Tuesday, 1 Sep 2026
Meadow Brown is no longer the dominant butterfly species. That honour now goes to Small Copper, with all 8 that I noted being very fresh-looking individuals, whereas the 5 Meadow Brown were worn and faded. Apart from these two I saw 4 Small White, 3 Common Blue, 2 Small Heath and a single Brown Argus […]
Saturday, 5 Sep 2026
A sunny morning with just a light breeze, yet there were so few butterflies about that it was quite easy to count them. The latest one to be the day’s most numerous was Small White on 9, followed by 5 Small Heath, 4 Common Blue, 1 Small Copper, 1 Brown Argus and just 1 Meadow […]
Monday, 7 Sep 2026
A mostly cloudy, humid and rather windy morning. Counting the butterflies today was easy – 3 Small Heath and just one each of Small Copper, Speckled Wood and Common Blue. The only other insect of note was a 4th instar nymph of the Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) on a Buckthorn leaf. Otherwise, my focus today […]
Saturday, 1 Aug 2026
Another good day for butterfly numbers, with Chalk Hill Blue probably now outnumbering Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), these three making up well over 90% of the total seen. There were just a few Small White and Common Blue, with just one each of Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady, Brown Argus (Aricia […]
Wednesday, 5 Aug 2026
A largely overcast and quite breezy morning so not too many insects on the wing. Most of the butterflies I saw flew up from their resting places, stirred into action by my close proximity. Meadow Brown now seems to be the dominant species, with both Gatekeeper and Chalk Hill Blue numbers seemingly on the decrease. […]
Saturday, 8 Aug 2026
I only walked paths along woodland edges today, so my observations of butterfly abundance would be strongly influenced by that. Meadow Brown made up about 90% of total sightings, with a handful of Small Heath, Common Blue and Chalk Hill Blue, and one each of Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Brown Argus and Ringlet. The […]
Wednesday, 12 Aug 2026
By my reckoning this is Day 50 without rain – well a couple of spits and spots that didn’t last more than a minute hardly counted. Even the brambles are taking strain. These usually hardy plants have wilting, even dropping leaves, as their survival mode kicks in to ensure that all available resources are channeled […]
Saturday, 15 Aug 2026
Drought Day 53. It seems like many insects have just given up. Walking along the woodland paths even three days ago you would see swarms of midges/gnats/mosquitoes, or hoverflies hovering. Gone. Apart from a few Meadow Brown butterflies and a single Speckled Wood, virtually no other airborne insects on these paths. Three days ago, you […]
Wednesday, 19 Aug 2026
Hardly drought-breaking rain, but a few light showers overnight end exactly 8 weeks without rain. Apart from a few water drops still sitting on the upper surfaces of some leaves you wouldn’t know it had rained, so well has the little rain that did fall been absorbed into the parched surface. On a cooler, yet […]
Friday, 21 Aug 2026
A pleasant day for walking, with the maximum temperature forecast at the lowest for at least a month, only 20°C, and a cool northerly breeze that helped to reduce the effect of the high humidity. Insect numbers were again poor, even the butterflies well down on two days ago. Meadow Brown is still the most […]
Monday, 24 Aug 2026
Another pleasant day for walking, with a strong easterly breeze countering the continuing high humidity. Insect numbers were yet again poor, with butterfly numbers down again (although as I rarely walk the same route on two consecutive visits direct comparisons are not that meaningful). Meadow Brown is still the most numerous, with Small Heath next, […]
Tuesday, 25 Aug 2026
Even fewer butterflies on the wing today but I was stirring them into action from their resting places in the grass as I walked along. I didn’t try and count individual numbers today, rather just species, although it was obvious that Meadow Brown still dominates. Small Heath, Small White, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Common Blue […]
Friday, 28 Aug 2026
Twenty-four hours since the first meaningful rain in 9 weeks and there is definitely a fresher look to the Downs today. I suspect that this has more to do with the rain washing away a 9-week dust accumulation than it has with any new foliage growth. Butterfly numbers are still well down and likely to […]
Monday, 31 Aug 2026
After some substantial rain in the past few days there was a refreshing greenness to the Downs again this morning. There were not many butterflies on the wing, with the count of Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), most looking faded and worn, Small Heath and Small Copper all reaching only 8 or 9. These, together with […]
Friday, 3 Jul 2026 – New Forest and adjacent areas
Just back today from a week away, based in West Wellow, Hampshire, on the north-eastern edge of the New Forest. It proved a good base for walks not only in the New Forest and locally along the River Test, but also on the Dorset coast and near Salisbury in Wiltshire. As I have done previously […]
Sunday, 5 Jul 2026
Two weeks between visits at this time of year makes a huge difference. The grass is almost twice as high. Much of the hogweed is now my height and going to seed already. The grassland has a profusion of yellow flowers – buttercups, St John’s Worts, Lady’s Bedstraw, Rock Rose, Horseshoe Vetch and various yellow […]
Wednesday, 8 Jul 2026
This was essentially just a long hot walk. Apart from butterflies, greenbottles, flesh flies and the odd hoverfly, as well as the continuing Red Soldier Beetle invasion, there was very little insect activity today. The grass of the common is already beginning to take strain under the baking heat, which is forecast to last for […]
Friday, 10 Jul 2026
Not quite as hot as yesterday and a little more insect activity. Another good day for butterflies too. The Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) remains the most abundant, but a sudden surge in numbers puts the Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon) in second place. Meadow Brown and Ringlet are still fairly prominent and I noted maybe a […]
Wednesday, 15 Jul 2026
The Downs desperately needs some rain. All the grass is now straw-coloured. But that has not stopped the butterflies from visiting the flowers. Gatekeeper remains the most numerous, just ahead of Chalk Hill Blue (Lysandra coridon), while the numbers of the rest seem to be dwindling. A few Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue (Polyomattus icarus), […]
Thursday, 16 Jul 2026 – Winkworth Arboretum
Paid a visit this morning to the National Trust property at Winkworth Arboretum, near Godalming in Surrey. As I have done previously with visits to localities other than Banstead Downs, I am only posting images of species that I have not yet seen or photographed, or which I am unlikely to see on Banstead Downs. […]