Sightings 2019

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Ken Owen

And to end the 2019 season, there was a festive sighting of a Red Admiral in London and a second one in the easternmost part of Surrey on the penultimate day of the year

Red Admirals were again to be seen in November in Horley, Redhill, Surbiton and South Croydon (3rd), Addiscombe (5th), Cranleigh, and Surbiton again (6th), Oxted (7th), Chessington (10th), Kew (13th)

Latest sightings: Red Admirals continue to be seen across our area in the latter part of October (noted in Walton-on-Thames, Reigate, Coulsdon, Cheam, West Horsley, Croydon and Wimbledon), and Speckled Woods to a lesser extent (Surbiton, Rotherhithe).

The last days of September saw Brown Hairstreaks still on the wing at Gatwick and Redhill (28th); Common Blues were noted in Reigate and Carshalton (28th). The particularly wet, cool weather in early October restricted sightings. Early in the month, Comma, Large and Small White, Small Copper, Small Heath, Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral were still to be seen.

The Silver-spotted Skipper has spread along the Downs, with sightings at Fetcham Downs, Polesden Lacey and Juniper Hill.

Aug 4	Long-tailed Blue	f	Caterham	TQ324561	Mike Bromley
Aug 3	Glanville Fritillary	2nd brood	Hutchinson's Bank	TQ380618	Stephan Morris
Jul 28	Graylings	fem right	Pirbright Ranges	SU918554	Peter Cureton

All  Surrey & SW London's 42 species of butterfly have now been seen

Jul 20: one of 9 Silver-spotted Skippers reported from Headley Warren by Gary Margetts

Following the abnormally early sighting of a Chalkhill Blue on Jun 2, the first Chalkhills appearing in their usual July period were reported on Box Hill Dukes on Jul 10 by the NT/BC working party

The Silver-studded Blues are a first at this location

Jul 6, New Members' Day walk on Ashtead Common (fully subscribed by late May): 18 species, incl 5 Purple Emperors & 3 White Admirals.

Over the last two weeks of June an increasing number of Painted Ladies have been seen across Surrey, London and the UK. An invasion is clearly taking place. Jenny Desoutter's photo (Jun 24) was one of a flock seen in Norbury Park. At least 50 were seen over two days (Jun 23-24) in Richmond Park.

Painted Ladies were seen over the first weekend of June in Tatsfield, Brockwell Park and on the group's Denbies Hillside walk.

Three weeks of cool, cloudy weather finally dissipated in the last week of March; the rising temperatures and return of  sunshine brought out all our hibernators, with Small Tortoiseshell being noted in eight locations (see i-record for details). However, two weeks of cold weather returned with persistent easterly winds negating the effects of the sunshine. Spring only truly arrived with the approach of the late Easter weekend, bringing sightings of Green Hairstreaks, including three at Gangers Hill, and our first Skippers.
Photos: Richard Stephens

Last week of Feb: further exceptional weather brought widespread sightings of Brimstones and Red Admirals, the occasional Peacock arousing itself from hibernation, and more Small Tortoiseshells and Commas. Details are on i-record. David Hasell noted 36 Brimstones on Epsom Common on Feb 25; returning on Feb 26 he counted 56 in two hours - the photo of one male is on the Ranger's arm.

Feb 23, first photo of the year: Brimstone (Richard Stephens), one of seven on Oxted Downs

Mid-Feb: a period of warm weather, some five degrees above the seasonal average, combined with lengthy periods of sunshine, produced a flurry of sightings:
Red Admirals: Bookham, Guildford, Leith Hill, Walton-on-Thames, Westhumble & Wisley.
Brimstones: Ashtead, Camberley, Chessington, Denbies, Elstead, Farleigh, Frimley, Guildford, Juniper Hall, Redhill, South Godstone & Wisley.