Howbery Park
Turning to the period 1995-99, when the records are more systematic, the table above shows the number of individuals recorded year by year. We see that the number of individuals seen over the whole five years is greatest for the Common Blue (291), followed by Gatekeeper (232) and Small Tortoiseshell (221), with Brimstone, Small White and Green-veined White all exceeding 100. The rarest, with less than 10 seen, are the Painted Lady (8), Small Copper (6), Brown Argus (4), Marbled White (2) and Clouded Yellow (1).
The number of individuals seen per year varies greatly, even if number of visits in the year is allowed for. The caveat mentioned previously about estimation of large numbers needs to be borne in mind when interpreting the results for 1995 and 1996. Easily the best year was 1997, with 1998 being a particularly poor year. These variations were not obvious at the time, because one tends to be aware of numbers seen over a few weeks rather than taking a balanced view of the whole year. It is the success or otherwise of the commonest species listed above that primarily determines the total number of sightings in the year. However, in terms of number of species seen, the abundant year 1997 has only one more species than the lean year 1998.
The following results can be interpreted from the table above, given in more detail in the species by species analysis on subsequent pages. The number of Essex Skippers has increased over the period 1995-99, but the number of Small and Large Skippers has correspondingly declined. Brimstones are never found in large numbers, but are very consistently seen. Orange Tips have declined from 15 to 3 in the last three years. Common Blues have done well every year, with 1997 being particularly abundant. Numbers of Holly Blues were very low in 1995 and 1999, with a strong peak in 1997, following the well-known 7-year cycle. Small Tortoiseshells had a poor year in 1999, but Commas always seem to hold their own well. Speckled Woods did particularly well in 1999, and appear to be abundant in odd-numbered years and rarer in even-numbered years. Ringlets seem to be increasing in numbers, with 1999 being their strongest year to date. Brown Argus is seen very sporadically – only 4 in five years – and it is not clear whether they are resident or just passing through. A similar story applies to Small Heaths, with 14 seen in 1997, but none in 1999.
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| Analysis Procedure | 10 Year Summary | 5 Year Summary | Skippers |
| Early Whites | Common Whites | Blues | Migrants |
| Hibernators | Woodland Browns | Grassland Browns | Occasionals |