Saturday was forecast to be the coolest day in the midst of an early season heatwave and so GH and BG chose it as the most suitable for transect 12. The day proved to be pleasantly warm with a mainly cloudy sky, but the butterflies seemed to approve and were out in reasonable numbers. They gave us our highest count of the year so far as we approached the halfway point of the transect season.
When we reached Fames Rough we saw that the lower path, forming our transect Section 3, was fenced off down its length for conservation grazing. To compensate, we walked the upper path (section 4), counting butterflies on both our outward and return walk. We reasoned that the sheep currently on Coneyboro Hill (pictured below) may soon be moved into the fenced area of Fames Rough. Last week the count was low but numbers for this transect shot up to 430 butterflies, our best result of 2026 to date – beaten only by the week totals of 517 (2020) and 435 (2017). The rise in numbers was due mainly to the surge in Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Small/Essex Skippers.

Count details:
​188 Marbled White
157 Meadow Brown
32 Small/Essex Skipper (3 confirmed as Small Skipper)
30 Ringlet
8 Small Heath
4 Large Skipper
4 Painted Lady
1 Common Blue
1 Dark Green Fritillary
1 Red Admiral
1 Speckled Wood
Count summary:
430 butterflies from 12 species.

We had intended to do the transect on Friday but, as the weather that day looked unfavourable, we made a last-minute decision in favour of the more promising Saturday. This proved to be a good choice as we were able to walk around in continuous warm sunshine – just the sort of weather to encourage butterflies.
Although the numbers recorded have dropped back from the record highs of the early season, the day’s count of 151 from 14 species was pretty well average for the time of year. The figures were helped along by seeing the summer’s first Small/Essex Skippers, Dark Green Fritillaries, Marbled Whites and Ringlets. These new arrivals helped compensate for our recording fewer Common and Holly Blues, Brimstones, Small Coppers and Dingy Skippers, many of which are now past their peak flight period.
We also had two rare sightings of 2 separate
Roe Deer, one on the top edge of Stagbury Field and the other at the Burgh Heath end of Fames Rough.

Count details:
​ 64 Meadow Brown
24 Marbled White
23 Small Heath
10 Brimstone
8 Small/Essex Skipper (5 identified as Essex, 1 identified as Small and 2 unconfirmed)
6 Large Skipper
5 Common Blue
3 Ringlet
2 Comma
2 Red Admiral
2 Dark Green Fritillary
1 Dingy Skipper
1 Speckled Wood

​Count Summary:
151 butterflies from 14 species.