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News Archive for Mar 2015


31 Mar 2015

3 species at SOUTHSEA ROCK GARDEN. Flying at Southsea Rock Garden on a sunny but very windy day were Brimstone(male),Small Tortoiseshell & Peacockand 3 queen Buff-tailed Bumblebees.. [Posted by David Tinling]


Milton Lock Local Nature Reserve. A visit in very windy but warm sunny conditions produced some interesting results today, with a Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Large White, and last but not least a Peacock. I didn't expect to see much at all as the site has been really cut back, with most of the woodland parts opened out, which is good in the long term, but it looks really brutal at the moment, but it was here I saw the Speckled Wood and the Red Admiral. In the grassland areas the young shoots of Nettles are thrusting forward ready for the Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells to lay their eggs. I also saw a lovely Kestrel hovering above my head, and waders such as Turnstone and Green Shank. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]


27 Mar 2015

3 species in Ann's Hill Cemetery(east),Gosport. Brimstone(1 male),Red Admiral(2 males in aerial combat),Comma(1). [Posted by David Tinling]


Fort Cumberland. Visited what is really my local wildlife reserve known as Fort Cumberland which is sand dunes now covered in gorse and course grasses. In good mild weather today I saw (2) Small Tortoiseshells (2) Peacocks and (1) male Brimstone. This year has certainly started off very poor looking at this time last year I had already recorded up to 100 Brimstones up at Portsdown Hill, many Small Whites as well. I visited this site on Wednesday in perfect weather and didn't see anything. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]


25 Mar 2015

Small Tortoiseshell on the wing.. A triplet of Small Tortoiseshells in the sunshine last Wednesday at Woodlands allotments, Overton. The first butterflies for me this year. Hopefully there will be many more! [Posted by Michael Scoggins]


Small White. At last a butterfly; Small White flying at Cove SU858559,2pm [Posted by Terry Hotten]


22 Mar 2015

Peacock & Small Tortoiseshell(6) in Gosport. \Small Tortoiseshell(5 at Stokes Bay);Peacock(1 on Old Railway Line) & Small Tortoiseshell(1 on Golf Course)at Gosport. [Posted by David Tinling]


8 butterflies in 20 minutes. A short walk around Baker's Drove Field/Cromarty Road area yielded 4 Commas, 3 Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock. At one point I had 5 Butterflies overhead at once, 2 Commas, 2 Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock. Together with the Red Admiral seen earlier in Horn's Drove Wood making a total of 9 from 4 species. [Posted by Sue Lambert]

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Small Tortoiseshell & Comma
Photo © Sue Lambert

First butterfly!!. Having seen moths already this year it was rather enjoyable to see my first butterfly in the garden, a stunning Comma, which gave me the slightest of glimpses before it settled down for the night next to the Clematis trellis.

At least I know my eye is in for the lep. season. [Posted by Colin Baker]

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Comma at rest
Photo © Colin Baker

18 Mar 2015

14 butterflies of 5 species at Stokes Bay. Brimstone(4 males),Small White(1 very fresh female),Small Tortoiseshell(5),Peacock(2) & Comma(2) at StoKes Bay(old moat),Gosport. [Posted by David Tinling]


1 male brimstone. flying over garden at froxfield, petersfield [Posted by Pat Gardner]


Green-Veined White. I went to Milton local Allotments again today and saw a Green-Veined White and up to (8) Small Tortoiseshells, many in very good condition. This weather is certainly bringing them out slowly, and hopefully the Small Tortoiseshell can match the numbers of 2014. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]


17 Mar 2015

Brimstone Sighting. My father, Roy Symonds reports the sighting of a single male Brimstone in Elizabeth Road, Waterlooville (SU687087). [Posted by Richard Symonds]


Red Admiral,Small Tortoiseshell(5),& Peacock(2) in Gosport.. Small Tortoiseshell(courting couple) at Haslar(north-west);Peacock in Stanley Park;Red Admiral,Peacock & Small Tortoiseshell(3,including courting couple) at Stokes Bay(old moat),Gosport. [Posted by David Tinling & Rosie Wiliams]


