All observations by Andy Horton, unless stated otherwise.

1 December 2005
Dru Brook spotted a Red Admiral Butterfly about midday just north the cemetery (TQ 177 060) below Lancing Clump. "The butterfly was flying up over some hedging at the side of the path through to the area north of the cemetery. It was being blown about a bit as the wind was quite gusty and there was some spattering of rain at the time! Not the weather for a butterfly to be out and about in!"

19 November 2005
A butterfly was seen amongst the railway track vegetation between Southwick and Shoreham railway station and this was probably a Red Admiral.

13 November 2005
At least one Red Admiral Butterfly in Shoreham Town centre around the Farmer's Market in East street.

9 November 2005
A Red Admiral Butterfly appeared in my south Lancing garden.

4 November 2005
Two Red Admiral Butterflies appeared in my south Lancing garden. (TQ 185 046)

1 November 2005
Two Red Admirals were seen in my garden in Shermanbury, one in good condition.

A Red Admiral Butterfly was seen a minute after I left home in Dolphin Road, Shoreham, followed by another one near St. Michael's Church in Southwick and another one near the seafront in Southwick, all thought to be immigrants coming in off the sea, but a cycle along the Harbour Road by the seashore failed to reveal any more.
 

29 October 2005
A Red Admiral Butterfly fluttered/flew in front of me as I cycled north up Eastern Avenue, Shoreham.

28 October 2005
There were five Red Admiral Butterflies flying in the breeze over Shoreham town. Three were flying east and two at the top of Chanctonbury Drive (just south of Mill Hill) were courting and landing and taking off from the Sycamore leaves.

27 October 2005
A Red Admiral Butterfly flew strongly in an easterly direction over a garden in north Shoreham. There was a strong flying brown moth or butterfly (not a fallen leaf blown about) flying over a grass verge in The Drive, Shoreham, as well.

25 October 2005
Two Red Admiral Butterflies were seen settled; one on a grass path on Lancing Clump and the other resting on the fence in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road).

23 October 2005
Three Red Admiral Butterflies; one over Steyning Road a few metres north of Old Shoreham, one disturbed from Ivy on the Pixie Path route to Mill Hill and another one was seen flying over the middle slopes of Mill Hill.

In south Brittany, France, there was a continuous flow of Red Admirals from the sea (WSW), even in the rain. Also one or two Painted Ladies in the same influx, but not many.

At least 13 Red Admiral Butterflies in Lancing and Shoreham, and I suspect one or two may have been Painted Ladies. Of the five Red Admirals seen by the shore, at least two definitely flew in off the sea, one probably, and one looked like it was flying south towards the pebbled beach. All the others were flying about not in any direction, as though they had been disturbed. This may be have been the case of the one flying south towards the beach as well.

18 October 2005
A Red Admiral was blown across Southwick Square towards the west by an easterly breeze.

17 October 2005
Four Red Admiral Butterflies were recorded, one just south of the Toll Bridge, one at the top of the Pixie Path by the large garden hedge near the bridge, and two on the southern part of Mill Hill.
Unmistakable in its bright yellow with a black outline, only my second Clouded Yellow Butterfly seen this year fluttered rapidly over the lower slopes of Mill Hill. It flew mostly in a southerly direction. There were a handful of Meadow Brown Butterflies on the lower slopes, and one over The Driveway in north Shoreham. Just one slightly damaged female Common Blue Butterfly visited Hawkweeds on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

15 October 2005
One Painted Lady, one Large White, one Comma and one Red Admiral Butterfly were out in the morning in my south Lancing garden. (TQ 185 046)

Two Red Admirals were seen flying strongly north against a north wind in Shoreham, one in Eastern Avenue and the other in The Driveway, in the morning before the sun came out.

14 October 2005
On an overcast day after a couple of days of rain, a Large White Butterfly was spotted flying over the Hamme Road allotments in Shoreham.

10 October 2005
A Red Admiral in the Middle Road Playing Fields, Shoreham, was probably another one blown in from the south (over the sea). Large White Butterflies were frequent in the urban areas including over Hamm Road Allotments. Then the sun came out and the air temperature rose to 19.6 ºC at 12:33 pm. There was one more Red Admiral Butterfly in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road  and a handful of Large Whites over the Coastal Link Cyclepath.

9 October 2005
A Large White Butterfly was seen in Corbyn Crescent, a Shoreham residential area with nearby allotments. A small unidentified brown moth or butterfly fluttered over the Slonk Hill Road urban section during a brief five minute spell when the sun came out from behind the clouds.

8 October 2005
On a blackberrying foray at Malthouse Meadow, Sompting, two Red Admiral Butterflies and a Comma were sighted close to the wall of flowering Ivy.  A Brimstone Butterfly flew across my south Lancing garden. (TQ 185 046).
NB: This is the first Brimstone Butterfly recorded for the month of October on these Adur Nature Notes web pages.

Two Red Admirals were blown about in the blustery SSW (205° azimuth) wind (Force 4) over The Gardens (a road near the harbour in Southwick) and it appeared most likely they had blown in off the sea. In south Portslade there was probably a Small White Butterfly.

7 October 2005
The first butterflies on a very hazy day were a handful of Large White Butterflies over the Coastal Link Cyclepath and the Steyning Road north of Old Shoreham. One was probably a Small White Butterfly. About ten Red Admiral Butterflies were seen during the day with about eight of them on the Pixie Path route to Mill Hill where a Painted Lady made a brief appearance. The other two Red Admirals were on Mill Hill itself (where I only visited the lower slopes and returned via the ridge pathway). Butterflies were few and the only others were one pristine Brown Argus (confirmed by a photograph), one good condition intact male Common Blue and a Meadow Brown disturbed on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Another Meadow Brown was spotted on Ivy in the north-west scrub and another Large White in a Shoreham garden and that was the total for the day.
21 butterflies of six (probably seven) confirmed species.

6 October 2005
Four Red Admiral Butterflies were seen over the Coastal Link Cyclepath at the extreme southern end by the Adur Riverbank Industrial Estate and demolished railway bridge.

5 October 2005
No butterflies were seen in the meadows or the woods of Lancing Ring Nature Reserve. A Red Admiral over the unadopted path to the west of the church of St. James the less in north Lancing was the only one seen during the day.

4 October 2005
The dirty yellow-white butterfly fluttering at roof level in the centre of Shoreham was almost certainly a Large White Butterfly.

3 October 2005
Although overcast in the afternoon, the temperature was 15.2 ºC so there should have been a few butterflies around but the total was three: a Red Admiral flying in a westerly direction across Buckingham Park, Shoreham, another Red Admiral on the Ivy near the stile in the north-west of Mill Hill, and a languid Meadow Brown Butterfly that was disturbed near the Reservoir on Mill Hill.

2 October 2005
A pristine and definite Brown Argus Butterfly that was spotted on a flower in a garden near Buckingham Park, Shoreham was a surprise. It quickly fluttered a away and disappeared, whereas there was a resident good condition Red Admiral and at least one Large White Butterfly that was confirmed. Large Whites were frequently seen in the streets of Shoreham and fluttering over allotments. In The Drive, Shoreham, a Small White Butterfly was confirmed.

1 October 2005
In Malthouse Meadow, Sompting, (TQ 164 053), a Small Copper Butterfly rested briefly on the ground near to a large clump of Blackberry bushes and flowering Ivy. The Ivy was also attractive to two Painted Ladies and at least three Red Admirals, as well as a honey pot to many bees.

30 September 2005
On the Coastal Link Cyclepath north of the A27 Flyover there was a pretty brown moth (nearly the size of a Small Heath Butterfly) that fluttered in the undergrowth but I was unable to get a good enough look at for identification or a photograph, and a good condition Red Admiral in the same area.

29 September 2005
There was a probable Brimstone Butterfly (too large for a Clouded Yellow) that flew over my south Lancing front garden (TQ 185 046).

27 September 2005
There was a worn Painted Lady in my south Lancing front garden on Verbena bonariensis (TQ 185 046).

The Fresh Breeze Force 4 (at 24 mph bordering on Force 5) from the south-west (224° azimuth) felt stronger and more from due south.
 

This wind may or may not have brought immigrant Red Admirals to Shoreham. The tally was at least nine on the Coastal Link cyclepath at the extreme southern end by the demolished railway bridge, a further one in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road [not visited] ), four on the Pixie Path, and to my surprise at least nine more on a single clump of Ivy near (just south of) the stile in the far north-west corner of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. The total of at least 23 was not exceptional. All were in good condition. There were few other butterflies about with 24 Meadow Browns on the lower slopes of Mill Hill (including two on the clump of Ivy near the stile), a handful of Large Whites noted in Shoreham town, three Speckled Woods (two on Mill Hill), a surprise Comma in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road), and a male Common Blue on the middle slopes of Mill Hill (I returned via the ridge and did not visit the upper area).

25 September 2005
After the morning (9:30 am) rain squalls the weather cleared for an overcast afternoon but it always looked like rain and I had already been soaked earlier so I do not venture out of the urban area. There were a handful of conspicuous Large White Butterflies in the residential part of Shoreham, a Red Admiral flying rapidly northwards over Dolphin Road in Shoreham town. Fluttering around the top of the pine trees in the twitten from Ravensbourne Avenue to Buckingham Park in north Shoreham there was a small (the size of a Small Heath) orange or brown butterfly (possibly a moth?) that was not identified.  This was probably a male 2026 Vapourer Moth, Orgyia antiqua. (ID not confirmed, just a best guess.)

22 September 2005
There was a Red Admiral near the Toll Bridge and another one in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road). A Speckled Wood was seen at Cuckoo's Corner and a Large White Butterfly in Shoreham town.

21 September 2005
The Coastal Link Cyclepath north of the Toll Bridge produced five worn Speckled Wood Butterflies and one Red Admiral. Just south of the Toll Bridge there were two Red Admirals and at least one Large White Butterfly, and probably a few more of the latter.

20 September 2005
A distinctive Clouded Yellow Butterfly caught me by surprise as I walked through central Lancing near the railway station. It fluttered around one sunny front garden, flew over a hedge and disappeared from my view. I tried to locate it but failed.

The sun came out (sort of) and in the warmth (> 21.1 ºC) of the weak sunshine I checked out the lower slopes of Mill Hill where the following butterflies were noted in 15 minutes: frequent good condition Meadow Browns (with females noticed) numbering about 20 (counted but I mislaid the slip), five Common Blues (including a female), four Small Heath Butterflies and what was probably a Green-veined White (not confirmed). The tall hedgerow bordering the road north of the bridge on the southern approaches to Mill Hill was graced by at least two Red Admirals, with at least six and probably eight further Red Admirals were seen on Ivy bordering the Pixie Path, where one Speckled Wood was in the Butterfly Copse (the Waterworks Road was not visited). There were Large White Butterflies and almost certainly Small White Butterflies over the allotments in Shoreham town.

18 September 2005
A handful of Large White Butterflies were around, a hearsay report of a Red Admiral, and a Speckled Wood Butterfly in the Slonk Hill Cutting (south).

17 September 2005
A smattering of White Butterflies were around and a Red Admiral was seen flying north from Brunswick Road, Shoreham, over the railway crossing up Buckingham Road.

16 September 2005
A Painted Lady Butterfly over the shingle by the beach huts on Lancing Beach Green. Later a White Butterfly was seen to fly in off the sea and a dark butterfly (probably a Red Admiral) was seen to fly out to sea. The wind was blowing from the north (NNW).

14 September 2005
The first Clouded Yellow Butterfly of the year fluttered rapidly in the Moderate Breeze over Mill Hill just north of the Reservoir, landing in a patch of taller herbs on the wind-blown plateau. The smaller size and distinct black edging differentiated this butterfly instantly from the Brimstone. Apart from a couple of Large Whites in Shoreham town, they seemed to be the only butterflies around. However, I only visited this allotment patch-sized plot on Mill Hill and arrived and returned by road.

