31 August 2026

Brown Argus female

Report Details

A few butterflies around Knowlands Farm (north of Barcombe) this morning included both a male and a female Brown Argus. The female lacked the 'Figure of Eight' or 'colon' marking on the leading edge of the rear underwing. I'm not sure how unusual that is. Also present were about 10 male Common Blues, about four Small Coppers, two Small Heaths and a male Wall.

Reporter: Simon Linington
Location: Knowlands Farm, north of Barcombe — TQ4116

Reviewer Comments

One of the strong ID features of a Brown Argus is the "figure of eight" on the leading edge of the underside hindwing. The lack of it, is a very rare record. There is a photograph of one in the species account, on this website (taken in my garden). I seem to recall Vince Massimo telling me about a couple he has seen. You could take a 1000 photos of the underside of Brown Argus, and not see the single ring variant. Excellent record, as is the sighting of the Wall Brown (away from the South Downs). Martin K