Butterfly Bonanza

On Tuesday I went for a walk up to the wee valley above our house to look for butterflies. The last couple of weeks had been a little rainy and cloudy and there always seemed to be wind blowing from one direction or the other. However, on Tuesday it was beautifully sunny, 18 degrees with a slight southerly breeze.

Not far from the gate out of the woodland is a clump of Thyme, which is always popular with butterflies. When I arrived there were two Small Skippers, a Ringlet and a Northern Brown Argus on it.

Almost every Marsh Thistle flower had one or more Small Skipper on them.

If not they would likely be occupied by Ringlets.

In the short walk, of about 500 metres up the valley I counted 373 Ringlets and 199 Small Skippers. This clump of thistles had four Small Skippers, a Meadow Brown and it wasn't until I looked at the picture once I was back home that I noticed a Northern Brown Argus on the flower on the left.

There were two lovely fresh-looking Common Blues.

I counted 23 Small Heaths and 71 Meadow Browns.

There were at least 22 Dark Green Fritillaries around, although they were flying backwards and forwards, so there could have been more. I struggled to get a picture of one without another butterfly photo bombing my shot. The pictures below were all taken within 14 seconds. First a Meadow Brown tried to get in on the act.

Then a Small Skipper joined in.

And then a different Small Skipper landed just below it!

This female Dark Green Fritillary was accompanied by two Small Skippers.

This male seemed to have more extensive dark markings than normal.

I saw a total of seven Northern Brown Argus. They were all quite worn-looking, having been out a couple of weeks earlier than normal.

It was amazing seeing so many butterflies in this special valley. I have been visiting it for about 20 years and I have been watching it slowly evolve since grazing has stopped and trees have been planted. Some species, such as the Northern Brown Argus have not been so numerous in recent years, most likely because their larval food plant, Rockrose, is becoming a bit swamped by other vegetation. But other species, such as the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Small Skipper have increased considerably.

Just as I was leaving I thought I should check out the clump of Thyme again and this time there were six Ringlets and a Small Skipper!

Three year garden butterflies

It has been almost three years since we moved to our house in the Scottish Borders. We have actually owned the house since 2016, but only popped down at weekends while we were having building work done. We finally moved in two days before lockdown for the Covid pandemic, which means I have been mostly working from home, allowing me pop out at lunchtime to look for butterflies.

I have a set lunchtime dog walk, past all the best butterfly spots and around a little path through my meadow and each day I walk the route I keep a note of the butterflies I have seen.

I have just had a look at all of my sightings over the last three years to see if there are any increases in butterfly numbers, which may be a result of the work I have done to try to enhance the place for butterflies.

I have seen 19 different species of butterflies here, which I am very pleased about. The numbers of some of the more common species seem to fluctuate quite a bit, so don't really show anything. Each year I have seen good numbers of Orange Tips and 2022 was a particularly good year for Green-veined Whites. Small White had a really poor year in 2020, a great year in 2021 and an average year last year! Large Whites tend to be seen in much smaller numbers than the other whites, but they had a particularly good year in 2021. I am expecting to see a good number this year, as I planted nasturtiums last year and the house is currently covered in Large White chrysalises!

Ringlet and Meadow Brown numbers have increased year on year. Possibly these grassland species are benefiting from the management of the meadow area and I have seen them in the area that had been a spruce plantation, so they are certainly benefiting from the grass that is growing amongst the young broad leaves there.

The other grassland species, the Small Heath, hasn't done so well. Each year I have only seen one or two  here. It seems strange, as they are really common in the valley above the house and I would have thought the habitats here are perfect for them.

The number of Small Tortoiseshells has gone up and down. 2021 was particularly good, but numbers dropped back down last year. I think the cool and cloudy spring didn't help them this year. In the past I have found several groups of caterpillars on nettles, but I didn't find any this spring.