13 September 2005
The first butterfly of the day was an excellent condition Red Admiral Butterfly resting on the chalk path below high spring tide mark at low tide south of the Toll Bridge. There were about seven more in the Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road). There were white butterflies around everywhere and some seemed to have a bluish tinge. I would say the that both Small Whites and Large White Butterflies were definites, and I expect Green-veined Whites as well, but I did not check these out. It was never my intention to visit the downs, but the sun came out briefly only disappear behind a white cirrus cloud before I reached Mill Hill. (Just one or two white butterflies and a handful of Red Admirals were recorded on top section of the Pixie Path by the garden hedge.)
Meadow Brown Butterflies in good condition made an appearance on the southern part of Mill Hill and numbered about fifty with most on the lower slopes (the only area apart from the bit by the Reservoir visited), with a faded Specked Wood Butterfly on the steps down to the lower slopes. Small Heath Butterflies numbered just two definites on the lower slopes but there were about eight in the longer grass near the Reservoir. Blue butterflies of all species numbered about 25 definites and there were probably more. The males could be definitely identified as almost all them were Adonis Blues, but at least one Common Blue was a definite. I am not sure what the 15+ brown females were but I expect they included Chalkhill Blues. The main nectaring plant was Carline Thistle, but also Wild Basil and Stemless Thistle.
Ten (probably) species of butterfly in an hour.

My first Painted Lady Butterfly of the year has finally arrived in my south Lancing garden. (TQ 185 046).

12 September 2005
A visit just to the southern part of Mill Hill by the Reservoir produced about eight Meadow Brown Butterflies and one faded Small Heath Butterfly. There was also a Small Heath Butterfly over the top part of the Pixie Path (the top part was the only area visited) on an overcast day.

11 September 2005
An overcast day in the late afternoon (4:00 pm) is not expected to yield any more than a small number of disturbed or hidden butterflies in the best locations at the best of times, and the lower slopes of Mill Hill were no exception with just 29 Meadow Browns in good condition including a mating pair recorded with just one blue male butterfly disturbed probably a Common Blue, a female blue, very worn, probably* another Common Blue or a Chalkhill Blue discovered hiding in the amongst the herbs. (* I thought it was a female Chalkhill Blue at first.) There was one definite Small Heath Butterfly seen as well, a possible Red Admiral and notably at least a dozen Treble-bar Moths. The upper meadows were full of hundreds of Crane-flies but not a single butterfly was noted in a fleeting passage visit.

8 September 2005
In the Shoreham urban area the only butterflies recorded were confirmed Small Whites and Large Whites centred mostly on the allotments where a count of fifty of an hour could have been recorded if I tried. Under the trees inside the northern boundary of Buckingham Park, there was at least one Speckled Wood Butterfly.
The air temperature rose to 23.8 ºC.

6 September 2005
A Comma Butterfly visited the Buddleia in Ray Hamblett's south Lancing garden. It was a darker orange-brown than normal.
Other butterflies in the day included one Red Admiral, at least one Speckled Wood, a handful of Green-veined Whites (not confirmed) and frequent Large Whites and Small Whites in the town and the "Strategic Gap" (i.e. New Monks Farm) between Lancing and Shoreham. There were no special visits and just limited passage travel in the late afternoon. The Mother of Pearl Moth, Pleuroptya ruralis was recorded amongst the Stinging Nettles in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.
Under a clear blue sky with little or no wind the sticky warm weather continued.
Adur Weather 2005 (Selected Reports)

4 September 2005
At about dusk we watched as a Hummingbird Hawk-moth flew close to the house wall just below the level of the guttering, it then landed and crawled into a crack in the rendering, one of the points where the wall cavities were filled and cemented over.  (TQ 186 044).

On a sticky warm (> 26.4 ºC, humidity at that time 59%, wind speed 10 mph at 4:26 pm) hazy day, a back garden near Buckingham Park, Shoreham, produced a Small White Butterfly, an orangey Comma Butterfly and a handful of Large Whites. The Pixie Path to Mill Hill added another Comma and a Holly Blue.
The upper part of Mill Hill was full of people watching the Shoreham Air Show. Relatively few (compared to the summer months) butterflies fluttered around the lower slopes in the warmest part of the late afternoon and of those that did the very frequently seen Meadow Browns were often fresh and in perfect condition and numbered about fifty, equal or slightly more than all the other butterflies on the lower slopes (I did not visit the upper part except for passage over the southern uninteresting area); the other butterflies on the lower slopes of Mill Hill were at least 15 Small Heath Butterflies, a conservative 7 Common Blues (including females), at least 8 Chalkhill Blues (half were females*), at least 4 Adonis Blues (including a courting pair) and one Large White Butterfly. Moths were not identified except for at least two Treble-bar Moths. In the Hawthorn scrub immediately to the north of the lower slopes at least two Speckled Woods fluttered over the path before I returned via the ridge (so I was only the scrub for about three minutes).
The Waterworks Road hosted a handful of Large White Butterflies and at least two restless what were probably Green-veined Whites (but these butterflies did not settle for confirmation) and a courting pair of Speckled Woods. The nearby Butterfly Copse was disappointing with just a Large White and a Holly Blue.
(* It was not possible to ID the numbers with 100% accuracy in practice. Only one female Adonis was recorded, but they look and behave like female Chalkhill Blues, so it is hard to be sure. Female Chalkhill Blues can also be confused with female Common Blues.)
Eleven species of butterfly, although a only ten were confirmed. In one hour, the butterflies were under a hundred (not common) and probably about 85 (=very frequent).

3 September 2005
In a north Lancing garden which consisted of one Buddleia bush (100 metres south of Lancing Ring meadows), there were a handful of White Butterflies (species not identified), a Holly Blue and a vanessid (probably a Comma).

2 September 2005
A Hummingbird Hawk-moth visited the Lavender in my south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).

1 September 2005
A Green-veined White* on the Coastal Link cyclepath north of the Toll Bridge was the first recorded in the month of September anywhere in Adur (probably because of an oversight before) and together with a couple of Red Admirals, at least one Small White and frequent Large Whites comprised the butterflies on a sunny day, when I was otherwise preoccupied for butterfly watching.
(* Identified by size, flight and overall appearance, but not confirmed as a settled butterfly.)
Adur Butterfly Flight Times
UK Butterflies Flight Times
UK Butterflies

31 August 2005
There was a Brimstone Butterfly on the downs to the south-west of Steyning (off the Sompting road), frequent Large Whites everywhere and at least one Meadow Brown by the Adur estuary (east of Adur Recreation ground) and a Small White seen in Shoreham town.

30 August 2005
A clear blue sky without as much as a single white fluffy cirrus cloud and the day got warmer and by the late afternoon the shade air temperature was 26.3 ºC.
Twelve species of butterflies fluttered in hardly a breeze (in order of first seen):
 

Large White   50+	Ubiquitous everywhere, frequent with  E 25+ in an hour
Red Admiral  2	Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road)  1  Shoreham garden 1
Comma  3 or 4	Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road) 2 or 3  Shoreham garden 1
Holly Blue  2	Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road)  1  Shoreham garden 1
Speckled Wood  11+	Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road)  1  Mill Hill scrub and copse 10+
Chalkhill Blue  17	Mill Hill Cutting SW  2+  Mill Hill lower 15
Common Blue E  60+	Pixie Path and Frampton's Fields 5+   Mill Hill lower E 30+  upper E  25+
Brimstone Butterfly  1	Pixie Path near the bridge
Meadow Brown  E 62+	Mill Hill lower E 50+  upper  E 12 +
Small Heath  19+	Mill Hill lower E 12+  upper  E 7 +
Adonis Blue  15+	Mill Hill lower  counted 15 definites (could have been more)
Small White  1	Shoreham garden 1 (confirmed)

Two of the Comma Butterflies in the Butterfly Copse (next to Waterworks Road) were brownish rather than orange but the one in the Shoreham garden was very orangey.
A dozen Pyrausta aurata moths were lively amongst the herbs and short grass on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

Twelve confirmed species of butterfly.

28 August 2005
A brief passage route of 20 minutes through the overgrown southern path of Slonk Hill Cutting provided a handful each of Large Whites and Green-veined Whites, at least two Holly Blues and a pair of Speckled Woods. A Small White Butterfly was spotted over the allotments between Corbyn Crescent and Adelaide Square in the Shoreham residential area. This sighting was not confirmed but judged by size and appearance in flight.

27 August 2005
 

The first Painted Lady Butterfly of 2005 in the lower Adur valley (Allen Pollard had seen Painted Lady Butterflies on the downs in July) was seen in the Butterfly Copse by the Waterworks Road. Other butterflies in the day included a rich brown Comma Butterfly on Stinging Nettles on the Waterworks Road, a worn and battered Holly Blue on Ivy in the Butterfly Copse, with three Red Admirals, one worn and battered with a Speckled Wood. A dozen or more Large Whites were seen over residential areas and countryside just outside of town. Green-veined Whites were frequent (8+) on the Adur Levels and Coastal Link cyclepath with a male Common Blue Butterfly was observed in a field between the cyclepath and the River Adur. Meadow Browns were in the low frequency, about ten. There was a small orange butterfly or moth that flew too quickly and away up into the trees before it could be identified (another one was seen before on the on the lower slopes of Mill Hill on 16 August 2005).
Nine confirmed species of butterfly.

27 August 2005
On the route to Lancing Ring I was also happy to find Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Small Heath and Common Blue Butterflies.

26 August 2005
After the rain in the last few days, in breezy overcast conditions on the lower slopes of Mill Hill the following butterflies were noted in order of first seen:
Chalkhill Blues (worn of both sexes) 16, Meadow Browns E 50, Small Heaths E 8, Large Whites E 5, Green-veined Whites 3+, Adonis Blues (all males) 9, and Common Blues 15. The relative paucity of butterflies meant I was able to count the blues without getting them muddled up, although some of the Adonis Blues were damaged and had lost their white wing borders with the chequerboard black markings. (E = estimated, others counted.)
Additional species in the day included a Speckled Wood in the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill as I returned by the ridge without visiting the upper slopes. Above the ridge there were at least three more Common Blues, an additional Chalkhill Blue, another Adonis Blue and a handful of Meadow Browns.
The Pixie Path hosted five Chalkhill Blues* and about the same number of Common Blues and Meadow Browns with Green-veined Whites and Large Whites. (*Mill Hill Cutting road bank.)
There was a Red Admiral in a Shoreham garden.
Nine species of butterfly. About 150 butterflies in an hour.

23 August 2005
Butterflies on the Coastal Link Cyclepath included a handful of both Common Blues and Meadow Browns, a half a dozen Speckled Woods, one Red Admiral, and a small blue butterfly which turned out to be a worn Brown Argus.
There were about 15 Speckled Woods altogether in the shady areas around Shoreham and Lancing, all three species of whites in small numbers; Large White Butterflies (frequent), Green-veined White and Small White.  A Holly Blue Butterfly was seen in the twitten from Ravensbourne Avenue to Buckingham Park.
Nine species of butterfly.

21 August 2005
Worn and battered Chalkhill Blue Butterflies were down to a count of about 69 (62 on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, five on the Pixie Path) , but I was not looking very carefully, Common Blues on the lower slopes of Mill Hill were past their best as well and I estimated these at between 65 to 75, with the first of the second brood male Adonis Blues confirmed when one these flighty butterflies settled and some were pristine and some just new (they may have been present on 16 August 2005). There were at least ten and possibly twenty. Meadow Browns were still around with over fifty on the lower slopes (Shoreham Bank), but only four Small Heath Butterflies. A small pyralid moth Pyrausta aurata visited a Wild Basil flower. A larger Treble-bar Moth was also noticed amongst over a dozen smaller moth species that were not identified. A Carpet Moth was disturbed on the Pixie Path.
A handful of Speckled Wood Butterflies were seen in shady places, three Red Admirals, and about the same number of Holly Blues. A Wall Brown Butterfly at the top of the Drive on the road and it flew into the wall of a house was almost confirmed as a definite, but it flew away too rapidly for a close look.
All three common species of white butterflies were confirmed in a Shoreham garden: Large White, Green-veined White and Small White in order of first seen. There was more than one Large White. Also, there was at least one confirmed Common Blue Butterfly, one Holly Blue and one Red Admiral. Gatekeepers were absent.
Ten or eleven species of butterfly in an hour or so.

