Butterfly count 2014

A somewhat different year last year on the butterfly and moth front from previous years. The spring seemed to be fantastic for butterflies, with far more species around and in larger numbers than I normally see. However the high summer butterfly numbers and species seemed very poor, with the exception of the Gatekeeper which appeared in huge numbers this year. The later season butterflies which usually appear in large numbers i.e. Peacocks, Red Admirals, Commas etc were thin on the ground, and the biggest oddity is that very few butterflies seemed interested in feeding on my Verbena bonariensis, which I've been pushing as the best butterfly nectar plant of the lot since I started this blog! All in all though, not a bad count, totalling 36 different species of butterflies seen in Brittany last year.

Garden List:

Family Nymphalidae

1. Peacock Inachis io
2. Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
3. Painted Lady Cynthia cardui
4. Comma Polygonia c-album
5. Marbled White Melanargia galathea
6. Map Araschnia levana (2nd generation)
7. Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
8. Wall Brown Lasiommata megera
9. Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
10. Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
11. Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus
12. Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae
13. Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia

Family Pieridae

14. Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines
15. Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
16. Large White Pieris brassicae
17. Small White Pieris rapae
18. Green Veined White Pieris napi
19. Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni

Family Lycaenidae

20. Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas
21. Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
22. Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
23. Purple Hairstreak Favonius quercus (New! and first Hairstreak I've seen in my garden; sadly no photos) 

Family Papilionidae

24. Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaon

Family Hesperiidae

25. Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae
26. Lulworth Skipper Thymelicus acteon
27. Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus
28. Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (New for the garden)

2013's tally was 32 species seen either at home or in my hamlet, so down a few, with the notable absence of the Small Skipper, and fewer Lycaenidae (blues and coppers) last year.

Daytime flying moths:

Of the colourful moths which fly during the day and/or spend time feeding on flowers, I've seen at home:

1. Hummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum
2. Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth Hemaris fuciformis
3. Jersey Tiger Moth Euplagia quadripunctaria
4. Silver Y Moth Autographa gamma 
5. Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae 
6. Five-spot Burnet Moth Zygaena trifolii
7. Cream-spot Tiger Moth Arctia villica (New!)
8. Oak Eggar Moth Lasiocampa quercus (New!)

Same total as 2013, although some species are different.


Elsewhere in Brittany:

1. Sooty Copper Lycaena tityrus (both male and female)
2. Brown Argus Aricia agestis
3. Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae
4. Dingy Skipper Erynnis tages (New!)
5. Chequered Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon (New!)
6. Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxia (New!)
7. Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi
8. Wood White Leptidea sinapis

So that kind of makes up for it, having seen 3 lifers (new species never seen before) plus the Green Hairstreak which I've only ever seen once before decades ago.

Here are a few photos of some of the new species seen last year, plus a few other favourites. They have all been shown on my blog during the year so I have been saved having to do any processing, just had to search for them!

Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)

Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)

Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)

Cream-spot Tiger Moth (Arctia villica)

Cream-spot Tiger Moth (Arctia villica)

Oak Eggar Moth (Lasiocampa quercus), male

And a few oldies but goodies....

Painted Lady (Cynthia cardui)

Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), male

Map (Araschnia levana), 2nd generation

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia), both male and female

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

Last year's butterfly count is here. Roll on butterfly season again!

Butterfly count 2013

2013 has been a fantastic butterfly year! I've seen ten new butterfly species and three new daytime flying moths, plus some of the usual species have been more abundant. It's been a great year for Painted Ladies and Clouded Yellows, and I've seen many Brimstones, all through the summer as well as early spring, which is when they are normally about. Scroll down past the list for photos of the new species.

I've included in my butterfly count a few species that I didn't see at home, but did see in my hamlet, so very close to home.

Family Nymphalidae

1.   Peacock Inachis io
2.   Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
3.   Painted Lady Cynthia cardui
4.   Comma Polygonia c-album
5.   Marbled White Melanargia galathea
6.   Map Araschnia levana (2nd generation)
7.   Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
8.   Wall Brown Lasiommata megera
9.   Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
10. Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
11. Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus
12. Lesser Purple Emperor Apatura ilia (New!)
13. Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae (New!)
14. Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia (New!)

Family Pieridae

15. Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines
16. Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
17. Large White Pieris brassicae
18. Small White Pieris rapae
19. Green Veined White Pieris napi
20. Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni

Family Lycaenidae

21. Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas
22. Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
23. Sooty Copper Lycaena tityrus (New! saw both male and female)
24. Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus (New!)
25. Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus (New!)
26. Brown Argus Aricia agestis (New!)

Family Papilionidae

27. Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaon

Family Hesperiidae

28. Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
29. Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae
30. Lulworth Skipper Thymelicus acteon (New!)
31. Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus (New!)
32. Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (New!)


