8
September 2011
In amongst the long grass of Frampton's Field, a male Pheasant trotted. And on the Pixie Path there was an adult Slow Worm lying dead.
Link to the Slonk Hill Reports 2012
15
November 2011
Frequent
Smooth
Sow Thistle were noted on the Pixie Path
and a few small Marmalade Flies (a
common hoverfly),Episyrphus
balteatus, settled on the yellow flowers.
At the top of the Pixie Path, two Spear
Thistle flowers were noted, as well as
a handful of Ploughman's Spikenard
plants with their small yellow flowers.
8
September 2011
In
amongst the long grass of Frampton's Field, a male Pheasant
trotted.
And on the Pixie Path there was an adult Slow
Worm lying dead.
16
September 2011
There
were brief snatches of sunshine through the gaps in the clouds (>18.7
°C):
the
approaches to Mill Hill (Waterworks Road
- Pixie Path) yielded my first Common Lizards,
Lacerta
vivipara, of the year. Butterflies
included a probable Green-veined White,
at least one Speckled Wood,
a worn Peacock
(NW corner of Frampton's Field), a Comma
(entrance to the Mill Hill Cutting, SW), few Large
Whites and about a dozen Red
Admirals (mostly on the Ivy at the top
part of the Pixie Path). There was a colony of Yellow
Meadow Ants (also
known as Red Ants) Lasius
flavus, under a wooden plank on the Mill Hill Cutting, SW.
Adur
Lizards
Adur
Ants
15
September 2011
On
a pleasant day (>17.2
°C), the outskirts of Shoreham (Waterworks
Road - Pixie Path - Chanctonbury Drive, passage trek) hosted the following
butterflies:
nine Speckled Woods,
about a dozen Red Admirals
(mostly on the Ivy in the NW part of the Pixie Path), a handful of Large
Whites, a Holly
Blue (entrance to the Mill Hill Cutting,
SW) a worn Peacock
(NW corner of Frampton's Field) and a Small
White. A handful of Common
Darters (dragonfly)
flew rapidly overhead with none of them showing any signs of settling.
11
September 2011
An
appreciable breeze (Force
5 gusting to 6) made conditions inimical
to watching butterflies
on a cloudy, nearly warm (> 19.1 °C)
day. Over the vegetation at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham,
two Large White Butterflies
were noted and a Speckled Wood
amongst the greenery.
Ivy
attracted the bees and the butterflies
(especially on the Ivy on the Pixie Path near the north-west corner of
Frampton's Field) notably 10 Red Admirals,
two Comma Butterflies and
two Speckled Woods.
On
Mill Hill Cutting (SW) there were three more good condition Red
Admirals and unidentified large bright blue
butterfly which was thought to be another male Adonis
Blue (later thought to be a Holly
Blue) in an area where Adonis
Blues have not been recorded before.
Full
Butterfly Report
2
August 2011
On
a warm sticky day, I made a brief visit to Mill Hill Cutting (SW) from
the Waterworks Road
direction seeing on-route occasional Large
Whites, one Comma
Butterfly, a few Meadow
Browns,
frequent
Gatekeepers.
On arrival I immediately
counted 15 male
Chalkhill
Blues all
in flight at the same time and two
females
within a couple of minutes. The Chalkhill
Blues were all very lively and did not seem
to find nectar plants to visit although they had a look at Eyebrights.
31
July 2011
On
the way home I made a quick detour down the Pixie Path where I added a
Red
Admiral and a Holly
Blue to the butterfly
list. On the Mill Hill Cutting (SW) there were over twenty lively Chalkhill
Blues including
at least one female. All of these appeared very fresh and could have recently
emerged. They visited Bird's Foot Trefoil
and Eyebright
and all were very flighty. There was a male Chalkhill
Blue visiting Greater
Knapweed in the north-west corner of Frampton's
Field. Speckled Woods
were courting at the top of Chanctonbury Drive.
Summary
Butterfly Report
28
July 2011
The
Kidney Vetch has been mown down and destroyed
on Buckingham Cutting (south) and this means the Small
Blue eggs laid in the flower heads would have
been destroyed as well. (Later some was seen to have survived the mowing.)
27
July 2011
On
the Pixie Path I spotted my first Migrant
Hawker (dragonfly)
of the year. There was also at least two Common
Darters, and two Hornet
Robber Flies, Asilus crabroniformis,
on the Chestnut fencing. By the time I arrived at the
Mill
Hill Cutting (SW) it was decidedly cool, and no butterflies
were in flight. On a small clump of Horseshoe Vetch,
Hippocrepis
comosa, leaves, three male Chalkhill
Blues fitted in the camera lens with their
wings open, but they all flew off before I could press the shutter. A Six-spotted
Burnet Moth rested on a Greater
Knapweed flower.
