Tuesday, 29 Sep 2026
Just like last Friday, there was only one butterfly seen this morning. It was also a Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) – the same one? Also, just like last Friday, despite the warm, sunny weather, there was very little of interest to warrant photos. I did make a few exceptions. I found some Green Shieldbug (Palomena […]
Thursday, 10 Sep 2026
Even fewer butterflies about today. Only 2 Small Copper, 2 Small Heath and a single Meadow Brown were seen. Three weeks ago, I encountered a female of what was a new species for me on the Downs and today I found a male Common Darter dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum). Another first today was an ichneumon wasp […]
Tuesday, 1 Sep 2026
Meadow Brown is no longer the dominant butterfly species. That honour now goes to Small Copper, with all 8 that I noted being very fresh-looking individuals, whereas the 5 Meadow Brown were worn and faded. Apart from these two I saw 4 Small White, 3 Common Blue, 2 Small Heath and a single Brown Argus […]
Saturday, 8 Aug 2026
I only walked paths along woodland edges today, so my observations of butterfly abundance would be strongly influenced by that. Meadow Brown made up about 90% of total sightings, with a handful of Small Heath, Common Blue and Chalk Hill Blue, and one each of Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Brown Argus and Ringlet. The […]
Wednesday, 5 Aug 2026
A largely overcast and quite breezy morning so not too many insects on the wing. Most of the butterflies I saw flew up from their resting places, stirred into action by my close proximity. Meadow Brown now seems to be the dominant species, with both Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue numbers seemingly on the decrease. […]
Friday, 31 Jul 2026
The last day of a month with not a drop of rain and the parched conditions seem to be keeping insect numbers depressed. Apart from butterflies and the prominent pollinators, bees and hoverflies, there is little to be seen other than ladybirds and aphids. There are still good numbers of butterflies with Gatekeeper and Chalk […]
Monday, 27 Jul 2026
I concentrated today on the small portion of the Downs east of Sutton Lane, so not as representative of the ‘big picture’ as usual. Butterflies were largely restricted to Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), with a few Small and Green-veined Whites. Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) was seen yet again. They do seem […]
Friday, 24 Jul 2026
The lightest breeze in a week and a very muggy morning, which seemed to make for very good butterfly numbers. Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue still make up 90% of the total number and perhaps Chalk Hill Blue may now be the dominant species. The northern half of the main grassland is seething with them. […]
Wednesday, 22 Jul 2026
Another 11 species of butterfly seen today, a somewhat different mix to Monday, though Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon) still dominate numbers. A few each of Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Blue and Common Blue were noted, with single Green-veined White, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and two surprises. The first was a […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wednesday, 8 Jul 2026
This was essentially just a long hot walk. Apart from butterflies, greenbottles, flesh flies and the odd hoverfly, as well as the continuing Red Soldier Beetle invasion, there was very little insect activity today. The grass of the common is already beginning to take strain under the baking heat, which is forecast to last for […]
Sunday, 5 Jul 2026
Two weeks between visits at this time of year makes a huge difference. The grass is almost twice as high. Much of the hogweed is now my height and going to seed already. The grassland has a profusion of yellow flowers – buttercups, St John’s Worts, Lady’s Bedstraw, Rock Rose, Horseshoe Vetch and various yellow […]
Friday, 3 Jul 2026 – New Forest and adjacent areas
Just back today from a week away, based in West Wellow, Hampshire, on the north-eastern edge of the New Forest. It proved a good base for walks not only in the New Forest and locally along the River Test, but also on the Dorset coast and near Salisbury in Wiltshire. As I have done previously […]
Monday, 22 Jun 2026
Another scorcher, but a steady breeze just to take the edge off the heat. Not a cloud in the sky except for a criss-cross of aircraft contrails. I set off early to beat the ramping up of the heat and was home by 10:30. There were plenty of butterflies around, but not quite in the […]
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, […]
Saturday, 13 Jun 2026
The butterflies are back, in such large numbers that I counted species today, not individual butterflies. Meadow Brown and Marbled White are the most numerous, with dozens of each. Other species noted were Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Blue, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Large Skipper, Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris), my first Dark Green Fritillary […]
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 […]