Post by nomad on Jun 11, 2015 19:40:04 GMT
Recently, I spent five days in the Norfolk Broads, studying and photographing the adults of the endemic Swallowtail, Papilio machaon britannicus. The female is our largest butterfly and it is even bigger than our females of Apatura iris. The butterflies habitat is the dense reed beds surrounding open water. Here the females can be observed flying strongly over the drier reedbeds seeking out its sole foodplant Milk Parsley, Peucedanum palustre . If it were not for the Swallowtails leaving their inaccessible habitat to seek nectar at wild flowers there would be very few close encounters of this impressive butterfly. This is not an easy butterfly to photograph and patience and a good amount of time in the field is required . Because of this, some British butterfly photographers head for a fen called Strumpshaw, where the Swallowtails fly out of the marshes for the exotic flowers that grow in a doctors garden. Here, on some hot June days, the butterfly photographers wait just like the paparazzi for the butterfly to make its appearance and lots of nice photographs they have obtained too. However, I prefer to try to find the British Swallowtail feeding or resting in its natural environment. Here at times you are alone, except for the occasional Hobby and Marsh Harrier hunting overhead and the unseen Reed Warblers with their strange churring song coming from the dense reeds. In the distance there are the loud cries of the Black-headed Gull colony and the ever present calls of geese, ducks and piping of the wading birds. Often Grey Herons flap slowly across the marshes on their way to a good hunting spot.
The broads at sunrise.
The habitat of Papilio machaon britannicus, the dense reed beds of the Norfolk Broads.
Male Swallowtail feeding at Red Campion.
The place I head for is a public footpath alongside a dyke with the reed beds on one side and carr woodland on the other . Along this footpath at intervals there are patches of the wild flowers, Red Campion, Silene dioica and Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus, which will at times attract the Swallowtails from the reed beds. The Swallowtail is of course not the only interesting insects to be seen here, there were many others, chief among these are the dragonflies. One British dragonfly that occurs here, is confined to the Norfolk Broads and to some nearby Suffolk fens. This is the protected Norfolk or green-eyed Hawker, Anaciaeshna isosceles. This species also occurs in parts of Europe and North Africa.
Female Swallowtail basking after feeding. Extra forewing apical spot.
The male and females of subspecies britannicus both have their own distinct behavioural patterns. The males are smaller and a more darker yellow than the often much larger paler females The males were only observed feeding at Red Campion and rarely were they seen basking. Although the males alight with legs outstretched, they almost never stop quivering their wings except very occasionally early in the mornings. The first males were observed as early as 8.30 am. Both sexes take nectar throughout the day but in the mornings, between 10am and 12am, were the best time to observe them. On a sunny but cool windy days, both sexes of the butterfly that did appear, were not on the wing much before mid day, staying in the reed beds probably either resting or basking there . When I arrived at Hickling Broad, the male Swallowtails had just started to emerge, followed by the females a couple of days later.
Female Swallowtail feeding at Red Campion.
Female feeding at Dog-rose- Rosa species.
A female basks on bare earth.
At this site, the females also have a preference for Red Campion but will also feed occasionally at Yellow Iris and I even saw one briefly stop to visit a flower of a dog rose. The females alight on the flowers and unlike the males, they sometimes remain still to feed, hanging on with their legs. If the sun goes in, especially on the cooler days , the females will fly off to warm themselves up with their wings outstretched on nearby vegetation. A few females were even observed basking on the bare earth of the pathway. The females can be easily approached while taking nectar especially in cooler weather . In full flight both sexes can fly very strongly. The Swallowtails were often seen, especially the females, coming out of the reed beds and soaring up to the tops of nearby Oaks where some of them probably go to court and pair in safety. In the middle of the afternoon both sexes were rarely observed except when flying at speed over the reed beds.
Male Swallowtail basking on a fern, an unusual sight .
Female resting on the foodplant Milk Parsley.
There are some interesting comments by Patrick Barkham on the British Swallowtails in his popular book the ' Butterfly Isles'. Strangely, Barkham who was bought up in Norfolk, but no longer lives there, has no great affection for the Broads or its special butterfly. Barkham mentions that the P. machaon britannicus, that is now confined to the Norfolk Broads, is a weaker insect than the historical widespread Swallowtails. If this is true and I have my doubts, the Victorian britannicus must have been the equivalent to a modern day jet fighter. I myself, saw no weakness in the flight of the current Norfolk insect. Studies have shown that because britannicus is able to move freely along the river courses connecting the different broads ( lakes) there has been no inbreeding. Barkham reveals from speaking to that British television star of the butterfly world, Mr Oates, that the future looks far from rosy for britannicus . As sea levels rise due to climate change, the freshwater broads will one day become saltmarsh and eventually open sea. Already tidal surges bring salt water into Hicking Broad where these images were taken. As a result the water quality is becoming poorer at Hickling and is affecting freshwater plants such as stonewort. Just to the south of Hickling Broad large areas around the nature reserve, which are drained marshland, are being prepared for flooding to create more reedbeds and open water. If britannicus is to survive in the long term, then it may have to be reintroduced further inland in areas such as the restoration project of the Great Fen in Cambridgeshire where historically it once occurred.
