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Post by nomad on Aug 7, 2015 18:34:07 GMT
The Fire Butterfly Lycaena dispar batavus in Holland 2015. There has been a number of scientific papers regarding this butterfly. There are a few short videos of feeding adults. However, there seems to be very little information on encountering this rare butterfly in the field. I hope the following will help to enlighten those that may wish to go to the Dutch Fenlands and provide others with information on this interesting endemic. There will be three reports with images of Memorable Days searching for L. dispar Batavus in Holland ' and the following articles ' Two Men went to Mow a Meadow' and ' Meetings in the Weerribben'. Female Lycaena dispar batavus. Weerribben. Introduction. The Dutch call L. dispar batavus, Grote Vurrvlinder, which means in English the Fire Butterfly. This is a good name, because on encountering the sheer brilliance of those glorious blazing wings in their fenland home, they will never be forgotten. In nature, L. dispar batavus is a rarity and the Dutch lepidopterists class it as endangered. This butterfly occurs over a large area of fenland at a very low density. Today, ssp batavus is almost confined to the Weerribben National Park. It has been lost from the Widen National Park lying to the south, although it still occurs at a couple of sites to the north. The foodplant of L. dispar batavus, The Water Dock Rumex hydrolaputhum. L. dispar batavus is almost identical to the extinct British nominate race both in its appearance and ecology. The batavus ssp is a large dispar race, especially in the females and they are the largest of the European Lycaenidae. The larvae feed solely on the Great Water Dock Rumex hydrolaputhum and it is univoltine flying from mid-July to early August. Breeding sites of of L. dispar batavus I was told by a Dutch lepidopterist that this species was discovered by a party of children while out for a nature ramble with their teacher during 1915. The Habitat. L. dispar batavus occurs in a medium Fen sward where the males have their territories. Here both sexes feed at flowers. This type of fen usually has a wet Sphagnum base and there is a myriad of Marshland flowers, reeds, sedges and rushes. The favourite fenland nectar source is the Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria, although especially the males, do visit a number of different plants to feed. Where colonies occur near roads, a favourite feeding station are patches of Common Creeping thistle Cirsium arvense. Although eggs are laid on dock growing in the fen, those larvae will not survive, as it is summer cut. Most of the main breeding sites are in dykes where the foodplant also grows and along old peat diggings that now hold deep water. Sightings of this rare butterfly are few and far between, a number of Dutch people told me that during some years they have no success at all when searching for this butterfly. I have for quite a while now wanted to see L. dispar batavus in its native fenland, especially as it resembles the vanished British race. This year is ssp batavus centenary year, the butterfly being discovered a hundred years ago. Until recently, information was almost non existent on where to see this butterfly, its best sites being kept secret, that is until a book was published on the best butterfly sites in Britain and because dispar is no longer with us, it included information on the Weerribben fenland in Northern Holland. I camped for a week at Ossenzijl at the north end of this National Park . I was lucky with the weather, it was mostly fine but on the Saturday a great damaging storm blew across the lowlands of Holland and made for a lively time in my tent . The habitat of L. dispar batavus. Next Memorable Days in search of L. dispar ssp batavus. Me with my lucky bright red hire bike in search of the Fire butterfly or as we British call it the Large Copper in the Weerribben National Park.
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Post by nomad on Aug 8, 2015 20:30:59 GMT
Memorable days searching for Lycaena dispar batavus in Holland. I set off on my first outing into the Weerribben fens early in the morning. I had high hopes of finding L. dispar batavus, it was going to be a fine summer's day. I walked along a nature trail which runs for 3.5 km by the sides of reedbeds, fens and through carr woodland. I stopped at an interesting piece of tall fen and admired the impressive giant yellow flowered Great Fen Ragworts Senecio paludosa, rising above the reeds. In Britain this is a very rare plant, being confined to a once rubbish filled ditch in Cambridgeshire. This plant is another victim of our drainage of our fens . The Weerribben reserve with wind pumps. No butterflies are on the wing, I know it is too early but I am eager to see the Dutch fenland, already the many dragonflies are out hunting. I make a mental note of the other fenland plants, most of which still occur in my country but not in such numbers. I sit and ponder by a old wind-pump, one of many that is now used to pump water into the fens. Then, I decide to have a look into the fen. The vegetation is very wet from the rain the night before and my feet are soon soaked but I do not care, I am in Holland searching for fire butterflies. The Great Fen Ragwort Senecio paludosa in the Weerribben reserve. I peer around and then out of the corner of my eye something moves, I have disturbed a roosting batavus female. I cannot believe my luck, and she is huge . The female moves up the reeds and flies a short distance and then she briefly opened her wings to bask in the rising sun. Rain drops glisten on her body. She soon flies off to land in an inaccessible reedbed to have some peace and where I cannot follow. L. dispar batavus female in the early morning fens of the Weerribben Reserve. Well that was a good start I thought, but then I did not know it would be many hours before I would see another . I had been told pristine L. dispar batavus are rare in nature, these butterflies soon cut themselves on the reeds and may be prone to attacks from birds and probably large dragonflies. Next. More memorable days in search of L. dispar batavus in Holland .
