Recap of 2023

Nearly the end of the year, butterdamseldragon season truly over, so time to recap 2023. 

In terms of butterflies, we saw a record total of 39 species (two more than last year), which included two new species: pearl-bordered fritillary and marsh fritillary

As to damseldragonflies, we saw the same number of species as last year: 26. One new species this year: scarce blue-tailed damselfly

So overall we saw 65 butterdamseldragonfly species, two more than last year and the highest year total so far!

In our front and back garden. we saw two more butterfly species than last year, and definitely higher  numbers than last year. The Buddleia bushes in both front and rear garden proved a big draw: 

And the 13 species included a purple hairstreak for the first time! 

Only a single dragonfly species, though it was one we hadn't seen in the garden before: a southern hawker female, seen twice.

And what about next year plans? Clearly, loads of new species, as in 2021, will never happen again. And obviously, the more species we have seen, the fewer are left to see, and the further away these occur. But we do still hope we'll be able to see one or two new butterfly species and one or two new damseldragonfly species. Time will tell!

Butterfly bible

With the butterfly season pretty much having come to an end, I stumbled across this book on butterfly life cycles, which was getting very positive reviews. The book has detailed information on eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, food plants, active periods, etc of all 59 butterfly species regularly breeding in the British Isles.

It's not an identification guide to bring with us when we go out butterflying (too big and heavy anyway). Also, we don't plan to start looking for eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises everywhere, but I bought the book more to deepen our understanding (and enjoyment!) of butterflies and their behaviour and ecology.

The book is an incredible labour of love; I can't imagine the amount of time and effort it took to collect all the information. It contains photos of every life stage of every species resident in the British Isles: early and late eggs, all caterpillar instars, early and late pupae, plus information on ecology and conservation status in the UK.

But that's not all! A companion book by the same author, covering rare migrants, extinct species and accidental introductions was published last month!

Like the first book, it's packed with information on each species. The two books combined really can be seen as the UK 'butterfly bible', and, together, they will keep us immersed in butterflies until the first brimstone in 2024!

Both books were ordered here; I don't understand how they can sell them for as little as £28 and £24, respectively ....

Savill Garden

Even though we have seen butterflies over the last month and a half (including a few clouded yellows and quite a lot of red admirals), we haven't actually gone out specifically to look for butterflies or dragonflies since we went to Old Winchester Hill early September. 

But when we were invited to Savill Garden to celebrate the 80th birthday of a dear friend today, the beautiful weather called for a stroll around the garden. Hoping we would still see a butterfly or two, but surely the last official butterdamseldragon trip of 2023. 

A few red admirals were still nectaring on the Verbena and some late-flowering Buddleia. 

Approaching the stream that runs through the garden, it was clear the common darters were out in force, with plenty of pairs in cop or ovipositing.

One male landed on a bench, and, when I very slowly pushed my finger towards him, he stepped on to my finger and then crawled further on my hand.

Flew off a few times, but kept returning; I think I made a friend!

We also saw a single male migrant hawker hawking over the water. 

So, with the final tables of 2023 (one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+), I officially call our 2023 butterdamseldragonflying season closed. 

Blue flash!

Normally, we visit Old Winchester Hill two or three times a year, but for some reason, we only went there once this year, a little over a week ago. Then, we saw a record number of butterfly species (21!), but didn't see two of the Hill's specialities: silver-spotted skipper and adonis blue. 

Given the forecast of low wind and broken clouds, we decided to try OWH again, hoping to see those two species there. Once the sun came out and it noticeably warmed up, we saw loads of small heaths and meadow browns.

Soon we spotted the first of a few silver-spotted skippers!

As to blues, we saw several common blues and many chalk hill blues; the latter were not as fresh as earlier this year ...

And then, among a few common blues, a clear blue flash! Adonis blue!

We saw at least one more individual, which clearly had escaped from some predator. Difficult as it is to capture that electric blue iridescence, this picture comes close I think. 

Despite the end of the season approaching (most gatekeepers we saw were faded and/or tatty), we still saw a total of 16 butterfly species. As well as a single common darter.

I've said it before, but this is almost surely the final large butterfly table of the 2023 season (as well as my 100th blog post; one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+):

Found Susan!

We've been trying to find scarce blue-tailed damselflies three times this past month, at three different sites in the New Forest, but without success. The title of my blog post was a play on the title of the 1985 movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan'.