18 August 2005
Shoreham urban areas found a Gatekeeper (not confirmed, could have been a Meadow Brown?) flying across Eastern Avenue, a handful each of Meadow Browns, Large Whites, Small Whites, one Red Admiral and one Holly Blue.
The air temperature rose to 26.7° C in the mid-afternoon.
Shoreham Weather Station History

16 August 2005
I counted up to 200 Chalkhill Blue Butterflies on the lower slopes of Mill Hill before I gave up counting. The total for the day actually seen was about 250 (middle and upper slopes 30, Pixie Path/Mill Hill Cutting SW 20). There were about 20% females and again some of these may have been missed. These numbers are fairly good for the middle of August when the numbers of Chalkhill Blues can fall off a bit. Many of both the males and females were worn and some were showing signs of damage. They are in mating mood and four males could be seen chasing one female above the short herbs on a handful of occasions, but usually each of the brown females received the attention of one to three males.
Chalkhill Blues were the most numerous butterfly on the lower slopes, but on the whole of Mill Hill, it was the Common Blue Butterflies that were the most numerous and as I returned over the upper meadows, their totals must be upwards of 300 actually seen (upper meadows on Mill Hill 250, lower slopes 25, Pixie Path 20, urban fringes 5). Common Blues were courting as well, with their paired vertical ascendant courtship flights and mutual attraction amongst the bramble shrub (like the Chalkhill Blues).
Gatekeeper Butterflies were few, only two definites, one on the path by the Wayfaring Bush leading down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill and one on the scrub on the middle slopes. Meadow Browns were very frequently seen  but not so numerous as a week ago on the lower slopes and upper meadows about equally. Small Heath Butterflies had reappeared on the lower slopes with at least a dozen observed and a handful more seen above the ridge. A yellow butterfly was not identified at first over the lower slopes and then another Brimstone Butterfly flew into a thistle-covered gap in the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west. Two pristine Green-veined White Butterflies greeted me in this scrub and flew away and landed on Hemp Agrimony and Perforate St. John's Wort. In the shade of hedges at the top of the Pixie Path and in the Hawthorn in the north-west of Mill Hill, Speckled Wood Butterflies were frequent and Red Admirals occasional. A handful of Brown Argus Butterflies were confirmed with a positive identification from their spots and markings on the upper meadows only of Mill Hill. There were female Common Blues as well.
Large Whites were ubiquitous and common almost everywhere, with Holly Blues frequent in urban areas and an occasional Small White Butterfly was seen.
Thirteen species of butterfly seen on the downs in the middle of August is nothing special.

Butterfly Vision

15 August 2005
Passage butterflies included common Large Whites and occasional Small Whites, Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, Speckled Woods and Holly Blues in Lancing and Shoreham.

14 August 2005
A Shoreham garden produced six Large White Butterflies simultaneously and probably more, a confirmed Small White, at least one Holly Blue, a Meadow Brown and the Comma that was possibly the same one seen as early as 26 June 2005. It no longer had its bright orange colours and was brown-orange, not faded and intact.
The part of the Slonk Hill Cutting at the top of The Drive and the hedgerows to the east, produced at least one Gatekeeper, a few Meadow Browns, and in the hedgerows the first standard coloured Speckled Wood Butterfly, followed by a darker one. The flitting brown was a Yellow Shell Moth. At least a dozen male Common Blue Butterflies were disturbed from the long grass further to the east. After a rain deluge and overcast sky with a distinctive breeze, made conditions relatively poor for butterflies.
The Pixie Path produced a female Chalkhill Blue amongst the prostrate Horseshoe Vetch leaves on the road bank. A couple of minutes later on the path, a pair of courting Red Admirals, a Gatekeeper, a dozen Common Blues and two Meadow Browns were seen simultaneously. A Holly Blue Butterfly settled.  Later a dozen more Common Blues were amongst the Ragwort on Frampton's Field. At least two Yellow Shell Moths, a few more Meadow Browns were seen in the vicinity of the path, and a Wall Brown Butterfly that rose from the chalk path and landed on the Chestnut palings fence.
The total butterfly species count was eleven in thirty minutes without visiting the downs or levels.

13 August 2005
A brief visit to Malthouse Meadow, Sompting, brought Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies as expected, a few Whites and occasionally a Common Blue. At the top of the meadow I decided there was little more to hope to see and then a Brown Argus Butterfly settled close by and allowed me just one photograph before it became impatient and took off. This was the first time a Brown Argus had been recorded in this occasionally visited meadow.

12 August 2005 The colourful caterpillar in my south Lancing garden was that of the dull (2284) Grey Dagger Moth, Acronicta psi. ID by Chris Court on UK-Leps (Yahoo Group) A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was also seen in the garden.   Report by Ray Hamblett (Lancing Nature Gallery)  on UK-Leps (Yahoo Group) Adur Moths Lancing Moths

Butterflies in town and on Shoreham beach and coastal strip from Southwick to Lancing included worn and damaged Small Whites very frequent everywhere, and occasional Large Whites. Also, one Meadow Brown, one Common Blue and a Gatekeeper all on the waste ground next to Schooner pub on the Shoreham Harbour canal north bank and a Red Admiral in Shoreham.
Mapping the Butterfly Eye

11 August 2005
A hurried out of the way walk (mostly, it was slightly uphill and the terrain was bumpy) from Slonk Hill Farm to New Erringham Farm (north of Shoreham) produced 300+ mostly male Common Blues, a pair of Brown Argus Butterflies (vertical ascendant mating flight 100 metres west of the stables), a single Small Tortoiseshell (the only butterfly by the Rock Rose), frequent Meadow Browns and the occasional Gatekeeper.
 

The interesting observation was the path by Mossy Bottom Barn had a puddle of mud and water and this attracted 150 (counted then estimated) of the Common Blues (all males seen, although females were likely to have been present as well). There was no dung so they must have been attracted for the moisture from the parched downs, next to grazing fields covered in Ragwort. The path sides had a continuous record of Common Blues. No Chalkhill Blues were observed.  This is the area good for Wall Browns but none were seen on a sunny day. I did not have time to visit Mill Hill. Frequent Small Whites and Large Whites were seen in Shoreham town.

10 August 2005
A pristine Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly and a faded Comma was seen in West Lane, Lancing, near the football ground.

9 August 2005
Again, I find I have great difficulty separating the female Common Blue Butterflies from the Brown Argus Butterflies;  this time on the meadows of Lancing Ring. The behaviour does not give any clues and the orange rim spots can be almost identical. The Brown Argus Butterflies are a fraction smaller, but this is hard to judge. Common Blues numbered over fifty but, surprisingly, they were not so densely populated as the meadows of Mill Hill. They were all resting though, despite the sunshine. Chalkhill Blue Butterflies were in numbers higher than expected with more than 25 in a small area, and I discovered the running leaves of Horseshoe Vetch amongst the dense herbs in the south-west corner of the main meadow. Meadow Browns were common, the most prevalent butterfly on the day. Gatekeepers were frequent by the hedgerows. One Wall Brown Butterfly was spotted by Hoe Cottages (east of Lancing Ring) and another near the Lancing Ring dry dewpond. They were very clear views and no doubt about their identity. Both Large Whites and Small Whites were ubiquitous and common and there were a few Green-veined Whites, although the latter were not confirmed when settled. Red Admirals were seen and numbered two over the clump and from six to eight during the day. There was a Comma Butterfly at Cuckoo's Corner. A surprise first ever Small Blue Butterfly was definite on the Lancing Ring meadows. Holly Blue Butterflies were common in residential areas of Lancing and Shoreham and in hedge rows and scrub of Lancing Ring. A mating pair of Small Heath Butterflies were another first for me in the Lancing Ring meadows. About ten Speckled Wood Butterflies were present in shaded wooded areas of Lancing Ring.
At least two Brown Argus Butterflies were confirmed from the Coastal Link Cyclepath (southern end) in the same place as yesterday with a handful of both male and female Common Blue Butterflies.
Fifteen species of butterfly were seen in the day.

8 August 2005
Ironically, after being unable to confirm a Brown Argus Butterfly yesterday, I saw a female "blue-brown" Common Blue followed immediately by a definite Brown Argus at the extreme southern end of the Coastal Link Cyclepath in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea. It was accompanied by a dozen male Common Blues, a handful of Gatekeepers, one Small/Essex Skipper and a Red Admiral. There were hundreds of white butterflies in the residential areas and on the outskirts of town including both Small Whites and Large Whites. The Waterworks Road and Butterfly Copse produced three Comma Butterflies, a Small Tortoiseshell (which I did not record yesterday), another Red Admiral and Large Whites, as well as at least two Holly Blues. A few more Holly Blues, Gatekeepers and Red Admirals were seen during the day. Meadow Browns were just three in a field near Lancing College.
Ten species and I was almost avoiding butterflies, but the sun occasionally shone through gaps in the cirrus.

7 August 2005
The Salterns at Beeding is a medieval antiquity site close to the River Adur. From here we walked a little way along one of the side streams that hold far more interest than the barren banks of the river proper.
Butterflies seen included about 30 Gatekeeper, 2 Red Admiral, 10 Meadow Brown and single Small Tortoiseshell.

Common Blue Butterflies were out in large numbers in the meadows on Mill Hill. In their most prevalent, there was at least one every square metre, and I have conservatively estimated them at a level of about one every five square metres over an area of three acres giving an estimated population of 2400.  For every twenty blues on the tall herb meadows on the top of Mill Hill, about one was a Chalkhill Blue. The brown butterflies with orange rim spots were identified as female Common Blues rather than Brown Argus Butterflies.

The first (1984) Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Macroglossum stellatarum, of the year landed in a Shoreham garden.
Adur Moths

Butterfly List (in no particular order):
 

Small White   15+	Urban areas
Red Admiral   6	Buckingham Park 1  Shoreham garden 1  Mill Hill (road on downs) 1  Coastal Link Cyclepath 3
Meadow Brown  75+	Urban outskirts, but mostly on Mill Hill
Wall Brown  2	Mill Hill 1 Coastal Link Cyclepath 1
Common Blue  E 2400+	Mill Hill. Too many to count with one every square metre at their maximum
Holly Blue  20+	Urban areas and outskirts including Mill Hill
Large White  20+	Urban areas and downs
Essex Skipper  2+	Pixie Path 1 Mill Hill 1
Speckled Wood  2	Mill Hill scrub 1 and copse 1
Green-veined White  3+	Confirmed from the Mill Hill scrub
Gatekeeper 20+	Pixie Path and Mill Hill
Chalkhill Blue   158   E550+	Mill Hill  155 (lower slopes 131)  Pixie Path 1  Adur Levels 2  (Mill Hill estimate = 550)
Brimstone Butterfly  1	Mill Hill "Triangle"
Peacock   3	Shoreham garden 1 Pixie Path  1  Coastal Link Cyclepath 1
Small Heath  1	Mill Hill lower slopes
Brown Argus	Unable to confirm this species by a photograph. They may have occurred.
Comma   1	Waterworks Road

Sixteen (possibly seventeen) different species of butterflies in a single day (personal record) is one less than the best ever.

5 August 2005
In a Shoreham garden near Buckingham Park, at least two Large White Butterflies, a Meadow Brown and a Holly Blue Butterfly were seen. Both Large White Butterflies and Small Whites were frequently see as I cycled the residential roads.

4 August 2005
Although warm (21.9 ºC), it was slightly overcast in the late morning on Lancing Ring and meadows (including McIntyre's field), but even making allowances for the weather, the butterfly numbers were disappointing and much less than previous years. In about an hour, there were not many more than a hundred butterflies of the following species (listed in order first seen): Speckled Wood Butterflies (12+), Common Blues (12+), Meadow Browns (60+), a possible Holly Blue, Gatekeepers (20+), Large Whites (12+), Red Admirals (4), Small Whites (3+), Chalkhill Blues (4+) Brown Argus (1), Marbled White (1) and Small (or Essex) Skipper (1). A dozen or so 6-spot Burnet Moths were noted and a (2352) Dusky Sallow Eremobia ochroleuca.
Adur Moths
 

That is eleven butterfly species only, possibly twelve.

