Dark Green Fritillaries

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja

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Another cloudy, dry morning so I went to Cissbury Ring again to hunt for the Dark Green Fritillaries. It was windy and I saw around 12, but each time one rose nearby, it went with the wind and was soon 50 yards away. In spite of this I managed to get a shots of a few of them. At one point I nearly trod on a fat brown female adder curled up on the grass. We looked at each other and as I got a camera ready it slithered off into the long grass - a lovely encounter. A lark sang loudly above. The were hundreds of Meadow Browns and dozens of Small Heaths plus an old Common Blue and Small Copper.

worn Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus

worn Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja

Dark Green Fritillary, Argynnis aglaja

Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis

Five-Spot Burnet, Zygaena trifolii

Herb Robert, Geranium robertianum

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Bramble, Rubus fruticosus

Cinnabar moth caterpillar, Tyria jacobaea

Red Poppy, Papaver rhoeas

bank of Rock Rose

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

White Bryony, Bryonia dioica

Wild Mignonette, Reseda lutea

Wild Thyme, Thymus serpyllum

Wood Sage, Teucrium scorodonia