A purple hairstreak (Favonius quercus) seen on the edge of the reserve and photographed by Clive Knight.

It was referred to Wiltshire Butterfly Recorder, Michael Fuller, for identification. He said:
“Definitely a rather worn Purple Hairstreak. Usually common where oaks occur but very elusive, staying round the tops of the trees and rarely flying until early evening. A few occasionally come down to lower levels to feed from flowers.”

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An exciting find and a new species for our lists.