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Post by nomad on Aug 9, 2015 7:20:52 GMT
Memorable days searching for Lycaena dispar batavus in Holland. Part two. I set off again on my red hire bike into the fens looking for L. dispar batavus and search likely looking spots but I find none. Later, I met two botanists conducting a plant survey of the fens and they also had a brief to keep a eye open for batavus, they have drawn a blank but show me an exact spot on a map where they have seen batavus last week. The botanists have shown me a location on my map at the southern end of the Weerribben reserve in area of old peat diggings called the Woldlakebos. The old peat diggings have filled with water and here L.dispar batavus has been seen taking nectar at patches of Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense, which stand close to road. I head there. The lagoons at the old Peat diggings of the Woldlakebos. I arrive at the location in the Woldlakebos and see the thistles, I wait, two hours pass, only Meadow Browns Maniola jurtina are feeding, then there is a Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas. Going back to get a drink from my rucksack, I return and there feeding next to L. phlaeas is the most marvellous pristine female L. dispar batavus, she has quite dark markings on her forewings. When the sun goes in she flies into the fen vegetation to bask, I am very excited, she glows, a fire butterfly indeed. A beautiful pristine female of L. dispar batavus. Later, there is flash of intense brilliant orange, a male has arrived but he is not in good condition, he looks like he has been attacked. He is very intrested in my bright red bike, he flies over to it several times. Later, I cycle back to my campsite a happy man. I arrive early at the Woldlakebos site I visited the day before around 9am. The tatty male is already here feeding, the female from yesterday turns up, already she shows slight tears to her hindwings. The male flies over and tries to mate with the female, she flies off into the fen, the male chases after her, they descend into the fen together. Hopefully they will pair. Word has spread that this is a good site for batavus, a number of other people turn up, the male comes back and even though he shows damage the people here are very pleased. The male is well photographed. Another almost pristine smaller female pays us a visit, she is very dark, an aberration? , I manage to get some good shots with my camera. Even a local lady seeing us by the roadside stops in her car. She lives nearby in a thatched cottage, she sees and photographs both the male and female, she has never seen Fire Butterflies before but has read about them in a recent magazine. She is thrilled as I am. A very dark L. dispar batavus female. A Dutch entomologist who I met the day before in another area of the Woldlakebos has arrived at the lagoons. He often visits the Weerribben to search for batavus, he has told me that he looked here last year but saw none because they had cut the fen, he has never encountered them before feeding at thistles. He also informed me that on some visits to the Weerribben he is unsuccessful in his search for ssp batavus , he mentions I have been very lucky. By the adjacent lagoon, a notice has been placed, that says " Do not mow until the 18th August Fire Butterly Survey in progress ". Bamboo poles have been placed by the foodplants, growing along the sides of the lagoons, I guess a lot of egg counting will be going on. The next day it rained in the afternoon and then a great storm arrived from Western Holland in the early evening. The storm bought down many trees and flattened the thistles by the lagoon, which are now turning to seed. It almost flatterned my tent during the night. A large Willow branch fell in the camping field but thankfully just around the corner, several tent spaces away. Luckily there was no tent underneath, almost everyone who was camping had gone home. Things looked bleak but by Sunday the storm had blown itself out and the sun come out. I set off once more into the fens on my last day to hopefully find another male batavus to photograph but with that storm my chances seemed slim. Female Resting. Next. More Memorable days searching for L. dispar batavus in Holland with images of another Weerribben rarity.
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Post by wollastoni on Aug 9, 2015 8:54:14 GMT
Wow ! Wow ! Wow !
A splendid butterfly and great close-up ! Thanks a lot for sharing, Peter !
