Countywide, after a warm winter  April turned  cold, very wet and dull and everything just about stopped and it was near impossible to transect walk all month. By May  there were already  losses  among our spring species being  down a third in numbers.  June brought Arctic winds, a complete reversal of  the Hot June of 2023 when nine  species reached all time highs here and across the UK.  For the  first two weeks of this June  temperatures  were 8’C cooler than  in 2023 around  a frigid  9’C  with  only 5 good days of sun at the end of the month.  The  first three weeks of July had  the same theme of  cool and damp with 5 warm sunny days at the end. Transect walking for many  was very difficult.  The  persistence of the cold and damp over such a long period had a devastating effect with numerically two thirds of our butterflies in the critical later stages of their development; mortality was very high. It was  also one of the longest June  ‘Lulls’  lasting from late May to the beginning of July. When the main flight  season did arrive it  was  slow to build up  and there was no usual peak. Better weather in August helped  save the second generation and very unusually numbers actually went up at the start of September.

  Losers

        For many species it was a triple whammy after  the heat and droughts of the previous 2 years and  last July’s poor flight period this year made it a perfect storm. Overall, annual numbers were down 41% against the average and 45% down on last year.  Half our species were down more than 50% and a quarter down more  than 70%. The Lycaenids, Vannesids and the Fritillaries were amongst the worst affected. Many transect walkers did not see  a single Common Blue, Small Copper, Holly Blue, or Brown Argus until late into their 2nd broods..  Four of our long term declining species Common Blue, Small Heath, Small Skipper and Green-veined White  had  their worst year ever recorded. 

The Winners and less bad losers 

      Northern Brown Argus  had an exceptional year up near 50%  Other species bucking  the trend were Brimstone and Marbled White. The  damp  loving Ringlet on many limestone/dry sites  were up a half  while on most wet sites they fell by a half.  However if it wasn’t for Ringlet holding up the overall numerical losses, this year would have been significantly worse. It often happens when Meadow Brown has a very poor year, like this one, Ringlet does proportionally better, and vice versa in a warm year. 

It has all happened before… many times.    

It was our worst year since 2016 but nearly as bad as 2009  when numbers  were  down 50%.  2024 comes after a run of 6 relatively good years since 2018  along with  rapidly rising temperatures including 2 of our hottest summers which were followed by two of our best butterfly years in 2019 and 2023. It is  likely 2024 was a blip

Millfield did rather better than the county averages shown in the graphic and certainly in teh top 20 sites.. The trends however do pretty much match the county ones.  The damp loving Ringlet nearly doubling  and the meadow brown although very much down compared to last year but  up against 5 yr average.  Similarly Speckled wood did well on some sites. Peacock quadrupled from last years big dip and this was very much the county trend of a strong recovery after the two years of drought. Unfortunatly the early breeding Tortoiseshell seems to have coped it badly in the diabolical April weather but the results here are no where near as bad as most sites who failed to see any or just 1 or 2. . Most of the losses were with the Vannesids and Whites.

 After a very poor spring and a diabolical July we could be forgiven for thinking it couldn't get any worse for our butterflies. Quite the Opposite! June is the critical formative month and this year's heat was highly beneficial for maturing caterpillars and pupa with half our summer species doubling in numbers against previous summers leading to a 37% overall increase, potentially making this a record year. The graphic below illustrates the change in abundance this summer against previous summers and shows the fortunes of species but we can also translate that into insect numbers to illustrate better what we actually see: 

Winners

    Meadow Brown is always our most numerous species every year, and this summer,  numerically, saw the largest increase . It didn't seem to have suffered in last summer’s and this spring’s droughts. The species continues a pattern of increasing abundance in recent years and then by nearly doubling this year.  This same pattern also applies to Gatekeeper, Marbled White and Speckled Wood up by about a half this year after a series of good years. 

   Both the two cabbage white species more than doubled being significantly bolstered by migrants. After a series of poorer years they just seemed to be everywhere, due to their mobility, often you could see ten in a vista which made them the most noticeable and placing them at the top of Yorkshires Big Butterfly count.  

    Most interestingly species that had done badly for some years made a dramatic comeback particularly Small Skipper, nearly doubling and Small Copper trebling obviously favouring the hot dry conditions.  Even the less than Common Blue had a better first brood.  

