July 2026

Just back today from a week away, based in West Wellow, Hampshire, on the north-eastern edge of the New Forest ...

Two weeks between visits at this time of year makes a huge difference. The grass is almost twice as high ...

This was essentially just a long hot walk. Apart from butterflies, greenbottles, flesh flies and the odd hoverfly, as well ...

Not quite as hot as yesterday and a little more insect activity. Another good day for butterflies too. The Gatekeeper ...

The Downs desperately needs some rain. All the grass is now straw-coloured. But that has not stopped the butterflies from ...

Butterfly numbers around the same as Saturday with 90% of those seen being either Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) or Chalk Hill ...

Another 11 species of butterfly seen today, a somewhat different mix to Monday, though Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra ...

The lightest breeze in a week and a very muggy morning, which seemed to make for very good butterfly numbers ...

A morning when I all I wanted to do was get home and process my images as my first sighting ...

I concentrated today on the small portion of the Downs east of Sutton Lane, so not as representative of the ...

The last day of a month with not a drop of rain and the parched conditions seem to be keeping ...