We are up and away with (Dark-Edged) Bee-Fly sightings for 2024

All Sightings submitted to iRecord.

26 March 2024: one (1) Bee-Fly on Bostall Heath

30 March 2024: one (1) Bee-Fly in the Upper Belvedere area

6 April 2024: sixteen (16) Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding area, including this one...

7 April 2024: seven (7) Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding area

12 April 2024: one (1) Bee-Fly on Bostall Heath

13 April 2024: four (4) Bee-Flies on the Erith Southern Marsh 

13 April 2024: one (1) Bee-Fly beside the Ridgeway in the Thamesmead/Belvedere area

13 April 2024: two (2) Bee-Flies in Lesnes Abbey Park

13 April 2024: eight (8) Bee-Flies on the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding area

18 April 2024: three (3) Bee-Flies on Bostall Heath

21 April 2024: one (1) Bee-Fly beside the Ridgeway in the Thamesmead/Belvedere area

29 April 2024: three (3) Bee-Flies on Bostall Heath

Our First Butterfly Sightings in the London Borough of Bexley: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 (ten years)

Our First Sightings are identified for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 viz.

Brimstone: 7 April 2015 ~ 17 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 26 March 2018 ~ 23 February 2019 ~ 11 March 2020 ~ 9 March 2021 ~ 15 March 2022 ~ 23 March 2023 ~ 30 March 2024

Brown Argus: 4 June 2015 ~ 24 May 2016 ~ 10 May 2017 ~ 18 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 7 May 2020 ~ 28 May 2021 ~ 18 May 2022 ~ 27 May 2023

Clouded Yellow: 18 July 2015 ~ 17 August 2016 ~ 31 July 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ 7 September 2019 ~ 3 August 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

Comma: 9 April 2015 ~ 17 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 14 March 2018 ~ 25 February 2019 ~ 23 March 2020 ~ 22 March 2021 ~ 10 March 2022 ~ 3 April 2023 ~ 30 March 2024

Common Blue: 11 May 2015 ~ 22 May 2016 ~ 2 May 2017 ~ 22 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 10 May 2020 ~ 5 June 2021 ~ 18 May 2022 ~ 27 May 2023

Essex Skipper: 25 June 2015 ~ 25 June 2016 ~ 16 June 2017 ~ 29 June 2018 ~ 20 June 2019 ~ 13 June 2020 (we had previously seen an Essex Skipper beside The Ridgeway in the Plumstead area, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, on 30 May 2020: confirmed as the first sighting, submitted to Butterfly Conservation, of the species in the United Kingdom during 2020)  ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 18 June 2022 ~ 9 June 2023

Gatekeeper: 3 July 2015 ~ 6 July 2016 ~ 30 June 2017 ~ 29 June 2018 ~ 6 July 2019 ~ 11 July 2020 ~ 16 July 2021 ~ 2 July 2022 ~ 6 July 2023

Green Hairstreak: 28 April 2015 ~ 3 May 2016 ~ 6 April 2017 ~ 19 April 2018 ~ 19 April 2019 ~ 26 April 2020 ~ 19 April 2021 ~ 26 May 2022 ~ 2 June 2023 ~ 13 April 2024

Green-Veined White: 30 March 2015 ... confirmed as the first sighting, submitted to Butterfly Conservation, of the species in the United Kingdom during 2015 ~ 2 April 2016 ~ 27 March 2017 ~ 14 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 5 April 2020 ~ 4 April 2021 ~ 25 March 2022 ~ 3 April 2023 ... confirmed as the first sighting, submitted to Butterfly Conservation, of the species in the United Kingdom during 2023 ~ 6 April 2024

Holly Blue: 22 April 2015 ~ 4 May 2016 ~ 8 April 2017 ~ 22 April 2018 ~ 14 April 2019 ~ 16 April 2020 ~ 7 May 2021 ~ 18 April 2022 ~ 25 April 2023  ~ 24 April 2024

Large Skipper: 5 June 2015 ~ 8 June 2016 ~ 1 June 2017 ~ 2 June 2018 ~ 2 June 2019 ~ 26 May 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ 2 June 2022 ~ 21 June 2023

Large White: 1 May 2015 ~ 30 April 2016 ~ 10 July 2017 ~ 4 April 2018 ~ 1 June 2019 ~ 19 April 2020 ~ 26 June 2021 ~ 20 June 2022 ~ 4 June 2023

Long-Tailed Blue: not seen during 2015 ~ not seen during 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ 29 October 2018 (a one off probably) ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

Marbled White: 24 June 2015 ~ 17 July 2016 ~ 16 June 2017 ~ 20 June 2018 ~ 22 June 2019 ~ 15 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022 ~ 17 June 2023

Meadow Brown: 18 June 2015 ~ 18 June 2016 ~ 7 June 2017 ~ 8 June 2018 ~ 1 June 2019 ~ 13 June 2020 ~ 15 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022 ~ 21 June 2023

Orange-Tip: 7 April 2015 ~ 12 April 2016 ~ 28 March 2017 ~ 14 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 23 March 2020 ~ 4 April 2021 ~ 26 March 2022 ~ 7 April 2023 ~ 6 April 2024

Painted Lady: 7 June 2015 ~ 5 June 2016 ~ 20 May 2017 ~ 15 June 2018 ~ 24 June 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ 23 April 2021 ~ 17 May 2022 ~ 7 April 2023

