The first sighting of a Wood White in Dorset this year has just been notified to Dorset BC. It was seen in Lyme Regis on 26/04/2022 by Sam Ellis who shared this great photo of it with us.
The Wood White is our rarest resident White Butterfly and the Undercliff at Lyme Regis is likely to be the only place to see one in Dorset but great care needs to be taken when searching for them in this area as the terrain there can be quite difficult.
The butterfly has a slow, low fluttering flight usually no more than a metre above the ground. The main flight period is from early May to early July and the food plants are Meadow Vetchling, Bitter Vetch, Tufted Vetch and Common and Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil.
The first sighting of a Wood White notified to Dorset BC last year was on 27th April 2021, one day later than this year.