05 Tuesday May 2026
Posted in insects
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Here’s another very early, surprise, spring sighting, my first Small copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) of 2026. I don’t usually see these beauties until early to mid May but this gorgeous glistening creature popped up to defend its little territory when I walked across a local horse paddock ten days ago, on 25 April. Small coppers are one of my favourite butterflies so I’m very much looking forward to seeing more in the weeks to come.
07 Sunday Sep 2025
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Butterflies on Creeping thistle
Tags
Butterflies on Creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense, Common blue, Common blue butterfly, Common blue on Creeping thistle, Creeping thistle, Small copper, Small copper on Creeping thistle
Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a much maligned plant. I understand that it can be prolific and somewhat invasive given the right growth conditions but, at this time of year, when many other wildflowers are going over and the last of the summer insects are struggling to find food, it is a gift from the gods.
This is especially true this year, following a long hot and very dry summer. Though we’ve had rain on and off this past week, the remaining wildflowers have been slow to bounce back to life – and many are past recovering.
Not so the Creeping thistle, which I have seen providing much-needed nectar to thirsty flies, beetles, and butterflies, like the Small coppers and Common blues shown here.
02 Friday May 2025
Tags
British butterflies, butterfly, Common blue, Common blue butterfly, Dingy Skipper, Large white, Small copper, Spring colour
Just as it’s always magical to see my first butterfly of the year, so is it just as special each time I see the first of each new species. These are the four most recent beauties that have made me smile.
On 25 April my first Large white of 2025 flitted along the footpath next to me, sipped on a Dandelion, then settled on a Bramble leaf long enough for me to photograph.
The next butterfly species to appear for me locally, on 27 April, was this lovely Dingy skipper at an unexpected location – a bonus!
The last few days of hotter than usual temperatures have presumably triggered the early emergence of some species. This stunning male Common blue popped up on 28 April, five days earlier than my previous earliest date.
And, this very morning, eight days earlier than I’ve ever seen one before, I caught a flash of brilliant orange and there sat this gorgeous Small copper, always a treat to see.
18 Wednesday Sep 2024
Posted in insects
I had a different post planned for today but the release this morning by Butterfly Conservation of this year’s Big Butterfly Count’s horrifying statistics has prompted me to share the very sad but not entirely unexpected news that our butterfly populations are plummeting. The 2024 count’s dismal totals are the worst in its 14 year history, and it’s not just due to this year’s miserable wet weather. As Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Science, Dr Richard Fox has announced:
Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations.
A butterfly emergency has been declared but will anyone listen?
18 Sunday Aug 2024
Posted in flowers, insects, wildflowers
Tags
British wildflowers, insects on Water mint, Meadow Brown, Mentha aquatica, Small copper, Volucella zonaria, Water mint
Is there anything more delicious on a hot sunny day than the refreshing smell of mint, whether it be in a long cold drink or when you’re out walking and brush against the leaves of one of the many species of mint that grow wild in the UK.
In the damper areas of my local walks, Water mint (Mentha aquatica) grows in abundance, and it’s now in full flower, a boon for hungry insects as some of the earlier summer flowers go to seed. I occasionally bring a few leaves home to infuse with a herbal tea that I leave to chill in the fridge but mostly I just enjoy the sight and smell of this pretty plant and the many insects that feast on it (in this case, Meadow brown and Small copper butterflies, and a Volucella zonaria hoverfly).
08 Thursday Aug 2024
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Second broods
Tags
British butterflies, Brown argus, Comma, Common blue, Holly blue, Peacock, second brood butterflies, Small copper
After seeing very low numbers of the first broods of butterflies earlier in the year, I’m hoping that the second broods that are now hatching will have better luck with the weather and be able to breed successfully so that population numbers recover in 2025. These are some of the beautiful butterflies I’ve seen that have recently emerged.
Brown argus
Common blue
Holly blue
Small copper
11 Saturday May 2024
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Summer fire
While yesterday’s butterfly (a Dingy skipper) was late to arrive, today’s is about on time. I actually saw my first (the one pictured below) yesterday at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, and another during today’s walk through the meadows at Casehill Woods. These vibrant Small coppers are such a delight, and their fiery colours are the very embodiment of summer for me.
20 Wednesday Sep 2023
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Bright beauty
Just when I thought I would see no more, this year, of the bright beauties that are Small coppers up popped this gorgeous creature. I have never been more glad to be proved wrong.
03 Friday Jun 2022
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Small copper and friend
A moment of miniscule magic! I found this Small copper perched, waiting for the sun to come out, and then a leafhopper (yet to be identified) decided the butterfly was a good place to perch.
12 Thursday May 2022
Posted in insects
≈ Comments Off on Glowing in the grass
They’re early, but I’m certainly not complaining. It was with huge surprise and supreme delight that I spotted my first two Small coppers for 2022, glowing in the grass at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park last Sunday afternoon.
