20
September 2009
On
an energy sapping humid morning, both hoverflies
and butterflies were active around one large
clump of Ivy on the Pixie Path (near the NW corner of Frampton's Field)
and it was a flash of orange I saw first which I thought was a Comma,
but it turned out to be one of five pristine Painted
Ladies and a Red
Admiral seen immediately followed by a
Comma
Butterfly seen in less than a minute and
another duller Comma
spotted about three minutes after the initial sighting. Two Large
White Butterflies were spotted over Frampton's
Field.
Full
Butterfly Report
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Southern
Hawker and Common
Darter dragonflies
were seen as expected at this time of the year.
9
September 2009
An anticipated decline in butterflies was noted: the Pixie Path recorded six Speckled Woods, two Red Admirals and a Holly Blue. There were still plenty of Honey Bees, bumblebees and hoverflies visiting the Ivy. Full Butterfly Report |
22
August 2009
A
Common
Lizard,
Zootoca
vivipara, was seen coiled up on the
Chestnut fencing at the top of the Pixie Path.
Adur
Lizards
21
August 2009
Much
too breezy for butterflies, but the Mill
Hill Cutting hosted three of each sex
Chalkhill
Blues,
the females both courting the attention of the good condition males as
well as crawling through the Horseshoe Vetch to discharge their eggs. The
cutting also hosted Speckled Woods,
male Common Blues,
and both Large Whites
and Small Whites.
Holly
Blues were occasionally to be spotted
amongst the Ivy on the Pixie Path. Meadow
Browns
were
seen in Frampton's Field. A Gatekeeper
was
not spotted.
19
August 2009
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Female Chalkhill Blues
The
route to Mill Hill went through the Mill Hill Cutting (SW) where there
were a dozen Chalkhill
Blues,
including four females, all seen at the same time. The four female Chalkhill
Blues were rather worn and ragged, but at
least two of them crawled in amongst the prostrate leaves of Horseshoe
Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa. A Green-veined
White landed on a Bramble leaf and I thought
that the triangular shape of the wings was most pronounced and this would
help with the practical difficulties in identifying the white butterflies.
There were three Wall Browns
and two Holly Blues
on the northern stretch of the Pixie Path with Meadow
Browns
and
Common
Blues
in Frampton's Field.
Adur
Butterfly List 2009
16
August 2009
On
a breezy overcast day, an appointment meant the cycle ride was a passage
one through Buckingham Cutting (south) where occasional Large
Whites and Small
Whites, a Holly
Blue and a few Common
Blues and at least one Silver
Y Moth were noted. Down to the Mill Hill
Cutting (SW) where more Common Blues,
one Chalkhill Blue,
a Painted Lady
and a Speckled Wood
were seen. The Pixie Path route was then due south to the Waterworks
Road noting another Painted
Lady more Common
Blues of both sexes and a few Speckled
Woods with more Large
Whites.
13
August 2009
A
cycle ride was originally just going to the Old Fort on Shoreham
Beach and back but it extended along the towpath past the houseboats,
across Adur Recreation Ground and along the towpath adjacent to the Airport
and over the Toll Bridge up the Pixie
Path to the top and a detour to Buckingham Cutting south.
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The
following butterflies were seen on route:
frequent Large Whites, Small Whites,
Painted
Ladies, and Common
Blues,
occasional
Green-veined Whites,
Speckled
Woods,
Gatekeepers
and Meadow
Browns,
three Wall Browns,
three fresh Comma Butterflies,
two Red Admirals,
one Small Tortoiseshell,
five Chalkhill Blues
(including
one female at the Mill Hill Cutting south-west), two Holly
Blues, and a confirmed Brown
Argus
and a Small Blue
(both at Buckingham Cutting).
Brown
Argus Identification Notes
11
August 2009
A
Red
Admiral was seen on the southern path
of Frampton's Field, Old Shoreham, a species not seen the previous
day. In the same general area I counted five Holly
Blues in the hedgerow together. The trip
was a brief one to pick some apples, and the Slonk Hill south route in
the afternoon was not very productive: the species were frequent Large
Whites, Small Whites and Painted
Ladies in town and country, Speckled
Woods in the linear wood, frequent Common
Blues and a few Meadow
Browns
in
the verge meadows. On Mill Hill Cutting south-west, the Chalkhill
Blue count was ten including one female
and the plant they stayed on longest for nectar was Carline
Thistle, but they made fleeting visits whilst
I was watching to Autumn Gentian,
Bird's-foot
Trefoil and Eyebright.
10
August 2009
Approaches
to Mill Hill:
Pixie
Path and Frampton's Field
Common
Blues were conspicuous in the north-west
corner of Frampton's Field with a few Meadow
Browns.
By the hedges there were two Holly Blues
and two Speckled Woods
as well as Small Whites and
the omnipresent Painted Ladies.
Mill
Hill Cutting (south-west)
After
a few minutes the Chalkhill Blues
appeared with nine spotted including a female with at least four Common
Blues.
