Small Tortoiseshell. Photo: Paul Harris

Paul sent in this photo saying:

Given the parlous state of the Small Tortoiseshell population, I thought you might like this one. I saw it whilst doing a Butterfly transect on the Ridgeway just outside Weymouth on 03/07/2026. Of the several transects I’ve done there this year, this species and a single Clouded Yellow are the rarest species I’ve seen. Quite shocking.