Butterfly Islands: June 2026

Friday, 26 June 2026

Summer Butterflies at Newtown.

A return visit today to Newtown discovered a good number of summer butterflies on the wing despite rather cloudy but bright conditions.The hot weather continues and towards the end of my walk the sun appeared to encourage more butterflies to take flight. The species on show in particular are Marbled White,Ringlet, a small number of Gatekeeper,Painted Lady, and Small Skipper. The brighter weather at the end of my stroll saw several White Admiral but just one Silver-washed Fritillary.

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

A Quick Walk around Walters Copse.

The weather today was mainly cloudy but bright with the occasional sunny spell and warm temperatures.A brief visit to Walters Copse,Newtown at lunchtime yielded numerous Meadow Brown and a small number of Painted Lady.The latter all too common at present. In addition to 3 Marbled White,the same number of White Admiral were observed flitting around in the trees.The Silver-washed Fritillary has proved to be elusive to me up to now this season and at last I managed to record a male in the copse today.

Sunday, 7 June 2026

Cloudy Weather Restricts Butterfly Sightings.

Weather conditions today were not ideal with what can be described as cloudy but bright.There was just the odd short sunny period to encourage the butterflies and consequently numbers were low.However the White Admiral made several appearances feeding on bramble flowers.I hoped to register a first Silver-washed Fritillary of the year but none were forthcoming.Species to see today in Bouldnor Forest included Meadow Brown,Large Skipper, a Painted Lady,and a seemingly recently emerged Comma.

Friday, 5 June 2026

White Admirals on the Wing.

Up to ten White Admirals were present today in Bouldnor Forest mainly seen feeding on bramble flowers.Meadow Brown were also out in good numbers but unlike a few days ago Painted Lady numbers amounted to only three.Other butterfly species recorded today, 3 Large Skipper,a handsome male Common Blue together with this female.

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.