April 2025

[millerd]

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 - the lack of any Brown Argus today was made up for by the arrival of the first Common Blues. In the end it was late afternoon that one actually settled for a moment.

A few other hard-won shots...

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

Wurzel had written:

27th April Compton Down (Dorset) 2 Glanville Frits,

I asked about the Glanvilles as that was a real surprise. Any more details Wurzel?

Jack

[David Lazarus]

28.04.2025 Belton Hill Nature Reserve via Hadleigh Castle Country Park to Benfleet Downs

Yesterday's trek took me passed the Brassica spp. Field at Hadleigh Farm, which also contained Medicago sativa [Lucerne or Alfalfa] and of course it was a Whites day 182 [conservative estimate] of the 240 recorded sightings. There was much more just in that one field alone. I was hoping it might attract a Painted Lady, but no.

Brassica Field
Hadleigh Farm 28.04.2025

But it produced another contender for my end of year Favourite Photo:

Brimstone female & Green-veined White male
Hadleigh Castle Country Park 28.04.2025

There was not much else after I left Belton Hills as the temperatures were sweltering, apart from 20 or so Speckled Wood in the more shaded areas, and only my second Holly Blue sighting of 2025, with a fly pass [again] - this time, perhaps 6 seconds. So far, Holly Blue 2 - Common Blue 1, which feels very strange and disconcerting.

Small Heath are emerging there now as well:

Small Heath
Hadleigh Castle Country Park 28.04.2025

Then I cut my survey of Benfleet Downs short without a sighting of a Green Hairstreak and headed for One Tree Hill, where I did not see a Grizzled Skipper [again] but came across some more Small Heath:

Small Heath
One Tree Hill 28.04.2025

I have probably got more decent photographs of Small Heath this year than the whole of 2024 already. There was also a sighting of my first Burnet Companion. The highlight though was this beautiful female Brown Argus:

Brown Argus female
One Tree Hill 28.04.2025

Another 3 Wall along the bridleway at the top of Johnson's Meadows and loads of male & female Orange-tip. A total of 268 recorded sightings for the day but still no Green Hairstreak which is beginning to frustrate me now.

[Ian Pratt]

Is Noar Hill worth visiting this week for Duke of Burgundy butterflies or anything else?

[Ian Pratt]

Some sightings from Mottistone Down Isle of Wight last Saturday. Glanville fritillaries have been see at Compton Bay, but I haven't seen any at Bonchurch yet.

[Ian Pratt]

Some wall browns seen this morning appropriately basking on a wall!

[Stevieb]

Surprisingly quiet on the common this morning although I did get my first Small Coppers of the year. Bewley Common, Wiltshire

Large White (1)
Green-veined White (3)
Orange-tip (3)
Small Copper (2)
Peacock (3)
Speckled Wood (1)

29th April

29th April

29th April

29th April

29th April

[Wurzel]

"I asked about the Glanvilles as that was a real surprise. Any more details Wurzel?"... Sorry Jack I'm not very good at checking back on the Sightings page A fair few years back some Glanvilles were introduced at Whitesheet Hill near Stourhead in Wiltshire. A couple of years later some turned up at Compton Down at Compton Abbas (I believe Neil Freeman mentioned them in his PD the first year they were found there?) and now they seem to be doing quite well there. It's thought that the ones in Dorset were released by the same person as the Wiltshire ones as the two sites aren't very far away but it's all a little cloak and dagger. I don't know what the National Trust think of it but the Glanvilles frequent the banks along the track between the two National trust sites - Compton Down and Fontmell Down - which I believe is a by-way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[petesmith]

Marsh Fritillaries just emerging in central Lincolnshire today - this is the earliest sighting I have had of this species locally, beating my previous best of 1st May 2011 by two days!

