Late August Butterflies

Common blue butterfly, female.
Click on image to magnify


The cold summer started with an unusual lack of butterflies and the normal diversity of wasp species feeding on applemint was absent too. The odd orange tip, meadow brown, gatekeeper and black veined whiter were seen. On August 24th there was a notable change with a large number of freshly hatched individuals of a diversity of species on the wing - see the virgin quality of the scales on the common blue butterfly shown above. Perhaps insect predators were reduced in number and the proximal cause may be associated with very heavy rainfall (15 mm overnight on 22nd at Cenac) which may have encouraged hatching of pupae. Species noted are as follows:

Large white Pieris brassicae
Small white Artogeia rapae
Comma Polygonia c-album
Map butterfly Araschnia levana (unusually large numbers)
Peacock butterfly Inachis io (25th August)
Glanville fritillary Melitaea phoebe
Meadow brown Maniola jurtina (abundant)
Southern gatekeeper Pyronia cecilia
Violet copper Lycaena helle
Small copper Lycaena phlaeas
Sooty copper Heodes tityrus
Mazarine blue Cyanaris semiargus
Common blue Polyommatus icarus
Little blue ? Cupido minimus

Day flying moths:
Burnet companion Euclida glyphica
Jersey tiger


Marbled white Melanargia galathea were notable for there absence as they have been abundant in late summer in former years. About ten years ago there was an abundance of Glanville fritillary probably associated with quanitities of plantain in the main field which are now largely absent.

Thanks to Paul Whalley for his butterfly guide from which the identifications were made:

Whalley, Paul 1981 (1988) The Michael Beazley pocket guide to Butterflies, Michael Beazley Publishers, London.