Miller’s Pond LNR. Clear blues skies for this morning walk from Bitterne down to Miller's Pond LNR in Southampton. Lots of butterflies have survived the last few days weather, hopefully there will still be some around after Storm Ciaran has passed through!
Red Admiral (19), Small White (2) and Speckled Wood (2). Also seen: a Common Darter and in one small area at Miller's Pond 30+ Ladybirds! [Posted by Nic Burns]
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| Red Admirals Photo © Nic Burns | Small White Photo © Nic Burns | Red Admiral Photo © Nic Burns |
Magdalen Hill Down. Another excellent turnout today in the regular series of Monday work parties designed to keep the reserve in top condition for the butterflies and other wildlife that call it home.
Some of the participants were fortunate to see a fly-by from a Small Tortoiseshell - particularly as they have been in somewhat short supply this year. Other wildlife interest was provided by larvae of the Oak Eggar moth and an unidentified Sawfly, a Common Toad, a female Stonechat, a Kestrel and a pair of Red Kite overhead. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Lee on Solent. Despite the frequent rain we've had recently one, possibly two hummingbird hawkmoths visited our Lee on Solent garden this week - today and previously on Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed one at least might make it to November which will be first for me. It still feels warm enough if the rain will just hold off! [Posted by Mark Wagstaff]
Havant Thicket. A beautiful sunny and warm morning at Havant Thicket, although very soggy underfoot along the grassy tracks. A 2 hour stroll around the woodland produced 18 Red Admirals, several of which were basking on oak trunks, while others were seen in flight or feeding at ivy flowers. Also a nice surprise to see a fresh-looking male Brimstone. Luckily I just made it back to the car in time to avoid a heavy downpour at 1pm. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Portsdown Hill, Paulsgrove. At 11 o'clock in full sun I descended the hill from the top car park towards the chalk pit field edge. Only Red Admiral seen on the descent. Rain stopped play for around 15 minutes and afterwards only one Brimstone (male) on the wing seen around the chalk pit. Things slowly improved as the sunshine raised the temperature to around 15 deg C with sightings of Speckled Wood and Red Admiral many of the latter feeding on fallen apples. My first photograph was of what I thought was a late Common Blue. I was on the top grassy (low sward) path back to the car park (opposite a large green generator(?) behind the MoD fence) when a blue took off in front of me. It was very agitated and I had to move rapidly to keep it in sight. It eventually tried to hide behind a piece of chalk and a distant, grainy photograph confirmed the butterfly as Long-tailed Blue, a male. Given that one was seen at the chalk pit two days ago and this one recorded very high on the more exposed northern edge are there yet more about? Nice to find five species in late October. Walk ended at 13:10. Total: Red Admiral (10); Brimstone (M)(1); Speckled Wood (F)(1); Meadow Brown (F)(2); Long-tailed Blue (M)(1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Long-tailed Blue (male) somewhat shy! Photo © Francis Plowman | Meadow Brown (female) Photo © Francis Plowman | Red Admiral basks in the sunshine Photo © Francis Plowman |
Monks Walk, Frater Fields & Woods, Gosport. Fifteen degrees Celsius and a bit of sun so from 1350-1515 I covered most of Monks Walk but found just three species. The season slowly draws to a close. Total: Small White (2); Red Admiral (6); Speckled Wood (3). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Red Admiral on ivy Photo © Francis Plowman | Speckled Wood male Photo © Francis Plowman | Small White male Photo © Francis Plowman |
Portsdown Hill. One male Long-tailed Blue, Speckled Wood 2, Red Admiral 10+, Meadow Brown 3, Peacock 1 and a Clouded Yellow on the wing at Paulsgrove Chalk Pit. [Posted by Barry and Margaret Collins]
