Butterfly Islands: Green-veined White

Showing posts with label Green-veined White. Show all posts

Friday 7 May 2021

The Cool Weather Persists.

Despite the sun today, temperatures were disappointing with a persistent cold wind that has prevailed for over a month. However some butterflies were to be seen in my local forest with several Brimstone and the occasional Orange Tip. Other butterflies on the wing were a Green-veined White, a Red Admiral, one Speckled Wood, and a few Large White.

Thursday 6 April 2017

Speckled Woods & Peacocks On Show.

It was a lovely sunny spring afternoon although the butterflies did not seem to be much in evidence during my walk in Walters Copse at Newtown.Still,at least six Speckled Wood had claimed several sun dappled spots in the wood and I had a glimpse of a Small/Green-veined White as it flew along a ride as I entered the Copse.
The Peacock seems to be very abundant this year and they are a regular sight here.Male Peacock butterflies set up their territories on the ground often in a sunny location at the end of a woodland ride and I came across one such spot in the copse today.The male(pictured below on the left of the photo) had attracted a female and he was gently opening and closing his wings in a courtship ritual while edging as close as possible to her.An example of this behaviour can been seen HERE The display abruptly ended when she flew off into the high branches of a nearby tree swiftly followed by the male.In contrast to the prevalence of the Peacock,the Red Admiral is a rare sight at the moment so I was glad to have a single sighting.Another all too brief sighting was a Holly Blue flying busily along a sunny track.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Warm Walters.

In my local copse the sun was shining bringing back the warm and summery weather.The butterflies were out in numbers on the drifts of Common Fleabane and in particular many pristine Red Admirals.Several late summer species were also on show including Brimstone and Green-veined White.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

More Spring Butterflies

A further visit to Whiteways Quarry this morning recorded four Green Hairstreaks.No other species seen at the moment.Then on to Walters Copse,Newtown,and a first sighting of a Green-veined White.Also several Speckled Wood,Peacock,Comma,and three Orange Tip,one of which was a female.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

A Local Group Visit To Wheelers Bay

The first 2013 meeting of the Isle of Wight Butterfly Conservation Group took place today under cloudy skies.A walk along Wheelers Bay at Ventnor with the intention of seeing some spring butterflies was thwarted by the conditions and only the odd white butterfly put in an appearance.In fact my list for the walk amounted to one Green-veined White.

After lunch the sun did appear very briefly and it was rewarded with a sighting of two Small Heath(my first of the season for this species) on nearby Bonchurch Down.This was followed by a male Orange Tip which seem to be around in good numbers this year.

Thursday 9 May 2013

A Walk in Walters Copse.

The summer like weather of a few days ago has gone and today it was much cooler with a strong wind.Still the sun was shining,and with the bluebells and the early purple orchids now on show in Walters Copse it made a pleasant walk

It wasn't long before I came upon several white butterflies,two Large White nectaring on the bluebells and three Green-veined White.Two male Orange Tip busily flew up and down the rides and in the more sun dappled areas I counted at least six Speckled Wood.

Apart from witnessing a pair of mating Green-veined White the highlight was following a female Orange Tip as she fluttered along landing at regular intervals either to catch the sun or investigate potential egg-laying spots.

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Some First Time Sightings of the Year

The end of April has finished with some perfect spring weather.This week has continued sunny and mild and as a result new butterfly sightings are on the up.A visit to Walters Copse at Newtown started with no sightings until the afternoon when a male Orange Tip appeared, busily flitting around for flowering plants.Any flowers were then contested with a Green-veined White.

A wander around the copse also found a couple of Peacocks as well as my first sight of two Speckled Wood which were sparring for a sunny woodland spot.All the while the occassional male Brimstone would pass by hoping to come across the much paler looking female.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Green-veined White

Here on the Isle of Wight the Green-veined White can be seen in gardens but does prefer damper habitats like woodland rides and meadows.Therefore a walk through any local copse or forest track will hopefully turn up this attractive white butterfly.In Britain it is widespread and in warm years there may be up to three generations which appear from April to October.

The Adonis Blue

The Large Tortoiseshell

It seems the general view on the status of the Large Tortoiseshell in Britain is that it is now extinct as a breeding butterfly.
It is a butterfly of woodland edges and hedgerows that abound in willows,elms,and poplars.These trees are used by the adult to lay its eggs and this single brood appears in July and August.The emerging butterfly then hibernates over the winter in log piles and hollow trees until the next spring.
On the Isle of Wight sightings are more often than not made from early March to April.Have these butterflies overwintered on the Island or have they come from the continent where it is common?
Any sightings made in July/August pose the same question.Another explanation could be that captive-bred releases are responsible.Only the discovery of eggs and caterpillars will probably answer these questions.

I can now report that evidence has been found of breeding just along the coast at Portland in Dorset (June 2020) and again at the same location in the summer of 2021.

The Glanville Fritillary

This elegant butterfly is mainly confined to the crumbling undercliffs and chalk downs of the Isle of Wight.It is also found on the Channel Islands and at one or two isolated colonies on the British mainland.In Britain the Glanville Fritillary is at the extreme north-western edge of its range.On the continent it is readily found in flowery habitats.
Around the southern shores of the Isle of Wight the cliffs constantly erode causing them to slip away and provide perfect conditions for new growths of the butterflies laval host plant,Ribwort Plantain.
The eggs are laid to the underside of the leaves of this plant and normally hatch after about three weeks.The resulting caterpillars live together in communal webs spun over the plantain.In the autumn they hibernate and recommence feeding in the spring,eventually dispersing to prepare for pupation.
The adult butterfly is on the wing from May to the end of June with the female being larger than the male.They will feed on,amongst other things, Birds-foot Trefoil and Thrift.

The Wall Brown

On the Isle of Wight in particular,the Wall Brown is a butterfly of field edges,coastal cliffs and dunes,and rabbit-grazed downland.
The male is territorial and spends much of the time patrolling and basking on the ground.
The female,which lacks the males conspicuous dark sex brand across the forewings,is larger.The undersides of both sexes are beautifully cryptic when at rest.
The Wall Brown generally produces two broods a year,the first from late April until late June and the second from mid-July to mid-September.