Good numbers of Adonis Blues of both sexes flying down at Denbies hillside this morning. AB5 020525.JPG AB2 020525.JPG AB pair1 020525.JPG There were also similar numbers of Common Blues and Brown Argus, plus Small Heaths, Dingy Skippers and Grizzled Skippers (with the last of these starting to look...

Incombe Hole is an excellent spot, Wurzel, and in fact a walk from there to Ivinghoe Beacon can be full of butterflies during May, with sometimes hundreds of all of the spring quartet featured here (plus the less glamorous species too). After the morning in near-summer heat, I only managed a short l...

I went out early today on my local patch to try and enjoy some relatively cool conditions before things became too hot for man and insect after lunch. The first Holly Blue I saw was of similar mind... HB4 010525.JPG A few Small Coppers were already up and about (and I hadn't seen this one before)......

I think the earliest I've ever seen a Duke at Noar Hill was 10th April, Wurzel, so this was close - and one of the two I saw wasn't new. The following day ( Saturday 12th ) promised to be another very warm and sunny one, so with Dukes definitely in mind I headed up to Incombe Hole again. Unlike my p...

It ended up being Ladies Day on my local patch today, with female butterflies of several species hogging the limelight. Female Small Coppers have now emerged to join the males. They are much harder to approach, as instead of being territorial like the males (allowing you to wait next to a favoured p...

Allan.W. wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 5:59 pm ...The remaining local Grizzle site has started producing a few Grizzles .....They,re not easy to find ......but they're there...

Fingers crossed that site continues to maintain its Grizzlie population, because the local variety is something special, Allan.

Dave

A real summer's day on my local patch today, with temperatures up to 23 degrees or so. This did over-stimulate the butterflies a bit, and certainly made photography more difficult as those I did approach kept their wings closed or nearly so (which is worse!). However, I did count 13 species again - ...

Hi Zayed, Chiddingfold Forest is the general area, with Botany Bay and Oaken Wood parts of the complex. There are no car parks as such, but there are parking areas by the road at both locations. When the Wood White is flying, a walk from one to the other and back in sunny weather should ensure that ...

Very nice Holly Blue, Goldie! I think sometimes they are attracted to bay trees because the leaves are shiny like holly leaves.

Cheers,

Dave

...The Duchess had an ab gracilens look to her but i'm not 100% sure, they are seen at this site on occasion? I've seen gracilens at Noar Hill a couple of times in the past, Mike, and that one does have that caramel-y look about her... They almost look like a different species. Cheers, Dave

I love the shots of the seething masses of Marshie cats, Wurzel. It can't be long before they're flying now...

Cheers,

Dave

With some sunshine remaining toward the end of the day, a short local walk produced a few late afternoon butterflies. Dave

On Friday 11th April , I went down to Noar Hill, a spot I hadn't been to for a few years. I wandered along the familiar maze of paths in and out of the former chalk pits, and the temperature gradually rose - but there weren't many butterflies about. After a few Peacocks, Brimstones, GVW and the odd ...

Thirteen species on my local patch today, with the appearance of the first Small Heath of the year to add to the list. SH1 270425.JPG SH2 270425.JPG There were also another six Small Coppers, all different individuals from those seen yesterday... SC2 270425.JPG SC4 270425.JPG ...and two more Brown A...

Back on home turf today (26th) after an absence of a handful of days, and I was pleased to find my first Small Coppers of the year (four altogether, all males)... SC2 260425.JPG SC3 260425.JPG SC5 260425.JPG SC6 260425.JPG ...and also my first Brown Argus of 2025, a male too. BA1 260425.JPG I then w...

I detoured off a tedious southbound journey down the M1 this afternoon and popped into Totternhoe. I found several Dukes and Dingies, but no Green Hairstreaks, Grizzlies or Small Blues. However, I wasn't there long enough for a proper look. DB1 250425.JPG DB3 250425.JPG DS1 250425.JPG DS2 250425.JPG...

As always, back at home later the same day I saw a different selection. These included Small and GV Whites sharing a dandelion... GVW+SW 100425.JPG ...some fresh Specklies... SpW3 100425.JPG SpW1 100425.JPG ...a Comma or two Comma1 100425.JPG ...a trio of ragged Red Admirals RA1 100425.JPG RA2 10043...

On Thursday 10th April , the cloud dissipated for once earlier than the forecast had suggested, and I arrived down at Denbies Hillside ln sunshine.I had seen Grizzlies and Green Hairstreaks the previous week, and today they were joined by my first Dingy Skippers of the year. In the bright sun they p...

Cheers, Wurzel - that Peacock was quite a surprise. I'm used to Red Admirals doing it, but for a Peacock to mistake me for a bramble bush is a novelty! :) And mentioning catching up... The weather this year has meant there has been an opportunity to see butterflies every day since 20th March (except...

No sun to speak of here today, but it was bright enough in the middle of the day for a few things to be flying. The sun is high enough now for quite a bit of UV to filter through, even on a cloudy day, and some butterflies do respond to this. I found half a dozen Speckled Woods, a couple of Red Admi...