June 2010

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When the sun shines June is the month you can see some of our most colourful insects — butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers.

The first broods of common blue, brown argus and small heath butterflies are flying. Look for the common blue where there's lots of its larval foodplant, the bird's foot trefoil and if you know where cranesbill and storksbill flowers grow you are almost certain to find the pretty little brown argus as its caterpillars feed on these plants. The small heath flies in grassy places and heathland. My favourite places for all these beauties are the Woodland Trust’s Fordham Hall Estate and Copt Hall, Little Wigborough. The latter is a farm estate managed sensitively for the National Trust where there are acres of flowery grassland, margins rich with nectar plants and fine hedges which host a marvellous diversity of birds and invertebrates. The Fordham hall Estate has not only hundreds of acres of newly-planted woodland but extensive wild flower meadows which teem with insect life throughout the summer months.

In recent years there has been increasing interest in dragonflies and damselflies and as a result, much more information is coming to light about the distribution and populations of these delightful and versatile aerobatic insects including discovery of new species. In late May and into June you can see a remarkable number of damselflies and dragonflies along the Rivers Colne, Stour, Roman River and at lots of local lakes, ponds and streams. Some to look for are common blue, white-legged and large red damselflies; banded demoiselle damselfly and several dragonflies including four spotted chaser; hairy dragonfly; blacktailed skimmer and scarce chaser. The latter species, once considered a local rarity, has spread widely in the past few years. Good “hot-spots" to see all these are along the Colne at Cymberline meadows and Sheepen or on the Stour at Nayland and Bures. A very beautiful damselfly, the beautiful demoiselle, has its main Essex haunt along the Roman River, especially Friday Wood, and a colony has recently been found along a stream at Hillhouse Wood, West Bergholt. Moth recorders have got off to a slow start in the new season as the spring was cold and dry with many nights with temperatures at, (or only just above) freezing.

Catches at garden moth traps and lamps were well down all too often only just reaching double figures. However early June brought not only some high day temperatures during a period of high pressure, but some nights when the thermometer reached 14°C. This boosted moth numbers and included were some early privet hawk moths, one of the largest of British moths, the caterpillars feeding on privet hedges and shrubs.

Adverse cold northerly winds and low day temperatures when few insects were flying delayed the arrival of some of our summer breeding birds such as swallows, martins, swifts and spotted flycatchers and there were also fewer reports of turtle doves.

Ian Rose reported another hummingbird hawk moth in his Mistley Garden in the first week of June nectaring on valerian bloom. This is either an immigrant or one which might nave overwintered though this is not so likely bearing in mind the long winter. These zippy little hawk moths come to us from southern Europe and North Africa.

10/06/10 Immigrant butterflies and moths arrive

A painted lady butterfly was seen in the garden of Ian Rose at Mistley on June 7 as well as the hummingbird hawkmoth. There was a silver-Y moth in my garden at West Bergholt on the same day and I had reports of other sightings in North Essex in the first days of June which indicated immigrant arrivals.

Silver-Y moths were being reported in first week of June. This is an immigrant species which often co-incides with the arrival of painted lady butterflies.

First painted lady butterfly seen at Mistley on June 7.

Update 27/06/10

By mid June meadow brown butterflies were flying plentifully in meadows and grassy waysides. They were particularly common on the wild flower meadows on the Fordham Hall Woodland Trust estate, Fordham, together with small heaths and common blues. Among the many wild flowers in bloom in the third week of June was a colony of bee orchids.

Spotted flycatchers, which summer here and breed after wintering in Africa, are increasingly scarce and this is giving rise for concern. Their migrations are hazardous and they are persecuted by Mediterranean trappers.

The Hummingbird hawkmoth. One was seen in Mistley nectaring on red velarian flowers by Ian Rose.

The moth recording season has got off to a slow start due to so many cold spring nights when garden trap records were well down both for numbers and species. But some warmer nights in early June prduced some privet hawk moths, one of the largest British species.

Many damselflies and dragonflies are on the wing in June. The banded demoiselle is one of the commonest. Male pictured - note the dark 'thumbprint' mark on the wings.

June sees the first brood of the common blue butterfly. Look for it in meadows and wayside where there are plants of bird's foot trefoil, the caterpillar foodplant. Male pictured - photo Joe Firmin.

Male meadow brown butterfly. A common species in grassy places in late June and July. Photo: Joe Firmin

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