I was at Cranford Park today to carry out this weeks UKBMS (UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme) recording session. The overcast conditions, much cooler wind and the odd drizzly rain shower made for a poor count but two of the most commonly seen butterflies at the park at this time of year were happily feasting on the bramble patches and enabled me to get some nice close up comparison shots. But before I get started on them, here are todays stats from my 90 minute transect.
15/07/20
Small/Essex Skipper x 7
Large White x 6
Green-veined White x 3
Gatekeeper x 15
Meadow Brown x 8
I have grouped together the Small and Essex Skippers as in flight they are identical, and it's only when they are perched that you tell the tiny difference. Essex Skippers have antennae that looked like they have been dipped in black ink whereas Small Skippers have orangey brown antennae tips. Often I cannot tell the difference unless I've taken a load of photos. No pics of them today though as I didn't see any perched, they were all fluttering around.
However, despite the dreary weather, there was a patch of brambles that was host to both Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. Gatekeepers were the most prolific today.
In flight they look similar but Meadow Browns are quite large, low flying and very brown. Gatekeepers are smaller and faster flying and look more orangey. They are relatively easy to tell apart if they perch with wings open as they look quite different, but if they close their wings they can look identical, so here are some tips …
Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns both have an eye spot at the top of their upper wing. In Gatekeepers there are two white dots within the eye spot. The lower wing is a lovely mix of pale brown, beige and cream and often has several white dots ….
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| Gatekeeper |
But just to confuse issues, the occasional Meadow Brown also sometimes has two white dots in the eye spot, but as in this individual below you can tell it is a Meadow Brown by the colouring and marking on the lower wing ….
Gatekeeper males have this lovely dark band across the upper wings and the white dots within the eye spot …
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| male Gatekeeper |
Meadow Brown females look very similar but there is just one white dot within the eye spot, and orange splashes across the top of the upper wing …
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| female Meadow Brown |
Female Gatekeepers are unmistakeable with their bright orange upper wings and the two white dots in the eye spot …
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| female Gatekeeper |
And to really add to the confusion occasionally one of the browns has an extra spot (like my closed wing Meadow Brown above, plus the aberration one I saw last week with an extra white splodge on it's upper wing), but I've never seen anything like the one below …
This is a male Gatekeeper, with the brown bands across the open upper wing and two white dots within the eye spot clearly seen, but this one also has quite a bit of white 'scuff' markings and crinkled wing edges. So what's happened to this one ?
I'm a moderator on the Butterflies UK facebook group and have posted those photos to that group to see what other members think, but personally I reckon this individual has been damaged whilst emerging from its chrysalis and not only lost quite a few of its scales, but also emerged in a way that the wings have not been able to straighten properly. This could have happened if the caterpillar pupated too near to a hard surface like a wall, or if there was very bad weather when the butterfly emerged. It certainly was not affecting the butterfly in any way and it was feeding and flying quite happily.
Along with butterflies I'm also a big fan of hoverflies. The variations in the hoverfly family are huge and here are two I found today that couldn't be more different …
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| Volucella inanis |
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| Sphaerophoria scripta - top view |
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| Sphaerophoria scripta - side view |
As I didn't see many butterflies, I was hoping the new Kestrel family would cheer me up, but they remained hidden in the trees by the haha wall and car park, and even though I saw five flying at one point, I could only find one hunkered down in one of the evergreen trees that was happy to be photographed …
The field next to the park was being mown today and attracting quite a few Red Kites and Common Buzzards. At one point I counted ten Red Kites and three Common Buzzards all swooping down low to catch whatever the farmers tractor was disturbing, and one Red Kite settled very briefly in one of the tall trees on the boundary …
Not a bad day, but I know my butterfly count would have been higher had the weather been better.
It was nice to finally meet Caroline Allen from our Cranford Park Friends facebook group and see some of the usual regulars at the park including Phil with his two dogs, Ellie and Scruff, and of course Martyn in the Secret Garden.
Hopefully next week the weather will be better and so will my photos ! Hahaha.
Stay safe and keep well everyone.
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