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Hi,
Today at Chobham Heath 20+ Silver-studded blues mainly males 4 females. Small skipper 8. Small heath 5. Numbers are down on last year.
Cheers
Sezar

At Whitecross Green Wood today were at least 7 Black Hairstreak, 5 White Admiral, with numerous Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper and Marbled White. Also 1 Five Spot Burnet Moth.

JON

Looks like you had a brilliant day Jonathan. Some great pics there.

Zonda wrote:Looks like you had a brilliant day Jonathan. Some great pics there.

Cheers, it all sort of came together!

JON

At Danebury Hill, Hampshire, yesterday, amongst other things, we saw one very late Orange-tip, trying it on with every Marbled White he could find. And one very early Chalkhill Blue.

Regards Gruditch

White-letter Hairstreaks are now on the wing in north Somerset.

Hmmm,,,, interesting.

Early afternoon at Vange Marshes RSPB reserve I noted 16 Small and 1 Large, 2 Large Whites, 10 Small Heath and a Common Blue.

Benfleet Downs from mid afternoon had a good selection of butterflies though numbers of certain species well down on last year; 2-4 White-letter Hairstreaks on the favoured bramble, 12 Holly Blue, 2 Speckled Wood, 1 Marbled White, 2 Comma, 2 Ringlet, 8+ Large Skippers, 5+ Small Skippers, 4 Meadow Brown, 1 Small Heath and 1 Large White. These were all along the ride that runs from the gate at the end of St. Mary's Road down the meadow by the railway line.

Also 3 Privet Hawk Moths in my garden.

Went to Alice Holt Visitor Centre with the children today - a brief side trip into the woods turned up at least four Silver-Washed Fritillaries (including a mating pair up in a sallow), plus numerous Large Skippers, Speckled Woods and Meadow Browns. No White Admirals or Ringlets, quite a contrast to the same Saturday last year, which was also hot and humid.

On the way home, we popped onto Thursley Common to be greeted by an abundance of Silver-studded Blues without going more than fifty metres from the weather station. Some of the females had unusually large and elongated underside black markings. The only other butterfly seen was a Small Tortoiseshell.

Dave

Have totally indulged myself today and spent almost 8 hours in the field.

The weather has been glorious so I took myself off to the Forest of Dean near Cinderford. My spirits were raised when the first butterfly I saw was a Wood White, however apart from the unexpected appearance of a single DGF, most of what I saw was expected and the trip didn't realise SWF/WAs.

The tally was:

1. Speckled Wood 38
2. Ringlet 15
3. Meadow Brown 14
4. Large Skipper 11
5. Small Tortoiseshell 8
6. Common Blue 5
7. Large White 2
8. Small White 1
9. Wood White 1
10. Dark Green Fritillary 1

After leaving the Forest of Dean, I did something I rarely do - go hunting butterflies in the mid-afternoon. I'm very glad I did, because I ventured even further into the Springfield Farm Reserve near Usk and was rewarded with incredible numbers of Meadow Browns and a very high tally of Marbled Whites.

In just over 2 hours I saw:

1. Meadow Brown 300+ easily (kicking them up with practically every stride)
2. Marbled White 40-60 (I positively identified 41, but there were many more white butterflies seen from a distance and on the grounds that I only saw one Small White, it's fair to conclude that most of these were MWs).
3. Ringlet 8
4. Large Skipper 7
5. Common Blue 5
6. Small Tortoiseshell 1
7. Small Copper 1
8. Small White 1
9. Small Skipper 1 (thanks, Guy)

Had a look round Walters Copse at Newtown IOW and Shalcombe Wood/Down late afternoon yesterday and saw no marbled whites or silver-washed fritillaries as I would have expected. Good number of white admirals at Walters Copse and lots of meadow browns and large skippers at Shalcombe. No dark green fritillaries at Shalcombe yet either.

I saw a very battered Painted Lady alogside the Exeter Canal near Turf and also several fresh Small Torts yesterday.

Brampton Woods near Huntingdon this morning:
Lots of Large Skippers, a few Small Skippers and Meadow Browns, last few Black Hairstreaks and some Ringlets. Just before I left, I came across a couple of White Admirals on the main ride. No sign yet of White Letter or Purple Hairstreaks though.
Trev

Went up the road to Pamber Forest yesterday, as it's my local reserve. Expected to see very little considering the fairly gloomy reports from some quarters. However, we were rewarded with lots of SWF's and White Admirals ( lots meaning tens, not hundreds).
Also several Ringlets for the first time this year ,Meadow Browns, Small Skippers in abundance, and in a nearby meadow, my first Marbeld White of the season.
Also countless Speckled Woods.
We also took a stroll to the nearby Silchester Common, in hope of seeing Silver Studded Blues, but to no avail. Mind you, the sun was very high and any self-respecting butterfly on an exposed spot like that would have been staying in the shade.

A trip to Catfield Fen on the Norfolk Broads was fruitful with sightings of at least 5 Swallowtails. They were not prepared to have their photo taken though!! I had planned to get up early to get on site before it was too hot but kind of overslept

Numbers of butterflies in general are very low. Elsewhere today a few skippers & ringlets but not much else.
It does seem to be a good year for moths, I spotted several burnetts & cinnabar today.

Lets hope it gets better soon

Angie

Purple Hairsteaks for the first time in 2010 seen this evening (around 8pm) next to Junction 14 of the M25 - where they were last year.

Dave

I didn't think I would get excited about seeing some whites - but I've seen 4 in the last 2 days! and a nice ST too - along with a few Large Skippers and eventually Meadow Browns ...but numbers of everything seem down...and/or late

Hummingbird Hawk Moth in my garden yesterday feeding on red valerian.

A day off, and glorious weather, so no excuse.
First call, Botany Bay: White Admirals out in force - I had four on the ground around me at one point. There were good numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries, Ringlets and Meadow Browns, and still around half a dozen Wood Whites.
Next stop, Box Hill: The Marbled Whites had all appeared since last week, plus three Dark Green Fritillaries. Considering they are nearly twice the size of a Marbled White, they are completely hopeless at dislodging one from a Knapweed flower. One flash of black and white and they run away.
En route for home, another call at Fairmile Common: very hot here on the sandy heath, but lots of Silver-studded Blues, including more females than the other day. Fascinating watching their courtship behaviour!

Dave