By late July, the Chalkhill Blues were emerging. It is not found in Essex, as there is no suitable habitat, so my nearest colony is at the Fleam Dyke, just over the border in Cambridgeshire. This excellent chalk Dyke runs across the low flat arable farmland here, a great place to spot hares! Chalkhi...

A tale of woe, by the sounds of it Jason. Very similar to many peoples observations here this year. Truth be told, it hasn’t rained here in East Anglia for a month. But the good weather has come to late for our beloved insects. Couple of years ago, butterfly numbers dropped due to the foodplants shr...

Hi Goldie, Chalkhill Blues have been scarce at all the sites I have visited this year, certainly well below normal numbers. I was at Lydden Temple Ewell last Sunday Chalkhill Blues were present, but far fewer than most years and many were past their best, though there were a few fresh ones. Silver S...

An interesting question. I’m not scientist but, to my knowledge, chalk downland, like all the best butterfly habitats ( lowland Heath, woodland clearings, etc), is entirely man-made. This is why, if not intensively managed, chalk downland will quickly revert to scrub, then woodland. When this countr...

By mid July, a few Small Tortoiseshell had emerged. Not high numbers, by any means, but better than nothing. A very welcome sight. FA02A2B0-8768-4911-B6E1-5FBF2AEE1DA0.jpeg Meanwhile, the Hutchinsoni Commas continued to be present. I didn’t get many chances to see them, with very few warm sunny even...

In early July, I headed off to Silchester Common, to find my only Silver Studded Blues of the year. Numbers were modest, with about a dozen seen. But I’ve never been to this site before, so I left happy.

Hi Neil, cracking report as always.

Although west Cornwall has a fairly wet, mild climate, it also receives more sunshine hours than most parts of the country. I suspect this may be responsible,at least in part,for a reliable second generation of SPBF.

Plenty of butterflies at Aston Rowant this afternoon. Mostly Meadow Browns, but a sprinkle of Common Blues, Chalkhill Blues, Brown Argus, Small Skippers and Silver Spotted Skippers. Not a single white! With a couple of weeks of warm sunshine, most Peacocks and Brimstones are probably fully fed, and ...

So it does, Wurzel. Can’t say I’d noticed that! The Ringlets had a spectacular crash last year, due to the previous years hot dry summer. However, equally spectacular has been its recovery this year, following the wet summer in 2023. They emerged from late June and, for a few short weeks, this lovel...

First Silver Spotted Skippers at Lydden, with 3 seen. Reasonable numbers Common Blues, but fewer Chalkhill Blues than normal, mostly at the Lydden end of this expansive site. More in my PD...eventually!

Thanks everyone. Never seen a Heath Fritillary remotely like it. Only managed 3 shots, before it was off, lost among the multitude of normal adults. The other two pictures were rather blurry, perhaps due to the excitement! By early July, the Marbled Whites had emerged. This new colony on the common ...

Hi Charles, could be a white version of the clustered bellflower, Campanula glomerata.

Lovely images of Scotch Argus, Berti. Don’t see many of those on the forums...

The June gap was clear to see round my way. However, Small Heath continued to emerge on my local common, they’ve had a good first brood here. 5EB7A171-3FAE-43CF-A6B5-97F5AA606C03.jpeg Large Skippers started to appear early in the month. The poor weather has given me few opportunities to see them, bu...

I can, Trevor. Last year!

Glorious shots recently of the purple one...

That last one looks like an Essex Skipper, Goldie. Well done!

I think Bugboy is right. That looks good for wild candytuft, though it is early. I didn’t think it would be out yet. The purple one is clustered bellflower, Campanula glomerata. Chiltern gentians don’t flower until August, and are a lighter shade.

That looks good for a Southern Hawker to me, Katrina. I haven’t seen any yet, some well done. I think!

That’s a really nice report, Stevie, with a good blend of wildlife, culture and relaxation.

Glad you had such a nice time. Thanks for sharing.

Lovely pictures from Martin Down, Wurzel. We were hoping to go the other week, but the weather had other ideas!

What a shame I don’t live a bit nearer...

Then onto Mill Hill, near Shoreham in Sussex. Normally the turf here is yellow with glorious horseshoe vetch blooms, but this year the flowers were a bit sparse. E5B427E9-655C-4C4A-A01C-D78993EDF575.jpeg Again, butterflies were not plentiful, but there were a few nice ones, including Common Blues, 9...