MILL HILL

 

WILDLIFE REPORTS 2010

Meadow Brown (female)	Wall Brown	Adonis Blue	Chalkhill Blue

Noticeable summer plants of the upper meadows include Greater Knapweed, Hardheads (=Lesser Knapweed), Field Scabious, Meadow Cranesbill, Alexanders, Pyramidal Orchids, Plantains, Melilots, Meadow Vetchling, Yarrow, Eyebrights, Musk Thistles, Hounds-tongue*, Perforate St. John's Wort*, Great Mullein* and many others. Herb Robert is found amongst the scrub.
(*notably on disturbed ground.)
Some Indicator Plants of Ancient Downland (Link)
Wild Flora and Fauna on Chalk   flickr
Adur Wild Flowers 2009

OVERVIEW: A large part (724 acres) of the downs including Mill Hill were presented to the people of Shoreham in 1937.  Just over 30 acres still remain as public open land and a Local Nature Reserve.  This is divided into about 11 acres of grassland and meadows above the ridge, about 9 acres of scrub, the copse and glades at the northern end, and about half of the prime Chalkhill Blue area of 6.4 acres of herbland remaining. 6 acres has been lost to a Sycamore woodland on the southern slopes.  This is low fertility chalkland not suitable for grazing. The top area is effectively a wild meadow and the lower slopes a rabbit warren dominated by prostrate (not the upright form) Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa.	MILL HILL HOMEPAGE LOWER SLOPES 2008 MILL NATURE RESERVE & MAP OVERVIEW CITATION Horseshoe Vetch
Chalkhill Blues: Mill Hill is nationally important because of its population of Chalkhill Blue Butterflies. Estimates of the numbers are notoriously inaccurate. In the 1950s the population was estimated by R. M. Craske to be 50,000. This may be an exceptionally good year. I would estimate the numbers at that time to be nearer 25,000 for Mill Hill only. After the cattle grazing and thorn incursions the numbers plummeted to the most reliable estimate in 1960 of 6,000. The new road and Sycamore woodland further denuded the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, and bare chalk downland to a figure I have estimated at a top figure of 3,000 Chalkhill Blue Butterflies at the turn of the millennium (counted in 2003). Almost all these butterflies are now to be found on the six acres of the lower slopes. Graham Hart in the 1990s estimated the numbers at 6,000. This is not out of the question and this would accord with the R. M. Craske estimate of 50,000. This would be the maximum population density that could be expected on the carpets of Horseshoe Vetch (based on German figures). Protection of the current population requires man management of the scrub incursions, which means removal of the Privet.  Text by Andy Horton Calcareous Grassland Message
"Our family lived at The Mill House, Mill Hill, from around 1933 until about 1967, and every July we saw the "Butterfly Men" walking past onto the Downs. My father used to tell us that they were interested in the blue butterflies." Heather Clark (née Eager), Ryde, Isle of Wight	Nearest Postcode:  BN43 5FH Grid Ref:  TQ 210 074  (upper car park) Geographic Link      OS Map Google Earth Map Magic Map of Mill Hill NR Local Nature Reserve Designation Natural England: Local Nature Reserves Multi-Map (Bird's Eye View)

2003

Threats to the Butterfly Downland site at Mill Hill The butterfly lower slopes at Mill Hill are under serious threat by a natural process known as ecological succession where the woody shrubs like Privet, Brambles and Hawthorn invade the herb-rich slopes gradually turning the downs into woodland and eliminating the butterfly larval food plants especially the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on which the Chalkhill Blue Butterflies rely. The remedy is by expert professional removal of the Privet on a regular basis. This job is now being undertaken by volunteers.

2009

Mill Hill Reports 2011
 

2 December 2010 Snow fell over night in a Gentle Breeze (Force 3) that blew in from the NNE at 8 m.p.h. On the west-facing slopes of Mill Hill the snow depth was measured at 190 mm and in areas exposed to the north-easterlies the average depth could reach 230 mm.

The only thing that moved were the birds with a small flock of Crows over the scrubby hedgerow at the bottom (west) of Mill Hill and and a Kestrel disturbed by them; and I also noted a Meadow Pipit and a Robin Redbreast.

19 November 2010
On the cleared scrub area on the lower slopes of Mill Hill (north of the path) an almost intact Peacock Butterfly basked on the dewy large leaves of a Great Mullein plant. Musk Thistles were still flowering in the same area. Cleistogamic flowers of Sweet Violets and Dog Violets were scattered thinly over the lower slopes with a few petals of Hawkbits remaining. Small amounts of Nostoc Commune were present after the rain. Dogwood was noted in flower in the Triangle area of the middle slopes with long shoots coming up from the previously cleared ground. On the upper part of Mill Hill there were isolated and scattered flowers of Greater Knapweed and Yarrow. The Beech leaves had turned to orange-brown, and the copse floor at the top of the hill was covered in Sycamore leaves.
Adur Butterfly List 2010
Adur Violets

3 November 2010
A trip on an overcast day to Mill Hill recorded a Red Valerian still in flower on the pavement next to bridge at the northern end and the following flowers on the southern part of Mill Hill: Ragwort, Sow Thistle, Welted Thistle, Greater Knapweed and Yarrow. On the scrub of the lower slopes there were a few tiny flowers on the Great Mullein, plus a handful of Musk Thistle, and scattered over the lower slopes were Dog Violets, and at least one Sweet Violet (or Hairy Violet), a few Hardheads, as well as the Autumnal Hawkbits and some Rough Hawkbits and/or Lesser Hawkbits, and Hawkweeds.
 

Great Mullein	Yellow-footed Solitary Bees  on a Musk Thistle	Yellow-footed Solitary Bee Lasioglossum xanthopum

Three medium-sized Yellow-footed Solitary Bees, Lasioglossum xanthopum, visited the flowers of the Musk Thistles. A clump of mushrooms were growing on a stump.
Adur Fungi Reports
Adur Solitary Bees

24 October 2010
After a spell of inclement weather I did not expect any butterflies in the brief interlude of sunshine, but there was at least one Speckled Wood on the Nettles over the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham. On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I saw a large butterfly amongst the Clematis in the distance but it disappeared before I could recognise the species. A small female Common Blue fluttered out of the Privet.
Adur Butterfly List 2010
 

Sweet Violet or Hairy Violet	The depth of soil over the chalk on the lower slopes was measured at 13 cm (5 inches)

On the lower slopes, plants in flower noted were a few Centaury, frequent Autumnal Hawkbits, one Sweet Violet (this could be a Hairy Violet), Milkwort, Dropwort, one Field Scabious, and just the one remaining Devil's Bit Scabious. I returned by the ridge route where I added occasional Greater Knapweed, Wild Basil, Wild Carrot, one clump of Ragwort, Common Toadflax, one clump of Welted Thistle, one clump of Creeping Thistle, and a Prickly Sow Thistle. A single Common Ink Cap mushroom was spotted on the southern part of Mill Hill.
Adur Violets

20 October 2010
The clear skies invited a morning trip to Mill Hill. I was surprised to see so many species of butterflies out: Meadow Browns, male and female Common Blues, Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood, a Small White, Small Coppers and a Large White.

10 October 2010
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill the first butterfly to be be seen was a Wall Brown, confirmed when it landed on a Centaury. There was almost certainly another one over the area north of the path which had been cleared of scrub followed by a Red Admiral. At the northern part of the lower slopes there were two female Common Blues, a pristine Meadow Brown, the Small Copper and what was probably a Large White (although it looked like a possible Green-veined White). A large vanessid flew over the lower slopes and I thought it was a Peacock Butterfly, but it was more likely to be a Red Admiral. The scrub hosted a Red Admiral and a Meadow Brown on the Ivy and a Comma nearby. The middle and upper slopes were devoid of butterflies except for another Red Admiral over the road. One Common Darter (dragonfly) was noted and frequent Crane-flies.
Full Butterfly Report
 

Meadow Brown (double-spicked)	Female Common Blue	Milkwort

8 October 2010
I had another clear sight of the underwing the two Buzzards as they glided slowly over the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the weak sunshine before rising on the thermals. On the nearest bird the white on its underwing with two black blotches could be clearly discerned. I could hear the clucking of Pheasants from the fields below (to the west) Mill Hill.
There was a smattering of butterflies over the lower slopes with the first of eight of Meadow Browns fluttering between the exiguous nectar plants including the common Centaury and one Greater Knapweed that hosted two butterflies, including one of two double-spicked (double white specks in a black spot on the underwing) variants seen in the early afternoon. At the northern end of the lower slopes there was a pristine Small Copper that was spotted visited a Hawkbit before it quickly fluttered away, and an intact female Common Blue with a substantial blue tinge. On the Ivy by the north-western gate a Red Admiral settled briefly. A large brown butterfly flew rapidly over the steeper slopes and I think this must have been a Wall Brown. And as I was leaving the lower slopes up the southern steps, another Small Copper appeared followed a few minutes later by a patrolling Southern Hawker (dragonfly). Field Grasshoppers were still around with frequent Crane-flies.

