A few of the butterflies on the wing on the Hampshire Chalk

An hour's sunshine, in the middle of an unsuitably cloudy day, allowed me to catch up with a few of the butterflies in flight at Stockbridge Down, including my first encounter with a Hampshire pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne).

From top to bottom: dingy skipper (Erynnis tages); small copper (Lycaena phlaeas); Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina); pearl-bordered fritillary.

Later that day in Parsonage Field, Catherington common blue were in flight (Polyommatus icarus)

The next day I headed to Portsdown Hill, and walked my old transect in Comps 1 & 2, counting 10spp incl. green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) and small blue (Cupido minimus). The latter out in force in the Chalk Pit where at least 30 were seen on the western slope alone.