Daytime flying moths:

Of the colourful moths which fly during the day and spend time feeding on flowers, I've seen:

1. Hummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum
2. Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth Hemaris fuciformis
3. Jersey Tiger Moth Euplagia quadripunctaria
4. Silver Y Moth Autographa gamma 
5. Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae 
6. Five-spot Burnet Moth Zygaena trifolii (New!)
7. Fiery Clearwing Moth Pyropteron chrysidiforme (New!)
8. Garden Tiger Moth Arctia caja (New!) - this is actually a nocturnal moth but I found one in the veggie patch during the day!

Lesser Purple Emperor - probably the most exciting due to the fact that these
butterflies don't feed on nectar, but usually spend most of their time up in
the treetops feeding on honeydew, therefore it's rare to see one!

Small Tortoiseshell - they used to be a common species
but I haven't seen one here since I don't know when.

Silver Washed Fritillary - the first fritillary I'm aware of seeing here.

A female Sooty Copper - I also saw a male one in the hamlet.

One of my favourites, the Holly Blue.
All the tiny blues and coppers have this cute look though.

Long-tailed Blue, only seen once and is really tiny!

Brown Argus - another nice surprise as I thought at first it was
something I'd already seen before. It's important to pay attention
to those markings on the underwings!

Onto the Skippers. This is the Essex Skipper and it's quite hard to distinguish
between this and the Small Skipper, but the red tips to the antennae are the key.

Large Skipper - this one is a male.

My favourite of the Skippers - a Lulworth Skipper (female).
Both male and female visited my garden over a period of about 5 days with
a preference for the lavender flowers. These butterflies are miniscule!

Although I took these photos on coastal heathland I actually saw one at long last in my garden!
I'm pretty sure this is the Five-spot Burnet Moth which seems to vary in the markings,
although the one I saw in my garden is like the one top left.

Pure luck that I noticed this tiny Fiery Clearwing Moth!

Whereas this Garden Tiger Moth in my veg patch was somewhat easier to notice!

I also saw three new species of butterfly on holiday in May, a Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) in SW France, and the Western Marbled White (Melanargia occitanica) and a Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus sp.) of some kind in northern Spain on the Mediterranean coast.

A Grizzled Skipper which just landed at my feet and I didn't dare move!

Given that I saw the last butterfly here, a Red Admiral, on 20th December, it's been a good, long and spectacular season for my favourite insects!

Butterfly count 2012

Not terribly exciting for anyone reading this but I want to list the butterflies that I have seen this year, at home, so I've got it somewhere safe that I can refer back to again!

Family Nymphalidae

1.   Peacock Inachis io
2.   Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
3.   Painted Lady Cynthia cardui
4.   Comma Polygonia c-album
5.   Marbled White Melanargia galathea
6.   Map Araschnia levana (2nd generation)
7.   Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
8.   Wall Brown Lasiommata megera
9.   Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
10. Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
11. Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus (New!)

Family Pieridae

12. Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines
13. Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
14. Large White Pieris brassicae
15. Small White Pieris rapae
16. Green Veined White Pieris napi (New!)
17. Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni (the only butterfly I don't have a photo of)

Family Lycaenidae

18. Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas
19. Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

Family Papilionidae

20. Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaon

Family Hesperiidae

21. Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris (New!)
22. Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae (New!)

23. I also saw something huge that could have been a Poplar Admiral (Limenitis populi) or a Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) - I know that sounds like wishful thinking but it was flying towards me high up from the other end of the lake (where there are poplars), and all I could see as it passed overhead were mottled underwing markings and it then settled high up in a lime tree and I couldn't find it again!

I've seen four new species, but to be honest I'm sure I've seen a Green Veined White before, I just hadn't taken much notice of them and hadn't bothered taking photos of them before! We had plenty of Painted Ladies this year; ditto Small Coppers and Wall Browns, yet I only saw two Swallowtails. I also never saw a single Fritillary which is quite surprising.

Daytime flying moths:

Of the moths which regularly fly during the day and spend time feeding on flowers, I've seen:

1. Hummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum
2. Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth Hemaris fuciformis (New!)
3. Jersey Tiger Moth Euplagia quadripunctaria
4. Silver Y Moth Autographa gamma (New!)
5. Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae 

If you got this far, here's a few photos of some of the new species I have seen this year, and a few old favourites which I don't always see very often.

Small Skipper. I'd never seen a Skipper before and they
are so tiny it is not surprising!

Mallow Skipper - I saw this twice.

Green Veined White. Very similar to the Small White,
but with obvious markings along the veins - not sure why they
are called Green Veined though, as they usually look grey/black to me!

Small Heath. This was the only time I saw this tiny butterfly on one of my
ornamental flowers - the rest of the time they stayed low to the ground
and enjoyed all the flowering 'weeds' in my lawn!

Broad-bordered Bee Hawkmoth. This was a first this year and I saw one twice!

Silver Y moth - I saw many of them early September.
They particularly liked the Sedums.

Painted Lady - a summer visitor, some years in abundance and other years not

Female Common Blue on a Lavender flower.
Despite the name, they are not common around here, more's the pity!

One final butterfly that I have not seen in many a year, but saw when I arrived at my mum's house in England. We think it was trying to hibernate in her kitchen.

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) on my wrist!