Friday 10 June 2011

Cissbury Ring

female Common blue
Yesterday morning I visited Cissbury Ring. Its always a pleasure to enjoy the views and plentiful life on this Iron Age fort. Heavy black cloud and light drizzle forced me to take cover under the trees at the south side and I was rewarded by seeing two Tree Creepers in action. As advertised, they flew to the bottom of a trunk then hopped up, mopping up insects and spiders on the way before they flew to the bottom of the next trunk and repeated the process. I then watched a pair of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers performing similar behaviour in the trees at the bottom of the meadow on the south west side. The butterfly action was mostly in the ditch on the south side where an Adonis Blue insisted on posing beautifully many times. He was disturbed by Common Blues and a worn Argus Brown.


Today I returned, heard cuckoos and saw a kestrel hovering above the hill. Because of the wind all the action was in the wooded part of the ditch. A pristine Red Admiral posed plus a beautiful female Common Blue. I also saw two worn Green Hairsteaks and a blue demoiselle. Both days I saw many Meadow Browns, Large Skippers and Small Heaths.


Jackie joined us on a trip to London yesterday afternoon for Penny’s third book launch for The Jawbone Gang - see next blog post.
worn Common Blue
larva of Mullein moth feeding on Mullein





Yellow Shell moth Camptogramma bilineata
Adonis Blue
worn Brown Argus
female Common Blue
female Common Blue
Adonis Blue
Oedemera nobilis beetle

Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
Oedemera nobilis beetle
Horseshoe Vetch, foodplant of the Adonis Blue larvae

Oedemera nobilis beetle





Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue

Meadow Brown




Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Common Orchid
mating Meadow Browns
Large Skipper
Cinnabar moth





Small Heath



Common Blue
Common Blue
Common Blue
Common Blue
Red Admiral
Green Hairstreak
Meadow Brown
Meadow Brown
female Common Blue
female Common Blue
Large Skipper
female Common Blue
female Common Blue
female Common Blue
female Common Blue
Red Admiral
Large Skipper
Large Skipper
Large Skipper
Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea

Wild Thyme


2 comments:

  1. Small Heath caption is wrong, probably just a typo. And check Bugle is

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, appreciate the input, must try harder :)

    ReplyDelete

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