Sunday, 11 Oct 2026
Two new species added today, an ichneumon wasp and a lauxaniid fly. It was another sunny autumn day with very little wind, which meant lots of insect activity. Particularly noticeable now are the Vespidae wasps, especially Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and German Wasp. They can be seen in any tangle of brambles, flying in and […]
Tuesday, 6 Oct 2026
A lovely warm and sunny early afternoon on what is billed as our last day of summer temperatures. There are still a few butterflies about. Today’s count was 4, with 2 each of Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) and Speckled Wood. The Small Copper are in very good condition and may be around for at least […]
Friday, 2 Oct 2026
It is that time of year when leaves are starting to fall. Very distracting, when a yellowed leaf flutters down and your immediate reaction is ‘Butterfly’, even though you know that butterfly season is over. I did, however, see a single late Meadow Brown. The ivy bees are out in great numbers. Almost every patch […]
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 […]
Monday, 21 Sep 2026
I thought that today’s warm, almost windless conditions might just bring out the last few diehard butterflies and I wasn’t wrong. Although the total was a mere 7 individuals, there were 4 different species, 4 Small White (Pieris rapae) and 1 each of Small Copper, Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and Meadow Brown. Trying to find […]
Monday, 14 Sep 2026
A morning that must have been close to 100% humidity – without a moderate breeze we would probably have had a mist. There was a heavy dew on everything. There was not a butterfly to be seen, but I managed to stir up a single Rush Veneer moth (Nomophila noctuella) from the grass. I came […]
Monday, 31 Aug 2026
After some substantial rain in the past few days there was a refreshing greenness to the Downs again this morning. There were not many butterflies on the wing, with the count of Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), most looking faded and worn, Small Heath and Small Copper all reaching only 8 or 9. These, together with […]
Friday, 28 Aug 2026
Twenty-four hours since the first meaningful rain in 9 weeks and there is definitely a fresher look to the Downs today. I suspect that this has more to do with the rain washing away a 9-week dust accumulation than it has with any new foliage growth. Butterfly numbers are still well down and likely to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Thursday, 16 Jul 2026 – Winkworth Arboretum
Paid a visit this morning to the National Trust property at Winkworth Arboretum, near Godalming in Surrey. As I have done previously with visits to localities other than Banstead Downs, I am only posting images of species that I have not yet seen or photographed, or which I am unlikely to see on Banstead Downs. […]
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 […]
Saturday, 30 May 2026
As the hot weather continues unabated there has been a dramatic increase in butterfly numbers today. For once Brimstone was not the most numerous, that honour went to Common Blue. Brimstone were hard pressed too, to outnumber Brown Argus and Small Heath. These were the dominant four species along with but a single sighting of […]
Sunday, 24 May 2026
Like yesterday, an early start with the temperature over 20°C by 09:00. Bright sunshine and only a light breeze too, but butterfly numbers were no better than yesterday. Brimstone still dominated, but there has been a dramatic increase in Small Blue (Cupido minimus) numbers (I stopped counting at 10). There were a few Speckled Wood […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]