Monday, 20 Jul 2026
Butterfly numbers around the same as Saturday with 90% of those seen being either Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) or Chalk Hill Blue. The Gatekeeper still outnumbers the Blue overall, but on the northern part of the main common Chalk Hill Blue is dominant. This is where I managed a photo of the two species on adjacent […]
Saturday, 18 Jul 2026
A cooler feel today with a wind coming from the north. The dryness continues. Hardly a cloud in the sky and still no rain forecast for several days. Overall butterfly numbers were noticeably down on Wednesday, though Gatekeeper is still the most numerous, just ahead of Chalk Hill Blue, while Meadow Brown numbers seem to […]
Wednesday, 15 Jul 2026
The Downs desperately needs some rain. All the grass is now straw-coloured. But that has not stopped the butterflies from visiting the flowers. Gatekeeper remains the most numerous, just ahead of Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon), while the numbers of the rest seem to be dwindling. A few Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue (Polyomattus icarus), […]
Friday, 10 Jul 2026
Not quite as hot as yesterday and a little more insect activity. Another good day for butterflies too. The Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) remains the most abundant, but a sudden surge in numbers puts the Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon) in second place. Meadow Brown and Ringlet are still fairly prominent and I noted maybe a […]
Saturday, 20 Jun 2026
A very warm, humid start to the day (20°C feels like 23°C already at 09:00) with largely overcast skies and the sun only occasionally peeping through. Not much wind though, so I was expecting that the butterflies would be out today. Oh boy, were they! Literally hundreds of Marbled White, dozens of Meadow Brown and […]
Monday, 15 Jun 2026
Back to the overcast breezy conditions again this morning. Only butterflies on the wing were Meadow Brown and Marbled White, still by far the most numerous, with dozens of each. The other butterflies seen were all disturbed from their resting places in the low vegetation as I walked past. These comprised Common Blue, Brown Argus, […]
Wednesday, 10 Jun 2026
After five days of very unseasonal weather, with gusty winds and intermittent showers (I don’t like being caught in a sudden heavy shower with a camera slung over each shoulder) I decided it was time to get back onto the Downs this morning. However, with overcast, breezy conditions still, there was not too much insect […]
Friday, 5 Jun 2026
Four days since my last excursion onto the Downs, during which time there has been some much-welcomed rain. Hogweed flowers on which I was photographing insects at waist height just those four days ago are now eye-level! I spotted my first Common Swift (Apus apus) of the summer over the main grassland, at least 4 […]
Monday, 1 Jun 2026
Slightly cooler today and the butterfly numbers continue to increase, although I did not see a single Brimstone. Even without the Brimstone, I managed to see 10 different species. Speckled Wood still patrols the woodland paths and edges, but numbers of Common Blue, Small Heath, Brown Argus and Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) are all up […]
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
I headed out this morning at 08:45 with the temperature already 24°C and probably heading for a new UK record high temperature for the month of May. The current record was set only yesterday, 34.8°C at Kew Gardens, just 10 miles away as the crow flies. Despite the early hour, a line from one of […]
Saturday, 23 May 2026
With the temperature already hitting 20°C by 09:00, I returned from my walk today around the time I’d normally be starting out. Sunny again, but only a gentle breeze today, so much better conditions for insects on the wing. There were definitely more butterflies about, with Brimstone and Holly Blue still dominant, but an additional […]
Friday, 22 May 2026
A much hotter day today, which even as I started my walk was already close to being the hottest day of the year. Much more sun than yesterday too, but still very windy. Butterfly sightings were few with the same species seen as yesterday, Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Brown Argus, Holly Blue and Common Blue. Like […]
Thursday, 21 May 2026
A much hotter day today, increasingly sunny through the morning, but still very windy. While still not present in large numbers there was a noticeable increase in butterflies on the wing. Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Brown Argus, Holly Blue and Common Blue made up today’s sightings. It was a good day for new sightings of other […]
Monday, 18 May 2026
Rain was forecast for lunchtime, so I headed for the Downs early. Perhaps too early. Another cool morning, largely cloudy and yet again some gusty wind. Total butterfly count was 4, with 3 Common Blue and a single Brimstone, all disturbed from their place of rest. The rest of the insects were also mainly at […]
Saturday, 16 May 2026
With weather conditions the same as yesterday I was again expecting to see very few insects on the wing. Unsurprisingly most were seen at rest on leaves. The total number of butterflies did not exceed 10, but 6 species were seen, 4 Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), 2 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), and one each of […]
Friday, 15 May 2026
A largely overcast, cool day with a fresh breeze, not boding too well for insects on the wing. Nor did I see a single butterfly on the wing yet oddly found two at rest on a patch of Cow Parsley, each the first of its species that I have noted this season. They were Common […]
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Despite it being a warm, sunny day with only light winds there were still not many butterflies to be seen. For the first time Brimstone was not the most numerous, that honour went to Holly Blue. Apart from these two I saw just one each of Speckled Wood, Green Hairstreak and Small Heath. One day-flying […]
Friday, 8 May 2026
A rather cloudy afternoon and a much-shortened timeframe for my walk today. I stuck to a route that kept me off the main grassland area, so not unsurprisingly I recorded just 3 butterflies, single Brimstone, Holly Blue and Dingy Skipper. I managed to find the rather uncommon Yellow Weevil (Lixus iridis) at a second site, […]
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
A bit more sunshine today, so the butterflies are back, but not many. Just a handful of Brimstone, Speckled Wood, and Holly Blue, and one each of Green Hairstreak, Painted Lady, and Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages). Like yesterday, it was leaf searching that provided most of my photo opportunities from a variety of different plants. […]
Monday, 4 May 2026
A warm but very overcast day. Not a single butterfly seen in almost 3 hours. In fact not too much flying around at all, so it was a day for scanning leaves for insects at rest. I found lots of familiar bugs that I have been seeing for the past few weeks, Brassica Shieldbug, Forest […]