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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Suffolk is having quite a Clouded Yellow year - a nice surprise since we had a good year in 2025 (often, the year following a good year is nothing special). Seems the population survived winter and migration well. @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A male Clouded Yellow butterfly resting on a Common Fleabane flower. It bright yellow with a white spot, ringed with red in the centre of it's underwing.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Grayling courting on Westleton Heath in Suffolk. A rare chance to see the uppersides of this lovely late season butterfly. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Two Grayling butterflies, the male is in front of the female. His wings are open as he wafts his sandalwood pheromones over her antennae.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This little jewel was resting among the long golden grasses as the sun swept ever longer shadows before it. I wanted to capture some of the ambience that day so I backed off a little. A magical moment. Brown Argus, Suffolk. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A Brown Argus butterfly roosting on a grass seed head that leans over, with out of focus golden grasses behind.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Wall Brown second generation numbers seem down to me. Perhaps this is because observers are staying indoors in the heatwaves? In Suffolk it's found mainly in river valleys near the sea so, hopefully, it has escaped the worst of the drought. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Meadow Brown lift-off. My first ever in-flight photography session with butterflies. Yesterday at Lound Lakes in Suffolk. Some tweaks needed for the next time but I am very happy with how the Olympus pro-capture mode worked. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A male Meadow Brown butterfly takes off from a purple Knapweed flower. He is above the flower, in mid-air and with his wings pushed down, showing the uppersides.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Meadow Brown have held up well to the heat where I live. They have a variable number of eyespots on the hindwing - this male has just one. Lesser Knapweed is deep rooted, stays green and has large nectaries, which helps butterflies refuel. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A male Meadow Brown butterfly sips nectar from a knapweed flower with its wings closed.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

So many local butterflies were concentrating on Marjoram in July. Now that it's going over the attention has switched to Ragwort. Here's a recent selection from the wild space in our local cemetery in Lowestoft. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Small Copper and Marmalade hoverfly interaction.

Small Skipper nectaring avidly on Ragwort

Meadow Brown male with open wings on Ragwort.

Meadow Brown male nectaring on Ragwort, showing the undersides of his wings.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Scarce Chaser teneral, photographed recently in the heat. Made a change from butterflies, which were not sitting still anyhow. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #Dragonfly

Scarce Chaser dragonfly perched on a single old reed stem with out of focus background foliage.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Brimstone are emerging. We have 3 buckthorns and, curiously, we seem to have more females hatching than males. They're in no hurry to get going and they seldom return, despite us growing their favourite flowers (violet, purple and pink colours). @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

A joy to join in with #PollinatorPals for #WildFlowerHour tonight as I spend much of my time recording and reporting on insect pollinators, particularly butterflies. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Bumblebee mimic hoverfly, Volucella bombylans at Hawthorn blossom

Pellucid Hoverfly, Volucella pellucens at Bramble blossom

Small Copper butterfly at Common Ragwort.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

For #WildFlowerHour some local #TinyPlants Hoary Tare, Tamarisk and Common Fiddleneck. Lowestoft, Suffolk. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Unfurling flower head of Common Fiddleneck

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Late for #WildFlowerHour Lesser Celandine still going strong in east Suffolk, and, what I believe is Common Field Speedwell - happy to be corrected!

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Here are some other colour variants and a wider view of the meadow showing how profusely ornamented it is with orchids, cowslips and buttercup at this time of year. Adder's Tongue fern and Spiny Restharrow also grow here, along with other species of orchid.

Lilac and white form Green-winged Orchid

One of the many purple form Green-winged Orchid

Wider view of the meadow with hundreds, maybe thousands, of Green-winged Orchid, Cowslip and buttercups.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio) in full bloom at SWT Winks Meadow. Purple, lilac, bicolour and white forms plus Cowslip, buttercups, Speedwell and sedges woven among them. Spectacular. #WildFlowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

A purple form Green-winged Orchid flower spike surrounded by Bulbous, Creeping and Meadow Buttercup flowers.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Such understated beauty in our smaller flowers. Photographed locally except for bluebell wood. Herb Robert - G. robertianum Common Vetch - V. sativa Cuckooflower - C. pratense Bluebells around Silver Birch stump - H. non-scripta #WildFlowerHour

