Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
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]
Peacock larvae in abundance. Based on an estimated count of 50-75 larvae per web, and c25 webs on a single site near Itchen Stoke, I have just seen c1250 to 2000 Peacock larvae this morning. Most were at the 4th instar with a small proportion already beginning to disperse. Some were at their 3rd instar. The site is due to be cut soon but fortunately the Chair of the local Parish Council has kindly liaised with the landowner to delay the cut and avoid several high density nettle patches. Hopefully the larvae will have pupated over the next 7 to 10 days (based on UK Butterflies/Frohawk) and before cutting takes place. We will keep an eye on the site but meantime fingers are firmly crossed. [Posted by Clive Wood]
Found in PO4 9 area. Found in bathroom in PO4 9 area of portsmouth uk, possibly a moth see photo on 1st June 2026 at 15:26.
[Yes - this is a Box moth - Ed]. [Posted by Eileen Shepard]
Nocturnal ramblings at Alice Holt. Myself and a friend spent three hours wandering through the woods at Alice Holt looking for Purple Emperor pupa and larvae with UV torches, and it was quite successful. The L5 larvae glow only faintly in UV and we didn’t manage to find any this time but the pupa is a different kettle of fish, it fairly shines like a beacon and we managed to find six in total. I will go back in daylight to try and relocate them so we can follow them through, however the predation rate is extremely high. 80%+, probably mammals like mice or squirrels so we will see how they go? [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Ovipositing Green Hairstreak at The Dongas. The first Green Hairstreak I've recorded on The Dongas transect this year appeared to be egg-laying on (I think) Birdsfoot Trefoil. I watched her moving from plant to plant until she found one that suited her. [Posted by Rupert Broadway]
Silver-studded Blue & a bonus Helice. A hot visit to the New Forest today with temperatures in the low 30s but was really worth the visit. On arrival we found Bramble flowers covered in Painted Ladies and lots of new foals wandering around the heathland - such a scenic area. We only found three Silver-studded Blues in exactly the same place I had found them last year (22/5/25) all were in pristine condition. Later in the afternoon after drying our feet, having got stuck in a marshy bit we could not avoid we spotted a butterfly in the distance and at first thought it was a Brimstone, then a Large White, then an Orange-tip but as we got closer we could see that it was a beautiful Helice form of Clouded Yellow - a perfect but very hot day. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Itchen Abbas. Our local farm field is now in the 3rd year of an agri-environment scheme and is a riot of black medic, birdsfoot trefoil and other flowers. The butterflies have gone crazy in response - we must have seen hundreds of Common Blue this evening, along with respectable numbers of Small Heath, Painted Lady and the odd Brimstone, Orange-tip and Brown Argus. There were also good numbers of Peacock larvae on the nettles. Our photographic attempts caught the attention of a curious young Fox, who watched us carefully through the vegetation. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Martin Down NNR. A fabulous day on Martin Down, with 18 species of butterfly seen and lots of day-flying moths. Within a couple of minutes of walking from the car park, my Painted Lady count had exceeded a dozen, all taking advantage of the flowering dogwood. If I’d carried on counting them, my tally would surely have been well into three figures, such was the strength of the painted lady migration across the reserve. Holly Blue continues to be prolific, too. Species recorded were: Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Marsh Fritillary, Small Copper, Green Hairstreak, Small Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Adonis Blue, Cinnabar, Six-spot Burnet, Burnet Companion, Mother Shipton, Speckled Yellow, Yellow Shell and Forester Moth. I counted 20 Small Eggar larval webs as well. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Broughton Down Nature Reserve. I had not forgotten how steep the hill is to get up to the top but it was worth the effort in the end and of course the views are amazing. A Cuckoo followed me around for quite a while but I could only get a distant shot but it was nice to listen to as I searched for butterflies under mostly cloudy skies, although there were a couple of sunny moments. Although it was rather cold I did spot 12 species of Butterfly including; Orange-tip, Small White, Large White, Brimstone, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Grizzled Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Painted Lady, Adonis Blue and a Five-spot Burnet that had just emerging from its cream-coloured papery cocoon. The highlight though being