Some Borders Butterflies

I have been particularly busy this year and the weather hasn't been the best for looking for butterflies. However, I have still managed a few trips down to the Scottish Borders to look for butterflies, some of which we don't get here in East Lothian.

Here are the highlights:

Between sessions of clearing the house and keeping the grass and woodlands in check I managed a quick visit to a valley just above our property in Selkirkshire on the 18th June.

I knew this was a good site for Northern Brown Argus, Aricia artaxerxes, but I have never seen them in such numbers. They are such lovely butterflies and I feel so lucky to have such a great site for them close to where we will be living one day.

I think I will indulge in another picture!!

Another thrill for me was the sight of a small orange butterfly - a Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Boloria selene, which flew past me and then disappeared. On my way back down the valley I searched through the vegetation and was delighted to find it again. This time it posed nicely for me in the grass. I had thought I had seen one there in the past, but I wasn't 100% sure, so it was good to get a definite identification.

Six days later I took a friend down to the Berwickshire coast where we hoped to see Small Blues, Cupido minimus. Although numbers were lower than we have seen in the past it was great to see these lovely wee butterflies again.

It was quite worrying to see how dried up their food plant, Kidney Vetch, was, not because of the heat but because of the constant North-East wind coming in from the sea. However, we noticed that next to the railway the Kidney Vetch was doing much better out of the wind.

We met the Borders' butterfly recorder while we were there and he showed us where we would see Large Skippers, Ochlodes sylvanus. Despite the wind we were lucky to spot two or three. Two years ago these found their way into East Lothian, but they haven't been spotted since, possibly because the weather has been so poor.

On our walk back I was pleased to see a Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera. We have these in East Lothian, but I still haven't seen one here this year.

Two days ago on my way back down to Selkirkshire I called into a site near Melrose where I know Scotch Argus, Erebia aethiops, are found. These are a fairly scarce butterfly which are able to fly in dull, wet weather when other species are hiding away. I saw them last year flying in the rain!

They are so difficult to get pictures of, as they are very easily disturbed and when they land they always seem to go low down in the grass. I was pleased to be able to get the picture above and then delighted when I was walking back to the car to see the butterfly below feeding on a Thistle flower.

After lunch I returned to the valley above our property where I saw a lot of Small Skippers, Thymelicus sylvestris. This is another butterfly that I thought I had seen before there, but I hadn't seen it for long enough to be sure. It was great to see them in such numbers.

The Northern Brown Argus were also still flying and I saw a few Dark Green Fritillaries, Argynnis aglaja. 

To add a bit of colour there were also Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus, flying among the multitude of brown butterflies such as Meadow Browns, Ringlet and Small Heaths.

It was great to see so many different butterflies and it is really exciting to think that in a couple of years we will be living in amongst them all!

Butterflies through time (3)

In my previous two posts I talked about eight of the species of butterflies that have recently been recorded in East Lothian. I would call these new species, but as I have discovered many of these species occurred here many years earlier.

The three species below have been recorded in the last couple of years.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Bolora selene

There is a record in "The Butterflies of Scotland" of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary from East Lothian in 1845, but by 1900 it was not recorded from East Lothian any longer. There are various scattered records from around Scotland, and it seems that it occurs in small isolated colonies. It was discovered again in East Lothian in 2013 in a small valley in the Lammermuir Hills.

Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi

There are scattered records from all over Scotland in "The Butterflies of Scotland", but it doesn't show any Green Hairstreaks occurring in the Lothians. The "Provisional Atlas of the Insects of the British Isles" confirms that the only records were further west and north of here. However, I have been told of two sites in East Lothian where they are said to have been found about 30 years ago. I have checked both of those sites with no success, but last year Green Hairstreaks were found in the Lammermuir Hills, just inside East Lothian. This year another colony was found a few miles further into East Lothian.

Large Skipper, Ochlodes sylvanus

"The Butterflies of Scotland" shows records for the Large Skipper occurring in south west Scotland in the early 20th Century. There are a couple of records of it occurring in the Scottish Borders in the late 19th Century, but there is some dubiety about these records. The 1970 "Provisional Atlas of the Insects of the British Isles" shows no records in Scotland. In 2014, having spread further north in the Scottish Borders a couple were found just inside East Lothian, on the coast.

So, there are 24 species of butterflies occurring in East Lothian. The eleven species mentioned in these last three posts were not recorded here in 1970 and have all apparently appeared here since then. However, as I have now found out, seven of those species did once occur here, as early as the 1800s, but they apparently died out after that.

This of course leaves the big question, why? I certainly can't imagine that the habitat has improved in that time. In fact, the amount of undisturbed space has diminished in that time. I did wonder if it was something to do with the industrial revolution or the use of pesticides, but that wouldn't have made the butterflies head south to more populated areas of the country. Then my wife's cousin cracked it. "What about the Little Ice Age?" she asked. This was something that I hadn't hear of previously.

