My second outing in my quest to see all of the regularly breeding butterflies in Hampshire took me to Martin Down on 17th May primarily for Marsh Fritillary which is on the wing from mid-May to mid-June. Its very important to target these species with short flight periods at the peak of their season to avoid missing them - although I guess thats an obvious statement, even with so few species to see in Hampshire, some planning is required. Other targets here were Adonis Blue, Green Hairstreak and Small Blue all of which were seen.
Marsh Fritillary - Slightly worn but still a stunning and highly localised
species in Hampshire
Marsh Fritillary - A much fresher individual than that above
Marsh Fritillary
Marsh Fritillary
Adonis Blue - Intense blue with black lines crossing through the white border of both fore and hind wings, a stunning species of sparse chalk grassland
Green Hairstreak
Green Hairstreak
Small Blue
Small Heath
Small Heath
Common Blue - Note how the black sub-margin of the wing lacks the cross lines bisecting the white wing border unlike Adonis Blue
Brimstone - An egg laying female, note the egg towards the base of the plant
on the right hand side
Grizzled Skipper
Burnet Companion
Forester Moth
The stunning hoverfly Xanthogramma citrofasciatum
The bumblebee mimic hoverfly Volucella bombylans
