Corkagh Wildlife: Butterflies and Insects

Corkagh Snapshots
Throughout summer and early autumn Corkagh attracts 
many different varieties of butterfly. 
In Irish folklore butterflies were thought to be the
souls of the dead on their way to the Otherworld. 
Not all butterflies you see will have been born in Ireland.
Some (like the Painted Lady) will have migrated here from the Mediterranean 
and North Africa  during the summer months.

small white butterfly at corkagh clondalkin september©nolene dowdall
Small White.
Unlike the other species of White it doesn't have black wing tips. 
 Flies April to September.  
The Large White and Small White butterflies are very similar.
One feature they have in common is the black spots on the
forewings which indicate that they are female. 
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Large White. Flies April to September.
 Cabbages are the preferred food source of its caterpillar.
This is a female, she has two black spots on wing in contrast
to the male who has one. 
Many butterflies, including the Whites,  have two clutches per year.  
The first clutch of spring butterflies mate in April to May 
and their offspring will fly and mate from July to September. 
The second clutch over-winter in the pupa state to emerge as butterflies in April.

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speckled wood butterfly at corkagh clondalkin ©nolene dowdall
Speckled Wood. A common butterfly from April to September.
 A territorial creature, the male will attack
other butterflies and insects entering its patch. 
Butterflies lay their eggs on plants and after several days the
eggs hatch to caterpillars who feed on the host plant. 
After some weeks the caterpillars pupate until they emerge as butterflies.






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Ringlet.  This butterfly can be seen in June and July
among the long grasses that fringe the hedgerows.
It feeds on the nectar of Briars and wild Privet flowers.
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Meadow Brown.  This butterfly flies throughout summer
and has a short lifespan of between 5 and 12 days.
They lay their eggs in long grass and their caterpillars spend winter
growing slowly in the shelter of the grass till they emerge
as butterflies the following summer.  
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Green Veined White Butterfly at Corkagh Clondalkin Dublin ©nolene dowdall
Green Veined White
A very lucky capture to get a pair of butterflies mating!
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Orange-tipped butterfly.  This one is a male, the females have black wing tips.  These butterflies emerge in April.

When the Orange-tip closes his wings he has the perfect camouflage. 
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Peacock Butterfly with damaged wing. Clondalkin©nolene dowdall
Peacock. Flies April to September. 
These butterflies hibernate over the winter before emerging
to mate in late March and April. 
They lay their eggs on nettles and over the next
few months those eggs will develop into the second
generation. 


The second generation can be seen from Mid July onwards.
 Sometimes in February, if the weather is fine and mild,
you may see a Peacock who
has emerged early from hibernation. 

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©nolene dowdall
Painted Lady.  This butterfly can be seen from August to September.
It migrates from the Mediterranean and North Africa.
It cannot survive our cold winters and most will die once the weather turns cold.
However it is now thought that some manage to fly south again towards warmer climes. 
Painted Lady


Painted Lady


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Red Admiral is a summer migrant to Ireland though
some will hibernate here over winter.  Few survive though. 


The Red Admiral arrives from Southern Europe in early Summer.
These migrants lay the eggs of the next generation of butterflies 
who fly during August and September before leaving our island 
to journey back to the Mediterranean and beyond

Red Admiral
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Red Admiral.  If you look closely at this video it seems
like the butterfly has got his leg stuck in a spiders thread
and is trying to free himself.  
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The Holly Blue is a small butterfly which
can be seen in early summer and again
in August.
Holly Blue(female)

Holly Blue (female)

Holly Blue.  This butterfly has two generations per year,
the first in early summer lay their eggs on Holly,
the second generation fly in late Summer and lay
their eggs on Ivy. 

The pupae survive the winter protected by the
thick ivy to emerge as full grown butterflies
in early summer


Holly Blue. 

Buff Tailed Bumble Bee visiting Vetch flowers.  Bee populations have declined greatly in recent years and wildflowers like Vetch are crucial to their survival.  

Dragonflies and Damselflies are spectacular creatures 
and can be seen at Corkaghs Lakes from May to September especially on sunny days.
Damselflies tend to stay close to the water but the larger 
Dragonflies can be seen in all parts of the park during summer.  When they emerge from larval stage the young Dragonflies will leave the lakes to shelter from predators among the tall grasses and hedgerow plants.  They feed on insects.

Male Emperor Dragonfly.  This is one of the species that are new arrivals to Ireland having been rare before 2000.  They can be found at the Upper Lakes and in the surrounding long grass and hedgerows.


Female Emperor Dragonfly: Unlike the male she has a brown tail.  In this photo taken in June she was resting in the ivy along the back lane. 
Male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly close up




Female Emperor close up


A pair of Migrant Hawkers



Four spotted chaser Dragonfly.  This is another newly arrived species to our shores.  Both male and female are similar and it can be found around the upper/fishing lakes and in the surrounding hedgerows and long grass


MIgrant Hawker Dragonfly in flight at Corkagh Clondalkin©nolene dowdall
Migrant Hawker.  These large dragonflies are hard to miss
and are seen throughout the park in August and September.
In Irish folklore it was believed that the fairies used dragonflies to fly 
from place to place and indeed some people believed that 
dragonflies and damselflies were fairies in disguise.
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Migrant Hawker:   
Until 2000 this species of Dragonfly was not usually seen in Ireland but now it is quite common in the East of the country. 


Migrant Hawker depositing her eggs at the edge of the Fishing lakes.

Dragon and Damselflies lay their eggs on the leaves of lakeside plants.  
Eggs laid in autumn will not hatch till the following spring.
Male (blue body) and female (brown body) Blue Tip Dragonflies. Taken at the Upper/fishing Lakes


Common Blue Damselfly.  This common damselfly can be seen amid the rushes at the Upper/fishing lakes.  Photo taken in June 23

Common Blue Damselfly

A pair of Common Blue Damselflies.  The female is more green in colour. 

Newly emerged Common Blue Damselfly.  During their first few days their colours are variable.  This one was a lovely pink shade.  


Dragonflies of ireland ©nolene dowdall
Demoiselle.  This striking dragonfly lays its eggs on lakeside plants.  
The nymphs hatch 2 weeks later but it will be 2 years before
they emerge as dragonflies.

Darter Dragonfly at Corkagh, Clondalkin ©nolene dowdall
 Darter resting at the fishing lakes Sept 2020. 
This dragonfly can be seen
until late September.  
©nolene dowdall
Common Darter.  Female lays her eggs in the lake 
but it will a year before they emerge as dragonflies.

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Common Darter September 2021
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grasshopper
Grasshopper.  Heard near the fishing lakes but rarely seen. 
This guy literally landed on my window sill.  
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                                                                                                      images copyright Nolene Dowdall

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