She sent me some information about the Little Ice Age, and although it isn't unanimously agreed when it began or ended I found some interesting information on Wikipedia. Apparently the NASA Earth Observatory has detected three cold periods starting in 1650, 1770 and 1850. The period of cooling starting around 1850 matches very well with the disappearance of some of these species of butterflies.

That same Wikipedia page also shows a graph of estimated average temperatures, which shows a considerable increase in the last 20 years. This could be a possible reason for the other species extending their range northwards into East Lothian.

I think there are more people recording butterflies these days, but I don't think that is the reason these butterflies have been recorded. Many of the people who send in records have noted new species where they have not seen them before. Possibly some species such as Green Hairstreak and Graylings, which are quite difficult to spot, have been here, undetected for many years.

Of course these are just some initial thoughts and I recognise that there could be some flaws in my theories. I would be very interested to hear other people's opinions about this.

References:
Thomson, G (1980). The Butterflies of Scotland. London: Croon Helm Ltd.
Heath, J (1979). Provisional Atlas of the Insects of the British Isles. Biological Records Centre.

East Lothian Butterflies 2013

The weather in 2013 was a big improvement on the previous two years. Although the winter wasn’t particularly hard, it dragged on for a long time, and spring didn’t arrive until half way through April. This, and I think last year’s very poor weather, had an impact on the number of butterflies early in the year. Other than a couple of sightings in March, the first records of butterflies didn’t come in until 26th April!

However, from mid April until the end of August, the weather was reasonably warm, dry and sunny. It was never particularly hot, so there was a continuous source of food plants and the number of butterflies really picked up during July and August. The weather in September and October was rather disappointing, so we didn’t get the influx of butterflies migrating north, that we were hoping for. The first frosts arrived in early November, putting an end to the butterfly season.

Peacock, Aglais io

The first record I received this year was a Peacock, seen on North Berwick Law on the 1st March. There were a few seen throughout the spring, but the number seen dropped at the end of May. In August, though, there was a sudden explosion of Peacocks when the next generation appeared. Numbers through August were the highest I can remember seeing.

Peacock

Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae

The first record this year of a Small Tortoiseshell in East Lothian was on 2nd March. After that they appeared regularly through to May. Like the Peacock their numbers picked up considerably with the new generation in July and August.

Small Tortoiseshell

Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui

One Painted Lady was recorded on 25th April, but it wasn’t until the end of June that more were seen having worked their way northwards through Europe. They weren’t seen up here in great numbers this year, though.

Painted Lady

Green-veined White, Pieris napi

The butterfly season kicked off properly with the first record of a Green-veined White on 26th April. Numbers were a little low, but they were seen regularly up until the middle of June. In July the second generation appeared with a vengeance. It seems that the weather conditions must have been perfect for them this year with numbers peaking around the middle of August.

Green-veined White

Small White, Pieris rapae

The first record of a Small White this year was on 29th April, which is more than a month later than last year and two months later than 2011. This just shows how their emergence is related to the weather. Like the Green-veined Whites, their numbers were low for the spring generation, but when the second generation started to appear at the beginning of August they were seen in far greater numbers than they have been for many years.

Small White

Comma, Polygonia c-album

The Comma is a butterfly that isn’t seen in great numbers here. It was first recorded in East Lothian in 2004 and is now seen all over the county, but rarely more than one at a time. The first one recorded here this year was on 30th April and a few records kept trickling in until the end of October. I find it odd that we never see it in greater numbers like the Small Tortoiseshell or Peacock with which it shares a similar life cycle and food plant.

Comma

Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines

The first Orange Tip seen this year was on 7th May. Their numbers were lower than average, but considering the rain and flooding we had last year this isn’t surprising. They don’t have a second summer generation like the other whites, but hopefully they should do well next year. Strangely, I didn’t see very many eggs or caterpillars, which are normally fairly easy to spot.

Orange Tip

Large White, Pieris brassicae

The first Large White was seen on 7th May. Generally we don’t see Large Whites in great numbers here, however this year, as with the other species from August onwards we had unusually high numbers of Large Whites. It wasn’t unusual to see more than 40 on a buddleia bush.

Large White

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria

Speckled Woods are butterflies that excite me a lot! In 2009 we received our first couple of records of them in East Lothian. The following year I found a small colony of them and since then they have increased in numbers year on year. The first record this year was on 14th May. After that records came in from all over the north and middle of the county. It seems that they first arrived here on the east coast having spread up from the Scottish Borders. This year they have worked their way almost along the entire length of the coast and up the River Tyne valley. It is amazing to see such a rapid spread of this species and next year I won’t be surprised if they are seen all over the county.

Speckled Wood

Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus

I only received one record of a Holly Blue this year on the 21st May. This was sad after they had been seen in various locations over the previous two years. Hopefully this one sighting means that they are still clinging on at the long-established colony in the west of East Lothian.

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

The first Red Admiral we saw this year was on May 22nd. Thereafter they were seen a few times, but compared with other butterflies this year, they weren't around in great numbers. I think the long winter was too much for any of them to survive and we didn't get very many making their way up from Europe.