Meon Shore & Brownwich Cliff Top Path towards Solent Breezes. From 1055-1315 I walked along the Meon Shore cliff-top path, down to the beach at Brownwich and then following the cliff path west towards Solent Breezes caravan park returning via the track to Brownwich Pond then back to the cliffs. At first the wind was from the north but soon veered east, and strong at that. Temperature rose from 13 deg C to 16.5C but felt cooler in the wind. Nevertheless, four species recorded. Total: Red Admiral (25); Painted Lady (1); Small White (F)(1)(M)(1); Speckled Wood (M)(4)(F)(1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Small White female Photo © Francis Plowman | Red Admiral on ivy floret Photo © Francis Plowman | Small White male Photo © Francis Plowman |
Seafield Park, Nr Hill Head. Just two species recorded in a brief circulation of the scrubby-park area; the easterly breeze far too stiff for a promenade-field visit. I was hoping to see Clouded Yellow but no joy today. Temperature 16.5 deg C but scourging easterly wind. Total: Speckled Wood (F)(1); Red Admiral (5). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
Monks Walk, Frater Fields & Woods, Gosport. A final day's wander for an hour from 1410 but only in those areas touched by the setting sun. The area mostly sheltered from the stiff easterly breeze (16.5 deg C). Total: Small White (M)(1); Speckled Wood (M)(4)(F)(1); Red Admiral (13); Large White (M)(2); Peacock (1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Large White male Photo © Francis Plowman | Speckled Wood female Photo © Francis Plowman | Distant Peacock on ivy floret Photo © Francis Plowman |
Eastney Beach, and Garden. It’s getting hard now to get a count on one hand of butterfly species, and the warmth the sun has turned distinctly Autumnal now, with a cool fresh wind blowing from the North and West, lowering the temperatures to about 10-11c at the time of writing. Getting out along Eastney Beach there wasn’t much at all with Whites and Red Admirals and the odd Common Blue and Small Copper both being in pristine condition. Along Milton foreshore there were Speckled Woods and Red Admirals and the in the garden Whites and Red Admirals feeding on Buddleia, and my Purple Hebe at the moment. Today being very cold and overcast Monday 16th October I espied what I think to be a moth called ‘Platyptilla gonodectyla’ which I hadn’t seen before, at rest on my Geraniums. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
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| Common Blue just emerged Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Small White on my Hebe Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Platyptilla gonodectyla Moth Photo © Ashley Whitlock |
Red Admirals at Hillier Gardens. Those of you who regularly watch the Branch website latest news will know that I often go to Hillier Gardens on sunny days in October and November to see which butterflies are taking nectar from Colletia. The two plants that always prove irresistible, and are both located in the "Winter Garden", are Colletia hystrix 'Rosea' and Colletia paradoxa. Both of these very spiky South American plants feature in the Hillier Gardens "plants of current interest", so if you go to the Hillier Gardens website you can see exactly where they are located, and find out more about them. If they weren't so spiky I'd consider having one in our garden. The Colletia hystrix has more or less finished flowering, but true to form, a visit today had at least five Red Admirals feasting on Colletia paradoxa, which is in full bloom. A visit yesterday also produced five Red Admirals, plus a Peacock. [Posted by Andy Barker]
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| Red Admiral on Colletia paradoxa Photo © Andy Barker | Red Admiral upperside Photo © Andy Barker | Peacock basking Photo © Andy Barker |
Branch AGM and Members' Day - Sunday 5th November 2023. Details of the 2023 Branch AGM and Members' Day can be found here and we look forward to seeing you. [Posted by Pete Eeles]
Blues Festival on Portsdown Hill. After many fruitless searches I finally tracked down Long-tailed Blues on Portsdown Hill.
Seven or eight were frequently spotted in two small fairly sheltered areas of south facing slope that they were using as their lek. Three males and a female were extremely fresh and it ultimately resulted in a pairing, probably a first for Hampshire.? These butterflies were certainly home grown and I have identified a large area of BLEP on the embankment of the M27, which is only half a mile away, that I think could be a significant breeding ground.
