I had just returned from a five week birding trip abroad and decided to take the day off work as the weather forecast looked excellent and I needed a 'butterfly fix'. I had already had a good day seeing Green Hairstreak (Callaphrys rubi) and Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) though with the time at 1630, I thought about not doing my intended last site in Darlington [NZ 267167].
The area in question is a Brownfield site destined for redevelopment very shortly. Rough grasslands predominate along with bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and common vetch (Vicia sativa) interspersed with light scrub including gorse (Ulex europaeus) and Buddleia (buddleia sp).
The site is best known for its very small colony of Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages). As the site is private, access is difficult. Despite this, around seventeen species of butterfly have been recorded. I was still hopeful of finding Dingy Skipper locally this year when I noticed a 'small golden’ butterfly flush from my feet. It settled into some grasslands where it remained for ten minutes and I could observe the blotched orangy wings with dark borders, bi-coloured antennae and obvious sex brand emanating from the centre of the cigar-shaped abdomen - a mint male Large Skipper. Unfortunately I got too close in trying to see the underwing and it took flight and could not be relocated.
Being a subscriber to uk-leps on the Internet, I was aware that this was an early record, as there had been so few reports from even the south of England this year.
Checking the literature,¹ and with the county recorder for butterflies, it transpired that the earliest north-east record was on 26th May from Tynemouth the previous year. With the apparent increasing impact of global warming, it surely won't be long before the date of 22nd May is locally beaten?