Scarce Tortoiseshell and adders

Scarce Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis xanthomelas

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

On Thursday I walked my second butterfly transect at Mill Hill, Shoreham. I counted only 3 butterflies, a Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. It was still cool when I started at 10:30am and more butterflies appeared as the temperature rose in the early afternoon. I saw a coiled adder at the bottom of the steps. On the shrubbery at the bottom I found my first damselfly of the year, a male Large Red. Also a new micro moth, a Roller. John spotted a Wavy-barred Sable and Ian found a Brimstone Moth and a Straw-barred Pearl. All four moths were in pristine condition. Yellow dung flies were crawling over the Alexanders bushes by the car park.

  I then visited Pulborough Brooks again in case the Scarce Tortoiseshell was visible. It was showing when I arrived and stayed in its 'usual' area from 1:04 to 2:17pm.  A few other lucky enthusiasts were able to see the rarest butterfly in Sussex. See my previous post for more info: http://bit.ly/1JqZz7e  A Willow Warbler sang nearby.

  I returned to Pulborough yesterday, but there was no appearance by the Scarce Tortoiseshell (aka Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell). Instead, a lovely black adder slithered across the grass and a silver one glided through the bracken. A Blue Tit carried moss to its nest and Dark-edged Bee-flies nectared on Lesser Celandines.

Adder, Vipera berus

Brimstone Moth, Opisthograptis luteolata

Little Roller, Ancylis comptana

Greenbottle, Lucilia species

male Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula

Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae

Straw-barred Pearl, Pyrausta despicata

Wavy-barred Sable, Pyrausta nigrata

Wood Violet, Viola riviniana

Alexanders, Smyrnium olusatrum

Ichneumon wasp, Ichneumon insidiosus

Yellow Dung Fly, Scatophaga stecoraria on Alexanders

it's Spring!

Pulborough Thursday:

Black Bulgar fungus, Bulgaria inquinans

Highland cattle

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Scarce Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis xanthomelas
aka Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell

Scarce Tortoiseshell

Scarce Tortoiseshell

Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus

Pulborough Friday:

Adder, Vipera berus

Adder

Blue Tit with nest material, Cyanistes caeruleus

Dark-edged Bee-fly on Lesser Celandine, Bombylius major

Dark-edged Bee-fly

Peacock, Inachis io

Periwinkle, Vinca major

Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus

Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae

Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes
it worked its way along the bank.