EVENTS
9 April
2016
Friends
of
Lancing Ring
Coffee Morning
Venue:
The Holy Family Catholic Church Hall at Monks Farmhouse in North Road,
Lancing
Time:
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
WILDLIFE
REPORTS
25
April 2016
Oxford
Ragwort on Shoreham
Beach
Senecio
squalidus
This
immigrant Oxford
Ragwort was
not identified until September
2016. Common
Ragwort does
not flower in April.
Adur
Ragworts
20
April 2016
Dog
Violets were scattered and abundant all
over the lower slopes of Mill Hill and
were visited by frequent (12+) Peacock
Butterflies, but very little else was
spotted on the sunny afternoon. Five species
of butterfly
were seen including a Grizzled Skipper.
On the Coombes Road (south of Cuckoo's Corner only), Garlic
Mustard had started to flower.
North of Ladywells on the same country road, the Elm
hedges were budding in green leaf.
14
April 2016
A
long slinky Weasel was
spotted on the edge of the Coombes Road verges near Ladywells. It is only
for a second as it quick to to disappear amongst the long grass. This was
only living thing of note on an afternoon when the Cowslips
and Primroses
were still in flower along the Steyning
Line Cyclepath but no Coltsfoot.
At least two Peacock Butterflies
were spotted near Cuckoo's Corner. Moorhens
were
seen on Lancing College Pond.
Lancing
College Pond
Suckered
English Elm was coming into leaf on the outskirts on verges and
patches of wasteland. Leaves were not so forthcoming on mature trees.
Pussy
Willow catkins were still on the trees
although they also littered the ground underneath the branches.
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Ground
Ivy
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Allium
ursine
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Ramsons
(also
called Wild Garlic), Allium
ursine, were spotted on the muddy verge
of the Coombes Road, south of Cuckoo's Corner. The
Sussex Plant Atlas includes the name Ramsons
and is not shown as present in the Lower
Adur Valley. It is not recorded in Flora
of Shoreham-by-Sea (List).
12
April 2016
A
Buzzard
soared
over the lower slopes of Mill
Hill in the bright blue sky.
On the ground, sliding through the undergrowth of Tor
Grass and Brambles
a young black Adder
slithered into view. It was tricky to spot and half an hour or so later
we were rewarded by the sighting of a silvery Adder
with
very attractive black triangular markings and shortly afterwards a different
larger black Adder,
but only for about five seconds before they were hidden. My first two Common
Lizards of the year skitted over the area
at the northern end of the the lower slopes that had been cleared of Privet
bushes. These were my second and third species
of reptile seen this year.
Five
species of butterfly were seen on Mill Hill
in the afternoon, frequent Peacocks,
a handful of patrolling Brimstones,
my first two Small Tortoiseshells
of the year, a Small White,
and last (at 2:15 pm)
and certainly not least a handful of the first Grizzled
Skippers of the year. All species visited
the abundant Dog Violets.
Butterfly
Report
Adur
Violets
8 April
2016
Blackthorn
was in full flower at Cuckoo's
Corner where Hawthorn
was in substantial leaf and the leaves of Blackthorn
had appeared. Blackthorn flowers appear before
the leaves and the Hawthorn leaves appear before the flowers. Buff-tailed
Bumblebees visited Green
Alkanet at Cuckoo's Corner.
Adur
Trees (April 2016)
5 April
2016
Fluffy
white Cumulus clouds
sped across a blue sky and the sun shone briefly though the gaps. These
brief spells encouraged butterflies to flutter
around in search of nectar on an otherwise cool day (> 10.4°C).
On the southern top part of Mill Hill,
I spotted my first bright yellow Brimstone
Butterfly of the year in the distance.
On the violet
scattered lower slopes pairs (7 in total) of Peacock
Butterflies danced over the thorn, and
were joined by my first Small White Butterfly
of 2016. At the
top of Chanctonbury Drive (SE of the bridge to Mill Hill) a damaged Red
Admiral made an appearance and again this
was a first of the year. It was joined by two further Brimstone
Butterflies. A Comma
Butterfly appeared on the verges of the
Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham. It was probably the same butterfly seen
six
days before.
.jpg)
Lesser
Celandine, English Elm,
Cowslips
Pussy
Willow,
Coltsfoot, Dog Violet
On
the verges of the Steyning Line (Old Shoreham
to Upper Beeding) the yellow flowers
of Coltsfoot, Lesser Celandine
and Cowslips
were most noticeable. There was another Peacock
Butterfly in the afternoon, bringing the day
total of this colourful vanessid
to at least nine. Bee-flies
visited the catkins of Pussy Willow,
but mostly high in the canopy.
Adur
Butterfly List 2016
April
2015 Reports
Wild
Flowers 2016
Shoreham
Weather 2016
EasyTide
(Shoreham)
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
Adur
Nature Notes 2013 |