  Across Europe these  last 2 years of hot summers the migratory Red Admiral has been the biggest winner. Last year it became the top species in southern England but this year they managed to reach the north. It became a familiar and entertaining sight to see them basking in the evening sunshine on house walls soaking up the last rays and letting off steam with their usual antics of high speed chases of rivals in a circuit of the garden. Their size strength and grace with tremendous speed then effortless glide was the highlight of this summer

   The Comma’s rise these last few years seems to have become a relentless boom with the hutchinsonii generation this year being exceptional, often making it the second most common butterfly on our Buddleia bushes after Red Admiral. It was also great to see Peacock showing the first signs of recovery after a very poor 2022 their caterpillars likely benefitting from the early July rains 

 Losers

There is most certainly a pattern amongst the losers of the effects of last summer’s and this spring’s droughts. Ringlet much prefers the damp and although only 20% down in abundance  was by far the biggest numerical loser. The 2nd biggest numerical loser was Small Tortoiseshell after two years of booming in warm damp summers collapsed without a second generation last year and continues to struggle this.  It prefers soft green new shoots of nettles absent last year but which this July’s rains  have provided in abundance so  there is hope still for a comeback in the second generation this year.  Dark Green Fritillary is showing a precipitous fall to just a fifth of previous  again after booming for some years and being lost completely from our sites or down to just a handful of individuals. Something went wrong as it did for this species back in 2016 for reasons unknown.  Following the same pattern of drought effects on thinner soils Small Heath and the rockrose form of Brown Argus show large decreases. 

Monitored Sites differences

Only 1 of our monitored sites actually showed a decrease and nearly a third doubled their totals across all species. Woodlands showed the largest increases and sandy /dry heathland the least.  

   Our site data marries quite well with Big  Butterfly count remembering that  these counts tend to reflect mobile species attracted to our flowering plants in our gardens elevating the big showy colourful Vanessids and highly mobile whites particularly during this year of strong migration while pushing down  resident countryside rather immobile stalwarts like Meadow Brown and Ringlets which dominate our summer butterflies. The BBC Yorkshire winner of Small white came second on our sites while the other winners, Large White  Red Admiral and Gatekeeper are not far behind.

    After a few poor years overall counts are back up to their 2019 high of 12 butterflies per count and 50% up on last year; a massive improvement  begging the question even with the very poor weather of July and last year's and this spring's drought that we are heading for a good butterfly year simply because of an exceptional June.   

 Yorkshire's counts  have been strongly influenced by European migration of all the top three species  combined with a hot June increasing local abundance particularly the Large and Small White.  The other beneficiary of the hot June were the Meadow Brown but more so the Gatekeeper  has had another record year.   The main losers in the droughts include Dark-Green Fritillary, Northern Brown Argus and Small Heath

The good news is there are large numbers of Red Admiral caterpillars presently so we can expect a 'feast' of these glorious giants  before they start their return trip south. With their ability to find a northerly wind and fly at 2000 feet in near zero temperatures meaning they can do the last leg of their journey home to North Africa in just a few days rather than the slower northern migration at 200 feet over several generations.

27th May  As the June dip commences and thespring species decline there are already intriguing signs of a bonanza in some of our grassland species particularly moths.  Large numbers of Mother Shipton, Burnet Companion, Small Yellow Underwings and even small Purple and Gold (mint Moth) are being seen on our monitored sites. Dingy Skipper on its lowland sites is in good numbers but on the wolds it is very poor so we can conclude dry sites suffered more in last years heat. Small Heath numbers are building as are Common Blue. The spring whites are now in rapid decline while Holly Blues and Brimstones are still a common sight and just an occasional  very elderly Peacock

 The first Large Skipper was spotted on the Fordon Chalk Bank transect this week (23rd May photo thanks to Kerry Metcalfe) which is earlier than the average so it looks like the current run of sunny warm weather is leading to a catch up . 

Large Skipper is the first of our summer species to emerge. Due this week is also Large Heath, Meadow Brown and Smal Pearls and Derbyshire has already seen Dark-green Fritillary and new generation Small Tortoiseshells.  

