BUTTERFLIES
 DRAGONFLIES
 HOVERFLIES
 BUMBLEBEES

WILDLIFE REPORTS
 

27 June 2011
On a hot and humid morning, I noticed the first Humming-bird Hawkmoth of the year flying energetically around the vegetation at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham. 
Adur Moths
Adur Violets

24 June 2011
Parasitic plants were very much in evidence on Mill Hill, with Common Broomrape* added to my local flora list, as well as Yellow Rattle, Red Bartsia and Eyebright. On an overcast day, the sun shone briefly and the breeze was still a Force 5. Predictably, butterflies were hiding but were still frequently seen with fresh Marbled Whites and  Comma Butterflies with Meadow Browns now seen amongst the eleven butterfly species. 
(* In 2012, Brianne Reeve suggested this was Knapweed Broomrape,Orobanche elatior.)
Butterfly Report

21 June 2011
I finally found a sunny window in the morning to do my weekly butterfly transect at Mill Hill with the following result: two Common Blue females, two Green-veined White, one Large Skipper, three Marbled White, four Meadow Brown, seven Small Heath, one Small Tortoiseshell, and one Small White.
It was interesting to watch a Buzzard soaring overhead carrying a Pheasant and a Kestrel looking for its next meal. There were many Pyramidal Orchids in flower.

18 June 2011
In blustery conditions (Force 6 gusting to Gale Force 8), I failed to discover any Bee Orchids on the grass verge in Mill Hill Road, north Shoreham. Small Heath Butterflies were amorous with 15 counted and ten on them seen simultaneously in the middle of the lower slopes of Mill Hill beneath the path. It was here I saw my only Marbled White Butterfly and my first of the year.
Butterfly Report

14 June 2011
With the sun out for a change and the wind had died down to a manageable breeze, a few Large White Butterflies were out, a Small Tortoiseshell flew across Adur Recreation Ground and a Cinnabar Moth was seen amongst the tall grasses next to the towpath on the western side of the River Adur adjacent to Shoreham Airport. On Silver Sands on the Shoreham Beach peninsular, there was over a hundred Childing Pink in flower, but all of them had just the single flower. Starry Clover was going to seed near the Old Fort. 
Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List

11 June 2011

The wind and rain held off for the eleventh Adur Environment Festival and Adur World Oceans Day went well in the marquee on Coronation Green, by Shoreham Footbridge at the High Street end on the second Saturday of the Adur Festival. Len Nevell of the British Marine Life Study Society was there with the usual exhibition of lobsters and crabs. 
World Oceans Day on Facebook

At Mill Hill, I saw and photographed my first Marbled White Butterfly of the year. 

5 June 2011
A few Childing Pink with single flowers showed on their only location at Silver Sands. The Friends of Shoreham Beach Wild Flower Walk took place at the east end of Shoreham Beach. The crowd of about 25 picked a brief interlude of an hour between the rain showers. Flowers seen for the first time this year included Starry Clover, Bristly Ox-tongue, Silver Ragwort, and Hedge Mustard. 

4 June 2011
It was warm and blustery, the warmest day of the year so far recorded at 25.8 °C at 3:00 pm, but again spoilt by steady Strong Breeze (Force 6) from the north-east gusting to Gale Force 7 all through the day. Two bluish-green Hawker dragonflies were seen sparring at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham (SE of Mill Hill), but they flew upwards over house height against the wind before I could get a closer look. Butterflies were mostly in hiding, but six species were seen on the outskirts of Shoreham. 
Butterfly Report

North of the Toll Bridge, Old Shoreham, the north wind was causing frequent whitecaps at high tide. A shoal of about half a dozen Grey Mullet cruised in the shallows as the high spring tide lapped against Coronation Green, Shoreham-by-Sea. 

3 June 2011
It was an almost perfect blue sky with a few streaks of wispy Cirrus clouds and a pleasant 23.5 °C which was the the warmest day of the year so far, spoilt by steady Strong Breeze (Force 6) gusting to Gale Force 7 in the afternoon. The strong wind made it unpleasant to be out in the open and the and thirty plus Small Blue Butterflies were all to be found sheltered amongst the Brambles, where I noted my first three or more Large Skippers of the year on the linear copse path of the southern side of the Slonk Hill Cutting. 
Butterfly Report
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Adur Weather 2011

2 June 2011
There was too much weed to make shrimping practical on Lancing Beach, with under ten Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, in just over half an hour push-netting. One very young Greater Pipefish Syngnathus acus, fry that came with the weed and quickly wriggled to escape through the mesh of my smaller metre-wide shrimp net. It was the first capture, followed by two South-clawed Hermit Crabs, Diogenes pugilator, in Netted Dogwhelk shells, one small Arch-fronted Swimming Crab Liocarcinus arcuatus, just one small Solenette (Slipper Sole), Buglossidium luteum, and two small flatfish fry. Most of the Brown Shrimps were at the end of their life span and a few died in the bucket. 
Shrimping Report

1 June 2011
A large bright blue dragonfly cruised over the Ladywell's Stream by the Scout Hut, and although it was prominent as it flew to and fro, it never got close enough for a positive identification. I think it was probably a male Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, although it looked longer. One pair of Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, flew in a mating tandem over the stream and there were singles seen. 
 

June 2010