[essexbutterflyer]

Yesterday I went to Malling Down to find Brown Argus and Common Blue. Now, I did find both, but there was one other species I had wondered but not expected to turn up: Adonis Blue! And both male and female… safe to say I wasn’t fully sure all the Brown Arguses were Brown Argus after I saw her

I also saw a GH off the side of the slip road to join the A27 from the A23 while struck in traffic (those little buggers turn up in the least photographable places).

2 Holly Blue and a Speckled Wood in Crawley too.

Brimstone were in all the places I went, and Malling also showed Whites, Small Copper (only one… bit odd?), Small Heath, Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Peacock, Dingies and Grizzlies.

An absolutely amazing day!

[David Lazarus]

Adonis Blue! And both male and female…

An absolutely amazing day!

Glad you had an amazing day, Zayed.

Your Grizzlie shots are getting better too - very artistic

[Allan.W.]

The remaining local Grizzle site has started producing a few Grizzles .....They,re not easy to find ......but they're there ! All credit to the team that got stuck in over winter to try and save the site from completely scrubbing over and becoming unsuitable,Very close by on another site we worked on in the winter is a bit slower .......with only one found so far.....but things may yet improve.

[David Lazarus]

The remaining local Grizzle site has started producing a few Grizzles .....They,re not easy to find ......but they're there ! All credit to the team that got stuck in over winter to try and save the site from completely scrubbing over and becoming unsuitable,Very close by on another site we worked on in the winter is a bit slower .......with only one found so far.....but things may yet improve.

Really good to see Allan, I hope our remaining site provides suitable conditions for our single-figure, tiny colony.

[Allan.W.]

Hope your site comes good David ......the site I mentioned is also " a single figure" site at present but looks as though they are still emerging...my best count so far this season is 6 ,with 2 or 3 the norm on most visits .....but without the winter work this may well have been none .The Grizzles on this site are particularly early...first 12 April (normally first week in May on average ) so still plenty of time for the present numbers to rise. Allan.W.

[Lawts]

My first Wall Brown of the year today up in Yorkshire at Flamborough Head. Sadly no Alpine Accentor.
Over 100 Grey Seals chilling at low tide in the sunshine was a fine sight.

[millerd]

...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

[millerd]

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 perch), they fly in relatively straight lines, stopping briefly to nectar, hoping that their travels will take them through a male's territory. Luckily for me, this one paused on a dandelion for a moment..

...and luckily for her, there were two males not far away...

There were several female Orange Tips around today (around now each year I just about regain the knack of distinguishing them in the air from all the other white butterflies), and this one paused to both nectar and lay on the flower head.

Common Blues have been very slow to appear here this year, so I was very pleased to find a lovely dusky new female of the species today.

However, the butterfly that completely stole the show today was a female Large Skipper, very new so that her wings were still slightly limp. This may well be the earliest I have ever seen this species anywhere, and it was curious that it should be a female rather than a male.

This has to be the most golden of our golden skippers.

14 species today, and eventually I might compile a full report for my PD if the sun ever stops shining...

Dave

[David Lazarus]

It ended up being Ladies Day on my local patch today, with female butterflies of several species hogging the limelight.
However, the butterfly that completely stole the show today was a female Large Skipper, very new so that her wings were still slightly limp. This may well be the earliest I have ever seen this species anywhere, and it was curious that it should be a female rather than a male. This has to be the most golden of our golden skippers.

Wow, wow, wow

We are so far behind you, Dave, it could be a different country, not county. Pleased for you

[Bertl]

Green Hairstreak butterfly at Kinnaber near Montrose this morning.

Cheers

Bert

[bugboy]

However, the butterfly that completely stole the show today was a female Large Skipper, very new so that her wings were still slightly limp. This may well be the earliest I have ever seen this species anywhere, and it was curious that it should be a female rather than a male.LS1 290425.JPGLS4 290425.JPGThis has to be the most golden of our golden skippers.

14 species today, and eventually I might compile a full report for my PD if the sun ever stops shining...

Dave

Well be chasing Brown Hairstreaks around Bookham in the last week of June at this rate!!!