CUMBRIA'S BUTTERFLIES
MONTH BY MONTH

APRIL
The first butterflies on the move are those that overwinter as the adult. Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell may be seen on the occasional warm day in March, but Brimstone and Comma are rather tighter hibernators and require temperatures to remain high for several days to tempt them out. Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock occur throughout the county. Brimstone are largely confined to the south of the county, often associated with areas where buckthorn was grown to make the charcoal for gunpowder. The Comma is a recent coloniser and is spreading slowly north and west. By the month end Holly Blue may be seen, but is scarce north of Grasmere except round Carlisle. Those Speckled Wood that have overwintered as pupae also begin to emerge - this is a rapidly spreading species, but still most likely to be seen in the south and west of the county. Depending on the warmth of the spring the odd Red Admiral may have found its way into the region from the south or, more recently with mild winters, possibly over-wintered here.

MAY
May is the month of "whites". Large White, Small White and Green-veined White put in their first appearance of the season, but the delightful Orange-tip patrols many Lakeland hedgerows for the next few weeks only. Green-hairstreak colonies can be quite large throughout the month, but they are generally restricted to lowland heath and the drier edges of bog. By the last week the first generation of Wall, though never numerous, may be seen around the coast, but rarely more than 15 km inland. The 'piece de resistance' of the month must be that 'flying penny' the spirited Duke of Burgundy. There is a small and vulnerable number of colonies on the limestone at the head of Morecambe Bay. By the end of the month the first specimens of the bright orange and moth-like Large Skipper can be found on almost any small bit of waste grassland around the county.

JUNE
As June opens, Pearl-bordered Fritillary numbers rise quickly. This species is found only around Morecambe Bay and has retreated eastwards in recent years (mirroring its steep decline nationally). The rather drab and easily missed Dingy Skipper should be at its peak, but it is now largely restricted (thanks to agricultural improvement) to dunes, cliffs and old quarries where its foodplant, bird's-foot trefoil, still grows. The same coastal sites and foodplant also support huge numbers of Common Blue, including some of the 'blue' form of the female. The related plant, kidney vetch, is host to the Small Blue, but only around Maryport and Workington. Finally, another member of the 'blue' family, although not outwardly blue, makes its first appearance this month - the attractive Small Copper.

JULY
Meadow Brown is the commonest butterfly of the month, but for the connoisseur July is large fritillary time. The gorgeous High Brown, Dark-green and Silver-washed Fritillaries emerge in succession and overlap in flight period, making identification a challenge. The endangered High Brown prospers at the head of Morecambe Bay, but the Dark Green is more of a wanderer and can turn up anywhere in the county, especially round the coast. Our largest fritillary, the Silver-washed, is a treat to watch as it glides around the sunlit clearings it has colonised around Whitbarrow. Small Skipper seems reluctant to spread into Cumbria, but sightings have been made in the last year or two just over the southern and eastern borders. The Large Heath is on the wing throughout the month on raised bogs in both north and south.The Ringlet, a woodland species of the month, is an exception to the norm in that it is one butterfly found in the north of the county but not in the south. Scanning the tops of oak trees in the second half of the month may bring the reward of sightings of Purple Hairstreak. It is less widely recorded than its relative, the Green Hairstreak, probably because it passes unnoticed in its tree-top home. A "southern" butterfly, the Gatekeeper, has been spreading rapidly up the west coast and across the south of the county in recent years. It is now quite frequently spotted around brambles in the hedgerows by the month end. By the month end Speckled Wood numbers are beginning to peak as all the broods come together to produce adults.

AUGUST
By now second broods are emerging of species seen earlier in the year - Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma and Wall for example. This is the month of the buddleia which attracts these familiar garden visitors. The "will-they-won't-they" Painted Lady can be abundant or totally non-existent - depending on whether weather (!) patterns in the spring brought an immigration to the county. Equally, two other migrants, Clouded Yellow and Camberwell Beauty may turn up, but usually only in ones and twos in Cumbria. The elusive Holly Blue has it's second spell on the wing in early August but the flight period is usually brief - look this time around ivy, especially in old established gardens and churchyards. Scotch Argus can reach almost 'plague' proportions on Arnside Knott in the first half of the month, but curiously turn their noses up at every other patch of land in the county, except at Smardale where it appears a few days later than at Arnside. Grayling is a very coastal species and appears to have suffered a serious decline in recent years but, where it occurs, August is the best time to find it.

SEPTEMBER
As the season fades away the most numerous species is usually the Red Admiral. Migration southwards through the county is now well under way. If there is an Indian summer, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma will hang on and fed up before hibernating. However the season ends rather sooner in Cumbria as temperatures fall - third broods of species which can occur further south are unlikely here.

For those who have been counting, the grand total of species found in the county is 39 - a remarkable total for a county in the north of England. Four other species, of dubious origin, have appeared in small numbers in the last few years, but it remains to be seen whether they become established in the region. Sadly several species formerly recorded in South Cumbria are now extinct in the region. These include (with year of last record):

Brown Hairstreak (1920)
Silver-studded Blue (1939)
Large Tortoiseshell (1945)
Wood White (late 19th Century)

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