All
observations by Andy Horton, unless stated otherwise.|
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Sussex
Butterfly Reports (Butterfly Conservation Society)
UK
Butterflies: Sightings
Adur
Butterfly Species
Adur
Moths
Adur
Butterfly Flight Times
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
Adur
Skippers
Adur
Nature Notes 2011
Adur
Butterfly List 2010
Adur
Butterfly List 2011
Adur
Butterfly List 2012
UK
Butterflies & Moths (alphabetical order by common name)
Sussex
Moth Group Sightings
Diapause
(=hibernation)
WILDLIFE
REPORTS
(Narrative):
18
November 2017
A
return to Mill
Hill in glorious clear blue skies on Friday
produced 5 Clouded Yellow
(3 males flying together), a slightly tatty Peacock
and a Small Tortoiseshell.
6 November
2017
A
distinct chill (just above freezing) in the morning but weak sunshine in
the afternoon which encouraged a Red
Admiral Butterfly to leave the Ivy on
the southern part of Mill Hill, and a Clouded
Yellow to flutter rapidly over the lower
slopes. I think the Clouded Yellow
could have been a mating pair in flight? At least three Common
Darters (dragonfly)
showed.
At midday I headed off to Mill Hill where we counted at least 10 Clouded Yellow (some in fresh condition) several Red Admiral and a Large White, all photographed.
Adur Butterfly Flight Times
1 November
2017
There
was very little that moved and not much colour on Mill
Hill: three Clouded Yellow Butterflies
were spotted restlessly fluttering over the lower slopes. I caught a glimpse
of one visiting a Wild Basil flower.
30
October 2017
Four
good condition Red Admirals
were seen on and over the concrete towpath by the houseboats in Shoreham.
27 October 2017
Common Blue Butterfly
Image:
Comma,
Common
Blues
on
Marjoram, Clouded
Yellow
|
 There
were only four species of butterfly
on Mill Hill in the afternoon sunshine,
but then it was nearing the end of autumn. The first of five Red
Admirals visited Ivy on the southern
upper part of Mill Hill Nature Reserve, which
had recently forage harvested (shorn of surface vegetation, grasses etc.).
They were accompanied by a Comma Butterfly
high up amongst the Old Man's Beard.
Down on the lower slopes the unwelcome Privethad
also been shorn (hopefully without damaging the butterfly plants) below
the winding path; more than enough to enable passage. This reduced the
remaining nectar for the few butterflies that were left. Within a few minutes
the first two of at least three Clouded
Yellows were restlessly fluttering around
only seen to pause for a second, visiting Wild
Basil and Rough
Hawkbit.
They were followed by a small brownish butterfly and five minutes afterwards at least three female Common Blues were seen visiting three Marjoram plants still flowering at the northern end of the lower slopes. The chocolate brown butterfly was thought to be female Common Blue and not a Brown Argus (although I did not get a look at it's underwing. so it could be a fifth species on the day). The
Marjoram
also attracted a Clouded Yellow
for two seconds.. Common Darters
(dragonfly) were frequently seen and
outnumbered the total of all the butterflies added together.
|
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25
October 2017
After the gales, a brief period of weak sunshine cast long shadows in the late afternoon, and I was pleasantly surprised to see an active Clouded Yellow Butterfly immediately on the upper meadow (north of the top car park) of MiIl Hill. Nectar plants were few and it was restless until it spent a second on the purple flower of one of the few remaining Greater Knapweed. The photograph, by necessity, taken into the light, and there is no opportunity for a better angle, and I had to be quick to get a shot all. |
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18
October 2017
In the rapidly fading light of a misty afternoon, ! quickly spotted a female Common Blue Butterfly on a Creeping Thistle flower in an upper rough meadow on Mill Hill. Although the small butterfly remained with its wings closed I was able to catch a tiny glimpse of a chocolate brown upper wing. Mill Hill Report |
14
October 2017
Already
looking for possibly the last butterfly
of the year on Mill Hill, a large butterfly
flew over me and this was almost certainly a Red
Admiral. A few minutes later in the top
meadow (north of the upper car park), the same damaged Wall
Brown of over a
week ago landed briefly in front of me.
12
October 2017
With
the verges on both sides shorn of vegetation, if there was hardly anything
of interest a week ago, there was absolutely nothing
to make my cycle ride to the Cement Works worthwhile. I
cycled to Woods Mill and that had mostly mud, fallen leaves and acorns.
Common
Darters (dragonfly)
were frequent and a few Speckled Woods
survived to flutter around under the trees.
5
October 2017
I
was unhappy about my photographs the previous day,
so I cycled up to Mill
Hill in the early afternoon. I was lucky
with the sun shining from between the Cumulus
clouds in a blue sky.
Painted
Lady, Small Copper
Speckled
Wood, Meadow
Brown, Wall Brown
Mill
Hill Upper
An astonishing seven species of butterfly appeared in seven minutes in the meadow north of the upper car park. Instantly, I spotted a restless Clouded Yellow followed almost simultaneously by a territorial Small Copper chasing off a male Common Blue and the same badly damaged Wall Brown of yesterday. A few Common Darters (dragonfly) patrolled the tarmac path next to the rough meadow. After about three minutes a Large White Butterfly turned up attracted to Creeping Thistle (the favoured nectar flowers) followed immediately by a Small White. All the species so far had been single until I spotted the seventh butterfly with a pair of Meadow Browns. The butterflies squabbled over the available nectar plants with the Small Copper being the main antagonist despite being the smallest butterfly on show.
The three different Wall Browns in the top meadow on Mill Hill
This squabbling compounded the difficulties in photography with already restless butterflies easily disturbed by Common Carder Bees (bumblebee), numerous Crane-flies and other flies, as well as any hint of my long autumn shadow. So I spent some time chasing the butterflies around. Enough time for a majestic Painted Lady to suddenly appear. It did not seem to fly in but was hidden in the meadow and only came to life after the sun had been out for at least twenty minutes. Even the Small Copper deferred to this much larger pristine butterfly to visit the Creeping Thistle (favourite) and Field Scabious (twice, briefly). At least another male Common Blue squabbled with the first one seen and a lesser damaged Wall Brown put in an appearance. Lastly, a pristine Red Admiral landed immediately in front of me.
Common
Blue, Small Copper, Meadow
Browns
Wall
Brown, Small White, Large White
Mill
Hill Upper
I took
a break to look at the Hemp Agrimony
on the middle area where I spotted another Wall
Brown and Meadow
Brown on passage. I then went back to the
top meadow top find the Meadow
Browns
copulating,
two Wall Browns (including
an intact specimen making three at the top meadow), the Painted
Lady, Small Copper and the Common
Blues were still around. .At
the top of Chanctonbury Drive (north Shoreham) two pale Speckled
Woods were active.
Ten
butterfly species
Supplementary
Images of the Day on facebook
Red
Admiral, Wall Brown
Small
Copper
It
was too breezy for flower photography
and too cool for active butterflies
on the top of Mill
Hill. However, I did manage to spot a Small
Copper Butterfly resting with its wings
closed on a Greater Knapweed
disc in the meadow north of the upper car park, followed by the first restless
Wall
Brown.
The
Wall
Brown fluttered north over the rambles and
thorn.
I detoured off to the middle slopes for a few minutes disturbing a Meadow
Brown
and
spotting another Wall Brown
in flight. I returned to the upper meadow where I chanced upon a damaged
Wall
Brown that was still capable of rigorous rapid
flight. This damage identified it as a third separate Wall
Brown. And then a fresh Red
Admiral landed on a Hogweed
immediately
in front of me.
Four
confirmed species
3 October
2017
Awhite
butterfly and a vanessid
were seen near Shoreham
Fort, probably a Large
White and a Red
Admiral.
2 October 2017
Common
Blues 
Wall
Brown
I cycled
up to the top of Mill
Hill only expecting to feel the bracing
breeze under a dark cloudy sky. Too cool for active butterflies,
too windy and dark to photograph the few remaining flowers,
I nevertheless managed to disturb occasional butterflies in the meadow
north of the upper car park. At least two bright Meadow
Browns,
two male Common Blues,
and a Large White
were inadvertently dislodged from their resting places. And a damaged Wall
Brown was spotted at rest for a few seconds.
