Nosterfield Butterfly Review
September 2023
The start of the month was fairly steady, but an unseasonal heat wave shook things up as we approached the middle of the month.
It was starting to become obvious that it was a cracking second half of the summer for Red Admirals, Commas and rather pleasingly Speckled Woods. One possible hypothesis was the seemingly never-ending rainfall in July and early August providing fresh and lush food plants. This may have resulted in more caterpillars growing quicker and better survival rates.
One thing the prolonged wet weather also affected was stunting the northward migration of Painted Ladies. This has sadly been reflected with no known sightings for the month.
A Brimstone was spotted along the causeway on 3rd. A Small Tortoiseshell visited the nursery on 9th with another on the Reserve. Counts of these have been strangely low. Hopefully next year numbers remain high and just down to climatic conditions.
The transects on the quarry were extremely productive throughout the month. 22 Commas were counted across the site on 23rd, but the headline grabber was 55+ Speckled Woods the week before on 13th! As mentioned earlier, Red Admirals were abundant, with 30+ the highest monthly count. They were accompanied as usual by smatterings of Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, as well as Peacocks.
A second brood of Brown Argus was also a lovely sight at the end of the causeway by the reedbed, with up to 12 being seen in the middle of the month when the sun allowed. Only one Common Blue was noted on the Reserve on 21st.
The odd Meadow Brown clung on along Flasks Lane, with a female recorded.
Fozzy