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Post by nomad on Aug 9, 2015 9:17:29 GMT
Thanks Olivier. That's was I said or something close to it when I encountered this butterfly in its Dutch home. I was in the Weerribben 6 days, 5 were in fine weather, I saw only 12 L. dispar batavus in all that time and that was with the help of information given to me by Dutch naturalists whom I met in the field. According to the latter that was a very good number to have seen. On some days I encountered the same butterflies, I knew because a piece or pieces of their wings were missing. I saw one male during four consecutive days.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Aug 9, 2015 13:11:11 GMT
Stunning!
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Post by jmg on Aug 21, 2015 22:47:33 GMT
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Post by nomad on Aug 22, 2015 4:48:27 GMT
Thanks Jean-Marc. More to follow in this report soon.
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Post by nomad on Aug 24, 2015 11:37:36 GMT
Memorable days searching for L. dispar batavus in Holland. When looking for L. dispar batavus in the field I made good use of any avaliable local knowledge. The entomologist that I met at the Woldlakebos was most helpful. In the fens, I also wanted to see the butterfly the Dutch call the Zilveren Maan = Silver Moon Boloria selene and what we British call the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. This is rare butterfly in Holland, that occurs in the Weerribben fenland. In Britian it is found in woods and on moorland. The Dutch entomologist told me to check a site North of Ossenzijl. I arrived at the spot and crossed a bridge across a dyke with much L. dispar batavus foodplant. Sure enough I encounter B. selene in open areas between and in the wet medium fens. The butterflies seemed smaller than those in Britain and they flew at speed close to the ground, stopping now and again to bask or take nectar. I found only a few. Figure 1 & 2. Boloria selene in the Weerribben. Walking along the edge of the fen, I at once saw a flash of brillant orange and a pristine male L. dispar batavus landed on Milk Parsley to feed. What a splendid male he was and he visited other flowers and took turns resting in the vegetation. This was his terriotory and he buzzed any B. selene at high speed. He moved so fast I just managed to keep track of him. I had found one other good male in a site in the Woldlakebos but not as fine as this fellow. His beauty was exquisite and I was enjoyed myself very much and this was a fitting end to my exploration of the fenland of the Weerribben. Figure 3 & 4. The most beautiful of the four males of batavus that I saw in the Weerribben. Feeding on Milk Parsley with the abundant Red Soldier Beetles Rhagonycha fulva and the same male basking in the fen. Figure 5. A male batavus rests in the vegetation. Later in the day, I met a tall Dutch guy in a uniform standing by an offical looking Weerribben Park vehicle. I was pleased to meet this warden, I had some pressing questions for him, such as why were they cutting some fens while the butterflies were on the wing there visiting the nectar sources they contained ( See the next article). I saw many dragonflies in the Weerribben Fens. My favourite was the beautiful Vuurlibel or Fire Dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea. Unfortunately, this species does not occur in Britain. Figure 5. The Fire Dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea. Next Two men went to mow a meadow = Fen.
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Post by nomad on Sept 17, 2015 18:05:08 GMT
Two Men went to Mow a Meadow = Fen. I must state here that the following are my observations during the Adults flight period during July 2015 and report it here because it was remarked upon by other Dutch naturalists who I have the great pleasure of meeting in the field. Excuse, the above humour of the title of this article, that was a sentence in a rather boring and long repetitive song that we were encouraged to sing on long family trips in the old car we owned when I was a young boy. The other English members here may have had to sing that ditty too. Lycaena dispar batavus occurs in medium Fen sward that is cut in the summer. This cutting is essential to keep out scrub and dense taller reeds. When I had met those two botanists mentioned in the previous article, I asked them " why they thought ' batavus ' was so rare ". They suggested that one of the problems was the cutting of the fens too early, while the butterfly were still on the wing. A good site for batavus which I found early on in the Weerribben, was along the road running north from Ossenzijl (permitted access). This roadside site was very similar to the Woldlakebos lagoon locality but the breeding colony was in a dyke by the fen. A few butterflies were again found to be visiting Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense. One morning I arrived here and a Large female L. dispar batavus was feeding at the thistles. I had seen another male and a female the day before but none were in very good condition. The female today was occassionally leaving the thistles to bask in the fen vegetation. Then a lorry stopped and a man started to unload a hand held cutter and proceeded to cut the edges of the small fen. The female flew off into the fen. It was still only 9am and then a tractor came and went into the fen lowering its great scythe and gone were the thistles and when I came