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

A buttercup that made me think. Lots of Bulbous and a few Meadow b'cup locally. The sepals suggest Meadow but it's diminutive (15cm). Any ideas? Spotted Medick and White Bryony now in flower. North east Suffolk, urban and coastal. #ButtercupChallenge #WildFlowerHourID #WildFlowetHour

Spotted Medick flowers and leaves in close up

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

A sunshine day reflected in the colours of the flowers. Bulbous Buttercup with it's recurved sepals, Daisy and Common Sorrel. Buttercups are used by Chelosia hoverfly larva, daisy by mining bee grubs and sorrels by Small Copper butterfly larva. #Pollinators #WildFlowerHour

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Cheilosia caerulescens, a species of hoverfly. May be quite a rarity, although expanding its range quickly. Delighted to have it in our Suffolk garden today. Larvae feed on Sempervivens. @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social

A Cheilosia hoverfly, black with wing clouds and bare eyes.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

It's a boy! A Small White pupa successfully overwintered in our Suffolk garden having fully grown as a caterpillar on Nasturtium. He's hatched and this is his profile before taking his maiden flight. Bon voyage. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A freshly emerged Small White butterfly awaits it's first flight in our garden where it had overwintered as a pupa.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

This, for comparison, is the cultivated garden Spanish Bluebell which is a different species altogether.

Spanish Bluebell, the all to familiar garden variety of bluebell.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Rather belatedly, Lucie and I went to the bluebell wood. Still at their peak and joined in places by Greater Stitchwort, Bugle, Primroses, Common Dog Violet but, sadly, no Early Purple Orchid. Good bird song too. #WildFlowerHour

Wild Bluebell and Greater Stitchwort in flower on a bank at the edge of a bluebell wood, Suffolk.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum). A plant with so many local names - cows and bulls, Jack in the pulpit, cuckoopint to name but a few. The most I have seen for a few years. Suffolk. #WildFlowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Cuckoopint (Arum maculatum) flower spikes with emergent leaves around the base.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Delighted to have seen my first Glass-winged Dronefly (Eristalis similis) yesterday in Lowestoft. A rarity indeed and a complete surprise. Confirmed by the Hoverfly Recording Scheme experts. #Pollinators #Hoverflies @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social

Glass-winged Dronefly nectaring on Alexanders, Lowestoft, Suffolk. UK. A rare migrant species of hoverfly.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Spanish Bluebell escapee in Lowestoft, Suffolk today. English and hybrid bluebells just getting going here on the east coast. #WoodlandPlants #WildFlowerHour

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

One of my favourites, a Peacock butterfly nectaring on blossom in full sun and looking good for it. East Suffolk. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Last call. If anyone has any butterfly records for Suffolk (2025) please submit them online this weekend. I plan a final download early next week for processing into the 2025 Suffolk Butterfly Report. Early signs are of a record breaking year for observations. Thank you. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Peacock butterfly warming itself on the ground in early spring.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Lucie discovered this Peacock inside our home today. Not sure if this counts as a first of my year sighting or even when and how it got in but it's now safely settled down in our unheated summerhouse. 🙏🏻🦋 @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Peacock butterfly on the windowsill having found its way indoors.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

It was a good year for Clouded Yellow butterflies in Suffolk, being reported 100x more than 2024! Details later in my 2025 report. Here's one I photographed in Lowestoft, where I was also lucky enough to see a helice form and an egg-laying female. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A Clouded Yellow butterfly sits on a Common Fleabane flower in north Lowestoft, Suffolk.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

This Small Tortoiseshell stayed briefly in our Lowestoft garden. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly backlit on a garden Salvia

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

A calming walk for #WildFlowerHour and #DaisyFamily Last of the Ragwort, Yarrow, Canadian Fleabane and Tansy. All growing within ten minutes' walk of my home in Lowestoft.

