East Lothian Butterflies 2024 - Part 1

There has been a lot in the national press about how badly butterflies have done in 2024. Certainly the weather wasn't ideal for them, but looking through the records I have received, I am surprised that things in East Lothian weren't as bad as I was expecting. Some species did well while others were seen in very low numbers. It is difficult to know why this should be.

The year started off with quite a mild, but stormy winter. Much of the spring and summer was cooler, with a lot more cloud and showers than normal. Of course, there were a few sunny days, but the weather really didn't improve until September, which was a little late for the butterflies!!

There is no perfect way of recording butterflies. Transects are great for comparing year on year for the same location, but in East Lothian they are mostly coastal, with two along the River Tyne. The ad hoc records are from all over the county and can pick up all sorts of interesting records. However, there is a lot of luck involved with being in the right place at the right time. They can also result in big spikes because a lot of enthusiasts, including myself, may be out on the same sunny day looking for butterflies!

Poor weather not only means that butterflies may not be flying, but also enthusiasts may not be out looking for them! However, it is amazing how quickly butterflies will appear when the sun does come out but they may go unnoticed if recorders aren’t out and about!

The records I have gathered are from ten transects that are currently walked in East Lothian along with ad hoc records from the East Lothian Countryside Rangers and about 20 volunteers. This gives a pretty good indication of butterfly numbers and can be compared with the previous 11 years when about the same number of people have been submitting records.

The first butterfly record I received from East Lothian was a Peacock on 16th February. This was quite early, possibly reflecting the mild winter. Peacocks did quite well in East Lothian with high numbers been seen later in the year.

In contrast the Small Tortoiseshell had a very poor year. Their numbers have been declining in recent years, with 2024 returning half the average number in East Lothian and it was the worst year for them since I started these comparisons in 2013. This is a worrying trend that has been seen across the UK.

The Red Admiral also had a very poor year. We had a few early records, which may have been butterflies that had survived the winter here. The arrival of migrants was a couple of weeks later than normal and then we had lower numbers later in the year when normally we would expect to see the next generation.

The figures for Commas in 2024 would suggest it was a fairly average year for them. However, a good proportion of the records were from three counts of over 20 Commas that were recorded in one particular woodland in September.

2024 was the worst year since I started collating the records for Painted Ladies. I only received 14 records of them and I haven't seen one in the UK for the last two years. The numbers that make it to our shores depend on how their relatives have done earlier in the year on their multi-generational journey from Northern Africa. In good years, such as 2019 their numbers can be spectacular.

Orange Tips had a very good year. They appeared a little later than normal, but were seen in good numbers.

Interestingly the spring population of the Green-veined White and Large White were lower than normal, but their numbers picked up for the summer generation. So, both species ended up being recorded in fairly normal numbers.

Small White numbers can vary enormously from year to year. 2024 numbers ended up being just a little less than average.

One of our more recent arrivals (2009), the Speckled Wood, had a fairly normal year.

The Wall Brown, which arrived about the same time, peaked in numbers in 2021, but has since been declining. 2024 saw about a quarter of the number recorded in 2021. There has been a dramatic reduction in numbers of this species in England and although it appeared to be moving north in response to climate change it will be interesting to see what happens to the East Lothian population in the coming years.

The Small Copper had a very poor year, with the lowest number since I started collating butterfly records. 2024 saw about a third of the average number.

Two species that appeared to have a very good year were Common Blues and Dark Green Fritillaries. They both tend to live in similar habitats and fly in June till August.

However, another species that inhabits similar landscapes is the Small Heath. Sadly they had a poor year, which is a little difficult to understand.

I will continue this on the next post.

Scottish Borders garden butterflies 2024

We are lucky enough to live in 17 acres of woodland which we have been managing to improve for butterflies and other wildlife. I am developing a wild flower meadow, planted an area of native broadleaves that produce flowers and berries, put in hedges, taken out loads of invasive Rhododendron and planted up various areas with Rockrose and other wild flowers. Our triangle of land is quite a wildlife haven, which in itself causes more challenges. Everything needs to eat, either other creatures or precious plants that I have been nurturing!

It has generally been accepted that 2024 was a lousy year for butterflies in the UK. The Big Butterfly Count confirmed low numbers for most species with record-breaking reductions from 2023 for many species. I have yet to receive all of the record for East Lothian, but my own experience at home here in the Scottish Borders concurs with the national picture.

Although this is only the fifth year that we have been living here I had noticed a pattern developing and numbers of butterflies had been increasing year on year. I can't be sure why that was, but I would like to think it was partially because of the work I have done to manage the habitats here.

In previous years the first butterfly to appear has been the Small Tortoiseshell, which would venture out on a mild spring day to feed on whatever it could find flowering that early in the year. This year, however, I didn’t see any until August and I only saw a total of four all year. I didn’t find any caterpillars either this year, which is unusual. Often I find big clusters of caterpillars on nettles.