However, the Peacock, which has a similar life cycle to the Small Tortoiseshell did really well in both 2021 and 2022. I did find a couple of groups of caterpillars, so they were possibly more successful breeding. In 2019 I recorded 48 Peacocks, in 2020 99 Peacocks, 2021 I saw 196 and last year I recorded 192 Peacocks. Maybe the numbers reflect how my Buddleia bushes have grown over the last four years.

Red Admirals have been remarkably consistent and I have seen almost the same number each of the last three years. In late summer the Buddleia bushes are covered with them and they remain here long after the first frosts.

Commas are not considered a common butterfly in Southern Scotland, but their numbers have increased year on year here. Since 2018 the numbers I have seen each year were 9, 20, 25, 38 and 58. It is lovely to see them doing so well and I hope their numbers continue to increase.

The number of Painted Ladies varies considerably, as it does all over the country. Last year was the best year I have seen here, with 11 sightings, but in 2021 I didn't see any at all.

In 2020 I was happy to see 13 Dark Green Fritillaries feeding on thistles in my meadow. I thought that my new cutting regime was really paying off, but in 2021 I only saw 3 and last year only 5, despite there being really good numbers on the hill above the house.

I was really excited in 2020 to see a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the meadow. Unfortunately, I didn't see any here in 2021, but last year I saw another here for a few days. There are good numbers in the valley above our house and we have a lot of violets growing in our woodland, so I am hopeful I may continue to see them here in future years.

I am really pleased that the number of Small Coppers I have seen has increased over the last three years. In 2020 I only saw 1, in 2021 I saw 8 and last year I saw 17. I don't really understand why I don't see more as the place is covered in Common Sorrel and Dock Leaf. Maybe their numbers will continue to increase.

I saw one Large Skipper zipping around the meadow in 2020 and another in 2022. I have seen them in the valley above the house, but only one or two.

I didn't see any Small Skippers in 2020, but I was excited to see 7 in 2021 and 17 last year. I am hoping that they will like the way I am managing the meadow, but I am always a bit worried that I may be destroying their eggs when I cut the vegetation in the autumn. There are areas that I leave uncut in the hope that it will help.

I have been amazed that every year since 2019 I have seen a Scotch Argus on our land. A couple of years I have recorded 2, but I can't be sure they were different individuals. Strangely, we don't have any Purple Moor Grass here, but I have seen one egg laying on another species of grass. The other strange thing is that there are no records of any Scotch Argus anywhere near. I can only assume that there is a colony somewhere nearby that hasn't been recorded.

The other really exciting record has been Northern Brown Argus. I saw one in 2020 and another here in 2022. There is a good colony in the valley about 800 metres above the house, but I have always understood that Northern Brown Argus don't travel any distance. Even more exciting last year was that I found Northern Brown Argus eggs on the Rockrose that I have planted on a little bank near the house. I am really looking forward to seeing if I now have my own little colony here and I am already planning to extend the area of Rockrose.

There are two species of butterfly that I watched arrive and spread across East Lothian when we lived there. Speckled Woods arrived in 2010 and are now a really common site across the county. Wall Browns arrived in 2011 and they have also spread right along the coast and along river valleys and are now seen regularly. It has always seemed odd not having either species here, but being further from the coast, we have a shorter season, so they haven't made their way here yet. However, last year Speckled Woods were recorded about three miles from here and there was a Wall Brown seen in the village less than a mile from here. So, both species are spreading in this direction and I live in hope that I may see them later in 2023.

There has also been a lot of excitement here in the Borders with more and more sightings of White-letter Hairstreaks and Purple Hairstreaks, particularly in the east of the county. White-letter Hairstreaks are heading along the river valleys in this direction and there used to be a colony of Purple Hairstreaks just the other side of the valley from here. So, there is much to look forward to.

East Lothian Butterflies 2019 Part 2

Continuing on from my previous post ...

