Total Absence Of Butterflies This Year

[The PIT]

Well done the survey and wasn't surprised too record a fat zero. That's despite the Buddleia if full bloom and full of honey bees. I saw one cabbage white Yesterday morning. The good news though there's plenty of honey bees around.

[coldfingers]

Of course there's one problem with this counting. How do you know you're not counting the same one twice???

No problem with that this year PIT!!! None at all in my garden on the day in question.

I am wondering if it is possible that many come out in a warm spell in February and maybe they laid eggs early and the eggs got eaten by birds that are still very hungry at that time of year? Just an uneducated guess. I wasted a lot of money this year planting flowers in my garden that butterlies are supposed to like! I have probably seen 6 in the garden all summer and they were mostly the dreaded white ones coming over the fence from the allotments.

[frogesque]

A couple of Ringlets were out and about yesterday but the prolonged overnight rainfall has turned the buddlieas into a soggy mush. Best hope will be for a later show of Red Admirals when the ivy comes into full blossom

[Backtrack]

Butterflies have come out here now. Plenty of whites, admirals and speckled wood!

[The PIT]

Went to Monsale trail on Saturday. A nice warm pleasant day and where before in the past I saw tons of butterflies this Saturday I saw again a flat zero.

[Terminal Moraine]

There are some butterflies around here but much fewer than normal.

Today I saw a few Meadow Brown, a couple of Ringlets, a Red Admiral and two or three Cabbage Whites.

Saw a couple of Skippers yesterday ( not sure which ones ) but none today.

[frogesque]

A Peacock and a few Tortoishells were out on the candytuft today as well as some Whites flitting about. Normally the gardens would be a mass of movement but there's very few. Seem to be a good year for bumblebees though.

[picog]

A Peacock and a few Tortoishells were out on the candytuft today as well as some Whites flitting about. Normally the gardens would be a mass of movement but there's very few. Seem to be a good year for bumblebees though.

Same here, seems a good number of bumble bees. Today, in the sun we had a "normal" number of peacocks and tortoiseshells, but this is the first day that their number appear normal — to date they have been sporadic. There seems to be relatively few whites.

[Habsish]

A few here but not many.

H

[Purplepixii]

Had Large Whites, a Red Admiral and (possibly) a Speckled Wood today. 1st sighting this year was an Orange Tip and have had a Comma since. Conversely I've got loads of hoverflies and bees in the garden plus a few wasps. This year might not be a good one for butterflies which is why the Big Butterfly Count is asking for people to submit their sightings. Out of interest, my Buddleia was late to flower this year, in fact one of them isn't out properly yet at all! Bees & hoverflies are loving the Knapweed & Trefoil in the garden plus are seen spending the rest of the time on the Buddleia and Teasels

[BARRY]

seen loads of different species this past week which is good.

Edited July 25, 2011 by BARRY

[The PIT]

Well I've seen about five in the past week which is better than zero.

[SteveB]

Seen loads of Red admirals yesterday while out for a walk, must have seen 10+

[mushymanrob]

never known such a bad year since ive been here (moved here in 1986).

my buddlias are empty... save for an occassional peacock and red admiral... i used to record upto 120 peacocks and small tortoishells in any one day (long garden, feeding on buddlias make easy counting).

not had 1 small tortoishell this summer (a couple in spring)

ringletts however are the only speceise whos numbers have improved.

holly blue, speckled wood, gatekeeper (all new to the area late 80's - mid 90's, now common) still present but reduced numbers.

no comma the summer either but several in spring.

no brimstone in summer but one in spring.

large skipper, small skipper, small copper now absent.

thought the dryness and decent sunshine levels this summer would result in a decent year for butterflies... i was wrong, its dreadful, truely dreadful.

Edited August 5, 2011 by mushymanrob

[Wynn D Woo]

Saw plenty of butterflies last weekend whilst walking up on the ridgeway near the white horse at Uffington, mainly red admirals and Peacocks with a few whites thrown in for good measure. In the back garden its been less good with only really whites hanging about trying to get at the brassicas

[Crepuscular Ray]

I suspect it's a combination of the cold weather killing off those that hibernate and the dry spring/early summer causing a shortage of nectar, in addition to all the other factors such as pesticides and herbicides.

[Summer of 95]

Seen a couple of Red Admirals, and that's it. More moths in my bedroom last night that butterflies all summer! However I have seen zillions of hoverflies- those flies that look like wasps. They are everywhere this year, often flying through the car window as soon as I come to a stop. Funnily enough I remember 1991 (which had a very poor early summer and very good late one) as being a terrible summer for wasps, are the hoverflies with their mimicry out in force now in anticipation of something similar?

[mushymanrob]

i agree about hoverflies, they do appear to be abundant this year...

[The PIT]

Actually all insect life is down here anyway back on subject I've seen a few butterflies around the last week but well down on previous years. Nice too see the odd one though.

[Alan Robinson]

After a late start, we have now all the usual species in about usual quantities. The whites have certainly been in my patch of Quintal de Alsace cabbages! Funny enough, the whites are indifferent to oriental brassicas

[mushymanrob]

i actually had 1 small tortoishell yesterday!

[mushymanrob]

anybody seen a wall brown?... ive not seen one of these once common butterflies fotr several years now

[Gray-Wolf]

Both large and small 'whites' , no Red Ad's and a smattering of our normal species. No 'Hummingbird' moths as in 03'?

Dire really.

[James M]

Both large and small 'whites' , no Red Ad's and a smattering of our normal species. No 'Hummingbird' moths as in 03'?

Dire really.

Interesting you should mention Hummingbird hawkmoths, apparently it has been quite a good year for sightings of them this year, there's certainly alot of sightings on the Butterfly conservation website page, well over 4000. I saw one fleetingly a few weeks ago in the garden.

As for butterflies, saw a Peacock last week which was the first since spring, they in particular certainly seen to be in short supply, around here anyway. Other that a few whites, a Small Tortoiseshell and a Comma.

Edited August 11, 2011 by James M

[Sprites]

This year ive seen quite a few at our nearby meadow, Brimstones and whites orange tip, have been trying to take photos of small copper ,brown argus and common blue, saw a speckled wood in the garden in july, also tried a moth trap last night, only caught an earwig and my cat.