Thanks, Dave. The painted Ladies are really picking up around here now. I saw lots more today, in various states of tattiness - mostly fading colours.

Callum - I'm simply gobsmacked. Black Hairstreaks and WL Hairstreaks in-cop and your orchid haul, not to mention all the other stuff such as Wood Whites and Heath Frits. Amazing.

You deserve a lifetime achievement award.

25th June 2019, 3-4.30 pm, Alice Holt Woods, Overcast, Very Humid, 22 degrees 4 L Skip, 2 P Lady, 1 Comma, 1 S White, 3 Ringlet, 1 Red Ad, 3 S Skip, 1 White Ad And loads of Meadow Brown. But the main feature of today was the Small Skippers, all of them at "The Straits" Trailhead. More oppo...

Trevor - I think they will have to keep on going north then if this weekend's forecast is anything to go by!

Wurzel - My wife's liking for garden centres certainly can work in my favour. I had been waiting for the Painted Lady influx and now they have finally arrived I am able to extend my close-up gallery which is my main goal this year.

I forgot to add this one to my recent post.

Glad you had a successful time at Wrecclesham, Bugboy. Not a place that is easy to find and on seeing it for the first time most people would wonder what the fuss was all about.

Wurzel - lots of great pics as usual - dandelion clocks, that's a new one on me!
But the pic that amazed me the most was of your Holly Blue with deep gouges out of both forewings. It almost didn't look like a butterfly at all. Its amazing how it still managed to fly.

24th June 2019, 4-5 pm, Four Marks, 20% sun, 22 degrees I thought today was going to be a complete washout. How wrong could I be? Gloria wanted to go to a garden centre so it was one of those trips! This one is in the countryside down a quiet lane. Opposite the main gate is a public footpath that ru...

Wurzel, David. No doubt this will be a regular summertime stroll for me now to see what pops up.

No Marbled Whites near me yet, Trevor, but with the hot spell just around the corner I don't suppose I will have long to wait now.

Nice to see the SSBs are out round your way and also interesting to note that just like near me - the numbers are still low.
Great pics by the way. The in-cop 90-degree pivot shot is notable.

23rd June 2019, 4-5pm, Windmill Hill, 19 degrees, overcast I live in a house at the bottom of a hill called Windmill Hill. It’s actually in the town of Alton but if I walk up my road through a housing development, a path leads to open countryside near the top of the hill. For years it was a muddy, c...

23rd June 2019, 9.30-10am, Broxhead Heath, 18 degrees, fully overcast with light cloud I noted on this forum that many people have been reporting the advance of the Painted Lady migration from Europe. I have been waiting and waiting but so far no luck in my area - until today. During my SS Blue surv...

22nd June 2019, 4-5pm, Alice Holt Forest, 20 degrees, full sun Nothing "purple" did I see there yet but did get my first local Ringlet of the year (saw one at Ditchling the other day but that's Sussex) P1080630.JPG Also, I am not up on bugs but I saw this trundling up the forest path. I th...

Thanks guys - It's nice to have a bunch of other butterfly enthusiasts to talk with and those extra eyes can be a boon in spotting blackstreaks.

22nd June 2019, 9.30-11 am, Noar Hill, 18 degrees, Full Sun Musk Orchids now in bloom but far fewer than in recent years for some reason. My first DG Frit of the year. This one was bombing around the reserve without stopping causing mayhem wherever it flew - putting up Common Blues, Small Heaths, Me...

21st June 2019, 11.00 – 11.30 am, Broxhead Common, 60% sun, 17 degrees Last year I did a thorough survey of the Silver-studded Blues at Broxhead Common. I don’t intend to cover the whole reserve again in the same way this year as it’s too exhausting, but I will review what is going on at the lek sit...

Trevor - Yes you are right, of the four Blackstreaks I saw, two were already tatty. I got there just in time. Goldie - I hope you get some luck - this latest blast of weather has been getting us all down I suspect. Neil - Also, I have not had a holiday for over 5 years and not been abroad for 10. It...

20th July 2019, 9.30 - 11.30 am, Ditchling Common Country Park, 70% sun, 18 degrees, increasing breeze and cloud eventually to 90% Ditchling Common Pond.JPG OK. I could not resist it. So many great pics of Black Hairstreaks from lots of people on this forum and there I was, never having seen one in ...

Wonderful Swallowtails, Bugboy. Some magazine cover quality in there too.

Also, looking back - a topside shot of a Green Hairstreak. I tried all season to get that but without success.