A good year for butterflies?

[FrenchieBoy]

I was out yesterday and came across a huge mass of caterpillars that I hadn't seen for many years gobbling up a bed of nettles (The photo only shows a very small percentage of the caterpillars that were there in the area) - caterpillars from the Peacock Butterfly (See photo 1). I am hoping that this year will produce more of these beautiful butterflies which are so colourful and not seen so much of these days in our area.
I also had the butterfly in photo 2 sit and pose for me which I thought made a quite"pleasing photo" so I've included that one (just because I like it) - Unfortunately its name escapes me.



Have any of you spotted any "unusual" or "rare" butterflies on your trips "out and about in the countryside"?

 

[McKenzie]

Can't see the images.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Sorry mate, I got it wrong but have edited and got it right now.

 

[McKenzie]

Great pics.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Great pics.

Thank you Sir! Even though I don't get out shooting with a shotgun or rifle any more I still enjoy getting out and about to shoot with my cameras and keep in touch with the wildlife and country side around me! In a way wildlife photography is much like stalking - You have to take your time and keep your eyes peeled, and have plenty of patience!

 

[reloader54]

I was out yesterday and came across a huge mass of caterpillars that I hadn't seen for many years gobbling up a bed of nettles (The photo only shows a very small percentage of the caterpillars that were there in the area) - caterpillars from the Peacock Butterfly (See photo 1). I am hoping that this year will produce more of these beautiful butterflies which are so colourful and not seen so much of these days in our area.
I also had the butterfly in photo 2 sit and pose for me which I thought made a quite"pleasing photo" so I've included that one (just because I like it) - Unfortunately its name escapes me.

View attachment 132907View attachment 132909

Have any of you spotted any "unusual" or "rare" butterflies on your trips "out and about in the countryside"?

Polyommatus icarus [common blue.]

 

[levigsp]

Its been the worst summer for years up here , therefor rubbish for butterflys and moths. Ive seen stacks of painted ladies, red admiral, tortoise shell, cabbage white and various other whites, but the LBJs are few and far between. Moths Ive seen tiger, red under wing and a couple of hawkmoths and that's about it.

 

[Dexter]

Nice photos. Really good for Peacocks around me too. Saw more whilst out yesterday than I can ever remember before in my life.

 

[old keeper]

As a boy/young man, I was a very keen butterfly collector in the days when it was totally acceptable. Got my killing bottle from Boots (a Kilner jar with plaster of parts underneath which was potassium cyanide crystals!!!) All for a shilling and a signature in a poisons register.
The fields were full of butterflies and moths, today I can walk some fields and see perhaps two or three butterflies. The buddleia in the garden which years ago would have been alive with butterflies now only gets the odd visitor. There's been a bit of an influx of Painted Ladies but many species have all but disappeared. Ringlets, for example, once very common are now a rarity around here. I saw a couple of Brimstones at the start of the year but overall although many species are still around they are just about hanging on. One of the local farmers leaves the headlands to weed and grass under the stewardship scheme and that's helped a bit with a few blues and small coppers showing up occasionally, but overall present day farming practices has done little for our native butterflies and moths.

 

[reloader54]

I have seen quite a few white admirals this year, and lots of cinnabar moths, along with lots of rarer specimens that our resident expert [who collects data for various organisations]finds, whose names I couldn't even hope to pronounce.
we have large areas of wild flowers and unfarmed areas managed with flora and fauna in mind. in addition to the usual diversity of farmland and wood/wetlands.

 

[lw woodlands]

Lovely! Been a good year here, clouds of marbled whites, meadow browns and ringlets in our meadows. Not so many blues this year though.
Most of our grassland here has been sown with wildflower seed or is managed to encourage natural colonisation of wildflowers. Modern meadows of hybrid ryegrass are pretty barren environments sadly.

We tend to only think about the adult butterfly or 'imago' in summer but of course they are present all year overwintering as either eggs, pupae, or caterpillars and many require specific host plants for the caterpillars.

 

[bogtrotter]

Very poor here for both Bee's and Butterflies only Butterflies I have seen are a couple of Cabbage Whites in the garden.
Hardly seen a honey bee but have a nest of Bumble bees under the garden steps.

 

[finnbear270]

Many small tortoiseshells round here.

 

[kes]

I am not clued up on butterflies but in SWales there is a drive to be bee friendly so we tend to see lots of butterflies. They are very active, even at this time and when I mowed the fields the other day there were clouds of what I probably mistakenly took for 'meadow browns. Few cabbage whites about plenty of red admirals and peacocks but not many commas.
The next few days will perhaps make a difference.