Wendy Ann, goshawks and Buff-tip cats

Wild Rose, Rosa acicularis

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On Friday I explored the west side of the Arun by the golf course.  I was looking for Holly blue caterpillars on ivy buds but instead found plenty of Red Admirals feasting on the nectar.

Saturday was the West Grinstead & District Ploughing Match and Show where my detecting club had a stall. There was plenty of interest in the finds boards and kids enjoyed finding coins in the grass with miniature detectors. There was a very interesting display of Goshawks and a Saker Falcon plus lots of country craft things.

On Sunday we had a club dig where most people had at least a hammered coin and one member had a lovely Roman brooch against which my button did not stand up! However I did find a nugget in the form of 12 Buff-tip moth caterpillars on the tip of a branch of Grey willow, Salix cinerea.  When mature the larvae separate and burrow into the soil to pupate, emerging as beautiful moths in June. I remember seeing them in our garden when I was a kid, looking  like birch twigs. I also saw a pair of mating hoverflies.

West side of the River Arun:

Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus

Large White, female, Pieris brassicae

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta on ivy buds

flower id needed

West Grinstead & District Ploughing Match and Show:

Goshawk, female, 15 months, Accipiter gentilis 

Goshawk, male, 5 months, Accipiter gentilis

Saker Falcon, Falco cherrug 7 years

Buff-tip moth caterpillars:

Buff-tip moth larvae, Phalera bucephala

Hoverflies mating, Helophilus pendulu

Hope Gap butterflies

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On Thursday I joined Mark at Hope Gap following up on a report of Clouded Yellows in the vicinity. Instead we found plenty of Small and Large Whites, Red Admirals and Small Coppers. The views were splendid on this fine day.

Common Centaury, Centaurium erythraea

Hope Gap

Large White, female, Pieris brassicae

Large White, female, Pieris brassicae

Large White, male, Pieris brassicae

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Small White, female, Pieris rapae

Afterwards we met Neil at Steyning Downland (the old Rifle Range) and saw a Brown Hairstreak which refused to come down from an ash tree. Neil counted 7 in total.

Brown Hairstreak, Thecla betulae in ash tree

Common Darter, female, Sympetrum striolatum

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Small White, female, Pieris rapae

Orchids, a slow worm and Square-stemmed St John's Wort

Dwarf  or miniature Orchid

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Yesterday when I visited Rewell Wood with Jenny we saw a slow-worm crawling across the path. It was medium sized and in excellent condition. Later we saw a yellow plant which I have now identified as Square-stemmed St John's Wort. This afternoon I returned to the woodland with Violet Helleborines. There were no more flies present, instead some ants were burying themselves in the bowl of the flower in the same way the flies had. A spider had  attached a web to one of the plants which may explain the absence of flies.

Slow-worm, Anguis fragilis 

Square-stemmed St John's Wort, Hypericum tetrapterum

Square-stemmed St John's Wort, Hypericum tetrapterum

Violet Helleborine, Epipactis purpurata with ant