After the extremes of  the July heatwave and a short reprieve and a little rain at the end of the July,  August  commenced with mixed weather.  For those lucky enough to get the rain plantlife  began to revive and there was hope the eggs of grassland species would be saved. The first half of the month was dominated by high pressure and the heatwave returned with temperatures well up into the 30's peaking on 12-13th.  As we entered the third week of the month the high pressure moved away to be replaced by showers and some torrential thunderstorms did bring some very welcome, if patchy, rain.  The drought continued for most and on the 28th Yorkshire had its first hosepipe ban since 1996. Over the month the Met office reported Yorkshire was 2.7'C above the long term average while southern and eastern areas of UK were 4'C up. Rainfall was a worrying 48%.  The first half of the  month was particularly sunny was 143% of average.  

 Hummingbird Hawk Moth is having a record breaking year and most of us have seen one with both Buddleia and Red Valerian proving the best attractant. Good numbers of Red Admirals and  Whites arrived  in waves throughout the month along with  a  few Painted Lady and a  smattering of Clouded Yellow's.

16th August  Update 

 After that late July 'bit of rain' which revived our grasslands at least away from south and east of the county the heatwave of the last week has scorched  things  once more making us worry again about the survival of 2023's butterflies.  It shouldn't be too bad now the heatwave has broken down.  The good news is also  Common Blue are back strongly with their second generation which is the first positive for this species for several years.  A few females Gatekeeper and Meadow Browns are still flying along with low numbers of ragged Small Skippers plus a few fresh Small Copper and fair numbers of next generation Small Heath. Wall is currently on the wing and has surprised quite a few people with its spread reaching places where it has not been seen for some time but dry sites are suffering in the drought but it going to be a good year for this species. Whites, particularly Large White, continue to fly in quite good numbers but still our Buddleia bushes remain pretty quiet with only Red Admiral making up the vanessids, very, very low numbers of Peacock and although the second generation Small Tortoiseshell are now flying numbers are still very very low.  

As the heatwave struck transect counts were already beginning to fall away but the heatwave shortened their remaining lives and  numbers fell  dramatically especially the Skippers,  Marbled Whites and Ringlets  with only Gatekeeper surviving in any numbers by the end of the month and having a outstanding year with numbers near three times 2021.   Now we are left with a bit of gap!  Peacocks are still emerging but are quickly going into hibernation and the big peak in Comma is now subsiding and Tortoiseshell numbers are very low  leaving our buddleia only with a few fresh Red Admirals.  The next generation tortoiseshells are presently pupa and fingers crossed we wil get a good emergence in August.  Meadow Browns are still flying but the heatwave has reduced their number.   

The summer highlights has to be a very strong summer generation of Comma with numbers up  nearly 4 fold.  In contrast Small Tortoiseshell after a disastrous spring has a equally disasterous summer  with numbers  nearly halved and we suspect this is the bust after the last two years of boom due to the tachinid parasite Sturmia bella.  The figures for Peacock are slightly misleading  as last year they had barely started but this year are already past their peak  and seem to have suffered but the next few weeks will tell us if 2023 will be a all time low. It dificult to believe in 2020 on one section on my transect I had 145 and last week just 3.  So, it looks like parasitation and the main peak being early is the reason our Buddleia bushes have been pretty empty through July although Red Admiral has been bolstered by migrants and numbers have been up near 3 fold.   The good weather has had a positive influence on many species with both Large + Small  Skippers up after two years of down. The Large + Small White also show a recovery after a not so good 2021. The other highlight are Gatekeeper has nearly trebled and by the end of the month is just keeping our interest alive during the Big Butterfly Count where there has been not much else to count and interest in the scheme has fallen substantially as a result.  Small Heath after a bumper year in 2021 is doing an adjustment and returned to more normal levels; down 40% but still good. The damp loving  Ringlet and Speckled Wood bot had a great summer despite the drought and really benefitted from the late May downpour.  Silver washed fritillary although down in Bishop Wood this year due to the large amount of forestry work last winter is still above previous years and there has been a big dispersal again through the county with insects popping up almost anywhere, returning to woods where it was last seen in 2019.  Holy Blue continues to do well although the peak is still to come. In shear numbers it is always Meadow Brown that determines the overall summer  count and its good to say it has not suffered too bad in the drought and numbers are slightly up  consistantly across the county.  Marbled White we thought were booming went over very quickly but even so was fairly consistantly doubled in numbers. Dark-green Fritillary after an extrememly good year last year is down this as were Brown and Northern Brown Argus.  It remains very worrying that Common Blue shows no come back.