Thunder and lightning storm approaching Hickling Broad at sunrise. I sought shelter in the empty bird hide for several hours just after this image was taken.
Next Dragonflies, Migrants and others.
The broads at sunrise.
The habitat of Papilio machaon britannicus, the dense reed beds of the Norfolk Broads.
Male Swallowtail feeding at Red Campion.
The place I head for is a public footpath alongside a dyke with the reed beds on one side and carr woodland on the other . Along this footpath at intervals there are patches of the wild flowers, Red Campion, Silene dioica and Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus, which will at times attract the Swallowtails from the reed beds. The Swallowtail is of course not the only interesting insects to be seen here, there were many others, chief among these are the dragonflies. One British dragonfly that occurs here, is confined to the Norfolk Broads and to some nearby Suffolk fens. This is the protected Norfolk or green-eyed Hawker, Anaciaeshna isosceles. This species also occurs in parts of Europe and North Africa.
Female Swallowtail basking after feeding. Extra forewing apical spot.
The male and females of subspecies britannicus both have their own distinct behavioural patterns. The males are smaller and a more darker yellow than the often much larger paler females The males were only observed feeding at Red Campion and rarely were they seen basking. Although the males alight with legs outstretched, they almost never stop quivering their wings except very occasionally early in the mornings. The first males were observed as early as 8.30 am. Both sexes take nectar throughout the day but in the mornings, between 10am and 12am, were the best time to observe them. On a sunny but cool windy days, both sexes of the butterfly that did appear, were not on the wing much before mid day, staying in the reed beds probably either resting or basking there . When I arrived at Hickling Broad, the male Swallowtails had just started to emerge, followed by the females a couple of days later.
Female Swallowtail feeding at Red Campion.
Female feeding at Dog-rose- Rosa species.
A female basks on bare earth.
At this site, the females also have a preference for Red Campion but will also feed occasionally at Yellow Iris and I even saw one briefly stop to visit a flower of a dog rose. The females alight on the flowers and unlike the males, they sometimes remain still to feed, hanging on with their legs. If the sun goes in, especially on the cooler days , the females will fly off to warm themselves up with their wings outstretched on nearby vegetation. A few females were even observed basking on the bare earth of the pathway. The females can be easily approached while taking nectar especially in cooler weather . In full flight both sexes can fly very strongly. The Swallowtails were often seen, especially the females, coming out of the reed beds and soaring up to the tops of nearby Oaks where some of them probably go to court and pair in safety. In the middle of the afternoon both sexes were rarely observed except when flying at speed over the reed beds.
Male Swallowtail basking on a fern, an unusual sight .
Female resting on the foodplant Milk Parsley.
There are some interesting comments by Patrick Barkham on the British Swallowtails in his popular book the ' Butterfly Isles'. Strangely, Barkham who was bought up in Norfolk, but no longer lives there, has no great affection for the Broads or its special butterfly. Barkham mentions that the P. machaon britannicus, that is now confined to the Norfolk Broads, is a weaker insect than the historical widespread Swallowtails. If this is true and I have my doubts, the Victorian britannicus must have been the equivalent to a modern day jet fighter. I myself, saw no weakness in the flight of the current Norfolk insect. Studies have shown that because britannicus is able to move freely along the river courses connecting the different broads ( lakes) there has been no inbreeding. Barkham reveals from speaking to that British television star of the butterfly world, Mr Oates, that the future looks far from rosy for britannicus . As sea levels rise due to climate change, the freshwater broads will one day become saltmarsh and eventually open sea. Already tidal surges bring salt water into Hicking Broad where these images were taken. As a result the water quality is becoming poorer at Hickling and is affecting freshwater plants such as stonewort. Just to the south of Hickling Broad large areas around the nature reserve, which are drained marshland, are being prepared for flooding to create more reedbeds and open water. If britannicus is to survive in the long term, then it may have to be reintroduced further inland in areas such as the restoration project of the Great Fen in Cambridgeshire where historically it once occurred.
Thunder and lightning storm approaching Hickling Broad at sunrise. I sought shelter in the empty bird hide for several hours just after this image was taken.
Next Dragonflies, Migrants and others.