Yew Hill Reserve Walk. A great turnout for this year's first Yew Hill walk, which had been deliberately timed to give the best chance of encountering the elusive White-letter Hairstreak. The cool and cloudy conditions did not seem conducive to this aim, but did present good opportunities for the photographers amongst the group as many of the butterflies were basking whilst trying to gain the warmth to fly. By time we had reached the reserve from the meeting point we had already racked up Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Red Admiral. Yew Hill, as ever at this time of year, was ablaze with wildflowers including abundant Common Spotted, Fragrant and Pyramidal Orchids, Clustered Bellflower, Hedge Woundwort, Agrimony and Mignonette. We added Small Heath and a single male Gatekeeper to the list and saw and heard a good range of downland birds including Blackcap, Whitethroat, Linnet, Yellowhammer and juvenile Goldfinch. At the end of the walk, with warming temperatures and glimpses of blue sky, a few of the group decided to retry their luck with target species and a sharp-eyed member spotted a White-letter Hairstreak flying among the elms, following which a couple more were seen. A quick phone call and those heading homewards turned tail and all managed to catch at least a glimpse of this elusive species, albeit at a distance. Many thanks, once again, to Fiona Scully for organising - next Yew Hill walk will be on Friday 9th August. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Purple Hairstreak - Straits Inclosure. Another fruitless visit to the Straits Inclosure (Alice Holt Forest), more in hope than expectation of achieving any decent Purple Emperor sightings. Apparently several have been seen, albeit fleetingly, but thus far I seem destined not to enjoy the same wonderful photographic opportunities of last year as far as this species is concerned. So yesterday, the best I could manage were half a dozen or so Purple Hairstreaks, including this co-operative male who was imbibing salts on the main path for an extended period. Right colour...just wrong species! [Posted by Michael Jameson]
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| Purple Hairstreak (M) underside Photo © Michael Jameson | Purple Hairstreak (M) upper side Photo © Michael Jameson |
Bell's Copse. We had a walk around Bell's Copse, which is adjacent to the new Havant reservoir which will be finished in another 5 years. Butterfly numbers were very low the only species recorded were White Admiral 5, Marbled White 3, Comma 2, Holly Blue 1, Small Skipper 2, Ringlet 15, Meadow Brown 16, sadly no sightings of any Silver-washed Fritillary. [Posted by Barry and Margaret Collins]
Broxhead Field Trip. Broxhead Common Field Trip Wednesday 26th June 2024
Midday and the heat was getting a little uncomfortable now as we set off over Broxhead Common. The Bell Heather looked splendid as the rain in the past few months had left most of the area in a purple haze….the Silver-studded Blues were out in good numbers both sexes were flying like there was no tomorrow. We saw both sexes of the Clouded Buff Moth, and the highlight for me was seeing the magnificent Emperor Moth caterpillar, feeding away on the heather. There weren’t many more butterflies of note except a couple of Purple Hairstreaks had been noted in the Oak tree woodland part of the site close to the cricket ground. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
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| Emperor Moth caterpiller Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Male Silver Studded Blue Photo © Ashley Whitlock |
Straits Inclosure. Straits Inclosure Wednesday 26th June 2024
The hottest day of the year and here was hoping that the Purple Emperor would make its first appearance for 2024. It appeared at about 10:30, swooping over the main ride for about twenty seconds a lovely male, and then disappeared again into the canopy. A second Male was seen flitting through the Oak springs in a tall Oak tree a bit further along from the fallen Deer tower at the end of the main ride in Straits Inclosure. He again made a brief appearance in the ride then disappeared. It wasn’t until about 12:25 when we had set up camp at one of the main Assembly points did, we get good views of a chasing pair, and these were chasing for about 30 odd seconds. One of the males must have given a left hook as we only saw one male again flying around his vista for about three quarters of an hour. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
WLH at North Harbour. I saw this White-letter Hairstreak descend from the tops of the elms at IBM Lake (North Harbour/Lakeside) and was down on the grass for a while and posed for some iPhone photos. I have seen them on thistle blossom here usually late in the season, but resting in the grass was a first. Interesting to read that Small Blue has been recorded here in the past. [Posted by Tim Doran]
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| WLH in the grass Photo © Tim Doran |
Moth trap in my garden at Leigh Park. I had my moth trap on overnight in my garden at Leigh Park from 25 June into the following morning. I caught 33 species two of which were new species for the garden a male Ringed China-mark and Bloxworth Snout other highlights included Elephant Hawk, 8 L-album Wainscot, Clancy's Rustic, Rosy Minor etc.