'Sneak peak' takes a subest of our 70 plus monitored sites for which we have regularly input data and complete enough for us to analyse. Thank you all those who contribute. 

29th July.  A dull damp week but will it save 2023's butterflies? The south and east of england are still experiencing extreme drought and we are lucky we entered the year with full reservoirs or we would already be on hosepipe bans or worse. Our summer species have already laid most of 2023 eggs but what will those larvae find when they hatch in a week or so time? Those who remember 1977  know back then the heatwave continued till the last days of August and it was too late and a massive crash in lepidoptera populations resulted. Similarly in 1995 although the  weather broke in mid August.  We are also lucky we had those couple of inches of rain in late May which  the south didnt and this pattern continues. If the plants in our hedgerows and grassalnds begin to recover then there is hope the effects will not be long term. For many of our scarcer species 1977 was the end of the line  and they went extinct in close to 75% of sites and never returned.  Species like Green-viened White, Ringlet and Speckled Wood are the most sensitive to dry conditions.  More on the BC Blog HERE

July 26th UPDATE

Phew!! What a scorcher! Just as our summer species hit their zenith the heatwave struck on the 18th  when I expect  most of us retreated inside well before midday. The peak in numbers has been significantly higher than 2021 but the peak flight periods are earlier and shorter in duration.  Gatekeeper in particular has had a good summer and is peaking this week while Ringlet , Marbled White and Meadow Brown are starting to decline quickly. The heatwave has certainly shortened lifespans significantly. A big disappointment is the Parkgate, Sheffield Grayling have not been seen this year. The continuing drought plus the extreme heat  has forced  both Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks to the ground  looking for moisture and cool  but at least making them much easier for us to observe; often in numbers and behaving lethargically below nearby Elms and Oaks.  There is nothing more graceful to watch than Silver-washed Fritillary  which is presently at its peak and has returned to a number of locations where it was last seen in the big peak in 2019  and even East Yorkshire suggesting another dispersal event. Numbers on our monitored sites  are up again and it is easy to see 50 plus individuals on a walk through Bishop Wood,  Selby  see our Butterfly Walk HERE .  They are a true delight to watch gliding  and soaring through the woodland rides, and,  getting harried by the occasional Comma who are also having a very good summer with a very large increase in numbers on our transects.  A few elderly Small Tortoiseshells are still on the wing, but very patchy, and the most worrying  is the distinct lack of Peacock. Low numbers have been seen but have quickly gone into hibernation leaving our buddleia bushes almost empty apart from the occasional Red Admiral, often very fresh second generation. Tortoiseshell caterpillar I raised  have only produced tachinid parasitic fly  so maybe we  are seeing a boom in their parasite after the last two boom years for the butterfly. In contrast Comma with different generational timing  and after being in steep decline these last two years  is having a great year. So you can assume Comma have dodged the tachinid  flies who only have a adult life of 2-4 days, and,  more closely  tuned to the Tortoiseshell life cycle. Tachinids   are large and closely resembles a house fly and lays minute hardened  eggs individually on nettle leaves around feeding caterpillars who then ingest them.  Infected caterpillar pupate normally and can even reach the wing colouring up stage before killing and the crysalis. The flies larva continue to feed inside for a few more days and then emerge from the pupa and abseil to the ground via a long white protein thread which is a give away sign if you ever find a pupa or rear them yourself. The fly  larva pupate within a few hours into a chesnut brown oval pupa.  A long gap of nearly 4 weeks before they emerge in order to be on the wing as the butterfly larvae reach the 4th instar which is about now on my local nettle patch.  The recent boom/bust cycle of our vanessids is likely caused by tachinid Sturmia  bella . This species arrived from Europe in 1998  from the continent and is now dominant and has been contraversially linked to the recent decline in numbers of our vanessid species although there is no evidence this is anything other than natural variation although the ups and downs now seem to be much larger!

