Single logs from this month:
In terms of the dominating weather, August was nearly identical to July, with precipitation being the only exception. August turned out much drier than initially expected.
Species that already were seen in July and returned:
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Species that were last seen in June and returned:
Species that were last seen in May and returned:
Species making their first appearances:
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I noted a sharp drop similar to the "May drop" starting around the time my area was hit by another heat wave that last only two days (14 and 15 August). Despite C. pamphilus being the only species actually having benefitted from those April-like weather conditions, the continued increases of C. argiades and the remarkable recovery of S. pruni may have been unrelated to it and rather a consequence of the mild winter 2024/25. In a similar vein, A. hyperantus, despite having seen its strongest season since I started my observations 2022, was largely encountered in a small area in Zone II only. A. levana saw minor changes, also largely sticking to the same spot A. hyperantus preferred, yet overall continued its strong presence. P. brassicae, likely due to the amount of rape that was cultivated back in spring, also continue to appear in numbers nearly equal to that of P. rapae.
Speaking of whites: Most individuals of P. brassicae and P. rapae turned out significantly smaller than in previous years, indicating a lack of host plants of decent quality. An identical size discrepancy was also noted among P. icarus.
Most blues, with the exception of C. argiades and, to a lesser degree, the rather unstable C. argiolus, saw its worst summer since 2022, with P. bellargus and P. coridon now missing since the end of July and P. coridon in particular only having been encountered once. T. betulae effectively abandoned by main zones and returned to the Meisel forest, where M. jurtina, which also disappeared for the most part, still was encountered rather easily.
Two other species that were absent fall into two different categories: "disappointed but not surprised" and true shock. As its population already was limited to two individuals back in 2024, the disappearance (and possible local extinction) of L. phlaeas was expected, especially after witnessing its only habitat being degraded by negligence and a quietly growing monoculture just next to the forest claiming more and more of the neglected path. The unexpected disappearance of A. paphia fron both my main area and Meisel, on the other hand, still leaves me scratching my head and I certainly doubt that its complete absence only is the result of poor weather and low-quality plants, considering 2022 was just as spacious in terms of plants, while the summer of 2023 was wet and warm. Compare and contrast to I. lathonia and its short and rare appearances this year.
V. atalanta, while obviously not appreciating cooler temperatures, so far has not been seen feeding on rotten fruits, in fact even worms largely avoid it, despite an abundance of plums and apples.
At this point, I can only speculate on what made this summer increasingly hostile to all insects overall. Bugs, bees, wasps and odonata all declined just as sharply in most areas but within my village, in fact wasps in particular highly appreciated yard and pretty much abandoned their usual spots in Zone II. Poor weather, poor plant quality and a partial total absence of crucial plants, the high amount of cultivated wheat and barley, some areas having been moved a whopping four times this year but only after the grasses dominance already was way out of control, and increased car traffic in Zone I and II all appear to have put nearly all zones I study under immense stress, resulting in most areas resembling lifeless hay fields.
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Addendum (01 September, 2025): The discovery of a previously undocumented population of L. purpuraria, a moth species, was noted in entry "10 August" but not included in this summary when I published it. This is noteworthy insofar as this species, just like its twin L. cruentaria, are said to be close to extinction in my state. I can't tell how well they've been doing after my first and trip to "Meisel", however, as I can't increase the amount of field trips to this zone due to personal circumstances.