2015 Butterfly count

This afternoon around 3.30pm I did the Big butterfly count. The weather was a mixture of sunny and cloudy, around 20 degrees. It was quite windy.

The area I did it in was the edge of wheat field where there is about 20m of wildflowers and grasses as well as some old haybales.

The field has an edge of large trees including ash, oak and hawthorn. 

We saw

12 Small skippers

1 Brimstone

2 Painted ladies

1 Comma

7 Small Tortoiseshell

2 Peacocks

3 Gatekeepers

4 Ringlets

9 Small Whites

The Tortoiseshells were very aggressive towards the Painted Ladies and 2 or 3 of them would chase

one of the Painted ladies around the haybales.
The Small Whites flew around seperately but occasionally came together in 3's or 4's, floating up into the air then going their seperate ways again.

Small Tortoiseshell

Gatekeeper

Comma

Small White

Painted Lady

Small Skipper

Peacock

Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell

Ringlet

Ringlet

Small White

Brimstone

This is where I counted

Scarlet Tiger moth

Cinnabar moth caterpillar