I had been seriously contemplating a trip to the East Midlands to see Black Hairstreak this year, when I read with astonishment the news that a colony of them has been found at Ditchling Common Country Park. This is only 15 minutes from where I live and I know it well (but obviously not well enough!...

This is an amazing find and only just down the road from me! There has been the suggestion that the "native" population in the Midlands in fact results from an introduction 200 or more years ago. This population is significantly isolated from the nearest other ones in mainland Europe. I he...

I went to Martin Down at the extreme west of Hampshire on Sunday. Conditions were sunny and very warm, about 26C. I've never been there before and it is a wonderful place, with a an extensive tract of unimproved chalk downland and meadows full of wildflowers. There were butterflies everywhere, espec...

I went to Friston Gallops for the second time this year. Conditions were about 19C and quite bright, but with a fresh sea breeze. At times this blew in a bit of mist which (literally) cooled down the butterfly activity, but gave me a chance to get some photos. Small Heath were still the most numerou...

Thanks for your posts about the aberrant Glanville. I suspect they're a rather variable species, so I didn't want to say it was a definite aberration rather than something within normal bounds. Anyway, I had a great day and thanks for all your comments.

It's nice when you go to a site that is known for a particular species, and you see it and tick it off. However, it's far more rewarding to go somewhere that you don't know and have your expectations wildly exceeded. That's what happened to me yesterday. I know that Glanville Fritillaries have been ...

Wonderful! Thanks to you and the rest of the Fritillaries for the Future team for everything that you have done, and continue to do.

This afternoon at Site 1 in Abbots Wood, I managed to achieve my ambition of seeing Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary flying together in Sussex. Conditions were warm but rather overcast, so they were reluctant to fly, but I saw several Pearls, which are now beginning to l...

Having heard that the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is out at Park Corner Heath, I spent 2 hours at Site 1 at Abbots Wood this afternoon, where I saw them last year after being reintroduced. There were plenty of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and I must have seen at least 20 (even allowing for double...

I did my first walk of the year around Friston Gallops this afternoon. Conditions were pleasantly warm and sunny, about 23°C. By far the most numerous butterfly species was Small Heath, especially on the grassy path along the lower eastern boundary of the site, where I disturbed one or more every fe...

I went to Abbots Wood again yesterday afternoon in search of Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. As expected, since the first sighting last Friday, there has been a significant emergence in the last few days of warm weather, accompanied by an even larger population explosion of butterfly nuts. I must have ...

I remember reading somewhere that the term 'April Fritillary' was coined a long time ago before the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar. When this happened we lost 11 days, so today would still have been April in the old Julian Calendar. The PBF's reputation as the April Fritillary has perhaps only b...

Sorry, I am being a bit Sussex-centric. This was Abbots Woods near Hailsham in East Sussex. I know there are other Abbots Woods elsewhere!

I wandered around Abbots Wood this morning, looking for any Pearl Bordered Fritillaries that might be starting to emerge, now that the weather has finally perked up. I drew a blank at Site 1, but my disappointment was tempered by the sound of a Garden Warbler singing as if its life depended on it. I...

My butterflying activities have been severely curtailed for the past two months (partly because I indulged my other passion and went to see the total eclipse of the sun in America, so I can't really complain!). However, a window in the weather and my diary this morning allowed a visit to Halscombe F...

Regarding the Monarch, some appreciation of its migratory ability comes from the fact that it is now established in New Zealand. Unlike other human-assisted immigrants to that country, it is considered to have flown thousands of miles from North America under its own steam in the late 19th Century. ...

Chock-full of Chalk Hills and Gatekeepers Galore! Friston Gallops was a wonderful place this morning. I arrived just after 10 am and conditions were not too hot at first, with some high cloud and a cooling breeze. As I arrived on site, there were a lot of butterflies active, but even more just roos...

After the much-needed rain that fell here in East Sussex on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, I had day free from grandparent duty. It was rather frustrating because conditions remained mostly cloudy and rather cool throughout the day, but after Andy Murray's demise from Wimbledon, I finally dec...

Great Heath Fritillary shots, Wurzel! I am closer to East Blean Woods (only 2 hours away) and I've made an annual pilgrimage there for several years now, which I always combine with lunch at an excellent pub I know just outside Canterbury! The site is amazing, with butterflies all over the place, an...

I am a member of a group of volunteers that does footpath maintenance around our village in East Sussex. We are all interested in nature in general, and many have expertise in specific areas (e.g. birds and wild flowers), but none apart from me had ever seen a Purple Emperor before. Several months a...