Buckingham
Cutting (south)
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Mill Hill Cutting (SW) and the Pixie Path
Mill
Hill Cutting (south-west)
This
is another slightly larger garden-sized verge plot carved out of chalk
with Cotoneaster and Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa.. At first there were no butterflies to be seen, but after
about three minutes the first Chalkhill
Blue fluttered up from the Horseshoe Vetch
where the first mating pair of the year was seen. There were six males
and two females which was still an extremely low count at the peak period
when between 20 and 50+ would normally be expected. There were also two
Common
Blues, a Large
White, a few Gatekeepers
and
a Speckled Wood.
A Red Admiral
flew over my head. The first Autumn Gentian
of the year was seen in flower.
Adur
Sawflies
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Pixie
Path and Frampton's Field
This
path leads from the Mill Hill Cutting, south-west, to Mill Hill Road at
the top. No butterflies were seen at first on the northern stretch until
a Meadow
Brown
showed
in the horse pasture field, followed by three Gatekeepers
and two Common Blues
in the partitioned field as I walked by bicycle past. A Wall
Brown settled on the path itself and there
was a Speckled Wood
at the top. A Small Tortoiseshell wasn't
a definite as it flew too quickly to be sure.
28 July 2009
27 July 2009
26
July 2009
Full Butterfly Report |
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(female) |
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This small bumblebee was recorded on the on the Pixie Path, just north of Old Shoreham. I think this is the smaller male Red-tailed Bumblebee. |
Under
a cloudy sky a definite first of the year Southern
Hawker (dragonfly)
hawked to and fro in the wooded area at the top of The Drive in north Shoreham.
Despite the overcast condition, the cutting was full of flying insects,
mostly butterflies and in two minutes six
Small
Blues appeared, three very noticeable
male Common Blues,
four each of Gatekeepers,
Speckled
Woods and
Meadow
Browns
of
both genders, as well as a Small White,
a Large White,
a Peacock Butterfly,
and two each of Six-spotted Burnet Moths
and
Silver
Y Moths. At the top of the Pixie Path
the first Hornet Robber Fly
of 2009 settled
briefly.
Full
Butterfly Report
Adur
Flies 2009
20
July 2009
The
weather was still too inclement for butterflies
after a wet and breezy weekend, but despite the poor conditions a few Painted
Ladies were seen on the Buckingham Cutting
south), with occasional fresh Red Admirals
and Peacocks.
On
Buckingham Cutting (south) this undisturbed (by passing humans) piece of
roadside verge instantly revealed three male Common
Blues, a Small
Skipper, courting Gatekeepers,
a few Speckled Woods,
mating Small Blues
plus handful of solitary ones, a Six-spotted
Burnet Moth and a Burnet
Companion Moth. Over the hedgerow at Buckingham
Cutting a blue butterfly flew and I very much suspect that this was a Holly
Blue, but it was much too restless and
disappeared towards even denser foliage. The sawfly
Tenthredo arcuata was my identification
of a small insect on a yellow flower. The
County Council have mown the grasses and flowers immediately in front of
the road sign (including some Kidney Vetch)
but most of the meadow-like habitat remains unmown.
Adur
Butterfly List 2009
1 July
2009
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This was one of five Ringlet Butterflies seen immediately on the south bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting at the eastern end.
15
June 2009
On
Buckingham Cutting south in the early evening (it was still light approaching
the Summer
Solstice) there were the usual fifty or so Small
Blue Butterflies, a few male Common
Blues and one Speckled
Wood. A Red
Admiral fluttered rapidly in the breeze
over the top section of the Pixie Path.
13
June 2009
On
a humid warm Saturday, I detoured a route that took me from the Buckingham
Cutting along the linear path on the southern side of the Slonk
Hill Cutting I spotted my first three Large
Skippers of the year, 100+ Small
Blue Butterflies, at least two tatty male
Common
Blues and a few male Meadow
Browns.
Adur
Skippers
12
June 2009
A
Red
Fox trotted along the Pixie Path just
where I usually expect to see Rabbits
running for cover. It turned to face me before diving off into the undergrowth
with more wariness than the town Foxes.
8 June
2009
Common
Spotted Orchids and a few Pyramidal
Orchids were now in flower
on the southern side of the Buckingham Cutting. The Pixie Path was mown
and with it the Crow Garlic
or Wild Onion,
Allium
vineale.
Wild
Thyme was seen for the first time this
year on the Mill Hill Cutting (south-west).
Adur
Orchids
About twenty of the small brown beetles illustrated above were flying around in the undergrowth. It could be Lagria hirta. |
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An
afternoon outing on an overcast day on the southern side of Buckingham
Cutting, the small blue butterflies amongst the Brambles were all Small
Blues and the estimate was 75+ in this
small area. My first Marbled White Butterfly
of the year made a sudden appearance.
