31st: Deacon Hill – Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

We choose a stunning summers day to return to a local reserve. We waited for the right day, weather wise, as it’s renowned for its butterflies and they need a warm, calm day to be at their best. It didn’t take long for them to show themselves, we’d barely walked through the gate, and we were greeted with butterflies galore.

The main species was meadow brown and gatekeeper, they were everywhere!

But we also saw cabbage white, marbled white, peacock, red admiral, chalk hill blue, small skipper, small tortoiseshell and common brimstone. That’s 10 species in a very short period of time.

Sadly, we didn’t see the very rare duke of burgundy, which still has a stronghold here, we were just too late for it I think. That was a shame, but it did little to dampen our spirits at being in this stunning place. It wasn’t all about the butterflies either. There were beautiful views across the Chilcomb valley and we also saw some wonderful long-tailed tits and the sweetest wren scurrying around in the dark under the shade of some beautiful beech trees. Not to mention the menacing Labyrinth spiders…

As for the art. If I do a piece from here, it will have to be a small piece trying to capture the beauty and abundance of the butterflies, maybe as they congregate around a thistle?