Steyning Downland scheme

Common Blue female, Polyommatus icarus

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During visits to Steyning Downland on 6 and 9 August I saw Cinnabar larvae, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Yellow Shell, Common Footman, Common Nettle-taps and many Horse Chestnut Leaf Miners on nettles by a chestnut tree covered in brown leaves by the path. Many juvenile common lizards were on mole and ant hills plus a Blue-tailed Damselfly cleaning itself on a nettle. In the enclosed prunus area I spotted a tiny moth, 2mm long, dancing around on a bullace leaf. It is a Stigmella species but there are many which look identical. Scrubland Pigmy (Stigmella plagicolella) has prunus as its foodplant so it may be this. There were also many bug species and other insects.

22-Spot Ladybird, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata

Alder Spittlebug, Aphrophora alni

Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans

Blue-tailed Damselfly cleaning itself

Box Bug late instar nymph, Gonocerus acuteangulatus

Cinnabar larva, Tyria jacobaeae on Hoary Ragwort, Senecio erucifolius

Common Footman, Eilema lurideola

Common Green Lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea

Common Lizard, Zootoca vivipara

Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana

Cranefly, Nephrotoma scalaris

digger wasp female, Ectemnius species

Dock Bug nymph, Coreus marginatus

Fire Bug, Corizus hyoscyami

Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus

Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner, Cameraria ohridella

Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner

hoverfly, Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Leaf hopper, Eupteryx urticae

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Mirid Bug, Liocoris tripustulatus

Pearl Veneer, Agriphila straminella

Sand wasp, Crabronidae species

possibly Scrubland Pigmy, Stigmella plagicolella

Yellow Shell, Camptogramma bilineata