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Over the last couple of days the forecast rain didn't happen (it had been weeks since we had any significant rainfall here - we finally got a shower last night) and the garden has become increasingly sad and wilted as a result. To get liquid I had butterflies coming to my bird bath (not as posh as the purple emperors coming to swimming pools over the border in Surrey!) including fresh comma and peacock. Also seen in the garden were holly blue, tatty small tortoiseshell meadow browns, and large and small whites.

I have had a walk to the site near Tesco where the elm used to grow looking for white letter hairstreak but all the elm is dead and I didn't find any. I am sure there is still elm around here in the hedgerows so I expect they will be around in low levels until the trees grow back.

Yesterday I went to a site in Barns Green which I had hoped would be good for Purple Emperor but no sign of any butterflies other than whites, browns, commas and a peacock.

I spent most of the day with the kids but managed to escape for a couple of hours late this afternoon so, having read on the Sussex BC sightings page that there were wood whites on the wing in Sussex, I headed off to the site I know in Surrey that has them . I thought it was a long shot as it was quite late in the day but I was lucky and struck gold. They were there alright I counted about six, including a mating pair and a male mud puddling near where I saw the purple emperor earlier in the week. The highlight of the afternoon for me though were all the freshly emerged Brimstones. Beautiful butterflies. 1. Red Admiral
2. Brimstone
3. Peacock
4. Small Tortoiseshell
5. Small White
6. Orange Tip
7. Comma
8. Holly blue
9. Large white
10. Green veined white
11. Green hairstreak
12. Speckled wood
13. Pearl Bordered Fritillary
14. Duke of Burgundy
15. Dingy Skipper
16. Small Heath
17. Small Blue
18. Common Blue
19. Small Copper
20. Grizzled Skipper
21. Adonis Blue
22. Silver Studded Blue
23. Meadow Brown
24. Painted Lady
25. Large Skipper
26. Ringlet
27. Silver Washed Fritillary
28. White Admiral
29. Purple Emperor
30. Small Skipper
31. Marbled White
32. Dark Green Fritillary
33. Chalkhill Blue
34. Gatekeeper
35. Essex Skipper
36. Purple hairstreak
37. Wood white

Really good amount of butterflies in the garden today. Peacocks, small tortoishell, comma, gatekeepers. Meadow brown, large and small whites.

I went to a funeral in Lincolnshire today. It was s grim rainy day but during the service s peacock butterfly was flying around inside the church. I assume it had come in looking for somewhere to roost or maybe just by accidental but its presence seemed some what symbolic for s life that passed too soon.

On Thursday morning there were a loads of butterflies in the garden. Peacocks, comma, large and small whites, meadow brown and gatekeepers as well as one brimstone nectaring on the geraniums.

The alder buckthorn that I slaughtered earlier in the year has started to grow back nicely so if any egg laden female brimstones come this way there will be food plant waiting once again.

I went up to Denbies this morning. It was stunning and even better than last year. The butterflies were there in their thousands. At one point there were so many butterflies on the ground I couldn't pick my way through them and had to walk a different route as I didn't want to damage any. My only regret was that I didn't have anyone to share the spectacle with. It was very breezy so I concentrated on just enjoying what I saw rather than taking photos but I couldn't resist attempting a few, especially of the oddities. There didn't seem to be any where near as many abs as in previous years. I saw about half a dozen in the many, many chalkhills I examined.

I also saw a dark green fritillary, large and small whites, common blue and meadow brown.

This was my favourite chap of the day though

Hi Susie.

Glad you managed to get to Denbies; I think I recognise some of the cast ...

I particularly like the first aberration which I think may be referable to ab. radiata, Bright & Leeds, 1938.

Good hunting.

Kindest regards. Mark

Hi Susie, very nice set of photos, and especially the first Chalkhill Blue ab.

Regards,

Mike

Hi Susie,

Lovely photos, and your ab, [first picture] what a great find, well done.

The Chalkhills are certainly stunning this year, far greater in number than last year, but i don`t think you can beat Denbies for Chalkhills, what a great place.

All the best, Nick.

Thank you all.

Over the last couple of days I have been checking out my local patch for brown hairstreak, but without success. Yesterday I did find a pair of mating red tailed bees though, something I haven't seen before.

Today walking back from Tesco with hubby, kids and dog I saw something unmistakeable fly across the field. Running to where it had approximately landed there it was - BROWN HAIRSTREAK!!! Huzzah! A couple of quick snaps with my mobile and then I was off - running for home (despite a dodgy back) and leaving the family behind. lmao. Cameras in hand I went back to site and it was still there. I managed to fire off a few shots with the Lumix, and then decided to try to take some with my "proper" camera. I got the camera out of my bag and when I looked back it had gone and I have no idea where. Ten minutes later the rain came down heavily so I assume it found a safe spot to shelter. I am a very happy bunny indeed
1. Red Admiral
2. Brimstone
3. Peacock
4. Small Tortoiseshell
5. Small White
6. Orange Tip
7. Comma
8. Holly blue
9. Large white
10. Green veined white
11. Green hairstreak
12. Speckled wood
13. Pearl Bordered Fritillary
14. Duke of Burgundy
15. Dingy Skipper
16. Small Heath
17. Small Blue
18. Common Blue
19. Small Copper
20. Grizzled Skipper
21. Adonis Blue
22. Silver Studded Blue
23. Meadow Brown
24. Painted Lady
25. Large Skipper
26. Ringlet
27. Silver Washed Fritillary
28. White Admiral
29. Purple Emperor
30. Small Skipper
31. Marbled White
32. Dark Green Fritillary
33. Chalkhill Blue
34. Gatekeeper
35. Essex Skipper
36. Purple hairstreak
37. Wood white
38. Brown hairstreak

Huzzah indeed ...

We all need a bit of luck from time to time ...

Nice work, Susie.

Cracking shot Susie - beautiful and fresh

Have a goodun

Wurzel

So that's it done! A butterfly per year of your life! Congrats, anything more is a bonus

Stunning photo Susie, beautiful butterfly, an opportunity very well taken!

Regards,

Mike

Gibster wrote:So that's it done! A butterfly per year of your life! Congrats, anything more is a bonus

Lol gibster! I have accepted failure in this and no amount of fibbing about my age will change that.

Thank you for the kind comments, guys .

Susie wrote: I saw something unmistakeable fly across the field.

Great stuff! Whenever I think I've found a BH, it turns out to be a Gatekeeper

Mike

Some super aberration images Susie - Denbies is quite a place!

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks Pete and Mike

Here is a pic from Sunday taken on my phone. It's not butterflies but it's something I had never seen before and I think it may be of interest to others.

In the garden today the butterflies were really rather good. Small copper, male silver washed fritillary and common blue to add to the usual suspects.