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22 June 2016
© Vince Massimo and Peter Eeles
Citation: Massimo, V. and Eeles, P. (2016). Notes and Views, Issue 6 - January to April 2016 [Online]. Available from http://www.dispar.org/reference.php?id=115 [Accessed May 3, 2024].

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Notes and Views, Issue 6 - January to April 2016

Vince Massimo and Peter Eeles

Abstract: This edition of Notes and Views provides a summary of interesting items posted on UK Butterflies and other media between 1st January and 30th April 2016.

Early Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) Sightings

08 January 2016 (Source)

A couple of early sightings of Speckled Wood were made.

4th January: A Speckled Wood was found at Berkhamstead by Ian Gamble. Reported on the Herts and Middlesex BC branch website here.
8th January: Another Speckled Wood was seen at Geevor Mine, Cornwall by Becky Symonds. Reported on Twitter via Richard Fox here.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) male (Library Pic)
Image © Iain Leach

Early Small White (Pieris rapae) Sighting

09 January 2016 (Source)

A freshly emerged Small White was seen outside a building in Lancashire on 9th January by Andrew King. Reported on Twitter by Andrew Cooper here.

Small White (Pieris rapae) male (Library Pic)
Image © Vince Massimo

Early Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) Sightings

15 January 2016 (Source)

A number of Painted Lady sightings were recorded, from the south coast of England to Cumbria and Northern Ireland. While many may have been new arrivals to our shores, a few may have overwintered successfully, given this distribution.

2nd January: A Painted Lady was photographed at Roughmore, Taunton, Somerset by Nigel Cottle. Reported on Twitter here.
2nd January: Another Painted Lady was photographed at Berry Head, Devon by Grahame Madge. Reported on Twitter here.
6th January: Another Painted Lady was sighted by Neil Hulme in his garden in Worthing, West Sussex on 6th January. Reported in Neil's UK Butterflies personal diary here.
6th January: Another Painted Lady was seen at Siddick Pond, Workington, Cumbria by Raegan Mckay. Reported on Twitter here.
7th January: A Painted Lady was seen at Murlough NNR, Northern Ireland, by Stephen Craig. Reported on Twitter here.
8th January: Yet another Painted Lady was photographed at Trelissick Gardens near Truro, Cornwall. Reported on the UK Butterflies sightings forum (via John Chapple) here.
13th January: A further sighting of a Painted Lady was made in Polegate, East Sussex by Peter Farrant. Reported on the Sussex BC branch website here.
15th January: Another Painted Lady was seen on the seafront at Lancing, West Sussex by Dan Norris on 15th January. Reported on the Sussex BC branch website here.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) (Library Pic)
Image © Iain Leach

Early Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) Sighting

22 January 2016 (Source)

A Holly Blue was photographed in Newport, Shropshire by John Reade on 22nd January. Reported on Twitter here.

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) male (Library Pic)
Image © Neil Freeman

White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) Larva

29 February 2016 (Source)

Pauline Richards recorded a sequence of a White-letter Hairstreak larva emerging from its egg in her personal diary.

First Wall (Lasiommata megera) Sighting

22 March 2016 (Source)

Following a very mild and wet winter, March was been fairly quiet so far, and the most unusual sighting was of a very early Wall seen at Combwich, Somerset on 22nd March. Reported on twitter by Roger Musgrove here.

Ants Interacting with a Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) Larva

08 April 2016 (Source)

Pauline Richards recorded a fascinating series of images of ants plastering soil on a Common Blue larva at Noar Hill on 8th April in her personal diary.