Thursday 20 August 2015

Common Blues, Small Tortoiseshells and a Brown Hairstreak

Common Blue ♂, Polyommatus icarus
Yesterday I did my Mill Hill transect while the weather was suitable. The buddleia by the car park was covered in Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals and Peacocks - a reminder of childhood. Meadow Browns and Small Tortoiseshells were the winners this week: Adonis Blue 14, Brown Argus 2, Chalkhill Blue 20, Common Blue 11, Gatekeeper 7, Large White 1, Meadow Brown 70, Painted Lady 3, Peacock 3, Red Admiral 4, Small Heath 4, Small Tortoiseshell 7, Small White 1, Speckled Wood 2, Wall Brown 5.
  I then checked out Beeding Cement Factory where the meadow had many pristine Common Blues plus some Brown Argus. Still no sign of Long-tailed Blues on the Everlasting Pea, though sightings have been coming in from other areas of the south coast so we are hoping for a repeat the 2013 influx and subsequent brood.
  Finally I called in at Steyning Downland Scheme where Neil showed me a pristine Brown Hairstreak and Pete later found the first Silver-spotted Skipper on his transect.
 Mill Hill:
Chalkhill Blue, Lysandra coridon
Noon Fly, Mesembrina meridiana
Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui
Painted Lady
Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta and Small Tortoiseshell
Small Tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae
Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady
Round Hill, Steyning:
Common Blue

Brown Argus, Aricia agestis
Peacock, Inachis io
Small Tortoiseshell
Brown Argus courting pair
Common Blue
Small Purple and Gold, Pyrausta aurata
Steyning Downland Scheme:
Bloody-nosed Beetle, Timarcha tenebricosa
Brown Hairstreak 

Brown Hairstreak 
Common Carpet, Epirrhoe alternata
Harlequin Ladybird pupa, Harmonia axyridis
Robin's Pincushion Gall, Diplolepis rosae on Wild Rose
Russian Vine, Fallopia baldschuanica
Speckled Bush-cricket ♂, Leptophyes punctatissima
Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria
Littlehampton:
Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer, Agriphila geniculea
tiny spider - id needed

1 comment:

  1. Excellent photos of the Brown Hairstreak Colin.Not one we can find over here now,but always hopeful.

    ReplyDelete

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