On the 24th June Margaret and I had a 2 hour walk on the main track through Havant Thicket and recorded 6 White Admiral, 20+ Ringlet, 1M 3F Brimstone, 1 Small Skipper and a male Banded Demoiselle. [Posted by Barry Collins]
WLH enjoying the limes at Great Fontley. The Broad-leafed Lime (T. platyphyllos) at last flowering at Great Fontley, to the delight of the resident White-letter Hairstreaks. Arguably the UK's least photogenic butterfly, shots were always going to be a challenge from 20ft, but undeniably the smoking gun. Given the sheer restlessness of the insect coupled with its manic flight, numbers were difficult to estimate, perhaps 5 or 6, and featuring both sexes. At Ground Zero, Large Skippers were the most active, followed by Meadow Brown and Ringlet; Marbled Whites more noticeable by their scarcity. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
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| White-letter Hairstreak at Great Fontley 1 Photo © Andrew Brookes | White-letter Hairstreak at Great Fontley 2 Photo © Andrew Brookes |
First Purple Emperor of the year in Alice Holt Forest. The woods have been bereft of most butterfly species over the last few days but today it started to change. Numbers of White Admiral, Ringlet and Meadow Brown are building nicely and four or five Silver-washed Fritillary put in an appearance for the first time this year. Finally my target, the Purple Emperor, gave a couple of fleeting glimpses high over an oak, I then spotted another gliding high along the ride.
Eventually a much better view was had as a pristine male quartered the ride at waist height, giving numerous flashes of purple as it looked for somewhere to land. Unfortunately it didn’t find what it was looking for and zoomed off back to the treetops [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Silver-Studded Blues at Broxhead Common. After a fruitless preliminary search for any signs of newly-emerged Purple Emperors at the Straits and Abbott's Wood Inclosures (Alice Holt Forest), I decided to make my third visit within a week to Broxhead Common, in the hope of finding Silver-studded Blues on the wing at last. I note that Ashley Whitlock is leading a field trip to this site on Wednesday, and he and his party should not be disappointed, with plenty on the wing today and probably still more to emerge shortly. Back at Alice Holt, however, with no Silver-washed Fritillaries and hardly any White Admirals to be seen as yet, it would appear unlikely that Purple Emperors (which normally follow these species) will be active until later this week at the earliest, though a few days of promised (and long overdue!) summer warmth and sunshine could quickly change all that. Watch this space... [Posted by Michael Jameson]
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| Silver-Studded Blue - Broxhead Common Photo © Michael Jameson | Silver-Studded Blue - Broxhead Common Photo © Michael Jameson | Silver-Studded Blue - Broxhead Common Photo © Michael Jameson |
Southleigh Forest. A male Purple Emperor was holding territory atop an oak between 12:13 and 12:40 at least [Posted by Peter Gammage]
North Harbour. Visited a site which I haven’t been to for many years and found that the area was becoming a good area for wildlife, especially around the boundaries of the old IBM buildings, with areas of Orchids and other wildflowers. There were many Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns, and, in the Elms, I got glimpses of the illusive White-letter Hairstreak butterfly. Two were chasing, doing their territory dispute, and a lonesome male was just flying in and around some of the sprigs of Elm leaves. In the meadow where there was some Nettles there was some Peacock caterpillar’s feeding away, not very long before we see this beautiful butterfly on the wing again. Disappointingly though there was very little else, no Blues or Skippers which I would have associated with this type of meadow. Also there seems to be no access to the lake area now, which used to be a lovely walk where I discovered the Small Blue butterfly many years ago. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]
