Adonis Blues make a comeback

Adonis Blues mating, Polyommatus bellargus

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

Yesterday I took advantage of the sunny weather to do my Mill Hill transect: Adonis Blue 55, Brimstone 7, Common Blue 2, Dingy Skipper 7, Grizzled Skipper 3, Peacock 4, Red Admiral, Small Heath 12, Speckled Wood, Wall 2. This was the best Adonis count in May since 2012. I also found the following moths: Common Nettle-tap, Plum Tortrix, Silver Y, Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae), Common Carpet, Treble-bar plus male and female Azure Damselflies. I then headed to Kithurst meadow and saw Duke of Burgundies, Dingy Skippers, a Carrion Moth and a Satin Grass-veneer. The past two evenings we have been visited by Shuttle-Shaped Darts and a Bright-line Brown-eye.

May 15:

Bright-line Brown-eye, Lacanobia oleracea

Bright-line Brown-eye

Shuttle-Shaped Dart, Agrotis puta

Mill Hill, May 16:

Azure Damselfly ♀, Coenagrion puella

Azure Damselfly ♂

Common Nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana

Plum Tortrix, Hedya pruniana

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria

Kithurst meadow:

Carrion Moth, Monopis weaverella

Duke of Burgundy, Hamearis lucina

Satin Grass-veneer, Crambus perlella

Snail-killing fly, Trypetoptera punctulata

Littlehampton:

Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Turnstones, Ringed Plovers and a Sanderling

Turnstone crabbing

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

On Tuesday morning we took Aunt Bea to the Pallant Gallery where we enjoyed the current exhibitions and had a lovely lunch in the foyer. We used to enjoy eating in the restaurant but that is now restricted to more expensive fare and we prefer the lighter lunch menu.

  Late in the afternoon I visited a local beach at low tide to see if there were any Turnstones in full mating plumage. I found just one, but it wouldn't allow me to get near. Some of the other turnstones were more obliging. A Sanderling and a Ringed Plover were feeding with them at the water's edge. I was pleased to find the Ringed Plovers that I saw at the end of March are now nesting. I hope foxes don't find them.

views from the Pallant Gallery:

Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus

Great Black-backed Gull

Turnstones and Ringed Plover

working on the Rampion Offshore Windfarm

Turnstones facing off, Arenaria interpres

Turnstone in full breeding plumage with Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula

Ringed Plover on nest

Sanderling in summer plumage, Calidris alba 

Turnstone in full breeding plumage

East Beach Cafe:

Eastern Baton Blues and Grecian Copper larvae

Eastern Baton Blue, Pseudophilotes vicrama clara

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

On Day 4 of our Corfu trip (April 11) we moved from John & Lynne's wonderful villa at Arillas to very nice apartments at Dassia. On the way we visited Paleokastritsa and met up with Corfu naturalist Giannis Gasteratos. During the day we saw many butterflies including Oriental Marbled Skipper, Glanville Fritillary, Clouded Yellow, Wood White, Wall, Brown Argus Common Blue, Green-underside Blue, Green Hairstreak, Painted lady  and Grecian Copper larvae. Other wildlife: Balkan Green Lizard & Minstrel Shield Bug. Later we visited the Old Fort area of Corfu Town where I saw Blue-throated Keeled Lizards on the trees. After booking into our apartments I walked down a road to the sea, then found a woodland path back. This led me to a hillside with bee hives at the top, and wonderful flora on the chalky slope. I found some Eastern Baton Blues which was our first sighting of this butterfly. There were also Common Blues, a Painted Lady and Clouded Yellows. When it was dark I saw a White Ermine moth and a Muslin Moth by the light at entrance to the apartments.

John & Lynne's villa:

Paleokastritsa 

Asparagus Pea, Tetragonolo purpureus

Brown Argus, Aricia agestis

Brown Argus

Clouded Yellow ♀, Colias croceus

Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus

Glanville Fritillary, Melitaea cinxia

Large Pink Cistus, Cistus incanus

Mallow-leaved Bindweed, Convolvulus althaeoides

Oriental Marbled Skipper, Carcharodus orientalis

Rush Veneer, Nomophila noctuella

Wall ♂, Lasiommata megera

Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra

Wood White, Leptidea sinapis

Spotted Fritillary larva, Melitaea didyma

olive grove

harshly pruned olive trees

Euphorbia species

Minstrel Shield Bug, Graphosoma lineatum italicum

unidentified moth

Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis

Common Blues mating

Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi

Green-underside Blue, Glaucopsyche alexis

Green-underside Blue

Green-underside Blue

Mediterranean Hartwort fruit, Tordylium apulum

Mediterranean Hartwort

Narrow-leaved Cistus, Cistus monspeliensis

Spittlebug, Cercopis sanguinolenta

 Old Fort area of Corfu Town:

taverna where we had lunch served by Celia

wall decoration in taverna

Judas Tree, Cercis siliquastrum

Judas Tree

Blue-throated Keeled lizard, Dalmatian algyroides

Barbary Nut, Moraea sisyrinchium

Wood White, Leptidea sinapis

Wood White

bee and fly on Scabius

Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus

Eastern Baton Blue, Pseudophilotes vicrama clara

Eastern Baton Blue ♀

unidentified mo

Dor Beetle, Geotrupes stercorarius

Muslin Moth ♂, Diaphora mendica

Muslin Moth ♂

White Ermine, Spilosoma lubricipeda

White Ermine

unidentified larva