March 2025

[essexbutterflyer]

Woodland clearings are fine, Zayed, especially if they are south facing. That's probably your best bet for both Peacock and Comma. I find both Brimstones and Small Tortoiseshells like damp areas where there are streams. The Brimstones go for primroses at this time of year whilst the Tortoiseshells love celandines.

Thanks! I will keep an eye out in that case.

2 Brimstones (with up to 5 seen by other people), all male, at Hutchinson’s Bank yesterday (03.03). My first ones of the year

[essexbutterflyer]

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.

Tilgate Park doesn’t seem to be too far off the M23 and I will most likely be heading to London from Brighton later this week… perhaps I will make a detour

Thanks Vince.

[Vince Massimo]

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://gridreferencefinder.com/

Ideally, you need to be there between 12.00 and 13.00 to maximise you chances, because the sun is still quite low at this time of year and some of the beds don't get the sun in early morning or get shaded as the day wears on. However, 11.00-13.30 would still produce results.

Good luck,
Vince

[Medard]

Ist Small Tortoiseshell of the year despite a frorty morning in my sunny Somerset Garden.

[bugboy]

My first Brimstone of the year seen during my lunchtime wander at work in Central London.

[Vince Massimo]

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.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 4-March-2025

5 Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 4-March-2025

The temperature at the time was a sunny 8C in calm conditions, although it rose to 11C by 1pm and peaked at 13C. This was after an overnight low of -3C.

Vince

[essexbutterflyer]

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://gridreferencefinder.com/

Ideally, you need to be there between 12.00 and 13.00 to maximise you chances, because the sun is still quite low at this time of year and some of the beds don't get the sun in early morning or get shaded as the day wears on. However, 11.00-13.30 would still produce results.

Good luck,
Vince

Thanks very much for providing all that information! I will aim for midday

1 Brimstone seen at Claybury Park, London today, flying much too fast and purposefully to stop.

[David Lazarus]

After 107 days......

Peacock
Meadgate Fields Open Space 04/03/2025

Off the mark.

[Neil Freeman]

Following the quick flypast of an unidentified butterfly, possibly a Comma or a Small Tortoiseshell, on Sunday, another walk down to my local spot by Wagon Lane this afternoon produced my first confirmed ID of the year with a single Comma. Nothing else seen.

Comma - Wagon Lane 04.03.2025

Cheers,

Neil

[millerd]

A repeat of the weather of the last four days here on my local patch. Perhaps a tad cooler than yesterday: just one Comma and one Red Admiral today, the latter one not previously seen, as it was of the bialbata persuasion.

Dave

[Matsukaze]

Delighted to see a Small Tortoiseshell in the garden just now, after the awful year they had last year. Red Admiral here a couple of days ago, and a male Brimstone flying through on the brivet.

[David M]

Delighted to see a Small Tortoiseshell in the garden just now, after the awful year they had last year...

Never thought I'd see the day when I had to say it, but right now a garden Small Tortoiseshell in early March is a notable sighting.

[Vince Massimo]

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 expected, some of the flower beds there were shaded by 1.45 and only part of the Heather plants were still in sunshine. However, this served to concentrate the butterflies into a smaller area and I counted 7 Red Admirals all on one Heather bush. The temperature was around 12C at the time, with a very light wind.

Red Admiral - Nyman's Gardens, Handcross, Sussex 5-March-2025

As with all of the previous recent sightings of groups of butterflies, a modest amount of courtship behaviour was observed, and as the temperature rises I expect the butterflies to start to disperse from these congregation areas.

Vince

[David Lazarus]

On a role now.... first Brimstone [male] & Comma sightings in 2025, and another Peacock. 3 species, 1 of each.

Comma
Marks Hill Wood Nature Reserve 05/03/2025

Peacock
Marks Hill Wood Nature Reserve 05/03/2025

Not much nectar sources around. Cherry Plum Prunus cerasifera blossom is starting to appear on the trees, but Blackthorn Prunus spinosa is not yet out in south and mid-Essex with bud break probably 5 to 10 days away depending on the weather.

Cherry Plum Prunus cerasifera
Langdon Hills Country Park 05/03/2025

There were some lovely patches of Primrose Primula vulgaris in the conservation area at Marks Hill Wood NR where hopefully there will be a beautiful display of orchids in a month or so.

[bugboy]

Comma & Red Admiral seen locally today. Notable the lack of nectar sources around at the moment. This Prunus being one of only two patches of nectar I came across all afternoon save from the odd Lesser Celandine flower.

[millerd]

Just one butterfly on my local patch today, a Red Admiral which was clearly the same one that was seen on 1st of the month.

Dave

[essexbutterflyer]

. 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 expected, some of the flower beds there were shaded by 1.45 and only part of the Heather plants were still in sunshine. However, this served to concentrate the butterflies into a smaller area and I counted 7 Red Admirals all on one Heather bush. The temperature was around 12C at the time, with a very light wind.

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 the butterflies, including some volunteers working on the beds

[Vince Massimo]

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 the butterflies, including some volunteers working on the beds

Excellent result, Zayad, I'm really pleased you managed to get there

Vince

[essexbuzzard]

My first Small Tort at the local garden centre this lunchtime. Near Harlow, Essex.

[David M]

Sunday 2nd, Dan-y-Graig Cemetery, Swansea:

Brimstone (male) 1