Canadian Fleabane flowers and developing seedheads

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Butterflies are excellent pollinators and also indicator species for the environment. Male Silver-washed Fritillary on Bramble, female Meadow Brown on Ragwort, Peacock on Cherry Plum and Swallowtail on Dame's Violet #PollinatorPals #WildFlowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

A male Silver-washed Fritillary sips nectar from Bramble blossom

A female Meadow Brown probes Ragwort for nectar

A Peacock butterfly basks in the spring sunshine while drinking nectar from Cherry Plum blossom

A British Swallowtail imbibes nectar from Dame's Violet flowers

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Today's the final day of the #BigButterflyCount and a chance to get one more count in. Or more, if you feel like it. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Summer brood Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on Hemp Agrimony in Suffolk, 2025

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Nice to see this backlit Small Tortoiseshell this evening. I like the stained glass effect. A good year for them by modern standards although they're still not doing well everywhere. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly nectaring on Tufted Vetch

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Sea Holly, Sea Kale, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Marram grass growing on the beach north of Lowestoft. The blue attracts white butterflies to lay eggs (Crucifers). The UK's first ever Southern Small White was recorded today just down the coast in Felixstowe. #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Bird's-foot Trefoil growing in the dunes

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I stopped to consider this aged Ringlet butterfly as it basked in evening light that faded towards the day's end. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

An old and distinguished Ringlet butterfly bathed in golden evening sunshine among the golden grass stems.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

A Common Blue starts thinking about bedtime as the evening sun sinks below a line of trees, leaving the background grasses glowing in warm light. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social

A male Common Blue butterfly perches on a shaded grass stem with out of focus sunlit grasses behind. Copyright James Corton 2025.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Gatekeeper are having a great year with large numbers being reported in many parts of Suffolk. This is a female seen nectaring this evening on Marjoram along with another twenty and several Meadow Brown. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social

Female Gatekeeper butterfly, also known as Hedge Brown, nectaring on Marjoram. Females lack the dark andraconid scent scales of males.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

This is one of the hoverflies, Migrant hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri).

Migrant hoverfly. A male, feeding on Bedstraw flowers.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

While photographing a small stream of migrating hoverflies moving through our garden, I discovered eight Hummingbird Hawk moth larvae on the Bedstraw we planted. Lowestoft Town. @suffolkmoths.bsky.social

Final instar Hummingbird Hawk moth caterpillar.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Lots of Red Admiral joining in with Comma, Peacock and Small White butterflies, all feasting on Bramble blossom. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Red Admiral butterfly nectaring on Bramble blossom. Undersides shown.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

High counts of Comma on several sites where I live in north Suffolk today. Seems like this species is having a great year all round. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

One of several Comma butterflies basking in the evening sunshine today at Corton Woods, Lowestoft

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

These two Peacock butterflies spent a long time courting today at Carlton Marshes nature reserve in Suffolk. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Four-spotted Chaser earlier in the afternoon, perching in a sheltered spot on a windy day on the heath. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Male Four-spotted Chaser perched on old Bracken stem in a sheltered spot of the heath during a sunny but windy day.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Broad-bodied Chaser besides a layby on the A12. Good numbers this year. Sunlit tree in the background. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Female Broad-bodied Chaser perched on a twig in front of an out of focus sunlit tree trunk.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

A day out in Essex, looking for the Grizzle. One faded individual seen at Langdon Hill CP. Other delights seen and photographed. Please correct if wrong. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @richardfoxbc.bsky.social @richperr501.bsky.social

Common Blue male butterfly slightly backlit

Hedge Beauty moth in Northland Wood, Langdon Hill CP

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Common Butterwort and Bugle growing at Market Weston Fen in Suffolk this week. Wonderful and rare habitat - a mere fed by chalk aquifer. Marsh Fritillary butterfly resting on Common Sedge (?) @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Common Butterwort growing in a fen, fed by chalk aquifer

Marsh Fritillary butterfly sunning itself on Common Sedge

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Marsh Fritillary are still flying in Suffolk but maybe past peak numbers. They were late to get going, most taking to the wing after ten o'clock. Sunning themselves a lot, giving photo ops when resting close to the path. @epollard.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Marsh Fritillary resting on Sedge with wings open showing the chequer board pattern.

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James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Wall Brown at Somerleyton. Very flighty in the sunshine and only one photo to show for it. Lovely to observe the behaviour as they flutter around and then crawl into position at their shaded roosting sites. The only time the males did not spar! @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Wall Brown butterfly resting with its wings closed

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