Butterfly Islands: March 2026

Saturday, 21 March 2026

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the Wing.

A sign of things to come was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth nectaring on a tree germander (Teucrium fruticans) in my garden this afternoon.Just a few plants are flowering at this time.

Stock Photo

Thursday, 19 March 2026

Large Tortoiseshell on Show.

A first visit of the season today to Bouldnor Forest at Yarmouth produced this magnificent Large Tortoiseshell.Observed flitting along a forest track,not hanging around unfortunately and quickly disappearing into the trees.Other butterflies on display were several Brimstone and Commas.Also Peacock and a Red Admiral.

Note; Sightings of this species have been numerous on the Isle of Wight over the last month leading to the expectation that the Large Tortoiseshell has now become a resident species in the UK.

Monday, 2 March 2026

A First Butterfly of the Year

With continous bouts of rain now stopped for a while and the temperatures rising,it feels as though spring is on its way.This morning in the flower border outside my back door the sight of this handsome Peacock butterfly was a welcome visitor.

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The Adonis Blue

The Large Tortoiseshell

It seems the general view on the status of the Large Tortoiseshell in Britain is that it is now extinct as a breeding butterfly.
It is a butterfly of woodland edges and hedgerows that abound in willows,elms,and poplars.These trees are used by the adult to lay its eggs and this single brood appears in July and August.The emerging butterfly then hibernates over the winter in log piles and hollow trees until the next spring.
On the Isle of Wight sightings are more often than not made from early March to April.Have these butterflies overwintered on the Island or have they come from the continent where it is common?
Any sightings made in July/August pose the same question.Another explanation could be that captive-bred releases are responsible.Only the discovery of eggs and caterpillars will probably answer these questions.

I can now report that evidence has been found of breeding just along the coast at Portland in Dorset (June 2020) and again at the same location in the summer of 2021.

The Glanville Fritillary

This elegant butterfly is mainly confined to the crumbling undercliffs and chalk downs of the Isle of Wight.It is also found on the Channel Islands and at one or two isolated colonies on the British mainland.In Britain the Glanville Fritillary is at the extreme north-western edge of its range.On the continent it is readily found in flowery habitats.
Around the southern shores of the Isle of Wight the cliffs constantly erode causing them to slip away and provide perfect conditions for new growths of the butterflies laval host plant,Ribwort Plantain.
The eggs are laid to the underside of the leaves of this plant and normally hatch after about three weeks.The resulting caterpillars live together in communal webs spun over the plantain.In the autumn they hibernate and recommence feeding in the spring,eventually dispersing to prepare for pupation.
The adult butterfly is on the wing from May to the end of June with the female being larger than the male.They will feed on,amongst other things, Birds-foot Trefoil and Thrift.

The Wall Brown

On the Isle of Wight in particular,the Wall Brown is a butterfly of field edges,coastal cliffs and dunes,and rabbit-grazed downland.
The male is territorial and spends much of the time patrolling and basking on the ground.
The female,which lacks the males conspicuous dark sex brand across the forewings,is larger.The undersides of both sexes are beautifully cryptic when at rest.
The Wall Brown generally produces two broods a year,the first from late April until late June and the second from mid-July to mid-September.