2025 kicked off unusually foggy with little snow, followed by a rain-free March. Despite a relatively stable spring, summer was dominated by wet and cool weather, with two very short-lived heat waves in July and August. Due to the very late announcement of a road blockage nearby, traffic started to cross my main zones between mid-July and August, further negatively affecting the overall amount of individual butterflies that already decreased due to poor weather conditions throughout this summer and autumn. This season thus ended during the last days of September, earlier than expected.
My new job demanded me to adjust my observation routine. This appeared to have a largely insignificant effect, with the sole exception of the single P. aegeria I would have likely missed otherwise, on the individual species I encountered.
New species discovered in 2025:
NONE
Not seen in 2025:
- Carcharodus alceae
- Thymelicus acteon
- Argynnis paphia
- Nymphalis polychloros
- Papilio machaon
Species that returned after years of absence:
- Parage aegeria
Overall 39 species were observed this year. Of 3 species, either imago and caterpillar or adult and eggs were present.
This list is sorted by meteorological seasons and first observations. Caterpillars and eggs are listed separately.
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | SPECIES | MONTH | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Gonepteryx rhamni | March, April, May | | Aglais io | March, April, May, July, | | | August, September | | Anthocharis cardamines | March, April, May, June | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Pieris rapae | April, May, June, July, | | | August, September | | Polygonia c-album | April, May, June, August, | | | September | | Pieris napi | April, May, June, July, | | | August | | Celastrina argiolus | April, May, July, August | | Pyrgus malvae | April, May | | Pieris brassicae | April, May, July, August, | | | September | | Araschnia levana | April, May, June, July, | | | August | |------------------------------|------------------------------| | Aracia agestis | May | Polyommatus bellargus | May, June, July, September | | Cupido minimus | May, June, July | | Cupido argiades | May, June, August | | Issoria lathonia | May, August, September | | Polyommatus icarus | May, June, July, August, | | | September | | Coenonympha pamphilus | May, June, July, August, | | | September | | Lasiommata megera | May, July | | Aglais urticae | May, June, July, August | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | SPECIES | MONTH | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Satyrium pruni | June, August | | Vanessa cardui | June, August | | Melanargia galathea | June, July | | Coenonympha arcania | June | | Thymelicus sylvestris | June, July | | Thymelicus lineola | June, July | | Maniola jurtina | June, July, August | | Boloria dia | June | | Ochlodes sylvanus | June, July | | Plbejus argus | June | | Vanessa atalanta | June, July, August, | | | September | | Melitaea athalia spc. | June | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Pararge aegeria | July | | Aphantopus hyperantus | July, August | | Erynnis tages | July | | Colias sp. | July, August, September | | Pontia edusa | July | | Polyommatus coridon | July | |------------------------------|–-----------------------------| | Thecla betulae | August | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | SPECIES | MONTH | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Lycaena phlaeas | September | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | SPECIES | MONTH(S) | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Vanessa atalanta | July, August | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | SPECIES | MONTH(S) | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Boloria dia | June | |------------------------------|------------------------------| | Pieris rapae | June | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
This table covers the locations in which I discovered each species. Adults, cater pillars and eggs are listed separately.
