Dorset/Wilts/Hants Butterfly sites

[sidwemn]

Hi everyone,

I will be spending a week of my summer family holiday in Dorset from 20th August. I wonder if I could ask for some help in locating a number of species of butterfly whilst we are there. I live in Middlesbrough so don't many chances to look for some of the southerly based species. We will be based near Blandford Forum

Silver Spotted Skipper - Fontmell Down?
Lulworth Skipper - I have directions on where to look at Durlston CP
Brown Hairstreak - I have noted the directions for Noar Hill, but Alners Gorse would be closer.

Also my son has never seen Essex Skipper.

Any help/directions that would improve our chances of seeing the above species would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Martyn

[markatbath]

hi martyn
I would also suggest you look at Broughton Down and Martin Down as possible sites.Info on Martin Down is available from English Nature and Broughton Down from Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Wildlife Trust
good luck
mark

[sidwemn]

Thanks Mark,

I'll make sure I get to these sites during the week.

Cheers

Martyn

[Mark Spedding]

Hi all,

Just spent a week down south myself. My highlights were;

Lulworth Skipper easy to find at Durlston CP with plenty of Marbled Whites there. Quite a few Clouded Yellows in the Swanage area.

Just a single (roosting) Silver Spotted Skipper at Broughton Down, again thanks to my very sharp eyed girlfriend. Couldn't find any of this species at Martin Down though.


Silver Wash Fritillary at Bentley Wood and Noar Hill.

Adonis Blue at Ballard Down (Dark Green Frit there too).

Calkhill Blue at Martin Down

Just a single Brown Hairstreak at Noar Hill. This is not an easy Buttie to see (thanks again, Lynn!). Silver Wah Frit still there too.

However, couldn't find any Essex Skippers. Still need this one for a lifer. Could it be they finished early this year due to the good weather?

[Rich]

I would recommend the following sites (all directions available on UK Butterflies):
Fifehead Woods
Duncliffe Woods
Lydlynch Common
Alners Gorse
Badbury Rings (only 2-3 miles from Balndford)
Fontmell Down
Melbury Down

Happy Butterflying.

Rock

[sidwemn]

Thanks everyone for the info. I've just got back from Dorset after a very successful trip.

Fontmell Down - Sunday 20/8/06

Silver Spotted Skipper - 2 Male & 3 Female
Chalkhill Blue - 8 male, 2 female
Adonis Blue - approx 20
Clouded Yellow - 6 including one Pale Yellow individual that eluded closer inspection

Durlston CP - Monday 21/8/06

Lulworth Skipper - 30+ - easlily seen on the grassy slopes near the radio masts
Adonis Blue - 20
Clouded Yellow - 6
Marbled White - 8

Noar Hill - Tuesday 22/8/06

Brown Hairstreak - 2 seen well plus 8 others briefly/in flight
Silver Washed Fritillary - 3 very tatty individuals
Brown Argus - 1

We also dashed down to Pulbrough Brooks for the Camberwell but missed it by a few minutes - the only dissappointment of the trip!

Martin Down - Friday 25/8/06

Chalkhill Blues - 20+
Adonis Blues - 30+
Brown Argus - 4

All in all a fantastic week. Again many thanks for your help

Martyn

[alex mclennan]

hi Martyn
Well done! Sounds like my kind of holiday!!
Alex

[Roger Gibbons]

Martin Down is certainly worth a visit, not only for the butterflies, as it’s a beautiful unspoilt natural area and one of my favourite places in the UK. It seems to be best known as an adonis blue site, but there are also grizzled and dingy skippers and green hairstreak near the large man-made ridge on the south side (an old rifle range?), and a healthy population of dark green fritillaries in the field just north of the ridge. It’s also worth crossing the A354 to the wooded north side where there are white admiral and silver washed fritillary (it’s the only place I have seen valezina in the UK) and on occasions many dark green fritillaries – in 2005 I counted over 50.