Updating previous observations: The "mystery" egg found on Cleavers on 3rd April was, indeed that of a Humming-bird Hawk-moth. It was found hatched early this morning revealing a 3mm long larva which is feeding nicely. IMG_6521-01G.JPG IMG_6724-01.JPG IMG_6766-01.JPG IMG_6903-01.JPG The fo...

The day started by checking things in the garden, where I found that the first of the Brown Hairstreak eggs rescued from the front hedge had begun to hatch. This is my earliest ever record, but only 3 days earlier than last year. IMG_6461-02G.JPG Then to my local monitoring site to check the Red Adm...

A one hour circular walk around my local patch today produced the best figures so far this year with 3 Small White, 2 Green-veined White, 5 Brimstone, 4 Comma, 4 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Speckled Wood seen. IMG_6396-01G.JPG IMG_6318-01G.JPG The temperature at the time was a sunny 15C, but with a...

I have been regularly checking the Red Admiral eggs laid near home on 8th March, but after 21 days they have still not hatched. Nothing has changed apart from finding more eggs nearby on 26th March. IMG_6373-01G.JPG IMG_6381-01G.JPG While inspecting egg-batch 1, a Comma landed in front of me and pro...

A Comma in the garden at 09.20, then three more during the day, but not sure if they were the same one. Then on to Tilgate Park, where between 12.00 and 12.20, the Heather and Daphne plants attracted 8 Red Admiral, 9 Comma, and 2 Brimstone, plus 2 more nearby. On the way home there were 2 more Comma...

After getting a Comma in my garden at midday, I then walked round my local patch at Rathlin Road Pond and encountered 2 more Comma, 1 Peacock, 2 Red Admiral and 4 male Brimstone. On the way back there was another Red Admiral which was egg-laying. I watched it for a while and it deposited numerous eg...

After a frost-free night it had already got to 12C here by 10.00, so I made an early visit to Tilgate Park. Between 11.20 and 11.40 there were a total of 15 Red Admiral (7 on Heather and 8 on Daphne and Sweet Box) and 3 Brimstone. The temperature at the time had reached 14C with a light southerly wi...

I was at Tilgate around 12pm Vince. I counted 10 Red Admirals (a number I haven’t had on one site since 2023, and even then it was counting them reverse migrating), and 2 Commas (firsts of the season). Massive thanks for all the info! It was also nice to see some non butterflyers interested in all ...

Another -3C overnight, but this time it came with morning mist and fog, so it was still -1C at 8am and the sun did not come out here until 09.50. A visit to Nyman's Gardens (another hilltop site) produced 6 Red Admiral by 1pm and then it was back to Tilgate Park to check the state of play. As expect...

My overall favourite is this Small Tortoiseshell, mainly for its rarity value last year.
Hopefully better fortunes for the species this year.

Vince

I went back to Tilgate Park, Crawley today, but an hour earlier than yesterday, to see if it affected sightings. So, between 11.15 and 11.45 there were 15 Red Admirals seen. Nine of them were on the Heather beds and six on Daphne. IMG_5976-01G.JPG IMG_5970x5-02G.JPG The temperature at the time was a...

Thanks David, it's a very reliable site. Zayed, Tilgate Park is a big place. The Heather beds are at TQ27343 34372 Daphne shrubs at TQ27517 34266. Both beds are around the top of the slope. Both are quite close to the car park at TQ27484 34534 Use the entrance from the A23 at TQ26589 34580 https://g...

Off the mark today with 18 Red Admiral and one Comma... That's quite a display of Red Admirals, Vince! Had they all been overwintering in the same spot, do you think? Hi Dave, there is no shortage of suitable overwintering habitat in Tilgate Park and the adjacent Tilgate Forest, but I think there i...

Off the mark today with 18 Red Admiral and one Comma between 12.15 and 12.45, all on the winter-flowering beds at Tilgate Park, Crawley. 12 of the Admirals plus the Comma were on Heather and the other 6 on Daphne. IMG_5949-01G.JPG IMG_5952x5-01G.JPG It was a sunny 9.5C at the time in almost calm con...

I had quite an early sighting in my garden in 2024.
Not troubling my earliest record seen on 24th February 2019 at Ferring on the Sussex coast.

Vince

Many congratulations, Richard
A very well deserved award for years of dedicated Wurzeling

Vince

2024 was the worst year for this species in my area since I started keeping detailed records 20 years ago. I was out every day, when weather conditions allowed and I only saw four, all on the seafront at Lancing on the Sussex coast. Two on 2nd April, then one on the 29th, and the other the following...

Two very different favourites from me. The first is a first-instar larva that had just emerged from a rescued egg on 14th January. IMG_2607-01-B6-C.JPG I also managed to get 10 adults in one shot at a local hot spot in Tilgate Park. There were around 15 around me at the time, which is a record numbe...

I only saw 15 Painted Ladies this year, all but one of them on the south coast. The other was in my Crawley garden.
Vince

And a Happy New Year to all

Vince