Small Copper, Lyceana phlaeas

The weather this year seemed to suit Small Coppers with the first one being recorded on 30th May and thereafter higher than normal numbers being spotted. It was interesting to note that last year the majority of those seen were of the caeruleopunctata aberration, with a number of blue spots on their hind wings. However, this year very few aberrations were noted. It is interesting to speculate whether the aberration is a result of the climate, or quality of the caterpillar food plant, or for some other reason.

Small Copper

Wall Brown, Lamiommata megera

Like the Speckled Woods, Wall Browns were first recorded in East Lothian only a few years ago, but they don’t seem to have spread as quickly. We had a new record of them on North Berwick Law, so they have spread about half way along the coast in that time. The first record this year was on 30th May. They seem to occur mostly on the coast, but in August I saw one six kilometres inland at Woodhall Dean.

Wall Brown

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

The first Small Heath was recorded on 2nd June. It is a common butterfly along the coast in East Lothian and it is also found in the Lammermuir Hills. This year they appeared to do as well as ever.

Small Heath

Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus

The common Blue had a fairly normal year. I think that because they have come from eggs that were laid last year, they seem to be affected less by this year's good weather. The first Common Blue was seen on 16th June and they were on the wing until the middle of September.

Common Blue

Ringlet, Aphantopus hyperantus

Ringlets have a very short flight period. They occur in damp grassy areas and normally start to appear in late June, and this year they turned up right on cue on 21st June. The number of Ringlets on my transect this year was lower than normal, but that isn't surprising given that the area was flooded twice last year. At other sites around East Lothian there were good numbers of Ringlets.

Ringlet

Grayling, Hipparchia semele

The Grayling was restricted to a couple of very small sites in East Lothian, with the odd record of them being found at other coastal sites in the past, but these seem to be one-offs. The first Grayling recorded this year was on 25th June at one of the established sites. Last year a new colony was discovered on a re-landscaped mining spoil heap close to one of their other colonies. When I visited this colony in mid July I counted 80 individuals in a short visit, double the number that I saw last year.

Grayling

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Meadow Browns seemed to do very well this year. The first record was on 25th June and they were seen in good numbers up until the end of August. I only saw one on my transect this year, but again, this isn’t surprising given the flooding we had in that area last year.

Meadow Brown

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja

The Dark Green Fritillary is a lovely bright butterfly that occurs in many coastal areas and valleys in the Lammermuir Hills. The first one was seen in East Lothian this year on 30th June. They never occur in great numbers, and this year proved to be about average for them.

Dark Green Fritillary

Northern Brown Argus, Aricia artaxerxes

I am aware of four colonies of Northern Brown Argus in East Lothian, but I am sure there are probably more in the Lammermuir Hills. The colonies are very small, one being based around a patch of their food plant – the Rockrose, Helianthemum nummularium on a golf course and another on a small patch of Rockrose in a private garden.  I tend to go and specifically look for them where I know they occur and this year they seemed to be a little later than normal, but in reasonable numbers.

Northern Brown Argus

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria selene

Having visited a reserve in the Scottish Borders this year to see Small Pear-bordered Fritillaries, I was delighted to find them at a site just inside East Lothian a couple of weeks later. There have previously been a few unconfirmed sightings of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in East Lothian, but this time I saw them long enough and took some pictures which confirmed their identification. It is funny how seeing a butterfly elsewhere can lead to identifying them in different sites. If I hadn’t seen those in the Scottish Borders I may have dismissed these as Dark Green Fritillaries and not looked any closer!

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris

Another very exciting record this year was the discovery of a number of Small Skippers at Aberlady Local Nature Reserve. There had been three isolated sightings of Small Skippers at two locations in East Lothian the previous two years, but on 12th July I received an excited phone call from a local volunteer who had found more than ten of them on a patch of thistles in the reserve.  She went on to find more at the reserve and I then received other records of them at three other locations within three kilometres of this site. It is great to hear that they are doing well and if we have good weather next year I am sure we will find them at various other locations.

Small Skipper

Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus

We only very rarely see Clouded Yellows here. I saw one thirteen years ago and a colleague saw one seven years ago. This year we received two records. The first was seen in North Berwick on 31st July and the following day we were told of one about 25 kilometres further along the coast in Musselburgh. I guess it must have been the same individual. In August and September high numbers arrived in southern England from the continent. They were seen laying eggs and I was hoping that we would be invaded by the next generation. Unfortunately the cold weather proved too much for them and they didn't venture up here!

All together this has been a fantastic year for butterflies. In total I received sightings of 23 different species, which I think must be a record for East Lothian. Only ten years ago eight of those species hadn't been recorded here. It is amazing that so many species continue to expand their range into East Lothian. We seem to be losing more and more habitat, and yet the butterflies seem to be better than ever. I wonder what the next new species will be. I can't wait for next year!