Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
2024 Annual Butterfly Report. The 2024 Annual Butterfly Report can be found here. Many thanks to all involved. [Posted by Pete Eeles]
More Mating on Portsdown Hill. Having just read Kevin's informative news item on here, I thought I would post that the same ‘worn’ male was mating again today with a different fresh female on Portsdown Hill. I have visited a number of times and seen him guarding his little bit of prime territory on Portsdown Hill. I was also surprised to find a fresh LTB for the first time at the back of the Fort Widley too on a small clump of Michaelmas Daisies on 16 September 2026, having returned a couple of times since with no sightings. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Pale and interesting. I walked three miles across Portsdown today and, pretty much, there was at least one Clouded Yellow in view every step of the way, often three or four. I should start a campaign to change the name of the chalk ridge to Clouded Yellow Down. I certainly had not seen so many female helice Clouded Yellows on one site visit, counting eight individuals. It was good to see so many Common Blue too – not often that it lives up to its moniker ‘common’. Other species seen were Large, Small and Green-veined White, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Copper and Long-tailed Blue. I arrived just having missed a Long-tailed Blue pairing, the rather worn male back on his territorial lookout and seeing off all comers, the female disappearing into the shrubbery. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Shawford Down. Clouded yellow in my garden in Chandlers Ford, and good numbers up on Shawford Down today. I attach a picture of a brown hairstreek seen at Old Winchester Hill seen a few weeks ago [Posted by James Spence]
Long-tailed Blues on Portsdown Hill. After a grey morning I noticed blue sky in the west and took a chance to see how the Long-tailed Blues are doing. As it happens they seem to be doing extremely well as I came across two mating pairs and three other individuals including a lovely fresh female. The pairs comprised of an elderly male, possibly an immigrant, with a box fresh female and a couple that appeared extremely fresh although I could only view them through binoculars as they were deep in a Bramble bush. I am presuming the fresh examples are newly emerged offspring from the initial migration that probably happened in late July early August. The first I saw this year was a worn male on 2nd August. Apologies for the poor quality of photos as the female only stayed for one snap and the fresh pair were arms length and full zoom stretching over the brambles! If they can find some suitable food plant we could be in for a bumper emergence in October? [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Gloomy walk on Portsdown. A morning dog walk along Portsdown Hill did not seem like it would be very productive on the butterfly front in gloomy, but warm and humid, conditions. However the dog ferreting in the foliage alongside the footpath flushed a Clouded Yellow every fifty metres or so. Each time they quickly found a new roosting spot and it was interesting to note they tended to pick fairly broad leaved foliage which was starting to show its autumn colours - in particular Bitter Dock, Dogwood, Clematis and Bramble. All seemed pretty fresh, including a lovely f.helice, so I am assuming they are home grown individuals biding their time before the weather is suitable for a channel crossing? [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Selborne. While being pleased for Sheila and Nic for their Brown Hairstreak sightings, when I was at Noar Hill on Sunday, with a nice calm, sunny morning, I had no luck seeing this species, despite two hours of mooching around the site. I matched the tally of 12 species though. Some of the Common Blues were reasonably fresh but really tiny. After Noar Hill I walked across Selborne Common and didn’t see a single butterfly! After dropping down the Zigzag I walked out along The Lythes. And what a scene greeted me at the lake at the end – Clouded Yellows, at least a dozen in view at any one time, flying around the swathes of lakeshore thistle down, seeding Hemp Agrimony and fresh-looking Devil’s-bit Scabious. There were lots of mixed whites at the buffet and three or four Painted Ladies. I sat on the bench there, enjoying the sunny scene and a Small Copper buzzed overhead and the joined me, sitting on the arm of the bench. This is the first walk I’ve done since April when I’ve not recorded a Holly Blue. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
A good count at Noar Hill. A really fabulous day with Nic Burns at Noar Hill with lots of sunshine. We did not think we would see much to start with but the day got better and we could not believe that we saw 11 egg laying female Brown Hairstreak and managed to find a couple of freshly laid eggs as well. These were taken with a Canon RF 100-500 lens so was pleased with the result but would have been better with a macro. We saw 12 Species of butterfly with some in large numbers including: Common Blue 42 (mainly females but a few fresh males), Small White 30, Small Heath 28, Meadow Brown 14, Brown Hairstreak 11, Speckled Wood 5, Large White 4, Small Copper 3, Clouded Yellow 3, Holly Blue 3, Red Admiral 2 and Peacock 2. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
September butterflies on Portsdown Hill. A number of enjoyable hours spent on the hillside with Claire and Nic and It was good to see a Long-tailed Blue still in its same spot. It was nectaring on Goldenrod as there was not much else in flower and it was the only one that we saw. It was also great to see some more blue butterflies too including; Common Blue (nectaring on Eyebright), Chalkhill Blue (all faded) and a single Holly Blue. A grand total of 14 species seen including; Brown Argus, Clouded Yellow including one Helice, Large White, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Small Heath, Small White and Speckled Wood. As well as the blues; Long-tailed Blue, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue and Holly Blue. I also had a flash of a medium sized orange butterfly (possibly a Comma) but could not get a positive ID as it disappeared over a bramble bush never to be seen again .. .. .. [Posted by Sheila Anne Wlliams]
Old Winchester Hill. Old Winchester Hill had an end-of-season feel about it today, but still plenty of butterflies around, particularly in the patches of Devils-bit Scabious which were prolific around the site. Small Heath was the dominant species, accompanied by good numbers of Common Blue. Chalk Hill Blue and Meadow Brown were quite hard to find: other species noted were Clouded Yellow, Small White, Adonis Blue, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Small Copper and a single Silver-spotted Skipper, one of the specialities of this site. Avian migration was evidenced by a near-continual passage of House Martins overhead and single Spotted Flycatcher and Common Redstart around the woodland edges. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