Peacock: 30 March 2015 ~ 30 March 2016 ~ 9 March 2017 ~ 21 March 2018 ~ 25 February 2019 ~ 6 March 2020 ~ 26 February 2021  ~ 15 March 2022 ~ 23 March 2023 ~ 4 March 2024

Purple Hairstreak: 5 August 2015 ~ 18 July 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ 1 July 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

Red Admiral: 7 March 2015 ~ 28 March 2016 ~ 28 February 2017 ~ 19 May 2018 ~ 19 February 2019 ~ 6 March 2020 ~ 22 June 2021 ~ 19 March 2022 ~ 2 June 2023 ~ 12 February 2024

Ringlet: 25 June 2015 ~ 24 June 2016 ~ 14 June 2017 ~ 20 June 2018 ~ 22 June 2019 ~ 20 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 18 June 2022 ~ 28 June 2023

Silver-Washed Fritillary: not seen during 2015 ~ 23 July 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

Small Copper: 4 May 2015 ~ 4 June 2016 ~ 10 May 2017 ~ 20 May 2018 ~ 21 April 2019 ~ 10 May 2020 ~ 7 June 2021 ~ 18 May 2022 ~ 9 June 2023

Small Heath: not seen during 2015 ~ 26 May 2016 ~ 20 May 2017 ~ 20 May 2018 ~ 16 May 2019 ~ 9 May 2020 ~ 28 May 2021 ~ 29 May 2022 ~ 9 June 2023 

Small Skipper: 16 June 2015 ~ 24 June 2016 ~ 10 June 2017 ~ 15 June 2018 ~ 20 June 2019 ~ 9 June 2020 ~ 24 June 2021 ~ 15 June 2022 ~ 17 June 2023

Small Tortoiseshell: 7 March 2015 ~ 28 January 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 22 March 2018 ~ 22 February 2019 ~ 21 March 2020 ~ 9 March 2021 ~ 8 March 2022 ~ 4 April 2023

Small White: 7 April 2015 ~ 25 March 2016 ~ 11 March 2017 ~ 5 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 26 March 2020 ~ 22 March 2021 ~ 9 February 2022 ~ 15 February 2023 ... confirmed as the first sighting, submitted to Butterfly Conservation, of the species in the United Kingdom during 2023 ~ 7 April 2024

Speckled Wood: 9 April 2015 ~ 6 March 2016 ~ 28 March 2017 ~ 19 April 2018 ~ 28 March 2019 ~ 9 April 2020 ~ 9 April 2021 ~ 21 March 2022 ~ 3 April 2023 ~ 30 March 2024

White Admiral: not seen during 2015 ~ 21 July 2016 ~ 24 June 2017 ~ 23 June 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

White Letter Hairstreak: 22 July 2015 ~ not seen during 2016 ~ not seen during 2017 ~ not seen during 2018 ~ not seen during 2019 ~ not seen during 2020 ~ not seen during 2021 ~ not seen during 2022 ~ not seen during 2023

Whilst visiting two horses of our acquaintance yesterday in Kent, we looked for Wild Flowers around the Duck Pond and saw:

Annual Meadow-Grass

Daisy
Buttercup (Bulbous)

Buttercup (Meadow)

Common Field-Speedwell
Common Ragwort
Cow Parsley
Dandelion
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Early Forget-me-Not
Groundsel
Red Dead-Nettle
Spotted Medick
Sticky Mouse-Ear
Thale Cress

Wall Speedwell
and White Dead-Nettle

Additionally, we spotted this Hoverfly (Eupeodes sp.) visiting a Dandelion:

Wild Flowers growing in our Road (at Home)

A few years go we submitted a list of Wild Flowers seen in our local Monad to the County Recording Group. 

We think it about time to record Wild Flowers seen in/from our Road (a couple of hundred yards long if that), whether on the Pavements, in Road-Side Gutters or in Front Gardens.  The list will grow as the year advances:

Annual Meadow-Grass

Cleavers

Common Chickweed

Common Whitlowgrass

Creeping Thistle

Fairy-Purses (aka Shepherd's-Purse)

Four-Leaved Allseed

Groundsel

Hairy Bittercress

Jersey Cudweed viz.

Lesser Swine-Cress

Pearlwort

Petty Spurge

Red Dead-Nettle

Rue-Leaved Saxifrage

Shining Crane's-Bill

Sticky Mouse-Ear

Thale Cress

and Wall Speedwell

To the New Woolwich Cemetery via the East Wickham Open Space

In the New Woolwich Cemetery, we saw our first Small White Butterfly of the year and a possible Green-Veined White Butterfly. Also a Common Carder (Ginger-Bonce) Bee visiting Green Alkanet viz.

Plant species seen flowering in the Cemetery included:

Comfrey (either Common or White)

Common Field-Speedwell

Common Stork's-Bill

Daisy

Dandelion
Field Wood-Rush

Green Alkanet

Meadow Foxtail

Red Dead-Nettle

and Sweet Vernal Grass viz.

In the nearby Old Woolwich Cemetery there was lots of Spring Beauty: not yet flowering.

And on the East Wickham Open Space, there were a few Hairy-Footed Flower-Bees visiting Red Dead-Nettle and we saw our first Buttercups of the year including this Bulbous Buttercup viz. sepals turned down: