Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
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So many Brown Hairstreaks at Shipton Bellinger. On two days this week I visited Shipton Bellinger and was totally amazed at the number of Brown Hairstreaks in a small area. We saw 20/30 males nectaring on the meadow thistles and 4/5 females in total. Sadly on the second visit a crab spider killed a male and female whilst I was watching, the spider completely camouflaged inside the thistle flower - just hope the female laid lots of eggs beforehand. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Yew Hill Blues. On my visit to Yew Hill today, I stopped to chat with three other visitors who all marvelled at the number of Chalk Hill Blues on the reserve. These gorgeous butterflies have such a beautiful shade of pastel blue, very clearly different on today’s display from the more piercing hue of the Common Blue. Brown Argus and Holly Blue completed the quartet of blues, all enjoying the profusely flowering Thyme. I was surprised to see a couple of Marbled Whites, when on other sites they seem to be over, while graceful large whites, backlit in a strong July sunshine, had an almost tropical air about them. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Stockbridge Down. I was delighted to find a fresh female Brown Hairstreak today as I had seen one at this site on 12 July 2025, so a few days later than the previous year. In the carpark on arrival there were several Purple Hairstreaks so good to see both here. After entering the reserve there were lots of butterflies all racing around as the temperature had already risen and I spotted a massive 24 SPECIES of butterfly in just over 4 hours with several second brood Dingy Skippers making an appearance. I have seen Silver-spotted Skippers at Stockbridge Down but not in this area so when I spotted this one my mind just said 'Large Skipper' and posted it on FB as such until Lee pointed out that it was indeed a SSS - thank you Lee. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Itchen Abbas. I decided to go on a Clouded Yellow twitch at our local set-aside field sown with clover, birdsfoot trefoil and other good things this afternoon. I clocked up around 22 from a slow walk around part of the area, most in a mad dash to get somewhere or other. Lots of other species around including many Painted Lady ranging from the almost colourless to the freshly painted: and Common Blue, including one unfortunate individual that had come to a violent end at the hands of a Downland Robberfly. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Clouded Yellow at Itchen Abbas. We were delighted to see four or five Clouded Yellow amongst a profusion of butterflies today on on our local farm field, where we encountered them regularly last year: and equally so when one was amongst 15 species to visit our nearby garden briefly. Other species recorded in the locality were Small Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Comma, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Ringlet. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Purple-tinged Basing Wood. My woodland wander today, from 10am to 2.30pm, was in Basing Wood. Tinged with purple by sightings of hairstreak and emperor, it was the second Sunday in succession where my forest walk brought a tally of 21 butterfly species. Grassland inhabitants included very fresh Common Blue and Brown Argus; among the woodland specialists were several low-down Purple Hairstreak and thistle-feeding Silver-washed Fritillary. There were lots and lots of Gatekeeper and plenty of Peacock making the most of the remaining bramble flower. I had eleven Purple Emperor sightings, including a courting pair flying along the ride at power cable height. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Hairstreak at the Food Festival. Southsea Food Festival - an unlikely butterfly destination but a White-letter Hairstreak was visiting stones throw kitchen on the left. There is a colony on the street elm adjoining the building in the distance [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Puttles Bridge, New Forest. Rarely does a grandson-entertaining day present good butterfly watching opportunities, but the heathland adjacent to Puttles Bridge proved irresistible today and I managed to sneak off for just long enough to spot a few Silver-studded Blue around the Bell Heather, most looking quite worn. Back at the stream the fresh Holly Blues seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the children, puddling in the mud for mineral salts. Other species on show included Gatekeeper, Brimstone and a few indeterminate whites and skippers. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Farley Mount. The strip of downland west of the monument at Farley Mount is the best area we know of for Dark Green Fritillary and they were present in good numbers this morning. Other species encountered in a circular walk around the area included Small Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Holly Blue, Comma, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. Lovely to see and hear the song of a Corn Bunting - an uncommon species in most of the county these days. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Micheldever Woods. Micheldever Wood & Abbotstone Down - 27 June 2026 I was hoping to catch up with a few butterflies today that I had missed whilst on a butterfly break in the Maritime Alps in Italy with Claire where I spotted 102 species, 41 of those can be seen in the UK so I saw 61 New Worldwide Species - absolutely amazing. I was just as delighted to spot 20 Species today in Micheldever Woods and Abbotstone Down - four of which were first for the year. In Micheldever Woods there were a number of fresh Ringlet (#41 for 2026) including a mating pair and a few Gatekeeper (#42 for 2026). I was delighted to see a Purple Emperor (#43 for 2026) which even landed on my shoe but would not keep still. Also spotted today; White Admiral, Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Small White, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Marbled White, Comma and Silver-washed Fritillary including a mating pair. At Abbotstone Down there were lots of Marbled Whites, Red Admiral, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Copper and several Essex Skipper (#44 for 2026). [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Hut Wood. Now that a lot of the plantation conifers have been removed, the character of the woodland is definitely changing. While bracken is dominant everywhere, there are trackside verges of wildflowers, grassy woodland meadows and banks of bramble – more often than not mixed with honeysuckle. Broad-leaved sallow was present but intermittent. I walked the main track circuit between 9.30-11.30 this morning, recording 16 species of butterfly, most notable being the double-digit count of Holly Blue; lots of fresh Gatekeeper; Ringlet in abundance all the way round; two sightings of Silver-washed Fritillary; and, near the end of my walk, I was joined by a White Admiral. I’m going to return to Hut Wood soon, as given the amount of honeysuckle I would hope for more than just the singleton White Admiral. I was also lucky enough to spot a Hummingbird hawk-moth. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Micheldever Wood. We arrived at Micheldever Wood not long after 8.30 a.m. to find full cloud cover and a couple of rain showers. We persisted nevertheless: the sun eventually came out as the heat rose, and we were ultimately rewarded on our way back when a Purple Emperor glided serenely past to land briefly on the path before gliding off again, giving no opportunity for photos. There were respectable numbers of Silver-washed Fritillary around, but only a couple of White Admiral and ditto Purple Hairstreak. Other species in varying numbers included Large Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Comma, Red Admiral, Marbled White, Meadow Brown and, most numerous of all, Ringlet. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Butterfly Wonderland at Alice Holt. There was an incredible profusion of Silver-washed Fritillary in Abbotts Wood this morning. Having seen only one in West Wood yesterday, within 50 yards of leaving the car park I’d already counted a dozen, and thereafter they were frequently seen in twos and threes. There were very good numbers of White Admiral too. The woodland rides were alive with super-energised butterflies. An added bonus was finding my first Hampshire Small Tortoiseshell of the year – a butterfly that seemed comparatively common in the Yorkshire Wolds when I visited in May but has become elusive in South Hants. I recorded 16 species in all between 9.30am and 1.15pm, which made it all the more surprising that amid such butterfly abundance, the Purple Emperor was so shy and retiring. I sat at the favoured junction where I’ve seen them previously (11.15am to 12.15pm) and had just three treetop sightings, each of just a few seconds (in the company of Mark T.) No sign of them in the top car park either, where last year we were royally treated to a fabulous emperor show. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Emperor. I had the good fortune to witness a Purple Emperor indoors at a friend's house in Axmansford this morning, while we were sorting through last night's moth catch. It was flitting about on the dining room window sill, we managed to steer it out and it flew off to perch in the nearby pine tree. [Posted by Andy Bolton]
Ringlets in West Wood. How underrated is the beauty of the Ringlet? Its velvety dark chocolate through to caramel ground colouring is such a beautiful foil for the leopard-like eyespots, seen at their best on the underside. They were out in large numbers in West Wood this afternoon. I was hoping I might see White Admiral, having seen them at Whiteley Pastures last weekend but, alas, no – although I did meet a transect walker who had seen one. I had five sightings of Purple Emperor – most likely to be four individuals, I think, with two males in a treetop game of tag. All the action was 20m above the ground and happening at pace so, sadly, no photos on this occasion. Other species noted were: Silver-washed Fritillary x1, Comma x3, Red Admiral x4, Meadow Brown, Brimstone, Green-veined White, Large and Small Skipper. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Magdalen Hill Down. The down was an absolute picture, with carpets of wildflowers and a profusion of Marbled White. Other summer species such as Meadow Brown and Large and Small Skipper were flying alongside some spring species such as Grizzled Skipper and Green Hairstreak. I can’t remember the last time I saw Grizzled and Large and Small Skippers flying at the same time. There were lots of Common Blue, several Small Blue, including a mating pair, Brimstone, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Comma and Small Copper – thirteen species in all. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Small Tortoiseshell larvae. Just attaching the image of 4th and 5th instar Small Tortoiseshell larvae missing from my last post. [Posted by Clive Wood]
Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell larvae. Good to see that more of the Itchen Stoke Peacock larvae have progressed to their 5th instar although still lots at the 3rd instar. Meantime tracked down the solitary Small Tortoiseshell colony to find what I think are 4th and 5th instars sharing the same leaf. Happy to be corrected. [Posted by Clive Wood]
Update on the Peacock larvae at Itchen Stoke. Part of the site in Itchen Stoke was cut by a tractor yesterday but I’m pleased to report that the landowner was as good as their word and avoided all the large clumps of nettle occupied by the Peacock larvae. To add to the good news, six further webs were found in new areas adding another 300 to 450 larvae to the running total. A mix of 3rd and 4th instar. Fingers crossed for some warmer weather to aid pupation. [Posted by Clive Wood]
Catch Up. Having just returned from seeing stunning Swallowtails and hundreds of Painted Ladies in Norfolk I could not wait to visit Magdalen Hill Down NR. This, my favourite reserve had changed immensely in a week with many more flowers and the grasses even higher across the hillside. The weather was dreadful with strong wind and rain so I saw really surprised to actually spot 12 species including; Meadow Brown (My #34 for 2026), Marbled White (My #35 for 2026), Small Copper, Small Heath, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Adonis Blue, Green Hairstreak, Grizzled Skipper and Large Skipper. A day later I was delighted to spot my first distant White-letter Hairstreak at the top of an Elm tree at Peartree Green in Southampton bring my 2026 UK species total to 36, four more than in same period the previous year. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
