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Purple Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike
White Admiral. Photo: Mark Pike
Two photos from Mark sent in telling us:
Plenty on the wing at Piddles Wood this afternoon, 08/06/2026 including Red and White Admirals and this nice fresh Purple Hairstreak basking on a fern, would have been churlish not to take its picture!
Marbled White. Photo: John Woodruff
White Admiral. Photo: John Woodruff
Two photos from John sent in telling us:
After a fruitless trip to Slop Bog on 29/05/2026 in the hope of seeing some Silver-studded Blues, I made a quick visit to Badbury Rings and there found this beautiful Marbled White.
In Piddles Wood three days later on 01/06/2026 during a brief period of hazy sunshine, I found 6 White Admirals in various parts of the Wood basking in the vegetation.
White Admiral ab.rufoannullata. Photo: Mark Brown
Mark sent us this photo of a White Admiral ab.rufoannullata he took at Lydlinch recently pointing out the unusual red markings.
White Admiral. Photo: Lynda Lambert
Gatekeeper. Photo: Lynda Lambert
Lynda says:
I visited Garston Woods on 29 June and it was a butterfly bonanza. So many Silver-washed Fritillaries, Peacocks, Red Admirals, Ringlets, Whites, Brimstones, Meadow Browns.
Just four White Admirals but only one half decent image.
Also this one Gatekeeper seen, freshly emerged I think
White Admiral. Photo: Caroline Stringer
White Admiral. Photo: Caroline Stringer
Caroline caught these shots near Tarrant Launceston on 15 June.
White Admirals need woodland, of which we don’t have a great deal in Dorset. Last year (2024) this website recorded 86, though 177 wer reported in 2023.
Purple Hairstreak. Photo: Matt Cooper
White Admiral. Photo: Matt Cooper
Matt tells us:
A lovely couple of hours at Alners Gorse [20/6/25] resulted in multiple firsts for the year again: Marbled White, Purple Hairstreak, Comma and White Admiral, with lots of Silver-Washed Fritullaries, Meadow Browns and Large Skippers. Of course, the Purple Hairstreak and White Admiral stubbornly refused to co-operate in the photo stakes!!
White Admiral. Photo: James LeRouge
Silver-washed Fritillary James. Photo: LeRouge
James tells us:
I found not only a very early White Admiral BUT also a Silver-washed Fritillary in the space of about 10 minutes in a glade near to Badbury Rings on 2 June. I could not quite believe my luck. I was actually going to go and look for possible early Dark Greens but never made it due to this distraction and time constraints.
White Admiral. Photo: Gary Holderness
White Admiral. Photo: Gary Holderness
Gary sent in these photos telling us:
I went to RSPB Garston Wood this morning 02/07/24 hoping to see if Purple Emperors were on the wing but unfortunately I didn’t see any. There were however still butterflies about despite the cloudy weather including this White Admiral which came down from the trees to give excellent views.
White Admiral. Photo: Sharon Towning
White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Sharon Towning
Two photos from Sharon sent in telling us:
I went to Alners Gorse today, 22/06/2024 and saw a few White-letter Hairstreaks flying high in the tops of the Oak Trees and also a White Admiral nectaring on the Bramble flowers.
White Admiral. Photo: Mark Pike
White Admiral. Photo: Mark Pike
Two photos from Mark sent in telling us:
My favourite butterfly, the White Admiral. There were around half a dozen at the bottom of Piddles Wood this morning, 21/06/2024, probably more, but only this pristine specimen stopped for a brief moment to allow these shots though!