24
July 2011
As
I felt a slight warmth on my back as the sun shone through a gap in the
clouds, I spotted my first butterfly
of the day, a Speckled Wood
on a piece of white paper at the top of Mill Hill Drive at the entrance
of the linear copse on the west side of the road before the bridge. The
meadowed southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting failed to reveal any Ringlet
Butterflies, just nine Meadow
Browns
and
my only Marbled White of
the day. The area next to the path when the copse opened up added two Large
Whites and a Small
White Butterfly. There was also a Volucella
inanis hoverfly.
The southern part of Buckingham Cutting and its surrounds failed to add
any
Small Blues,
but there were three Green-veined Whites,
some Large Whites,
two more Speckled Woods
and two Holly Blues.
The Pyramidal Orchid
was almost finished but there was some
Kidney
Vetch still in flower and a large clump of
Marjoram
next to the road.
221.jpg) |
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This one was seen immediately after a female Chalkhill Blue |
The dark border on the upper wing made this butterfly look dark like a female |
It
was decidedly cool and breezy by the time I cycled down the A27
to the south-west part of the MIll Hill Cutting where I immediately disturbed
a male Chalkhill Blue Butterfly
as I left the road. It was one of four males which were too lively to photograph
except for one that settled with its wings closed. I recorded my
first female Chalkhill Blue
of the year visiting a Bird's Foot Trefoil
flower, where there was also a female Common
Blue amongst the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa, leaves. Another Meadow Brown
was noted and a dead Slow Worm.
On
the Pixie Path I spotted my first Common
Darter (dragonfly)
of the year, two more Speckled Woods,
my first Gatekeeper
of the day, another Meadow Brown
and
two more Holly Blues
at the top around the hedge near the bridge. At the top of Chanctonbury
Drive, I added five more Speckled Woods.
Summary
Butterfly Report
15
July 2011
A
blue sky but a rather cool day for July,
19.2
°C at
midday:
so this meant the blue butterflies
were not actively flying, although there were frequent
Large White Butterflies over Shoreham
town
with the first Meadow
Brown
in Park Drive, and
the first of the frequent Speckled Woods
at
the top of Buckingham Park. Around the Buckingham Cutting (south) there
were a few Red Admirals
and Holly Blues
amongst the Brambles,
and
a few Six-spotted Burnet Moths
and at least one Silver Y Moth on the roadside meadow. The first
male Chalkhill Blue
was disturbed on the south-western bank of Mill Hill Cutting. It flew over
the Brambles
and nearly got sucked into the slipstream of the passing traffic. Gatekeepers
were everywhere there were Brambles.
A Carpet Moth
landed on a Bramble leaf.
Adur
Butterfly & Moth List 2011
11
July 2011
At
least three Ringlet Butterflies
in the meadow on the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting were rather
belated first of year additions for this species. They were amongst Meadow
Browns
and
I had to follow them until they settled to make sure. There were also a
few Silver Y Moths.
Large
Whites occurred and were frequent
in Shoreham town. Other butterflies
on the meadow were one Marbled White and
in the linear copse there were occasional
Speckled Woods.
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On
the southern meadow bank of the Buckingham Cutting, I encountered a bright
blue butterfly fluttering from one flower to another especially the Melilot
and when settled this was discovered to be a Holly
Blue. After a few minutes I finally noticed
a single Small Blue
on a Kidney Vetch.
I disturbed two Red Admirals
in the hedgerow.
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
Adur
Butterfly & Moth List 2011
27
June 2011
On
a hot and humid morning, I noticed the first
Humming-bird
Hawkmoth of the year flying energetically
around the vegetation at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham.
Adur
Moths
24
June 2011
On
an overcast day, the sun shone briefly and the breeze was still a Force
5. Predictably
butterflies
were hiding. On the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting the first appearance
on the roadside meadow was a Marbled White
followed by five Meadow
Browns
and
a Yellow Shell Moth.
On the Buckingham Cutting (south) a Small
White was clearly seen with at least seven
Small
Blues in breezy conditions.
