Rare Skipper steals the spotlight

GH, LN and BG tackled Transect 19 under a blazing sun on the first day of the summer’s fourth heatwave. Despite the heat, butterfly activity was lively, led once again by the ever-reliable Meadow Browns – 243 were counted, an unusually high tally for this late in the season. They were joined by strong showings of Common Blues, Chalkhill Blues, and Small Heaths, while Gatekeepers, so abundant last week, fell sharply from 233 to just 41.
But the real excitement came in the form of a tiny, fast-flying rarity: a single Silver-spotted Skipper. This little gem is a scarce species in our area, and its appearance marks only the second time we’ve recorded one in ten years of transects – proof that even on the hottest days, the unexpected can happen.

Count details:
243 Meadow Brown
  54 Common Blue
  41 Gatekeeper
  26 Chalkhill Blue
  24 Small Heath
  11 Small White
    7 Large White
    5 Small Copper
    4 Speckled Wood
    3 Brown Argus
    3 Purple Hairstreak
    2 Brimstone
    1 Silver-spotted Skipper
Summary:
424 butterflies from 13 species.
For more info on these species visit
​​butterfly-conservation.org

Butterfly of the week

Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma) – the rare speedy sunlover

• A scarce UK butterfly, found only on a handful of warm, south-facing chalk grassland sites in southern England.
• One of the fastest butterflies in the country, able to zip away in a blur before you can blink.
• Its caterpillars feed exclusively on sheep’s-fescue grass, and the ‘silver spots’ are actually pale gold, best seen when the wings are closed in bright sunlight.

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