Good year for Ringlets?

[Wild-Woman]

Well it seems to be here anyway. I've come across many more than I normally would. Has anyone else?

[Tormentil]

I was at Messingham NR (Lincolnshire) last Wednesday and you couldn't move for 'em. Never seen so many.

[nutmeg]

There are certainly plenty around at the moment, which is great to see

[Adam Cheeseman]

Please can you send some my way then please. Not seen one yet.

Cheers,

Adam

[Naturenutz]

Many here too,they look great when they are fresh,very dark,almost black ,many gatekeepers yesterday aswell.

[aeshna5]

I hadn't seen any until yesterday when they were possibly the commonest butterfly at Bookham Common, with Meadow Brown the only serious competitor in terms of numbers.

[earthdragon64]

I've not seen any so far this year, but they are still establishing themselves up here.

I'm going for a walk around the RSPB Insh Marshes reserve nature trail today, so may see some there. I should see Northern Brown Argus there and a few others as long as the sun stays out.

[Pete Collins]

Lots of them in this part of the Chilterns, more than I ever remember seeing before. They were easily the most numerous butterfly I saw at Ivinghoe Beacon on Wednesday, and Meadow Browns only just outnumbered them on my walk from Pitstone Hill to Wigginton and back on Monday. In particular, there were loads of Ringlets along a path through some beautiful meadows at Wigginton.

[Wild-Woman]

Thanks for your replies. It's interesting seeing how patchy these sightings are. Does anyone know if the Ringlets have been boosted by a migration? I don't know if they do migrate but I know that our numbers of Whites have seen an increase by migration lately. Certainly an interesting year as regards to butterflies so far.

[Jean Farmer]

I have never seen so many as there are this year. Last week I was recording 50 ringlets and 50 meadow browns on my patch. Today there must be over 200 ringlets. Its like trying to count falling leaves. there are whole clouds of them.
Jean

[Kayleigh]

They are everywhere you look here I even have them in my garden that's a first..

[James M]

For some reason there distribution misses out a whole chunk of north western england, so don't really see many here, although I did see one last year which is a good sign as they are spreading apparently!

[Pete Collins]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

They are everywhere you look here I even have them in my garden that's a first..

I've just seen one in our garden, I think that's a first too. Two Small Tortoiseshells and a Comma as well!

[LynM]

As a bit of a butterfly novice, I had to check out in my reference book what I had seen in very large numbers this morning......and they were Ringlets! Absolutely dozens of them along the hedgerows above the Dorset village of Cerne Abbas.

[rogpow]

Saw dozens this morning on the rides in Brighstone Forest.

[Dogghound]

I agree there are loads about at the moment.

[Wild-Woman]

Sounds like Butterfly Conservation have really got a year to get their teeth into! Great stuff. What next I wonder!

[Jean Farmer]

There,s been more buttercups this year than I ever remember. Ringlets and meadow browns have been feeding solely on them for weeks.
The buttercups are going over now, and the butterflies are moving over to the seeding meadow grasses.

[aeshna5]

I don't think they or any of our browns are known as migrants, though no doubt some individuals do wander a bit.

Maybe last year's damp weather provided good breeding for the Ringlets- lots of juicy grass for the larvae. It is a species that favours damp grassland. Speckled Woods often do well after summers that are not too hot.

It's good to see so many butterflies (+ other insects) around at the moment.

[James M]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I don't think they or any of our browns are known as migrants, though no doubt some individuals do wander a bit.

Maybe last year's damp weather provided good breeding for the Ringlets- lots of juicy grass for the larvae. It is a species that favours damp grassland. Speckled Woods often do well after summers that are not too hot.

It's good to see so many butterflies (+ other insects) around at the moment.

That's one thing I have seen lots around here, 15+ Speckled Woods on my walk last week.

[ellen h]

Plenty round here too,as well as Meadow browns and Speckled wood.
Also saw two gatekeepers today
ellen

[Geoff F]

Here, S. Devon, there are good numbers of Ringlets but the distribution is very patchy. Plenty amongst rough grass alongside a wood today, plus the first gatekeepers and a comma. But in similar grassland alongside the coast path it is mostly fritillaries and small heaths.

[earthdragon64]

It was my husbands birthday today so he decided he'd like to walk around the nature trail at the RSPB reserve at Insh Marshes, and we had a fantastic walk.

Apart from a few birds, we saw 10 species of Butterfly including over 100 Ringlets, my first this year. The species we saw:
Ringlet
Northern Brown Argus
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Small Tortoiseshell
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Dark Green Fritillary
Common Blue
Small Heath &
Meadow Brown

We also saw quite a few moths, 3 species of Dragonfly and a Damselfly and numerous wild flowers including Fragrant, Heath-spotted and Northern Marsh orchids.

The weather was fantastic so we then went to an old sort of quarry area just to the south of Aviemore where I re-discovered a colony of Northern Brown Argus last year. We saw 9 species of Butterfly, everything we had seen at Insh Marshes apart from the Meadow Brown.

All in all a brilliant day, a birthday that hubby says he'll remember for a while.

[lync]

Ringlet in garden this morning, just managed to escape the cat.

[Jenny W]

Round my way Ringlets don't seem to be either up or nor down - they are the most common butterfly around though, closely followed by Meadow Brown. Interesting how many insects seem to be locally very abundant or locally very scarce this year - depending on location, at least from what I've heard from people, (round here insects seem to be having a great year).