Surprise Wall on Portsdown. A walk along Portsdown Hill to check some areas for Long-tailed Blue turned up a pleasing twelve late season species but none of my target. However I did find a very fresh Wall (third brood?) which is arguably rarer than a Long-tailed Blue in this neck of the woods! A couple of Brown Hairstreak eggs, way away from where I have seen any before would seem to indicate that this once rare Hants butterfly is now fairly widespread in the area. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Hillier Gardens - Colletia paradoxa. The very spiky Colletia paradoxa in the 'Winter Garden' at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Braishfield, is in full flower at present and always proves highly attractive to butterflies. When we visited at noon today in lovely warm sunshine we saw two Red Admirals and a Comma feasting on the nectar. [Posted by Andy Barker]
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| Red Admiral on Colletia paradoxa Photo © Andy Barker | Comma on Colletia paradoxa Photo © Andy Barker | Comma (close-up) Photo © Andy Barker |
Hillier Gardens - Painted Lady. In the 'Winter Garden' of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Braishfield, there is a lovely specimen of the late flowering shrub or small tree, Heptacodium miconioides. It's looking at its best at present, and is a magnet for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. In today's warm sunshine we saw a single Painted Lady, a few Red Admirals and a Hummingbird hawk-moth. They were all taking nectar from it, plus a Speckled Wood at rest nearby. [Posted by Andy Barker]
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| Red Admiral on H. miconioides Photo © Andy Barker | Painted Lady on H. miconioides Photo © Andy Barker | Speckled Wood Photo © Andy Barker |
Buddleia butterflies. 3 Red Admirals, Small White, Green-veined White and 2 Humming-bird Hawk moths on my Buddleia which still has a few flowers [Posted by Sue Lambert]
Vanessid flush at Great Fontley. Four different vanessids seen during the midday sunshine at Great Fontley: Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral, just one of each, nectaring on the inextinguishable Verbena bonariensis and Buddleja 'Autumn Beauty'. All were in pristine condition, the Peacock possibly second brood?
Large Whites and Small Whites elsewhere in the garden, and Speckled Woods still active in the plantation. [Posted by Andrew Brookes]
Stockbridge Down Butterflies. A two hour walk round Stockbridge Down this morning proved very productive for a mid September visit, with the following sightings.
Brown Hairstreak (1 - female), Meadow Brown (38, including a very distinctive individual with pale patches on the forewings - photo attached), Small Copper (14), Small Heath (7), Common Blue (9 - 5 Male, 4 Female), Brown Argus (3), Chalk Hill Blue (1 very worn female), Large White (1), Small White (1) [Posted by Kevin Haggar]
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| Interesting Meadow Brown Photo © Kevin Haggar | Brown Hairstreak Photo © Kevin Haggar | Brown Hairstreak (Showing wing damage) Photo © Kevin Haggar |
Moth trap in my garden at Leigh Park. I caught 24 species in my moth trap this morning. Some of the highlights included a male and female Four-spotted Footman, 18 L-album Wainscot, Flounced Rustic, 5 Setaceous Hebrew Character, Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Pale Mottled Willow, 2 Box-tree moths etc, and 3 Hornets. [Posted by Barry Collins]
Monks Walk, Frater Fields & Woods, Gosport. My last wander around my local area of urban countryside for over 4 weeks realised sightings of nine species. From 1210-1420 the sun shone throughout (21.5 deg C) although the strong ESE breeze was seen and felt. However, within the wind-sheltered 'navy' field butterflies were very much in evidence even though the fleabane is drying out fast. I had never seen Clouded Yellow at Monks Walk in all my many years of reporting this site but today one turned-up for a brief pit-stop on fleabane before disappearing over the hedge. Couldn't confirm its sex but as it was a large butterfly I suspect it was female. All in all a really nice September swansong for me. Total: Small White (12); Red Admiral (3); Common Blue (M)(4)(F)(3); Small Copper (4); Brown Argus (1); Clouded Yellow (1); Large White (3); Green-veined White (F)(1); Speckled Wood (M)(5)(F)(2). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Common Blue female lower Photo © Francis Plowman | Clouded Yellow on fleabane Photo © Francis Plowman | Speckled Wood female Photo © Francis Plowman |
Seafield Park & Promenade Field, Hill Head. Some really bright and fresh butterflies attended my walk (1130-1345, 19.5 deg C, sunny periods, SW breeze) totalling 11 species. Previously I had never recorded Brown Hairstreak here but today three were seen. There are well established hedgerows around the park and one Brown Hairstreak was seen feeding on blackberries, another in flight along the hedgerow (very heavy with Sloe berries) whilst the female (shown) was photographed on a small plant about a foot from the ground. There was no sign of Clouded Yellow in either the park or the field adjacent to the promenade the latter area now with much yellow flora. Total: Large White (7); Small Copper (15); Meadow Brown (10); Common Blue (M)(14)(F)(3); Small White (14); Brown Hairstreak (3)(incl 2 female); Speckled Wood (1); Red Admiral (3); Brown Argus (2); Small Heath (2); Peacock (1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Brown Argus Photo © Francis Plowman | Female Brown Hairstreak Photo © Francis Plowman | Common Blue male Photo © Francis Plowman |
Browndown (North) Gosport. Given the torrential rain that immediately preceded our walk (1115-1400, 18-21 deg C with strong and variable WSW winds) it was very pleasing ultimately to record 14 species with one or two nice surprises along the way. Ten days ago Grayling sightings numbered 13 but today seven were recorded and seemingly over a wider area beyond the heathland. No further rain interfered with the wander and the butterflies were making the most of the warm sunshine, as indeed, we were on the first day of Autumn. Total: Small White (10); Speckled Wood (7); Large White (6); Common Blue (M)(3); Brown Argus (2); Small Copper (9); Meadow Brown (9); Peacock (1); Small Heath (6); Green-veined White (M)(2)(F)(1); Grayling (7); Painted Lady (1); Comma (1); Brown Hairstreak (F)(1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Painted Lady feeding on heather Photo © Francis Plowman | Brown Hairstreak female Photo © Francis Plowman | Grayling Photo © Francis Plowman |
Haslar Sea Wall Car Park Scrub - Gosport. An afterthought visit to check-out this site for Clouded Yellow was fortunate as the sought after butterfly was the first seen quartering the field (1615-1645, 20 deg C, strong SW beeze). The male eventually settled although it soon flew off presumably in search of a female. The field is now almost devoid of flora but within the grasses the blues were found hunkering down from the strong wind. Total: Clouded Yellow (M)(1); Meadow Brown (1); Common Blue (M)(3)(F)(1); Small Heath (1). [Posted by Francis Plowman]
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| Clouded Yellow male Photo © Francis Plowman | Common Blue female Photo © Francis Plowman | Small Heath Photo © Francis Plowman |