Male Small Skipper.

16 Species at Hutchinson's Bank yesterday. Surprised to see a fairly fresh Small Blue- a late or early one? Quite a few fresh Brimstones, a Painted Lady & 2 Silver-washed Fritillaries in a wooded area close to the recycling centre & 6 Dark Green Fritillaries in the cutting & along the bo...

Had my first 3 Gatekeepers yesterday on my local patch yesterday in west London suburbs. Hardly any butterflies in the garden at the moment (insect numbers down generally) but local meadows are alive with Marbled Whites, Ringlets, Meadow Browns & Small Skipper (did note a couple of Essex Skipper...

Decided to go to Bookham yesterday. Forecast showed sunny intervals so was dismayed when I had heavy dark cloud for the whole journey from west London to there & remained stubbornly overcast on arrival. In the first 30 minutes I'd flushed a single Meadow Brown. With the lack of sunshine had othe...

Wonderful tour report.

Your glorious moth is also often called a Spanish Moon Moth.

Agree to the spider being Marpissa muscosa.

Yesterday in Osterley Park, west London a Clouded Yellow nectaring in the cutting garden. Though I'd seen hundreds earlier this year in both northern Greece & Albania where it was the most numerous species, my first UK one this year. Further evidence of migration were a couple of Painted Ladies ...

Green Drab, Ophiusa tirhaca.

Yesterday at Hutchinson's Bank: 15 Brimstone 2 Small White 2 Small Tortoiseshell Painted Lady Glanville Fritillary Small Copper 5 Holly Blue 8 Common Blue c200 Small Blue 2 Small Heath 11 Speckled Wood 2 Large Skipper 12 Dingy Skipper Also Buzzard, Kestrel, pair of Bullfinch, Slow-worm, 3 Common Car...

Lovely account & some fine shots.

Beautiful photos of the Sooty Orange Tip, but the plant is certainly not Hoary Mustard which has different flower structure & totally different seed pods to this. Hoary Mustard is now one of the commonest big yellow crucifers around London so a plant I'm very familiar with.

Certainly an orchid rosette-looks like Early Purple to me-presumably one that isn't flowering as they should be flowering by now.

Pyrausta aurita is the species normally called the Mint Moth & the species I think more generally found in gardens. Quite similar to the species suggested above.

Yesterday at Hutchinson's & Chapel Banks: 20+ Brimstone 8 Orange Tip 6 Small/Green-veined White (none settled!) Large White (FOY) 10 Speckled Wood 5 Holly Blue Green Hairstreak 10+ Peacock Small Tortoiseshell 2 Grizzled Skipper (FOY) 2 Duke of Burgundy (FOY) When I got home noticed somebody had ...

At Hartslock, Oxon yesterday saw: 2 Small White 10+ Brimstone (slightly more females than male. Up until now I'd only seen males near home in outer west London) 6 male Orange Tip 2 Speckled Wood 6 Peacock 2 Holly Blue 4 Green Hairstreak 8+ Dingy Skipper Also first Mint Moth of the year. Masses of Co...

First butterflies in over a week as after a pretty cool, overcast morning, the sun came out in west London & in a woodland reserve I had visited before had 3 male Brimstones, 5 Speckled Woods, 2 Small White & a fleeting view of a rather orange looking vanessid. Didn't look like a Comma &...

Saw my very first March Orange Tip yesterday. Saw this from the train that was moving very slowly just past Hounslow Heath. My 8th species for the year (no Holly Blue yet!). Was just returning from Chobham Common (not for butterflies but did see male Brimstone, Comma & 4 Peacocks there) but had ...

In Kew Gardens yesterday managed 7 male Brimstone, 6 Peacock, 4 Comma, Red Admiral & 2 brief distant views of a white sp.

Had my first yesterday too- a brief glimpse of a flying Peacock at Rainham RSPB.

Otherwise just Brown Hairstreak eggs this year in a west London cemetery.

Lovely stuff. Haven't been to Samphire Ho for ESO for some years. Heard last year was generally quite poor there for this species. May try & get there this spring if god reports come out as I have more time now.