The Lincolnshire Bird Club

I am interested in recording which butterflies visit my Bracebridge Heath garden this year and to see how the noted arrival of new species might differ from 2014 (dates in brackets below) with its 17 species.
8 species visited the garden in March and April this year:

1. Small Tortoiseshell - 10 Mar - sunning itself on a path. (16 Mar 14)

2a. Brimstone (female) - 2 Apr. (31 Mar)

2b. Brimstone (male) - 7 Apr. (20 Feb)

3. Peacock on Aubretia and Iberis - 6 Apr. (12 March)

4. Small White - 9 Apr. (31 Mar)

5. Holly Blue (male) on Ivy leaves - 15 Apr. (24 Apr)

6. Green-veined White on Honesty - 21 Apr. (11 Apr)

7. Large White on Mexican Orange Blossom and Hyacinth - 25 Apr. (9 Apr)

8. Speckled Wood on Ivy and Rose leaves - 26 Apr. (8 Jun)

Small Tortoiseshells built up to 3 in April and Peacocks to 4. A female Brimstone made further visits to the garden after 2 April. One or two of the three Whites visited most sunny days during the second half of April. The male Holly Blue was still patrolling the Hawthorn hedges in the sun up to the end of the month, even after the temperature had dropped considerably due to the cold winds.

No signs yet in the garden of Comma (29 Mar 14) or Orange Tip (5 May 14).

Freddy

Update : 1-15 May

Additional arrivals this month were :

9a. Orange Tip (male) - 11 May plus subsequent sunny days (on Honesty and Iberis (Candytuft). Prominently displaying its bright orange wing tips as a warning sign. Once a bird has tasted a male Orange Tip, the bitter mustard oils ingested as a caterpillar will deter it from repeating the experience.

9b. Orange Tip (female) - 15 May (on Honesty, Iberis and Aubretia). Exhibiting the attractive hindwings mossed with green.

The 3 Whites visited regularly. 2 Holly Blues frequented the Ivy patch and the Hawthorn hedges. A male Brimstone appeared occasionally, usually settling on Honesty.

Freddy

Update : 16-31 May

The last two weeks of May were characterised by chilly winds and a lot of cloud. As a result, regular butterfly sightings were disappointing and were limited to Holly Blue (two) and Orange Tip (male) plus Spp White to the end of the month.

Freddy

Update : 30 June

The month's generally cloudy and cold weather seriously depressed butterfly numbers.
Orange Tip continued until the end of the first week in June when a Speckled Wood arrived. One or two stayed around to the end of the month. Holly Blue appeared just once mid-month.

10. A Painted Lady nectared on a Mexican Orange Bush on 7th June and a female Brimstone made a brief appearance on Cosmos on 16th.

11. Meadow Brown jinked across the lawn on 28th.
Spp White were frequent until mid-month but the next appearance was a Large White on 30th.

The Buddleia panicles are now colouring up nicely and the Marjoram and Lavender will soon be in full bloom. With warmer weather and a good variety of rich nectar sources in the garden, butterfly numbers, especially of non-Whites, should increase in the near future.

Freddy

Update - 31 July :

June's general cloudy and cold weather continued for much of July. On the infrequent sunny and warm days, an abundance of available nectar blossom from Marjoram, Lavender and Buddleia attracted some welcome butterflies to the garden :

12. Ringlet - 2 July; then regular for c. 3 weeks
13. Large Skipper - 4 July (also 15th)
14. Comma (2) - 15 July on Buddleia; then regular
15. Gatekeeper - 16 July on Marjoram; then regular
16. Small Skipper (2) - 16 July on Lavender (also 21st and 31st)
17. Painted Lady - 23 July on Buddleia (also 28th)
18. Red Admiral - 23 July (also 25th)
19. Essex Skipper - 23 July on Lavender (also 29th).
A new emergence of Peacocks began on 16th.

The month ended with a fine day on 31st, attracting 10, most now regular, species to the garden :

3 Meadow Brown
4 Peacock
2 Gatekeeper
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
The 3 Whites
plus 2 Holly Blues (male and female) (new emergence)
and a Small Skipper.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth appeared on 15th and 16th, and a Silver Y moth on/off from 16th.

Freddy

17th August - 'Blue Monday'

I was very pleased this morning to see in the garden that the 2 Holly Blues had come down from the Hawthorns and were nectaring in the sun on the Marjoram plus a male Common Blue was on the Lavender (2nd Common Blue visit to the garden this month).

Freddy

Update 31st August

June and July's generally cloudy, windy and often wet weather continued on and off throughout August. Butterfly numbers suffered as a consequence and it was only on infrequent warm sunny days that regular (and new) species appeared in the garden.

Gatekeeper (max 9 on 12th) were around until 22nd. Meadow Brown (max 3) and the occasional Essex Skipper continued until mid-month. Peacock (max 11), Holly Blue (max 3), Small Tortoiseshell (max 4), Red Admiral (max 2), Comma (max 2) and the 3 Whites showed on fine days to the end of the month. One Ringlet reappeared on 3rd.

Occasional appearances were : Brimstone (male) - 20th, Brimstone (female ) - 8th, 9th and Painted Lady - 12th, 24th, 27th (3) and 28th-30th. A new emergence of Speckled Wood was on 21st with its being regular thereafter even on some cloudy days.

New species in August were :

20. Small Copper - 9th on Marjoram
21. Common Blue (male) - 9th on Marjoram; also 17th (Lavender) and 22nd (Marjoram).
Sun 9th was indeed a 'special' day with continuous warm sunshine and a total of 14 species in the garden.

The last day of the month was wet and with continuous thick cloud.

Freddy

Sat 12th September

Despite the windy weather and infrequent sunshine today, I still had 7 species visit the garden :

Painted Lady - 2 on Buddleia
Red Admiral - 1 on Cosmos
Holly Blue - 2 on Sedum 'Autumn Joy'/on Hawthorns
Peacock - 1 on Buddleia
Small Tortoiseshell - 6 on Buddleia/Sedum
Large White
Green-veined White

A Speckied Wood and Small White have been around on recent days but didn't show today.

Freddy

Update : 30th September

Butterflies appearing in the garden regularly during the first three weeks of September (mainly on Buddleia/Sedum) included :

Painted Lady - max 2
Red Admiral - max 2
Small Tortoiseshall - max 6
Holly Blue - 2
Peacock
Speckled Wood
3 Whites
plus Hummingbird Hawkmoth - 2nd, 13th.

During the last week of the month, the Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Holly Blue and Peacock were absent. The Speckled Wood stayed on towards the end of the month and a Comma appeared on Buddleia on 28th.

Freddy

Update : 31st October

Just as an end of the ' 2015 Butterfly Season in the Garden' footnote :

Speckled Wood - Regular in the garden until the last sighting on Ivy flowers on 12th October.

Freddy