I did the two butterfly transects yesterday. We’re getting into the big numbers time of year, with counting taking longer than it did in April, especially trying to identify the skippers and browns. Not many Essex skippers yet, plenty of small and large and lots of ‘small/Essex’ as per usual!

Only a few ringlets still and no gatekeeper yet. Gatekeeper are usual one of the last of the regular residents butterfly species to be recorded, - maybe I'll spot one this week?

I haven’t seen any of the irregular residents on transect yet (purple or white-letter hairstreaks). It can’t be long before painted lady, our regular non-resident makes an appearance.

I recorded the first of the new generation peacock butterfly at Barton and brimstone at Westfield.

Lots of marbled whites everywhere – there were many more off transect at Barton in the ‘pollinator patches’ but they don’t count for the standard transect

By the end of the long hot survey at Westfield I was ready for a swim in the brook.

Dr Vince Lea
Head of Wildlife Monitoring

BARTON – TOTAL 234	WESTFIELD – TOTAL 385
Small Skipper 4 Essex Skipper 1 Sml/Esx Skipper 11 Large Skipper 14 Large White 3 Small White 5 Green-veined White 1 Small Tortoiseshell 22 Peacock 1 Comma 1 Marbled White 21 Meadow Brown 130 Ringlet 9 Small Heath 11	Small Skipper 17 Essex Skipper 1 Sml/Esx Skipper 24 Large Skipper 21 Brimstone 1 Large White 3 Small White 17 Green-veined White 9 Common Blue 1 Red Admiral 2 Small Tortoiseshell 17 Marbled White 30 Meadow Brown 225 Ringlet 8 Small Heath 9

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