Friday, July 7, 2017
Dispersal, continued
Yesterday, Steve Croxford saw a female fly through his garden; he lives about 2 km from the nearest iris woods. So, this season, we have seen iris [2 females, one male] three times well away from their habitats: all about 2 km from their woods. Does this happen later in the season always?
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On at least 2 occasions in years gone by I have seen female Purple Emperors in August at Noarhill, Hampshire. This was whilst I was searching for Brown Hairstreaks. The nearest suitable woodland was not that far away I believe, but these females were certainly moving through, gliding over the top of the tallest trees. I was not expecting to see any. This was obviously late in the season, so likely to be dispersal. Interestingly a female Iris was seen on a buddleia on 10th August 2016 near Ringwood, Hampshire. I do not know where it had originated from but there are woods hidden away in this area which may be suitable.
Suspect that sallows are used in a variety of situations and that presence of the foodplant in the landscape is more important than whether it is wooded. Here in Odiham there is a male territory in tall trees sort of on the edge of woodland but just as pointedly very adjacent to gardens and road verges that certainly contain abundant sallow.
Dennis, hello. Just coming back to you on potential dispersion North from Fermyn Wood. I spoke to Eliot Taylor at EM butterfly conservation and he responded with a comparison to SWF dispersion - " I missed Lugenda by a day, I was there on Sunday! As you may know I used to work at Owthorpe between 2000 and 2013 and used to visit Cotgrave wood regularly during my lunch break. The most unusual butterflies then were Purple Hairstreak and White-letter Hairstreak, then Silver-washed Fritillary was seen in Borders Wood in early August 2013. I think I was the first person to see SWF in Cotgrave Forest on 20 August 2013 and there were lots of sightings across Notts that year especially in private gardens around Cotgrave. My theory is that if conditions were right for SWF to expand it range, presumably from the Fermyn area, then maybe PE took advantage of the conditions as well.
I made a trip to Wardley Wood yesterday on the Leicester Rutland Border but no luck with PE, SWF or WA. Perhaps the lack of sallows within the wood may have accounted for no PEs there.
However I do recall hearing about sightings of single PEs at Rutland Water for 2 years running, 2014/15, so maybe thats the link between Fermyn and Cotgrave."
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