This week’s transect brought a fluttery change for the better. With a welcome (if brief) boost in temperature, the butterfly scene really stepped up its game. Species diversity soared compared to last week, as more Dingy Skippers took to the air – and they weren’t alone. Making their seasonal debut were the radiant Small Copper and the charming Small Heath, clearly ready to join the springtime party.
Even more intriguing was the early arrival of two butterflies who clearly missed the memo about their flight times starting in May: the photogenic Common Blue and the elegant Brown Argus both checked in ahead of schedule. Whether they were keen or just impatient, they certainly made a surprise arrival midway through the afternoon.
Their reward? Exclusive admission to the transect’s ‘first-class lounge’ (our well-earned refreshment break at Fames Rough), where tea, snacks, and butterfly banter are always in-flight entertainment.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) – the classic blue with a wild side.

• Males are a brilliant sky blue, while females vary from dull brown to bright blue – no two are quite the same.
• It’s the most widespread blue butterfly in the UK, thriving in gardens, grasslands, and even roadside verges.
• Its caterpillars communicate with ants by sound and scent, earning protection in exchange for sweet secretions.

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) – a tiny butterfly with a fiery personality.

• Its bright orange wings with bold black spots make it one of the most eye-catching small species.
• Despite its delicate appearance, it’s fiercely territorial – often chasing off much larger butterflies.
• It can produce up to three generations a year, making surprise appearances from spring right through to autumn.

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) – a subtle beauty with secrets.

• Though it looks similar to female Common Blues, it has no hint of blue – just rich chocolate-brown wings with orange spots.
• It’s a sun-lover often found in warm, dry grasslands, basking with wings wide open on bare ground.
• Its caterpillars feed on low-growing plants like rockrose and geraniums – and they’re guarded by ants in return for sugary rewards.

The weather for our Easter transect was cool, overcast, and a bit reluctant to play nice. For much of the afternoon, the butterflies stayed tucked away, presumably sipping hot nectar indoors. But just when we thought we’d missed out, the sun peeked shyly through the clouds … and out they came!
Among the brave flutterers making a fashionably late entrance were the Dingy Skipper, the Grizzled Skipper, and the Green-veined White – names that sound like they come from a woodland fairytale, but are real-life characters now appearing in a meadow near you. And that meadow is Fames Rough, where most of this week’s butterfly action was recorded.
As the figures show, butterfly numbers are doing their own weather forecast – rising and falling in step with our current temperature rollercoaster. It’s a delicate dance between sunshine and wings, and this week the rhythm was definitely a slow one.

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) – more charming than its name suggests.

• Despite its dull brown colour, it’s actually a member of the fast-flying, sun-loving skipper family.
• It prefers warm, open habitats like chalk grasslands and brownfield sites – often basking with wings spread wide like a moth.  
• Its caterpillars live in a self-made shelter by folding leaves of Bird’s-foot-trefoil, their main food plant.

Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) – a tiny speedster with a chequered charm.

• Its distinctive black-and-white ‘grizzled’ pattern helps it blend perfectly into stony or gravelly ground.
• It’s one of the earliest skippers to emerge in spring, often zipping low over the ground in quick, darting flights.
• The caterpillars feed on wild strawberry and other plants in the rose family, hiding in cleverly folded leaves.

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) – a master of disguise in the meadow.

• Unlike the similar-looking Small White, its underwings have delicate greenish veins that help it vanish among foliage.
• It prefers damp, grassy habitats like meadows, woodland edges, and riverbanks – often overlooked despite being widespread.
• Females are picky egg-layers, choosing only the freshest wildflowers like cuckooflower and garlic mustard for their caterpillars.

An afternoon bathed in glorious sunshine and skies so blue they looked photoshopped – perfect weather both for butterflies and the volunteers counting them. This was only our second outing of the season, but what a difference a week makes! We nearly doubled last week’s total, proving that the butterflies were just waiting for a proper spring day to stretch their wings.
Leading the charge once again were the flashy Peacocks and widespread Brimstones, the latter spotted in every single one of the 12 transect sections – as if they’d been assigned to patrol.
We also welcomed some fresh names to the party, with season-first sightings of the darting Dingy Skipper and the dazzling Green Hairstreak, pictured below in all its emerald glory.

Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) – Nature’s early riser.

• It’s thought to be the original inspiration for the word butterfly due to the male’s buttery yellow wings.
• Brimstones can live up to a year – remarkably long for a butterfly.
• Their leaf-shaped wings make them masters of camouflage when resting among foliage, like the butterfly on the right.

Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io) – a springtime stunner.

• Its striking ‘eye-spot’ markings are used to scare off predators like birds.
• Despite its delicate looks, it hibernates through winter and is one of the first butterflies seen in spring.
• When threatened, it makes a hissing sound by rubbing its wings together.

Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) – a tiny gem of spring.

• Though its upper wings are brown, it always rests with wings closed, showing off its shimmering green undersides.
• It’s the only green butterfly in the UK, perfectly camouflaged among leaves and grasses.
• The family name Callophrys is a Greek word meaning ‘beautiful eyebrows’.

Survey by Brian G, Liz North, Duncan Jennings, Graham H and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). ​Report by GK & AI.

The afternoon of Thursday the19th proved to be a perfect choice for the penultimate transect of the 2024 season. We had continuous warm sun all the way round our 4 km walk, and the surviving butterflies were up and flying. 
 
Just for a change, the Meadow Browns failed to provide the highest count, they were beaten this time by a surprising  total of 29 Brown Argus. Our overall count of 56 butterflies from 9 species considered as reasonable for so late in the year. 
 
There are frequent news reports at the moment of 2024 being a disastrous year for butterfly sightings in the UK, but with still one week left of our counting season, we have recorded our third highest annual total of the eight complete seasons for which we have provided data. This appears to be due to the strong showing of our Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and Gatekeepers, but a more detailed study of the figures is required to identify population trends.

Count details:
29 Brown Argus
12 Meadow Brown
   4 Small White
   3 Common Blue
   2 Small Heath
   2 Brimstone 
   2 Speckled Wood
   1 Large White 
   1 Small Copper
Click on butterfly names for more info from Butterfly Conservation.

Survey by Brian G, Liz North, Duncan Jennings, Graham H and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​ Report by Brian Gardner.
​Pics by Graham Kenward.

Saturday, 7th September, was forecast to have the driest warm weather of the week, especially when compared to the heavy rain and gloomy conditions of the preceding days. It was therefore chosen for transect 23 and proved to be mildly warm and overcast with a couple of brief but light drizzly showers. 
 
Fortunately the butterflies didn't seem to be too unhappy and were seen in reasonable numbers considering the less than perfect conditions and the lateness of the season. There were some gaps in this week's cast list, namely the Purple Hairstreaks, Brown Hairstreaks, Small Heaths and Brimstones, but the Meadow Browns, Brown Argus and Common Blues continue to be fairly well represented. There was a Small White and one worn-looking female Chalkhill Blue remaining.
 
The number of butterflies seen at this time of year is entirely dependent upon having favourable weather so that they are warm enough to fly, and the availability of their food flowers – without these they will soon succumb.

 GH, GK and BG chose Friday, 30th August, for transect 22. The weather was fine, warm with only a light NE wind: just right for seeing late-season butterflies. We were relieved that the numbers counted had recovered following last week's cold weather plummet. 
 
The Meadow Browns, Brown Argus, Common Blues and Small Heaths were still quite numerous and our Chalkhill Blues were just about holding on. Hill Wood Field's Purple Hairstreaks, which we've seen over the 5 weeks, seem to have finished but we had a single Brown Hairstreak pose nicely for us, only to disappear as soon we tried to get a photo. We also had our first sighting this year of a Green-veined White, in Stagbury Field. Speckled Woods have been seen singly this season but on transect 22 we recorded four.

Count details:
64 Meadow Brown
  6 Chalkhill Blue
  4 Common Blue 
  3 Small Heath
  2 Brown Argus
  2 Brown Hairstreak 
​  2 Purple Hairstreak
  1 Gatekeeper
  1 Silver-washed Fritillary 
  1 Speckled Wood
 Count summary:
 86 butterflies from 10 species.
Click on butterfly names for more info from Butterfly Conservation.