Butterfly Summary

Overall it has to be considered another poor year for Butterflies. There are some bright spots but what I consider the everyday common Butterflies seem in short supply. The Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Large Whites and Small Whites which in a typical garden make up most of the Butterflies you see were not seen as frequently as they were five or six years ago. The good news is that the Marbled Whites are still doing well. They hit the hot dry spell this year and were a common sight for the best part of two months over both fields and near the house. The most successful this year were the Meadow Browns with whole clouds of them at one point. The sixteen species seen this year rate as follows: Great year - Meadow Brown Good year - Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Orange Tip OK year - Common Blue, Ringlet, Still around - Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock Hanging on - Small Skipper,Painted Lady,Comma, Red Admiral, Small Copper Photo is an old one of a Small Skipper