Category: Biology

TL:DR – Late May and there are lots of tiny butterflies known as Small Blue at a local nature site, Magog Down, south of Cambridge.

It could have almost been a serenade to lepidopteral melancholy if I’d chosen to seek out butterflies at Trumpington Meadows* this morning, it’s not been a good season for butterflying there so far it seems, but instead it’s a celebration as I ended up counting dozens of Small Blue (Cupido minimus) at the equally serene but far more undulating Magog Down.

The site is almost opposite Wandlebury where Mrs Sciencebase reckons we may have seen one of the rare blue butterflies many years ago (perhaps a Chalk Hill or a Small).

I must confess, on arriving I was expecting to have to seek out tiny patches of Kidney Vetch among the Oxeye Daisy, Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and other species across the acres. But, within a couple of yards of the gate, I spotted a couple of Small Blue on the ground and got a couple of record shots.

Walking on, it soon became obvious there were lots of Small Blue here, far more than I’d seen in 2022 on the Kidney Vetch patches at Trumpington Meadows. There was one cluster of the butterflies flitting about within a square foot patch and were not at all disturbed by my presence nor the endless clicking of the camera. Indeed, several landed on the camera, on the camera bag, on my legs, on my hands, and were happy to take part in a video shoot for my Instagram.

I spoke to Andrew Knights, one of the Magog Down butterfly recorders,  who had just finished a transect count. He’d ticked 94 Small Blues on a small patch of the area over the course of an hour, which suggests that there are probably hundreds if not thousands overall. This was, he told me, well up on last year’s transect numbers (50-ish). It was an entirely happy coincidence that I was there at peak Small Blue! County Butterfly Recorder Ed Pollard, had messaged in to say numbers at Trumpington Meadows were still shockingly low this week.

I also saw lots of Holly Blue, Brimstone, Whites, several Small Heath, Brown Argus, possibly a Common Blue, and a Mother Shipton moth (pointed out by path-mower Nick Beale). Didn’t see any of the reported Green Hairstreak here. The site is well worth the visit and nice to get these kinds of blues when you’re on the down!

*At the height of summer, Trumpington Meadows is also wonderful for moths and butterflies: Marbled White, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Six-spot Burnet, Brassy Longhorn, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton etc.

TL:DR – I ticked a new-to-me butterfly, Dingy Skipper, at Devil’s Dyke near Newmarket this month.

The weather picked up mid-morning here in South Cambridgeshire, so I pinged my photo buddy Andy to see if he fancied taxiing me to Devil’s Dyke to seek out the cluster of Dingy Skipper butterflies not by others at this chalky embankment adjacent to Newmarket Racecourse. He did and within seconds of stepping on to the Dyke, we’d seen our first Adonis Blue (a presumed introduction dating to some time during the first lockdown). There were several Brimstone and a few Whites within the first few steps too.

We had to walk a bit further to pick up more Adonis Blue of which we probably saw several dozen over the course of 2-3 hours. Also Common Heath and Yellow Shell moth and one or two micros. Numerous Brown Argus and Small Copper butterflies along the banks. There is no Field Scabious in bloom yet and no sign of Marbled White nor the more common here, Chalk Hill Blue butterflies.

But, we had success with the Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, which is new to my butterfly list, the first “NFM” for me in 2023.

Now, you might be wondering where we draw the line between moths and butterflies, the Dingy Skipper certainly has a moth-like appearance, especially when compared with something like the Adonis Blue. Indeed it looks rather similar to the Common Heath moth. But, there is no line between butterflies and moths. Butterflies, as I’ve said here many times before, are simply one branch on the moths’ family tree, with equal footing to other Lepidoptera groupings such as the Pyralids, Erebids, Geometrids (inchworms), or the Noctuids (owlets). Butterflies are moths. Asking what’s the difference between a butterfly and a moth is like asking what is the difference between a ladybird (ladybug) and a beetle…

TL:DR – An update on my butterflying efforts in 2023.

Regular readers will know I’ve been making a concerted effort to see more species of butterfly during the last couple of summers. Obviously, most people will have seen the relatively common ones – Brown Argus, Comma, Common Blue, Green-veined White, Large White, Orange Tip, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White.

But, there are many more including various fritillaries, hairstreaks, other types of blue, other types of white that are not seen so frequently. They have limited ranges and sites, nectar and lay eggs only in particular environments, and are generally not seen in gardens or on general walks in the countryside, unless you’re very lucky.

So, here’s a list of the species I’ve been targeting over the last couple of years, some I’m yet to see, others I have “ticked” as it were:

Blue, Adonis; Blue, Chalk Hill; Blue, Silver-studded*; Blue, Small; Camberwell Beauty*; Clouded Yellow; Fritillary, Dark Green; Fritillary, Glanville*; Fritillary, Heath*; Fritillary, Pearl-bordered*; Fritillary, Silver-washed; Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered*; Grayling*; Hairstreak, Black; Hairstreak, Brown*; Hairstreak, Green; Hairstreak, White-letter; Hairstreak, Purple; Marbled White; Purple Emperor; Skipper, Chequered*; Skipper, Dingy; Skipper, Grizzled; Swallowtail*; Wall; White Admiral; Wood White*.

*Ones I have not seen nor photographed in the UK. Although I have seen Swallowtail larva.

I’ve put together a spreadsheet so I can see the where and when and am sharing a portion of that here for you. It’s centred on Cambridge, but spills over into neighbouring counties where there are species that don’t yet appear in this county. I add the best photos I get of the various species to the butterfly gallery on my Imaging Storm website.

TL:DR – Lepidoptera with fake eyes, ocelli, an example of convergent evolution?

The European Peacock (Aglais io) has four “eyes”, known as ocellus, singular ocellus) on its wings just like the Emperor (Saturnia pavonia), it’s a nice example of pareidolia and of convergent evolution.

Butterflies, of course, are just one branch on the moth family tree, we make a distinction in English because of our language and not much else. All the characteristics that are meant to set moths and butterflies apart are found in each, lots of day-flying moths, several with clubbed antennae, loads that are brightly coloured and patterned, some with thin bodies, some with thick, many that close their wings together above their bodies.

There is one difference…butterflies cannot unhook their forewings from their hindwings, moths have a hook called a frenulum that allows them to disconnect forewings from hindwings. That is the only physical difference between moths and butterflies. There is one exception to the rule the Regent Skipper butterfly, Euschemon rafflesia, of Australia, which has this frenulum hook.

Actually, there is another difference but this is not about the adults…the larvae of moths can sometimes spin a silk cocoon to protect them when they become a pupa. Butterflies don’t make silk for their pupa (chrysalis).

Funnily enough, butterflies are a grouping of micro moths. The term micro as opposed to macro, doesn’t relate to their size as some micros are far bigger than macros. The distinction is about evolutionary position on the lepidopteral family tree. It’s worth noting that new genetics research can change established taxonomical positions on a whim when close relatives are sometimes found or lost.