With the weather set fair for a couple of days I think we should see more [Posted by Mark Tutton]
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| Photo © Mark Tutton | Photo © Mark Tutton | Photo © Mark Tutton |
Sowley shore. A very different environment to enjoy the last of the sunshine; Sowley Shore, from Tanners Lane west to the mouth of the Lymington River, voted no. 9 in the 10 Best UK Coastal Walks in the Torygraph. Red Admiral everywhere, but much smaller butterflies very active, one eventually stalked to a resting place and identified as a Small Copper. Apologies for the poor photo, one of the least photogenic species. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
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| Small Copper, Sowley Shore Photo © Andrew Brookes |
Portsdown Hill. A glorious day was to be had on Portsdown Hill today as the sun beat down and next to no wind greeted us as we pursued one of the newest butterflies to be seen on the downland. The Long-tailed Blue has been seen up on the down on and off over the last few years, and in 2023 it seems to have come of age, as many new foodplant sites have been identified. Fortunately we have had some good weather for it to breed into the late autumn, and today we saw the fruit of its labours. The site faces south and with several eyes all peering into the shrubbery we saw at least 7-8 individuals. Several were in very good condition which suggests these have just recently emerged. They were claiming territories, in a very similar fashion as the Duke of Burgundy, rising high up into the sky and intertwining on the way up, and then splitting and coming back down onto their perches. Several were quite worn, with very little of their tails to be seen.
We stopped in the area for a good hour seeing several mating and a third male trying to break up the party, he failed I hasten to add. The males in good condition posed quite nicely on the sun-drenched downland and seemed quite at home here, but it was a pinch yourself moment to really think these butterflies may well have become quite established here now. Other butterflies seen were another brood of Holly Blues, Brimstones, Meadow Browns, Peacock, Painted Lady, and many Red Admirals, feeding off of the many Ivy bushes, and then flying down the hill. ? [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
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| Long-Tailed Blue Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Long-Tailed Blue Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Long Tailed Blues mating Photo © Ashley Whitlock |
Portsdown Hill, Paulsgrove. The most photographed species in Hampshire today must surely have been the Long-tailed Blue on Portsdown Hill! I noted two at the start but a later 'audience' confirmed a sighting of seven around a wonderfully sited bench from which to watch the blues; those I saw appeared in excellent condition. My walk from 1215-1510 saw the temperature increase from 18 degrees Celsius to 23C with a pleasant breeze. Nine species were recorded which on the ninth day of the tenth month seemed good to me! Total: Small White (6); Red Admiral (21); Long-tailed Blue (2); Speckled Wood (3); Meadow Brown (14)(F)(M)(1); Large White (3); Brimstone (5)(M)(2(F); Brown Argus (1)(F); Clouded Yellow (M). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Brimstone male Photo © Francis Plowman | Long-tailed Blue male Photo © Francis Plowman | Meadow Brown (female uppermost) Photo © Francis Plowman |
Hollybank Woods and Portsdown Hill. This morning a short walk in Hollybank Woods near Havant produced 5 worn Speckled Woods, and a Comma feeding on fermenting blackberries.
In the afternoon I spent an hour and a half in warm sunshine on Portsdown Hill. There I saw 3 more Speckled Woods, 2 Meadow Browns, a male Brimstone, 3 Small Whites, a pristine male Clouded Yellow, a Peacock at michaelmas daisies, and 26 Red Admirals, most of which were feeding at ivy flowers. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Garden Butterflies. The garden Buddleia tree has been a haven for butterflies over the past few days. I have been plucking old leaves and buds off of it over the past few weeks to encourage new blooms, which have so far paid off. Yesterday in the late evening when the weather seemed to be totally perfect with nil wind and the warmth just seemed to be right. I looked over the tree and there were surprisingly at least 4-5 perfect Painted Lady, which were probably home grown ones, and at least 8 or 9 Red Admirals, plus Large Whites, Small Whites, Hummingbird Hawk Moths and Hornet Bee Mimics (V. zonaria)
This morning it took awhile for the sun to get up to autumnal strength and once the Red Admirals started to alight the Buddleia the Painted Ladies joined in. One particular one liked our Palm Tree and sat still looking down at me for quite a time, it did remind me of a certain Purple Species that does the same thing, unfortunately not in our garden! But it was a treat nevertheless. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
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| Painted Lady up a tree! Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Red Admiral on Buddleia Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Red Admiral on Ivy up to ten were seen on one of these bushes the other day! Photo © Ashley Whitlock |
Red Admiral, Clouded Yellow and others at Magdalen. I spent three hours at Magdalen Hill Down this afternoon.