Plants in flower noted were common Centaury, frequent Carline Thistle (only a few with any green on their leaves), Hawkbits, Wild Basil, occasional Dog Violets, Hardheads, Milkwort, Fairy Flax, Dropwort, Ploughman's Spikenard, Yellow Wort, Eyebright, a few Small Scabious, just the one remaining Devil's Bit Scabious, one diminutive Scentless Mayweed flower (no leaves visible so it could be an Ox-eye Daisy), one clump of Wild Mignonette on the steeper slopes. Amongst the shrub there was Traveller's Joy Clematis, and growing from the cleared scrub a Musk Thistle and one flowering Greater Knapweed were noted, with Welted Thistle and Agrimony and a single flower of Perforate St. John's Wort, in flower on the edge of the southern steps. The berries of Dog Rose were common and a Robin's Pin Cushion had turned brown.
Mushrooms were occasional with (at least five) White Dapperling, Leucoagaricus leucothites, and occasional Stropharia Dung Mushrooms. Only the lower slopes were visited.
Adur Butterfly List 2010

6 October 2010
A tattered male Common Blue Butterfly fluttered around the cow pats (still remaining from the spring) on the upper meadows of Mill Hill. The top meadows were the only area visited, just north of the upper car park. two or more Buzzards soared overhead, one  gliding rapidly east, a small speck over Buckingham Barn.

5 October 2010
After the rain had stopped for the first time this month scores of House Martins flew to and fro over Mill Hill prior to migration south. Higher in the sky two or more Buzzards soared after avoiding the attentions of the mobbing Crows, and later a Kestrel hovered over the top plateau. Predictably there were no butterflies on the lower slopes, where the flowers noted were frequent Devil's Bit Scabious, Hawkbits, and Wild Basil, occasional Round-headed Rampion, Dog Violets, Hardheads, Milkwort and Dropwort. A half a dozen spider webs were covered in rain drops in the early afternoon. In the area cleared of scrub one plant each of Spear Thistle and Musk Thistle were flowering with two Great Mullein. There was a Welted Thistle in flower on the edge of the southern steps.
On the southern top part of Mill Hill, a single Stropharia Dung mushroom stood out amongst all the dead heads of flowers.

30 September 2010
Because of the damp slippery conditions, I only followed the path and only visited the northern part of the lower slopes of Mill Hill, where there were two Meadow Browns, a blue butterfly visiting Hardheads which was thought to be a Common Blue, (although it could easily have been a damaged Adonis Blue), a Small Heath Butterfly and a Small Copper visiting Hawkbits. On the lower slopes I spotted a diminutive Round-headed Rampion still in flower. Beneath Mill Hill the hay meadow to the west had now been cut for the first time this year. On the middle slopes, a single Common Ink Cap mushroom stood out amongst all the dead heads of flowers. The conservation volunteers had removed a large amount of the invasive Privet on the southern part of the lower slopes.
Full Butterfly Report

26 September 2010
After five days of inclement weather, the cool chill wind from the north gave an autumny feel. Butterflies were discouraged, had died or hibernated, and only on the lower slopes of Mill Hill were any to be seen in flight visiting the few nectar plants available on the downs. Meadow Browns were the only one of the five species to be frequently seen on the lower slopes (the only area visited) with ten seen on the 1.2 transect area, and three more seen on the steeper slopes. There were still two female Adonis Blues, two male Common Blues including one in fine condition as well as a female, two Small Heath Butterflies, and the Small Copper still looking pristine. The male Common Blues were seen visiting Hardheads, Wild Basil and Autumnal Hawkbits. There were a few Common Darters (dragonfly) around. New shoots of Dropwort were seen on about a dozen occasions on the lower slopes (the first time I had noted this occurrence in autumn).  As I was leaving a single male Kestrel hovered over the southern part of Mill Hill.
Full Butterfly Report

20 September 2010
Sliding into the undergrowth, I saw the rear half of my first Adder of the year slither over the winding path on the lower slopes or Mill Hill around midday. The black diamond markings were very clear and it looked like a large specimen (estimated at nearly 60 cm long). There was low lying Bramble vegetation on both sides of the path and the Adder sliding downhill quickly disappeared.
Interactive Map of Adder Distribution (NBN Gateway)
Status of the Adder (Natural England)

On the lower slopes, I did not walk the transect and did not attempt to count the butterflies, but I noted frequent Adonis Blue of both genders, frequent Meadow Browns, occasional Small Heath Butterflies, occasional Common Blues of both genders, a Small Copper and at least one Treble-bar Moth. The hoverfly Syrphus was recorded on Mill Hill. A new patch of Devil's Bit Scabious was discovered by the path at the southern end (a route that I usually miss). At least one small Yellow Wort was noted with its flower partially closed on a cloudy day. Several large White Dapperling, Leucoagaricus leucothites, mushroomswere seen in a state about to deliquesce.
Full Butterfly Report

19 September 2010
Five Kestrels soared over Mill Hill around 1:00 pm as I walked through the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west of the Nature Reserve.  At least three of them and possibly all of them were thought to be juvenile birds although they were adult sized.
A Force 4 breeze blow from the west in the morning but it died down under the cloudy sky by midday, but most of the butterflies were still resting in the cool conditions. The first flash of orange on the lower slopes of Mill Hill was a Small Heath Butterfly visiting Eyebright. This was interesting because the small Eyebright is not a flower that is visited very often despite the ultra-violet nectar guides to attract pollinating insects. Just one flash of blue was a male Adonis Blue, but there were 18 females on the 1.2 acre transect, some of them visiting diminutive Hardhead flowers. The most impressive sighting was a pristine Small Copper Butterfly which visited Devil's Bit Scabious for a fleeting second. 21 Meadow Browns were counted on the lower slopes and there were more in the scrub. There were at least two more Small Heath Butterflies and two male Common Blues visiting Hawkbits and at least on female seen. On one Ivy bush in the scrub there were two Red Admirals, one Comma Butterfly and the impressive Volucella zonaria hoverfly. The meadows south of the Reservoir contained hundreds of the dead heads of Greater Knapweed and a Treble-bar Moth was seen, but no butterflies as the breeze reached Force 5.
One White Dapperling, Leucoagaricus leucothites, mushroom on the lower slopes still had its stem ring. Common Darters (dragonfly) were seen occasionally. The wild plants noted in flower on the lower slopes were frequent Carline Thistle (including new shoots), Dog Violets, Fairy Flax, Squinancywort, Devil's Bit Scabious, Milkwort and Hawkbits, occasional Wild Basil, Sweet Violets and Centaury, with a few Self-heal. On the upper slopes Red Bartsia, Dandelions, Yarrow, Ragwort and Wild Carrot, were frequent with occasional Hardheads and Vervain, the last few flowers on Agrimony and Wild Mignonette, and at least one new Musk Thistle.
Adur Butterfly & Moth List 2010

15 September 2010
It was a cool and breezy day, too cool for butterflies and only occasional Adonis Blues and Meadow Browns plus one Small Heath Butterfly were seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Frequent Dog Violets were now noted in flower on the lower slopes. A male Kestrel hovered over the Erringham Hill pasture and descended five times but it did not look like he had caught a substantial meal on any of the times he pounced. A very small bee hid in the petals of a Small Scabious on the lower slopes. A small mushroom appeared amongst Rabbit droppings on an ant's hill on the middle slopes (Triangle area) of Mill Hill. It is believed to be the Dung Fungus, Stropharia species.

12 September 2010
A cloudy day with ample sunshine made a visit to the lower slopes obligatory. The female Adonis Blues now outnumbered the males with 25 and 36 respectively giving a total of 61 on the 1.2 acre transect with more on the steeper slopes. Almost all the females were in good condition and recognised as definite Adonis Blues. A note was made of their nectar plants and the ones recorded were Traveller's Joy Clematis, Sweet Violets, Hawkbits, Eyebrights, Devil's Bit Scabious and Carline Thistle.
 

            Adonis Blues (female)

The other butterflies were frequent40+ Meadow Browns mostly on the lower slopes, frequent 18+ Small Heath Butterflies with a handful including a courting pair on the upper plateau, at least one Large White, and at least one male Common Blue visited a Hardhead on the middle slopes. Near Old Erringham pasture, a Meadow Brown visited a Field Scabious, and on the Triangle area of the middle slopes, a Small Heath opened its wings for more than a second* when it landed on a Ragwort flower. Common Darters (dragonfly) were frequently seen. At least one Dog Violet was noted in flower on the lower slopes.
Butterflies were almost entirely absent from the top meadows, apart from a good condition male Adonis Blue that visited a Hardhead before it flew into a spider's web. A fresh young Musk Thistle was budding and flowering near the Reservoir.
(*This butterfly normally only lands with its wings folded.)
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Violets
 

Clouded Yellow visiting a Sweet Violet	Clouded Yellow and Meadow Brown	Clouded Yellow and Musk Thistle

Mill Hill is proving to be a draw for butterfly enthusiasts wanting to photograph the two Clouded Yellows that appeared in the afternoon. I managed some superb photographs as the cloud cover encouraged the butterflies to remain still.