We decided to go back to Roundeye Hill for one more attempt, especially given it was far less windy than last time we went there. Although it was mostly cloudy, the sun did show its face every once in a while.

When the sun came out, we saw several common darters and several keeled skimmers.

In terms of damselflies, we first saw a few small red damsels, and then, a little bit later, a blue-tailed damsel. Blue-tailed, not scarce blue-tailed ...

And then, I spotted a bright orange damselfly! Could this be an immature 'aurantiaca' scarce blue-tailed damsel female?

A little later, in the same general area, another damsel, with no striping or other pattern on the thorax .... mature scarce blue-tailed damsel female??

In both cases, the damsels fit the picture in our field guide almost perfectly, but, never having seen the species, I didn't want to jump to conclusions .... 

We did see a third damsel, which almost got caught by a keeled skimmer seconds after we spotted her. The skimmer swooped down as the damsel took off from the heather, hit it, but couldn't grab it, and the damsel ended up in the water. While I was sacrificing my dry feet in the bog, she managed to free herself from the water and settled nearby. 

Coming home, I posted the pictures in the British Dragonflies and Damselflies Facebook group, and, yes, my hopes were confirmed: all scarce blue-tailed damsels!

Susan has been found!!

Here are today's tables, including the first new damseldragonfly species of the year (one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+):

Broughton Down

When we went butterflying at Old Winchester Hill a week and a bit ago, we saw a record number of species (21!), but not some of the Hill's specialities: adonis blue and silver-spotted skipper. Now we have seen (1st generation) adonis blues this year at Martin Down. but no silver-spotted skippers ...

Rather than return to Old Winchester Hill, as we have done in previous years, we decided to explore a new (for us) site, which was also said to have populations of adonis blues and silver-spotted skippers: Broughton Down. 

By far the commonest species was brown argus. We saw anything between very tatty individuals to very fresh-looking ones.

Lots of common blues, several chalk hill blues, but not a single adonis blue, though ...

When we sat down for lunch, halfway up a hill: a silver-spotted skipper!! Very uncharacteristically, it posed for photos for something like ten minutes before it flew off. 

Despite the mostly sunny weather and the many brown argus, common blue and a few other species, it did feel a bit like the beginning of the end of the butterfly season (just a few gatekeepers, for instance). So here's possibly the final butterfly table for the 2023 season (one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+):

Desperately seeking SB-tD ...

The one damselfly species which breeds in the New Forest and which we have never seen is scarce blue-tailed damselfly. Asking for recommendations for sites for this species in the New Forest on the British Dragonflies and Damselflies Facebook group resulted in three suggestions for sites. So we set out to explore those three sites over the last week and a bit. 

First of all, Ipley Stream, near the footbridge. The weather was quite cold and windy, and we saw no damselfly activity there. So we decided to cut across to the pond on Dibden Bottom, from there head for Rushbush Pond and then follow the Ipley stream back to the footbridge. The only common damselfly species was the emerald damsel; plenty of males and females around the Dibden Bottom pond.

Rushbush Pond was quite uncharacteristically pretty devoid of odo's, but we did see a few blue-tailed damsels. 

No SB-tD, though!

Then Latchmore Brook and the boggy areas immediately north of the stream which we visited last week. Twelve damseldragon species in all, including three species of hawkers (brown, migrant, southern), small red damsels, small red-eyed damsels, ...

... and blue-tailed damsels. 

We did see an unusual blue-tailed damsel, which raised our hopes for a while, until it was confirmed as an andromorph female blue-tailed damselfly. 

No SB-tD ...

Third and final site, today, was Roundeye Hill, especially the ditch which runs to the Beaulieu river. 

Once again, the weather wasn't very good for damseldragonflies, as it was quite windy. The sun did show its face every once in a while, though. We saw a beautiful demoiselle and a golden-ringed dragonfly at the river, and plenty of common darters and several keeled skimmers along the ditch. In terms of damselflies, just a single small red damsel and a few blue-tailed damsels. 

So for the third time running, 'common' blue-tailed damsels at every site, but no SB-tD ...

We'll definitely try at least the Roundeye Hill ditch again next year, but earlier in the season, as scarce blue-tails were seen there in decent numbers in July. We'll keep desperately seeking SB-tD until we find them!

No tables for this blog post, by the way, as it covers multiple sites and dates