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | LOCATION | SPECIES | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Yard | Aglais io, Aglais urticae, | | | Araschnia levana, Gonepteryx | | | rhamni, Lasiommata megera, | | | Maniola jurtina, Melanargia | | | galathea, Ochlodes sylvanus, | | | Pieris brassicae, Pieris | | | rapae, Pontia edusa, | | | Polygona c-album, | | | Polyommatus icarus, Vanessa | | | atalanta, Vanessa cardui | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Mixed Fodder Beet / Alfalfa | Aglais io, Aglais urticae, | | Field | Celastrina argiolus, Colias | | | sp., Coenonympha pamphilus, | | | Issoria lathonia, Lasiommata | | | megera, Ochlodes sylvanus, | | | Pieris brassicae, Pieris | | | napi, Pieris rapae, | | | Polyommatus bellargus, | | | Polyommatus icarus, Pontia | | | edusa | |------------------------------+------------------------------| |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Zone I - Cherry Hill | Aglais io, Anthocharis | | | cardamines, Aphantopus | | | hyperantus, Boloria dia, | | | Celastrina argiolus, | | | Coenonympha arcania, | | | Coenonympha pamphilus, | | | Cupido minimus, Gonepteryx | | | rhamni, Maniola jurtina, | | | Melanargia galathea, | | | Pararge aegeria, Polygonia | | | c-album, Pieris brassicae, | | | Pieris napi, Pieris rapae, | | | Polygonia c-album, | | | Polyommatus bellargus, | | | Polyommatus icarus, Pyrgus | | | malvae, Thymelicus lineola, | | | Thymelicus sylvestris, | | | Vanessa atalanta | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Zone II - David's Fields | Aglais io, Aglais urticae, | | | Anthocharis cardamines, | | | Aphantopus hyperantus, | | | Araschnia levana, Boloria | | | dia, Coenonympha pamphilus, | | | Cupido minimus, Erynnis | | | tages, Gonepteryx rhamni, | | | Issoria lathonia, Maniola | | | jurtina, Melanargia | | | galathea, Pieris brassicae, | | | Pieris napi, Pieris rapae, | | | Polygonia c-album, | | | Polyommatus bellargus, | | | Polyommatus icarus, Pyrgus | | | malvae, Satyrium pruni, | | | Thymelicus lineola, | | | Thymelicus sylvestris, | | | Vanessa atalanta | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Zone III - Odrich's Pond | Aglais io, Aglais urticae, | | | Anthocharis cardamines, | | | Araschnia levana, | | | Coenonympha pamphilus, | | | Cupido argiades, Cupido | | | minimus, Erynnis tages, | | | Gonepteryx rhamni, | | | Lasiommata megera, Lycaena | | | phlaeas, Maniola jurtina, | | | Ochlodes sylvanus, Pieris | | | brassicae, Pieris napi, | | | Pieris rapae, Polygonia | | | c-album, Polyommatus | | | bellargus, Polyommatus | | | coridon, Polyommatus icarus, | | | Vanessa atalanta, Vanessa | | | cardui | |------------------------------+------------------------------| |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Car Repair | Pieris rapae | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | FFH Territory "Bog Hill" | Aglais urticae, Anthocharis | | | cardamines, Cupido argiades, | | | Cupido minimus, Gonepteryx | | | rhamni, Issoria lathonia, | | | Maniola jurtina, Melanargia | | | galathea, Melitaea athalia | | | spc., Pieris brassicae, | | | Pieris napi, Pieris rapae, | | | Polyommatus bellargus, | | | Polyommatus icarus, | | | Pyrgus malvae, Thymelicus | | | lineola, Thymelicus | | | sylvestris, Vanessa atalanta | |------------------------------+------------------------------| | Cemetery | Celastrina argiolus, Pieris | | | rapae, Vanessa atalanta | |------------------------------|------------------------------| | Meisel | Aglais io, Cupido argiades, | | | Issoria lathonia, Maniola | | | jurtina, Pieris brassicae, | | | Pieris napi, Pieris rapae, | | | Polygonia c-album, | | | Polyommatus icarus, Thecla | | | betulae, Vanessa atalanta | |–-----------------------------|------------------------------| | Car Repair | Pieris rapae | |------------------------------|–-----------------------------| | Front Yard Meadow | Aglais io, Pieris brassicae, | | | Vanessa atalanta | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | LOCATION | SPECIES | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Yard | Vanessa atalanta | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
+------------------------------+------------------------------+ | LOCATION | SPECIES | +------------------------------+------------------------------+ | Zone I - Cherry Hill | Boloria dia, Pieris rapae | |------------------------------|------------------------------| | Zone II - David's Fields | Pieris rapae | +------------------------------+------------------------------+
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+ Both Colias sp. and Melitaea athalia spc. are treated as species complexes. While Melitaea athalia sp. encompasses three species – M. athalia, M. aurelia and M. britomartis – that cannot be diagnosed accurately in the wild at all, Colias sp. summarizes two species – C. hyale and C. alfacariensis – that only can be kept apart in their respective caterpillar stages. The latter currently lacks any caterpillar observations.
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