Amazing to see your Speckled Woods at this time of year, David.

Clouded Yellows were common throughout the area, appearing whenever it was warm enough. 9BF00AF4-7387-4AB7-8F0F-D0946128BF3C.jpeg Small Whites appeared in a couple of places. I photographed those I could, hoping to claim Southern Small White. But looking at the pictures, they all seem to be SW. 8ADC...

Thanks Goldie. Speckled Woods did alright round my way this week. I suspect the wet July, followed by a warm August, September and October played a part. Thanks,Wurzel. Bath Whites are lovely butterflies, and fortunately common and widespread on the continent. The Spanish version of Brown Argus was ...

In late October, we joined Naturetek on their Wallcreepers and Cranes tour in northern Spain. I’m pleased to say we saw both species, and a lot more besides! Spain is a wonderfully diverse and scenic country and, inland, still relatively unspoilt. Indeed, the human population in rural Spain is decre...

We were Copper spotting at one of my local sites on the 15th. Not surprisingly, most were showing their age, but there were still a few good ones present. C3B0AAD6-DAFB-4C21-8240-77565FFCB420.jpeg This one chose a particularly seasonal place to bask in the October sun. 351A20F5-D66A-4DD3-BD80-5ECBD3...

Well, it certainly was a wet October. Many parts of East Anglia has twice the average rainfall, which is all the more notable when one remembers no rain worth the mention fell in the first half of the month. Indeed, this was dominated by heatwave conditions, with temperatures of up to 25C. Pleasant ...

Thanks everyone. September was a tad disappointing, Butterfly wise. Especially given the heatwave. David, it’s not a major surprise. The south-west receives far more Clouded Yellows, on average, than the south-east and East Anglia. At the very end of September, a patch of Michaelmas daisies produced...

September was clearly a summer month this year, with a stunning heatwave early on, and warm, often sunny conditions throughout the month. On the butterfly front though, it was rather disappointing. The mass emergence of Red Admirals I was hoping for never really materialised, though perhaps the hot ...

Hi Alan,

In that state, surely it must be? Quite extraordinary.

Thanks David. Yes, the Hairstreaks have had plenty of opportunities for egg laying this September. Then onto nearby Anchor Bottom. Excellent numbers of Adonis Blues were here, and they made a glorious early autumn sight. Some were showing their age, but equal numbers were fresh, glorious adults. Bet...

You’ve got some really nice images of SWF there, Wurzel. Those alone are worth getting up early for.

Hi Goldie, Like you, I’m still seeing a few Peacocks, although most were tucked up in hibernation by mid August. Don’t give up on Clouded Yellow just yet! I don’t know if you will get another chance to visit the Lydden Temple Ewell reserve, but there is masses of flowering devils-bit scabious there ...

Thanks Neil, she was lovely, enough that I was moved to take her picture. Particularly as Meadow Browns are long finish from where I live. Yes, the September heatwave has been exceptional, not least for it’s duration. The temp is not a September record, though, as the extraordinary temperature of 35...

I actually like the BH on the oak. Very seasonal.

Perhaps the BH of Wales are less fussy, in terms of weather, than those in the south-east of England?

Whether this is the case or not, you’ve got some lovely pictures there!

Thanks guys. I will admit, I’ve been a bit irritated by all the negative talk, even from respected sources. Like when they send a TV camera crew to the coast, and people say “ it wasn’t as good as last year!”. Which, dare I say, is pretty obvious. But was it really that good last summer? Us Brits us...

Welcome to Autumn. Days are still quite long at first, but continue to shorten rapidly-we loose another 2 hours daylight per day by the end of September. And, of course, the sun is much lower in the sky than it was in June and July, so it’s strength is weaker. So it’s time to have a quick look back ...

An enjoyable read Neil, with images to match. Right up there with your usual standard!

Never been to old Winchester Hill, I must get there next year!

Glorious collection of Brown ones there, Dave. Looks like I need to add Bookham to my site list for next year!

There have been some lovely images of Brown Hairstreaks being posted recently. It’s been several years since I have seen this lovely species. Problem is all the known sites are quite a long way away, and I have to hope that the weather is good for this fussy species. Even then,I have to hope the for...

Thanks Neil, Brown Argus seems to have had a good year just about everywhere. I’ve even seen a few adults at work. Hi Wurzel. I suspect it’s pathological. David, SSS numbers have been dropping at AR for several years now. The wet spring and July might explain it this year, but numbers were low durin...