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| Peacock Caterpillar eating Nettles Photo © Ashley Whitlock | Marbled White on Thistle Photo © Ashley Whitlock |
Alver Valley Country Park. Gosport. From 1140-1400 (sunshine at 22 deg C with warm breeze) I covered the area to the west of the Alver river which includes woodland glades, river border, paths and open grasslands. Twelve species identified (not separating out Small/Essex Skipper). Total: Marbled White (16); Meadow Brown (30); Small/Essex Skipper (5); Small White (2); Large Skipper (4); Purple Hairstreak (3); Holly Blue (4); Ringlet (1); Red Admiral (1)(F); Speckled Wood (4); Small Heath (4); White Admiral (1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
White Admirals at Yarmouth.. A count of six White Admirals today at Bouldnor Forest,Yarmouth. Several nectaring on bramble flower and one observed after salts on a forest bridleway. [Posted by Peter Hunt]
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| Photo © Peter Hunt | Photo © Peter Hunt | Photo © Peter Hunt |
Browndown (North) Gosport. With the temperature rising to 23.5 deg C during a wander around the northern area of Browndown including the woods and heath from 1105-1325, some thirteen species were recorded. I wanted to see if Silver-studded Blue had emerged on the heath and the White Admiral in the woods. Sadly no blue seen but at least two White Admiral were found and one distant photograph obtained. My first UK sightings of Small Skipper and Essex Skipper was another bonus. On the longest day of the year, Summer is definitely on its way! Total: Small Skipper (8); Essex Skipper (4); Meadow Brown (21); Marbled White (8); Speckled Wood (5); Comma (1); Holly Blue (2); White Admiral (2); Ringlet (1); Small Heath (9); Common Blue (M)(1); Large Skipper (3); Red Admiral (2). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Essex Skipper Photo © Francis Plowman | Small Skipper Photo © Francis Plowman | White Admiral Photo © Francis Plowman |
White-Letter Hairstreak at Great Fontley Farm. A count of 14 individuals was seen in perfect conditions today. They were seen on various Elms including Accolade, Fiorente, Lutece, New Horizon, Japonica, Davidiana and European White Elm. The butterfly was also seen basking on Oak, Hazel and both varieties of Lime. Meadow Brown and Large Skipper were the only other butterflies seen in any numbers, together with just a single Red Admiral and Marbled White. [Posted by Paul Harfield]
Purple Emperor Pupa. As is my want at this time at this time of the year I have been wandering the woods in the dead of night looking for Purple Emperor pupa with a UV torch.
Whilst the pupa are extremely well camouflaged in daylight, cleverly mimicking the leaf of their Sallow food plant, for reasons that are not completely clear, the pupa shine very brightly under UV light.
Unfortunately to take advantage of this trait you have to be in virtually total darkness, which at this time of the year means being in the woods after 10.30pm. This has its challenges, not the least barking Muntjac deer which make you jump out of your skin.
A couple of sorties has revealed a few likely suspects and on returning in daylight I have indeed found two pupae, quite a challenge when they are 4m up and only 18mm long! Not for everyone but a challenge I like to take on every year.
