March 2025

[Ian Pratt]

My first small white butterfly in my garden this morning. It is the earliest sighting for me on the Isle of Wight for 25 years by 10 days! Photos attached.

[essexbutterflyer]

My first Small White of the year at Harrow Lodge Park, East London today . It didn’t stay for long but suddenly small white objects became very interesting

5 Comma and at least one Small Tortie too .

[David M]

Nice sightings with the White and another Small Tortoiseshell, Zayed.

Been a fabulously suny day round my way too. Sadly, it's been accompanied by 18mph winds

Looks calmer and warmer these next couple of days though.

[Chris L]

6 Commas and 1 Small Tortoiseshell for me today. Delighted with the latter as they are becoming more scarce with each passing year.

I saw my first Bee Fly of the year too - which seem to be appearing earlier each year.

Surprised not to see any Brimstone today.

I would estimate only about 5% of the Blackthorn is in flower locally.

[essexbutterflyer]

Nice sightings with the White and another Small Tortoiseshell, Zayed.

Been a fabulously suny day round my way too. Sadly, it's been accompanied by 18mph winds

Looks calmer and warmer these next couple of days though.

Thanks David. Hope you’re having a better day today.

Today I saw what was likely the same small white again, and again it evaded me!! Later on in a NR across the road I saw another Small White, perhaps the same, so my dilemma now is whether I should record both…

Also all five overwinterers again, so glad! 11 Comma, 4 Peacock, 3 Brimstone, 2 Small White, 1 Red Admiral and 1 Small Tortoiseshell, across Harrow Lodge Park and Chase Cross NR, East London.

[David M]

Thanks David. Hope you’re having a better day today.

Much better day, Zayed, until the cloud rolled in just before midday

[David M]

Wednesday 19th, Park Wood, Gower (11am-noon):

Comma 5
Brimstone 3

[Medard]

Small Tortoiseshell 18-02-2025
Aglais urticae
Spent half an hour nectaring on Muscari
Common name: Grape hyacinth
My garden in Somerset.

[Neil Freeman]

I would estimate only about 5% of the Blackthorn is in flower locally.

Same here in Solihull Chris. There were a few sprigs in flower today but most of it looks like it needs a few more warm days.

Cheers,

Neil.

[bugboy]

I would estimate only about 5% of the Blackthorn is in flower locally.

Same here in Solihull Chris. There were a few sprigs in flower today but most of it looks like it needs a few more warm days.

Cheers,

Neil.

It's a bit late round my local spots as well, I normally have a few patches flowering in January but not this year!

[bugboy]

If you go down into the woods (in Kent) today, beware of imposters!

Imposter

the real McCoy

[Chris L]

A Speckled Wood today for me (with 10 Commas, 3 Brimstones and a Peacock). That is my earliest Speckled Wood ever. The previous best was 24 March in 2022. Annoyingly I am 99% sure I saw one 10 days ago too - but 99% sure ain't good enough.

[Allan.W.]

After a bit of scrub bashing earlier at Dungeness,I nipped into a quieter section of the local forest to see if I could find a Large Tort; plenty of Comma ,Peacock and male Brimstones about and very warm (19c).Nobody about in this section.As I headed back along the ride towards the road ,i was circled by a Large Tort; whicch landed ,and basked for a couple of minutes before dissappearing .My third of the year ........and still no Small Torts.

[Chris L]

39 for me today - Brimstone 14, Comma 13, Peacock 8, Small Tortoiseshell 3, Small White 1. That was my first Small White of the year. I also had my first butterfly of the year to land on me, that being one of the Small Tortoiseshell

[David M]

..as I headed back along the ride towards the road ,i was circled by a Large Tort; whicch landed ,and basked for a couple of minutes before dissappearing .My third of the year ........and still no Small Torts.

Great find, Allan.

Would be wonderful if any larvae were discovered later this spring to confirm successful breeding.

[David M]

Saw my first Small Whites of the year today, the first being in the surprising location of the main road next to Tesco Marina in Swansea.

Headed onto Dan-y-Graig Cemetery where I saw another, along with 20 Brimstones, including my first female of 2025.

On then to Crymlyn Burrows, where 4 more male Brimstones were seen and another Small White.

[Allan.W.]

Thanks David .....others were found in one or two other sections earlier too I believe .......they,ve almost certainly bred there .......the third year at least )of records .Although larvae have yet to be found in Orlestone (as far as i,m aware ) full grown (final instar ) larvae were definately found in the Blean woodlands last year (i,ve alerted Goldie !) and I heard today that one at least (imago) had been seen in Blean this year. Allan.W.

[essexbutterflyer]

A couple of Large Torts at Orlestone today but none being very open to photographs (at least for me!). Funnily enough last year my first Large Torts sighting was 20th March too, although that was not at Orlestone.

Edit: I forgot to add that there were lots of Orange Underwings. Not many people took attention to them, but I have been told these rarely settle so I’m glad I was able to get a photo of one!

[millerd]

Returning home today after three days in Somerset and East Devon (where despite some sunshine I saw nothing at all), I counted 38 butterflies on my local patch near Heathrow today in perfect weather. I was welcomed back in characteristic style by the first of five Red Admirals...

The remainder comprised 15 Peacocks...

11 Brimstones...

and 7 Commas.

It was good to see quite a few more Peacocks - they have been slower to appear than the others this year.

Dave

[David Lazarus]

Hatfield Forest turned out to be a good day out despite it clouding over from midday for an hour and a half. I have a contender for Favourite Photograph of 2025 already. If I had a bucket list for all things butterflies, like a Peacock nectaring on a Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta [which I have already ticked off], a Brimstone nectaring on Primrose Primula vulgaris would be high up on that list. And today I managed to tick it off with the added bonus of an upperwing shot:

Brimstone male
Hatfield Forest 20/03/2025

I managed to photograph 4 or 5 other male Brimstone as they were hunkering down in the undergrowth while the sun disappeared. The cloud also put paid to a higher total than two weeks ago - in fact I only saw half that amount, but a lot more spread out. But it was a day for the Peacock that finally came out in good numbers, and the Comma remained the same. So the ride profile went from 72% Brimstone: 24% Comma: 4% Peacock during the first week of March 2025 to 42% Brimstone: 32% Peacock: 26% Comma for the third week of March 2025. And it was a day for butterflies to maximize their ability to warm up their wings - it became a log day for Peacock and Comma. I do like a lichen covered log with a Peacock basking on it.

Peacock
Hatfield Forest 20/03/2025

Comma
Hatfield Forest 20/03/2025

Has anyone seen the forecast for the remainder of March?

Make the most of tomorrow

I couldn't resist the temptation of adding another lichen-log photo to finish - I do like a Comma basking on a log.

Comma
Hatfield Forest 20/03/205

Hoping tomorrow, Friday 21st of March, is a good day for butterfly activity - Off to One Tree Hill.

Edit: also my first Orange Underwing - which was very beautiful and butterfly-like basking at ground level fleetingly