The Triangle (Mill Hill) 2005 - 2011, 2015, 2016

26 July 2016
It is not always best to visit Mill Hill in the mornings, but. Peacock Butterflies were frequently seen (15+) on plentiful flowering Marjoram and Hemp Agrimony on the middle slopes with Red Admirals, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. .

10 August 2015
 

Mill Hill, Middle Slopes
Marjoram and Hemp Agrimony

24 July 2011
Typically, flitting from one stem head to another my first pristine Brown Argus of the year showed amongst the Marjoram to the north of the Triangle area of the middle slopes of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. It was accompanied by a fresh male Common Blue.
Summary Butterfly Report

20 May 2011
Two more Adonis Blues fluttered over the Horseshoe Vetch on the middle slopes Triangle area, but the sun had gone behind the cloud by I had reached the top of the hill and all the butterflies were now hidden.
Full Butterfly Report

16 May 2011
In contrast to the lower slopes the amount of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, in the Triangle are of the middle slopes was as luxurious as usual. Eyebright poked their pretty little flowers up from a clump of Bird's Foot Trefoil leaves on an ant's mound in the Triangle middle slopes of Mill Hill.

2 August 2010
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 and female Common Blues ID Images
Butterfly & Moth List 2010

23 July 2010
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), a Wall Brown and a Brimstone Butterfly.
Other Butterfly Reports

19 June 2008
On the middle slopes, in the Triangle area, Bird's Foot Trefoil was flowering in swathes but not in as large swathes bordering the worn paths as previous years. The first flowering Field Scabious of the year was seen in this area.

6 May 2008
My first Wall Brown Butterfly of 2008 and my first Red Damselfly were both seen near and in the copse of Mill Hill. This was on and around the path north-east corner of the Triangle area. Three Holly Blue Butterflies fluttered around the low lying scrub on the middle slopes of Mill Hill.
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Adur Butterfly List 2008

9 March 2008

Early growths of Dogwood on the Triangle meadow area on the middle slopes section of Mill Hill, west of the upper car park. Old Erringham Farm is in the background.

30 July 2007 This Rhogogaster sawfly was seen on Field Scabious in the central Triangle area of Mill Hill.

24 & 29 & 30 July 2007
The Common Lizard was seen under a piece of roofing felt on Mill Hill. This time it was not so plump. At the second sighting it was seen to have lost a large part of its tail by autonomy.

4 July 2007
A Common Lizard was seen under a piece of roofing felt deliberately laid down in the central mixed scrub and grass area (north of the Triangle) near the northern perimeter of Mill Hill. Its middle was plump, presumably with its viviparous young.
Adur Lizards

6 August 2006 The first second brood male Adonis Blue was seen on Mill Hill sparring with Common Blue Butterflies and Chalkhill Blue Butterflies in the Triangle section of Mill Hill near where the path (formed by human disturbance where the flora is short grass) weaves through the Eyebright and leaves of Horseshoe Vetch and Bird's Foot Trefoil.  Butterfly Report The Adonis Blue actually settled on the grass path as shown in the photograph on the right. Brown Argus Butterflies (12+) were present.

4 August 2006
Common Blue Butterflies outnumbered Chalkhill Blue Butterflies (10+) in this area. The small Brown Argus Butterfly was first seen and confirmed for this year in the Triangle middle section of Mill Hill, with a handful of them actually seen, but there could have been more. There was a lively Wall Brown as well.
Butterfly List for the Day

30 July 2006
More Chalkhill Blue Butterflies fluttered around, probably about a dozen. Scabious was in flower.

23 July 2006
Ten Chalkhill Blue Butterflies are recorded from the middle area of Mill Hill, mostly from the Triangle. Seven Marbled White Butterflies were recorded from the middle part of Mill Hill and most of them must have come from this area. Other butterflies were not recorded specifically to location, but there must be Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns.

3, 11 & 17 July 2006
Marbled White Butterflies were recorded from this area.

20 June 2006
The hoverfly Rhingia campestris fed on Greater Knapweed on the middle Triangle area of Mill Hill. Dogwood was sprouting up and looked capable of invading this area.

15 June 2006
There was one Kidney Vetch flower seen on the Triangle section of Mill Hill.
 
 

6 April 2006 This looks like a tiny bee on a Daisy. There were probably at least two more on a Dandelion in the middle Triangle area of Mill Hill.  Could it be Lasioglossum calceatum.

22 November 2005
In the Triangle area (middle slopes) there were over a dozen small mushrooms called the Pale Wax Cap, Hygrocybe berkeleyi, (known on the British Mycological List as Hygrocybe pratensis var pallida) near the seat.
Shoreham Fungi 2005
Adur Hygrocybe
 
 

2 August 2005
Twenty Chalkhill Blues and seven Common Blue Butterflies were recorded from this area.

22 July 2005
There were nine Chalkhill Blue Butterflies counted amonst the leaves of Horseshoe Vetch and Cleavers and they seemed fresh and may have just emerged as they were not so flighty as the ones on the lower slopes, and even remained still enough for a photograph (right). There was one Marbled White, a handful of Meadow Browns and a half dozen Gatekeepers.

3 July 2005
Two Marbled White Butterflies fluttered over the long grasses. Pyramidal Orchids and Field Scabious were noted, but the Bird's Foot Trefoil was exiguous this year. The only Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly of the day was seen at the north-east approaches to the copse at the top. At least two Meadow Brown Butterflies fluttered over the grasses in a passage visit.

24 June 2005
A single Kidney Vetch flower was recorded for the first time on Mill Hill in the Triangle area.
A small prostrate yellow flowered plant was also commonly observed possibly Hop Trefoil? (or Black Medick?)
The original patch has now merged into the general vegetation. Bird's Foot Trefoil is rather scantily flowering compared to previous years.
 

Link to Reports up to 2004

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