October 2012

4 October 2012
On the fourth day of the month the rain had stopped and it was worthwhile taking the camera out. There were still frequent butterflies of five species blown about in the breeze with the leaves, mostly Large Whites frequently seen on the outskirts of town and well over a dozen Red Admirals visited the Ivy on thePixie Path to Mill Hill. These Red Admirals seemed to have moved up the path from the rather faded Ivy in the Butterfly Copse. At least one Comma Butterfly flew out of the Ivy. It was relatively cool (> 15.7 °C) and a the blustery wind (Force 5 gusting to Force 6) from the WSW nearly blew me off the exposed lower slopes of Mill Hill. Conditions were such that I would not have been surprised if no butterflies appeared and this appeared to be the case until I saw my first flutter of a Meadow Brown Butterfly (probably a Small Heath) in the Tor Grass, followed immediately by a Treble-Bar Moth and shortly afterwards a pristineComma Butterfly simultaneously with two Meadow Brown Butterflies.

A Southern Hawker dragonfly flew over the Pixie Path and Frampton's Field. Common Darters(dragonfly) frequently arose from the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Four butterfly (probably five) and one macro-moth species

Mill Hill

31 July 2012
At the expected peak period for the Chalkhill Blue Butterflies felt obliged to check out Mill Hill although the conditions were far from ideal with overcast skies and a very irritating breeze (Force 5) and cool (> 18.6 °C). The first male Chalkhill Blue left the Pixie Path at the southern end, almost in Old Shoreham, which was an encouraging sign. However, when visiting Mill Hill Cutting when for a few minutes, there were twenty male Chalkhill Blue Butterflies fluttering around but most of the butterflies were roosting under a cloudy sky, not being warm enough for them to venture out. On one seeded Hawkweed there were four tattered males resting and the actual numbers must have been at least double those in flight. There was a Large White on the Waterworks Road and a Red Admiral in the Butterfly Copse. A few Gatekeepers were seen around the Ivy and one in Frampton's Field.
 

Chalkhill Blues	Chalkhill Blue	Wall Brown

On Mill Hill the same pattern emerged with almost having to step on any butterflies to get them to show. On the lower slopes one acre transect I counted 64 Chalkhill Blues which comprised 62 active males and one mating pair spotted in about 30 minutes. Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were both frequently seen, most of them disturbed by my presence, with one intact Small Heath Butterfly. In contrast to the butterflies, a few 6-spotted Burnet Moths flew with their wings whirring and would not keep still. Other moths disturbed were two Common Carpet Moths, a Treble-bar Moth or two, and a Shaded Broad-bar, Scotopteryx chenopodiata. Just one Pyrausta nigrata pyralid moth made an appearance, but these micro-moths are easily overlooked.

Red Admirals

4 September 2012
 
About forty Red Admiral Butterflies congregated around a single Buddleia bush by the buffer stop (north of the Riverbank Industrial Estate) west Shoreham. 

Two species, Four Butterflies

Mill Hill Cutting (SE) on 7 September 2012

Slonk Hill Cutting

12 July 2012
The rain held off under an overcast sky. I made a brief detour to the southern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, where immediately the first of a few Marbled White Butterflies fluttered around the fading Common Orchids. 

Marbled White	Ringlet

Then the first of a few Meadow Browns appeared, but it was a few minutes before I saw my first Ringlet Butterfliesof the year. Over dozen of these butterflies flew languidly amongst the orchids in the meadow-like embankment; the longer I stayed the more that appeared.

May 2012

31 May 2012
Just north of Ropetackle at the first bend on to the tarmac cyclepath, I was surpised to note a couple ofSpeckled Woods and a Holly Blue over the Dog Rose and Brambles mix with Sycamore etc. A Large White was seen in  Shoreham and a vanessid on the towpath a few metres north of the Toll Bridge, almost certainly a Peacock. And a Green-veined White patrolled the Waterworks Road.
Five species without trying

30 May 2012
It was certainly pleasant enough (about 15 °C) to visit the downs but I was otherwise occupied and the onlybutterfly of note was a Holly Blue seen on the cottages side of the road as I cycled down St. Jullians Lane, Kingston Buci, opposite the entrance to Shoreham College.

29 May 2012
A Speckled Wood Butterfly make a brief visit to the Marsh Marigolds in my front garden.

27 May 2012
Warm and sunny, and a bit too warm to spend too much time under the burning rays: warm enough for the butterflies to be fluttering around like a few Large Whites over the allotments (seen from a distance). At the top of the Pixie Path (hedge end SW of the bridge to MIll Hill) there were two Speckled Woods and a flightly Holly Blue. (The north-south section of the PIxie Path was overgrown to the point of being virtually impassable without being stung by nettles. I arrived through the Dovecote Estate, north Shoreham.)
 

