Hummingbird at Cissbury Ring

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

to view a Slideshow, click here, then choose Fullscreen (top right)

A visit to Cissbury Ring yielded some interesting sights. Dark Green Fritillaries were everywhere on the top but gave few chances to photograph them. I found  a few nectaring. Then a Small Skipper perched on a ragwort flower and a hungry Crab Spider tickled it. A Stonechat perched on the top of various bushes accompanied by a female. Then I spotted a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. The last time I saw one was in 1983 in Dhahran. This was a challenging moth to photograph, but I managed to get a few shots at 1/2000 and 1/4000 second.

a Forester moth Adscita spp.

Dark Green Fritillary

Stonechat - male and female

caught in flight

view east to the Seven sisters

The chimney is Shoreham Power Station, beyond that is Brighton.

view south-west to Littlehampton (tower block)

Dark Green Fritillary

Dark Green Fritillary

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Crab Spider Xysticus cristatus with Small Skipper

Crab Spider Xysticus cristatus

larva of Cinnabar moth

Dark Green Fritillary

larvae of Cinnabar moth with Crab Spider Xysticus cristatus

Southwater and amazing Wimbledon final

Meadow Brown

I visited Southwater Woods again but saw no Purple Emperors on the ground. Someone had left 3 smelly bait areas for the PE on the slope. The only living creature that showed interest was a dog which rolled in two of them. I met Susie taking a party on a butterfly tour and they did see a Purple Emperor on the ground briefly. 

The were Meadow Browns everywhere, Silver-washed Fritillaries, White Admirals, Large Skippers, Green-veined Whites, Red Admirals, Marbled Whites, a Small Copper.

I arrived back in time for the men's final and we enjoyed Novak Djokovic's brilliant performance against Rafael Nadal.

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Meadow Brown

Large Skipper

Spotted longhorn beetle Rutpela maculata

Southwater, Mill Hill and Wimbledon

male second brood Green-veined White

to view a Slideshow, click here, then choose Fullscreen (top right)

Yesterday I visited Southwater Woods early and saw a Purple Emperor flying above the master oak tree. I then did my weekly butterfly transect at Mill Hill with the following results: 1 Comma, 5 Green-veined White, 2 Large White, 3 Marbled White, 8 Meadow Brown, 1 Red Admiral, 12 Small Heath.

In the afternoon we watched the men’s semi-finals and saw our gallant Andy disappear under a Nadal avalanche after a promising start. Should be an interesting final.

Marbled White

Marbled White taking off

Silver-washed Fritillary

this may be Lesne's Earwig Forficula lesnei

There are four native species of earwigs in the UK. This one has a red mite attached to it.

Comma at Mill Hill

camouflage of Red Admiral

Red Admiral 

Common Red Soldier beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Marbled White at Mill Hill

Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium

Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis with fly

Red-tailed Bumble Bee Bombus lapidarius

It was a  fluffy cloud day at Mill Hill

Mullein at Mill Hill