The first  'wild' Purple Emperor for many years was seen in a garden at Oughtibridge, Sheffield  this last week. In modern times there has been very few observations of this species known for its ability to stay hidden from human view, rarely coming down from its lofty treetop home. A female decended into a garden and stayed some minutes sufficient for a very accurate description by two witnesses and verified  by Dennis Dell  who is local to the area. The garden backs onto Beeley woods part  of a complex of  woods refered to as Greno and is of ancient origin. These woods containing many oak and at 700 ha. are the largest in Yorkshire. Not only is the habitat correct the date also indicates extrememly strongly this specimen is of natural origin with this sighting corresponding to the emergence of females in Sherwood forest this year where they are having a bumper year much like the rest of the country. The question is; is this a wanderer or does it indicate local breeding? Purple Emperor is one of  our fastest spreading species with much increased abundance nationally with Nottinghamshire having some of the strongest colonies.   It was tantalising to  discover South Yorkshire  only had one  previous sighting  by an air-raid  lookout at Ewden head in 1941 during the Sheffield blitz and is just 6km away. You might suspect that a lookout would have  high power binoculars to hand.   Across this species range, there are many cases where it has existed at extremely low population densities completely un-noticed until someone who knows where and how to look with binoculars has rediscovered it. Could this be true  once again?  

Now the species has fully emerged grounded insects are rare and much of the activity is likely to be on prominent highspot trees after midday.   Only the Scotch Argus has not emerged but is well overdue at its Wharfedale locations.

There will be a more detailed analysis of the summer so far before the end of the month with a 'Sneak Peak' of Summer 2022 from our monitored sites

JULY 11th UPDATE  

 Many of our species this week are starting their second generations, including Small, Large and Green-viened Whites, Common Blue, Small Copper and Holly Blue are rapidly building in numbers. Peacock and Brimstone are also just beginning. Meanwhile most of our summer species are at their peak with counts on our tramsects commonly between 200-500 individuals. It is looking like a good summer as the heatwave begins,  but concern grows whether the current draught  and withering plants will significantly adversely affect mortality. 

30th June Update   Migrant Hummingbird Hawk Moths still being seen in good numbers along with Red Admirals. There are the  first signs of a new hatch of Small Whites and a few Green-viened White along with large numbers of the 'Browns' and Small Skipper now emerging    Marbled White explosion? After finding a Marbled White on my  tiny home meadow in Cawood I looked at the latest transect results and numbers this year are currently running 2-3 times higher than last year. It is likely we are seeing a good deal of dispersal of this beautiful butterfly so please do keep an eye out and send your reports. It is difficult to believe the Vale of York is being invaded after a good year last year! 

26th June Update A larger influx of Painted Ladies but particularly Red Admirals today. The 'grey pilrims' (Painted Ladies), as often as not, are seen flying fast in a northerly direction.  The much warmer weather has led to  the emergence of   Gatekeeper on the 23rd  4 days later than averge along with Silver-washed fritillary, our earliest ever emergence  at Brockadale . Purple Hairstreak  emerged on the 24th spot on schedule. Essex Skipper is the last species to emerge and it is likely already on the wing so please do look out.

June 22nd  UPDATE  Another influx of Migrants.  Lots of reports of Hummingbird Hawk moths in your gardens is causing  some excitement and what a sight they are!  In addition we still having a fair influx of Painted Ladies and Red Admirals.

 In the last few days Graylings have been seen at South Gare somewhat early  and White-letter hairstreak has emerged more than a week later than average; the year remains very mixed up! Certainly the current very warm weather wil speed things up and already the transect counts are  trebling  as the season reaches its climax. Good numbers of Large Heath are now on the wing after a slow start this year held back by the cool jubilee period.  If you wish to see them then  I recommend  Crowle Moors Butterfly Walk HERE.  The Purple Emperor in Sherwood forest are  pupating fast now and predicted to be on the wing the first few days of July.  They are making a good showing in the south . 

28th May Migration Update;  Many different migrant species are arriving into the UK in a mini invasion  including Red Admiral, Silver Y , Striped Hawk moth and of course, Painted Lady.  Some are looking surprising fresh considering their long journey.   Painted Ladies proved to be the most numerous butterfly on  the 3 Hagges  transect this afternoon with 3 recorded but the winds are just about to switch around to the north.  

22nd May Migration Update;  Many different migrant species are arriving into the UK in a mini invasion  including Red Admiral, Silver Y , Striped Hawk moth and, of course, Painted Lady.  Some are looking surprising fresh considering their long journey.  Cutting the hedge this morning in my Selby garden  I saw 2 Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral and a few whites. Painted Ladies are tending to follow river valleys and then hill topping ; as is their habit.  