10 September 2010
 

10 September 2010	21 April 2010

The bare patch created by the scrub clearance in spring is now being colonised by a selection of opportunist plants. Eunice Kenward and other students are carrying out an ongoing survey of two areas of cleared land on the lower slopes of Mill Hill for the ecological succession of plants.
Survey Date

Another Adder (or the same one) was located only thirty metres from the previous sighting on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. It was by brambles and bushes, and after a short interval, it slowly slithered into the undergrowth. In the hay meadow below (and to the west) of Mill Hill, a Roe Deer was spotted. This is a reasonably common sight in the morning. The lack of horns at this time of year indicates it was a doe. Adonis Blue Butterflies were observed obtained nectar from Autumn Gentian, Wild Basil, Hardheads and Carline Thistle.

9 September 2010
Two Buzzards glided from east to west over Mill Hill and rose on the thermals and circled over the hill for five minutes (about 2:15 pm) before becoming smaller and smaller as they rose higher and higher and then they flew off. Two immigrant Clouded Yellow Butterflies flew rapidly from one end of the lower slopes of Mill Hill to the other and back again. The count of Adonis Blues on the 1.2 acre transect of the lower slopes of Mill Hill was 63 (44 males and 19 females*) with as many Meadow Browns on the lower slopes plus another 20 on the middle slopes, a handful of female Common Blues, one male Chalkhill Blue, frequent Small Heath Butterflies, and a few Large Whites. At least one each of the pyralid moths Pyrausta nigrata and Pyrausta despicata were recorded on the lower slopes and at least one Treble-bar Moth south of the Reservoir on the top of the hill. A few Swallows and House Martins swooped over Erringham Hill.
 

* Some of the brown females could have been Chalkhill Blues. These photographs show how tricky it is to identify the female blues in the field. The top two are Chalkhill Blues and the bottom two Adonis Blues.

Autumn Gentian was seen in flower on the lower slopes with at least two second flowering of Sweet Violets.  Some of the Carline Thistle had silver leaves near their roots but green half way up. One Musk Thistle was seen in flower on the lower slopes where the scrub had been removed and the ground extensively disturbed. It was visited by some tiny bees.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Violets

Mill Hill was alive with butterfly activity. There are still some good Adonis Blues but I concentrated on two male Clouded Yellows that were patrolling the slopes. They met and fought many times, twirling up over the hill. Close ups required a lot of running around the hill in pursuit and hoping the landing lasted more than a few seconds. They seemed to nectar on most of the flowering plants on the hill. A Hedge Rustic Moth, Tholera cespitis, was spotted in the undergrowth (photograph below).

8 September 2010
At the northern end of the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I surprised a fat Adder, Vipera beris beris,  which quickly slithered off into the undergrowth. Later, it returned to the same spot and was photographed coiled up under the sun that shined intermittently through the clouds. This is the first report of an Adder on Mill Hill on these Nature Notes pages. Previously they had only be reported from Lancing Ring.
 

Adder	Hedge Rustic Moth

I spotted a distinctive flash of orangey-yellow and I watched a Clouded Yellow Butterfly patrolling his territory. I was never able to get near enough to spot exactly where he landed, but I had a great view of him flying methodically around his territory looking for a female. A wasp's nest was deduced from wasps leaving a hole on the steeper slopes.

4 September 2010
Over the Old Erringham pasture I had a very clear view of the underside of a Buzzard gliding down from over Erringham Hill, the first time I had such a good view of this raptor ever. An mid-afternoon visit to Mill Hill is rarely as productive for butterflies as the usual late morning trip. Adonis Blues were the most frequently seen species with 64 (40 males 23 females) seen on the 1.2 acre transect in 25 minutes. There were frequent 35+ Meadow Browns and 20+ Small Heath Butterflies and one male Chalkhill Blue on the lower slopes. I returned by the quickest ridge route through the Hawthorn tunnel where the only other butterflies on the ridge edge just north of the Reservoir were a further 17 (11 males and 6 females) Adonis Blues. Devil's Bit Scabious was now searched out and spotted for the first time this year in an overgrown part of the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Nectar plants were few but included small Hardheads. The photographs also revealed Adonis Blues visiting Autumn Gentian, Creeping Thistle and the few remaining Greater Knapweeds. Red Bartsia was common above the ridge but this was not seen to be used by butterflies. Musk Thistle, on the ridge, had gone to seed. I omitted to visit the middle slopes and top meadows.
Adur Butterfly & Moth List 2010

2 September 2010
Whilst driving up to Mill Hill I noticed a lot of Holly Blues in the hedgerows. One pair was courting intensely and then they vanished. I stopped the car blocking the road and climbed up the car door to get a better view and then spotted a mating pair. Later on in the afternoon had a look around Mill Hill to look for a female Adonis Blue and there were plenty flying around. I was watching an attractive male Adonis chasing females at a distant who suddenly seemed to stop in mid air, curious I ran up the hill to find he had flown straight into a Common Orb Web Spider's, Araneus diadematus, web, shortly after he was wrapped up in silk.

30 August 2010
I saw a female Brown Hairstreak on an Eryngium in my garden (close to Mill Hill).

29 August 2010
Swallows and House Martins swooped over Mill Hill prior to migration south. A female Kestrel glided over the lower slopes as I walked over the plateau at the top of Mill Hill.
 

Volucella zonaria	Adonis Blue (female)

Butterflies were still in flight and the count of Adonis Blues on the 1.2 acre transect on the lower slopes of Mill Hill was 122. 22 were seen almost immediately at the southern end. The count was 108 males and at least 14 females with at least four mating pairs. There more on the other four acres of the lower slopes a few on the middle slopes and occasional males on the top meadows. Other species seen during the morning were frequent 30+ Meadow Browns, 20+ Common Blues and 15+ Small Heath Butterflies plus one confirmed Brown Argus on Mill Hill, four Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes, occasional Holly Blues and Speckled Woods in the scrub, and frequent Large Whites everywhere. Adonis Blues were noted visiting Carline Thistle, Ragwort and Clematis. Meadow Browns were seen on Ragwort and Wild Basil. There was a possible Brimstone but the white looking butterfly flew over the hedge at the bottom (west side) and it was too far away to be sure. The large hoverfly Volucella zonaria visited some Brambles on the verges of the steps leading to the lower slopes at the southern end of Mill Hill. The hay meadow below (west of) Mill Hill was still uncut.
Adur Butterfly & Moth List 2010

24 August 2010
Buffeted about in a Force 6 Strong Breeze gusting to Gale Force 8, the conditions were far from ideal for butterflies after the recent rain.
 

Adonis Blues & Meadow Browns	Adonis Blues

A gust nearly blew me off my feet on Mill Hill where a few Small Heath Butterflies and Common Blue Butterflies showed and one Hornet Robber Fly. On the lower slopes male Adonis Blues were immediately noted and Meadow Browns shortly afterwards. The final counts of male Adonis Blues in the 1.2 acre transect was 68 males and 7 females (two positively identified as Adonis). They were attracted to Carline Thistle which seemed more fewer in number than in previous years. On one single Carline Thistle head, three male Adonis Blues and a female landed. Generally, the Adonis Blues tended to be separate from just six male Chalkhill Blues. In contrast Meadow Browns were more than I had seen this year with an estimated 50 on the lower slopes and at least 25 more in the scrub and middle slopes where a further five male Adonis Blues were noted. There seemed to be slightly more (3-2 ratio) Meadow Brown males than females and many were courting. There were at least a dozen Small Heaths on the lower slopes and more on the middle slopes. There was at least one Small White noted, at least two Holly Blues amongst the northern hedge and two worn Gatekeepers.  A Southern Hawker (dragonfly), flew over the middle slopes. The top meadows were now virtually denuded of flowers and butterflies and I omitted visiting to them in the chill breeze. Neither Devil's Bit Scabious on the lower slopes or Autumn Gentian on the top plateau were noted.
Full Butterfly Report

15 August 2010
The 1.2 acre transect on the lower slopes of Mill Hill was timed at 30 minutes because I stopped to take photographs and on a few occasions the blues were too numerous to count exactly but the total was a minimum of 39 male Chalkhill Blues and 73 Adonis Blues, including at least five females, and an estimated 30 Common Blues, including occasional females. A pair of Adonis Blues were mating. Over half of the butterflies were resting and many of the Adonis Blues were spotted resting in depressions amongst the herbs. A dozen Adonis Blues visited some dung in the frame of a close-up photograph. Outside the frame there were one or two Chalkhill Blues. After counting I stopped to rest and many more of all species appeared. The blue butterflies were all over the steeper slopes and the total numbers were at least three times the numbers counted and probably many more than that. At least a dozen of the Chalkhill Blues were in fine condition and only a handful showed signs of wear.
 