A Small White, a Red Admiral and a Gatekeeper Butterfly were seen immediately I opened my front door in the morning in Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham.

3 August 2005
I made a quick 30 minutes visit to Mill Hill for the specific purpose of a comparative counting the Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes: the half-transect (400 metres) count came to 143 (compared to 229 yesterday) including three females. I did not go to the upper slopes but returned via the path above the ridge where 33 further Chalkhill Blues giving a total of 176 for the trek. The Chalkhill Blues were very difficult to photograph because as soon as they settled, they would be chased off by another butterfly. Both Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were seen, but there was unlikely to be more than twenty of each. A surprise was almost immediate sighting of a second brood Dingy Skipper, only the second second brood I have ever recorded, and the first in the month of August.
Adur Skippers
Adur Butterfly Flight Times

On the path above the ridge there were half a dozen Common Blue Butterflies. In Shoreham town, both Small Whites and Large White Butterflies were frequently seen.  A male Common Blue fluttered around the grasses by the Old Fort, Shoreham Beach.

 

2 August 2005
As the sun finally came out, it was disappointing to note that I probably (again) missed the peak emergence for Chalkhill Blue Butterflies on Mill Hill. The Chalkhill Blues were all over the lower slopes, (impressive if you have never seen a bulk emergence), but not in the profusion of 2003. I am not sure if this is because of a poor year, or because the weather prevented me seeing the best day? The total one hour count on Mill Hill came to 268 (229 on the 400 metre half transect, covering about an acre in 20 minutes). Very few, just five females were recorded, perhaps, because they are harder to observe? perhaps, because they have not all emerged yet?
The Chalkhill Blues can disperse quite quickly off the lower slopes in search of the nectar plants which are less in number than the butterflies. The photograph of the female on the right was taken in long grass on the upper meadows where Greater Knapweed and Hardheads occur.

  Butterfly List (in order first seen):
 

Small White  20+	Frequent. Almost entirely urban, widespread. Estimates.
Red Admiral  25+	Frequent, everywhere and widespread, but spread quite thinly. Counted at first then estimates.
Meadow Brown  75+	Very frequently seen, much more often on the downs, but vagrants everywhere. Estimates.
Small Blue 2+	At least two were definites on the Slonk Hill Cutting south.
Common Blue  36+	Slonk Hill (10+), Pixie Path (5+), Mill Hill (20+), Waterworks Road (1). Counted.
Holly Blue  20+	Frequent, widespread with an urban tendency. Counted at first then estimates.
Large White  30+	Frequent, widespread with an urban tendency. Estimates.
Small (or Essex) Skipper 10+	Slonk Hill and Mill Hill. Counted at first then estimates. Some looked like Large Skippers, but closer inspection revealed all as Small (or Essex) Skippers.
Speckled Wood  12+	Slonk Hill and Mill Hill. Counted at first then estimates.
Green-veined White 15+	Slonk Hill mostly. Counted at first then estimates.
Gatekeeper 40+	Frequent, widespread with a hedgerow tendency Few at Slonk Hill Cutting.  Estimates.
Chalkhill Blue  268	Count mostly on Mill Hill. Two others on the road bank by the Pixie Path (= old part of Mill Hill).
Brimstone Butterfly  3+	Lower slopes of Mill Hill only.
Peacock  1	Erringham Hill (boundary with Mill Hill)
Marbled White  1	Mill Hill upper
Brown Argus 2 +	Mill Hill upper. Most other possibles turned out to be Common Blue females.  ID photographs of 7 August 2005 raises doubts over the correct identification.
Comma 5+	All on the Waterworks Road. I was disturbed and there could have been more.

Seventeen different species of butterflies is the most this year. This is equal the most every variety in a single day.
Previous record of 17 (revised from 18) Link

1 August 2005
A Small White Butterfly appeared in Corbyn Crescent and its identity was confirmed. There were over twenty other white butterflies which were flying too fast for identification. A Large White Butterfly was identified from a south Lancing garden.
An orange butterfly was too quick to identify near the Toll Bridge at Old Shoreham: it was probably a Small Tortoiseshell (not a Comma, but possibly a Painted Lady?).
As well as being an overcast day with showers, the country paths were so muddy and slippery that a trek to the downs would require special footwear. I thought better of the trip because the risk of personal injury with the wrong shoes on.
Even the small uphill stretch of 20 metres from the Waterworks Road to the Butterfly Copse was very slippery and potentially treacherous underfoot. The butterflies in this area included at least three Gatekeepers and a Red Admiral and a Holly Blue in the Butterfly Copse. A Yellow Shell Moth was disturbed.
The Elm Corridor on New Monks Farm, Lancing, hosted 20+ Green-veined White Butterflies, 12+ Speckled Wood Butterflies, a dozen Gatekeepers, handful of Meadow Browns and another Red Admiral. The residential area of Lancing produced more Large Whites and at least one Holly Blue.

Of the ten species seen during the overcast and rainy day, one was not positively identified.

31 July 2005
As I left home, I felt the first spots of rain under an overcast sky. On Slonk Hill, the sun pierced the cloud cover for five minutes and the butterfly count included 20+ Meadow Brown Butterflies, 6+ Gatekeepers and at least one Ringlet Butterfly on the southern road embankment. Adjacent to the path there were about a dozen Common Blue Butterflies with both males and the brown females (they look similar to Brown Argus Butterflies), a handful each of Large White Butterflies, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, and just the one Small (or Essex) Skipper, one Holly Blue and one Green-veined White actually seen. A Yellow Shell Moth was disturbed.
 

A Red Admiral Butterfly fluttered over the Pixie Path. The horse fields (did these used to be called Frampton's Fields?) were covered in Ragwort where the horses were not grazing.

Mill Hill:
By the time, I arrived at Mill Hill, the low misty cloud had turned into light rain (hard enough to splatter my spectacles and obscured my view), enough to discourage any butterflies on what could have been the prime emergence day for Chalkhill Blues this year. Only 31 Chalkhill Blue Butterflies were disturbed (29 on the lower slopes and two above the ridge*) or seen laying prostrate on the Horseshoe Vetch food plants. Meadow Brown Butterflies were frequently seen and there were about ten Gatekeepers. At least one 6-spot Burnet Moth was recorded, and a couple of Yellow Shell Moths were disturbed.
(* Visit truncated and I only made a brief visit of 20 minutes on the lower slopes because of the rain.)

Ten species of butterfly only on a rainy day.

29 July 2005
Both Painted Lady Butterflies, the first ones reported in the Adur area this year, were in fine colour and good condition. One was seen on the farm track between New Erringham Farm and Mossy Bottom barn, the second about half way between the barn and Southwick Hill.

A brown butterfly fluttering in the Gentle Breeze (Force 3) in Williams Road, a residential part of Shoreham, turned out to be a Wall Brown Butterfly. This is an unusual species to see in residential areas, but it is one mile due south of a prime location (bridlepath north of Slonk Hill Farm towards Mossy Bottom) for Wall Browns. Large White Butterflies were frequently seen over the local gardens. Circumstances prevented a visit to the downs and the most time I could find was for a fleeting visit to the Waterworks Road in the late afternoon where the number of butterflies were no more than a dozen of five species: a handful of Meadow Browns, at least three Gatekeepers, one Comma, on the road and Maple Spinney, and one Red Admiral and one Peacock in the Butterfly Copse, all seen in about ten minutes.
There were no skippers to be seen during this brief visit.
Seven species of butterfly (personally) seen on a day when the best butterfly routes were not walked.

25 July 2005
On passage through the Slonk Hill Cutting southern path, I disturbed half a dozen Meadow Browns and one very yellowish confirmed Green-veined White Butterfly on an overcast day. There were two Yellow Shell Moths that quickly fluttered into the bushes.

23 July 2005
On Bath Tub Race Day in the sun in the afternoon with throngs of people lining the riverbank in the  hazy sunshine. There were Small White Butterflies over Adur Recreation Ground and a handful of Gatekeepers and Small/Essex Skippers over the grasses next to the towpath next to Shoreham Airport. There were no crowds on the Waterworks Road where usual butterflies were present including a count of seven Commas, including at least one smaller than normal fresh specimen which was nevertheless very quick to chase off much bigger Large White Butterflies before returning to its perch on the top of the Stinging Nettles. There was a smaller than usual fresh Speckled Wood Butterfly with a Red Admiral in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road). The other species were a handful both of Small/Essex Skippers, Gatekeepers and Green-veined Whites.

22 July 2005
The morning started with a clear blue sky with fluffy white cirrus clouds, but by 11:00 am the sky had become grey and overcast.

Route: Slonk Hill south - Pixie Path - Mill Hill (lower slopes - scrub - Triangle - copse - upper meadow) - Path from The Street to the Butterfly Copse - Waterworks Road - Cyclepath south of the Toll Bridge.
Duration:  2 hours 30 minutes    (Slonk 1 hour, Mill Hill 1 hour; travel between the two: 30 minutes)

The list is in the order first seen (E = estimates):
 

Large White  E 30+	Widespread,
Meadow Brown  E 35+	Widespread
Red Admiral  4	Slonk South Meadow 1 Mill Hill scrub 1 Butterfly Copse 1 Waterworks Road 1
Small/Essex Skipper  E 50+	Widespread
Gatekeeper E  200+	Widespread
Green-veined White  E 12+	Widespread
Small Blue  5+	Slonk South Path
Common Blue 5+	Slonk South Path
Speckled Wood   2	Slonk South Path 1 Mill Hill 1
Chalkhill Blue 125  (all males)	Mill Hill (Pixie Path 1, Lower Slopes 101, Scrub 1, Triangle 9, Upper Meadow 13)
Marbled White  18	Mill Hill  (Lower 1 Upper 17)
Wall Brown  1	Mill Hill Upper
Holly Blue 1	Path from The Street to the Butterfly Copse
Comma  2	Butterfly Copse 1  Waterworks Road  1

  6-spot Burnet Moths 20+

The total of 14 different species of butterfly was from a highly favourable route over a longer period than normal, but not as a diligent search as it could have been.

21 July 2005
A Brimstone Butterfly was seen in south Lancing in the warm sunny morning. In my south Lancing garden a Holly Blue and a Gatekeeper fluttered around and the Large Whites found the cabbages.

White butterflies were ubiquitous in Shoreham residential areas. A Speckled Wood Butterfly fluttered through Southwick Square.
A Small White Butterfly fluttered around Shoreham Health Centre in Pond Road, in Shoreham town centre.

In the late afternoon I made a brief visit to the outskirts of Old Shoreham.
The list is in the order first seen:
 

Comma  5	Waterworks Road and first one seen instantly
Meadow Brown  35+	Waterworks Road 15+  Coastal Link Cyclepath 20+  Estimates
Small/Essex Skipper   6+	Waterworks Road 1+  Coastal Link Cyclepath 5+
Gatekeeper  24+	Waterworks Road 12+  Coastal Link Cyclepath 12+  Estimates
Large Whites  50+	Everywhere
Green-veined Whites  12+	Waterworks Road 6+  Coastal Link Cyclepath 6+  Estimates
Holly Blue  2	Waterworks Road 1  Coastal Link Cyclepath  (south of the Toll Bridge) 1
Red Admiral  7	Coastal Link Cyclepath 7
Speckled Wood  1	Waterworks Road 1
Peacock  1	Butterfly Copse

My personal tally of species for the day was eleven with just a cursory try, including one species not recorded four days ago.

20 July 2005
There was a Red Admiral Butterfly in the twitten between Ravensbourne Avenue and Buckingham Park, Shoreham.

18 July 2005
The bare expanses of the Adur Levels on the towpath route to Cuckoo's Corner were relatively devoid of butterflies (compared to yesterday) with just a handful of Meadow Browns by the riverbank. At Cuckoo's Corner, there were a handful each of Gatekeepers, Large Whites, Green-veined Whites and Small/Essex Skippers and a few more Meadow Browns, plus one Comma. There was another Comma and one Red Admiral at the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.

