Today I had arranged to meet my sister and go to Hutchinson's Bank. We met at East Croydon Station and took the tram and had a memorable day out. We saw Glanville Fritillaries , Marsh Fritillaries, Duke of Burgundy, Small Blues (numerous and egg laying), Green Hairstreak (numerous but mainly faded)...

Recently I have been visiting gardens, nature reserves and downland in Kent and Sussex. I have been upset by the lack of butterflies and dragonflies. Is it the same in other parts of the country? Perhaps the very wet March and April have not helped. Things were late at Hutchinsons Bank, but now eve...

Yes the bad weather is holding things up, the Dukes started well on the Sunny Thursday 18th and we have not had decent weather since, The LT was also seen that day. Still no Grizzingy Skippers yet.

When nobody on the site has done any for years, and Butterfly Conservations fingerprints are all over some of the others, why dont people say it about the others like Large Blue, Dukes, the Fritillaries, some of which were done by volunteers and then excepted as official. BC and LWT and Nat History ...

I dont think so i do wish people would not keep poking at one of the best butterfly sites in the uk, its been good since the 1700s, and had many famous entomologists over many years, including Bernard Skinner, Tutt, Petiver, Chalmers Hunt, The last release was the Marsh Fritillary that was dumped al...

A different Large Tortoiseshell at Huutchinsons Bank last weekend
LT1 LT2

If non-migratory explain the one in Dover last year, it has crossed the channel. The Max count also was 4 males and 2 females, so the mortality rate would be the number seen. Ive had an open mind all the time, and the timing off the Knepp re-introduction funding submission a few days after the June ...

There are only a few Introductions at Hutch not as many as people say. 2 of which look like are from official BC people Glanville was put there by the County Recorder and a BC council Member in 2010/2011 Marsh was by the Marsh Dumper in Lockdown, it looks like the Marsh orriginated in Hampshire from...

2 x 250 = 500 so 400 in 2 webs is within that range

Today in Surrey too, the 4th Year in a row, sightings in March, May and August the last few years.

Remember the Hutch web has been through 2 winters and a summer now, so will show some wear.

Hutchinsons Bank always has the migrants fly though about a week after they are on the South Coast, happens with Clouded Yellows, Gorganus Swllowtails and others. It is quite possible that a 2022 female passed through un noticed and laid eggs on a site full of foodplants, we have most of theirs on s...

Black-Veined Whites. A lot of visitors at Hutchinsons Bank last May/June, for the Surprise turnup of Black-Veined Whites, which were hatching on Site, and this winter i found some of Winter 2022/23 hibernation webs, which makes it look like offspring of a migrant female in 2022 when all the othe rmi...

These at Hutchinsons Bank 14th May 2023

Purple Hairstreaks were comming down everywhere in Surrey, this photo was taken at Ashtead Common on 6th July, we also saw a Black Hairstreak there.

I only saw PBFs on one occasion at Rewell Wood, Sussex, taking a friend there. Here is the best shot

managed to get an open wing shot in Black-Veined White time. And a flat wing shot in Early May.

Not many Painted Ladies in our part of Surrey.
An early one at Chapel Bank in May, and some in late September at Hutchinsons Bank

The Surrey County Recorder has also been deleting all records of Essex/Small Skippers [amongst others] as they are not identified on the Transects, all the work done by the transect walkers, this arrived today The County Butterfly Recorder has taken the decision to reject these aggregate records on ...

So here is a qualifying Marsh Frit, in the sense that is from the UK in 2023. Given that it was at Hutchinson's Bank, I'm conscious that some may dispute its qualifying credentials. The Marsh Fritillary at Hutchinsons Bank appeared in Spring 2020 one of the many dumpings in the SE during lockdown, ...