back later the entire fen was mown. I wondered if the female survived but any other less active resting batavus might have not. The female encountered just before the fen was cut. Cleaning herself after feeding at the thistles. I was astonished and rather dismayed by what I had seen. Why do not the Park authorites cut the fen say in Mid-late August when the flight period is over. The same day as the cutting of the roadside fen, I went to another site in the Woldlakebos where the day before there was a gathering of people. A number of Dutch naturalists were photographing a nice batavus male feeding on Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria. This seemed to be the most well known Weerribben site. It was there that I met the helpful Dutch entomologist who I have previously mentioned . He was standing there in amazement and he was quite angry, they had also mown the fen containing the butterflies food source. Males at the more well known Woldlakebos fen-dyke site. Basking after feeding at Lythrum salicaria. The very next day the fen and nectar source were mown. Male feeding at Marsh thistle. The Dutch entomologist thought that the act of mowing this fen was astonishing. When I met the Warden ( see the last post ) and asked him why they were cutting the fens with the nectar source he stated " they are cutting too early " and he said " but there is the well known site in Woldlakebos" when I told him that they have cut that too, he said " he was quite angry about that" and " was going to bring it up at a management meeting the next day". It seems almost unbelieveable that those Park officials that hire the contractors to cut the fens, do not even bother to consult the warden! Considering how rare batavus is and, the Dutch class it as endangered, the act of cutting the fens with nectar sources during the height of the flight period during the butterflies centennial year when they are celebrating this special butterfly seems to be rather negative conservation. Hopefully next year when two men come to mow the fen it will be later in the year!! In writing this, I must say that there is probably a number of contributing factors, as to why batavus is a rare and declining species. The Dutch have been successful in maintaining a viable breeding population of L. dispar in a large area of fenland, while we Brits did not and drained them all as far back as the 1850s!! All because of a lot of greedy landowners. Shame on them!! Next Meetings in the Weerribben.
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Post by nomad on Dec 30, 2015 19:02:56 GMT
Meetings in the Weerribben. While I was searching for L. dispar batavus I met some really interesting people. Some had come here to find L. dispar while others were searching for rare dragonflies. All the Dutch naturalists that I met were most helpful. One young Dutch guy, an expert on dragonflies and Holland's butterflies gave me some very useful tips and I was even able to repay his kindness by pointing out that the Woldlakebos dispar site had not been mown, was a good place to be this year. His knowledge was impressive and he even knew the English names of our Dragonflies and Butterflies, even though they are completely different to his Dutch ones. When I was asked what I was trying to photograph, the Dutch people seemed generally surprised that I had come all the way from England to find one species of butterfly. When I left my tent in the morning, I soon found that the news had spread that someone from England had come here to see their Fire Butterfly. I even had the waitresses in the restaurant at the Recreation Centre Kluft, asking at breakfast, if I had found the Fire Butterfly and they seemed generally pleased that I had!! Cycling down the road one sunny day, I saw a middle aged couple crouching down with cameras, photographing something in the fen, " L. dispar batavus they cried" in English, it was and a fresh female. The two kindly botanists who I had enjoyed talking to the day before and had just departed, had pointed the then feeding butterfly to them. I was surprised and pleased to find, that the couple were both from England and were very pleased to have found dispar. He was a School teacher and she worked for English Nature. Like many general English naturalists they seemed interested in everything but had come especially to see the fen, its Fire Butterfly and the Dragonflies. By chance they had got the same information as I had from the same book ' Discover Butterflies in Britain ' which is a site guide to all the native British butterflies. The Author D. E. Newland had included the Weerribben National Park because it held L. dispar batavus which is the closest thing to our lost nominate race. It was because of Mr Newland that we were standing in the fen chatting. Three cheers for Mr Newland!! The couple had come by ferry with their car and lived in Huntingdon in Eastern England. They were staying at the same campsite, indeed the same canal side field. They were certainly a very nice English couple and did not go short even when camping, they had bought with them their best silver teapot and china cups, a nice small table and chairs. Isn't it amazing what you can stuff into your car but the couple's tent was not large but certainly bigger than mine. Even during the rain, they would sit outside in their waterproofs having tea and I was kindly invited to join them. Once, when the rain got too heavy, they suggested we move the chairs and table to the shelter of the trees. Only the great