Saturday 30 June 2012

Adonis and Dark Green Fritillaries

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja
Yesterday a couple of hours wandering over Cissbury Ring yielded a surprise appearance by a male Adonis Blue in reasonably good condition plus Meadow Browns and Small Heaths I had about 20 sightings of Dark Green Fritillaries, though photographic opportunities were few as they used the wind to fly a long distance when disturbed. Most were on the top of the southern end among the long grass mixed with brambles and clover. A slow walk through the vegetation enabled me to spot a few resting low down with wings open. I also found a few in the north-east ditch. I also saw the following moths: Silver Ys, a Brown Plume, a Common Heath, Five-spot Burnets and a Cinnabar
male Adonis Blue, Lysandra bellargus
male Adonis Blue, Lysandra bellargus
Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria

Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Common Heath, Ematurga atomaria
Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja
Five-Spot Burnet, Zygaena trifolii
Five-Spot Burnet, Zygaena trifolii
Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa
Large Skipper, Ochlodes faunus
Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis
Tufted vetch, Vicia cracca
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Wild Thyme, Thymus serpyllum

Ids needed for these 3 fungi

Friday 29 June 2012

Wood White laying egg


Wood White with freshly laid egg on Meadow Vetchling

To  view  a  Slideshow,  click  here  then  choose  Fullscreen  (top  right)

Yesterday Mark Colvin showed me round Hog Wood by Oaken Wood near Botany Bay. The humidity was 37% and temperature 30°C. We didn’t see large numbers of butterflies but we did find 14 species: 1 Silver-washed Fritillary, 3 White Admirals, 2 Marbles Whites, Large Skippers, Speckled Woods,  Ringlets,Small Heaths, Meadow Browns,  6 Woods Whites, a Small Skipper, a male Brimstone and 2 Red Admirals, including one imbibing salts from poo! Mark also saw a Comma and Common Blue.  A young frog and a brown female adder also showed up. The highlight for me was witnessing a Wood White laying an egg on vetch by the Tugley Wood main path.
Wood White laying the egg on Meadow Vetchling
The egg

juvenile Common Frog, Rana temporaria
Common Frog, Rana temporaria
Heath Bedstraw, Galium saxatil
Honeysuckle, Lonicera caprifolium
Marbled White, Melanargia galathea
 I tried for a side shot, but he turned round to face me!

Mark photographing Red Admiral imbibing salts from poo!

Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris
Spotted Longhorn beetle, Rutpela maculata on Wild Rose

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Dark Green Fritillaries

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja
Another cloudy, dry morning so I went to Cissbury Ring again to hunt for the Dark Green Fritillaries. It was windy and I saw around 12, but each time one rose nearby, it went with the wind and was soon 50 yards away. In spite of this I managed to get a shots of a few of them. At one point I nearly trod on a fat brown female adder curled up on the grass. We looked at each other and as I got a camera ready it slithered off into the long grass - a lovely encounter. A lark sang loudly above. The were hundreds of Meadow Browns and dozens of Small Heaths plus an old Common Blue and Small Copper.
worn Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus
worn Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja
Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja






Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis
Five-Spot Burnet, Zygaena trifolii

Herb Robert, Geranium robertianum
Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina
Bramble, Rubus fruticosus
Cinnabar moth caterpillar, Tyria jacobaea
Red Poppy, Papaver rhoeas
bank of Rock Rose
Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas
Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus
White Bryony, Bryonia dioica
Wild Mignonette, Reseda lutea
Wild Thyme, Thymus serpyllum
Wood Sage, Teucrium scorodonia