15th May Update   Although butterfly numbers are just beginning to drop  on the transects as we approach the June dip it has been a very good Holly Blue year and pretty good for Orange Tip as illustrated by this Dutch graphic  of the 2022 flight curve.  The dry conditions however will slightly impact our summer species numbers. Currently there is  a large wave of Painted Ladies on the south coast so we may expect to see a few with the current  good weather from the south.

14th April Update

 The 2022 season is running significantly early.

 Green Hairstreak reported  earlier this week on Commondale 4 days earlier than 2021. A Painted Lady was seen on Townclose Hills Transect Kippax today  by Rachel Inhestor no doubt born by the warm southerly airflow .  Dingy Skipper was also reported today on The Fordon Chalk bank transect by Kerry Metcalfe , 8 dayes earlier than last year and our earliest ever first sighting for that species by 5 days this site yielding the earliest sightings 3 years out of the last 4.  This would suggest the first Duke of Burgundy wil be out within a few days with the current run of warm weather and we can expect Pearl Bordered Fritillary a day or so later.

4th March 2022 Update  

The 2022 season has started rather slowly 

January:   There were a few sighting in the warm spell at new year with  three of Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock and  then a scatter more on sunny days including another Peacock and a Comma and a couple of Red Admirals 

February started with a cold spell and  nothing was seen for 3 weeks! Then a Brimstone appeared  In Cottingham on the 23rd followed by  a number of Small Tortoiseshells  and a Peacock  across the county plus  a Comma in Baildon

March has started with just a single Tortoiseshell recorded so far in Yorkshire 

Totals for the year so far are:  14 Small Tortoiseshells 2 Comma, 3 Peacock, 3 Red admiral and 1 brimstone

Big Butterfly Count 2021 :  Update 

BC have published  and overview of the Big Butterfly Count HERE shows despite record participation in this very popular citizen science project  individual  insect count per record were the lowest recorded in its 12 year history.  The average count in 2021 was down to 9 while in 2020 it was 11 and 2019 16.  It discusses how much of this was due to weather in the recording period, and of course the diabolic effects of this year cold wet spring compared to  recent warm dry springs of  2018-20.  The very weak Jetstream this year has a lot to answer for but will it continue?  The overwhelming effects were on double brooded species which will  likely take a further year to recover. Highlights were Small Tortoiseshell remains poor although we buck this trend in Yorkshire with a boom.  Red admiral had a good year in the south but Peacock had its worst year  since 2012 and this certainly true in Yorkshire.  The 3 week time slot  of BBC and  the delay in the second broods  are really  the take away story with some of  grassland species actually having a good year and some species enjoying the damp.

SSeptember 28th Update  The season has ended suddenly with numbers tumbling on our transect walks in the last week of the month,  despite the good weather.  The only significant nectar presently is Ivy , however  our gardens are oasis with Sedums and Michaelmas Daisy drawing in  Red Admiral and sometimes Comma. September temperatures have been well  over average by near 3'C after the mid month mini heatwave  hitting 27'C and more September records being broken!  It has been quite sunny as well as dry but counts on our transects have often been single figures from mid month and rather disappointing overall.  However,  the Whites did have a better month and  numbers have recovered  well  in the second generation.  The  Small Tortoiseshell boom  continues and have often been the most abundant species in our gardens along with Small White.  The main beneficiary of August damp has been Speckled Wood on its third generation reflecting the lush grass growth throughout August with counts on woodland transects having been large. It  has earned its place as Butterfly of the month.  There has been a small peak with the second generation Comma later in the month  while Peacock has been mostly disappointing.  A third generation of Small Copper was also evident in the middle of the month.  Good numbers of migrant moths have been seen in the middle of the month.  Quite a few moth traps yielded  the rare migrant Clifdon NonPariel (Blue Underwing) and even Stripped Hawk Moth plus a Camberwell Beauty was spotted at Scarborough Mere.   This is the last update of 2021 and we would like to thank all of you for your contributions with 300  records in September and 3000 so far this season.  We ask our transect walkers to complete entering their data so we can bring you a timely analysis of 2021  soon.  Please do keep  entering your sightings. 