You will need to enlarge the UV photo to see the ‘shiney’ pupa [Posted by Mark Tutton]
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| Pupa 1 Under UV Photo © Mark Tutton | Pupa 1 Photo © Mark Tutton | Pupa 2 Photo © Mark Tutton |
Portsdown Hill. Despite warm sunshine, a temperature of 22ºC and a clear blue sky, I saw just 5 species on an hour long walk on Portsdown Hill this afternoon. There were only about 30 Meadow Browns and 30 fresh Marbled Whites, although numbers should build quickly during the next few days. The other species seen were 1 Small White, 2 Small Blues and 2 Holly Blues. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Summer Butterflies on the Wing at Yarmouth.. Seen today in Bouldnor Forest Yarmouth,1 male Silver-washed Fritillary and a White Admiral.Both flying around vigorously. Also five Marbled White. [Posted by Peter Hunt]
North Baddesley sightings.. First sightings of the year today on my reserve at North Baddesley of White Admiral and Marbled White. Numbers of Meadow Brown building nicely with 54 seen and 36 Large Skipper. Several Cinnabar moth seen trying to lay on ragwort but a lot of my ragwort seems to be dying before it has flowered so not sure what will happen. [Posted by kevin ross]
Havant Thicket. The summer butterflies are now beginning to emerge at Havant Thicket. I spent a couple of hours there this afternoon and saw 4 Marbled Whites, 15 Meadow Browns, 5 Small Heaths, 4 Ringlets, 2 very active White Admirals, 5 Brimstones, 1 Holly Blue and 3 male Large Skippers zinging about in a territorial dogfight. A mix of sunshine and cloud, mild breeze and 18ºC. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Great Fontley firsts. Highlight of the day, the site's first White-letter Hairstreak of 2024, just the one perched high on the favoured elm. Also seen among the myriad Meadow Browns were Ringlets, and a male Brimstone. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
Monks Walk, Frater Fields & Woods, Gosport. My first 'Summer' wander around Monks Walk after four weeks in Germany (28 species). Clearly going through the transition from Spring to Summer here and very few species to see. The heavy rains have precluded habitat management and the whole area is overgrown with some parts inaccessible. Total: Red Admiral (1); Meadow Brown (43); Comma (1); Holly Blue (2); Marbled White (2)(M); Brown Argus (1); Speckled Wood (3)(M). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Red Admiral Photo © Francis Plowman | Comma (Summer form) Photo © Francis Plowman | Marbled White (male) Photo © Francis Plowman |
Ringlets at Yarmouth.. No luck with recording any summer species in Bouldnor Forest near Yarmouth except for several Ringlets along the woodland rides. [Posted by Peter Hunt]
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| Photo © Peter Hunt |
Noar Hill. A breezy day at Noar Hill, with a mix of sunshine and clouds and the temperature reaching 18ºC. Butterfly numbers continue to be low, with just 9 male Meadow Browns, 6 Small Heaths, 2 Speckled Woods, 1 female Brimstone, 1 Small White, 1 Green-veined White, 2 male Common Blues, 4 Small Blues, 2 Dingy Skippers and a Scarlet Tiger moth seen on a 1 hour walk early this afternoon. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Havant Thicket. On a mostly overcast afternoon at Havant Thicket, with very little breeze, and temperature between 15-16ºC, I saw 8 male Meadow Browns, 2 pristine male Marbled Whites, 1 Small Heath, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Grizzled Skipper, plus 3 larvae and 2 pupae of Red Admiral. There were also still a few Brimstone larvae, but the majority have all now pupated. Other insects seen included several beautiful hornets, a cluster of Birch Sawfly larvae (Nematus septentrionalis), a few Brown Silver-line moths and good numbers of Red-legged and Pied Shieldbugs. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
White-Letter Hairstreak at Lakeside. White-letter Hairstreak are now out at Lakeside in Cosham. 4 seen today from Western Road along the edge of the site. They were very active in brief spells of sunshine at around 10.45. I also checked 4 other locations close by where the butterfly was not seen today. [Posted by Paul Harfield]
Havant Thicket. The arrival of the "June Gap" means that most of the spring butterflies have disappeared, while the summer butterflies have barely started. At Havant Thicket this afternoon I counted myself lucky to see a handful of butterflies - 1 female Common Blue, 1 faded Grizzled Skipper, a Small Heath and a couple of male Meadow Browns were all I could manage. Still plenty of Brimstone larvae though, also a few Orange-tip larvae and several Mullein moth larvae. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Isle of Wight Mini field trip. Isle of Wight mini field trip 6th June 2024
Perfect weather conditions today to be visiting one of the best butterflying sites Compton Chine and Mottiistone Down with Afton Down thrown in for good measure. The Glanville Fritillaries were very active having fights with Large Skippers who were the ‘new kids on the block’ as it were, and they were trying to oust the Fritillaries from their territories. Most of the male Glanville’s were faded but there were a few still in good order and we found several females as well which were newly hatched out.
