Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Holly Blue on poop!. My first Holly Blue of the year at Testwood Lakes today. There were also a few Orange-tips, but they were far too flighty for photos, and Brimstones and Peacocks. [Posted by Karen Urquhart]
Large Tortoiseshells on Isle of Wight. Was delighted to see Large Tortoiseshells at both Bouldnor Copse and Parkhurst Forest on 17 March together with numerous Peacocks, Commas and Brimstones with Sheila Anne Williams, Sally Quajar and Graham Sherrat. [Posted by Claire Hartt-Palmer]
Early Holly Blue near Hartley Mauditt today?. Among many Brimstone recorded near Hartley Mauditt today eg Brimstone rejection ? [Posted by Chris Piper]
Home Wood. Although the air temperature was only 9C, in my 30-minute wander this morning in Home Wood, Eastleigh, the sunshine was warm enough to entice out one male Brimstone, one Red Admiral and one Peacock. There were also several bumblebees attracted to the bright yellow flowers of broom. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Inaugural AGM and Members' Morning. The society's inaugural meeting will be held on Sunday 26th April 2026, 10am - 1pm at Littleton Memorial Hall, The Hall Way, Littleton, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 6QL. Details are below and we look forward to seeing you there! [Posted by Pete Eeles]
Butterfly Recorders' Meeting. The 2026 butterfly recorders' meeting with be held online on 26th March. Details at https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/uk-butterfly-recorders-meeting. [Posted by Pete Eeles]
My first comma sighting of the year. A sun-filled walk around Fleming Park this lunchtime gave me my first Comma sighting of the year. There were five male Brimstone too. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Basing Woods. A 5km wander around Basing Woods, north Basingstoke this lunchtime in warm early spring sunshine (at last) yielded 65 male Brimstone, 10 Peacock, one Red Admiral, one Small Tortoiseshell and a group of six Comma battling over territory. Two Orange Underwing moths flitted around the tops of birches. Other highlights were a soaring male Goshawk and plenty of Common Toad spawn. [Posted by Mike Wall]
24 hours on.... On today's lunchtime walk, male Brimstones were out in very good numbers in Fleming Park, Eastleigh. Just 24 hours after seeing my first butterflies of the year yesterday, I counted 15 Brimstone (all males) and two Red Admirals today. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Hampage Wood. A very pleasant couple of hours spent at Hampage Wood this morning in the company of three Brimstone, including a mating pair, and a couple of Red Admiral. Some good birds around as well including Raven, Marsh Tit and good views of displaying Goshawk, all to the backdrop of drumming woodpeckers. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Eastleigh butterflies. My 2026 butterfly season is now underway, having seen a Red Admiral and a male Brimstone on my lunchtime walk around Fleming Park, Eastleigh. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Brimstone at Magdalen Hill Down. Today's work party at the old allotments section of Magdalen Hill Down was enlivened by a male Brimstone that popped out at lunchtime, flew around just long enough for all the group to see it and then disappeared. The butterfly season is officially declared open! [Posted by Sharron and Rupert Broadway]
Bloxworth Snout. Found this little beauty flying around indoors yesterday evening - Bloxworth Snout (Hyena obsitalis) quite a rarity by all accounts. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Holly Blue on Bursledon Road, Southampton. A cold but sunny morning in Southampton. It was nice to spot a Red Admiral in a sheltered area along the Shoreburs Greenway. It was a big surprise was seeing a Holly Blue on Bursledon Road - that beats my latest recorded HB by 6 days (c 2023). [Posted by Nic Burns]
Brown Hairstreak ova on Portsdown. As in other parts of the country Brown Hairstreak is spreading far and wide in Hampshire. Until a few years ago the nearest to me was twenty miles away. A cursory check of a few blackthorn suckers on this mornings dog walk quickly turned up a couple of eggs in another new area near Fort Purbrook [Posted by Mark Tutton]
New generation migrants at Itchen Abbas. A walk around our local farm field this morning and as the sun came out two or three fresh Clouded Yellows appeared, followed by an equally fresh Painted Lady. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Wall on Portsdown. A walk along Portsdown Hill to check some areas for Long-tailed Blue turned up a pleasing twelve late season species but none of my target. However I did find a very fresh Wall (third brood?) which is arguably rarer than a Long-tailed Blue in this neck of the woods! A couple of Brown Hairstreak eggs, way away from where I have seen any before would seem to indicate that this once rare Hants butterfly is now fairly widespread in the area. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Autumn butterflies in Home Wood. On a recent wander into Home Wood on my local patch, I came across four comma on one bramble bush, all within one metre of each other; but they had contrived to position themselves in such a way as to make it impossible to see them all in one photograph, which was a pity. Four speckled wood also seen in the same area. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Farmland at Itchen Abbas. Our neighbouring farm field has been sown with a leguminous mix, including clover and birds-foot trefoil under an agri-environmental scheme, to the benefit of butterflies and other wildlife, such as the Clouded Yellow which I've seen there a number of times over the past month or so. I took a wander round this morning trying to relocate a Whinchat I photographed earlier in the week - no luck with that or with the Clouded Yellow, but I did come across an extraordinarily beautifully coloured female Common Blue. The only other species on the wing were Large, Small and Green-veined White - summer is receding rapidly! [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Possible Southern Small White ova. Following the discovery of Southern Small White laying eggs in Sussex I thought I would check the perennial Candytuft growing in my garden. I planted this a couple of years ago in anticipation of this butterfly arriving in the UK as it has been spreading rapidly across Europe. Sure enough I found a couple of creamy white bottle shaped eggs. Small White has been known to lay on this plant, and although the eggs are similar the caterpillars of the two species are a bit more distinctive - time will tell. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
