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Post by nomad on Mar 8, 2015 9:21:50 GMT
I saw my first butterfly of 2015 today, a rather tatty Inachis io. Perhaps a victim of a bird attack. Those useful and beautiful eye spots have enabled this butterfly to survive the long northern winter hidden away to emerge in the early Spring. I had a long walk yesterday over Downs, along a wooded green lane and through a large forest. Most of the hibernators have yet to emerge who like to time their awakening with the first Spring flowers and the Sallow ( Salix) blossoms which these Nymphalidae love. Inachis io. I also found my first beetle species today on a high downland chalk slope and it is a real favourite of mine, the now scarce Black Oil Beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus. At this early date, the beetle would have just emerged from its host burrow. At this time, it is hard to sex these beetles, because as they feed up, their body shape can change dramatically. The one I disturbed was moving at some speed through the grass and over mole-hills. I have just heard about a good colony that occurs on a down on an Iron-age hillfort above the town where I live, so hopefully next month when they are more numerous, I will be able to study this species in more detail and take further images. This beetle has one really amazing life style, read more here. www.arkive.org/oil-beetle/meloe-proscarabaeus/ Meloe proscarbaeus
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Post by mygos on Mar 8, 2015 12:19:43 GMT
Well done Peter ! I saw my first butterflies yesterday : 3 males Gonepteryx rhamni and a Nymphalis polychloros ! Its nice to see the spring coming ...
A+, Michel
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 8, 2015 14:44:59 GMT
I took my 4 year old son fishing for a couple of hours this afternoon and saw Hypolimnas bolina and Elymnias hypermnestra flying around under the trees on the edge of the pond. Spring arrived here in early February, and right now it's 30C+ every day.
Adam.
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Post by Paul K on Mar 8, 2015 15:02:56 GMT
Adam You said spring arrived here, but I did not notice winter Paul
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 8, 2015 16:36:33 GMT
You wouldn't notice winter in Bangkok, but here in Chiang Mai we have 2 months of mostly 23-25C daytime and sometimes as low as 8 or 10C at night for a few days, mostly about 12-15C though. Then it suddenly gets hot again in mid February which stimulates the main spring emergence of butterflies which peaks in early March. Some of the univoltine species such as Papilio agestor & epycides emerge at this time. Papilio epycides is pretty much finished here now.
Adam.
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Post by Paul K on Mar 8, 2015 17:07:45 GMT
I know Adam, after 23 canadian winters with -20 and windchills -35-40 even Chiang Mai it is a blessing with those " low " temperatures .
Paul
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 18:11:34 GMT
First inachis io in Yorkshire spotted yesterday.
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Post by trehopr1 on Mar 8, 2015 19:15:51 GMT
Oh' I wanted soooooo very much to be the 1st to report a spring butterfly. But it seems that I've been beaten (to the punch) so to speak ! Well a hearty CONGRATULATIONS is in order to all my "northerly counterparts" (Nomad,Mygos,and Dunc.); BRAVO as well for that keen eye of yours.
I shall nevertheless endeavor to post my equivalent finding --- when I find it............
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Post by xavm (Xavier) on Mar 9, 2015 12:34:32 GMT
First Inachis io in South of Paris (ca. approx 20 km South) on 08 March - Temps was 20°C !
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Post by Paul K on Mar 9, 2015 13:01:23 GMT
In North America except Florida and California spring arrives usually 1 month later then most of the Europe and still then can have snow fall and freezing temperatures untill mid May.
Paul
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Post by nomad on Mar 10, 2015 18:21:37 GMT
Nice Spring like day today. Observed three Aglais urticae while at work. They were probably all males. When they were not fighting, they were visiting Red Dead Nettle ( Lamium purpureum). Nice to see this butterfly has recovered after a serious decline in the U.K. It must be nice seeing Nymphalis polychloros Michel. Extinct here, now a very rare immigrant. No photos of Aglais urticae, so here's one visiting Blackthorn blossom last Spring.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 10, 2015 18:56:51 GMT
Aglais urticae was one of the commonest butterflies in the Birmingham area when I was a kid. There used to be larvae on nettles everywhere too. What happened to make it rarer?
Adam.
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Post by wollastoni on Mar 10, 2015 19:10:23 GMT
Well it was very common 20 years ago and became very rare in Britain and in Brittany in the last decade before making a come-back last year. Populations of South France and from the Alpes seemed less damaged.
If I had to guess what happened I would say a new pesticide on a common culture between Britain and Brittany. Or a parasitism cycle. Or both :-)
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Post by nomad on Mar 11, 2015 4:35:27 GMT
Some suggest a build up of Sturmia bella numbers, a parasitic fly because of a warmer Britain, have affected the once abundant Aglais urticae. It has recovered somewhat in my area of Wiltshire as of last year. However, the days when the garden ice-plant ( Sedium spectabile) and Buddleia davidii were covered in this species and other common Nymphalidae are sadly long gone.
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jensb
Junior Aurelian
Posts: 50
Country: Netherlands
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Post by jensb on Mar 11, 2015 10:15:01 GMT
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