This lovely spell of sunshine is bringing out the butterflies: 2,070 butterflies of 19 species have been reported so far this year.Grizzled and Dingy Skippers are starting, as are Green Hairstreak and Wall. Orange Tip are coming out in numbers now: half a dozen have been reported from two places, and Holly Blues are being seen all over.

Holly Blue. Photo: Caroline Stringer
The most numerous species being reported over the last ten days is the Brimstone (221) with the Peacock coming second with 148. Very pleasingly, the Small Tortoiseshell is making a strong showing with 48 reported, sometimes in groups of six; this species has been declining recently, so let’s hope this is a sign of it coming back.
Do remember you can go to our Recent Sightings page to find all sorts of interesting information, including:
- A chart which gives a good visual impression of relative numbers
- Each butterlfy record sent in, with numbers and where it was seen
- A map with markers showing all species reported at one place by one person
You can also go to our White Holes page to see where butterfly records are particularly wanted to ensure our recording is thorough. This looks at the time of the current five-year recording cycle, which is 2020-2024.