Four
confirmed species
28 September 2017
Red
Admiral, Small Copper on
a Common Ragwort
Meadow
Brown
Mill
Hill
An
afternoon visit to Mill Hill gave me an
opportunity to try out my new 105
mm macro lens on the the frequent remaining
flowers
and observe the frequent
butterfliesthat
still fluttered around if disturbed. A Large
White was the first butterfly of the day
on a Buddleia
at the bottom of Mill Hill Road (north Shoreham). Red
Admirals were counted at nine, with four
each on two different Ivy
bushes. Meadow
Browns
were
frequently seen but not as many as two days ago,
but this could have been because it was a cooler.
Four Wall Browns
chased each other and chased a Small Copper
off a Common Ragwort.
I only visited the northern part of the lower slopes where a Clouded
Yellow and a Large
White fluttered by and a few Treble-bar
Moths rose when I nearly trod on them.
.Common
Blue
Butterflies
of
both genders were
frequently seen but were a bit flighty. Occasional Common
Darters (dragonfly)
appeared on over the lower and middle slopes and over the paths through
the scrub.
Only
seven species of butterfly and one macro moth
27
September 2017
A
dark Speckled Wood Butterfly
in my front garden engaged in a rather droopy and languid flight. A Red
Admiral was seen later in Old Shoreham.
Common Blue Butterflies
It
was time of the season (past the middle of autumn) when
any fluttering was more likely to be a falling leaf blown about on the
breeze
than a butterfly. Meadow
Browns
were
disturbed all over Mill Hill on a hazy
humid afternoon. I spotted a Small Copper,
a third brood Wall Brown,
two flighty Clouded Yellows,
mating Common Blue
Butterflies,
two Red Admirals
on
the Ivy, and a Peacock Butterfly.
A Speckled Wood Butterfly
patrolled the steps in amongst the scrub. In urban Shoreham, occasional
Large
Whites had replaced the Small
Whites of which only one was seen.
Mill
Hill Report
Ten
butterfly species (personal tally only)
22
September 2017
This
week's Mill Hill
transect and I was grateful for the blue sky: Adonis Blue 7, Clouded Yellow
4, Common Blue, Meadow Brown 11, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Copper 4,
Small Heath 3, Small White 4, Wall Brown . I saw four more Wall Brown after
the transect was completed.
Small
White Butterflies were frequently
fluttering around in urban Shoreham. A Red
Admiral flew over the open grass of Adur
Recreation Ground, and a Speckled Wood
made itself known in the spinney at the top of The Drive, north Shoreham.
19
September 2017
I
spent a fabulous couple of hours at Mill
Hill, and enjoyed the company of Dave
Cook. Among the fresh butterflies seen were
several Common Blues, Small Coppers, Brown Argus, four out of five Clouded
Yellows, many Peacocks and a few third brood Wall
Browns. A total surprise was a female
Brown
Hairstreak.
With
an hour to kill and the sun in the sky, I headed to Mill
Hill in the morning. There were still a few
butterflies. Peacock, Common Blue, Adonis Blue (female), Small Heath, Meadow
Brown, Small Copper and a Clouded Yellow.
At
Southwick Basin in the morning in bright sun apart from Small and Large
Whites there were 10 Common Blue (4 female), 3 Clouded Yellow, 2 Red Admiral
and 2 Small Copper in copulation.
18
September 2017
Small
White Butterflies were frequently
out but not in the numbers of the previous week.
When the sun shone through the gaps in the clouds
a few butterflies
made some brief flights in search of nectar on the top of Mill
Hill, notably a Clouded Yellow
flitting from Hawkbit
to Ragwort for
a second on each. Three Small Heath Butterflies
were seen. On the rough meadow at the top, occasional Meadow
Browns
were
disturbed. There was a Small White
Butterfly around the Blackthorn
on the edge of the top copse by the tarmac path. On the middle slopes two
male fresh Common Blues
fluttered about, rarely settling. No butterflies were seen on Hemp
Agrimony in the early afternoon.
Small
Heath, Common Blue ,
Clouded
Yellow
A Peacock
Butterfly fluttered over my head at Old
Shoreham near the Tollbridge. Further north
up the Downs Link Cyclepath, a Southern
Hawker (dragonfly)
flew at head height and a Red Admiral
left the path.
Eight
butterfly species
12
September 2017
In
a brief interlude between the squalls
a Peacock Butterfly
rose before me by the canal at Southwick.
9 September
2017
There
were scores of Small Whites
fluttering around with well over a hundred seen on passage in urban areas.
7 September
2017
Cloudy
and dull and breezy and not butterflyweather,
but
within the Shoreham boundaries I noted
Small
Whites, at least one Large
White and one Red
Admiral and one Speckled
Wood.
Butterflies
on Mill Hill
Photographs
by Dave Cook
Quite a few fresh Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, around the Hemp Agrimony on the upper north side of Mill Hill. And on the lower slope three male Clouded Yellow plus one very fresh looking female amongst lots of Small Heath and now tired Adonis Blue. On the way back to the car I found one very fresh female Wall Brown in the grass and a very amiable Painted Lady.
Pyrausta
despicata, Small Heath
Meadow
Brown
Mill
Hill Upper
Blustery
with rain in the air, a cloudy afternoon was
unfavourable for butterflies
to be out and they weren't. Well, not many on the upper part of Mill
Hill, just seven Small Heaths and
seven Meadow
Browns,
one Large
White, one Small
White and
the tiny pyralid
micro-moth
Pyrausta despicata
on the area immediately
north of the Reservoir. I disturbed another dozen Meadow
Browns in a minute and another twenty on the
middle slopes in three minutes. The large patches of Hemp
Agrimony did not host any butterflies, but
a Peacock Butterfly
rose from the path in front of me. Unidentified white
butterflies were frequently
seen in Shoreham.
NB:
Other visitors (Dave) to Mill Hill
had spotted three Clouded Yellows
and a fresh Wall Brown on
Mill Hill.
Five
butterfly species (personal tally only)
5 September
2017
I
spotted a gap in the bad weather at noon and headed to Mill
Hill: Adonis Blue 20, Brown Argus 2, Clouded
Yellow, Meadow Brown 31, Red Admiral, Small Heath 18, Small White 2, Mother
of Pearl moth (Pleuroptya ruralis).
1
September 2017
I
made a brief sortie to the upper part of Mill
Hill as the weather was pleasant and the
white fluffy Cumulus
clouds on the blue sky made conditions conducive to photography in the
middle of the day. Butterflies
were very frequently flying around and I chose the area immediately north
of the Reservoir to record the species which were frequent Meadow
Browns
(20+)
and frequent Small Heaths
(15+), seen continuously as were the males of the occasional Adonis
Blues
(8+),
more conspicuous than frequent with at least two chocolate brown
females in fine condition. A tatty brown
female
looked like a Chalkhill Blue.
Small
White, Small Heath, Adonis
Blue
Peacock,
Meadow
Browns
Mill
Hill
On
the middle slopes, Hemp Agrimony
was an attractant for at least three Peacock
Butterflies, two Red
Admirals, a male Common
Blue and occasional Meadow
Browns.
Common Ragwort and other flowers
were visited by a big Large White
and a handful of Small Whites.
Eight
butterfly species
31 August 2017
Waiting
at Spring Head Shaw, Rifle Range, on the
downs west Steyning, for a Brown Hairstreak
to come down from the trees was forlorn and unsuccessful. Waiting
is not my normal observation method. Fallen
leaves blown up could be mistaken for butterflies.
There were a few Meadow
Browns
on
the rough grassland and both Small Whites
and Large Whites,
a Speckled Wood
and a Red Admiral
on the hedgerow-lined Mill Road path (by Steyning Bowls Club) approaches
to the conservation cattle pasture.
Five
butterfly species
28
August 2017
With
the marked difference between the flora on the top of Mill
Hill and the Rifle Range, Steyning
Downs visited yesterday, came a difference in the
butterfliesseen.
I only made a passage visit to the small area north of the Reservoir on
Mill Hill where the frequent Meadow
Browns
were
the same but not five Chalkhill Blues
including an amorous pair, half a dozen or so male Adonis
Blues, occasional Small
Heaths (9+) and a one second glance of
a Silver-spotted Skipper
visiting a Lesser Knapweed.
One Chalkhill Blue
made a fleeting visit to a Round-headed Rampion.
After a few minutes a male Common Blue
fluttered on to a Bird's Foot Trefoil
in the hazy warmth. The three whites were in flight all over the place:
Green-veined
Whites, Small Whites and
Large
Whites.
Meadow Brown
At
the top of Anchor Bottom (Beeding Hill
gate) I walked south-west until it got too steep and there were occasional
Adonis
Blues
including
an amorous pair (the Adonis Blue female
was much darker than the Chalkhill Blue),
as well as the inevitable Meadow
Browns.
I
cycled back along the Coombes Road but no significant butterflies were
spotted in the early afternoon.
Eight
butterfly species
Adur
Skippers
27
August 2017
White
butterflies of the three common species were
in flight in the sunshine: Green-veined
Whites, Small Whites and
Large
Whites. On the verges of the Downs
Link from Erringham Gap to Castle Lane
Bramber, I spotted a male Common Blue and
a Red Admiral.
At
Spring Head Shaw, Rifle
Range, on the downs west Steyning, I spotted (entirely on my own) my
third Brown
Hairstreak (butterfly)
of the day as it fluttered down to land on a Blackthorn
sapling to lay a egg in the middle of the day, They
were very difficult to spot and because they climbed down the stem immediately
I found them impossible to photograph successfully. Other
butterflies present were frequent Meadow
Browns
and
at least one Brown Argus,
Brimstone and Speckled
Wood. .In Shoreham I cycled past a Holly
Blue.
Eleven
butterfly species
25
August 2017
It
was a pleasant autumn day with the sun casting strong shadows in the late
afternoon. A Speckled
Wood and
two Holly
Blues were
seen at Buckingham Cutting (south). Nothing
special about these half expected finds, but the surprising thing was one
of the Holly Blues
was extremely tiny and no bigger than a Small
Blue high up in the hedgerow. White
butterflies were frequently in town and outskirts
seen with one Small White
but the others unidentified as they were restless and seen at too great
a distance to discern their features. On the Pixie Path by Frampton's Field,
Old Shoreham, I spotted eight fair condition Meadow
Browns
and
two more Holly Blues,
with one smaller than usual.
Chalkhill Blues on Cotoneaster
On
Mill Hill Hill Cutting (SW) there were no butterflies
to spot for a few minutes but after twenty or so minutes, I managed to
discover five separate female Chalkhill
Blues
laying eggs amongst the Horseshoe Vetch. They were joined by three males,
one instantly recognisable and the other two badly worn. Quite often the
female
Chalkhill Blues landed on Cotoneaster.
Five
butterfly species definitely
24
August 2017
On
a cloudy day, I made late morning visit to
Mill
Hill before the intermittent weak sun had woken up the butterflies.
I still managed to disturb several hundred. The tally for the half
transect (the Privet
prevented the whole acre transect) on the
lower slopes was
an unprecedented 153 Adonis Blues
(including 17 females),
11 Chalkhill Blues
(including one female),
a few Common Blues
(including
one female),
an estimated 75+ Meadow
Browns,
an
estimated 30+ Small Heaths,
a few each of Green-veined Whites, Small
Whites and
Large
Whites,
at
least four restless Clouded Yellows,
a Treble-bar Moth,
a Blood-Vein Moth and frequent faded pyralid
moths
Pyrausta purpuralis. A few of
the Meadow Browns
visited
the Devil's Bit Scabious now
in flower at the northern end of
the lower slopes. Some of the Meadow Browns
looked
fresh, but none of the Adonis Blues
did and one in ten was frayed at the edges.
Meadow
Brown,
Pyrausta
purpuralis,
Painted Lady
Adonis
Blue, Adonis Blue 
,
Chalkhill
Blue
It was where the vegetation had grown where the top plateau abuts the Reservoir compound that I counted nine more male Adonis Blues, one Chalkhill Blue and over a dozen Meadow Browns. On the middle slopes there were eight more Adonis Blues and a Chalkhill Blue, another twenty or so Meadow Browns, the same number of Small Heaths and a few Common Blues. One particularly large Green-veined White visited of of the few remaining Marjoram in flower. As I rested on the seat, a yellow Brimstone Butterfly flew past. The tiny micro-moth Pyrausta despicata was also spotted. Fatigue set in and I only made a less than cursory visit to the meadow north of the upper car park as I expected just more of the same. I did chance upon a faded Painted Lady visiting a Greater Knapweed in flower.
Eleven butterfly species and two macro moths
20
August 2017
On
a cloudy day, I cycled the Downs
Link Path from Erringham Gap north to the bottom of Anchor
Bottom (Dacre Gardens entrance). Butterflies
were common on Anchor Bottom but spread thinly like the flowers.
Meadow
Browns
were everywhere and I estimated well over a hundred in the 80 minutes I
spent on two acres of the "conservation" lightly grazed rough pasture.
I lost count of male Adonis Blues
at fifty, and spotted a worn Chalkhill
Blue on a Carline
Thistle. A few Common
Blues
squabbled with the Adonis.
Small
Heath Butterflies were sparse but there
were handful over the two acres. Two Clouded
Yellows fluttered over the butterfly
bank. And a Small White
was seen by the dead Elderflower.
At the Dacre Garden entrance a very tatty Comma
Butterfly flew around where a Common
Darter (dragonfly)
landed on the concrete path.
Eight
butterfly species
18 August 2017
Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar
It
was blowing a Near Gale and it was just not
worth the trip to Southwick Hill, not even for an Elephant
Hawk-moth caterpillar crawling out of
a
Rabbit latrine.
The large field north of Slonk Hill Farm Road was ungrazed and full of
male Common Blues,
Meadow
Browns
and
Small Heath Butterflies
when seen from the bridlepath. The difficult bridlepath route to Southwick
Hill (via Stonechat Junction) added occasional Small
Whites, a Holly
Blue, a Wall
Brown, a Speckled
Wood and a Comma
Butterfly.
Eight
butterfly species
17
August 2017
After
the early morning rain it was gusting to Gale Force
8 and on the top of Mill Hill, it felt constant from due west nearly
blowing me off my feet. For the record on
the meadow north of the top car park, there were frequent male Common
Blues (30+), frequent Meadow
Browns
(25+),
a few Small Whites,
two Wall Browns,
occasional male Adonis
Blues (5+)
and a handful of Small Heaths.
Common Blue
The
small area north of the Reservoir as rather exposed on the plateau area
where I spotted more Small Heaths
and the only male Chalkhill Blue
on passage, and disturbed more than a dozen Meadow
Browns
amongst
the taller and thicker vegetation in a minute.
Seven
butterfly species
15
August 2017
As
I was not happy with the pictures yesterday, I
returned to the top of Mill
Hill but the southerly breeze was much
too strong (Force
6) for photography. There were still plenty
of Meadow
Browns
with
more than forty in ten minutes, and occasional pristine male Chalkhill
Blues and good condition male Adonis
Blues, a few poor condition Common
Blues and a few Small
Heaths and big Large
Whites all in the small area north of
the Reservoir. Later on the sunny day I saw a Small
White.
Seven
butterfly species
14
August 2017
After
two weeks off because of rain, breezes and other inclement weather, I cycled
up to Mill Hill
in warm humid conditions in the afternoon. Butterflies
were common enough but not very varied. I parked
my ebike just north of the Reservoir and I was immediately struck by butterflies
quarrelling in the breeze.
A male Adonis Blue
chased a good condition male Chalkhill
Blue where the plateau merged into the
longer vegetation above the ridge, with a few Meadow
Browns.
It was good sign and I counted nine Chalkhill
Blues in a minute.
Small
Heath, Chalkhill Blue,
Meadow
Brown
Adonis
Blues,
Pyralid Moths
Mill
Hill
Alas, there was so much Privet on the southern end of the lower slopes it was impassable in places and not conducive to spotting butterflies. When I eventually managed to fight my way through to open ground Meadow Browns were everywhere, well over a hundred, exceeding the total of blues altogether which comprised nearly fifty Adonis Blues, just under forty Chalkhill Blues, and frequent Common Blues. A few females of all three species were seen. Small Heaths were frequent as well and there must have been more than twenty on the lower slopes. At least six Clouded Yellows fluttered past and that was it apart from a few Large Whites and over the southern steps a tatty Speckled Wood showed. A few Treble-bar Moths were spotted. Occasional tiny pyralid moths Pyrausta purpuralis and Pyrausta nigrata flitted amongst the short vegetation.
Silver-spotted Skipper visiting Dwarf Thistle on Mill Hill
On
the middle slopes and upper meadows there were very frequent
Meadow
Browns,
frequent Adonis Blues, Chalkhill Blues, Common
Blues and Small
Heaths. The Hemp
Agrimony hosted one Small
Tortoiseshell and a Red
Admiral. The short turf of the upper
plateau added a Brown Argus.
I packed my camera away to unlock my bike to go home. It was then I spotted
my first Silver Spotted Skipper
of the year visiting a Dwarf Thistle
right next to my ebike! There was still time for a pyralid
moth
Pyrausta
despicata to make an appearance. I
did not spot a single Gatekeeper
for
sure.
Eleven
butterfly species and one macro moth
Hoverfly
Volucella
zonaria, Common Ragwort and Mint
Moth
Meadow
Browns
Spring
Head Shaw, Rifle Range, Steyning
MeadowBrowns
(30+)
were all over the Spring Head Shaw, Rifle Range, on the downs west Steyning,
as I ventured to the northern row of mixed trees where I added three Gatekeepers,
a few dark Speckled Woods,
and a Holly Blue.
It
was cool day with rain in the air so I was
lucky if any butterflies
were in flight. There were a few Large
Whites in flight near the allotments.
I was more fortunate with hoverflies
as I spotted my first impressive Volucella
zonaria hoverfly of the year, shortly
followed by my first Volucella inanis.
The small pyralid moth
Pyrausta aurata visited the sparse
growths of
Marjoram
and
Common Ragwort.
Steyning
Downland Scheme]
Four
butterfly species on a cool day
8 August
2017
With
a breeze (Force 4)
blowing from the north and black clouds over the sea,
I was not even thinking about butterflies
until I surprised a Painted Lady
by the south-facing carnot
walls of Shoreham
Fort, It fluttered rapidly away.
A male Common Blue
fluttered around the remaining flowers
south of the Coastwatch Station, Shoreham
Beach.
| 6
August 2017
As far as I am aware this is the first positive record of a Brown Hairstreak from any part of Mill Hill. This one was discovered by Etienne Fournier near the copse and north of the top car park. NB:
An unconfirmed fleeting view of this elusive butterfly has been seen by
myself on Mill Hill
as well as one personally photographed record in north Shoreham in 2010.
Brown
Hairstreak
|
 |
1
August 2017
Cumulus
clouds were thinly spaced across the blue
sky and the sun was out more often than it was in. This
made for more active butterflies
chasing each other and generally more visible, but not much more in total
numbers seen in the early afternoon. A few Speckled
Woods and a Holly
Blue were seen over the southern steps
down to the lower slopes where blue butterflies
just about exceeded the orange ones.
On the one acre transect area
of the lower slopes I counted 41 Chalkhill
Blues
(including
five females*), 15 male Adonis
Blues, an estimated 20 Common
Blues,
a few Brown
Argus, an estimated 25 Meadow
Browns,
an
estimated 12 Gatekeepers,
about
a dozen Small Heath Butterflies
mostly in pairs, at least one Large White,
three (one large white one) large Brimstone
Butterflies, another Speckled
Wood, one tattered Wall
Brown, three strong flying
Clouded Yellows, two second brood Dingy
Skippers,
two Treble Bar Moths and
a few 6-spotted Burnet Moths.
(*
the females were all seen walking over Horseshoe Vetch.)
Peacock,
Dingy
Skipper,
Speckled
Wood
Adonis
Blue, Painted
Lady, Meadow
Brown
I returned
by the ridge route and over the middle slopes, adding four Red
Admirals on Buddleia,
five Peacock Butterflies,
a Small Tortoiseshell
and a Painted Lady
on Marjoram.
The Marjoram
patches on the middle slopes of Mill Hill were also attractive to more
Meadow
Browns
(20+) and Gatekeepers
(20+), one good condition
Wall Brown, another big yellow Brimstone
Butterfly, unidentified Whites^,
two more Clouded Yellows,
and a score or more Common Blues that
stopped for only a seconds.
(^
one could have been a Green-veined White.)
The
top meadows on Mill Hill were only transversed on passage and given only
a cursory view. I quickly disturbed a dozen or more Common
Blues,
more Meadow
Browns
and
Gatekeepers,
and
one pristine Brown
Argus. A few pairs of
Small Heaths were present over the top plateau.
There were five male Chalkhill Blues immediately
north of the Reservoir.
A
Small
White Butterfly was seen by Middle Road
Allotments.
Nineteen
butterfly species (a good tally and best of the year) and three macro moths
31
July 2017
At
the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham,
I noted a few Speckled Woods,
a few Meadow
Browns,
a
Holly
Blue and a Small
White Butterfly.
Small
Tortoiseshell, Gatekeeper, Chalkhill Blues,
Meadow
Brown
Wall
Brown, Red Admiral, Adonis
Blue, Painted Lady
A large
cloud blocked out the sun and sent a large shadow over the
lower slopes of Mill Hill. This tends to
send the butterflies
into hiding and then they were only seen if actively disturbed. This gives
disappointing numbers of butterflies
at the peak time for numbers in the whole of the year. I battled though
the Privet on
the lower slopes and I only recorded 53 male Chalkhill
Blues plus one mating female
on
a 90% coverage of my transect acre. I was
surprised to record my first eleven second brood male Adonis
Blues. A Wall
Brown visited a Dwarf
Thistle.
Small
Heath Butterflies courted in the breeze.
A Clouded Yellow
fluttered rapidly over the lower slopes without pausing. Meadow
Browns
numbered
nearly as many as the Chalkhill Blues
on the lower slopes and more on the whole of Mill Hill as I only saw one
additional Chalkhill Blue
above the ridge. Gatekeepers
were very frequently seen and the most numerous (80+
altogether seen) on both the lower slopes and the middle slopes where they
were attracted to Marjoram,
which also enticed a Small Tortoiseshell
(one of two) to visit for nectar. Buddleia
proved attractive to occasional Red
Admirals, a Peacock
and a Painted Lady.
Male Common Blues were
occasionally
seen on the lower slops but frequent on the top
of the hill, especially so in the meadow north of the car park where I
also spotted a Small Copper,
a Brown
Argus, and a Large
White. 6-spotted
Burnet Moths and Silver
Y Moths occasionally attracted my attention
as well as a definite small pyralid
moth
Pyrausta purpuralis on Marjoram.
Eighteen
butterfly species (a good tally and best of the year) and two macro moths
Chalkhill Blue Numbers
These
are not cumultatve totals but the most seen in a period of under half an
hour at peak times
per
transect acre on Mill Hill
Adonis Blues reached 205 per acre on 20/09/12
30
July 2017
With
a constant breeze (Force
6) under a cloudy sky, it was not a time
to go outside the boundaries of Shoreham. So
I didn't, I just made a quick cycle up Mill Hill Road to the outskirts
of north Shoreham spotting a Large
White Butterfly at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive and a Holly Blue
and a faded Wall Brown
on the Pixie Path. I climbed over the prostrate chestnut fencing to make
my way to the Mill Hill Cutting (SW) where I spotted my first female Chalkhill
Blue of the year amongst about a dozen
males
and
a Silver Y Moth.
Silver
Y Moth, Wall Brown
Chalkhill
Blues
Later,
the sun made a brief appearance and I changed my mind cycling along the
Downs
Link Path as far the Cement Works before the sun went behind
a cloud and I turned back prematurely. In the shady part of the path by
the Cement Works spotted four Red Admirals
which
are hardly noteworthy, and then most impressively a massive Emperor
Dragonfly patrolled the path incessantly. Past experience has indicated
that they rarely settle. A Gatekeeper Butterfly
fluttered over the path and a Meadow
Brown
and
a few male Common Blues
were seen over the meadow-like verges.
Seven
butterfly species and one macro moth
Female
Chalkhill Blue and female Adonis Blue
One
guideline is that the pale scales on the hind wings, between the red dots
and the white fringe, are blue in a female
Adonis Blue, and white in a female
Chalkhill Blue.
Identifying
Similar Butterflies
27
July 2017
Under
a cloudy sky and a constant breeze (Force
5) and the added gusts made photographing
very tricky on the Downs Link Path between
Old Shoreham to just north of Erringham Gap.
Red
Admiral, female Common
Blue
Gatekeeper,
Green-veined
Whites x 2
Downs
Link Cyclepath between Old Shoreham and Erringham Gap
It was even more tricky with the butterflies blown about in the breeze: a few each of Red Admirals, Gatekeepers, Green-veined Whites, Meadow Browns, female Common Blues, one Small (or Essex) Skipper and one Silver Y Moth in much less than a hour before I felt the first spots of rain.
Green-veined White
The first Green-veined White Butterfly sported some distinct black markings that at a quick glance could have been penned it as a Large White.
25
July 2017
On
a cloudy day I visited the lower slopes of
Mill
Hill where I fought my way through the Privet to complete
a 90% transect registering a count of 21 male
Chalkhill
Blues and if I was to include the southern
part of the top of the hill they were exceeded by both
Common Blues and
Meadow
Browns,
and these were exceeded by 6-spotted Burnet
Moths.
Gatekeeper,
Small Heath, Common
Blue
Chalkhill
Blue
Mill
Hill
The
lower slopes also hosted at least one Large
White Butterfly, a pristine Small
Tortoiseshell, frequent Small
Heath Butterflies, and a Treble-bar
Moth. I returned by the ridge route and
noted a Peacock Butterfly
over the path through the scrub and the distinctive hoverfly
Chrysotoxum bicinctum by the Reservoir. Gatekeepers
were frequently seen by the bushes on Mill Hill. A Speckled
Wood was spotted at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, north Shoreham.
Nine
butterfly species and two macro moths
23
July 2017
Although
it was cloudy and it had been damp, I was still surprised the Flyover Car
Boot Sale was cancelled. Instead, I cycled
non-stop from Erringham Gap to Anchor Bottom
(Dacre Gardens entrance) along the Downs Link
Path, spotting a couple of Large White
Butterflies and a Red
Admiral on the way.
Chalkhill
Blue
On
Anchor Bottom (south north facing slope to the central now dead Elder
trees, and adjacent south-facing slope) I
spotted frequent Meadow
Browns
(25+)
and Common Blues (12+
including a bluish female), occasional Gatekeepers,
but only one male Chalkhill Blue.
A few 6-spotted Burnet Moths were
seen in flight. Colin
Knight reported Clouded
Yellows.
I
paused a few times on the return journey over the Downs Link Path but there
was rain in the air and no more butterflies
showed.
Six
butterfly species and one macro moth (my tally only)
17
July 2017
Butterflies
were fluttering all over Mill Hill with
just some of the expected species. On the top part male Common
Blues exceeded a hundred with a Brown
Argus,
very
frequent Meadow
Browns
and Gatekeepers,
a few Small Skippers,
a few each of Marbled Whites, Large Whites
and Small Whites,
at least one Brimstone,
Red
Admiral, a
Peacock
and Silver Y Moths
before a dozen or so male Chalkhill Blues
put in an appearance. On the middle slopes there were more Common
Blues (including a female),
Chalkhill Blues (8+), Meadow
Browns
and Gatekeepers,
Marbled
Whites, Large Whites,
and 6-spotted
Burnet Moths. It was here I spotted my
first ever pyralid
micro-moth Mint
Moth Pyrausta
aurata on Mill Hill, visiting Marjoram.
In the dense scrub there was a Comma
and a Speckled Wood.
Brown Argus
In
the energy sapping humidity, I nearly did not venture down to the lower
slopes, half covered in Privet
I was glad I made the effort as I simultaneously saw some large Brimstones,
and much smaller first Clouded Yellow
of the year over the Wild Basil.
Chalkhill
Blues (30+) were flighty, widespread and all
males on the half transect, chased by Common
Blues, Meadow
Browns
and Gatekeepers,
Marbled
Whites, some huge Large Whites,
Brown
Argus,
Small
Heaths (12+) and a few more Peacocks
and Red Admirals, Small
Skippers and
more 6-spotted Burnet Moths.
Sixteen
butterfly species and two macro-moths
16
July 2017
An
unplanned cycle trip to Woods
Mill (via Erringham Gap and Downs Link
Cyclepath to Bramber and the A283
(Henfield Road) and back for a total distance of 8 miles) was both disappointing
and rewarding. I noted in the change of summer flowers
on the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath (Old Shoreham to the South Downs
Way Bridge). It was cloudy in the middle of
the day and butterflies
were merely frequent Meadow
Browns
and Gatekeepers,
occasional
Large
Whites, Small Whites, Marbled Whites and
at least one Peacock,
and a 6-spotted Burnet Moth on
the verges of the cyclepath. Add a shredded Ringlet
at the Woods Mill farm
meadow, and a Small Skipper
on the Restricted Byway over Windmill Hill near Upper Beeding.
Eight
butterfly species and one macro moth
Small Skipper visiting a Spear Thistle
It
was cloudy but fine, but not warm enough for many butterflies
to be active but I did spot a Small Skippervisiting
a Spear Thistle and
a Large White fluttering
around a patch of Greater Willowherb on
the harbour canal bank at Fishersgate. .
When
I returned home a tatty Peacock Butterfly
flew in through the open front door.
Adur
Skippers
10
July 2017
On
the southern part of Mill Hill, I noted
quite a few Meadow
Browns,
a
Comma
and Silver
Y Moths. On the steps down to the lower
slopes a Speckled Wood
showed in the shade before I was distracted by a Peacock
and my first Painted Lady
of the year. Scores of butterflies
fluttered around on Mill Hill including my first dozen or so of the first
male Chalkhill Blues
of the year over the lower slopes. On a warm sunny afternoon, all the butterflies
were extremely lively especially over the large patch of Wild
Basil at the northern end of lower slopes
where they were joined and disturbed by frequent
Small Heaths, Gatekeepers, male Common
Blues and Marbled
Whites., a couple of Brimstones,
a Red Admiral,
a Small White,
and a Large White.
I only visited the northern end of the lower slopes for under an hour.
From the path I also spotted lots more Meadow
Browns
and
Marbled
Whites,
Gatekeepers
and
6-spotted
Burnet Moths as I returned hurriedly.
I did manage to add a brownish Small Skipper
to the list amongst the Greater Knapweed
and many grasses south of the Reservoir.
Thirteen
confirmed butterfly species (the most this year) and two macro moths
9
July 2017
On
another warm sunny day, occasional butterflies
could be seen over the vegetated shingle on Shoreham
Fort Beach Most of them were Large
Whites around the Sea
Kale, but I spotted at least two male Common
Blues, a Meadow
Brown and a Small
Skipper.
6
July 2017
On
the bicycle disaster day (a major puncture) had me otherwise preoccupied
I noted frequent Meadow
Browns
and
Large
Whites all over the Adur
Levels and occasional Gatekeepers,
a few Ringlets
(Tottington Wood) at least one Marbled
White (Henfield Road), one Essex
(or Small) Skipper (Tottington
Wood meadow), my
first of the year Silver-washed Fritillary
at
Tottington Wood, and one Red Admiral (Woods
Mill) and occasional Speckled Woods (Tottington
Wood).
Nine
confirmed butterfly species
5
July 2017
Meadow
Browns
(50+)
were all over Mill Hill and Marbled
Whites (25+)
were frequent too, but there
were not many
butterflies
for summer and not many species, frequent fresh Gatekeepers,
an occasional Small Heath a
few Large Whites and
Small
Whites. Looking out for blues, I disturbed
a Treble-bar Moth and
a Silver Y Moth,
spotted a 6-spotted Burnet Moth.
(There was a possible Wall Brown
over New Erringham pasture near the bridge, and large orange butterfly
on the lower slopes of Mill Hill which could have been a fritillary?
Hindsight: more likely to be a Painted Lady.
No skipperswere
seen.)
Six
confirmed butterfly species and three macro moths
4 July 2017
Meadow
Brown,
Ringlet
Buckingham
Cutting (south)
On
the southern bank of Buckingham Cutting I noted
occasional
Meadow Browns,
Ringlets,
and Marbled Whites,
at least one Large White and
a 6-spotted
Burnet Moth. A Peacock
Butterfly was spotted over Ropetackle.
Five
butterfly species and one macro moth
Small Skipper Marbled White
At
the height of summer, the sun shined in the middle of the day and
the butterflies
were very frequently seen on the verges of the Downs
Link Cyclepath between Erringham Gap and the fields south of Bramber.
I cycled back to Shoreham along the Coombes Road. The verges hosted frequent
Meadow
Browns,
Small Skippers, Marbled Whites and
Large
Whites with occasional Small
Whites, at least one Ringlet,
one fresh Small Tortoiseshell,
one or two 6-spotted Burnet Moths, and
a few Gatekeepers.A
Red
Admiral was seen near Annington Sewer,
a Comma
and a Peacock
near Ladywells.
Eleven
butterfly species and one macro moth
 |
1 July 2017 Under a cloudy afternoon sky, on the cyclepath from Old Shoreham to just south of the Cement Works, there was only occasional butterflies. With the summer flowers came my first Gatekeeper Butterfly of the year visiting Melilot, a few Large Whites, a few Meadow Browns including at least one fresh specimen, and a languid fluttering brown butterfly was identified as a faded Ringlet. Cinnabar Moth caterpillars crawled over the budding Common Ragwort. WildFlower Report Four butterfly species
|
26
June 2017
I
was surprised that a good condition Comma
Butterfly visited my front garden in the
late morning.
Comma,
Six-spotted
Burnet Moth
Marbled
White, Ringlet
A pleasant
sunny day with a Gentle Breeze (Force
1-3) meant
a visit to Shoreham
Beach around the middle of the day. I
was rewarded with my first handful of Small
Skippers fluttering around the shingle
plants without settling. These were my first of the year and in atypical
habitat for this small widespread butterfly.
Skippers
are easily overlooked or mistaken for a moth.
Large
White Butterflies fluttered around the
Sea
Kale.
Widewater
Flood Plain hosted my first Six-spotted
Burnet Moths of the year, the first seen
visited the fading Thrift,
and then a newly budding Common Ragwort,
but then seven were seen on a single Viper's
Bugloss spike.
On
the southern bank of Buckingham Cutting,
frequent butterflies were all lively and unsettled, with half a dozen or
more each of Ringlets,
Marbled
Whites and Meadow
Browns in the afternoon. (There were no
Small
Blues, Speckled
Woods or other butterflies seen on Buckingham
Cutting.)
Six
butterfly species and one macro moth
19
June 2017
The
chalk downs above Shoreham were swathed in the yellow of Bird's
Foot Trefoil, on the middle slopes of Mill
Hill and New Erringham pasture to the east of Mill
Hill Nature Reserve. A Rook
soared
like a Buzzard
in
the mostly blue sky on the warmest air temperature of the year reaching
25.6
°C at
10:00
am and
26.1 °
C at
11:00 am
when
I was on Mill Hill.
Butterflies
were very frequently seen but not much variety, twenty
five or so Meadow Browns
amongst the long vegetation on the top part of Mill Hill south of the Reservoir
with many more well hidden with at least one, probably more, Silver
Y Moths. On the Privet
covered lower slopes, the lively Marbled
White Butterflies (18+) merged well with
the flowerheads of the invasive Privet
bushes, Small Heath Butterflies
(18+) courted in the gaps between the bushes with a few male Common
Blues, a few more Meadow
Browns, and one Small
Tortoiseshell on my less
than one acre transect walk. Frequent tiny
pyralid
moths
Pyrausta puperalis, flitted amongst
the low herbs. There were at least a dozen Meadow
Browns, half a dozen Small
Heaths, and another four Marbled
Whites on my passage return over the middle
and top part of Mill Hill north of the Reservoir. Add to my tally a Brimstone,
Comma and three more Small
Tortoiseshells on the fringes of the scrub.
Seven
butterfly species and one macro moth in the morning
18
June 2017
At
least two Meadow Browns
and one Small White Butterfly
were seen over the Car Boot Sale field, Old Erringham. On a warm sunny
morning my first two Ringlets
of the year were seen on the western shadier verges of the Downs
Link Cyclepath just north of Erringham Gap. Add in a few more Meadow
Browns and a probable Green-veined
White and that was it on a passage journey
with a brief pause ot look at the Pyramidal
Orchids.
Four
butterfly species in the morning
| 15
June 2017
On another breezy afternoon, there was a Meadow Brown on the southern bank of Slonk Hill Cutting and a Burnet Companions Moth on Buckingham Cutting and that was all of interest. |
 |
Burnet
Moth caterpillar, Small Blue
Marbled
White, Holly
Blue
Buckingham
Cutting (south)
Two
Speckled
Woods courted at the top of Buckingham
Park in the shade of the trees. In a humid afternoon on the southern bank
of Buckingham Cutting with tricky bright
light I struggled to take any pictures.
Holly
Blues were fluttering around the Bramble
and the was even one on the roadside meadow. My first Small
Blue Butterfly of the year would settle
on my camera strap and enticed on to my finger, but it would not transfer
to a Greater Bird's Foot Trefoil
(in the absence of any Kidney Vetch).
My first of the year Marbled White
was lively and when it did settle on a Red
Clover, it was immediately chased off by a
Meadow
Brown.
My second Large White Butterfly
of the year fluttered by.
Five
butterfly species in the afternoon
11
June 2017
Still windsurfer weather (Force 5) and only a handful of butterflies showed on the verges of the cyclepath between Erringham Gap and the Cement Works. A male Meadow Brown, two male Common Blue Butterflies and two unidentified medium-sized brownish butterflies blown about in the breeze was my tally in the late morning.
10
June 2017
Still
breezy (Force 4)
and
just a handful of Red Admirals
fluttering around in Old Shoreham, a Green-veined
White over Frampton's Field, two Wall
Browns over the towpath between the Toll
Bridge and Cuckoo's Corner, and a Meadow
Brown in the field of Yellow
Flag Iris next to Ladywell's
Stream visited
yesterday.
There was a Snout Hypena
proboscidalis moth
disturbed on an overgrown impassable path FP3138
from Old Shoreham to Mill Hill. Azure
Damselflies were out in the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham.
9 June
2017
A
whole week of persistently breezy weather
continued with a steady Fresh Breeze (Force
5). In afield
of Yellow Flag Iris
and Stinging Nettles, next to Ladywell's Stream
(just north of Cuckoo's Corner) I disturbed a Meadow
Brown Butterfly and a Brown
Argus.
They were the only butterflies seen in the
afternoon and both first of the year finds for me.
3 June
2017
My
Mill Hill transect produced Adonis Blue 28, Brimstone 2, Peacock,
Red Admiral, Small Heath 19, Small Tortoiseshell 3. Moths: Cinnabar (Tyria
jacobaeae) 3, Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica), Common Purple
and Gold (Pyrausta purpuralis), Hook-streak Grass veneer (Crambus
lathoniellus), Lesser Treble-bar (Aplocera efformata).
31
May 2017
A
male Common Blue Butterfly was
seen amongst the vegetation on the verges
of the cyclepath between Erringham Gap
and the Cement Works. A Mother Shipton
Moth visited Yellow
Rattle and was attractive to look at but would
not keep still in the warm sunshine in the afternoon. A Small
White Butterfly was also spotted.
On
the north-facing southern bank of Anchor Bottom
(entered via the Dacre Gardens entrance) there was a Yellow
Shell Moth and
twomale
Common Blues.
On
the south-facing northern bank I stumbled across 13 Adonis
Blues
of
which five were females. An unidentified
vanessid
flew rapidly overhead.
26
May 2017
A
male Common Blue Butterfly was
seen amongst the flowering vegetation
at the eastern end of Shoreham
Beach in the warm
sunshine.
25
May 2017
Frequent
Holly
Blues were seen on passage and a few Speckled
Woods as well. A pair of Mother
Shipton Moths were seen at Buckingham
Cutting (south).
23
May 2017
A
Holly
Blue was seen in residential Shoreham,
a handful of Small Whites
around the outskirts of town, a strong flying vanessid
thought to be (75% chance) a Small Tortoiseshell
on the towpath near Cuckoo's Corner, a Red
Admiral at Cuckoo's Corner with a fresh
Speckled
Wood.
Five
butterfly species
22
May 2017
On
a humid sunny afternoon the first
butterfly
seen was a Holly
Blue in Buckingham
Avenue when the sun was behind one of he few
cirrus clouds. This was the only butterfly
seen on the road approaches to Mill Hill.
Adonis
Blues
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I tried to count the Adonis Blues in the designated one acre transect area (which now takes me half an hour to traverse if I do not pause) but at the count of 91 (including seven females), the numbers were too many together at the northern end to get an accurate count but estimated at 125 in the acre (10% females). They were accompanied by frequent 12+ Common Blues which almost all appeared to be males. A few Adonis Bluesmated. Others were chased by the frequent amorous Small Heaths. Brimstone Butterflies (8+) were incessantly on patrol, although one did visit a Bramble flower.
Adonis
Blues
Cinnabar
Moth, Common Blue, Small
Heath
Two
Dingy
Skippers courted and a third one was seen
alone. They were drabber than a Mother
Shipton Moth of the same size and similar
behaviour. A Peacock Butterfly
flew overhead and was seen to be intact when it later landed. The most
distinctive find were three Cinnabar Moths
which
quickly disappeared into hiding. Altogether there was not much variety
which included a single Green-veined White.
I only visited the lower slopes of Mill Hill, but access was over the top
southern part and it looked as though there may have been a late in the
day emergence of Common Blues
as they were occasionally disturbed on passage with a Treble-bar
Moth.
Gerry
Slack photographed a Grizzled
Skipper.
Eight
butterfly species (my tally) and three macro-moths in the afternoon.
21
May 2017
A
casual passage journey on the cyclepath back from the Erringham Gap and
I spotted my first Small White Butterfly
of the year visiting Star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum
umbellatum. I followed this with an unplanned
detour through Old Shoreham up The Street and Mill Hill Road where at the
northern part of Chanctonbury Drive, a Green-veined
White and a Speckled
Wood were spotted fluttering around the
instant I got there.
Small
White Butterfly, Holly Blue
Adonis
Blue
As
a weak sun was shining, I made a quick visit to the upper part of Mill
Hill, where a female Adonis Blue landed
on the path in front of me just above the ridge. Occasional
Brimstones were the most prevalent butterfly
in the late morning fluttering strongly around the scrub, where I was surprised
to see a lively female Holly Blue.
Small
Heath Butterflies fluttered around
in the shorn vegetation.
Seven
butterfly species (my tally) in the late morning
Other butterfly visitors commented on the dearth of butterflies on the top of Mill Hill although they could add two Small Coppers and some Common Blues to my tally.
16
May 2017
Mill
Hill was covered in glorious swathes of the yellow of Horseshoe
Vetch,
Hippocrepis comosa,
flowering
the slopes, mostly the steep slopes and lower slopes but also some quite
large patches on the upper part of the hill.
Butterflies were common (over a hundred) for the first time this year with male Adonis Bluesleading the way with sixty plus and a few flighty females. About twenty male Common Blues were seen for the first time this year with frequent Brimstone Butterflies, frequent Small Heaths, just two Grizzled Skippers, and one of each of Dingy Skipper, a worn Peacock, Speckled Wood, a first of the year probable Wall Brown, Red Admiral, and a Green-veined White.
Small
Heath, Peacock,
Adonis Blue
Adonis
Blue, Common Blue, Adonis Blue
Adonis
Blue
That
made for eleven different species, the
most this year in over an hour on Mill Hill,
and it was only sunny for some of the time and one
cloud let loose a few drops of rain. I also
spotted a Treble-bar Moth
and my first of the year pyralid
micro-moth Pyrausta
nigrata. Graeme
Rolf also spotted two Green Hairstreaks
and three Cinnabar Moths.
Eleven
butterfly species (personal tally) on Mill Hill in the afternoon
Adonis
Blue
Mill
Hill
Summer seemed to have put in its first appearance with the glorious blue of my first male Adonis Blue Butterfly of the year. It appeared on the lower slopes of Mill Hill at 3:00 pm with the sun still behind the fluffy cirrus clouds. It was the first of about ten, nine in perfect condition, but one slightly torn and ragged.
Swathes of the bright yellow flowers of the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, covered the slopes. This vitally important butterfly food plant was virtually at is peak flowering. Two Green-veined Whites, three bright yellow Brimstones, a worn Peacock Butterfly and the first of the dozen or more Small Heaths showed after five minutes or so. A flash of bright crimson was my first Cinnabar Moth of the year. My first damselfly of the year, a Large Red Damselfly, flitted around the short vegetation.
Grizzled
Skipper, Dingy Skipper
Adonis
BlueLarge
Red Damselfly
Mill
Hill
I had
to wait around for an hour before a spell of sunshine enticed a veritable
flurry of activity and the appearance of the skippers,
including my first of only a few (maybe just one or two seen several times)
Dingy
Skippers of the year. Grizzled
Skippers were discovered mating
on a Bramble
shoot. A flash of orange was a surprise Small
Copper Butterfly which was another first
for two years. A Red Admiral
was seen at the top of the southern steps as I left after an hour and half.
Nine
butterfly species on Mill Hill in the afternoon
5 May
2017
On
the opposite side of the road, it looks through my upstairs window as though
it was my first Large White Butterfly
of the year.
4
May 2017
Too
breezy for photography, too cool for butterflies,
and my days are numbered for scrambling about on steep hillsides. I
stayed long enough to record three Peacock
Butterflies on the edges of the scrub
on the middle slopes, three Grizzled Skippers
on the lower slopes followed by my first Small
Heath Butterfly of the year. The Small
Heath always keeps its wings closed when settled
(as it appears to the human eye) and usually aligns to the sun and photographer
at an oblique angle.
30
April 2017
At
Mill
Hill, to help find some roosting Grizzled
Skippers. By now everything was asleep, but a careful search of the scrub
revealed 5 snoozing Grizzled Skippers, 2 dozing Dingy Skippers, 3 sleepy
Small Heaths and a comatose
Brown
Argus
(which may be a national first for the year).
I
walked Mill Hill late morning in the fading 'grey' sun and in the sheltered
areas out of the cool easterly breeze at the bottom of the steep slope,
I counted at least 12 Grizzled Skippers, 10 Dingy
Skippers, 3 Small
Coppers, 4 Small Heath and one very fresh
and surprisingly sprightly Adonis Blue
that wouldn't pose long enough for a picture.
