Malcolm Hull

Greenwings Tour of Malay Peninsular up and running. 66 butterfly species recorded in the first three days @greenwingstours.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Bangkok butterflies from Thailand. Plain Tiger, Tiny Grass Blue, Lime and Common Tiger. The Tigers are stunning insects, badly in need of a better PR agent @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-

An ideal 15 minute break from thesis writing - taking part in the @bas.ac.uk BioBlitz #BigButterflyCount with @savebutterflies.bsky.social - leis na hacmhainní i nGaeilge!

Five Peacock caterpillar nests in one small area down at Chapmans Pool on South Dorset coast plus others around Purbeck implies the biggest second gen I have ever seen. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

High numbers of second brood Dingy Skippers spotted in Dorset, look out this coming week in other sites @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Wow! Fantastic photo Martin. Luckily my Peacocks only have to face spiders, who don’t usually make much impact on butterfly numbers. Do you know which species of bats are involved? I do get bats in my garden, all Pippistrelles

Five Peacocks now hibernating in my shed in St Albans. The first couple were there by 9th July, earliest ever date in the year I’ve recorded for this species to hibernate @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social

Martin, yes my first 2 hibernating Peacocks in St Albans on Tuesday 8th, ten days earlier in the year than previous record in last 12 years. No Peacocks at all on todays BC walk in the warmer climate of Islington, all hibernating their already. Sadly no STs again this year

Second generation Small Blues showing well on the west side of Heartwood Forest this afternoon. 20 in total including seven on the damp patches round the dog pond -five perched on a single stick @wtscotsocial.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social

A black and yellow caterpillar on a ragwort plant and an Ichneumon wasp

This is cool! A cinnabar moth caterpillar is on the left and the big parasitic wasp is Barylypa propugnator who will lay her eggs inside the caterpillar!!
The little wasp larvae are clever cos they eat the least vital organs of the caterpillar first, so they remain fresh for longer!

A male and a female Purple Emperor butterfly on a sap run.

On a sap run on an Elm sucker, going down with DE disease. A male and female Purple Emperor. Then a other we had no seen flew away, then a hornet dismembering possibly a fourth tumbled to the ground and took away the body, minus at least 2 of the wings.

Brown Hairstreak flying in west London today. New brood Common Blue and Brown Argus out in Herts

Fri, 3pm. Again, most of the warmth (and dust) over the east.

Fri, 10pm

Saharan dust returns with a vengeance on Friday night through Saturday.

Friday looks to be another very stormy day with high levels of Saharan dust over the east of the country. Again SE/E areas will see the best conditions for migrants.

Hopefully most of GB and Ireland will see some migrant activity at the end of the week, even as far north as Shetland. #teammoth

We were fighting our way through clouds of them on the BC walk at Heartwood Forest near St Albans yesterday. They are having a very good year on that site at least!

White-letter Hairstreak at Oreston Road, Plymouth. 5-6 seen at eye level. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

1am Thurs - it doesn't get any better than this!

3pm Weds

3pm Thurs

The latest charts for Weds-Thurs are the stuff of dreams for those interested in insect dispersal - all roads lead north! #teammoth

Having a bit of a mothy end to the Week - Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden yesterday and today, oh just a FIERY CLEARWING moth that landed in front of me and the ranger at EWT Thameside! @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #moth #teammoth #bugsky

Another good moth from Saturday night’s trapping on the edge of Dartmoor was this Red-necked Footman. Although it’s a species that has undergone a massive range expansion in Britain over recent decades, it’s one I rarely see #teammoth

White Admiral

White admiral

White Admiral

Wow, I was not expecting to see this White Admiral inside our conservatory this evening here in Colchester. Just got in from work and there it was. Cool and wet outside, must of come in earlier through the open door, my earliest ever White Admiral. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #butterfly

Wow, well worth reporting, there’s no first sighting of the year reported on the national Butterfly Conservation site. Many species here in Herts are recording record early dates this year

We The Lea Walk — ecoACTIVE | environmental education in East London The We The Lea Walk invites you on a rich journey along the River Lea, tracing the untold stories of restoration, resistance and rewilding. This full-day linear walk links key sites of ecological imp...

Looking for a day out in London on Saturday? Why not Walk the Lea and learn about its nature and wildlife @save butterflies @wethelea #WeTheLea
www.ecoactive.org.uk/blog/we-the-...

It’s early days, but BNG is beginning to make a useful difference to wildlife. Many developers are taking it seriously and they are right to say that better resourcing for ecological expertise in local planning authorities is important. Government should focus on delivering this

@bc-hertsmiddx.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Ten Dingy Skippers on this afternoons trip to Shrubhill Common in Hemel Hempstead.But none at all this morning at nearby Bovingdon Brickpits Interesting that the flight season has ended earlier at the clay site, but still flying at the chalk site. @bc-hertsmiddx @savebutterflies

Blue insects are just fab. 💙 Here's a nice male Broad-bodied Chaser I spied at the edge of one of the ponds at Marden Meadows at the weekend.

More muddled mixed messaging from the government. Protecting our environment should be non-negotiable.

Painted Lady enjoying the wallflower in our cottage garden this afternoon, sun out and a sheltered spot from the wind.
5 seen this weekend locally, good to see them working there way up the East Coast.
#savebutterflies
#bc-cambs-essex
#wildspaces

Pauper Pug moth, relatively large and attractive as Pugs go, and a lifer for me.

As noted by @wjrpb.bsky.social, this moth from evening of 1st May has been confirmed by gen det by Colin Plant as Pauper Pug. Apparently the 2nd Hertfordshire record after one in 2020. #TeamMoth

Just noticed this in last Sunday’s Observer, a week in the life of an Orange-tip as told to Simon Barnes. Brilliant.