Full
Butterfly Report
21
May 2009
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In
the late afternoon there were about twenty Small
Blues in a three square metre patch of
Buckingham Cutting south all fluttering about before they settled down
to roost. Some of them were fluttering around the Bramble
where I would expect to see Holly Blues,
and one noticeably larger blue butterfly was seen flying over the hedgerow.
There was also a Red Admiral
and a female Common Blue.
Full
Butterfly Report
20
May 2009
In
the early evening I ventured up to Buckingham Cutting south and I immediately
spotted a handful of my first Small Blue
Butterflies of the year. None of them
were pristine and a few were faded so they must have been out for a few
days, probably at least a week. Salad Burnet
was now showing on the Buckingham Cutting south.
The Spotted Orchids
were showing leaves but not yet seen in flower on the Slonk Hill Cutting
south embankment.
Horseshoe
Vetch,
Hippocrepis comosa,
and Ox-eye Daisies
were seen flowering in large expanses on the Slonk Hill Cutting northern
bank.
On
the Pixie Path there was prevalent Milkwort,
common
Bulbous
Buttercups and occasional clumps of Horseshoe
Vetch.
Full
Butterfly Report
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
29
April 2009
I
spotted my first Common Lizard,
Zootoca
vivipara, of the year skitting over
the Pixie Path. It was an intact juvenile. A Large
Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma
nymphula,
was seen amongst largish patches of Milkwort
on the side of the path. There were a few Speckled
Woods but these were the only butterflies
seen on the upper part of the path.
Adur
Lizards
8
April 2009
The first nest of the Brown-tailed Moth of the year was discovered on the Slonk Hill Cutting south in the overgrown clearing alongside the path. |
3 April
2009
Further observations of the Allium covering about three square metres on the Pixie Path indicate that the majority were curly on the path but nearer the shelter of the chestnut fencing and shrub, the plants were much more upright to at least 20 cm and some of them did not curl at all. The stems were hollow. The correct ID is the original one of the Crow Garlic or Wild Onion, Allium vineale.
2
April 2009
Two
Comma
Butterflies were spotted, one in the Butterfly
Copse near the Waterworks Road and
the other on Alexanders on the south-north
section of the Pixie Path.
30
March 2009
My
first passage trip of the year along the southern side of the Slonk Hill
Cutting produced a yellow Brimstone Butterfly
in the linear wooded section and a Peacock
Butterfly at Buckingham Barn Cutting (at
the top of The Drive, north Shoreham).
Adur
Butterfly List 2009
29
March 2009
The
first Dog Violet
of 2009 was seen
in flower on the Pixie Path to Mill
Hill. My first Common Carder
Bee (bumblebee) visited
a Common Daisy
on the Pixie Path.
Adur
Violets
The grass-like plant on the far right above is believed to be a trampled version of the Crow Garlic or Wild Onion, Allium vineale.
The
grass-like plant on the far right above is probably the Serpentine
Garlic, Allium
sativum ophiuscorodon,
but I'm not certain.
This
cultivated escaped alien is a new addition to the Shoreham
flora list.
23
March 2009
Although
Buff-tailed
Bumblebees had been frequent
every day this month, a special large emergence occurred with at least
thirty in five minutes rising from their burrows into flight from the grassy
are at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, Shoreham,
south-east of the bridge over the A27
to Mill Hill. At least two Common
Bee-Flies,
Bombylius
major, were also spotted hovering in the same area.
Adur
Bumblebees
Adur
Flies
15
March 2009
I
was surprised by a bright yellow Brimstone
Butterfly over the Pixie
Path at the northern end by the north east part of Frampton's filed,
but skirting the chestnut fencing that separates the path from Mill Hill
Cutting. This was the first of the year.
There was a Red Admiral
over the grass and the edges of the copse at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, and probably the same one that was seen a week
earlier.
Adur
Butterfly Flight Times
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
8
March 2009
My
first butterfly seen this year was
a Red Admiral
induced out of hibernation by the weak sunshine over the grass and the
edges of the copse at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, south-east of the
bridge over the A27
to Mill Hill.
A Sparrowhawk swopped in a low flight from the Mill Hill Cutting (south-west) over the north-west corner of Frampton's Field. This was in contrast to the more colourful Kestrel seen in a similar low swooping flight over the path immediately to the west of the copse on Mill Hill.
2
March 2009
There
were scores of Sweet Violets
seen in flower on the north-south section
of the Pixie Path to Mill Hill and scores
more on the edge of the grass adjoining the copse at the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, south-east of the bridge over the A27
to Mill Hill.
Adur
Violets
8 February
2009
Wrens
were noted occasionally amongst the bare shrubbery, most of them at the
southern end of the Pixie Path by the Butterfly Copse at the southern end
of the Waterworks Road. This is a very common
bird so the report is not newsworthy, but there was nothing else of note.
Slonk
Hill 2008
Pixie
Path 2008
Dovecote
& Buckingham Bank