GH, LN and BG chose to go for transect 9 on a day when the week’s stifling heat was forecast to cool. What we got was warm, muggy weather with dense high cloud and only a few brief glimpses of the sun. 
The butterflies didn’t seem to think much of it either; this week’s count was our lowest since mid-April. 
But it wasn’t all gloom: the well established and now widespread kidney vetch is beginning to flower on Hither Field and here we saw 10 Small Blues, not forgetting a single SB on Great Parsons Field. 
This total of 11 SBs is our highest ever day’s count of these special little butterflies, a great reward for the work of the WoodChips in planting the kidney vetch to encourage them to take up residence on our site. 
Adding to the day's interest, we also recorded our first Large Skippers of the season, another sign that summer species are now beginning to emerge in earnest.

Count details:
​ 30 Common Blue
29 Small Heath
16 Large Skipper
11 Small Blue
7 Dingy Skipper
5 Meadow Brown
3 Holly Blue
2 Small Copper
2 Speckled Wood
1 Brimstone
1 Painted Lady
Count summary:
107 butterflies from 11 species.
If you would like to know more about any of the species mentioned, visit 
​butterfly-conservation.org

GH, LN and BG walked transect 6 on a gloriously warm and sunny afternoon. Amazingly, this latest count of 252 butterflies followed those of weeks 4 and 5 by exceeding the previous week's total by around 50 and giving us another record count for the third successive week. This was mainly due to the continuing increase in Dingy Skipper numbers but also a strong showing from Brimstones, Grizzled Skippers, Holly Blues and Small Heaths and the first Common Blues, Brown Argus and Small Blues of the season. 
​And finally, after our disappointment last week, we also had the pleasure of recording our first Painted Lady of the year!

Count details:
​104 Dingy Skipper
51 Brimstone
22 Small Heath
21 Holly Blue
19 Grizzled Skipper
10 Green Hairstreak
8 Common Blue
6 Small Copper
4 Peacock
3 Orange Tip
1 Brown Argus
1 Painted Lady (pictured above)
1 Small Blue
1 Speckled Wood
Count Summary:
​252 butterflies from 14 species.

Week 5’s transect was carried out by GH, LN, BG and by new-girl Luka, who clearly showed her keen interest and willingness to learn about butterflies. 
​Friday afternoon was selected for the survey as it was forecast to be very warm and sunny before the weather was set to deteriorate. Just as last week’s count was a week 4 record, week 5’s tally broke the record once again with 196 butterflies seen from 13 species. This was largely due to the surge in Dingy Skipper numbers. 
Our records for the past 10 years show that it’s extremely rare for count numbers to reach into the hundreds at this point in the year, let alone to surge as high as 159 and 196.
Just after we’d finished our walk we saw a Painted Lady, the first of the season but, sadly, off the transect.

Count Summary:
​76 Dingy Skipper
56 Brimstone
19 Holly Blue
11 Green Hairstreak
7 Small Copper
7 Small Heath
6 Peacock
5 Orange Tip
5 Grizzled Skipper
1 Comma
1 Large White
1 Small White
1 Speckled Wood
Total Summary:
196 butterflies from 13 species.