I will remember 2015 as being rather grey and cool. After a mild winter
with only one dusting of snow, spring arrived in mid March with butterflies
regularly being recorded from the 18th March.
Much of the summer was cloudy with only short spells of sunshine. While
areas north and south of East Lothian enjoyed longer sunny periods, we seemed
to miss any good weather. In fact when I was checking the Butterfly Transect
results, I didn't come across one record sheet showing the temperature being
above 20 degrees Celsius!
However, the weather in September and October was lovely and later in
the year we avoided the heavy rain, which caused flooding elsewhere in the UK.
The weather didn't really turn cold until 4th December.
Despite the weather I received a bumper number of records this year,
which gave a really good picture of how the butterflies fared over the year.
Peacock, Aglais io
The first butterfly recorded in 2015 was a Peacock on 4th March. They
were regularly seen with the last record of a worn specimen being seen on 30th
June. On 16th July the first of the new generation was spotted and again they
were seen in good numbers until 1 November.
Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae
Small Tortoiseshells also did well this year with the first record
being on 19th March. There was no clear division between the generations and
they were recorded through to 8 December. That was our last butterfly record of
the year.
Comma, Polygonia c-album
I think 2015 was the best year we have had for Commas here in East
Lothian. The first record was on 23rd March and they were regularly spotted
through April. I only received one record each month in May, June and July and
then from the beginning of August they were seen in good numbers through to
26th October.
Small White, Pieris rapae
The number of Small Whites recorded in the spring was down on previous
years, probably reflecting the poor weather we had late in the summer of 2014.
The first record in 2015 was on 9th April and they were seen through to the 7th
July. From 6th August the second generation appeared and they were seen in
better numbers until 1 October.
Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines
Orange Tips did well this year. The first record was on 9th April and they were recorded through to
27 June. This was quite a prolonged flight period, maybe as a result of the
cool weather.
Green-veined White, Pieris napi
Green-veined Whites always do well here. The first record for 2015 was
on 9th April and they were seen in smaller than normal numbers until 16th July.
On 6th August the second generation emerged and they were seen in good numbers until
14th October.
Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta
The first Red Admiral record was on 10th April and I only received
three more records until July when we were literally invaded by hundreds of
them. On 1st July I saw six Red Admirals flying or blowing in from the sea on a
cold grey day. Six other people reported similar sightings that day and I
received several records of Red Admirals over the next few days. These
butterflies went on to produce a further generation and high numbers of Red
Admirals were seen until 11 November.
Large White, Pieris brassicae
Like the Small White, numbers of the spring population of Large Whites
were quite low. They were first recorded on 15th April until 7th July. The
second generation was seen between August 6th and October 26th in far greater
numbers.
Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria
The first Speckled Wood was recorded on 18 April. Their numbers seemed
a little disappointing compared with last year, but they picked up later in the
season. The last record was on 26th October. They didn't extend their range as
they have in previous years, but considering the weather they continued to do
well.
Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas
Small Coppers did very well here in 2015. Because I received so many records
there was a nice clear division between the two generations with the first
generation being between 20th April and 8th July and the second generation
being between the 12th August and 1st October.
Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus
I only received one record of a Holly Blue in 2015 on 21st April. Whilst
it is sad to only receive one, it gives me hope that there may be a hidden
colony of Holly Blues somewhere in East Lothian. Records in recent years have
all come from three neighbouring villages, so I intend to have a thorough
search of the area this year!
Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus
Small Heaths were recorded from 4th May until 25th September. This is a
longer season than I have seen here before, which is possibly a result of the
cool summer we had.
I'll continue with the remaining species in my next post.
