8th August - Long-tailed Blue - Portsdown Hill, Hampshire

Back in October 2023, there was a small colony of Long-tailed Blue butterflies on Portsdown Hill, over the last three years the site has been checked but they were not found.  This week though at the same time the report of the Queen of Spain came out a Long-tailed Blue was found in the very same spot.

After the success with the fritillary we decided to head south to get another rare migrant of the UK.  After an hours drive we arrived at the car park, had lunch ten crossed the road to the spot with the bench.  The sun was in and out with some cloud about and as we arrived it went in and a butterfly buzzed around and then settled once the sun was behind the clouds.  A close look and there was the Long-tailed Blue.

The Long-tailed Blue is an extremely rare migrant to the British Isles.  The most noticeable influx occurred in 2013 when Long-tailed Blue were seen at 9 sites in Devon, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and Suffolk. Mating pairs, eggs and larvae were also found, confirming that the species had successfully bred and, on 8th September 2013, the first of the offspring emerged in Wiltshire and Kent. Sightings from other counties followed, with sightings continuing into October.

The adult butterfly has a jerky and rapid flight that is very similar to a hairstreak, but flies closer to the ground. It is also a strong flyer, borne out by its ability to migrate over large expanses of land and water. This butterfly possesses a pair of "tails" that give this species its name, together with an eye spot where the tails meet the wings. These act to divert a predator, such as a bird, away from the essential body parts. When at rest, the butterfly will rotate the hindwings which causes the tails to move, diverting predators from the more-important parts of the body.

This was a female, with the brown upper wing, the males being a graduated blue.

On the continent, this butterfly is considered a pest of pea crops, one of the larval foodplants, where it can cause considerable damage. This butterfly is continuously-brooded on the continent but again like the Queen of Spain is unable to survive our winters, who knows.

The white stripe on the hindwing looks a little faded which suggests these are migrants.  Who knows what has attracted them to the exact same spot as last time three years ago.  The chances are that now these will breed and that there will be a second brood in October.

They can quite feisty and will chase off butterflies much larger than themselves.

When the sun was out at least two were flying around the area, but as soon as it went behind the clouds they settles on the grass stems.

Alo in the area were a Small White.

And of course a Painted Lady.

We decided to go back and try and find the Brown Hairstreak, but once again the search was fruitless.  Quite bizarre we had seen two extremely rare butterflies in the UK today but could not get to see an endemic!

However there was always the Swallows once again flying around the cropped grass.

And a confiding Holly Blue where the Brown Hairstreak should have been.

Some lovely cloud formations looking south from the bottom of the slope, again looking impressive in black and white.

I doubt there are many days when you get to see two rare migrant butterflies in the United Kingdom, so it was special.  Who knows maybe as our climate changes we will see more of these exotic butterflies reaching our shores

8th August - Queen of Spain Fritillary - Monk Sherborne, Hampshire

Over the last few weeks there have been reports of Queen of Spain Fritillaries being seen in the country, with the more notable sightings being along the southern and eastern coasts.  This butterfly is a rare migrant to the British Isles. The vast majority of sightings are from the south coast of England, with a fairly even spread from Cornwall to Kent. There are fewer records further north and several records from southern Ireland. It is believed that the presence of this species on our shores is dependent on individuals originating in northern France or the Netherlands.

The first local sighting was on the Isle of Wight and then in the last week there were reports of several in a field just outside Monk Sherborne, which is just outside Basingstoke.  When the report of at least five present came in on Friday Ian and I decided to go and hopefully see them.  This was a new butterfly for me, I haven't been able to see them on trips into Europe.

Parking was an issue but I managed to find a spot and we set off along the footpath with Painted Lady flying past us.  There were a good number of other butterfly twitchers present as we arrived at the designated spot.  It also din't take long to find one as it was settled on the bare ground.

The vernacular name of "Queen of Spain" was given in 1775 by Moses Harris in The Aurelian's Pocket Companion, although no explanation for this name was given.  This species is most-easily recognised by the large silver spangles found on the underside of the hindwings. 

The Queen of Spain Fritillary is a sun loving butterfly that often stops to bask, usually on bare patches of ground.

There were at least three males present, and others had remarked that they had seen a male and female together.  The hindwings themselves are a curious shape, with a comparatively sharp angle at the edge of the hindwing that is not found in other fritillaries found in the British Isles.

The best distinguishing features of this butterfly are the large silver patches on the underside f the hindwings.  The male, seen here is smaller than the female.

The female is a little less bright and also has green on the upper side of the wing bases as can be seen here.

