Brimstone

The Brimstone, the original "butter-coloured fly", is a favourite harbinger of Spring in the New Forest, where it often emerges on sunny days in March, and can be seen for most of the Spring. The second brood, usually not as numerous, emerges in July, and continues into September. A strong flyer, with the female much paler than the male, it always perches with wings firmly closed, showing only the green under wing. In 2021, a poor Spring contributed to a decline in numbers, and in 2022, the lack of any September sightings was unusual.

total seen

maxima

first seen

last seen

2021

2020

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2015

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50 10 13th April 8th August

39 9 19th April 27th Sept

95 15 4th April 10th Sept

100 22 1st April 13th Sept

96 20 6th April 2nd Sept

66 10 5th April 22nd Sept

36 10 12th April 7th Sept

63 13 6th April 28th August