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

The Small Copper started the year very well. The first one was recorded on 17th April and two more were seen the following day. The first generation did very well and the second generation started earlier than normal and was seen in good numbers until the middle of August, when numbers crashed. It seems that the periods of heavy rain knocked numbers down. The last Small Copper was recorded on 20th September, six weeks earlier than last year.

Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera

As with many other species in 2019 the Wall Brown appeared early and the spring generation was larger than we would normally expect. Although the summer generation was larger than the spring generation, it was closer to the average number that we have seen over the last few years.

Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus

The most exciting news of the year was the discovery of a colony of Holly Blues in Gullane. Every year for the last ten years we have had one or two records of Holly Blues. There had been a colony at Newhailes for a number of years, but I don't think they have been seen there since 2013. The other records had all been in the Gullane to North Berwick area and I always thought there must be a colony hidden in a large garden somewhere in the area. On 20th April a Holly Blue was seen near the coast in Gullane and despite careful searching of the area is wasn't seen again. However, on 3rd August another record came in from outside a garden in the village. Over the next few days several other records from the same area were reported with up to seven individuals being seen there. Nine days later another small colony was found in Gullane about 700 metres away. The last record received was from Archerfield about one and a half kilometres away.

All of these records were from quite public areas, so I doubt they are the location of the original mystery colony. It will be really interesting to see how things develop over the next few years.

Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi

The Green Hairstreak is found in a few remote colonies around East Lothian, mostly in the Lammermuir Hills. Because of this we don't get many records. The most easily reached site where they are found is Saltoun Wood, but this colony has suffered a serious decline. There had been a fire there early last year and this year we only recorded three individuals in that area. The three records we received were on 30th April, 15th May and 9th June.

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

2019 was a good year for Small Heaths. It was notable hat they did particularly well in the summer generation. The first record was on 10th May and they were seen through to the 7th September.

Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus

Common Blue did very well in 2019. The first record was on 24th May and I received almost double the normal number of records. As has been noted with other species, it is the year after a good season that the number of butterflies increases.

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Meadow Browns also did very well in 2019. I was surprised that we didn’t see more in 2018 when we had such good weather, but I realise that the number we see reflects the weather of the previous year. The first record in 2019 was on 18th June. They had quite a short season, but were seen in greater numbers than in the previous six years.

Ringlet, Aphantpopus hyperantus

The number of Ringlets recorded in 2019 was about average, but they were condensed into a shorter season than normal. The first record was on 18th June and they were initially slow to build up their numbers. However, they peaked in the middle of July and then quickly dropped away, with the last record being on the 15th August.

Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris

The Small Skipper has been increasing in number year on year, since it was first discovered in East Lothian in 2011. The trend continued in 2019 when we received records of 677 skippers, an increase of over 50% on the previous year. The first record was on 22nd June and they were seen in great numbers in July. They are also continuing to extend their range in East Lothian.

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja

Dark Green Fritillaries had an amazing year in 2019 with almost twice the normal number being seen. The first record was on 23rd June and they were recorded until 10th August. Dark Green Fritillaries are mostly found on coastal sites in East Lothian but can also be found in one or two remote valleys in the Lammermuir Hills.

Grayling, Hypparchia semele

Grayling are found in three locations in East Lothian. One of these is very remote cleugh in the Lammermuirs and I didn't receive any records from there this year. The other two sites are at Blindwells and Meadowmill. The Blindwells site is about to be lost to a large housing development, but thankfully the contractors have fenced off the area where the Grayling are found. However, this remains a very small area surrounded by earth moving equipment. Amazingly, on the only occasion anyone was able to visit there, they recorded 13 Graylings flying. A few hundred yards away at Meadowmill Graylings were recorded in much greater numbers than in previous years. The first record was on 26th June and records of over 400 Graylings were received.

Northern Brown Argus, Aricia artaxeres

Northern Brown Argus are only known to exist in four small colonies in East Lothian. They are all quite remote and isolated, so take a bit of dedication to get to. Because of this I only received one record of a Northern Brown Argus on the 20th July. I know they did very well in the Scottish Borders and I have no reason to believe that they wouldn't have done well here, too.