storm which blew in on the Saturday prevented their very English ritual. Way back in the 1990s before it was lost, they told me that had seen the introduced Dutch batavus subspecies in Woodwalton Fen in Cambridgeshire but only in breeding cages. The English women was on the steering committe for the new East Anglican Great Fen project in Britain which is supposed to recreate some lost fenland in that part of our country. She was keen to see the fenland of the Weerribben and see what flora and fauna it contained. I asked her and she kindly told me much about the Great Fen project that will include the small remnants of Woodwalton fen. The Great Fen project in England is not government funded and has to rely on private grants, gifts and lottery money. The Great Fen had the largest lake in England called Whittlesea Mere which was once the lowest area of the vanished Fen but its now the highest due to the build up of the mere's mud and peat when it was drained. So there are no plans for a new mere at this site. Ironically the wettest part of the area of the new Great Fen project is Holme Fen where, L dispar dispar once flew in good numbers. When Holme Fen was drained, it remained too wet for cultivation and was left to its own devices. Birch saplings soon invaded the drained fen which is now a National Nature Reserve because of the woodland. Perhaps they will remove some of the birch, probably they will not. In Holland, as it once was in 19th century Britain, the unique fenland habitat has been there for thousands of years. The fenland in Holland once covered a much larger area and just like the lost fenland of England was often only accessible by boats. It seems here that the lakes and marshes will be created in the cornfields that have replaced the Great Fen of old. It does seem that some of this area will probably resemble parts of the Norfolk Broads but I fear not those vast vanished fens of old. The Great Fen project is about habitat re-creation not restoration. The fenland people, much of the flora and those lost butterflies and moths, several of which were extinct subspecies and races have gone for good. Destruction of those British fenlands that stretched from Yorkshire to East Anglica has been recently called, " Britain greatest ecological disaster " by Ian Rotherham and so it was. Those that wish to know more should read ' The Lost Fens ' by Ian D. Rotherham. Still, there will be lakes and marshes in the New British Great fen and those fragments of unimproved fen at Woodwalton, should benefit greatly. Anything will be better than miles of sterile corn and rape fields. I wish them every success in their grand project but that will be for future generations to behold and enjoy. If Woodwalton Fen could be surrounded by marshland then perhaps in that larger area L. dispar will delight us with its brillant colours just as it did in days of old. The kindly botanists and I, had told the English couple about the Woldlakebos dispar site and I saw them there the next day and they had some success, at others times during their stay, they were enjoying themselves ticking dragonflies or bird-watching but unfortunately for them that great summer storm moved in. Before the storm hit, the Dutch tents wisely vanished en mass but in the camping field when it came only two tents remained, those of the three English visitors. On the Monday I waved my fellow Brits goodbye and wished them luck in getting to their ferry at the Hook of Holland. Monday as expected bought travel chaos, trees still littered the rail tracks and roads. A group of young Dutch were helpful and I was invited to join them and I followed them on journey to Amsterdam Airport. If I did not, I would still have been waiting outsides the train station, where no one could not find a bus company to take us further. With the aid of mobile phones, a route was planned and with local buses to take us to a station with a train that was leaving for Amsterdam. All I can remember of that day is mad dashes in-between the bus and trains, l managed to keep up . All the group thankfully just made their flights except for me who had the luxury of a well earned rest and a couple of beers, I had booked an evening flight. A male dispar courting a female.
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Post by cabintom on Dec 30, 2015 20:30:36 GMT
That sounds like it was an absolutely wonderful experience. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by wollastoni on Dec 30, 2015 22:46:21 GMT
"Fire butterflies in a summer storm" : nice story Peter !
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mooks
New Aurelian
Posts: 31
Country: U.K.
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Post by mooks on Mar 30, 2016 10:12:35 GMT
Amazing read Peter and such a beautiful species too..
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Post by nomad on Mar 30, 2016 16:35:39 GMT
Thank you Mooks, I am pleased that you enjoyed the read. That was a unforgettable week and the Dutch are a very hospitable people. Although there is captive breeding stock of batavus easily available, nothing beats seeing this gem in its fenland home where the wild imagos can be very large for European Lycaenidae. They are bigger and brighter than the more widespread ssp rutilus. The biggest surprise was how rare and endangered batavus really is in Holland. There were certainly no Large Copper fields that were mentioned by the old Aurlieans in the fens of East Anglia.
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