Oaken Wood

Small Skipper

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I visited Oaken Wood today and met four other Purple Emperor hunters. One was seen above an oak, but not by me. I saw Large and Small Skippers, Marble Whites, Silver-washed Fritillaries, a White Admiral, many Ringlets, Meadow Browns.

Silver-washed Fritillary

Mother Shipton moth

Orchid

sad Shrew

Ringlet

Large Skipper

Ringlet

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Brighton Races and Southwater Skippers

Large Skipper

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On Sunday I spent the morning with SusSAR colleagues marshalling the car park for the Stanmer Park Races, which included fun runs for kids and elite races for top athletes.

Afterwards I headed for Southwater Woods where Neil had conducted a morning butterfly walk for Butterfly Conservation members. I managed to see a Purple Emperor flying high above the tall master oak. I met Steve and Maggie who I had last seen during the adder season at Mill Hill. I joined them for a walk to the Small Skipper thistle meadow. On the way back Steve told us we had nearly stepped on a mating pair of Ringlets! I also walked through the Marbled White meadow which Neil had told me about two days before. There were plenty of them about. It was too hot for them to settle, but it was great to watch them flying around. I also caught sight of a Common Blue. Another highlight of the day was observing the courtship of a pair of Green-veined Whites.

Bug

Comma

Meadow Brown

male Silver-washed Fritillary

Swallow-tailed Moth Ourapteryx sambucaria

Courtship of Green-veined Whites

Green-veined White afterwards

Ringlets mating

Essex Skipper

 A visible difference between the Essex Skipper and the Small Skipper is that the undersides of the antennae of the Essex are black and the Small Skipper has orange undersides

Essex skipper

White admiral in tree top

Small Skipper

Small Skipper

Small Skipper taking off

Bug

Small Skipper

Air display and Ronnie Smith's Big Band

There was an Armed Forces display on Littlehampton Green on Saturday afternoon. A Royal Navy helicopter landed right in front of us and when it took off proceeded to do an amazing aerobatic display. A gun periodically boomed across the green, followed by a lot of smoke.

In the evening we were entertained by Ronnie Smith's Big Band at the Windmill Theatre. They seem to be a regular feature now as our neighbour Norman is a sax player in the band. They have been going for over 50 years, are very very good and play regularly at Shoreham Airport.

Royal Albert Hall, Mill Hill and Southwater Woods

Royal Albert Hall

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On Thursday we travelled to London to meet uni friends Bob and Judy who were attending Dan’s graduation exhibition at the RSA on Friday. These photos are from around the RAH:

Albert Court

Royal College of Organists

We had an excellent lunch in the Royal Albert Hall restaurant and then finished off with coffee and cake at a café that Bob had spotted earlier on Kensington High Street. It was great to catch up with them and we vowed to visit Northumberland.

On Friday, after a visit to the library, I did my weekly transect at Mill Hill and found the following butterflies: 1 Common Blue, 1 Large Skipper, 2 Large White, 3 Marbled White, 5 Meadow Brown, 1 Red Admiral, 19 Small Heath, 1 Small Tortoiseshell. I met Andy on the lower slope. 

Library Garden

Then I went to Southwater Woods and found a female Silver-washed Fritillary.

Ringlet

Meadow Brown

Female Silver-washed Fritillary