UK butterflies-you remember them?

[Barrie Harwood]

It's certainly worrying that the constant low tepms and high rainfall may
preveny emergence / feeding / mating and egg-laying and yet after almost a
week of poor weather, I went to one of my favourite spots near where I live
in the New Forest and was amazed at the species I've seen - Common Blue,
Adonis Blue , Small Blue (in quite large numbers), Ringlet, Meadow Brown,
Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Marbled White and Dark Green Fritillary.

Whilst I have no doubts that the prolonged rain is preventing butterflies
from emerging and flying etc for as long as they normally do, I think that
they may not be suffering as much as we think and are making maximum use of
the 'dry periods'. Of course, we forget that when the weather is blistering,
(I can just remember those days!), then the larvae suffer also because of
dessication of the foodplants etc.. I think it might be a case of swings and
roundabouts.
D.P.Howson wrote in message <01BDB289.BC7E4F20 at Muser.brad.ac.uk>...
>Hi, I wonder how this miserable summer is affecting the native UK butterfly
species.Certainly obserrvation has been very difficult because if the
constantly changing weather and many field trips must have been
abortive.Colleagues who work all week have sometimes seen little or nothing.
>>From my local sites in West Yorkshire some of the satyridae(browns) such
as Meadow Brown(jurtina) and Ringlet(hyperanthus) seem little affected, and
of the hesperiidae(skippers) Small Skipper(lineola) can still be seen in
some numbers. But the Northern Brown Argus(artaxerxes) has so far failed to
show on one of its sites, and Common Blue(icarus) and Small Heath(pamphilus)
on another.
>Dave
>