A Warm Start To Spring!

It has certainly been an interesting Spring here in Northamptonshire, made all the more fascinating by the record-breaking temperatures and long periods of sunshine. Spring, which is very often a rather fickle time of year and one which is always dictated by the weather, sees several key species of butterfly emerge, so all eyes are on the forecast during their flight times. A poor Spring can affect the rest of the year, which was definitely evident in 2024. So, how are the butterflies this year fairing in the recent spells of agreeable weather? Well, at the moment, it seems that several key species seem to be having a good start. It is hard to say for definite of course as we have to wait until all the records are in to get a true picture, but we have enough records already to do a little bit of analysis. The season this year, for many species, seems to be rather early. The Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper and Green Hairstreak have broken the records for the earliest ones ever seen in the county. The Wood White had the second earliest emergence, the Small Heath had the third earliest, the Brown Argus had the fourth earliest, and the Common Blue emerged on the sixth earliest date on record. So, when comparing the records up to the 3rd of May from the previous years, the results are quite startling. So far in 2025, I have received records of 6603 individual butterflies! Looking at previous years for comparison, by the 3rd of May in 2024, I had received records of 3828 individual butterflies, and by the 3rd of May in 2023, I had received records of 2777 butterflies.

So, let’s take a quick look at the current situation in the county at the time of writing.

The Dingy Skipper has been recorded in good numbers so far this Spring and has been seen at Fermyn Country Park, Harrington Airfield, Old Sulehay, Ring Haw, West Lodge Rural Century near Desborough, and on a disused quarry in the centre of Corby.

Grizzled Skippers are being reported, but currently in very small numbers. They have been recorded at Fermyn Country Park, Old Sulehay, Ring Haw, a site near Roade, Twywell Hills and Dales, Weldon Pocket Park, West Lodge Rural Centre and Quarry Walk near Earls Barton.

The Green Hairstreak has been recorded in very small numbers at a number of sites, however, one site, Collyweston Quarries, has bucked the trend and they have been seen in good numbers, with a total of 31 recorded on the 27th of April. They have also been recorded at Fermyn Country Park, Harrington Airfield, Old Sulehay, Ring Haw, Weldon Pocket Park, and West Lodge Rural Centre near Desborough. I have been asked by a few people exactly where I saw the Green Hairstreaks at Collyweston, so I have included a distribution map below for anyone who will be visiting.

Green Hairstreak, Collyweston Quarries Distribution Map

The Wood White is being recorded in small numbers and has been seen in the Hazelborough Wood complex, Salcey Forest, Sywell Wood (private), and Wicken Wood (membership only).

The Orange-tip seems to be having a good year so far, and although slightly behind 2024, it is well up on the records from 2023.

The Peacock seems to be having an excellent Spring this year with almost 35% of the records so far being this species, with 2279 Peacocks currently recorded so far this year.

All eyes are on the Small Tortoiseshell of course, and unfortunately, it is still well down in numbers from the previous five years. So far, just 105 Small Tortoiseshells have been recorded in the county this year. That compared with 103 seen by the 3rd of May in 2024 and 213 recorded by the same date in 2023.

As mentioned previously, this is just a snapshot of how the season is going so far in the county, and we won’t be able to draw any real conclusions about how each species fares this year until all the records are in. We also need to remember that the species mentioned here are only at the start of their flight periods. However, it is interesting to see how this year’s weather is having such an effect on the records when comparing records up to the same date from previous seasons. We’re now in the middle of a cold snap (as the old proverb goes, “N’er cast a clout till May is out”), but looking at the forecast, good weather should return soon, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season progresses.

The Ravensthorpe Reservoir Small Copper Extravaganza!