A record-breaking week

Transect 14 of our 26-week season was carried out by GH, LN and BG on a warm, sunny morning – tempered by a strong breeze. The butterflies, however, seemed unbothered. In fact, they turned out in spectacular numbers, continuing the trend of an exceptional early summer.
The usual crowd of Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and Ringlets led the way once again, but this week they were boosted by dramatic increases in Gatekeepers and Large Whites. Perhaps most exciting was the unexpected burst of newly emerged Purple Hairstreaks, glimpsed dancing in the trees at the top of Hill Wood Field – a rare treat, as this species often stays elusive in the high canopy.
This transect shattered our previous records: we logged 22 different butterfly species in a single walk, beating our previous best of 18. Even more impressively, our cumulative total for the season so far has reached 3,331 butterflies – already beating the totals for several entire past seasons … and we’re only halfway through!

Count details:
179 Meadow Brown
129 Marbled White
  88 Gatekeeper
  59 Ringlet
  39 Small/Essex Skipper
  (inc. 4 Small and 5 Essex confirmed)
  27 Large White
  21 Purple Hairstreak
  14 Common Blue
    9 Small Copper
    6 Speckled Wood
    5 Comma
    5 Dark Green Fritillary
    4 Small White
    2 Small Heath
    2 Brimstone
    2 Brown Argus
    2 Silver-washed Fritillary
    1 Green-veined White
    1 Holly Blue
    1 Large Skipper
    1 Peacock
    1 Red Admiral
Count summary: 598 butterflies from 22 species. 
​For more info on these species visit
​ butterfly-conservation.org

Butterflies of the week

High-flyer of the treetops: the Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus)

• This elusive beauty spends most of its life high in oak canopies, often going unnoticed despite being widespread.
• Adults feed on honeydew from aphids rather than flowers, meaning they rarely descend to eye level – unless you're lucky!
• Males are more visible in the early evening sunshine, when they defend treetop territories in short, spiralling flights.

Purple Hairstreak, Hill Wood Field - Liz North

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja) – a fast flier with a taste for the wild.

• Despite the name, it’s not very green – its name comes from the greenish sheen on the underside of its hind wings.
• It’s one of the UK’s speediest butterflies, zipping across grasslands in a blur of orange and black.
• Its caterpillars rely on violets – especially Dog Violet – as their sole food source, laying eggs near tufts where the larvae can safely hibernate over winter.

Slightly worn Dark Green Fritillary - Liz North

Survey by Brian G, Graham Harris and  Liz North submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS).
​ ​Report by GK, BG & AI.