finding a mating pair of striking Adonis Blue on the very top meadow. At least it was downhill on the way back to my car … … … [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Old Down, Basingtoke. My first visit to Old Down this year under lovely sunny skies, the forecast said cloud so really pleased the the sun stayed out for most of the day. Quite a few butterflies about in the warm sheltered areas as the wind was a little bit strong in the open meadows. I spotted 12 Species of Butterfly; Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Small Copper, Painted Lady, Small Heath, Green Hairstreak, lots of Holly Blues of course, Brimstone, Peacock, Red Admiral and my first Cinnabar Moth of the year. I had a picnic lunch being entertained by a Green Hairstreak and two Holly Blues competing to sit on a fresh Hazel leaf and at the same time a Small Copper sat in front of me on the top of a Cowslip as I was being bombed by a Painted Lady - happy days .. .. .. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Small Blues have emerged at Magdalen Hill Down Nature Reserve. Another sunny day and this lovely hillside until the heavens opened that was. I spotted 15 species of butterflies: Brimstone 6, Brown Argus 18, Common Blue 8, Adonis Blue 2, Dingy Skipper 12, Grizzled Skipper 6, Green Hairstreak 6, Green-veined White 2, Marsh Fritillary 9, Orange-tip 3, Painted Lady 5, Small Copper 8, Small Heath 12, Holly Blue 6 and Small Blue 5. I also saw a few moths including: Mother Shipton 1, Burnet Companion 2 and Brown-spot Grey 3, but the highlight of the day for me was seeing some freshly emerged Small Blue. Just love this little butterfly so small and perfect. The males are dark brown (when fresh nearly black) with a scattering of bright blue scales that speckle their wings and shine bright in the right light. Whereas the females lack this blue speckling but are just as cute! Both males and females exhibit the characteristic silver underside with black spots - I think similar to the underside of a Holly Blue. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Postcard from the Yorkshire coast. This week, I’ve been walking the England Coast Path (ECP) between Bridlington and Scarborough, a truly wonderful stretch of coastline that includes Flamborough Head, Bempton Cliffs, Hunmanby Sands and Filey Brigg. Today, I witnessed a Painted Lady ‘invasion’ from the lofty vantage of Filey Brigg. For those that don’t know it, Filey Brigg is a narrow, finger-like promontory of steep-sided cliffs that tapers into the North Sea. The painted ladies were, quite literally, using the spine of the headland to guide them inland before spreading out across Filey Country Park. They came in ones and twos, and I counted 60 in 45 minutes. The occasional one stopped to refuel on the flowers of scurvy grass and dandelion. I’ve had several sightings of Small Tortoiseshell and Wall on the ECP, neither of which I’d seen in Hampshire, and Peacock and Orange-tip are in great abundance. Conversely, I’ve only seen one Holly Blue since Monday (which is having a great year down South) and I’ve not seen any Brimstone at all. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Duke of Burgundy Habitat Assessment. Following Sue Clarke's wonderful presentation at our recent AGM, Sue has kindly allowed us to post materials that will help anyone interested in assessing habitat for the Duke of Burgundy. These materials can be found on our new Projects page. [Posted by Peter Eeles]
Successful Inaugural AGM!. I'm pleased to say that, with over 40 attendees, we had a very successful inaugural meeting. Most importantly, the society now formally exists, with all committee nominees unanimously voted into their roles. Details of the committee can be found here and the minutes can be found on the new Reports page. We also had several presentations from Mike Wall, Andy Barker, myself and Sue Clarke, with a photo of Sue in action below! There will be quite a few news items appearing over the next few weeks as we get going so what this space! [Posted by Peter Eeles]
It was good to be in Hampshire today ........ It was fabulous to see 17 freshly emerged Marsh Fritillaries today enjoying the lovely sunshine with many males battling for the best piece of hillside. Eight days later than I saw them last year but pleased they have returned. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