Adonis Blue on Carline Thistle	Adonis Blues	Adonis Blues (mating)

Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were still frequently seen and there were two Small Heaths on the lower slopes (and half a dozen more on the upper plateau), with six Wall Browns on the lower slopes (and at least five more on the middle slopes and two on the Pixie Path). Common Blues were seen all over Mill Hill, with 30+ in the middle slopes (Triangle area) but the top meadows were not very well populated with just 20, but there were another 50 seen including 20 seen south of the Reservoir, many resting in the long grasses which probably had hidden many more. Other butterflies present were frequent Large Whites, a few Speckled Woods in the Mill Hill scrub, a Brown Argus definitely identified, although female Common Blues were most likely. There was a possible Brown Hairstreak south of the upper car park which flew rapidly into the scrub.
A Hornet Robber Fly settled and a Southern Hawker (dragonfly), flew over the overgrown meadow (now mostly Brambles) south of the Top Copse. Robin's Pin Cushion was noted on the lower slopes.
In the meadows most of the Greater Knapweed had lost their flowers and the plants were now covered with the flat discs. Ploughman's Spikenard was common on the lower slopes on the disturbed land where the conservation workers had cleared the scrub. However, the Privet and other scrub was badly encroaching and the area where Devil's Bit Scabious is usually found was almost completely overgrown.
Full Butterfly Report

9 August 2010
Sometimes a cloudy overcast day is good for photographing butterflies as they may remain still for just that fraction longer. On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, Carline Thistle now provided a nectar source for some of the 68 male Chalkhill Blues recorded in the 1.2  acre transect in 25 minutes. This total included some (20%) fresh good condition specimens that would have emerged recently. There was almost as many male Adonis Blues with 53 recorded and some (20%) of these were in a worn condition. One female brown butterfly only of either Chalkhill or Adonis was positively seen. Both of these blue species were frequently seen on three acres of the steeper slopes and the actual number on the hill were at least double the count. Common Blues were slightly less, estimated at 30+. At one time the butterflies were all intermingling with each other it was almost impossible to count them. On the lower slopes, both Small Heath Butterflies and Meadow Browns were frequently fluttering around with occasional Gatekeepers and Large Whites. A Wall Brown (one of two) visited Stemless Thistle and Hawkbit on the lower slopes. A Yellowhammer chattered loudly and flew over the lower slopes into the Hawthorn scrub. A new plant was seen on Mill Hill on the steeper section of the lower slopes and in the Marjoram area of the middle slopes. This was Ploughman's Spikenard and I had identified it before. Sloe berries were spotted amongst the scrub.
 

Hornet Robber Fly	Chalkhill Blue & Adonis Blue	Chalkhill Blue on Carline Thistle	Ploughman's Spikenard

In the scrub, middle slopes and top meadow and plateau there were a further ten Wall Browns making a total of twelve. In the Marjoram meadow area north of the Triangle area of the middle slopes Common Blues and Brown Argus were frequently seen with a few small pyralid moths Pyrausta purpuralis. There was a Holly Blue in the scrub with at least three Speckled Woods.
The half acre top meadow (north of the upper car park) on Mill Hill was still alive with butterflies, but the half acre now hosted only about a 60 Common Blues on both genders, but the total actually seen on Mill Hill exceeded 200. The meadow areas near the upper car park also hosted a Southern Hawker (dragonfly), a large Hornet Robber Fly, the first Small White Butterfly of a few on the day, and a fresh Peacock Butterfly.
Butterfly & Moth List 2010
 

The Yellow Rattle area of the Middle Slopes, immediately west of the upper car park, overlooked the River Adur at high tide.

2 August 2010
With the sun finding a gap in the clouds there were reasonably good conditions for butterfly watching on the parched downs. I was not in the mood for recording the numbers, but I noted that the Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes of Mill Hill were slightly less than the previous day, but only 64 were recorded in the 20 minutes walk on the 1.2 acre transect, which included just the five definite females including a mating pair that flew away. They may have been more widely dispersed over the slopes. Small Heath Butterflies were frequently seen with the inevitable and frequent Common Blues, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. There were almost as many Common Blues as Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes and at least two male Adonis Blues were spotted with a possible female.
The Scrub area hosted a few Speckled Woods and a Marjoram patch north of the Triangle area of the middle slopes has proved rich in butterflies including hosting three of the fourteen Wall Browns seen on Mill Hill as well as occasional Brown Argus. It was in this area I spotted my first Small Copper on Mill Hill this year. It was in a worn condition. Silver Y Moths and Six-spotted Burnet Moths were noted.
 

Brown Argus	Wall Brown	Wall Brown

What a difference a day makes: the half acre top meadow (north of the upper car park) on Mill Hill was still alive with butterflies, but the half acre now hosted only about a 120 Common Blues, but they may have dispersed as surrounding meadow areas were now more densely populated so the total on the hill does not seem to have diminished in numbers. Brown Argus Butterflies were plentiful as I ever seen them with at least 30 positively recorded and many more did a successful imitation of a Common Blue female.
Brown Argus and female Common Blues ID Images
Butterfly & Moth List 2010

1 August 2010
Even when the sun found a gap in the clouds not many more than a hundred Chalkhill Blues were disturbed on the one acre transect on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. As there was not even spread over the steeper slopes this extrapolated to mere 350 on Mill Hill. This is a very low figure for the peak period. There were a few worn females. The lower slopes hosted about a dozen male Adonis Blues and there was even one seen on a upper meadow. The first butterfly to appear on the lower slopes was a Small Heath one of a few seen with frequent Common Blues, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. A Bordered Straw Moth, Heliothis peltigera, settled near the Privet. A Wall Brown flew up the hill, but the middle slopes were more a province of this butterfly with six more, another one flying rapidly to and throe' over the top meadow (north of the upper car park) and two more in the meadow south of the Copse.
 

The top meadow (north of the upper car park) on Mill Hill, was alive with butterflies and most of these were Common Blues which were everywhere. I estimated the numbers in excess of 700 just in the half acre meadow (north of the upper car park). This extrapolated to over 1500 on Mill Hill, possibly many more. The same meadow hosted a Wall Brown and Adonis Blue already mentioned, frequent Brown Argus as well as the similar female Common Blues, occasional Large Whites and Meadow Browns.
 
 

Adonis Blue	Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar	Chalkhill Blue	Small Heath

The adjoining meadow immediately south of the Copse is now overgrown with Brambles and it was in this area that I saw a dozen or more Brown Argus with some of them about to mate, all mixed with female Common Blues and a few Gatekeepers. A Comma Butterfly landed on a Bramble leaf. A Peacock Butterfly flew over a path. A Holly Blue and Speckled Wood were seen amongst the scrub. A stripy Cinnabar Moth crawled over a Ragwort plant.
Full Butterfly Report

30 July 2010
On a cloudy day the first two brown female Chalkhill Blue Butterflies were spotted crawling amongst the leaves of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the south-eastern bank of the Mill Hill Cutting where 25 males flew in this small garden-sized patch, and latterly another two, including a mating pair, were spotted on the transect 1.2 acre of the lower slopes of Mill Hill, where an estimated hundred males were disturbed on a very dull middle of the day. The sun did not appear on Mill Hill, where there were frequent male Common Blues, frequent Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns of both genders, and a few Small Heaths and Large Whites. I only visited the lower slopes, but Common Blues were frequently seen on the southern part of Mill Hill.
Butterfly & Moth Report

28 July 2010
With three days before the peak emergence of Chalkhill Blue Butterflies on Mill Hill would be expected, the numbers are extremely poor with just 49 males recorded on the lower slopes transect on a cloudy day. There was another Chalkhill Blue over the Old Erringham pasture as seen from the gate and at least two more males over the meadows on the top of Mill Hill. The first second brood male Adonis Blue was noted on the lower slopes, with five Wall Browns (two on the edge of the lower slopes) seen on the hill with very frequent Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns and four Small Heaths. Common Blue male butterflies were almost as frequent as the Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes, and on the middle and upper slopes their numbers exceeded 200. Females of these three blue species were not noted, but the cloudy and breezy conditions were well below optimum. There were a few Brown Argus on the middle slopes and meadows of Mill Hill, frequent Large Whites, plus a few Small Whites, at least one Comma, two Speckled Woods, three Peacock Butterflies, and a few Silver Y Moths. A female Brimstone Butterfly sparred with smaller and equally white Large White and visited Stemless Thistle for nectar.
Butterfly & Moth Report
Chalkhill Blues on Mill Hill

23 July 2010
A Common Lizard, Zootoca vivipara, skittered into the undergrowth next to the northern steps amongst the Hawthorn scrub down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill. This was my first of the year.
The meadow north of the upper car park exploded in blue butterflies with ten male Common Blues in a square metre on about fifteen occasions and more blues and other butterflies over the rest of the meadows on Mill Hill giving total numbers seen in excess of 400. All were males and no females were spotted. Many more were hidden on a cool day. As well as Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns were widespread and frequent on the slopes in open areas and a few in the scrub. Large Whites were seen occasionally. A Red Admiral was seen on the top part of the hill and a single Chalkhill Blue visited a died out cow pat. In the bramble-covered meadow to the south of the Top Copse a positive Green-veined White was identified, a Peacock Butterfly landed on a Greater Knapweed, a Marbled White fluttered over the flowers and Silver Y Moths fluttered in the undergrowth. A Yellowhammer flew like a whirring torpedo from the shelter of a bush above the ridge over the lower slopes to the scrub dividing the Nature Reserve from the uncut hay meadow below and to the west.
 