17 July 2005
I had planned to visit the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the morning to get a representative count of the Chalkhill Blues. A hand injury delayed me and most species and numbers of butterflies were present before I left Shoreham town on the Slonk Hill Cutting (south) road embankment and linear spinney. The Small Blue Butterflies may be in their second brood? (I had to chase these around to confirm their identity.) The Small/Essex Skipper population may be greater than normal.

The list is in the order first seen:
 

Meadow Brown  75+	Very Frequent on Slonk Hill, Frequent on Mill Hill, one in a Shoreham garden
Marbled White  24	Slonk 1, Mill Hill 19, Pixie Path 1, Waterworks Road 1, Coastal Link Cyclepath 2
Gatekeeper  50+	Frequent on Slonk and Mill Hill, occasional on the Pixie Path (top) and Adur Levels
Small/Essex Skipper 300+	Common (200+) on Slonk, Very Frequent on Mill Hill, Frequent on the Adur Levels
Chalkhill Blue 48	Slonk 3, Mill Hill Lower 33, Mill Hill elsewhere 12
Brown Argus  3+	At least 3 on Slonk
Speckled Wood  11+	Slonk Spinney 9+, Mill Hill 2
Ringlet  1	Only one confirmed on Slonk South (east) but there would have been more
Small Blue  10+	Slonk only in several places, and counted, but there were probably more
Green-veined White  20+	Frequent = occasional in all locations, confirmed ID from Slonk
Large White  15+	Frequent = occasional in all locations, confirmed ID from a Shoreham garden
Small White  2+ (Rejected)	Only a mating pair confirmed from a Shoreham garden, but there were probably more, PS: A second look at the photograph and they seem to be Large Whites.
Comma  1	Only one in a Shoreham garden, but I did not look amongst the nettles on the Waterworks Road
Red Admiral  5	Top of The Drive (part of Slonk) 2, Waterworks Road 1, Coastal Link Cyclepath (south of the Toll Bridge) 2
Holly Blue 1	The only confirmed ones was from the Coastal Link Cyclepath (south of the Toll Bridge) flying over from an adjoining garden

On Mill Hill, four of the Chalkhill Blue males demonstrated interesting behaviour first commented up on by Chris Pickford on the UK Leps Yahoo Group) mimicking females and shown in the photograph on the right (above the list). Female butterflies show receptive or enticing behaviour and this is readily noticeable in Adonis and Chalkhill Blue females. The photographed butterfly looked very blue in flight.
Original Observation Message by Chris Pickford on UK Leps (Link)

Fourteen species recorded in a day was the single largest total so far this year. All the species were found within the Shoreham urban area in less than one hour. The above totals were seen in a period of 90 minutes, rather than the normal hour.
This species total was reduced to 14 from 15 as the Small Whites were not confirmed.

6-spot Burnet Moths were common with a total of over a hundred seen on Slonk Hill and Mill Hill mostly but present on wasteland everywhere.  There was a distinctive small white Ermine moth and at least one larger Silver Y on the Slonk Hill Cutting, at least one small Pyrausta nigrata on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Many small moths went unrecorded.

There was also a possible Common Blue Butterfly on the southern part of Mill Hill, but it was an unsure identification from the pronounced orange spots on the underwing and this is unreliable on its own.

There was Red Admiral Butterfly in my south Lancing back garden.

16 July 2005
A Marbled White Butterfly in Corbyn Crescent, in the residential area of Shoreham was unprecedented, with a Gatekeeper in the twitten to Middle Road and a Green-veined White as well.

14 July 2005
Well over 50 butterflies fluttered over the wildlife managed grasses of St James-the-less cemetery in north Lancing. They were Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers at about a 50/50 split.

The Old Fort area of Shoreham Beach is not renowned for butterflies. There were just a dozen in unidentified white butterflies and one Small'/Essex Skipper over the Kidney Vetch at Silver Sands. There was a Meadow Brown in my front garden.
 

13 July 2005
On Lancing Ring the population of Meadow Brown, Hedge Brown (Gatekeeper), Marbled Whites, Small Skipper and 6-spot Burnet Moths reached a peak of activity in bright strong sunshine. An hours walk at around 9:00 am showed hundreds of butterflies, mostly comprising of Meadow Browns but also a lot of Marbled Whites and Skippers. Counting seemed pointless as there was probably one for every square metre of grass meadow*. At the dewpond on the bramble patch Gatekeeper predominated with a few (about 10) Marbled Whites. No blue butterflies or Vanessids were seen. (* The main meadow exceeds 50,000 square metres.)

Small (or Essex Skipper) on Kidney Vetch	Marbled Whites on Greater Knapweed at the Chalkpit, east of Lancing Ring

On Lancing Beach there were at least one dozen white butterflies. Most of these were thought to be Green-veined Whites after one identified in Shoreham, but there was at least one Small White Butterfly.
Inland off the pebble beach, Meadow Brown Butterflies, Small/Essex Skippers and Gatekeepers were ubiquitous everywhere on wasteland. On a 160 metres* stretch of path next to the lower meadows of Lancing Ring and the hedgerow, the following number of butterflies were estimated: Meadow Browns 150, Small/Essex Skippers 60+ and Gatekeepers 25+ (perhaps more). In the same area 30 Marble Whites were counted with one Comma. In a passage travel, 13 more Marble Whites were seen in Lancing Ring Chalkpit, three more in a hurried passage over McIntyre's Field, and one more in Malthouse Meadows (Sompting). A Red Admiral was spotted on New Monks Farm, in the Elm Corridor. Green-veined Whites and other white species as well were widespread over gardens, roads and wasteland, with about 20 recorded every hour. (*This stay was timed at 9 minutes, which means that in an hour over 1000 Meadow Brown Butterflies would be seen over the meadows, and the butterfly could said to be abundant. The area covered would be at least 500 square metres -= 0.12 acre.)

12 July 2005
Under the clear blue sky, on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the fresh male Chalkhill Blues were out and I counted twenty of them over an area of 400 metres, but this is just the beginning of them. Other butterflies were common, both Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns numbered over a hundred in an hour and Small/Essex Skippers numbered nearly a hundred in the same time period.
The route was a passage along the Slonk Hill Cutting (south) and then to the lower slopes (only) of Mill Hill via the north-south section of the Pixie Path.

Other butterflies were 16 Marbled Whites (12 on Mill Hill including 9 on the lower slopes, and four of them on Slonk Hill),1 Ringlet (passage through Slonk Hill south), about 40 white butterflies, the majority were probably Green-veined Whites, but one very large Large White was confirmed from just above the ridge of Mill Hill, in a semi-scrubby area, 2 Comma (Mill Hill, north-west lower slopes in the first bit of Hawthorn scrub, and the second by the Reservoir), 2 Red Admiral (roughly the same areas as the Comma), one Speckled Wood (in the tunnel of scrub on the original footpath, return route from the stile on the edge of the ridge). There were a handful of 6-spot Burnet Moths in flight (but I did not go to the upper part of Mill Hill where there was likely to be many more.)
Eleven species of butterfly were seen (personally) around midday in humid and warm conditions.

11 July 2005
A visit to the lower slopes of Mill Hill produced the first definite four Chalkhill Blues of the year. Gatekeepers were the most prevalent butterflies followed by Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites, the last more on the top of Mill Hill. There were just two Small Heaths, one Large Skipper, a few Small Skippers and one Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly. Scores of 6-spot Burnet Moths were emerging with one of the cocoons on a Greater Knapweed instead of the usual long grasses. There were a handful of the large white butterflies that would not stay still for identification, plus two smaller white butterflies as well. (Note: at least some of these are likely to be Green-veined Whites.)

Scores of white butterflies in Shoreham town everywhere and at least some of these are Small Whites. Air temperature up to 27.6 ºC. No prime time visits to butterfly locations or even passage travels along butterfly routes because the bicycle was non-operational and was repaired during the day.  Belatedly as the afternoon was coming to a close, about 4:30 pm, I was able to fix the bicycle and get out and about in the warm sunshine.

An hour on the Coastal Link Cyclepath enabled me to reach the meadow verges just south of the Cement Works. The most difficult identification were the smallish yellow (underwing) and white butterflies with small spots which were positively identified positively as Green-veined Whites (18+). The other confirmed butterflies in order of prevalence were, Meadow Browns (25+), Gatekeepers (20+), Red Admiral (9), Small/Essex Skippers (7+), Comma (2), Holly Blue (1) Marbled White (1) and Wall Brown* (1). The Wall Brown was about 30 metres north of the Toll Bridge in a location one was seen before. There were a handful of 6-spot Burnet Moths in flight. (* fleeting glance only)
Ten species of butterfly (personally) in humid and warm conditions.

10 July 2005
As the temperature hit 27.2° C, five species of butterfly visited a Shoreham garden, all three species of whites, Large White, Small White and Green-veined White were confirmed, plus a Meadow Brown and a Red Admiral.
A short walk to the top of the Drive and along the Slonk Hill Cutting produced 23+ (counted) Small/Essex Skippers, but no Large Skippers, a partly counted and estimated 45+ Meadow Browns, and partly counted and estimated 44+Gatekeepers, 5+ whites, probably all Green-veined Whites (as one was confirmed). a count of 7+ Marbled Whites, plus an estimated 10+ Ringlet Butterflies.
There was at least 15, probably many more 6-spotted Burnet Moths.
Nine species of butterfly within the Shoreham town boundaries without visiting the Adur Levels or the Downs.

9 July 2005
The handful of smallish white butterflies discovered fluttering inside the stems of the Sea Kale on Lancing Beach (between Widewater and Lancing Beach Green) have been identified with difficulty as Small White Butterflies. These were not the only butterflies in flight and were outnumbered by larger white butterflies with black tips to their wings. About a dozen refused to settle, but the one that did was identified as a Green-veined White. There were no white butterflies observed over the sections of the beach (Worthing) that did not contain Sea Kale.
Over New Monks Farm, Lancing, the same scenario seemed to be repeated, one or two Small Whites settled, but by far the most, over fifty were more restless white butterflies with strong black markings on their wing-tips. The four that settled all proved to be Green-veined Whites. Large Whites may have occurred but they could not be identified positively, although one was almost certain.
Other butterflies present in the Elm Corridor were a handful of confirmed Large Skippers, about a dozen confirmed Small/Essex Skippers, 20+ Meadow Browns, 15+ Gatekeepers, a Comma, and two faded Speckled Wood Butterflies. The four red moths were Burnets and I think they were 6-spot Burnets, but I am not sure.
A two minutes detour to the Waterworks Road, and nearby Butterfly Copse, produced a further five Commas.
A journey through Lancing produced eight species of butterflies.

8 July 2005
There was a surprise identification problem which may apply to recent entries when what appeared to be a Large White in a Shoreham garden, turned out to be a Green-veined White. This puts all the recent records of Large Whites in doubt, although I know at least one of them was confirmed close-up. There was at least one other Green-veined White over the Waterworks Road.
Two blue butterflies emerged on the lower slopes of Mill Hill but they flew away much too quickly to be sure of their identity. They were probably Chalkhill Blue Butterflies.
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Gatekeepers exceeded 150 from the Waterworks Road to Mill Hill via the Pixie Path, followed by a short passage trip home via the Slonk Hill Bank Cutting (south). In the same area Meadow Browns exceeded 100.
There were 16 Marbled Whites, 13 on Mill Hill (including 5 from the lower slopes), and 3 over the Slonk Hill Bank Cutting (south).
One Small Heath only was seen on the upper part of Mill Hill.
One Large Skipper was confirmed from the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Five Small (or Essex) Skippers were confirmed from the Slonk Hill Bank Cutting (south).
About a dozen Ringlet Butterflies were confirmed from the Spotted Orchid eastern section of the Slonk Hill Bank Cutting (south). I am sure these have been wrongly identified as Meadow Browns before.
There was one Comma over the Waterworks Road, one in a Shoreham garden, and two on the of the Slonk Hill Bank Cutting (south) at the western end. One of the Comma Butterflies looked so odd it was almost aberrant and appeared to be much duller, and had smaller, lesser number of black spots and markings than on all the others.
This was the summer form hutchinsoni. These are quick developers (ex hibernators) that then breed themselves and their offspring mix it late summer with the slower developers (also ex hibernators) and are the normal darker more scalloped form.