       As the end of  the season  approaches,  a question I've been asked is "Did we have a summer?"   Its easy to forget  the July heatwave and while in Europe it continued well into August with some of the highest temperatures ever experienced, and devastating wildfires,  our heatwave broke up in late July  to  a procession of  rainy days and sunny intervals.  August had average temperatures but has been, in large part, cloudy with mists and drizzle and any sun quickly extinguished with convective cloud bubbling up in minutes.  Good sunny spells have been days apart and opportunities have been scarce to get out and explore and  our transect walkers have struggled to find a suitable 'slot' to walk in, although the north of the county it has been significantly sunnier  A blocking high pressure just west of Scotland established in the last 2 weeks drawing down cool  NW winds from Scandinavia and  the forecast  into September is  to remain dry but murky.

       The August highlight has to be the continuing boom of Small Tortoiseshell's which in our fields and gardens is our most abundant butterfly even beating the whites.  On August 7th in a local field with a broad  flowering stewardship belt  I noticed webbing, and, on closer inspection, the cause was large numbers of Small Tortoiseshell  caterpillar webs. Over the next few days what must have been  thousands  of hungry mouths marched the full length of the field stripping  every nettle back to a stump.  Now they are emerging and Tortoiseshells numbers have boomed in the last few days with wide scale reports of huge numbers  On my Buddleia they was certainly no 'social distancing'!

   In contrast Peacock  and Comma numbers remain low possibly because  of the cold spring. You can speculate  that weather conditions were not conducive to egg laying and by the time they were there, later in June, there were few surviving females. In fact Peacock webs were not seen until well into  July, many weeks late, and adult emergence has been late, poor and  extended. Red Admiral certainly shone as having a boom year on the Big Butterfly Count  but only in the south of England  however some  made their way to Yorkshire supplementing  earlier arrivals offspring  and good numbers have been seen towards the end of the month. 

 Early August also saw a very large peak in Gatekeeper after a very good July for the brown family  but by the third week they were about finished along with the Skippers.  In contrast Meadow Brown continue with fresh specimens being reported till the end of the month .  The woodland Hairstreaks survived well past the middle of the month and it was nice to see Holy Blue in good numbers mid month.  Small Copper numbers  also grew through the month  and second generation Common Blue presently.  The Scotch Argus was plentiful in its Wharfedale locations and was on the wing throughout the month. The migratory lowland  Brown Argus are presently being seen on their second generation but as is usual with this sub species its hit and miss whether you see it.  Wall  did well  in its normal haunts along the coast and uplands  but was also seen in low numbers well distributed across the lowlands.  Silver-washed Fritillary might just make it into to September and has had a stunning season being  the most abundant butterfly In Bishop Wood for the last five weeks. Brimstone  are settling into their woodland hibernation quarters  where numbers are  quite good feeding up on nectar nearby.  Red Admirals and Painted Ladies will  now start heading off  on their homeward journeys gathering on the coast. Individuals  will travel 100km a day but on this leg of their migration they are travelling at height  waiting for the upper air streams to be south  before commencing their perilous journey.  Twice as many will leave than arrived originally. 

August 13th UPDATE While many parts of Europe are recording some of their highest temperatures ever experienced, and devastating wildfires rage the UK sits largely under cool and cloudy Jetstream  with an occasional high pressures systems creating a few dry days, but mostly its been very showery.  Out in the fields  spring sown crops are late but are gradually being harvested.  Crop  yields are good where they avoided the worst floods and the seasonal vagaries but overall its an average farming year.  Plant growth has been abundant this summer and we have all had to cut our lawn very much more frequently. This has had a knock on  in the abundance of  most of our species and although our memory will always be of the 2021 as the spring with no butterflies, high summer has certainly redeemed itself . The Whites and Browns have been  abundant with Small White now catching up. Gatekeepers are having a particularly abundant year and are maintained their numbers presently. There has certainly been a influx of Red Admirals reflected in the Big Butterfly count but Peacocks still lag well behind as do Comma and we are currently in a dip waiting the next generation of Tortoiseshells. Small Copper are now emerging in numbers and Holy Blue in large numbers and is at a peak. Second generation Wall  are appearing presently in pleasing numbers. Scotch Argus still showing in Wharfedale.  White-letter and Purple Hairstreak remain strong.  Today,  just  10 miles over the border in Derbyshire the first Brown Hairstreak was seen  at Pleasley Pit transect, Mansfield where it has been present in good numbers for a few years now.  