Peacocks and Commas are the other two butterflies that over-winter here. At least they both made an appearance this spring, but in surprisingly low numbers. This was particularly disappointing for Commas after I had such a bumper year for them last year. Towards the end of last summer I had been finding caterpillars and chrysalises everywhere, so I expected them to do well. However, this year I only recorded 26 compared to 122 last year.

Despite a poor spring showing the later summer generation of Peacocks did a lot better. The number I saw was only a little lower than average, which is encouraging. Again, I didn’t find any caterpillars, which is unusual.

Orange Tips had a fantastic year here. I recorded 101 of them this year, which is way up on the previous best number of 62. I also saw an unusually high proportion of female Orange Tips.

Despite finding so many caterpillars and chrysalises last year, the number of Small Whites this spring was lower than expected. I did see them throughout the year, though, and ended up seeing 26. This seems a low number compared with the 90s I have seen in previous years, but their numbers do seem to fluctuate considerably from year to year.

I saw seven Large Whites this year, which is about average for this species.

Although I had the impression that there were not many Green-veined Whites around this year, my records show that numbers were only slightly down on previous years. They were more numerous in the spring and the summer generation wasn't so good.

Red Admirals had the worst year by far here. I only recorded 38 in total compared to last year's 474!

Ringlets were here in about average numbers. Not as good as the previous two years, but better than the numbers I had seen before then. There is more suitable ground for them now that we have taken down a large area of Spruce woodland, which has now grassed over and thinned out the trees elsewhere. With the additional habitat it is a bit disappointing that the numbers weren't higher. Certainly higher up the valley where I often walk numbers were well down on previous years.

Last year was really good here for Meadow Browns. This year their numbers dropped back to what I had previously seen here. This was disappointing, as I had thought that Meadow Browns  were appreciating the new areas of grassland. However, numbers up the valley were also considerably down on previous years.

The first Speckled Wood I saw here this year was on 2nd July. Having seen them for the first time here last year I was delighted to see them return, although I had been hoping to see some in the spring indicating that they had bred here. I continued to see them for the rest of the year and ended up seeing 18 - 4 more than last year!

Small Skippers had the worst year since I first saw them here in 2021. They had been increasing in numbers since then, so it was disappointing that I only saw seven here this year. Similarly, in the valley above the house the numbers were lower than normal.

I often chance across a butterfly and think to myself if I had been there five minutes before, or five minutes after I would have missed it. I suppose, though, that there will be hundreds of butterflies I miss because I am not in the right place at the right time. So, this year's lucky spots included one Large Skipper in my meadow. I don't know why I only saw one, as there were a lot in the valley above our house.

As I do most years, I just saw one Small Heath in our meadow. It isn't best suited for these butterflies, so it is odd that most years I see one, just one!!

This year, again, I was delighted to see a Scotch Argus. I just happened to go out to check the Buddleia on a sunny afternoon and spotted a small, dark butterfly. I am still intrigued why I have seen one five out of the last six years here. I am sure there must be a colony close by, which I am yet to find.

Last year I saw my first Wall Brown here in the meadow. This year, I was sitting having lunch outside when a Wall Brown landed on some Marjoram in our patio. They have been slowly working their way in this direction over the last few years.

Disappointingly I only saw one Small Copper here this year. I don't understand why I don't see more as there are plenty of sorrel and dockens growing here for their caterpillars to feed on.

Sadly I didn't see any Northern Brown Argus, Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, or Painted Ladies here this year. I saw the first three species in the valley above the house, but in much smaller numbers than normal. This is the second year in a row that I haven't seen a Painted Lady anywhere in the UK!

It is difficult to know exactly why butterfly numbers were so low this year. I am sure it is a combination of factors. There has been much in the news recently about herbicides and loss of habitat impacting on insect populations. I am sure this is true, but I can't see that would explain this year's sudden reduction in butterfly numbers. Last year was really dry throughout spring and summer and I am sure this must have resulted in a reduction of food plants for caterpillars. I noticed how the wild flowers I had planted struggled. Then from September last year more or less until September this year we had so much rain. A damp winter and then limited sunshine later in the year must have had an impact.

It will be really interesting to see what next year brings. I really hope that butterfly numbers bounce back

Casarabonela butterflies June 2024

A couple of days before we left Spain I decided to visit Casarabonela, which is a beautiful village about 20 minutes drive from where we were staying. I have visited a couple of times before and always noted how much greener it is there. Even this time during the extreme dry spell there was still water running in a stream there and I could hear water running in a deep ravine in the middle of the village.

Looking at Google Maps I chose a car park on the northern edge of the village, high on the hill. I was a little disappointed when I arrived, as it was a dry dusty area below a Pine woodland. However, I spotted a couple of butterflies in the car park - a very ragged Geranium Bronze and a Southern Brown Argus.

As I set off on a marked trail up the mountain I spotted an area of Thyme growing above the car park, so I scrambled up to it and I was delighted it was covered in butterflies.

