SSB seen further west in Dorset than ever before

view of a pair of Silver-studded blues mating on a grass stem
Silver-studded Blues.Photo: Mel Bray

Silver-studded Blues are being seen in huge numbers at the moment, and further west than ever before recorded.

Our Records Officer, Bill Shreeves says:”When this species has a good year their numbers can be astronomical”.  The top count so far has been 200 at Slop Bog, near Ferndown. 175 have been counted near Bere Regis, and 169 near Wareham, while Higher Hyde Nature Reserve near Bovington boasted 114.

Even more excitingly, they have been seen further west in Dorset than ever before – staff from Butterfly Conservation HQ have reported them at Burton Bradstock and near Lulworth. The records we have, dating back to 1980 and before, only show them as far west as Portland. It is probably the hot weather which is allowing them to fly further than normal, but whether they can breed outside the habitat they need is very uncertain.

Blue butterfly with black edge to its wings on a stalk of heather

Silver-studded Blue. Photo: Lyn Pullen

If you want to see all the sightings reported to the website, go to our Recent Sightings page and see the “Record Details” section. Click on the word “Species” at the top of the list and it will put them in alphabetical order so you can scroll down to see all the Silver-studded Blues.

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