I didn't receive any records for Large Skippers in 2019, but I think they will still be out there along the foothills of the Lammermuirs. Neither did I receive any records of Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. They are only known from a couple of sites in East Lothian and we never get records of more than one or two in a good year! Given the prolonged period of great weather earlier in the summer I was surprised that we didn't receive any records of Clouded Yellows or any other unusual migrants.

Once again, I want to send a big thank you to everyone who sent in their records to me last year. The combined efforts of everyone creates a very good picture of how butterflies are doing in East Lothian.

East Lothian Butterflies 2015 (2)

Continuing on from my previous post ...

Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi

We only discovered Green Hairstreaks for the first time in East Lothian in 2014, although I am sure they were probably hiding away in their remote locations for several years before that. This year the first record was on 20th May and they were recorded until 7th June. They were mostly recorded in the Lammermuir Hills, but also in an area of lowland woodland.


Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera
There were two distinct generations of Wall Browns between 30th May - 2nd July and 16th August - 19th September. They seemed to be quite abundant this year and I have been told that they were particularly abundant on the coast in the Scottish Borders. This is good news as they are struggling in southern England, possibly as a result of climate change.


Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui
I had thought that 2015 was a poor year for Painted Ladies, as I only saw one all year! However, I received quite a few records from other enthusiasts. Considering the number of Red Admirals that arrived here in July, I was surprised there weren't more Painted Ladies, though. The first record I received was on 11th June and the last one seen was on 26th October.

Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus
The first Common Blue recorded in 2015 was on 11th June and they were recorded through to 29th September in good numbers. There was no clear division between the two generations. For some reason there was a much higher proportion than normal of females reported than in previous years.

Northern Brown Argus, Aricia artaxeres
I am only aware of four sites in East Lothian where Northern Brown Argus occur. Three of these sites are smaller than the average sitting room. This year I only received records from two sites with the earliest being 20th June and the latest was on 7th August.

Ringlet, Aphantpopus hyperantus
Ringlets were seen in their usual good numbers between 24th June and 16th August. They seemed to have a longer season than in previous years, possibly because the weather was so poor.


Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina
As usual Meadow Browns were very numerous in 2015. The first record was on 27th June and they were seen through to 3rd September, with a peak in numbers in early August.

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja
The Dark Green Fritillary is mostly found on the coast of East Lothian, but there are a few inland sites where they are also found. The first record in 2015 was on 27th June and they were seen until the 15th August.

Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris
The Small Skipper was first recorded in East Lothian in 2011 at Aberlady Local Nature Reserve. It has since done incredibly well and spread along the coast and is also found at a couple of inland sites. In 2015 it was recorded between 28th June and 29 August.

Grayling, Hypparchia semele
I am only aware of three sites where Grayling occur in East Lothian. One of those sites is in an area that is due to have houses built on it and we are currently unable to access it. All of the records I received in 2015 were from a nearby site, which is an old mining spoil heap. The first Grayling was recorded on 3rd July and they were seen till 6th August.

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Clossiana selene
The only record of a Small Pearl Border Fritillary this year was on 3rd July when I briefly saw one at a site in the Lammermuir Hills. This is the only place I am aware of them occurring in East Lothian, so I hope they are able to hang on there.

The only butterfly that I was hoping to see in East Lothian that we didn't record in 2015 was the Large Skipper. They had been seen just inside the East Lothian boundary in 2014 and we had high hopes that they would increase in number or progress along the coast as so many other species have done. They may have been there, but due to the lousy weather no one was there to spot them!  With a bit of luck we will find them again in 2016.

It is fantastic having so many people contributing to the butterfly records in East Lothian. We are building up a really good picture of what is going on during a very interesting period in the distribution of butterflies here. I wonder if we will have any new butterflies in 2016?