29 June 2026

Butterfly sighting
A stunning female Clouded Yellow nectaring on Small Scabious
Butterfly sighting
Male Brimstone feeding on Vipers Bugloss
Butterfly sighting
Male second brood Common Blue
Butterfly sighting
Male Chalk Hill Blue
Report Details
Chantry Hill and the Amberley Downs are my two favourite local butterfly sites and since Patrick Moore had seen and photographed a Queen of Spain Fritillary at Stoke Bottom, yesterday, that was enough to persuade me to venture there. There were four of us "on the hunt", with two having brief views and two missing out (including me). As yet, I haven't heard about any photographs being taken. There were fresh butterflies aplenty, and unusually for June, four blue butterfly species, could be seen: Chalk Hill Blue (10+). Common Blue (5), Brown Argus (4) and an Adonis Blue (not seen by me). For me, the star of the day was an immaculate female Clouded Yellow, which I presume had emerged locally. A final word about the QoS, the two main confusion species, Dark Green Fritillary and Wall have breeding colonies in that area. So beware.

Reporter: Martin Kalaher
Location: Amberley Downs  — TQ045120

Reviewer Comments
PS As you can see from Neil's post (see above) "patience" triumphed in the end!