Small Scabious	Yellow Rattle	Marjoram	Rush Veneer

The Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes were not flying unless disturbed so only fifteen were seen on the transect. It looks a bit like a pyralid but the Small Purple-barred Moth Phytometra viridaria is a noctuid small moth was seen on the lower slopes. There was also an immigrant called the Rush Veneer, Nomophila noctuella, a small brown moth that was probably overlooked before. Marbled Whites were still flying with two seen over the lower slopes at one seen in the meadows on the top. A Peacock Butterfly was seen over the Old Erringham pasture. A single Speckled Wood flew in the scrub.
The most interesting area was the west side of the Triangle on the middle slopes, an area rich in flowering Marjoram. Immediately a few Brown Argus were seen flying around with frequent male Common Blues, frequent Six-spotted Burnet Moths, a large orange butterfly that I caught sight off flying like a fritillary in a typically loping style, but it was probably a Comma Butterfly (later thought to be another Wall Brown, but a Dark Green Fritillary is very much a possible), a Wall Brown and a Brimstone Butterfly.
A large area of Yellow Rattle was noted for the first time in the meadow west of the upper car park. Small Scabious was growing on the lower slopes but in the upper meadows it was Field Scabious.
Other Butterfly Reports
Adur Moths

20 July 2010
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the count of male Chalkhill Blues were still a mere seventeen. Although it is over a week to the peak period, it still looks like it will be another poor year for this downland butterfly. The top meadow (north of upper car park) on Mill Hill was noted for an explosion of male Common Blues with twenty of these bright blue butterflies all appearing at once.
 

Gatekeeper	Meadow Brown (male)	Red Admiral	Speckled Wood

Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were seen almost everywhere on the hill with a few Red Admirals, Peacock Butterflies, Large Whites, Marbled Whites, Silver Y Moths, frequent Six-spotted Burnet Moths and one each of Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Brown Argus and a Small Skipper. A brown larva of the Drilus beetle was spotted crawling across a steep path amongst the Hawthorn scrub.
Full Mill Hill Butterfly Count
Adur Beetles

14 July 2010
An overcast day greeted with spots of rain as I met Eunice Kenward and two students surveying two areas of cleared land on the lower slopes of  Mill Hill for the ecological succession of plants. The conditions were not inimical to butterflies which were not the purpose of the visit. I did disturb eight male Chalkhill Blues and six Marbled Whites on half of the transect, with a Meadow Brown and two Gatekeepers. Six-spotted Burnet Moths were frequently seen visiting Stemless Thistles, which were frequently seen in flower, as well as visiting other purple flowers including Hardheads, Greater Knapweed and Musk Thistle. The small pyralid moth Pyrausta nigrata was frequently seen and very noticeable. Robin's Pin Cushion was recorded for the first time this year.
 

Bramble with a Meadow Grasshopper	Hound's-tongue with Cleavers and Wild Basil	Robin's Pin Cushion	Ploughman's Spikenard

The botanical survey enabled me to include a new plant on the list, Ploughman's Spikenard which was frequent on the cleared slopes above the path. Although tall and easily seen, its rather ordinariness possibly accounted for me not recording it before. Musk Thistle and Great Mullein as well as the invasive Dogwood, Bramble and Privet colonised the new cleared land. Smaller plants in the undergrowth included about three grasses, plus Agrimony, Vervain, Cleavers, Lady's Bedstraw, Great Mullein, Wild Mignonette, Hound's-tongue (dead plants and leaves) and Prickly Sow Thistle.
Adur Wild Flowers

11 July 2010
Round-headed Rampion was seen in flower for the first time this year with at least a dozen plants seen on Mill Hill, but there would be many more on the short sward top slopes and the first one was seen on the lower slopes.
Extra Wild Flower Images and Reports

On the transect 1.2 acres of the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I recorded three Chalkhill Blues, frequent Gatekeepers (36+) occasional Meadow Browns (6+), frequent 6-spotted Burnet Moths (18+), frequent pyralid moths Pyrausta nigrata, four Marbled Whites, one Large White, three Small Skippers, two Small Heaths and one Peacock Butterfly.
 

Chalkhill Blue (male)	Chalkhill Blue	Wild Basil	Round-headed Rampion

North of the top car park the first second brood Common Blue Butterflies appeared with four fresh males seen amongst in the long grass and herb meadow. On the rest of Mill Hill I recorded about eleven Meadow Browns, at least seven Gatekeepers, five Marbled Whites, at least two Small Skippers and at least five Silver Y Moths. Amongst the scrub I also spotted one Comma, one Red Admiral, one Ringlet and two Speckled Woods.
Full Butterfly & Moth Report

5 July 2010
The first Chalkhill Blue Butterfly of the year was recorded at 11.06 am on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Five Ringlet Butterflies were recorded in the scrub bordering the meadows on the top of Mill Hill for the first time. Other butterflies gracing Mill Hill in an hour were Small Heath 9, Meadow Browns 30, Marbled Whites 36, Comma 3, Peacock 1, Large Whites 3+, Gatekeeper 9, Large Skipper 1 and Speckled Wood 3. There were noticeable females of Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites.
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Full Butterfly & Moth Report

Stemless Thistle	Musk Thistle	Small Scabious	Marbled White on Greater Knapweed

Flowers noted on Mill Hill for the first time this year were Wild Basil on the lower slopes and in clearing amongst the scrub, Small Scabious in the Old Erringham pasture, and Stemless Thistle with one on the lower slopes and a handful on the exposed slopes at the top, with Musk Thistle in flower on the ridge by the Reservoir. The lower slopes were very prickly when I attempted to find somewhere to sit down, so there would hundreds of Stemless Thistle to flower later. Squinancywort was very common on both the lower slopes and middle slopes. Dropwort could still be seen in flower on the exposed upper slopes. On the upper slopes the green shoots of Autumn Gentian had appeared. The distinctive fly Panorpa (image) could be seen in the sunnier areas of the scrub.
Adur Thistles
 

Agrimony	Centaury	Wild Basil	Perforate  St. John's Wort

Agrimony on Mill Hill is usually a single spike with hardly any leaves at all, especially on the infertile lower slopes. The clump in the photograph above was on the deeper soil on the ridge by the Reservoir. The diminutive Wild Basil in the photograph above is before the small purple flowers appear.
Mill Hill Extra Reports and Images

27 June 2010
On a warm humid (>22 °C) day, butterflies and day-flying moths recorded were 13 Small Heath Butterflies, up to nine (5 to 9) Marbled Whites and at least two male Common Blues on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. The were frequent small moths including the pyralid Pyrausta purpuralis. The woody scrub and copse area added five Speckled Woods, the middle slopes, two more Marbled Whites and unidentified Burnet Moths. The top meadows hosted eleven Meadow Browns, at least four unidentified Burnet Moths, one Cinnabar Moth, more than four Silver Y Moths, a courting pair of two Large Skippers, a Small Heath Butterfly and at least one Burnet Companion Moth, all amongst the dried cow pats. The remains of a Kestrel were seen amongst the meadow choked with Brambles south of the top Copse. The plateau and southern part of Mill Hill added another two Small Heath Butterflies, two Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies, another Meadow Brown and a few Silver Y Moths. The Bumblebee mimic Volucella bombylans var. bombylans was spotted in the Hawthorn scrub immediately to the north of the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
 

		Germander Speedwell
Meadow Cranesbill	Field Scabious	Eyebright	Great Willowherb

Eyebrights were in flower with at least one Centaury on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, the invasive Dogwood on the middle slopes of Mill Hill, with Tall Melilot, Field Scabious and Meadow Cranesbill on the upper meadows of Mill Hill. On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, new growths of Privet were again threatening to take over. In the top meadows of Mill Hill (the ones not overgrown by Brambles) the Greater Knapweed had commenced flowering in their hundreds, but their were thousands of buds yet to open.
 

Wild Privet	Dogwood	Greater Knapweed  Meadow	Melilot

Melilot notes
The Tall Melilot has deeper yellow flowers; in the Ribbed Melilot they are more lemon yellow. The leaves stalked on the Tall Melilot: on the Ribbed Melilot they are generally un-stalked.

18 June 2010
Grasshoppers were strident on Mill Hill with plenty of Dropwort on the lower slopes and the ridge with tall grasses including Cocksfoot. New flowering growths of Privet were appearing in worrying amounts on the lower slopes. The lower slopes of Mill Hill produced the first flowering Thyme, Yellow Wort, Squinancywort, and there were four flowers of Greater Knapweed on the southern part of Mill Hill (the only part visited). Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, had almost disappeared.
 

