Monday 13 August 2012

Steyning Brimstones and Mill Hill Walls

Brimstone, male, Gonepteryx rhamni
Yesterday I did my Mill Hill butterfly transect and found the second brood Adonis Blues have increased dramatically since Thursday. I also found 3 Small Tortoiseshells and 3  Walls which obligingly opened their wings in contrast to those at Chantry Hill and Steyning. The rest of the transect results: Adonis Blue 23, Chalkhill Blue 68, Common Blue 5, Gatekeeper 7, Holly blue 1, Meadow Brown 174, Peacock 1, Red Admiral 1, Small Heath 1,  Small White 1, Speckled Wood 1. I saw an adder in a usual basking spot and a Roe Deer dashing across the bottom field.
I then visited Steyning Downland in case the Brown Hairstreaks were out. I arrived to find a dozen other enthusiasts were on the same mission. We saw a male Brown Hairstreak high up on an Ash. It headed down but we lost sight of it. I then went up the far hill and enjoyed an hour with three male Brimstones which were busy nectaring on the thistles and other flowers. I shot about a thousand images at 1/4000sec to capture open wing images and was pleased with the results. A wall patrolled the path, but would not open its wings.
Mill Hill:
Adder, Vipera berus
Roe Deer, Capreolus capreolus 
Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae
Wall, female, Lasiommata megera
female Wall on open ground where they bask
Wall, female, Lasiommata megera
Wall, female, Lasiommata megera
male Brimstone and female Small White
Steyning Downland:
male Large White and male Brimstone
Hornet Mimic Hoverfly, Volucella zonaria
Large White, female, Pieris brassicae
Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina on Teasel
Peacock, Inachis io on Teasel
male Brimstone in flight, Gonepteryx rhamn:









































Brimstone, male, Gonepteryx rhamni

2 comments:

  1. Excellent collection of difficult shots. Any image of a Brimstone with open wings is tricky to get!
    Neil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Neil, it was a good afternoon even without the female Brown Hairstreaks.

      Delete

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