Saturday count

As two key members of our transect team will be elsewhere for most of this transect week (13/26) and Saturday's weather forecast was showing it to be the best of the remaining days of week 13, Graham H and Brian made the unprecedented decision to do the butterfly count on a Saturday. 
 
It was only three days since our week 12 transect, so for a change we did the walk in reverse sequence, starting out in bright warm sunshine which became rather more patchy as we proceeded.
 
Meadow Browns and Small Heaths had the highest count (both with similar numbers to last week's figures) followed by a rapid advance in the number of Marbled Whites. We saw our first Small Skipper (just the one) and our second highest count of the spectacular Dark Green Fritillaries (five were in Fames Rough and seven in Stagbury Field). With only three Common Blues sighted, we can only conclude that the CBs early summer brood has peaked: their second brood should emerge in about a month's time.
 
The butterfly numbers recorded for this season remain comparatively low but Saturday's count offers hope that we'll be seeing more over the next few weeks.

Count details:
57 Meadow Brown
28 Small Heath
26 Marbled White
12 Dark Green Fritillary
  5 Large Skipper
  3 Common Blue
  3 Small Tortoiseshell
  2 Red Admiral
  1 Small Skipper
  1 Brimstone
  1 Green Hairstreak
Click on butterfly names for more info. 
Total: 139 butterflies from 11 species.

Survey by Brian Gardner and Graham H ​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report and pics by Brian Gardner. 
​
​Click on pics to enlarge.

Large Skipper

Dark Green Fritillary

Small Skipper

UPDATE: last Wednesday's transect (23/6/2021)

This transect was walked by Graham H and Brian in fine and warm weather but, as in recent weeks, the overall numbers recorded were low when compared to the same weeks of previous years since we started recording back in 2016. 
 
The most numerous butterflies seen were the Meadow Browns (with 55 counted) followed by 23 Small Heaths, and  we also saw our first Dark Green Fritillaries and Marbled Whites of this season.
 
Hither Field's Kidney Vetch patch is still in full flower but no Small Blues were seen.

Count details:
55 Meadow Brown
23 Small Heath
  8 Common Blue
  5 Marbled White
  5 Small Tortoiseshell
  4 Large Skipper
  4 Dark Green Fritillary
  2 Small White
  1 Green Hairstreak
  1 Speckled Wood
 Click on butterfly names for more info.

​Total: 108 across 10 species.

Survey by Brian Gardner and Graham H ​submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). 
​Report by Brian Gardner.