	Fairy Flax
Squinancywort	Wild Thyme	Large Skipper on Greater Knapweed	Meadow Brown

Almost immediately I parked by bicycle on the southern part of Mill Hill, two Small Heath Butterflies and my first Meadow Brown of the year put in an appearance. At least a dozen worn Common Blues were seen on the lower slopes included two females, plus at least five Small Heaths, three Meadow Browns, frequent brown pyralid moths including Pyrausta despicata, plus a few Pyrausta purpuralis. A few Blue Lacewing were noted. I returned by the shortest ridge route where a Speckled Wood fluttered in the Hawthorn tunnel. On the return passage trip, the southern part of Mill Hill produced one male Common Blue, another three Meadow Browns and a Large Skipper visiting one of the first Greater Knapweed flowers amongst the Cocksfoot very near the road south of the Reservoir.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Wild Flower List

9 June 2010
A check on Mill Hill in the sunshine (>17.6 °C) showed the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, receding rapidly on the lower slopes and the still frequent (35+) Adonis Blues of both genders were outnumbered by the very frequent (50+) Common Blues of both sexes, with courting couples and the visible males outnumbering the females by nearly two to one in both species. The Small Heath Butterfly was also frequently (30+) seen aligning itself at angle when it settled for fleeting moments. A yellow Brimstone Butterfly skirted the wayward hedgerow at the bottom (western edge) of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. This hedge hid a noisy Pheasant. Just one bright Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly was noticeable on a day when the butterflies were very restless. Small moths (but not the usual pyralids) were frequently seen in the amongst the herbs and there were at least three Burnet Companions Moths and more than one Treble-bar Moth. Dropwort was in flower and some plants were budding.
 

	Silver Y Moth
Dropwort	Bird's Foot Trefoil	Wild Mignonette

Bird's Foot Trefoil was flourishing in large patches on both the middle slopes and the plateau at the top.
The scrub added a Common Carpet Moth and I noted a pair of Blue Tits chattering on a Hawthorn branch. The copse at the top hosted a Speckled Wood. In the meadow to the north of the upper car park, Common Blues flitted amongst the taller herbs and it was here that I spotted my first Large Skipper of the year. There were a handful of Silver Y Moths. The overgrown meadow to the west hosted three Speckled Woods, a Brimstone Butterfly, and a bright Wall Brown. The plateau added a male Adonis Blue and the southern meadows a few Common Blues and a Small Heath on a quick passage.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Moths
Adur Skippers
Adur Butterflies: First Dates

6 June 2010
I joined an excellent tour of Mill Hill on Saturday morning led by Brianne Reeve of the Shoreham District Ornithological Society. Common Blues were everywhere and mating, also some Adonis Blues. A pair of Dingy Skippers were conducting an aerial courting display a few inches above the grass for over five minutes. A Wall, Brimstone and Speckled Wood were seen.

5 June 2010 Fly, Platystoma seminationis on Alexanders, Mill Hill.    Photograph by Su Reed

31 May 2010 On a cloudy but dry afternoon, I visited Mill Hill to see Wall Brown, Adonis Blues, Grizzled Skippers and Dingy Skippers. Photograph and Butterfly Report by Colin Knight Postcards from Sussex (Blogspot)   Photograph Left: Female Adonis Blue by Colin Knight

30 May 2010
The first grasshoppers of the year were heard and then seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. With the breeze (Force 3 gusting to Force 5) it felt too cool for butterflies, although the temperature was recorded at 18.8 °C at 1:00 pm when I visited Mill Hill. A few Holly Blues were seen in the Hawthorn scrub on Mill Hill. The first butterfly to appear on the southern part of Mill Hill was a bright red Peacock, the only one of the day. On the transect 1.2 acres of the lower slopes the count in a timed 11 minutes was 122 male Adonis Blues and nine females, including a mating pair. This count extrapolates to about 350 Adonis Blues on Mill Hill. Later, I saw at least three more mating pairs. Identification needed at practiced eye as there were frequent male Common Blues on the lower slopes estimated at about twenty. The identification was tricky on several occasions as some of the Adonis were past their best and the black markings on the wing fringe of the wings was almost absent. The Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was also past its best and thousands of the flowers had already ceased. Other butterflies recorded on the lower slopes were occasional Small Heaths and one each of a Red Admiral, Brimstone, Green-veined White and Dingy Skipper.
 

Common Blue (male)	Adonis Blues	Purple Bar

My first Silver Y Moth of the year was seen by the Reservoir and another one the lower slopes where I saw at least one Burnet Companion Moth for the first time this year. The small pyralid moth Pyrausta nigrata was seen, but I did not spot any of the other pyralids. In the scrub there were one or two more male Adonis Blues, and my first Carpet Moth of the year. I have identified this carpet moth as the Purple Bar, Cosmorhoe ocellata. This is my first record of this common species.
It was getting quite breezy by the time I trekked over the middle slopes where the Horseshoe Vetch and Bird's Foot Trefoil was blooming in the Triangle area as a Red Admiral flew overhead. The first butterfly in the top meadow (north of the upper car park) was a Wall Brown followed by about twenty male Common Blues still in flight although the sky was overcast. A few more Adonis Blues were seen above the ridge.
Full Butterfly & Moth Report

26 May 2010
I spent a very enjoyable day out with Simon Barnes, David Bebber, BC Chief Executive Dr Martin Warren and Michael Blencowe. Simon is the award winning sportswriter and wildlife columnist for The Times, as well as being an accomplished author. David is one of the UK's top media photographers, and I was left in awe at his proficiency with the camera - I couldn't even work out what he was up to most of the time, as he wielded his Canon with such consummate ease! Unsurprisingly, we were out doing an article on butterflies and conservation. After lunch we travelled to Mill Hill at Shoreham, where I was confident we would find some nice butterflies shivering in the grass. Sure enough, Adonis Blues and Common Blues, plus the odd Small Heath, Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper were there to smile for the cameras. Simon's article will hopefully appear in The Sunday Times Magazine in a few weeks from now. It was a real pleasure to spend a day with such 'greats' - and by that I mean all of them.

23 May 2010
The sun was out with a clear blue sky and the air temperature in the shade reached 18.3 °C at 1:00 pm when I trekked through the scrub after visiting the lower slopes of Mill Hill. With the sun coming out, so were the butterflies. As I parked my bicycle at the top of the steps at the southern end leading down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill, a couple of my first Small Heaths of the year danced over the short grass. Then a larger brownish-orange butterfly strongly over the Hawthorn before my eyes were adjusted.
 

Horseshoe Vetch and Rabbit Burrow	Small Heath	Adonis Blues

From the southern steps the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was visible but a few days away from its peak. Venturing down to the lower slopes, there were sufficient butterflies around that I immediately knew there would be a problem counting them unless I kept notes. Most of these were male Adonis Blues and I kept my count to the 1.2 transect area completed in 25 minutes. The transect tally recorded was exactly 100 males plus two females, including a mating pair. Later (after I had stopped counting) four mating pairs were seen. Extrapolation of the count over the five acres of the lower slopes making allowances for lower numbers at the southern end, leads to me to make a conservative estimate of 300 Adonis Blues on Mill Hill, a larger number than recorded before.

Other butterflies recorded were 15 Dingy Skippers, 16 Common Blues, five more Small Heaths (all at the southern end), four Grizzled Skippers (Including in a courting pair mostly in the central overgrown area), a male Orange Tip, at least two Brimstone Butterflies, one unidentified white butterfly and a Treble-bar Moth. The small pyralid moth Pyrausta nigrata was frequently seen, but I did not spot any of the other pyralids. A Green Hairstreak was seen just outside the transect area with scores more Adonis Blues and at least half a dozen Dingy Skippers as I sat down north of the path.

In the scrub to the north-west a white butterfly was almost certainly a Green-veined White, plus a Holly Blue, with another white butterfly and five more male Adonis Blues amongst the Bulbous Buttercups in the the Old Erringham pasture. On the Triangle area of the middle slopes, the Horseshoe Vetch had now appeared, but the only butterfly was a Wall Brown in the north-east corner at the entrance to the Top Copse where this species is regularly seen. A Red Admiral flew over shortly afterwards. The Copse hosted a Speckled Wood. Two female Pheasants whirred from the top meadow (north of the upper car park) for a short flight and I disturbed them again. I noted another Adonis Blue at the same time as the commotion. Flying next to the scrub were a couple of Brimstones, one white female and a yellow male. On the gentle slope of the top part of Mill Hill, a Dingy Skipper visited a Horseshoe Vetch flower and there were a further half a dozen Adonis Blues, including another mating pair. A Large White Butterfly fluttered near the Reservoir.

