With one full day left before my trip to Indonesia I had planned to go to Shipton Bellinger for two of the last three Hampshire butterflies I needed for my year list, but, in the event the morning was overcast, windy and with occasional heavy downpours and I had allbut scrapped the idea. At 11:00 some brighter spells began to develop and so I decided to try my luck but as I headed northwards through heavy rain and flooded roads I was not hopeful. On arrival though the clouds broke and the sun appeared and I was slightly more optimistic as I headed along the Shipton Road Byway extending west from the village. It was not long before I set eyes upon my first target, Wall, of which I eventually saw around eight individuals. The tree tops were blowing around in the wind and I was not hopeful of seeing Brown Hairstreak but then I glimpsed a small butterfly flying around the top of a Hawthorn, I lost it a few times and then saw it settle, and there it was, a stunning little Brown Hairstreak.
