Category Archives: Featured photo

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A red, black and brown butterfly with some white markings resting on a green leaf

Red Admiral. Photo: Brian Arnold

A red, black and brown butterfly with some white markings on a stone wall

Red Admiral: Photo: Brian Arnold

Brian sent in these photos telling us:

The sunny weather today, 02/02/2025 brought out another Red Admiral in our garden at Harman’s Cross.  I assumed it was the same specimen we saw in our garden on Thursday and Friday last week, but examination of the photos shows that it is a different specimen, assuming that it has not managed to regrow bits of its rear wings! We were out in the garden for quite a while and I was hoping to see both of them at once, but alas no. However it was warm enough to be sitting outside with ice creams – another first for 2025.

A red, black and brown butterfly with some white markings on a stone wall

Red Admiral. Photo: Brian Arnold

A very happy Brian sent in this photo telling us:

Yippee! Our first butterfly of 2025 – seen in our garden at Harman’s Cross today 30/01/2025.  This Red Admiral came out of hibernation to take advantage of the sunshine – although quite a cold day, the sheltered parts of our garden were surprisingly warm – enough for this butterfly to enjoy basking in the sunshine.

A red, black and brown butterfly with some white markings on a brick wall

Red Admiral. Photo: Shona Refoy

The first photo for the Gallery of a butterfly seen in 2025 – sent in by Shona telling us:

I saw my first butterfly of the year today, 16/01/2025 during an unexpected spell of sunshine this morning.  A Red Admiral basking on a first floor windowsill in Upton Country Park Walled Garden – luckily it flew down to a low wall so that I could take some better photos.

A brown and orange butterfly with black and white markings

Meadow Brown. Photo: James Waterfall

James sent us this photo of a Meadow Brown he saw on the top of Beacon Hill near Melbury Abbas on 15/11/2024.  This is amazingly late for this species as the last record of a sighting of one in Dorset is usually sometime in October.

A brown, black and part orange butterfly with a white marking

Comma. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark was rather surprised to see this butterfly in his Motcombe garden earlier today, 11/11/2024 and he sent us this photo saying:

It is pretty rare for me to be sending you any images at this time of year but this Comma actually came to me today.

I was in the sitting room this morning when I spotted this individual come past the window and crash into the side of the house and it just stayed there! As I write this it is getting dark and it is still clinging to the side of the house!

An orange butterfly with black and white markings on a pink flower

Painted Lady. Photo; Sue East

Two butterflies - one orange with black and white markings and the other red, black and brown with some white markings

Red Admiral and Painted Lady. Photo: Sue East

Two photos from Sue both taken today, 22/10/2024 in her Hinton St Mary garden and sent in telling us:

The sunshine and warmth this morning brought an unexpected flurry of late autumn butterflies to our garden including this Painted Lady and Red Admiral.  Also seen on the Ivy flowers were two Commas.