Full Butterfly Report

18 May 2010
I went to Mill Hill in the late afternoon for a quick walk around and saw 5 Green Hairstreaks, my first ever in Sussex, also Wall Brown (1) Small Copper (1) Brimstone (3) Dingy Skipper, some egg laying (>20), Small White (1) , Burnet Companion Moth 3, Adonis Blues > 15 one mating pair with deformed wings of the female. Perhaps this was due to very early mating on emergence the male was quite literally carrying her around. Mill Hill was alive with butterflies.

16 May 2010
Eleven people attended the Butterfly Conservation Society walk on Mill Hill at Shoreham. Despite overcast skies and a strong, cool wind, the butterflies performed well! Many stayed on after the official end to the walk, enjoying spells of quite warm, late afternoon sunshine - and some fabulous butterflies. Approximately 25 pristine Adonis Blues provided the 'star turn', including a mating pair. Several other chocolate-brown females were seen. Other species included Dingy Skipper (15), Grizzled Skipper (3), Common Blue (2), Green Hairstreak (1), Small Copper (1), Brown Argus (1), Small Heath (2) and Holly Blue (1). Thanks to all that showed a lot of faith in turning up on such a dreary Sunday afternoon, making it a very enjoyable event.

14 May 2010
It was after midday when a brown butterfly landed on the steps leading down to the lower slopes of Mill Hill from the southern end. It was not so quickly recognised as my first Wall Brown Butterfly of the year followed by another one almost immediately. I had walked almost halfway along the transect on the lower slopes before I spotted my first butterfly which settled on a Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, flower and immediately recognised as a chocolate-brown female Adonis Blue Butterfly. A Grizzled Skipper chased a male Adonis Blue, one of nine males seen in the half an hour I spent on the Shoreham Bank. There was enough Horseshoe Vetch for hundreds of butterflies but it did not stop my first Brown Argus (one of two) of the year landing on the same flower as another male Adonis. Two of the blue male butterflies looked smaller with a subtle different shade of blue. When one of these settled, they were identified as my first male Common Blue Butterflies of the year. Four Dingy Skippers flitted from flower to flower and leaves on the northern part of the lower slopes. The small pyralid moth Pyrausta nigrata was frequently seen, but I did not make a note of any other species.
 

Common Blue (male)	Adonis Blue (female)	Brown Argus

Amongst the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west area of Mill Hill Nature Reserve  I encountered a settled Green-veined White and a Speckled Wood, with two more Speckled Woods in the copse at the top of the hill. The meadows are the top of Mill Hill looked rather forlorn and covered in dried cow pats with just a pair of courting Dingy Skippers dancing together amongst the Brambles that were straggling a route through the meadow.

St. Mark's Flies, Biblio, were common and both Nephrotoma Crane Flies and Nomada bees were frequently seen, probably Nomada flava. On the middle slopes in the Triangle area I noted a dozen or so flowers of Field Mouse-ear, Cerastium arvense. On the lower slopes I think I also spotted an isolated Hairy Violet, the first of the year, but the identification is always tricky with these as they look like Sweet Violets. Hawthorn was yet to flower, although a few buds showed. In the Triangle area there was no sign of flowering Horseshoe Vetch, but Bird's Foot Trefoil had appeared. Cowslips flowered in attractive clumps on the middle slopes (north of the Triangle) and on the plateau at the top.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Adur Violets

12 May 2010
After nearly week of overcast weather (and overnight air temperatures falling to 0.9 °C) a brief opening in the clouds encouraged me to make a trek to the lower slopes of Mill Hill to check out the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, and the butterflies (only small numbers were expected) (9.2 °C) just before midday.
 

The expanse of Horseshoe Vetch was only just beginning (the first flower was seen nine days late this year) and visited by 13 Dingy Skippers and my first four male Adonis Blues of the year. There was also one yellow Brimstone Butterfly, an unidentified white butterfly and a good condition Peacock Butterfly on the bank. I returned by the ridge route as I felt the first spots of rain.
Adur Butterfly List 2010

6 May 2010
Then off across the bridge to Mill Hill Nature Reserve on the lower slope I spent two hours, 2.30 to 4.30 pm. I saw my first Adonis Blue of the year, then I found three Green Hairstreaks, three Small Coppers, one Grizzled Skipper, two Orange Tips, one Speckled Wood, two Small Heaths, lots of Dingy Skippers, male and female Brimstones, and Small Whites.

28 April 2010
A quick walk with the dog over Mill Hill, TQ 212072 and I spotted Peacocks, Speckled Woods, and my first Small Heath of the year.

27 April 2010
As the sun had come out, albeit briefly and weakly, I thought I would pay a quick visit to Mill Hill to examine the numbers of skippers and micro-moths on the lower slopes. On the 1.2 acre transect the 15 minute count was five Grizzled Skippers (including a courting pair) and six Dingy Skippers. Only one Peacock was seen with three Brimstone Butterflies and an unidentified white butterfly. Pyralid moths were common, and could be seen at all times on the lower slopes. They were the three usual species: Pyrausta nigrata (100+), a few Pyrausta purpuralis and a few Pyrausta despicata. Contrary to making my usual circular route through the scrub, I walked back along the lower slopes above the pathway. Almost immediately I spotted another Dingy Skipper and then four Peacocks and an Orange-tip fluttered past. I sat down to rest and spotted another three Brimstones skirting the wayward hedgerow below (west edge of Mill Hill Nature Reserve), before another Grizzled Skipper visited the Dog Violets beside me. A Dotted Bee-fly, Bombylius discolor, was noted hovering about at the bottom of the lower slopes. A few Nomada fucata cuckoo bees were spotted skulking about.
 

Pyrausta nigrata	Hybrid Violets	Cowslips

Patches of unidentified Violets, Viola sp., were noted for the first time this year growing in cleared patches of scrub. I was surprised that I had not seen these clumps before on Mill Hill. (These could be the Early Dog Violet, Viola reichenbachiana.) The latest thinking  is that these are hybrids, intermediate between Early Dog Violets and Common Dog Violets. The sepals were spade-shaped ending in a point.
Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, and Milkwort were now frequently seen, but, of course, nothing like their superabundance of the former expected in a month's time. Dandelions were common, but I also noted and examined a Lesser Hawkbit. Both Horseshoe Vetch and Lesser Hawkbit hosted the small black pollen beetles, Meligethes erichsoni. Clumps of Cowslips were now frequently seen, many much smaller in stature than seen in richer soils.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Skippers
Adur Violets

Horseshoe Vetch starts flowering in middle to late April, peaks in mid-May, continues in profusion for about a week and is usually all over by the first week in June.
Flowering Dates of Horseshoe Vetch

25 April 2010
I had Mill Hill to myself from 1:30 to 3:00 pm, amazing on a sunny Sunday afternoon. There was an abundance of Grizzled Skippers and Dingy Skippers and I witnessed fights among two and three individuals, and across species. I estimate I saw ten of each species plus four Peacocks and an Orange tip.

23 April 2010
I had no plans to visit Mill Hill, but I decided to venture down to the lower slopes, which were alive with scores of pyralid micro-moths of the three usual species: Pyrausta nigrata (50+), Pyrausta purpuralis (8+) and a few Pyrausta despicata. These were the ones actually seen and there were many more. The usual transect route hosted a few Peacocks and a few Brimstones but failed to reveal any skippers, but I decided up the steep slopes where one Grizzled Skipper landed on a Dandelion next to me. A Dotted Bee-fly, Bombylius discolor, was spotted hovering just below the ridge. There was a lot of small flying insect activity with small wasps and flies and even a smaller than usual Honey Bee.
Full Butterfly Report
 

Horseshoe Vetch	Pyrausta nigrata	Mill Hill showing the flowering Blackthorn

The first solitary flower of the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, appeared on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, at least nine days later than last year. The first solitary Milkwort was also spotted.
Flowering Dates of Horseshoe Vetch
 

21 April 2010 Blackthorn could be observed in flower at a distance from the Adur Levels, with patches in the wayward hedge at the bottom (west) of Mill Hill, a small amount in the scrub in the north-west and small amounts near the ridge in the woodland on the southern banks adjoining the Waterworks Road. The photograph on the right shows an area of cleared scrub on the lower slopes.

My first ever sighting of a Dingy Skipper, well actually four, and six Grizzled Skippers at Mill Hill (Grid ref: TQ 210 072).

In my garden at Mill Hill we saw one Small Tortoiseshell, one male Orange Tip (my first of the year) and one flighty Holly Blue. I went over the bridge in the afternoon to the lower slopes of Mill Hill Nature Reserve to find one male Brimstone also one female Brimstone there was lots of Peacocks flying about, one Speckled Wood, five Grizzled Skippers and four Dingy Skippers that included a mating pair.

