All the sensational details are in my book, Butterflies: a natural history, from Bloomsbury

Green-veined Whites, Pieris napi, now emerging in southern UK. The males smell strongly of lemon to tell females they are the right species of white when they get close. The stronger the smell, the more successful they are. But females are promiscuous and store nutrients from many spermatophores!

Holly Blue season already going over down here in Dorset. Here is a rather worn male taking nectar from Alkanet. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Worn Large Tortoiseshell

Worn underwing of Large Tortoiseshell

Thrilled to find my first Large Tortoiseshell in the UK today (Somerset) @savebutterflies.bsky.social #SomersetButterflies #inverts

Green Hairstreak, Godlingston Heath Mike sent in this photo he took whilst out reptile surveying on Godlingston Heath this morning, 20/04/2026 – his first Green Hairstreak of the year.

Our latest emerging species is the Green Hairstreak, seen at Godlingston Heath by Mike Wenham www.dorsetbutterflies.com/2026/04/gree...

Brilliant idea or it could be Pollard E²

@ukbms.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @richardfoxbc.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk

Graph showing dramatic decline in Grayling, Hipparchia semele, and equally dramatic increase of Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja, over the last 50 years at Ballard Down in south Dorset, UK

Our review of fifty year butterfly trends at Ballard Down is out. An amazing record that shows some fascinating ups and downs. Diversity has held up well. Winners are Dark Green Frit, Marbled White and Speckled Wood. Losers: Grayling, Green Hairstreak and Chalk Hill Blue. dispar.org/reference.ph...

Thanks Anne, its the first I have ever seen so wanted to be sure. We get a lot of the Black versions around here so its great to have this confirmed

Yes. You can tell by the angled / stepped shape at the back of the thorax. Black oil beetle would be straight across. Violet also tends to have a smoother appearance overall. Black can look quite pitted on the thorax. Colour is not indicative.

Italian Marbled White (Melanargia arge) © Marco Bonifacino

Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae) © Marco Bonifacino

Good morning and welcome to a new week.

Our featured tour is Spring Butterflies in Abruzzo. Due to a late cancellation we have one place available to join us for this delightful Italian break, generating a donation to support @europebutterfly.bsky.social. (1/2)

mariposanature.com/tours/butter...

Many thanks

Is this a Violet Oil-beetle, seen in our garden today?@johnwalterswildife.bsky.social

Wall Brown at Durlston, Swanage. One of three we counted on our transect walk today. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social

the first holly blue sighting i've had this year and more are on the way!

Duke of Burgundy flying at Butser Hill - Hants today

Heavily cropped photo of Holly Blue laying eggs on holly flower in my garden, then taking a well earned rest! @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Found on heathland today is this a grey scalloped bar ? Seems early ? @dorsetmoths.bsky.social @lytchettbirder.bsky.social

From lunchtime transect walk of note - 3 active Clouded Yellow zigzagging along undercliff. First Painted Lady of the monitoring season seen. Very lively individual so poor quality in flight shot .

New open-access study: summer 2024 in the northern extra-tropics was the warmest in 2000 years.

The warmest reconstructed summer (246 CE) was 1.5 °C colder than 2024.

Helama (2026): link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Three White-tailed Eagles over Houns-tout 12:40 @studlandbirds.bsky.social @staldhelmsbirder.bsky.social @harbourbirds.bsky.social

Dingy Skipper, Badbury Rings Shona sent in this photo telling us: I saw my first three Dingy Skippers of the year today, 18/04/2026 at Badbury Rings – here’s a photo of the third.

STOP PRESS: first Dingy Skipper seen in Dorset by eagle eyed @Shona Refoy at Badbury Rings

www.dorsetbutterflies.com/2026/04/ding...

Low numbers of Peacock (dagpauwoog, A io) on Dutch Butterfly Monitoring transects this year, after last years poor summer generation and missing 2nd gen because of poor quality nettles. This spring is also dry and much too warm so far, so things don't look good for nettles and peacocks this year.

Could you head up Hod Hill? Our regular butterfly counting (transect) walk on Hod hill has been going for 44 years, but needs more walkers if we are not to lose the value of the data already gathered.

Do you live in east Dorset and like butterflies? We urgently need someone to take over a vital transect at Hod Hill that has been running for 44 years. See our website for details

www.dorsetbutterflies.com/2026/04/coul...

Now with photo!

Holly Blue male getting salts from mud in north Dorset. This behaviour is usually associated with hot weather but it obviously needs some salts to supplement its larval diet. Salts are essential to maintain flight activity @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

Yay, my first Wall of the year, but the big surprise is that it’s a female. They usually come out a bit later to make sure there are plenty of males around to mate quickly. Seen on chalk ridge near Swanage @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) also had a poor year in 2025, its 4th worst in 50 years. Its abundance has decreased by 63% at @ukbms.bsky.social sites over that time. @savebutterflies.bsky.social (📷 @iainhleach.bsky.social)

📷 Mark Searle

A deeper dive into the 2025 UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme results. Most species increased at monitored sites compared to 2024, but many were still below average. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) had its 2nd worst year & has decreased by 74% since 1976. @savebutterflies.bsky.social