August 4th UPDATE     As we pass the peak of the season  with cooler showery weather prevailing this last week  we have had some record counts form our transects.   Meadow Brown numbers are past their peak but remain good and we have had a surge in Gatekeeper which are currently at their peak. The Whites are also at long last getting going with Large White leading the charge and Green-veined now emerging in good numbers,  giving more hope that  our species are making up for so much lost ground this spring.  Only the Small white remains in the doldrums. Brimstones are emerging in numbers now and transect counts are rising. Silver-washed Fritillary is  being reported from gardens more and more and is having  a good year returning to places where it was seen for the very first time in 2019 and numbers remain at a record high in Bishop Wood.  I've even had a report  from a York man holidaying on the Scottish west coast that he had seen one there after seeing his very first in Bishop Wood a few days before. The Vanessids are at long last showing signs of getting going  these last week with Peacock numbers rising fast and should continue to do so for at least another 2 weeks in an extended season because of the late start.  Comma  and Red Admirals are also  having an emergence plus a few fresh Painted Ladies are being seen.  Small Skipper have gone past their peak but Essex Skipper is  about at its peak currently. Ringlet, Marbled Whites and  Dark-green Fritillary  are declining quite quickly. Speckled Wood are at a low although we can expect the next generation  very soon in our woodlands . The next generation Common Blue  on the lowlands are  gathering numbers as are  2nd generation Small Copper and Brown Argus . Small Tortoiseshell numbers are falling as we await the next generation which should build up over the next fortnight.   Holy Blue is approaching its peak presently.  White-letter Hairstreak are just past their peak but Purple Hairstreak is still strong. If you have a large Oak tree  near you, even stood on its own,  stand underneath it between 5.30-7pm and watch on the lea side ( they hate wind)  and count how many you see and pop it on our sighting page ; dedicated recorders are finding remarkable numbers of this much under recorded species. 

July 20th UPDATE    5 days of near 30'C  and we are wilting but not the butterflies !!  Few of us are venturing out to spot after our busiest day ever last Friday to near zero today.  However transect counts continue at very high levels with many exceeding 200.  Silver-washed Fritillary  have seemingly exploded at  its favourite site of  Bishop Wood  with more than double previous years counts. So, it is a great time to see  mating pairs and lots of courtship dances.  Female emergence has  begun so male activity is feverish but in the hot weather they are stopping to take salts from the road frequently.  The courtship  dance  is a most elaborate and unique and has never been filmed or photographed!   Recent work by Ray Cannon from Scarborough  has found that the insects actually touch during the loop the loop dance. The male passes under the female and then darts immediately upward so her antenna are drawn over the very evident sex brands of the male forewing. He then stalls  so she overtakes and  then he swoops back down underneath her and so the loop goes on lasting 1-2 seconds per loop.  All this time she is going in a straight line down the ride.  New season Peacock have now emerged and numbers are rising  and also new season Brimstone and second generation Holly Blue.  Ringlets  and Meadow Brown remain at their peak but are joined in large numbers by Small Skippers and some fresh Essex . Large skippers are now declining quite fast as are Speckled Woods. A large peak in Large White and Green-vein white  and good numbers of Hutchinsoni Comma .  This summer form of the species will breed but  not hibernate while the regular form will remain unmated till next spring and will  go in and out of hibernation for the remainder of summer. Tortoiseshells numbers have dipped somewhat  but Marbled White remain strong and Dark-green Fritillary are holding up  but well  past their peak now. We are also in the peak of the Purple and White-letters Hairstreaks.   The Purple Emperor season started the middle of last week the latest season for many years by over three weeks but in  Sherwood and North Notts numbers are strong and groups of us have been visiting to get familiar with this rapidly expanding species.   Let me know if you want to see them and i can forward more details. 

June Highlights:  Why have there been so few butterflies?  

Why have there  been so few butterflies ? You might be forgiven to thinking  this since the short burst of  butterfly activity in the final days of May when the  ghastly spring  finally gave way to sunshine and warmth.   This was promptly followed  by the traditional June lull that has proven to be exceptionally deep and long  because  of the cold wet spring causing species to emerge two weeks late in many cases despite June being largely sunny , dry and warm .  The disastrously low butterfly counts  of May  have continued till the third week of June when our summer species began to really take off, but, much slower to build than normal.