflies that seem particularly drawn to the grassy part of our garden. They flit along the paths and over the ripening grass flowers in their dozens, always close to the ground and often chasing each other. The one in the picture above is a male, identified by that curving brown "hook" in the forewing, which the female lacks. She's less orange, and has an identifiably different pattern underneath her wings. Gatekeepers were named centuries ago for their habit of visiting the flowers that grew around the gates tucked into hedgerows around agricultural fields. They're still found in such areas, as well as scrubby grasslands (like our pocket meadow), country lanes and woodland rides. They're often found in the same areas as Meadow Browns (Maniola jurtina) and Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus), two other butterfly species which we've seen in our pocket meadow as well. In the UK, they're found primarily in the southern and central counties of England and Wales, but they're slowly expanding their range northwards. On cloudy days like today, they tend to spend most of their time spread-eagled on a leaf, a flowerhead or the ground; they're a lot more active on sunny days. Adults feed on nectar from many flowers, but the caterpillars feed on grasses — so Gatekeepers of all ages should be happy at our place!

Migration wave

Several days ago, we had a mini-invasion of white butterflies. Most were the resident Small Whites (whose picture I haven't yet managed to snap), but a few were immigrant Large Whites (Pieris brassicae) like this one, driven north by the gentle southerly winds that had been blowing for days. The broad black tip to the upperwing, particularly how far it extends down the back edge of the wing, helps to distinguish this species from its smaller cousin, while the dusting of dark scales on the underside of the hind wing and the bold black spots on the upperside of the forewing mark it as a "first brood" female. Unlike some British butterflies, Large Whites have multiple broods per year. They fly from March to late October, and occur throughout the British Isles; elsewhere, they're common and widespread across northern Africa and all of Europe, the Middle East and in Asia as far as the Himalayas. Their diverse habitats include virtually anywhere their larval host plants occur, and adults are particularly fond of thistles and knapweeds.

As larvae, Large Whites can become serious pests of Brassicaceae species, including cultivated crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustards, horseradish, etc. While their damage tends to be fairly limited in Britain, they are capable of causing the near-complete loss of crops in localised areas elsewhere in the world. Fortunately, none of our neighbouring farmers have planted such crops this year, and we don't much care what they nibble here in the garden — within reason of course!

Peacocks

Mention to someone that you've just seen a Peacock in the garden, and their mind is probably filled with visions of a sizable blue-green bird with a spectacularly impressive tail and a penchant for shaking its booty. But there's another creature with the same common name — the handsome red butterfly Inachis io. It's a common and widespread species across much of Europe, including nearly all of the British Isles. (They appear to reach northern Scotland only as migrants.) Since they hibernate overwinter as adults, Peacocks start showing up as early as March on balmy spring days, but their main flight season is between June and August. This adult was feeding on Lemon Thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) in our herb patch; they're also very fond of Buddleia. The larvae feed on nettles, of which we have plenty growing in some of the rougher corners of the garden. Hopefully, we're helping to boost the local population!

With wings closed, they're a lot less eye-catching!

Red Admiral

One of our most common butterflies so far this year has been the handsome Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). Though they overwinter as adults further south in Europe, they don't do so successfully very often in Britain, so most (or all) of the ones we see here are migrants from the mainland. According to Collins Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe, these butterflies spend a lot of time basking on walls (like the one I photographed was doing) and rock faces. They lay their eggs on the tip of a leaf (preferably one in a sunny spot), and once the larva hatches, it rolls the leaf up and feeds from within the rolled-up tube. They're one of the reasons we leave a bit of Common Nettle standing in a corner or two of the garden; that and various pellitory species are among the host plants for the larvae, while the adults love any nectar-rich flower. We'll be seeing them right through October — or even later, if it stays warm enough!

Immigrants

Today, like much of the rest of eastern England, we were inundated with Painted Ladies. They've been coming for days, fluttering north across Europe (where they were reported in their thousands on the eastern Mediterannean islands and in eastern Europe), pushed by southerly winds. This is a migrant species in much of Europe, moving progressively north from Africa as spring advances, eventually reaching as far as the Arctic Circle in some places; some years, they've even made it as far as Iceland! Some of them have clearly had an arduous journey; the photo below shows one that's missing much of both hindwings and a considerable percentage of its scales. It was still flying strongly though. This is an incredibly widespread species, found nearly everywhere in the world, though not in South America. Its larvae use a very wide range of host plants, but thistles are a favorite — and we have a corner of the garden full of them. It's nice to know we're doing our part to help ensure a further generation of these beautiful creatures. From one immigrant to another, I say "Live long and prosper"!