Clouded Yellow

A rare treat - a clouded yellow in my Camrose garden last week!

July - Early August

Good to see others are observing a mass of butterflies on sunny days. After bad summers in 2007 2008 I have been surprised at the numbers on my transects. Tortoiseshells and peacocks and common blues are in short supply.
Walking along the Ceredigion coast path from Mwnt towards Aberporth there were masses on a large patch of knapweed. They were mostly whites and very fresh painted ladies with the odd tortoiseshell and peacocks as well as gatekeepers and meadow browns. Small coppers were fairly
numerous in the short grass on the path itself.

I haven't trapped so many footman moths this year and haven't seen a buff tip for a couple of years. There have been more poplar hawkmoths than usual also brussels lace and willow beauties. There have been several prominents - pebble,pale and coxcombs

For the past two years I have looked for the marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus without much success. There are plenty around in my garden this year - maybe because I decided lawns were a waste of time and let the grass and wild flowers grow.

Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis)

A visit to the Newgale Hornet Robberfly site today produced a count of only 13 - hopefully there are more about - the weather was nice but very blowy.

Remember to keep an eye out for this BIG bold fly lying up on cow/horse pats wherever there is some decent habitat and extensive grazing by cattle or horses/ponies.

One day of sunshine - Clouded Yellow

One day of sunshine and suddenly there are dozens of common blues and wall browns around at Newgale, Small tortoiseshells in my garden in Camrose and a Clouded Yellow flying down the road through Keeston.

Camrose Butterflies

No rarities seen but a local bird cover crop field had thousands of large and small whites last sunday as well as hundreds of newly emerged Painted ladies. The fields were full of butterflies - a rare sight these days!

Butterflies in the Martletwy/Landshipping area

During a regular weekly butterfly transect at Martletwy/Landshipping area - commas, painted ladies, red admirals were all seen in reasonable numbers but no small tortoiseshells this weekend (one or two last weekend, but they still seem scarce). Three silver-washed fritillaries (similar numbers a week earlier) - they seem to be having a good summer. Large numbers of whites (all three common species) and the first clouded yellow of the summer noted.