Burnet Moths were flying over Mill Hill and emerging from their cocoons. Most seemed to be Six-spot Burnets, and some seem to have faded their last spot, and one could have been a 5-spotted one.
There was a Magpie Moth amongst the Stinging Nettles on the Waterworks Road and a Yellow Shell Moth on the Pixie Path. On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, at least one second brood micro-moth Pyrausta nigrata nectared on Wild Thyme. There was a similarly sized moth next to it, but it flew away before I could confirm its identity.
Adur Moths

There were at least ten species of butterflies, even though the blue ones were not positives.

7 July 2005
In light drizzle over McIntyres Field, east of Lancing Ring, a few butterflies braved the weather staying close to the Bramble thickets. Among them a Gatekeeper, about six Meadow Browns in one small area, a Marbled White and a Comma.

With a Force 5 Breeze blowing under an overcast sky, it was really too windy for butterflies, and when half a dozen brown butterflies were dislodged from the Slonk Hill Cutting (southern bank) they flew up and the wind blew them ten metres away in a second. This too quick for identification but they were probably Meadow Brown Butterflies. At least one was confirmed as a Meadow Brown and the others were too quick to be sure.) However, the first butterfly did not flew away rapidly, and this turned out to be only the second Ringlet Butterfly positively recorded on the Adur Nature Notes pages, the first for July and the first time that the underside ringlets were seen. It was discovered in the long grass on the bank towards the eastern end of the Slonk Hill bank amongst the fading Spotted Orchids and in the same place a Ringlet was seen on a previous occasion in 2003. It could be similar in flight to a Meadow Brown and this butterfly could have been overlooked before. Later, three Marbled White Butterflies were spotted amongst the long grass and Pyramidal Orchids more to the western end of Slonk Hill Cutting (south) where the path joins the road bank. A Large White Butterfly fluttered over the Hamm in central Shoreham town.
 

In the late afternoon, the first butterfly seen was Marbled White on the verges of the A283 Steyning Road on the western side of the entrance to the Waterworks Road. Because it was both overcast and late in the day, a large number of butterflies was not expected with half a dozen Meadow Browns, just the one Comma seen, a Large White in the distance, and a Green-veined White disturbed amongst the Pyramidal Orchids (near the Steyning Road).

Adur Butterfly Flight Times
Adur Butterflies: First Dates

6 July 2005
An astonishing 16 Comma Butterflies were seen on the Waterworks Road (Old Shoreham), and these excluded the possibility of counting the same butterfly twice. The actual count was about 30, but is was possible to ascertain the total number seen because at least ten were counted resting simultaneously on Brambles or Stinging Nettles as two pairs courted high in the air, with two others seen one in the Butterfly Copse and one near the Steyning Road. Other butterflies seen in fifteen minutes included one Large White*, one Large Skipper (confirmed), three Small Skippers (confirmed), two Green-veined Whites (confirmed), one Gatekeeper and three Meadow Browns. The difference in size between the Large Skipper seen first and the Small Skipper seen a minute later was distinctive and obvious. A Red Admiral fluttered strongly over the Butterfly Copse. Three more Meadow Brown Butterflies were seen on the Coastal Link Cyclepath together with four Small Tortoiseshells. (*This could have been a Green-veined White?)
Adur Skippers

Nine species of butterfly, eight of them in a single favourable location and all the species in not much more than 30 minutes on an overcast day with a heavy shower interruption. Adur Levels only.

5 July 2005
Meadow Brown Butterflies, Comma (1), a Small Tortoiseshell in pristine condition (1) , Marbled White (1) and Skippers (1+) were all out in Malthouse Meadow, Lancing. Meadow Browns were disturbed at almost every stage of the short walk around the meadow on the mown path through the tall meadow grasses and plants. They were very restless under a cloudy sky and unwilling to be photographed.

3 July 2005
Two butterflies made their first appearance of the year just after midday, the Gatekeeper amongst the hedges and taller undergrowth on the southern side of the Slonk Hill Cutting, and the first confirmed record of a Small Skipper that settled and could be positively identified in the same area where there were a dozen of these restless small skippers.
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
 

Butterflies were common with over a hundred seen in the first 30 minutes, although over the whole day two-thirds of these were the ubiquitous Meadow Browns.

List (in order seen):

Meadow Brown 124 + (Slonk Hill south 75+, Shoreham town 1, Pixie Path 5. Mill Hill 43.)
Marbled White  14+    (Slonk Hill south c 5, Pixie Path 1, Mill Hill 8.)
Large White  7  (Slonk Hill south 1, Shoreham garden 1, Pixie Path 1, Mill Hill 4.)
Small Blue   1  (Slonk Hill south)
Small Skipper  16 (Slonk Hill south 13+,  Pixie Path 1. Mill Hill 2.)
Gatekeeper 21+   (Slonk Hill south 5+,  Pixie Path 1, Mill Hill 15.)
Comma  7   (Slonk Hill south 5+,  Mill Hill 2)
Speckled Wood  4  (Slonk Hill south 2+,  Mill Hill 2.)
Large Skipper  2   (Slonk Hill south 2)

Small Heath  8  (Mill Hill)
Small Tortoiseshell  1  (Mill Hill Triangle)
Red Admiral  2  (Mill Hill copse)
Common Blue  1  (Mill Hill upper)

NB: The Waterworks Road and Adur Levels were not visited

Thirteen species in a single day is equal to 15 May 2005 as the highest variety in a day this year so far.

Burnet Moth (probable)  1 Pixie Path, it did not settle and I am identifying it by the unreliable flight.
Cinnabar Moth (?)  2  southern part of Mill Hill, south of the Reservoir, and with a more laboured flight as though it had been disturbed. Although Cinnabar Moths have been found on Mill Hill, I now think these were probably Burnets.

2 July 2005
Overcast but without the rain, five Comma Butterflies were quickly seen amongst the Stinging Nettles in the Waterworks Road, probably the same ones seen three days ago and one even landed on me. Two Magpie Moths disturbed amongst the Stinging Nettles in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.
Nettle Feeders (UK Moths)

29 June 2005
On the rough ground south of the Elm Corridor in New Monks Farm (west) a dozen of the first Burnet Moths of the year were first recorded. However, this was just the first time I had seen them settled and some of the earlier Cinnabar Moths reported were Burnets (the text entries have now been changed). They were most likely to have been the Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth, Zygaena lonicerae.
Adur Burnet Moths
There were 12 Meadow Browns recorded in about fifty metres, followed by a Large Skipper at the southern end of the Elms, a dozen Large Whites, a handful of old (but not worn) Speckled Woods and one Red Admiral.
 

Waterworks Road
Comma Butterflies were very prominent with eight different butterflies seen (and possibly as many as ten as twelve were counted, but two were definitely the same butterfly twice and two others probably were as well). There was one worn and slightly damaged Red Admiral amongst the nettles, a Large Skipper confirmed (it looked like a Small Skipper in flight), two Meadow Browns, about half a dozen Large White Butterflies and two smaller white butterflies, Small Whites or Green-veined Whites? There were two fresh Speckled Wood Butterflies in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road. It was only a passing visit, prolonged because of the large dragonfly. A Burnet Moth was seen out of the corner of my eye.

Seven butterflies in a day when I took the passage scenic route, but I did not visit the downs.

28 June 2005
A Red Admiral Butterfly fluttered over the road outside my front garden in Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham,  on another day when I did not travel on any butterfly routes. Air temperature: 28.1 ºC at 2:00 pm.

27 June 2005
No butterfly routes transversed, but there was a Red Admiral in Buckingham Park south by the children's playground.

26 June 2005
Not in the mood for butterfly spotting at 23.4 ºC mid-afternoon, although I could not help but notice a Red Admiral on Coronation Green, Shoreham, and a Comma in a Shoreham suburban garden. I managed a passage trip along Slonk Hill Cutting south and a uneventful detour past Slonk Hill Farm, Mossy Bottom, New Erringham and a quick ride over the top of Mill Hill.

List (in order of first seen):

Red Admiral  4  (Shoreham town 2 Slonk Hill Cutting south 1 Mill Hill Copse 1)
Comma  1   (Shoreham suburban garden)
Large White  1  (Ravensbourne Avenue, Shoreham back garden)
Meadow Brown  16  (Slonk Hill Cutting south 1  Slonk Hill Farm to Mossy Bottom 8  Erringham Hill 2  Mill Hill upper 5)
Small Heath  2  (Slonk Hill Cutting south 1  Mossy Bottom 1)  all definites
Brown Argus  1 (Slonk Hill Cutting south)  confirmed
Large Skipper 4   (Slonk Hill Cutting south)  all confirmed
Small Tortoiseshell  2  (Mossy Bottom)

An unidentified grey medium-large butterfly flew strongly over Slonk Hill Farm bridge flying from east to west. (Subsequent observations indicated this could be a Marbled White or a Large White.)

Eight species only because I was not looking for butterflies on the day

24 June 2005
A comparison survey on Mill Hill and its approaches compared to Lancing Ring yesterday:

List:

Meadow Browns  49 (counted)  Mill Hill, mostly upper slopes, but also lower slopes and scrub
Comma  1   lower slopes of Mill Hill, near the top
Marbled Whites   None
Brown Argus   None
Holly Blue 1  hedgerow, southern part of Mill Hill by the houses
Common Blue   None
Speckled Wood  4  (Mill Hill 3, Pixie Path 1)
Large White  1  Pixie Path
Large Skipper  2 (confirmed)   upper plateau of Mill Hill
Red Admiral     None
Small Tortoiseshell   None

Small Blue  4  (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank 3  Top of The Drive 1)
Small Heath  27  Mill Hill, lower and upper.

Eight species of butterfly, including the two extras; and five not observed.
With the air temperatures of 28.6 ºC at 2:57 pm, it is the warmest day this year.

Moths: Treble Bar (lowers slopes), Silver Y (herbs north of the upper car park), Burnet (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank).

23 June 2005
Orangey Comma Butterflies were seen for the first time in their second brood, the first one at Cuckoo's Corner. I saw my first Marbled White and Brown Argus Butterflies on Lancing Ring meadows, (but Ray Hamblett had already seen these butterflies this year). Unidentified skippers could have been the first Small Skippers of the year, but they would not remain still long enough for identification. The observation the following day on Mill Hill makes me think these are Large Skippers. An even later observation is that it is the Small Skippers that are the more restless.

List:

Meadow Browns 75+  Most of these were part of a much larger population in a small area of Lancing Ring meadows, but also on the river towpath towards Cuckoo's Corner and one in a Lancing garden. I did not visit the downs above Shoreham or the Slonk Hill Cutting on the warmest day of the year so far.
(The highest air temperature this year, so far, was 28.4 ºC at 5:16 pm to 5:40 pm.)
Comma 2 Cuckoo's Corner 1 Waterworks Road 1
Marbled Whites 12 +  Small area of Lancing Ring meadows
Brown Argus  c. 5  Identity confirmed from a small area of Lancing Ring meadows.
NB: This is the first June record on the Nature Notes pages.   Adur Butterfly Flight Times
Holly Blue 2   One from a small area of Lancing Ring meadows, and one in a Lancing garden
Common Blue  c 6  Likely to be only a very small proportion of the population on Lancing Ring meadows. One bright one was fluttering over the Coastal Link Cyclepath SE of the Toll Bridge.
Speckled Wood  14+   Most from along the path from the Sussex Pad to Hoe Court Cottages, but also from Barton's Wood (east of Lancing Ring) 1 and the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road 1.
Large White  6   Three of these were from the Waterworks Road and others around the meadows and paths of Lancing Ring.
Skipper (unidentified)  5+  None of these would stay still long enough for identification. They looked like the Small Skipper, but in the past these instant identifications have been wrong, so it is likely to be the Large Skipper. Two at Lancing Ring meadows, a pair of New Monks Farm (by the Withy Patch) and one on the Coastal Link Cyclepath SE of the Toll Bridge (near the demolished railway bridge).
A Large Skipper was confirmed from Mill Hill on 24 June 2005 and these were identical.
Red Admiral  2   One just north of the cemetery near Lancing Ring (SW) and one in a Lancing garden.
Small Tortoiseshell 1  at New Monks Farm (field by the Withy Patch).

