Field Trip notes 2025

One does not fail to have a good field trip season with the weather like it’s been in 2025, however several field trips had to be cancelled due to wet weather believe it or not!  A Good day at Broxhead Common was marred by the fact the target species the Emperor Moth failed to visit us despite my efforts with a lure. I think we may have been a little early, but we did see a lot of birds in the hedgerows, and in the gorse areas, like Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Stonechat and a Dartford Warbler. A triumph at Portsdown Hill on the 30th April when we managed to see the Wall Brown back at its old haunt, and saw Green Hairstreaks egg laying on Vetches. At Coulters Dean we managed to see the target Species the Duke of Burgundy, where the species has been in very low numbers or absent in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, two of the best field trips were cancelled in the spring due to the weather one at Butser Hill and in the New Forest.

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We had several Duke of Burgundies in woodland close to Winchester in West Wood in May but we didnt see the Pearl Bordered Fritillary as its seems to have become extinct in the area.  

Thankfully Martin Down is always a triumph and 2025s visit was no exception, when the sun shone after a foggy start there were several target species seen in good numbers. Blues like the Adonis were quite common, and seeing the Forester Moth was very encouraging as they are normally only seen singularly. and the18th May (18) species of butterfly were seen. Into the warm Summer early heat of the day greeted us at Abbotts Wood Inclosure which meant there were good chances to see our quarry the Purple Emperor, and it turned out in good numbers, we had over twenty sightings, pleasing to many of the field trippers who had come a long way to see it. It was one of the hottest days of the year and by mid-day the sun was sapping the energy away from many of us, so we went back to the carpark and after dinner had a look at the Assembly Point close to where we were all parked, a male and female were also noted in a mating rejection and in a ‘tumble down’ of which this year for me has been a record seeing this sort of behaviour. Also, we saw three males all chasing in and around the mighty Conifer trees, a great way to end one of the best field trips of 2025... We also recorded the Emperor in West Walk a female looking at a Sallow for egg laying and several males were seen as well. In Micheldever Wood we were excited to see several Valezina female Silver Washed Fritillaries in the main ride feeding up on Bramble flowers, always a triumph to see this variation of this magnificiant butterfly.

Several other target species were not seen, one of these being the Brown Hairstreak, with the weather being what it was it emerged about three weeks earlier than normal and when the time came to see it the weather had changed to overcast conditions, although this did not detract from the field trip itself its always nice to see such a splendid butterfly, although I did find some of its eggs on Blackthorn and the Magpie Moth put in an appearance. At Broughton Down in August we were witness to Adonis Blues and one of these was an abberation known as ab. Krodeli (absence of spotting to the underside) which got everyone excited. The Silver Spotted Skipper gave us the runaround and so did the Clouded Yellow, but numbers of Silver Spotted Skipper were well down on previous years whether this had to do with its foodplant I’m not sure. It was pleasing to see the lovely Small Copper at many sites, and at one Old Winchester Hill they were quite common to see in amongst the wildflowers around the old Fort area.

We needed the rain and as I write this the last field trip has been cancelled due to rain and wind, but I would like to thank all who have come on the field trips and would love to see you all again in the spring for the 2026 season.