Small Tortoiseshell's. A look around my local patch today Milton Allotments produced (4) Small Tortoiseshell's, looking back over my records for March last year, compared with this year so far this March has been very poor. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]


15 Mar 2015

3 species at Carter's Copse,Gosport.. At Carter's Copse,Gosport,a Red Admiral & a Peacock were taking nectar from Wild Cherry and 2 Small Tortoiseshells were basking and engaging in aerial combat. [Posted by Anne McCue]


12 Mar 2015

Red Admiral(4) at Fort Gilkicker,Gosport. 4 Red Admirals were seen basking and flying in a brisk SE wind at Fort Gilkicker,on the Gosport coast,by Alison Pallant. [Posted by David Tinling]


10 Mar 2015

Portsdown HIll. Visited Portsdown Hill on the warmest day of the year to see what's changed if anything, and the grazing regime has been hard at work, with several ponies eating the grass sward very short, and the scrub has been kept in check as well. I saw (4) Brimstones and (2) Small Tortoiseshells for my efforts. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]

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Ponies on Portsdown Hill
Photo © Ashley Whitlock
Portsdown Hill
Photo © Ashley Whitlock
Small Tortoiseshell
Photo © Ashley Whitlock

Brimstone Sighting. My father, Roy Symonds reports seeing a male Brimstone today at Elizabeth Road, Waterlooville (SU687087). [Posted by Roy Symonds]


07 Mar 2015

Brimstone Sighted. My father, Roy Symonds reports seeing his first butterfly of 2015, a male Brimstone flying on The Green, Rowlands Castle (SU732107)on 7th March. [Posted by Richard Symonds]


Brimstone(3) & Small Tortoiseshell in Gosport.. 2 male Brimstones & a Small Tortoiseshell at Stokes Bay(old moat) and a male Brimstone in Stanley Park,Gosport. [Posted by Anne McCue]


3 species on Ports Down.. Along the top path of Ports Down(south-central) 3 male Brimstones were flying to the south-west of Fort Widley and 2 Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock were basking and flying to the south-west of the roundabout. [Posted by David Tinling]


Tortioseshell in Hollybank Woods, Emsworth. Saw several Small Tortioseshell flying and basking in Hollybank Woods in Emsworth and round the nearby housing estate. [Posted by Francis Kinsella]

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Photo © Francis Kinsella

First of the year. Spotted my first butterflies of the year today whilst walking the dog in Farlington a bright male brimstone and a small tortoiseshell [Posted by Mark Tutton]


Brimstone in Emsworth. Have seen the first Brimstone flying today in Emsworth. It flew past while I was driving so no chance of a photo but several other people have seen Brimstone today. Also a very fast flying dark butterfly, possibly a Red Admiral. [Posted by Francis Kinsella]


Milton Allotments/ Moneyfields. Took a walk my local Allotments today despite it being the warmest day of the year, there is still a stiff cool wind which is keeping the sightings down. (2) Small Tortoiseshells and a Red Admiral was my tally. My wife was at a local football match at Moneyfields Football club where there is a significant amount of hedging around the park and here she saw a male Brimstone. [Posted by Ashley Whitlock]


06 Mar 2015

Small Tortoiseshell(2) at Stokes Bay,Gosport.. Two Small Tortoiseshells were basking & flying at Stokes Bay,Gosport. [Posted by David Tinling]


05 Mar 2015

Brimstone in Gosport.. Male Brimstone flying in Ann's Hill Cemetery(east),Gosport,seen by David Tinling & Kevin Ilsley. [Posted by David Tinling]


Small Tortoiseshell in Gosport.. Small Tortoiseshell flying in Cheriton Road,Gosport,seen by Kevin Ilsley. [Posted by David Tinling]


Brimstone. Male Brimstone flying in bright sunshine at Pennington, Lymington today. [Posted by TONY BLAKELEY]


04 Mar 2015

Red Admiral in Gosport.. Red Admiral in Carter's Copse,Gosport. [Posted by Anne McCue]