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On the Mill Hill Cutting, a pristine Comma Butterfly put in an instant appearance, followed by two Common Blues and two Meadow Browns. One definite Small Blue Butterfly landed amongst the mix of Wild Thyme and Horseshoe Vetch leaves. The Pixie Path was exceptionally breezy and a Marbled White was blown rather than fluttering about and last seen resting with its wings closed on the barbed wire fence. A pyralid moth Pyrausta despicata landed on the path and another Yellow Shell Moth flitted into the vegetation. There was also two Meadow Browns over Frampton's Field.
22
June 2011
When
will the wind die down? It was blowing Force
6 (gusting to Force
8) from the WSW
and it was much too blowy for Mill
Hill or any butterflies
in town, although
I did spot a Small Blue
on the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting.
Adur
Butterfly & Moth List 2011
 |
This hoverfly was seen on Buckingham Cutting (south) in Force 6 breezy conditions. |
19
June 2011
Just
when I was thinking it was too windy (Force
4) for butterflies
a pristine Red Admiral
landed on a Bramble leaf at head height in front of me along the edge of
the overgrown path on the south side of the Slonk Hill Cutting. Almost
immediately a pristine Large White Butterfly
landed on a flower. There were no butterflies
on the open meadow (Spotted Orchid
section) on the eastern part of the cutting. A few minutes later a Large
Skipper fluttered away on the central
overgrown part where the Brambles were less. And a few minutes after that
an older Red Admiral
fluttered or was blown by. I discovered a large Black
Ants nest under a discarded road sign.
It was next to this that a small white crab
spider Misumena
vatia
was waiting in ambush on a purple Pyramidal
Orchid.
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Still
buffeted by the Moderate Breeze about thirty Small
Blue Butterflies flitted amongst the Kidney
Vetch and the more sheltered Brambles
on the southern side of the Buckingham Cutting, where the Pyramidal
Orchids were flowering and the Horseshoe
Vetch had disappeared. Beetles
noted were small green beetles Cryptocephalus and
small black pollen beetles Meligethes, the
Thick-legged
Flower Beetle Oedemera
nobilis, and the brown species Lagria
hirta.
British
Ants
Adur
Spiders
Adur
Orchids
4 June
2011
It
was warm and blustery, the warmest day
of the year so far recorded at 25.8
°C at 3:00
pm, but again spoilt by steady Strong Breeze
(Force 6) from the north-east gusting to Gale
Force
7 all through
the day. Two bluish-green Hawker dragonflies
were seen sparring at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham (SE
of Mill Hill), but they flew upwards over house height against the wind
before I could get a closer look. Butterflies
were mostly in hiding, but six species
were seen on the outskirts of Shoreham. Twelve
Small
Blue Butterflies
were all to be found
sheltered amongst the Brambles, with two male Common
Blues, and one Red
Admiral. There was a Large
White at the top of The Drive, north Shoreham.
Butterfly
Report
3 June
2011
It
was an almost perfect blue sky with a few streaks of wispy Cirrus
clouds and a pleasant 23.5 °C
which was the the warmest day of
the year so far, spoilt by steady Strong Breeze (Force
6) gusting to Gale Force
7 in the afternoon.
The strong wind made it unpleasant to be out in the open and
the and thirty plus Small Blue Butterflies
were
all to be found sheltered amongst the Brambles, where I noted my first
three or more Large Skippers
of the year on the linear copse path of the southern side of the Slonk
Hill Cutting. There were also two female Broad-bodied
Chasers. The first Pyramidal
Orchids were beginning to flower
on
the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting, but it was too blowy (Force
5) to photograph them.
Adur
Orchids
Butterfly
Report
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
31
May 2011
On
a day most noted for its cloud formations, I spotted a Speckled
Wood Butterfly fluttering under the trees
at the top of Buckingham Park, north Shoreham. Immediately I entered the
Bramble-bordered path that opening up in the southern bank of the Buckingham
Cutting, a Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula
depressa,
(a dragonfly) landed, a
five Small Blue Butterflies
fluttered around; but it was too wind-swept on the open cutting, where
I spotted a male Common Blue Butterfly
on a still flowering Horseshoe Vetch,
Hippocrepis
comosa.
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Amongst the Bramble flowers there were a few each of the bumblebees; White-tailed Bumblebees Bombus lucorum, Red-tailed Bumblebees, Bombus lapidarius, and Common Carder Bees, Bombus pascuorum; and hoverflies including a Volucella pellucens. A few
Southern Marsh Orchids, Dactylorhiza
praetermissa, were
flowering on the Mill Hill Cutting (south). A few Thick-legged
Flower Beetles, Oedemera
nobilis, crawled over Greater Knapweed
in flower on the edge of Frampton's Field (north).
