Tuesday 10th July 2018

Butterfly Species: Brimstone (3) Speckled Wood (9) Comma (16) Small White (7) Peacock (7) Green Veined White (11) Large White (4) Meadow Brown (20+) Red Admiral (1) Small Skipper (3) Marbled White (7) Ringlet (16+) Silver Washed Fritillary (10) White-letter Hairstreak (4) Gatekeeper (19+)

Peacock Butterfly - Summer Brood 10-07-2018
A mid-morning start today with the weather cloudier and slightly cooler than of late. With temperatures forecast to reach 23c later in the day I was not expecting the numbers of butterflies seen on recent visits.

Faded Marbled White - Tucking Mill 10-07-2018

The Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets were still common but the Gatekeepers are beginning to outnumber them. The first of the summer broods of Peacock and Brimstone are starting to make an appearance. 

Freshly emerged Brimstone Butterfly, Midford 10-07-2018

With the Bramble blossom now fading the Buddleja dotted along the route are proving a useful lure for many of the species including Commas and Silver-washed Fritillary.





White-letter Hairstreaks were seen again on the mature Wych Elm near Midford Castle. These are flying at various places along the path. They are not easy to identify without a lot of patients and a pair of binoculars due to their habit of staying high in the canopy and rarely descending to feed. I did however mange to snatch a photo of one on a buddleja on the Tucking Mill viaduct. Sadly this example was missing a section of hindwing and hence the characteristic "w" marking.

White-letter Hairstreak - Tucking Mill Viaduct 10-07-2018


Skippers were seen near the Tucking Mill end of the path. The one I managed to photograph being a Small Skipper. This lacked the black tips to its antennae which is the distinguishing feature of the Essex Skipper. The Essex Skipper was recorded on an earlier walk further on towards Wellow.

Small Skipper - Tucking Mill 10-07-2018

Essex Skipper - Wellow


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