These included Southern Marbled Skippers, Sage Skippers, Small Whites, Dusky Heaths and Southern Blues.

I was also distracted by the arrival of an Iberian Scarce Swallowtail.

I continued up the trail and saw an extremely worn Blue-spot Hairstreak and the odd Dusky Heath on my way.

After a while I came across another area of Thyme. This time there were Small Coppers, Spanish Gatekeepers and Clouded Yellows as well as numerous Dusky Heaths.

Along the path there was the occasional Wall Brown and Speckled Wood.

And then a little further up the path I saw two large Lavender bushes. There were two Cleopatras continually flying around them, briefly stopping for less than a second on a flower before doing another couple of laps.

They were occasionally joined by a Clouded Yellow and more Dusky Heaths!

I noticed that the Thyme close by was covered with butterflies and this area appeared to be a real magnet for them. There was a Striped Grayling, Southern Brown Argus and loads of Dusky Heaths.

There were also some Large Whites, as well as more Wall Browns and Meadow Browns. It really had been worth the climb!

Before I left Casarobonela I decided to check out a ravine in the centre of the village. This had housing and a street above one side with olive and citrus trees growing down the other. In the bottom of the ravine were fig trees and small areas of vegetables. I could only view this area from above, but as on my previous visit I saw a number of Holly Blues flying amongst the fig trees, as well as some Large Whites.

It had been a fantastic two-week holiday to Spain. I now have various favourite spots to visit to look for butterflies when I am there. All together I saw 50 species on this trip, which was primarily a family holiday! It was great to see that butterflies appear to be doing well despite the extremely dry year they have experienced in Spain.

Antequera, Spain - Butterflies June 2024

On 21 June I drove up towards Antequera to walk along a track that runs along the north side of the Torcal de Antequera. The track itself is about three kilometres until it joins another track that heads up into the Tocal. However, I have never managed to walk that far because usually I see so many butterflies I run out of time and have to turn back!

I parked the car at the side of the road and spied a large bank of brambles growing at the start of the track. This proved to be quite a magnet for butterflies. The first I was was a little dark butterfly that turned out to be a Spanish Gatekeeper when I caught up with it.

As well as the numerous Small Whites there were some Long-tailed Blues and Bath Whites feeding here.

As I walked along the track I saw Southern Gatekeepers amongst the Thyme growing on the hillside. I must have seen over 50 of them in total.

A very large dark butterfly flew up from under a bush as I walked past and then disappeared, but I soon saw another, which I saw was a Striped Grayling. In total I counted over 30 of them and at one point I disturbed four of them along with some Meadow Browns and Southern Gatekeepers, all sheltering in the shade of one small bush.

Another butterfly that behaved in the same way was the Wall Brown. They would also shelter in the shade and fly up when disturbed, only to land in another shady spot. It was afternoon when I visited and I think that the butterflies would have been less active earlier in the morning.

The smaller butterflies were so active it was difficult to see what many of them where. Most of the smaller ones turned out to be Southern Blues.

There were also quite a few Southern Brown Argus there.

I saw this one Small Copper. It was interesting how big it seemed. I think it was the same size as those that I see back home, but it just seemed large in comparison to the smaller Southern Brown Argus and Southern Blues.

There were also some Lang's Short-tailed Blues to add to the confusion.

There were a few Sage Skippers in the mix, too.

It was a bit frustrating that on the few occasions that a butterfly would settle, it was soon disturbed by another one flying past! I tried to check out all of the white butterflies I saw. Most of them were Small Whites, but I saw about ten Bath Whites and a couple of what could have been Green-veined Whites. They seemed slightly smaller, very active and their upper wing markings looked correct. However, they didn't stop long enough for a photo, so I will never be sure what they were!

I think I saw about four Clouded Yellows on my walk. Maybe there were more, but I just assumed that I was seeing the same ones regularly as they patrolled up and down the track. One in particular caught my eye. It appeared to have no black markings on its wings. I spent ages trying to get a good picture of it, but it was as active as all the other butterflies. The pictures below give a bit of an idea of how beautiful it was.

I had said to the family that I would only be a couple of hours and I had already used up my allotted time on the first section of the track. I thought that while I was there I should quickly walk through the two stubble fields to a different section of the path, but these sections were really exposed and windy and there were no butterflies at all. I therefore quickly walked back along the track to the car.

On the way back it was difficult not to be distracted by the butterflies and one of the blue butterflies seemed particularly fresh and colourful. It kindly stopped on a grass stem in the middle of the track for some time and I managed to get a picture. It was then I realised that this was an Adonis Blue. My first definite sighting and my fist picture of an Adonis Blue!! It hung around for a while and allowed me to take several pictures. Sadly, never with its wings open, but it was a real thrill.

Eventually I had to tear myself away, but I was very happy to have seen it, the unusual Clouded Yellow and so many striped Graylings.