Festival of exotica ...

RHS Wisley, 21 January 2013

Butterflies in the Glasshouse (12 January – 24 February 2013)

“Escape winter's chill and set hearts a-flutter with a visit to Butterflies in the Glasshouse. Enjoy the sight of exotic butterflies and the beauty of a world class tropical plant collection in this special experience, guaranteed to banish the winter blues. Wander underneath palms and watch the butterflies take part in courtship flights and feed from plant nectar and fruit. Butterflies in the Glasshouse is perfect for children of all ages. 'Awe-inspiring' and 'spectacular' are just some words used to describe the event by the hundreds of families who visit every year. For children, it's a chance to see these beautiful creatures in their 'natural' surroundings and understand where they come from.”

I thought I’d take a closer look …

The early to mid eighties found me working abroad in West Africa. Time spent in The Gambia and both northern and southern Nigeria, provided me with opportunities to observe and capture the beauty of many tropical species. Sadly, I have few photographic memories of the insects I discovered. Time then was spent in the bush armed with just a net to capture my prize followed by release after observation. I remember those years quite clearly and visits to butterfly houses always reignite my passion for tropical species, first sparked after visiting Worldwide Butterflies in Brighton in the late sixties (my parent’s still have that small case of three tropical specimens (Troides aeacus, Papilio horishanus and the beautiful Urania ripheus), though now looking rather sad and somewhat faded. Although many tropical species are undoubtedly quite stunning, in my opinion, you can’t beat the magnificence of our own entomological fauna. As my good friend Neil Hulme once said, “Lovely as they are you can't beat an English Purple Emperor, spread-eagled on a woodland ride on a warm July evening”.

I’ll certainly second that …

For those that haven't visited I highly recommend a trip, though do allow time for your camera equipment to acclimatize. As you would expect, it is very hot and humid in the glasshouse so do take a cold drink with you and dress sensibly if you are planning to stay for any length of time.

I hope to go again so maybe see you there …

Anything to declare ...

GROPPERS

The Orthoptera is an order of charismatic and abundant insects, which includes the grasshoppers, crickets, weta and locusts. Many members of this order manufacture an audible noise by stridulation (the act of producing sound by rubbing certain body parts together). In the case of the Orthopterans this is typically the wings or legs; these body parts containing rows of corrugated bumps. Their ‘song’ is one of the many sounds of summer; a time when they can easily be found in meadows, trees or bushes.

The British Isles currently plays host to twenty-seven native species (grasshoppers and crickets) and a number of naturalised, non-native species. In addition to our native fauna, and those species deemed non-native though naturalised, the unexpected Orthopteran occasionally turns up; with modern air travel providing a suitable mechanism for the transportation of the occasional exotic arrival. The following three species, the largest of which, a species of Tropidacris, has a wingspan of approximately 20cm and is around 10cm in length, were captured from an international airport located in the south of England, as unexpected arrivals in baggage reclaim …

The first is Acanthacris ruficornis (Fabricius, 1787). It arrived on a flight from Africa on 15 June 2001. The second is Anacridium melanorhodon ssp. melanorhodon (Walker, 1870); an arrival on a flight from northern Africa (Palestine) on 2 February 2000. The third, the most impressive of the three, is probably Tropidacris cristata (Linnaeus, 1758); which arrived on a flight from South America (Costa Rica) on 18 August 2001. Members of the genus Tropidacris are the largest known grasshoppers. All three were alive upon arrival. The third, T. cristata, had to be handled very carefully as it is a grasshopper with impressive strength. Any attempt to handle it is likely to be repelled with a lightening quick reprisal; its spiny hind legs inflicting damage to the unsuspecting handler ...

My thanks go to Darren Mann (OUMNH) for confirmation of identification.

Images copyright OUMNH. Photographed by Katherine Child, Hope Department of Entomology.

Far too hot to handle ...

Majorca, 29 July to 5 August 2012

I have recently returned from a short family break to northern Majorca. Campanet is a small village nestling in the foothills of the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range. It is located approximately 40km (25 miles) north west of Palma. The village has, for the most part, ignored the extensive tourist developments that have taken place throughout much of the island and is one of the few untouched authentic Mallorcan villages that still exist. Our base was the magnificent Monnaber Nou, a restored manor house set in over 370 acres of the most unspoilt Mallorcan countryside on the outskirts of Campanet.

Venturing locally, the rocky and very arid landscape produced good numbers of Small Copper and several Southern Gatekeeper. Three, very active, Bath White were also found along with small numbers of Southern Brown Argus, a new species for me (a male is pictured below). A visit to the Coves de Campanet produced several Holly Blue feeding and egg laying on an ivy-clad wall, and my only Cleopatra of the trip. Several fast flying Swallowtail were seen at the wetland reserve of S'Albufera. A pair of sparring Geranium Bronze provided welcome entertainment whilst I sat rehydrating after climbing and descending the Calvari Steps, an ancient stone staircase (all 365 steps) leading from the central square in Pollença up to a tiny church called the Calvario Chapel.

Trying to have a family holiday and undertake any serious entomology is generally very difficult for me and this trip proved no different. In addition to family commitments the temperature, which generally was averaging an extremely hot 38°C (hitting a scorching 44°C on one occasion in the town of Sóller), made sitting in the shade by the pool with a long cold drink seem a far more sensible option. The addition of very breezy conditions (a very welcome respite from the heat) made photography a little difficult, though not totally impossible when time permitted.

Species seen:

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera)
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
Bath White (Pontia daplidice)
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon ssp. gorganus)
Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli)
Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria ssp. sardoa)
Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia)