Adur Valley Wildlife

Butterflies, Larger Moths and other Arthropods 2022

Dragonflies & other Insects of Note

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All observations by Andy Horton, unless stated otherwise.

It would be tedious to list all sightings on the main pages,  but for flight times purposes the following butterflies and moths include ones not recorded on the main Nature Notes pages:

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BUTTERFLY LISTS   2010

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Sussex Butterfly Reports (Butterfly Conservation Society)

Butterflies of the Biosphere

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)
UK Leps Taxonomic Butterfly List

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WILDLIFE REPORTS

(Narrative):
 

18 October 2022
A Red Admiral flew over Ferry Road, Shoreham Beach.

12 October 2022
Last dry day before the expected rain failed to produce anything newsworthy apart from a fleeting glimpse of a Speckled Wood Butterfly at the top of Buckingham Park.

3 October 2022
Alas, my legs felt weak and I was unable to make more than a cursory visit to the lower slopes of Mill Hill where I spotted a restless Clouded Yellow Butterfly in the poor light of a hazy afternoon. I was sure of a strong flying Red Admiral. I also disturbed a male Common Blue amongst the long grasses at the top part of the hill south of the reservoir.

20 September 2022
A Clouded Yellow Butterfly fluttered over the Widewater flood plain. There were frequent White butterflies around

6 September 2022

Adonis Blue

An Adonis Blue was seen over the bottom of Anchor Bottom. There may have been more than one,

5 September 2022
Two Holly Blues were seen amongst the Ivy by the Pixie Path.

31 August 2022

What butterfly is this?
Mill Hill (south of the copse)

This brown butterfly was found alone in the triangle part of Mill Hill south of the copse and was on the large size for a Common Blue. Other butterflies present on the top part of Mill Hill were Meadow Browns, Small Heaths, occasional Common Blues, a few Large White butterflies, one male Adonis Blue and two Clouded Yellows.
 

Common Blues: female colour variations
UK Butterflies: similar species
Chalkhill v Adonis females

29 August 2022
A Clouded Yellow was spotted over Lancing Beach Green.

12 August 2022

Meadow Brown Small Heath, Gatekeeper
Mill Hill

4 August 2022
I made a cursory visit to a breezy lower slopes of Mill Hill, where about fifty restless male Chalkhill Blues fluttered over a quarter acre transect. A female crawled over the Horseshoe Vetch looking to lay her eggs. There were smaller numbers of Gatekeepers, and Meadow Browns, a very clear Silver-spotted Skipper, and occasional Common Blues, a few Speckled Woods and at least one Wall Brown and one Red Admiral. I also spotted two of my first second brood Adonis Blues of 2022,

3 August 2022

Common Blue Butterflies

Only a brief visit was made to the upper part of Mill Hill where there were scores of Common Blue Butterflies. frequent Gatekeepers, and Meadow Browns, two Wall Browns one Chalkhill Blue and a Large White. I did not look too hard  in the breeze,.

1 August 2022

Speckled Wood, Chalkhill Blue
Silver-spotted Skipper, Meadow Brown

On what should be the peak period for butterflies on Mill Hill, I recorded a mere 39 male Chalkhill Blues fluttering over a half acre transit of the lower slopes on a sunny humid afternoon, with similar numbers of Gatekeepers, and Meadow Browns, two separate Silver-spotted Skippers, and occasional Common Blues, a few Speckled Woods and White butterflies and at least one Wall Brown.

31 July 2022
It was too breezy for a trip to Mill Hill.

30 July 2022
A Holly Blue Butterfly sheltered from the breeze,

29 July 2022
In the energy sapping heat I was not fit enough to make it down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill much past the Holly Tree beyond the southern steps, Nevertheless, butterflies were very frequent and restless in the hazy afternoon sunshine, including frequent  Chalkhill Blues, frequent Gatekeepers, occasional Meadow Browns, a few Brimstone Butterflies. a Clouded Yellow, a pair of my first of the year Silver-spotted Skippers, and occasional Common Blues, Speckled Woods and White butterflies all in a space about the size of a suburban garden.
Adur Skippers

25 July 2022
A Speckled Wood visited my miniature front garden in Corbyn Crescent on a cloudy breezy day.

24 July 2022
There were hundreds of Common Blue Butterflies in the parched long grass verges of the Downs Link between Old Shoreham and the Cement Works, with a Comma and a Brimstone.

23 July 2022

At least two Kestrels hovered and dived over a parched Mill Hill, silhouetted in the northern blue sky on a breezy afternoon. About thirty male Chalkhill Blue Butterflies were restless in the hazy sunshine over the lower slopes. A mating pair blundered into a spider's web and the female Wasp Spider was startlingly quick, subduing the unfortunate female butterfly in a second, before wrapping it up in a silken parcel. The male butterfly escaped. A fresh second brood Dingy Skipper is spotted on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Full Report
Adur Skippers
 

20 July 2022 My first of the year Clouded Yellow Butterfly fluttered over the top part of Mill Hill in the sunshine in the late afternoon. Other butterflies were frequent male Common Blues, Meadow Browns over the top meadow, one Wall Brown. Small Skippers. Gatekeepers, a Brown Argus a Marbled White and Burnet Moths, 19 July 2022 My first definite and a very bright orange Comma Butterfly of the year visited my front garden at the hottest spell this century. 13 July 2022 An almost unprecedented late afternoon summer visit to the top meadow of Mill Hill (north of the upper car park). to catch some roosting butterflies unawares, was worthwhile for variety, although very difficult to photograph them in the long grass. A Ringlet Butterfly hid amongst the brambles. A Brown Argus fluttered in the long grass meadow amongst scores of Marbled Whites. There were a few male Common Blues, Peacocks, Small Heaths, Small Skippers. frequent Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns over the top meadow, one Wall Brown and a handful of Green-veined Whites elsewhere on the top part of the hill dominated by Melilot meadows, Eleven Species Adur Burnet Moths

6 July 2022

Meadow Brown
Ditching Common

White Admiral
Ditching Common
 

Gatekeeper

5 July 2022
The first of the year of forty plus fresh Gatekeeper Butterflies were seen on the southern steps and lower slopes of Mill Hill on a cloudy afternoon.
 

28 June 2022
I saw my first ever White-letter Hairstreak on Lancing Ring, nectaring on Bramble in a glade at 3:30 pm. I think the nearest Elms are about half a mile away, the few stragglers near the Lancing & Sompting Cemetery, but I have never seen them there. Seventeen butterfly species were identified and 2 Humming-bird Hawk-moths.

Report by Lindsay Morris on Sussex Butterflies.

 

26 June 2022
I recognised the languid flight of a handful of Ringlet Butterflies amongst the orchids over the southern verge of Buckingham Cutting, north Shoreham. There was also a Box Tree Moth, Cydalima perspectalis.
Adur Moths
Sussex Moth Group

22 June 2022

Dark Green Fritillary
Mill Hill

21 June 2022
The bright orange butterfly spotted yesterday was spotted again, but it flew away so quickly from the meadow south of the Reservoir, I was again unable to get a clear view of it. It was much larger than the usual suspects and was most likely to have been a Dark Green Fritillary. A Cinnabar Moth was seen amongst the long grasses in the afternoon, with restless Marbled White Butterflies and Meadow Browns.

Marbled White

20 June 2022
Over fifty very fresh Marbled White Butterflies fluttered around over the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the bright afternoon sunshine, They were accompanied by frequent Red Admirals and Meadow Browns, occasional Holly Blues, Large Whites, Small Skippers, and Small Heaths. an unconfirmed Comma* and a possible Brown Argus. The trip was truncated because of poor health in about what amounted a cursory visit through a path overgrown by Stinging Nettles.
(* a medium to large fast flying bright orange butterfly.)

16 June 2022
On a sunny afternoon, with a few Cumulus clouds, there were frequent Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies on the Adur/Bramber levels pasture between Beeding Bridge and Steyning. There were frequent Meadow Brown Butterflies around Bramber as well.

15 June 2022
My first Meadow Brown Butterflies and first Small Skipper of the year were disturbed in the area of Mill Hill south of the covered reservoir in the afternoon sunshine.

10 June 2022
On a cloudy afternoon, there were two Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies blown about on the breeze on the Downs Link, a faded one at the first river meander north of Old Shoreham, and a fresher one just south of the Cement Works.

6 June 2022
A dozen fresh male Common Blue Butterflies flew over the grassy area of Mill Hill south of the covered reservoir in unfavourable breezy conditions.

2 June 2022
Lancing Ring in warm sunshine revealed 14 butterfly species. 28 Holly Blue, 8 Speckled Wood, 6 Common Blue, 6 Small White, 5 Red Admiral, 4 Brimstone, 3 Large Skipper, 3 Large White, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Painted Lady, 2 Meadow Brown, Small Blue, Dingy Skipper, Comma.

Report by Lindsay Morris on Butterfly Conservation, Sussex

17 May 2022
In the afternoon sunshine, the swathes of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the lower slopes of Mill Hill were about their peak profusion. About fifty (partially counted) male Adonis Blue Butterflies fluttered around restlessly, with just the one possible female. Alas my physical health was limiting on the steep slopes and  I could only add a few Brimstones, a dozen male Common Blues, a Small Heath, a Large White, one Dingy Skipper and my first of the year Brown Argus.
Add a few unidentified whites and a few Holly Blues from residential Shoreham gives a minimum of eight species.

9 May 2022

Adonis Blue

A dozen male Adonis Blue Butterflies visited the abundant newly flowering Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the early afternoon. These were the first of the year for me as was a single spotting of a Small Heath. Other butterflies seen were 5+ Grizzled Skippers, 10+ Dingy Skippers, one male Common Blue, frequent Brimstones, one fresh Red Admiral and one Speckled Wood by the southern steps, plus a few unidentified whites.
A few Holly Blues were seen over the Buckingham Cutting.
Adur Skippers

6 May 2022
A male Orange-tip Butterfly did not settle on the Waterworks Road and neither did a Brimstone, Holly Blue and a Green-veined White. A Peacock Butterfly settled for a second on the towpath on the western side of  the river.
 
 

5 May 2022
My first Wall Brown Butterfly of the year fluttered around the long grass south of the Reservoir on the top part of Mill Hill with occasional Brimstone Butterflies.
 
 

Grizzled Skipper

26 April 2022 Clambering around the lower slopes of Mill Hill was close to becoming physically impossible for me even in dry weather. Butterflies were frequently seen in the intermittent afternoon sunshine: a few Brimstones, two Small Tortoiseshells, one Peacock, a few Green-veined Whites, occasional first of the year Grizzled Skippers, a handful of Dingy Skippers, and lastly a few pristine male Common Blues for the first time this year. Another butterfly watcher reported a Green Hairstreak. Eight species Adur Skippers

24 April 2022
In breezy conditions. too breezy to be inimical for butterflies I visited the relatively sheltered Waterworks Road, but it was still too blustery for photography. There was at least one male Orange-tip, 5+ Brimstone Butterflies (four white females), one Peacock, and most conspicuously about half a dozen smallish white butterflies, some of them recognised as Green-veined Whites.

21 April 2022

Green-veined White                                                          Orange-tip

Fluttering amongst the green canopy, a few Holly Blue Butterflies were my first of the year over the southern footpath section of the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham.  Down much lower amongst the vegetation on the verges there was a Brimstone Butterfly on patrol, at least one smaller than normal dark brown Speckled Wood and a few restless Orange-tips and Green-veined Whites.
Five species of butterfly

19 April 2022

Small White                                                                              Large White

My first Large White Butterfly of the year visited White Deadnettle near Waller's Pumphouse at the northern end of Pill Box Way and western end of the Toll Bridge. There was a Small White as well.

14 April 2022

Green-veined White

With the weak sunshine, the flying insects visited the flowers on the verges of the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham. Most of them including three species of butterfly: Orange-tip, Speckled Wood, and Green-veined White, and two species of hoverfly were seen by me for the first time this year.
Full List

17 April 2022
 

Dingy Skipper

There were precious few flowers on the lower slopes of Mill Hill for a handful of Peacock Butterflies and two Dingy Skippers on an Easter Sunday afternoon. I spotted the first small Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, flower.

13 April 2022

Red Admiral
Mill Hill Copse

5 April 2022
My first Bee-fly of the year visited a clump of Cowslips that were very common on the verges of the Downs Link from Old Shoreham north to the Cement Works.  A Brimstone Butterfly and a Small Tortoiseshell fluttered past on the breeze on a cloudy day.

3 April 2022

Small White Butterfly
at Shoreham Airport NE

23 March 2022
Six separate large bright yellow Brimstone Butterflies were my first of the year welcome sight fluttering strongly over north Shoreham on the urban side of the A27 By-pass in the weak sunshine under a bright blue sky.

Over my first visit to the lower slopes of Mill Hill in 2022, a handful of Peacock Butterflies were sparring with a Small Tortoiseshell..

22 March 2022

Peacock Butterfly

A Peacock Butterfly and a Small Tortoiseshell were attracted to a small Pussy Willow tree with its catkins on the road verge on the east side of Erringham Gap. The sun shined pleasantly under a blue sky. 14°C.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

18 March 2022
A walk from Shoreham Toll Bridge up and around Mill Hill was in glorious sun and 14°C. 16 Small Tortoiseshell, 13 Brimstone, 12 Peacock, 6 Comma, 3 Small White, 2 Red Admiral. Local legend Andy Horton put in a guest appearance, but alas no Grizzled Skippers yet!  Six Species

Report by Lindsay Morris on Butterfly Conservation, Sussex

At last, my first butterfly of the year, a distant Peacock Butterfly visited a flowering Cherry Plum at the southern end of the Waterworks Road.
 
 

Butterfly List 2021

27 November 2021
A Red Admiral Butterfly was seen on Shoreham Beach.

Illustrated Report by Christian Moss

Notes:

Adur Butterflies
Blue Butterflies of Shoreham

TBI: To be identified

NEW ACFOR SYSTEM OF ABUNDANCE OVER A SPECIFIED AREA:

SUPERABUNDANT = 10,000 +
ABUNDANT 1000- 10,000
VERY COMMON = 500-1000
COMMON 100-500
VERY FREQUENT = 50-100
FREQUENT 10 - 50
OCCASIONAL 2-10
RARE = ONLY 1  or

Scarce 4-10 per year
Very Scarce 1-3 per year
Rare   less one than every year
Very Rare   1-3 records in total since 2000

Condition of Butterflies
Pristine
Fine: good condition
Average
Poor
Tattered;  Torn and battered

MultiMap Aerial Photograph of the Adur Levels and the Downs

British Lepidoptera on  flickr

UK Butterflies Sightings