It was a case of following the butterflies around as they flew from the bare ground to the gravel path alongside the field.  Although strong flyers as you would expect from a migrant, the action is jerky and similar to that of a Wall Brown.

In 2009 several individuals were seen near the Sussex coast, including a sighting of a mating pair. Even so, there have been less than 400 sightings in total since it was first recorded in the United Kingdom back in 1710.

Although females have been seen egg-laying, neither larvae nor pupae have been found in the wild except in the Channel Islands, where larvae were found in 1950, and larvae were again found in 1951 and 1957. However, in 1945, 25 individuals were recorded at Portreath in Cornwall, suggesting that a migrant female had deposited her eggs in the vicinity and that this concentration of adults were her offspring.

This year’s influx and the presence of these butterflies in immaculate condition suggest that this has happened too, there may have been early arrivals back at the start of the summer and this concentration is as a result of egg laying then.  Unfortunately, this species is known to be unable to survive our winter, but will that change?

The larva is known to like warmth and is most-active on sunny days. This stage lasts between 3 and 4 weeks and there are 5 instars in total.  This supports the theory that these fritillaries are as a result of breeding early in the summer and hot summer has supported the development of the larvae.

The primary larval foodplants are Field Pansy and Wild Pansy.

There were plenty of opportunities to catch the butterfly on the ground and as you can see there were also plenty of closed wing views too.  But the hope was that they would move to the flowers or grasses and as the morning warmed up, that is what they did.

The migrant tendencies of this butterfly mean that it can turn up almost anywhere. However, it is most-frequently encountered in patches of grassland or heathland where it nectars on a variety of flowers, Thistles being a particular favourite. In northern Europe, sites are typically hot and dry.

Perched on a Thistle.

Finally a close up of a very special butterfly.

In our time walking along the edge of the field there were at least three Clouded Yellows and a few Small Heaths.  Also noteworthy were Buzzard and Kestrel and this Red Kite.

And a Sparrowhawk that flew close overhead, probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

Nice to be able to watch this lovely butterfly here in Hampshire, it takes my count of Hampshire butterflies to 48.  But where next to go, more butterflies?

7th August - Noar Hill, Hampshire

 Another day of sunshine, albeit a lot fresher and the sky looking that lovely azure blue.  I decided on a visit to Noar Hill hopeful that I might be able to find the elusive Brown Hairstreak.  I walked from the car to the other footpath that leads to the entrance on the west side of the reserve.  Above me were two juvenile Red Kites calling to each other.

Once through the gate you are immediately faced with Hemp Acrimony everywhere and there were a few white butterflies about, but the first insect that caught my eye was this large fly.  It is in fact a Hornet Plumehorn or Hornet Mimic.  Despite the size it is harmless to us and uses the mimicry to evade possible predators as it searches for nectar.  It can be distinguished from the real Hornet by the size of its eyes and the lack of a sting

First butterfly was a Cmma, looking rather worn.

And then as I walked into an open area a Small Heath.

At the first chalk pit I came across there was a lot of Hemp Acrimony and along with a couple of Red Admiral there was a Painted Lady nectaring.

Walking on there were more Painted Lady.  Here a slightly different pose.

And here showing the liking for the Hemp Acrimony.

There were good numbers of Common Blues from their second brood.  Here two males.

And a female.

As well as the Small and Large Whites there were a few Green-veined Whites, this one looking quite immaculate.

And for once I was able to get close in with a Large White nectaring on a Field Scabious.

The first Hummingbird Hawkmoth I came across was unusually stationary, settled on a leaf.

But a little further along I found one nectaring around the Thistles Thyme and Field Scabious.

I was now at the top end of the reserve with a lovely view across the harvested field though a gap in the bushes with small clouds floating in the azure blue sky.

Unfortunately there wasn't any sign of Brown Hairstreak, but I carried on walking the bridle way back towards the entrance.  I cut across to some more pits and again more Hemp Acrimony and again more Painted Lady.

They did seem to be everywhere, I counted eighteen on my walk around the reserve.

There were two Clouded Yellows that flew past me never to stop and then this moth which I have identified as a Sulphur Pearl.  This moth is right at the end of its flight period and feeds on the wild Carrot of which there was a lot on the reserve.

I walked around the same areas once again in the hope of finding the Brown Hairstreak, but without any luck at all.  They are appearing to be very elusive for me this year.  The last butterfly of the day was this Speckled Wood as I walked down the path back to the car.

It was lovely to walk through the wild flowers and the hordes of butterflies around this lovely reserve, it was just a shame the one butterfly I was hoping to find was not playing ball