18 April 2010
In the blue hazy sky a Skylark sang continuously over Erringham Hill (immediately north of Mill Hill) whilst in the copse on Mill Hill a Great Tit and a Chaffinch flitted between the trees. The Stinging Nettles which have appeared in profusion since the introduction of Cattle during the winter months were the residency of two Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies. The transect area of just over an acre on the lower slopes produced just the six Grizzled Skippers, one Dingy Skipper, occasional Peacock Butterflies, a few Brimstone Butterflies and frequent pyralid micro-moths of the three usual species: Pyrausta purpuralis (40+), Pyrausta despicata (a few) and Pyrausta nigrata (10+). There may have been considerably larger numbers of these small moths. Pyrausta purpuralis was in unprecedented profusion.
 

The north-west Hawthorn scrub area of Mill Hill Nature Reserve hosted at least three Speckled Woods and some more Brimstones and Peacocks, and the copse at the top was the abode of a Red Admiral. The Triangle area of the middle slopes had been cleared of the new Dogwood that threatened to overwhelm the clearing, and without looking for any butterflies another Grizzled Skipper appeared and another one was seen just north of the Reservoir on the ridge of the lower slopes.
There was a third party descriptive report by a couple of birdwatchers of what could only be a mating pair of Small Copper Butterflies, the first record this year. A Dotted Bee-fly, Bombylius discolor, was spotted hovering about and visiting Dog Violets. . Diminutive Cowslips were noted in occasional clumps. Blackthorn was flowering in small amounts in the scrubby hedgerow (separating Mill Hill from the hay meadow) at the bottom (west) of the lower slopes.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Adur Skippers
Dotted Bee-flies Information

17 April 2010
Eight butterfly species were seen at Mill Hill: Peacock, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone (female), Large White, Speckled Wood, Dingy Skipper and an amorous pair of Grizzled Skippers!

15 April 2010
At last I managed to see my first skippers of the year, although they would not easy to discover if it was not for the other butterfly spotters on Mill Hill. This was by dint of watching them photographing a Dingy Skipper, my first skipper, and then I spotted a fluttering Grizzled Skipper out of the corner of my eye before I was shown a mating pair on Bramble and then discovered another mating pair for myself.
 

Dotted Bee-fly visiting a Dog Violet	Dingy Skipper	Grizzled Skippers

Only the lower slopes were visited and the other butterflies showing were a few Peacocks and a yellow Brimstone. I saw my first Pyrausta nigrata pyralid micro-moths, with two settled and others flitting about. A Bee-fly was spotted hovering about but its identity could not be discerned. Crow Garlic or Wild Onion, Allium vineale, was noted in large amounts on the road verges of the southern part of Mill Hill. This was the first time I noted this plant on Mill Hill.
Full Butterfly Report
Adur Skippers
Adur Flies 2010

14 April 2010
What a difference a day makes, showing the fickle nature of butterfly appearances. A half an hour spent on the lower slopes of Mill Hill failed to locate any butterflies on a cool overcast day.

13 April 2010
Things are hotting up nicely now and Mill Hill must have been one of the warmest places in the country today. Sheltered from the north-east wind the butterflies were very active. Estimates for Grizzled Skippers range from 10 to 15 including one mated pair and at least another courting pair. Mating lasted over an hour during which time they were watched and photographed by five Butterfly Conservation Sussex members. They are certainly fascinating to watch and interesting to see how a male will chase off other species even when sighted in the distance but not (too) bothered by us humans creeping up slowly. Also a Dingy Skipper (the first of the year in Sussex) with its wings still drying, matching the first date from last year at the same spot to within 10 metres, at the same time of day and by the same observer! Looks like the cold weather didn't affect this species at least. Peacocks everywhere, two Small Tortoiseshells, three Brimstones, two Small Whites and one Comma.

11 April 2010
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, there were half a dozen more Peacock Butterflies but the Grizzled Skippers were not seen, not even by the other four butterfly spotters. There was a slight chill in the breeze in the weak sunshine. There were occasional pyralid micro-moths Pyrausta purpuralis. Dog Violets were now about equal in prevalency to the Sweet Violets.

A Grizzled Skipper was seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

8 April 2010

Mill Hill showing the cleared patches of scrub on the lower slopes This photograph can be compared to the one at the very top of this page taken the previous year.

The butterfly spotters were out on Mill Hill in the sunny morning to find the first few Grizzled Skippers of the year. They found them, but I did not, even I though stayed on the hill for the best part of an hour. Peacock Butterflies were frequently seen with about 16 on Mill Hill (the actual sightings were more, but some on the lower slopes may have been the same ones). They were very active and visited the abundant Sweet Violets, but they were also seen on the much lesser quantity of Dog Violets which were only just starting. A large white male Brimstone Butterfly was the first to be seen of at least four definites on the lower slopes, of each gender and another male in the Ivy amongst the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill Nature Reserve,  A Red Admiral settled briefly under the copse at the top of the hill. On the ridge and the top of the lower slopes just north of the Reservoir, four good condition orangey Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies were seen divided into two pairs, and another one was seen over the road five minutes later. A few pyralid micro-moths were seen on the lower slopes with Pyrausta purpuralis definitely identified. With a flurry of noise a male Pheasant flew from the dense Hawthorn scrub over the lower slopes and into the meadow below (to the west).
Full Butterfly Report and Images
 

Peacock Butterfly on a Sweet Violet	Male Brimstone Butterfly	Red Admiral

Returning to Mill Hill with my father and Brian Henham, we saw three, possibly four Grizzled Skippers, seven Peacock Butterflies, four Brimstone Butterflies, two Small Tortoiseshell, one Comma, together with pyralid moths: one Pyrausta aurata, six Pyrausta purpuralis, three Pyrausta despicata  and two Pyrausta nigrata.

6 April 2010
The first Grizzled Skipper of the year was discovered on Mill Hill. Also present were six Peacock, one Brimstone and the diminutive pyralid moths: one Pyrausta aurata, four Pyrausta purpuralis and three Pyrausta despicata.

14 March 2010
On the lower slopes of Mill Hill the conservation workers had removed a considerable amount of the invasive Privet and a large amount of encroaching Hawthorn as well. Large areas of moss were now noticeable.
The first signs of spring sunshine and hundreds of Sweet Violets were sparsely scattered over the lower slopes of Mill Hill. (However, these violets were surprisingly absent on the steep slope beneath the seat on the southern section of Mill Hill, where a large clump are usually the first to appear each year. This land was badly disturbed and there were only a few leaves to be seen instead of hundreds all clumped together.) The dead heads of Carline Thistle, with silvery leaves, were frequently seen on the lower slopes. At the bottom of the steps in the north-west corner of Mill Hill, several clumps of Field Speedwell were noted growing out from the cracks.
 

Moss on  the lower slopes of Mill Hill	Sweet Violets	Field Speedwell	The lower slopes of Mill Hill showing the cleared areas

The first bumblebee of the year, a Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, flew out of the vegetation in a cleared space of the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west part of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. A male Pheasant strutted under the copse at the top of the hill.
Adur Violets
Adur Wild Flowers 2010
Multi-Map (Bird's Eye View) of Mill Hill

9 January 2010
Further snow fell in the morning.
 

On Mill Hill it was difficult to gauge the depth of snow because of drifting, but it was measured at 120 mm. With the early afternoon northerly winds at a Moderate Breeze (Force 5) small ground blizzard conditions were created on the New Erringham pastures as the powdery snow was blown from the north-east.  The temperature remained just below freezing for most of the day.
One of the Cows in the photograph was observed stripping the leaves from the Hawthorn.
Shoreham Weather 2010: Snow

7 January 2010

Mill Hill viewed from Lancing Ring

Mill Hill Wildlife Reports 2009 (Link)
Mill Hill Wildlife Lower Slopes Reports 2008 (Link)

Lower Slopes of Mill Hill 2005
 

The other species may breed on Mill Hill, but there main breeding area will be adjoining fields or slightly further away. e.g. Small Blue (included above), Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Green-veined White, Peacock, Ringlet, Small White, Large White, Comma, Holly Blue, Orange Tip. (=10)

The following are immigrants &/or hibernators:  Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow.

The following have not been positively identified (because of ID difficulties):  Essex Skipper. This species is now included for a local field on the Adur Levels within 500 metres of Mill Hill.

(=30)

The following was confirmed only in 2009: Green Hairstreak.
(=31)

The next one is no longer found on Mill Hill but were there in the recent (reduced drastically to almost extinct by 1948 last record in  1968) past: Dark Green Fritillary (Records of this butterfly in 1857, 1938, and 1945 when it was common.)
The next one is no longer found on Mill Hill but were there in the distant (1947) past: Grayling.
The next one has been recorded near Mill Hill in the middle distance past:  White-letter Hairstreak

(=34)

The Silver-spotted Skipper does not appear to ever have occurred on Mill Hill
The Silver-studded Blue has never been recorded from Mill Hill

The Short-tailed Blue was recorded as a single immigrant in 1956.

17 August 2009
A possible (unconfirmed) Brown Hairstreak Butterfly was spotted.
 

Adur Butterfly Page

Aerial Map
Lower Adur Levels (MultiMap) including Lancing Clump and Mill Hill

Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa
First Draft of the Article for the Shoreham Society Newsletter