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21
May 2011
The
first Common Blue Damselfly of
the year put in an appearance in amongst the Brambles
in a shady area behind the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting. They
shared the area with three Speckled Woods,
one Holly Blue
and a Large White.
On the open bank about eight Small Blue
Butterflies flitted about in the mid-afternoon
sunshine with one male Common Blue Butterfly
was seen visiting a still flowering
Horseshoe Vetch,
Hippocrepis comosa.
There were swathes of this herb on the north-facing southern bank of the
cutting but the larger swathes on the northern bank had almost disappeared.
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Two
female Broad-bodied Chasers, Libellula
depressa,
(a dragonfly)
cruised over an open part of the path that runs parallel with the dual
carriageway at the top of the southern embankment of the the Slonk Hill
Cutting. Both of them settled, one of them long enough for the photograph
above. The small moth
with long antennae was Nemophora
degeerella.
The green beetle
seems to be Cryptocephalus
aureolus. It was frequently seen on Kidney
Vetch, Buttercups and Mouse-eared
Hawkweed flowers.
Adur
Butterfly & Moth List 2011
Adur
Moths
20
May 2011
I
found two roosting Small Blue Butterflies
for the first time this year on the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting
and I noted the first Kidney Vetch
and the first Spotted Orchids
in flower this year, blown
about in a blustery (Force 5).
Full
Butterfly Report
Adur
Orchids
20
May 2011
At
the top of Chanctonbury Drive (near Mill Hill) there was a Red
Admiral and a Speckled
Wood Butterfly.
I
found two roosting Small Blue Butterflies
for the first time this year on the southern bank of the Buckingham Cutting
and I noted the first Kidney Vetch
and Spotted Orchids
in flower. There was another Speckled
Wood resting on a Bramble in the middle of
the afternoon under a cloudy sky.
Full
Butterfly Report
Adur
Orchids
1 May
2011
There
was one Wall Brown Butterfly on
the Pixie Path as well as Holly Blues,
Speckled
Woods and Large
Whites. On the edge of Frampton's Field,
Old Shoreham, by the wire fence bordering the Pixie Path, Milkwort
was found in large patches where the field was not grazed by horses. Horseshoe
Vetch was flowering abundantly on the
north side of the Slonk Hill Cutting. The young Fox
appeared on the Pixie Path (south-north section, central) and immediately
backtracked and disappeared down the slope.
Full
Butterfly Report
29
April 2011
Maybe
it was fitting for the morning of the Royal
Wedding there was the emergence of the female
Beautiful Demoiselles,
Calopteryx
virgo,
with three seen of these damselflies on
the
outskirts of Shoreham. The first one was seen amongst Brambles at the top
of Mill Hill Cutting (south) on the overgrown footpath, the second on the
return trip at the top of the Pixie Path.
26
April 2011
On
a breezy (Force 4 to
5) cool (>16.0
°C ) day, I made a quick visit to Mill
Hill, via the Dovecote Estate and at the top of Chanctonbury Drive
(SE of the Mill Hill Bridge), Holly Blues
were mating, Speckled Woods
landed on Daisies
on the mown grass and an Orange-tip
fluttered by. Two Large Red Damselflies
settled
close to each other.
There
was Red Admiral
in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham.
Full
Butterfly Report
Adur
Damselflies 2011
17
April 2011
Spring
arrived on a sunny day (14.5 °C).
Two Small White Butterflies
were seen over Hamm Road Allotments in the middle of Shoreham. The next
butterflies
seen were over the grass (with Dandelions
and Daisies)
at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham (Dovecote Estate, SE of
the Mill Hill Bridge) where my my first Large
White Butterfly of the year settled with
its wings open and was easily identified, followed almost immediately by
three Speckled Woods
and two unexpected male Orange-tips.
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1
April 2011
Moss and Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the Mill Hill Cutting. The first Dog Violets of the year were seen on the Pixie Path. |
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20
March 2011
I
recorded my first beetle this year, the
very small Paederus
littoralis
seen under a plastic cap on Mill Hill Cutting south, (amongst Ivy leaves
next to the Pixie Path), with a slightly larger
small spider of the genus Pardosa
(probably).
10
March 2011
A
few Holly berries
were still be to be seen on the PixiePath/Mill Hill Cutting boundary.
7 January
2011
As
the first rays of sunshine of the year occurred for about an hour around
midday
ventured to the Pixie Path near Mill Hill.
Red
berries were still on the Wayfaring
Tree, and on the Cotoneaster
on the chalk cuttings, but only an occasional berry left on Hawthorn
and Holly.