Eleven species in total, including nine on a brief visit to Lancing Ring. The other two species were found elsewhere.

 There was a Burnet Moth (originally identified by mistake as a Cinnabar Moth) just north of the cemetery near Lancing Ring.

22 June 2005
By mid-afternoon 3:00 pm onwards most of the butterflies seemed already have gone to roost in the heat (27.3 ºC at 4:30 pm).

Small Blues 7+  (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank) one or two were showing signs of wear
Large Skipper  2  (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank, and one on the lower slopes of Mill Hill).  The first one seemed to have some iridescence on the underside with its wings closed.
 

Adonis Blue  2  one female and one male on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. (These may be the last records of the first brood.)
Common Blue  1 male on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Large White  1  (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank)
Small Heath  17  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Meadow Brown  11  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)

Burnet Moth 1  (Pixie Path)  This is only a probable first sighting of the year.
Common Heath Moth  1  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)

21 June 2005
One Large White at the Old Fort.

20 June 2005
5 to 7 Large Whites and one Holly Blue on the Waterworks Road. (These looked a bit like Green-veined Whites, but I plumped for Large Whites although they did not settle.)
The air temperature reached 27.9 ºC, the warmest day of the year so far and too hot for butterfly-spotting.

19 June 2005
Small Blue  c 12  (Slonk Hill Cutting, south bank)
Speckled Wood  12 (Slonk Hill Cutting south 11, Copse at the top of Mill Hill 1)
Meadow Brown male  11 (Mill Hill 8, Slonk Hill Cutting south 2, Pixie Path 1)
Common Blue male  7 (Pixie Path 2, Mill Hill 4, Slonk Hill Cutting south 1)  The specimen on the Slonk Hill Cutting was photographed and shown on the right. The spots indicate a Common Blue.
Small Heath  4  (Middle slopes of Mill Hill)
Large White  3  (Slonk Hill Cutting south 2  Mill Hill Road 1)
Brimstone  1  (Mill Hill scrub NW)
Red Admiral  1  (Copse at the top of Mill Hill)  bright condition
Large Skipper  1  (Upper Mill Hill, long grasses north of the car park)
Holly Blue  1  (Slonk Hill Cutting south)
Ten species in an hour at 27.1 ºC, the warmest day of the year so far (eventually reaching 27.7 ºC) . I omitted the lower slopes of Mill Hill and the Waterworks Road because of the heat.

Moths: Cinnabar*  3  (Mill Hill, middle scrub), Yellow Shell  (Copse at the top of Mill Hill) (*Settled, 100% ID)

18 June 2005
Adonis Blue male 16 (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Small Heath 11  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Common Blue male 11  (Pixie Path 5, Lower slopes of Mill Hill 4) female 2 (Lower slopes of Mill Hill) mating pair (Widewater)
Large White 11  (Waterworks Road)
Small White 2+  (Shoreham town)
Speckled Wood  1 (Waterworks Road)
Red Admiral  2  (Waterworks Road and Coastal Link cyclepath, south of the Toll Bridge) The latter one was faded.
Meadow Brown male  3  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Eight species in an hour at 26.1 ºC, the warmest day of the year so far when I ventured out going up to 26.6 ºC later. I omitted the passage path on the southern embankment of the Slonk Hill Cutting.

A walk around the low meadow of Lancing Ring in temperatures of around 24 ºC a few butterflies were active.
Most obvious were Common Blues I counted at least eight. Meadow Browns made an appearance, I noted six individuals. A Small Heath fluttered around the edge of the meadow by the low path. On the other side of the path on Dogwood a Red Admiral took off as I passed.

List:

Small White 12+  (Everywhere)
Small Blue 9  (Slonk Hill Cutting south)
Large Skipper  3  (Slonk Hill Bank south and Coastal Link Cyclepath)
Large White   c 3  (Slonk Hill Bank south, Waterworks Road and Coastal Link Cyclepath)
Common Blue male 2  (Slonk Hill Cutting south)
Brimstone 2  (Slonk Hill Bank south and Coastal Link Cyclepath)
Speckled Wood  1 (Waterworks Road)
Red Admiral  1  (Slonk Hill Bank south)
Meadow Brown male  1 (Coastal Link Cyclepath)
Nine species of butterfly in an hour on a day when I did not visit the downs.
Moth List for the Day

14 June 2005
An hours ramble around a breezy Lancing Ring and its meadows produced only a few butterflies of five species but included the first Marbled White Butterfly recorded in Adur this year and possibly the first in England this year. Other species included Speckled Woods 4,Common Blues 4, Red Admiral 1 and a Meadow Brown. A 1742 Yellow Shell Moth, Camptogramma bilineata was a confirmed sighting.

We saw one Meadow Brown and two Large Skippers at Golding Barn (north of Beeding Hill) in unsuitable breezy conditions.

13 June 2005
Just the one Meadow Brown Butterfly made an brief show on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. This male was the first of the year of this common butterfly. A fresh Holly Blue and then another one fluttered around the Pixie Path (southern section). I had not personally recorded this species since 31 May 2005. The path yielded two male Common Blue Butterflies as well.
Adonis Blues:  18 males and 2 females on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Small Heath Butterflies: 13 on the half transect (400 metres) on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Meadow Brown:  another one in the Hawthorn wood/scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill.
Common Blue Butterflies: Males on the middle slopes of Mill Hill 1, upper meadows 2, Slonk Hill Cutting (south) 2, Mill Hill Cutting (Chanctonbury Road end) 2, plus a female on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Large White: one over the stile to the north-west of Mill Hill, plus one over the Slonk Hill Cutting (south).
Small White: a handful each by Widewater, Mill Hill, Slonk Hill Cutting (south) and in Shoreham town.
Red Admiral:  one over the Mill Hill middle slopes.
Speckled Wood: one at the top of The Drive in Shoreham and one over New Monks Farm west, Lancing.
Small Blues: passage through the Slonk Hill Cutting (south) registered three including a mating pair.
Large Skipper:  one bright specimen only nectaring very briefly on Kidney Vetch on the Slonk Hill Cutting (south).
Eleven species is back into double figures on a sunny breezy day.
Moths:
Burnet Companion and at least one Treble-bar on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
A Magpie Moth at Mash Barn, Lancing.

12 June 2005
It was at least three minutes walk from the top of The Drive, eastwards before I saw my first butterfly: a Small Blue on an overcast day, followed by a Common Blue on Salad Burnet. I had probably passed a mating pair of Small Blues without noticing them. I only walked a short way along (and not on to the wider herb and grass road embankments, without my bicycle) and then doubled back on my tracks. If you look carefully at the image of the mating Small Blues you can see a small accompanying insect or mite of some sort. There was a 1742 Yellow Shell Moth, Camptogramma bilineata seen almost immediately in the shady bit, and this was later confirmed by a photograph.

10 June 2005
Just a "woolly bear" caterpillar of the Garden Tiger Moth in my Shoreham garden. No visits to butterfly locations during the overcast day.

9 June 2005
A Common Blue Butterfly settled on a Stinging Nettle on the Waterworks Road. Two more were seen on the Pixie Path to Mill Hill, and a further six on Mill Hill.
Butterflies fluttering over this exposed area of the plateau of Mill Hill (south of the car park) included about three Adonis Blues, the same number of Common Blues and at least five Small Heaths.
I was surprised by a sparring pair of Grizzled Skippers in the taller vegetation north of the upper car park on Mill Hill. There was a Speckled Wood Butterfly in the copse at the top of the Mill Hill.
At the top of the Pixie Path to Mill Hill, a Small White Butterfly fluttered over by the bridge. In the small clear long grassy area of the south-west of the Mill Hill Cutting (road bank by Chanctonbury Drive) a solitary Small Blue Butterfly appeared after a wait of under a minute.
Seven species butterflies in the day, but I was without a versatile bicycle to see any more. I omitted the more prolific lower slopes of Mill Hill on the day.

8 June 2005
A Holly Blue Butterfly fluttered around the Water Forget-me-not in my south Lancing garden pond.

NB: I have belatedly (5 July 2005) discovered this is the first record on the Nature Notes pages for a Holly Blue in June.
Adur Butterfly Flight Times 

Lackey Moth Caterpillar   Photograph by Ray Hamblett (Lancing Nature)

The very first butterfly seen was a Red Admiral at the top of The Drive, Shoreham, with another one in a Shoreham garden. Small Whites (10+) and Common Blues (2+) were on the Slonk Hill Cutting, with the Burnet Companion Moth (2+). Mill Hill (mainly the lower slopes) produced 34 - 44* male Adonis Blues plus three females, 10+ Small Heaths, two more Common Blues (one male and female) and 3+ Treble-bar Moths disturbed, and that was the total for butterflies. A Carpet Moth settled on the Dovecote Bank. (*I  counted 44, but 10 of these may have been duplicate butterflies). (I did not visit the upper meadows on Mill Hill.)
The small moth species on the far right (images above) was 148 Nemophora degeerella. (not confirmed)
Just seven species of butterfly (including skippers) in a day was below par for the warmer months.
Adur Moths
UK Moths

31 May 2005
Large Whites, Small Whites on Shoreham beach. The brownish butterflies that fluttered quickly out of view by Widewater were probably Red Admirals in view of the later sightings.
Holly Blues .(>10) and Whites in Shoreham town.
At the top of The Drive, Shoreham (Slonk Hill Cutting) there was one Red Admiral, one Speckled Wood and three male Common Blues in two minutes passing.
I had to check the Horseshoe Vetch on the upper part of Mill Hill (south of the car park). I had some urgent work to do which meant I only made a passing visit of about ten minutes over the upper plateau and meadows only where the two blue butterflies both turned out to be (when examined closely) male Adonis Blues, a large handful of Small Heaths, and one Brimstone. There was one Red Admiral over the country road.
Nine species seen on passage travel in the sunshine.

30 May 2005
Only short passage journeys were undertaken on my Pashley Trades Bicycle in a rain cloud overcast sky with showers: the brief fine interludes saw a Large White Butterfly near the Eastern Avenue railway crossing gates in Shoreham town, a few (> 4) Small Whites on Shoreham beach and a very small blue butterfly fluttered over near the Church of the Good Shepherd east of Widewater. It looked more like a Holly Blue.

29 May 2005
Butterflies were on show in Mash Barn Lane, Lancing, where the first Brown Argus Butterfly of the year made an appearance with a male Common Blue Butterfly. This raises an identification problem as the female Common Blues are very similar to the Brown Argus. This is the first May record for the Brown Argus on these Adur Nature Notes pages.
 

Brown Argus Butterfly Photograph by Ray Hamblett ID by Andy Horton Lancing Gallery: Blue Butterflies (by Ray Hamblett)

On an overcast day, a brief visit to the Waterworks Road failed to disturb a single butterfly of any species.

28 May 2005
A Force 6 Strong Breeze, later a Force 7 Gale means no butterflies on view even if the westerly wind is dry and warm.

27 May 2005
The afternoon heatwave under a blue sky attained an air temperature of 25.2 ºC, the warmest day of the year so far by nearly 5° C from the beginning of the month.