Other species that were common were the Small Heath, and Common Blues. The Adonis Blue like on the mainland seems to be a bit slow emerging this year, but the ones we did see were pristine. Small Copper and the odd Green Hairstreak amongst the ever growing total of Meadow Browns were the other species along with very tatty Dingy Skippers the odd Grizzled Skipper. Brown Arguses on Afton Down were pristine as their foodplant Rockrose looked splendid on the downland, along with Horseshoe Vetch and Kidney Vetch. Beautiful Orchids like the Bee Orchid were seen, and Pyramidal Orchids were common to see growing everywhere.
Stonechats kept us company on Compton Chine along with multitudes of Skylarks on Mottistone and Afton Downs, and Buzzards hung in the air on the updrafts from the cliff face on the way round from Afton Down to Mottistone, looking rather menacing and just looked odd for such a large bird. A great day out and I thank everyone for their company today. [Posted by ashley Whitlock]
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| Glanville Fritillary on territory Photo © ashley Whitlock | Mating pair of Glanville Fritillaries Photo © ashley Whitlock | Brown Argus on Afton Down Photo © ashley Whitlock |
Old Winchester Hill and Havant Thicket. Plenty of sunshine today, but a cool breeze kept sightings minimal. In the morning I visited some of the more sheltered areas of Old Winchester Hill, at the bottom of the south slope and in the valley below the car park. Despite a 2 hour search, all I saw were a single Red Admiral, 2 Speckled Woods and 4 Small Heaths.
On the way home I spent another hour at Havant Thicket, but the only adult butterflies seen were a couple of Speckled Woods. There were lots of Brimstone larvae though - I easily found at least 20 of them, all in 3rd or 4th instars. One buckthorn sprig had 8 larvae on it, all within 3 or 4 inches of each other. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]
Chalton Down, Old Idsworth. After a visit to Oxenbourne Down I visited Chalton Down where the temperature had increased slightly to 22 degrees. Here I recorded the following: Brimstone 1M 1F, Orange-tip 1M, Small Heath 3 and Red Admiral 1. [Posted by Roy Symonds]
Oxenbourne Down. Today I visited Oxenbourne Down where the temperature reached 21 degrees. I was targeting the Spring brood of the Adonis Blue and was not disappointed in recording 4 in a relatively small area. Totals: Brimstone 2M 1F, Adonis Blue 4M, Green Hairstreak 1, Small Heath 2, Speckled Wood 1. [Posted by Roy Symonds]
Glanville Fritillaries - Compton Bay IOW. Today I made the not inconsiderable journey by train, ferry, and foot across the south-western Isle of Wight, heading for the chalk cliffs and grassy headlands surrounding Compton Bay, on my annual pilgrimage in search of the Glanville Fritillary. I would normally have timed this visit one or two weeks earlier, but the arrival of a decent weather window (at last!) seemed to bode well, and and I wasn't disappointed. Good numbers were seen, and for the first time ever, I saw several Glanvilles up on top of the huge chalk ridge above the Military Road, which is part of the Freshwater Golf Club course. Conditions were breezy but bright and sunny, affording several good photographic opportunities. [Posted by Michael Jameson]
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| Glanville Fritillary at Freshwater Golf Course Photo © Michael Jameson | Glanville Fritillary - Compton Bay Photo © Michael Jameson | Glanville Fritillary - Compton Bay Photo © Michael Jameson |
Martin Down. I saw about a dozen Marsh Fritillary on a 2 hour stroll at Martin Down today. Almost all were getting shiny and worn due to the recent windy weather. Most were males, but I did find an ovipositing female with a batch of about 100 eggs. Other species included 20+ Small Heaths, 3 Brown Argus, 2 fresh male Adonis Blues, 8 Common Blues, 1 Small Blue, 1 Small Copper, 6 Dingy Skippers and 2 Grizzled Skippers. Females of Brimstone were also seen ovipositing on buckthorn leaves, and I found several larvae of various instars, and a single pupa. Among the moths, there were plenty of Cinnabars, Silver Y and lots of 5-spot Burnets (several with confluent spots) including many mating pairs. Also a batch of 2nd instar Emperor moth larvae. [Posted by Adrian Hoskins]