New Forest. A pleasant day spent in the New Forest with Denise, Claire and Sally and we were delight to find around 17 species of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries (My #21 species for 2026). We also spotted Small White, Brimstone, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue but of course the latter are everywhere at the moment. The Fritillaries were really flighty and racing around the forest floor looking for flowers to nectar on and sadly there was not a lot of Bugle around, their principal food source. However we did see them also nectaring on a few other plants particularly the pink/purple Common Vetch but that was also in short supply. It was hard going walking along some of the smaller tracks where the winter's wet muddy tracks have now dried out into rigid, uneven and large crack-filled surfaces but we enjoyed our day wandering around the sunny woodland glades. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Which White?. Bit windy on top of a down yesterday but I met up with many Brimstone and then this White which despite many angles couldn't get to see underneath. Suggestions (on the ID) welcome. With the low overnight temperatures the only scorched carpet I thought I'd get was from an indoor barbecue but among eight moths I had one. Strange recording overnight at the moment. [Posted by Chris Piper]
Magdalen Hill Down Nature Reserve. It was rather blowy today on the hillside but still there were lots of butterflies about trying to hang on to anything they could find as I was trying to hang on to my hat … … I saw 14 SPECIES including; Brown Argus, Small Copper, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper all in double figures. Small Heath 8, Green Hairstreak 5, Green-veined White 2, Small White 1, Peacock 2 and Red Admiral 2. There were a few more Common Blue emerging and I spotted 8 in total in different areas of the reserve. Just as I was going home I was delighted to see a couple of freshly emerged Adonis Blue (My #20 species for 2026). I spotted an Adonis last year on 30 April so one day earlier this year - how stunning this butterfly is it sure takes your breath away. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Duke of Burgundy. It was good to see a good number of Duke of Burgundy at several Hampshire reserves this past week. [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Magdalen Hill Down Nature Reserve. A sunny day on the hillside and I saw 15 SPECIES of butterfly; Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Green Hairstreak, Brimstone, Peacock, Red Admiral, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Small Copper, Small White, Green-veined White, Small Heath, Orange-tip and a lovely Painted Lady. I also saw 2 MOTHS; a Lesser Treble-bar and a Burnet Companion. The highlight of the day though was watching freshly emerged Common Blue and Brown Argus dry out their wings, test their legs, take their first flight and then immediately begin their battle for a little piece of the hillside and with anyone else nearby ... .... [Posted by Sheila Anne Williams]
Spring day at Stockbridge Down. Superb afternoon along E side of Stockbridge Down - blazing sun, still, felt like July. The best area was the ditch at the top where all the Dukes were and lots of the spring skippers. Final totals: 12 spp. including 3 Duke of Burgundies, 10-20 Grizzled Skippers, ~5 Dingy Skippers, 1 Green Hairstreak, 1 very fresh Brown Argus, 5-10 Small Coppers. As a general comment, in 53 years of butterfly recording, I have never seen so many Holly Blues this spring - nor probably Orange-tips either. Both species (and Brimstones) are everywhere [Posted by David Murdoch]
Painted Lady near Abbotstone. Plenty of butterflies near Abbotstone this morning including Orange-tip, Brimstone, Small White, Holly Blue, Peacock, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. Most were taking the sensible course by sticking to the sheltered sunny footpaths and glades away from the stiff easterly breeze: not so a single Painted Lady that came careering down the side of a field, landing briefly in front of us and then continuing on its journey. [Posted by Rupert & Sharron Broadway]
Dukes at Butser. A lunchtime trip to Butser Hill in continuous sunshine was tempered by a brisk cool northerly wind which limited butterfly numbers. However in the sheltered valley a small number of downland specialists were flying including my first Duke of Burgundy and Grizzled Skippers. [Posted by Mark Tutton]
Stockbridge Down. It was a coolish morning on Stockbridge Down (10am to noon) but during the sunny spells, especially among the more sheltered scrub, it felt pleasantly warm. When I saw my first butterfly, a Grizzled Skipper, it was 10.09am and only 11C. There was masses of ground-ivy, which the Brimstones were frequently attracted to, and plenty of violets and wild strawberry on the eastern side of the down. I saw three Small Copper, all on bare earth paths; six Holly Blue, but all too flighty to photograph; several tatty Peacocks; a couple of Speckled Woods and at least two Green-veined Whites. Lovely birdsong to accompany my butterflying too. [Posted by Kevin Freeborn]
Many-plumed moths. So good to find three of these at light last night in Stroud, East Hampshire. First of the year. They were very flighty and off at the first hint of torchlight. Here are two of them, the third spotted the camera and was off pronto. [Posted by Ron Allen]
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]