Around Midday:

Adonis Blues  74  (Slonk Hill Bank North 7;  Mill Hill lower 65, 57 males, 9 females; Mill Hill middle, 1, Dovecote Bank 1)
The Adonis Blues on Mill Hill were all bar one on the lower slopes, which equates to 65 in about 1.2 acres on my 400 metre half-transect. They were individually counted to about two metres each side of my transect and suspected duplicates of the same butterfly excluded.
Common Blue male 1  (Slonk Hill Bank North)
Holly Blue  9+  (Town & Gardens 4+  Hawthorn road approaches to Mill Hill from the south north of the bridge 4+ Dovecote Bank 1+)
Dingy Slipper 1  (middle slopes of Mill Hill)
Small Heath 20+ (Slonk Hill Bank North 1; Mill Hill for the rest, including upper slopes and south of the Reservoir)
Large White 15+  (Everywhere)
Small White 12+  (Everywhere)
Brimstone  1   (Slonk Hill Bank North)
Speckled Wood  8+  (Slonk Hill South thorn 4+  Dovecote Bank 4+)
Red Admiral  1  (Twitten between Adelaide Square and Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham), faded, but intact.

Ten species (into double figures) in a heatwave. (Alas my bicycle completely broke down and I was unable to cover the usual quantity of ground, missing out the Waterworks Road and Pixie Path.)

Moths included a handful of Treble-bars, one Cinnabar Moth (lower Mill Hill), at least one Burnet Companion (upper Mill Hill), a handful of Silver Y Moths, and at least two unidentified species of larger moth, and lots of small moths as well. A Pyrausta aurata moth of the year was seen in a Shoreham garden, Brown-tailed Moth caterpillars were noted on the north bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, especially their nests in a Hawthorn Tree, south-west of Buckingham Barn.

25 May 2005
A Holly Blue Butterfly and a Small White Butterfly were seen in Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham as the sun came out briefly.

22 May 2005
Under an overcast sky, the first female Adonis Blue was recorded on the north bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting with three bright blue iridescent males, one which had lost a wing. Actually, the female butterfly appeared to be an indeterminate variety without the chocolate brown colour of the females. It is illustrated on the left below.
 

The first Common Blue Butterfly of the year was also recorded on the south bank of Slonk Hill Cutting. Surprisingly this was a female of the blue form, illustrated on the right above. There was also a Large White Butterfly on the northern bank and another one on the south and a Small White Butterfly at the top of The Drive, Shoreham town.

The lower slopes of Mill Hill under a cloudy sky recorded 11 male Adonis Blues and one female in a 15 minute sojourn. Dingy Skippers 5+, Small Heaths 5+,  Wall Browns 3 (one on the edge of the ridge), and a Brimstone (upper scrubby area just above the slopes). I met Steve Jackson (UK Leps Forum member) and he recorded all these species and a Grizzled Skipper on the upper slopes as well. So brief was my stay that the numbers of the butterflies were rather low. I did not even complete the half transect properly.

A Holly Blue Butterfly was recorded in a Shoreham garden, with one Large White and a Small White Butterfly where the first Pyrausta aurata moth of the year was seen.

The day total of butterflies and skippers was ten, but only nine seen by me.

20 May 2005
 

In Mash Barn Lane. Lancing, I finally followed a Orange-tip Butterfly that settled on a Cow Parsley where it was camouflaged so as to be almost invisible. Alas, the sun was behind the clouds on the mostly overcast day and it was still tricky photography because the Cow Parsley was blowing about in the breeze in the middle of a Stinging Nettle patch. When tickled, the butterfly flew off and it was too muddy after two days of rain to follow it. Green-veined White Butterflies (at least one) were seen in the Mash Barn Path which is overgrown so the passage means getting soaked in wet Cow Parsley and stung by nettles and the risk of falling over discarded junk. The first butterfly seen was a Speckled Wood. A Holly Blue Butterfly was seen in Ray Hamblett's garden (TQ 186 044), where he photographed a Green-veined White.

18 May 2005
A Holly Blue Butterfly fluttered around the Privet in my front garden.
Shoreham and Lancing Beach margins:  Small White Butterflies fluttered around, but under a dozen actually seen on passage.
The avenue of Elms in the centre of New Monks Farm:
There were at least four Orange-tip Butterflies, three males, a confirmed Green-veined White Butterfly and one Red Admiral. A Large White or two were almost certainly present and seen.
Pixie Path: Two Wall Browns.

Lower Slopes of Mill Hill
 

Horseshoe Vetch on the lower slopes of Mill Hill

Late in the afternoon (after 4:00 pm) is usually disappointing. There were no skippers actually seen, 8+ male Adonis Blue Butterflies, only a handful of Small Heath Butterflies, at least four Wall Browns, a handful of the Pyrausta nigrata moths, which were quite noticeable, more than one Treble-bar Moth, one Cinnabar Moth in the half transect single way route.
Only eight butterfly species reflected a passage journey and a late visit to Mill Hill.

16 May 2005
All seen on town and allotments passage routes including the linear spinney of Slonk Hill south:
Small Whites (10+), Green-veined Whites (at least one), Holly Blues (4+), Speckled Wood (1).

15 May 2005
Waterworks Road: Green-veined Whites (6+), Large Whites (2+), Holly Blues (6+), Orange-tip (1), Speckled Wood (1).
Pixie Path:  Holly Blues, Large Whites.

Lower Slopes of Mill Hill
After buffeting by the gales and strong breezes during the last week, the sun came out and the butterflies, skippers and moths were now common (over 100, about 60 on Mill Hill). On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the first four male Adonis Blue Butterflies of the year fluttered around the Horseshoe Vetch (which was at about 85% of its maximum luxuriance).
 

Other butterflies included Small Heaths (15+), Dingy Skippers (20+), Grizzled Skippers (12+), Wall Browns (5+), Brimstones (1+), Orange-tips (1+), Large Whites, Green-veined Whites and a possible Holly Blue.
Moths included pale Treble-bars (2+), Burnet Companion Moth, Euclidea glyphica, (2+), Pyrausta nigrata (not counted), plus an unidentified medium-sized species. The micro-moth in the first photograph is probably 130 Incurvaria masculella.

This Brown-tail, Euproctis chrysorrhea, Moth caterpillar was found in a group on the upper slopes of Mill Hill, south of the Reservoir. They emerge from their silk cocoon in spring. It can be a pest species of fruit trees.

A group of nine butterfly enthusiasts were on the lower slopes of Mill Hill before I arrived in the morning. They included Lawrie Keen who I had met before on Mill Hill and they came from as far as East Grinstead and Chichester.

Dovecote Bank:  A Red Admiral Butterfly landed on a Hawthorn flower, a sight I have never recorded before as Red Admirals are not usually flying around in May. The butterfly was old but intact and there were at least three of them. Other butterflies on the bank in a hurried passage through included Wall Browns (2), Holly Blues, and Small Whites.

Shoreham Towns and Gardens: A few more Small Whites and a handful of Holly Blues.

Thirteen species of butterfly and skipper were seen in an hour and a half and in 1500 metres of butterfly territory. The butterflies were very restless and flightly and only one or two settled long enough to be photographed with my inadequate camera. This the largest species total in a day this year.

Adur Butterflies: First Dates

13 May 2005
Moderate Breeze (Force 4) gusting to Gale Force 7. Too windy for any butterflies on the wing.

11 May 2005
A handful of Large Whites and Small Whites were seen and one Holly Blue, urban Shoreham, in overcast conditions, in nearly an hour of mixed cycling and walking.
A Treble-bar Moth, Aplocera, was disturbed and recorded on the northern road bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting.
Treble-bars: a Picture Index (by Ian Thirlwell)

10 May 2005
A pristine Red Admiral Butterfly chasing a settled Orange-tip Butterfly off a Cow Parsley plant was an interaction I had not seen before, in the avenue of Elms in the centre of New Monks Farm. By necessity the visit had to be a fleeting passing one with a one to three Holly Blues seen, a handful of good condition Speckled Wood Butterflies, some definite Large Whites, and about ten other white butterflies, but a Green-veined White was not confirmed.
Small White Butterflies were seen near Widewater.
The number of six confirmed species of butterflies was in an hour of wayward passage cycling rather than a deliberate search for butterflies.

9 May 2005
While trying to discover the species of a line of Elm trees down the Mash Barn Lane I found I was accompanied by a Red Admiral Butterfly. Poised on the flower of a 2 metres high Cow Parsley plant it held an almost aggressive pose as I photographed it.

A twenty minute stroll (transect of 400 metres) over the lower slopes of Mill Hill produced the following count of butterflies:

Small Heath  3
Grizzled Skipper  4
Dingy Skipper  17
Brimstone  1
Large Whites  3  (some could be Brimstones?)

At least one of the small Pyrausta nigrata moths was observed in the wet vegetation. There was a spread of Horseshoe Vetch dominating the slopes but it was not in its full bloom.

The passage journey to Mill Hill along the Pixie Path was slighter poorer than usual with a handful of Holly Blue Butterflies and an equal number of Speckled Woods. Also a Large White Butterfly.
The number of seven species of butterflies for the hour was just a passage walk rather than a deliberate search for butterflies.

7 May 2005
Passage (by bicycle) through New Monks Farm, Lancing, skirting the Oil Seed Rape field and a subsequent stroll down Mash Barn Lane (with Ray Hamblett) produced the following butterflies: Orange-tips 4+, Green-veined Whites 20+, Small Whites12+, Large Whites 15+, Holly Blues 25+, Speckled Woods 25+ and Peacock Butterflies 1. Large White Butterflies were observed mating on a Broad Bean plant.
Insect Report (with photographs)

6 May 2005
On a breezy day (Force 4) it is a bit blowy for butterflies up on the exposed downs.

Butterflies recorded in order of first appearance:

Small Whites 15+  (Shoreham town and gardens)
Green-veined Whites  4+ (Waterworks Road)
Orange-tip  4+  (Waterworks Road)
Holly Blues  10+  (Waterworks Road 3 Pixie Path 6+)
Peacock  5+ (Waterworks Road 2  Lower slopes of Mill Hill 3+)
Speckled Woods 12+   (Waterworks Road & Pixie Path)
Wall Brown 1  (Pixie Path)
Dingy Skipper  12+  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Grizzled Skipper  10+   (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Small Heath  6+  (Lower slopes of Mill Hill)
Brimstone 1+   (Southern part of Mill Hill)

Eleven species of butterfly and skipper in one hour and in 1000 metres of butterfly territory.

About 8 unidentified probably Small Whites were also seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
 

Moths on the lower slopes of Mill Hill:

2470 Small Purple-barred Moth Phytometra viridaria  (this species was probably recorded on the previous visit but not identified at the time).  The larvae of this species feeds on Milkwort.

Additional records by Lawrie Keen on Mill Hill:

Wall Brown 2,  Speckled Woods (lots),  Brimstone 4+,Cinnabar Moth 2.
 

5 May 2005
 

This attractive Angle Shades Moth, Phlogophora meticulosa, was discovered in Lancing Manor allotments.

2 May 2005
It was a beach day, but I did make a brief* foray to the Waterworks Road to try and get a photograph of an Orange Tip. I could not get within seven metres of two pairs of Orange-Tips, with a three Green-Veined Whites, one Large Whitestill chasing them and a Peacock Butterfly in the late afternoon. (*The length of stay was about ten minutes and involved a brief cycle ride down towards the Waterworks House and an immediate return.)

1 May 2005
Unlike two days ago, when I arrived at the southern end of the Waterworks Road, there were no butterflies to greet me. I dallied around to get some better photographs of the dozen or so Rhingia Hoverflies and got distracted by the arrival of two Green-veined White Butterflies which got chased off by a Large White Butterfly twice their size. It was an interesting comparison. A Holly Blue Butterfly was the first to appear and I nearly trod on a Peacock Butterfly which was resting. The weather was a bit dull at the time.  A single Speckled Wood Butterfly was seen in the Butterfly Copse (by the steps on the footpath to Mill Hill).

There was a Brimstone Butterfly, two flightly male Orange Tip Butterflies, at least four Speckled Woods and at least two Small Whites seen over the vegetation next to the overgrown footpath on the Dovecote Bank.