47 Red Admiral were seen, the majority of which were gliding down the hillside, heading southwards. 4 Comma, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Peacock, 4 Meadow Brown, 5 Brimstone, 2 Small Copper, 2 Brown Argus, a fresh male Common Blue, 2 Large White, 2 Small White, and bizarrely, after not seeing any all year in the UK, 6 Clouded Yellow. 1 Hummingbird Hawk-moth and 1 Silver Y also seen. [Posted by Lee Hurrell]
Waning butterflies. The sublime weather seems to have hastened the end of the butterfly season rather than extended it. At Great Fontley, the tally was the inevitable Speckled Wood (2), one tatty Red Admiral, one equally tatty Meadow Brown, and a fine Painted Lady enjoying the last of the Verbena bonariensis. A later visit to Bucks and Grub Coppices at Boarhunt yielded absolutely nothing. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
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| Painted Lady on Verbena bonariensis Photo © Andrew Brookes |
Oktoberfest. A lunchtime dog walk along Portsdown Hill, in unseasonal warm sunshine, turned up a pleasing ten species including fresh Brown Argus, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Holly Blue. Red Admiral was by far the most numerous butterfly and a fifteen minute timed count, whilst sitting in the pub garden, revealed they were flying at a rate of sixty butterflies per hour. They were all flying determinedly south at a height of two meters or so and I wished them well on their long journey. Many more were fuelling up on virtually every patch of Ivy flowers that I came across. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Mottistone Down, Isle of Wight. Seven species recorded on a very windy walk around the eastern chalky dells of Mottistone. I fumbled the camera with excitement and missed the Clouded Yellow which was feeding on a small thistle! Only a blurry shot of one of the Wall butterflies; both Peacock were on the wing but at least the Comma, feeding on blackberries and the Red Admiral posed for a decent shot! One worn and one very fresh Brown Argus seen but only a single blue. From 1235-1330 with the temperature 19 degrees C and a fairly strong SW breeze the total: Peacock (2); Clouded Yellow (1); Wall (2); Comma (1); Red Admiral (5); Common Blue (M)(1); Brown Argus (2). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Brown Argus Photo © Francis Plowman | Comma Photo © Francis Plowman | Common Blue male Photo © Francis Plowman |
Havant Thicket. It felt more like late August than early October, in the warm sunshine at Havant Thicket this morning. On a 2 hour walk I saw a minimum of 15 Red Admirals, including 4 basking on the same pine trunk. Also seen were 3 Commas, 1 Peacock, 2 Speckled Woods, 2 female Brimstones and a Small White. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Great Fontley. In the failing sunshine of the early noon, five species seen at Great Fontley: Brimstone (m) 2, Large White (m) 1, Speckled Wood (m) pristine condition (1), Meadow Brown (f) 1, Red Admiral (1). Also seen on two occasions, a small bright brown butterfly flying rapidly through our field of vision, but not alighting. BH? On the basis of what-else-could-it-have-been? then probably, but not enough evidence to constitute a record. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
Bolderwood. This morning at Bolderwood in the New Forest, I saw a Red Admiral, a Comma and a Speckled Wood all basking together on the same log. In total I saw 3 Red Admirals, 2 Commas and 3 Speckled Woods, before the sun disappeared. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Monks Walk, Frater Fields & Woods, Gosport. After a very warm fortnight in Greece (at least 33 species seen) it was back to the humbler surroundings of Monks Walk to kick-off October's account. A couple of hours from 1.30pm under bright clouds and pleasantly warm (24 deg C) just seven species were found. Mostly Autumnal regulars but a single male Common Blue brightened-up one field although sadly he seemed all alone. Not a single Meadow Brown. I almost stepped upon a roosting Painted Lady in the butterfly meadow and not surprisingly it did not return for a photograph. Total: Small White (6); Large White (2); Red Admiral (9); Speckled Wood (10); Comma (1); Common Blue (M)(1); Painted Lady (1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Red Admiral female Photo © Francis Plowman | Common Blue male Photo © Francis Plowman | Comma Photo © Francis Plowman |