19
April 2017
On
the lower slopes of Mill Hill two Peacock
Butterflies and two Grizzled
Skippers were reluctant to settle within
camera range. I spotted a worn small pyralid
moth
Pyrausta despicata, and frequent micro-moths
Pancalia
leuwenhoekella and many small spiders
running in the short vegetation. Pyrausta
nigrata was not seen.
18
April 2017
Breezy
and cloudy, I cycled the downs route
against a Force 4
passing
Mill Hill and north of Beeding
Hill down the narrow bridleway to Tottington
Wood. The bridlepath was a difficult passage
for cycling, but rewarded with a dozen Speckled
Wood Butterflies, a Green-veined
White and a Comma.
In Tottington Wood,
a damaged Red
Admiral landed in the shade of the trees.
On the Downs Link Cyclepath back to Old
Shoreham, a female Orange Tip Butterfly
was positively identified.
Five
butterfly species in the afternoon
15
April 2017
It
was cold and cloudy at Mill Hill this morning with nothing flying but eventually
the sun came out for a few minutes and I managed a picture of a Green
Hairstreak. The wings look slightly crumpled
so maybe they weren't quite dry (though it was able to fly).
Noticing it was warm and with half an hour to kill before lunch I popped up to Mill Hill. I had been on the slope less than 15 seconds when a Small Heath settled on the grass beside me. There were also plenty of Grizzled Skippers. This was the first sighting of a Small Heath for Sussex.
12
April 2017
Butterflies
were frequently seen on the weak sunshine despite the breeze. White
butterflies were seen on the verges of the
cyclepath at Old Shoreham. These were the first of year and mostly they
were too flighty to be identified. Eventually, one of a pair settled by
a stream near Botolphs and was recognised clearly as a Green-veined
White. By the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham, an emergence of a dozen
Speckled
Woods, joined a few Peacock
Butterflies, a Brimstone
Butterfly, and a few whites, probably
Green-veined.
A
Comma
Butterfly made an appearance by Frampton's
Field.
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I made
an impromptu decision to cycle along the Downs
Link Cyclepath to Upper Beeding where
it was too breezy for many butterflies. Streamside at Botolphs a few restless
male Orange Tips
made an appearance with the aforementioned Green-veined
Whites and Red
Admirals by the river towpath.
Seven
butterfly species in the afternoon
9 April 2017
Adonis
Blue larva with
ant
Photograph
by Su
Reed
I accidentally caught an Adonis Blue, Polyommatus bellargus, larva complete with it's attendant ant! while trying to scoop up the spider! I was amazed, what a find! I knew they were there, and I knew others had seen them but I never expected to find one myself.
The green larvae are well camouflaged and are nearly always attended by ants, which are attracted by secretions from special 'honey' glands and pores. Any ant species appears suitable, but the most common are the red ant Myrmica sabuleti and the small black ant Lasius alienus. The ants protect the larvae from predators and parasitoids, and even bury the larvae (in groups of up to eight) in loose earth cells at night.'
Adonis Blue (UK Butterflies)
7 April 2017
Grizzled Skippers
A pair
of Holly Blue Butterflies
fluttering high in the trees at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, north Shoreham, were my first of the year. This is on the way
to Mill Hill, where the highlight on the
lower slopes was another first of the year: a pair of mating Grizzled
Skippers on a dead Carline
Thistle plant. On the lower slopes at
least two species of micro-moth flitted around
in amongst the short herbs, including occasional Violet
Cosmet Moths, Pancalia
leuwenhoekella.
Adur
Skippers
6 April
2017
At
least 2 Grizzled Skippers
have emerged on Mill Hill. 3 Brimstone, Small White, Green-veined White,
Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and several Peacock in half hour walk at lunchtime
today.
Orange
Tip Butterfly
on Green Alkanet
From
a field north of Ladywell's Stream on the Coombes Road, I spotted my first
male Orange Tip Butterfly
of the year fluttering endlessly for fifteen minutes without pausing together
with a Brimstone,
Peacock
and two Small Tortoiseshells
that all landed very briefly. Luckily an Orange
Tip did visit Green
Alkanet flowering
at Cuckoo's Corner. Its food plants Lady's
Smock (or Cuckoo Flower) had already been
on flower for a week, and the first Garlic
Mustard flowers showed on the verges of the
country road. Another Peacock Butterfly
was seen on cycle passage by the
Tollbridge,
Old Shoreham.
In
the linear copse at the top of The Drive,
(north Shoreham) I spotted my first two Speckled
Woods of the year, another Peacock
Butterfly, and a Red
Admiral. Perhaps, my biggest surprise
of the day was a Comma Butterfly
spotted at the top of Buckingham Park, as it is not a place I would look
for them and it was only seen in passing.
Adur
Butterfly Flight Times
Seven
butterfly species in the afternoon
2 April
2017
I
went back to Mill Hill with Chris Corrigan.
There were plenty of micro moths including a number of Small Purple and
Gold. I also saw a Toad
and a couple of Common Lizards. There were butterflies about including
Brimstone, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Speckled Woods and a single
Red Admiral. About ten minutes after I had abandoned all hope, I caught
sight of a Grizzled Skipperout
of the corner of my, sitting on vetch. It was amazingly vivid so had probably
just emerged. Unfortunately in the fumble for my camera I took my eye off
butterfly and it was gone. Half an hour of searching failed to find it
again. Fortunately, some time later Chris spotted a second one just six
feet in front of the spot Neil had deemed propitious. This
was the earliest sighting of a Grizzled Skipper
in England for 2017.
Small
Tortoiseshell
Bramber
(south)
Brimstone
Butterfly
Peacock
Butterfly, Comma
Waterworks
Road
With the sun shining under a blue sky and the highest air temperature this year recorded by the Met Office at 15.5 °C, butterflies were frequently in flight. My first bright yellow Brimstone Butterfly of the year fluttered around a large garden hedge at the western end of residential Rosslyn Road in Shoreham. I was already on my way on my deliberate trip to the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham, where I expected to see the signs of spring. Butterflies immediately fluttered above my head seeing the shadows cast before the actual butterflies of a faded first of a handful of mostly fair condition strong flying Peacock Butterflies, just the one smaller than usual Small Tortoiseshell, and a half dozen patrolling Brimstone Butterflies, that briefly visited flowering Dandelions. This was all within a few minutes on passage, but I decided to hang around to see if the Small Tortoiseshell would settle for a publishable photograph. Six times I spotted a flash of orange, but these were all different Comma Butterflies. A few Common Wasps, Honey Bees, small hoverflies and Squash Bugs, Coreus, were noted as well as a small Nursery Web Spider.
15
March 2017
By
the towpath by the houseboats a butterfly
fluttered over my head in the sunshine. It appeared as shadow and I had
to wait a few minutes out for some more movement. Then three butterflies
moved quickly in succession chasing each other off the resting places.
Three of us were watching and we all saw three butterflies simultaneously.
One was a Red Admiral
and the other two were a first of the year Small
Tortoiseshell and a first Peacock
Butterfly.
Encouraged
by these surprise butterflies, I cycled to Mill
Hill, where a Peacock Butterfly
put in appearance over the pasture north of the Bridge, east of the road
followed by a Comma Butterfly.
Only a few Sweet Violets
were scattered over the lower slopes of Mill Hill, so I ventured not much
further than the southern steps, but I spotted a handful of Peacock
Butterflies in as many minutes.
9 March
2017
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In
the weak but welcome first sunshine of the year
a Red Admiral
pipped a Comma
as my first butterfly
of the year by about five seconds. Both butterflies made their appearance
at the top of Chanctonbury Drive (Dovecote
Estate) amongst the undergrowth beneath the trees (SE of the bridge to
Mill
Hill). This semi-wild area hosted
flowering
Sweet Violets which were visited by my first
Honey
Bee and my first of the small hoverflies
of 2017.
The
sun came out and the air temperature measured 14°
C at its highest at 4:00
pm.
11
January 2017
A
Red
Admiral Butterfly emerged from hibernation
in a Lancing conservatory.