Green Hairstreak on Horseshoe Vetch		Adonis Blues	Dingy Skipper

On the lower slopes of Mill Hill I did not have the impression that the Adonis Blues were particularly common but the acre transect count still came to at least 128 (including five females). (Because of the heat the trek took over an hour instead of the usual 20 minutes.) At first the handful of pairs were only courting, but as I was about to leave I spotted a mating pair. Small Heath Butterflies were frequently seen (25+) amongst the short vegetation landing with their wings closed and sometimes at an oblique angle to the sun. Two small white butterflies patrolled the bottom hedge without landing to reveal its identity. I would think it is probably a Green-veined White. TheBrimstone Butterfly was positively huge as they sparred, the first of two. Fluttering amongst the undergrowth I noted my first of two Burnet Companion Moths on the day and the first I had seen this year. A few Treble-bar Moths were seen landing on the Brambles and this moth will land on Privet as well. At the northern end of the lower slopes frequent male Common Blues (12+) mixed with the Adonis Blues and there were probably some small females as well.
Just as I was about to leave I had a fleeting glance of an elusive Green Hairstreak. I returned via the lower slopes and then noted five Dingy Skippers at the southern end (area missed out at first). This area upped the Adonis Blues count including the mating pair. An then I spotted another Green Hairstreak which was very keen on visitingHorseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa. Finally, at the top of the steps at the southern end, a Comma Butterfly flew past.
Eleven butterfly species (equal most in a single day so far this year) and two macro moths

26 May 2012
A small white butterfly flew with a noticeable white edge to its wing tips. When in landed in a back garden in Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham, it was confirmed as a Small White and not a Green-veined White.

23 May 2012
It was a sticky rather than a warm (20 °C) day around midday, and I thought I would try the lower slopes of Mill Hill again. I made a false start and I had to return home not before I had seen Large Whites over the Middle Road allotments in Shoreham, a Comma on the grass of Buckingham Park and later pair of  Speckled Woods at the top of The Drive with a the first of two Holly Blues. When  I finally got to the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I was greeted immediately by male Adonis Blues. On the transect acrethe count in 20 minutes was 32 (29 males 3 females including a courting pair) included one in a sorry state with wings that were not properly formed. Altogether I estimated about 60 because I stopped counting. They were complemented by frequent (12+) Small Heath Butterflies, a handful of Brimstones, a Peaock, two Common Blues and a few Treble-bar Moths. Two Green-veined Whites were seen over and around the Pixie Path at the southern Waterworks Road end.
Ten butterfly species

22 May 2012
On the first warm day of the year, a Holly Blue Butterfly and a Large White were seen over the residential part of Shoreham as I cycled by. In the early evening whilst still warm, one more of each were seen, another Holly Blue by Shoreham Library.

20 May 2012
Again, too cool (14.2 °C) for butterflies and too breezy (Force 4 from the north) to photograph flowers close-up, overcast without any sun, the rain of the past few days had nevertheless stopped. Nevertheless, I made an afternoon trip to Mill Hill to check out the extent of the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, which was not so extensive in previous years and nearly at its peak. Despite the cool conditions I did note a Holly Blue and a Red Admiral at the top of Chanctonbury Drive (SE of Mill Hill). On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, there were no sign of butterflies at first and eventually the first of 23+ Adonis Blues appeared and this included a fresh female, the first seen this year. Other butterflies seen on the lower slopes were a few Small Heath and just the one Dingy Skipper. A Small Purple-barred Moth, Phytometra viridaria, made a fleeting appearance.
 

Adonis Blue	Small Heath

For the first time this year I travelled to the middle and upper part of Mill Hill, but there were no butterflies seen.

19 May 2012
At last, the sun appeared briefly in the early afternoon and with it a Holly Blue was seen by the houses on the same side of the road as the Toll Bridge in Old Shoreham. And there were a pair of Green-veined Whites over the Waterworks Road, and two more, later, near Cuckoo's Corner on the Coombes Road.
 

Green-veined Whites

13 May 2012
A Holly Blue Butterfly fluttered over the Dovecote Estate, north Shoreham. At last the sun came out (13.0 °C at 1:00 pm, with a Moderate Breeze Force 4) and with the warmth encouraged the butterflies and for for the first time this year they were common (100+) on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.  But they were slow to appear at first, frequentDingy Skippers and a few bright blue male Adonis Blues were both very lively over the Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa.
 

Adonis Blue	Dingy Skipper	Small Copper	Common Blue

A pristine Peacock Butterfly basked on a Cotoneaster. After twenty minutes the numbers increased and there were at least twenty Adonis Blues, Dingy Skipperseverywhere (60+), a few Green-veined Whites, Brimstone Butterflies of both genders (one female sparred with a Green-veined White), the first male of a few Common Blues of the year, my first of four Small Coppers, occasional Small Heaths, at least two Grizzled Skippers, a fleeting glimpse of a Wall Brown and a single Comma Butterfly. Moths included a Treble-bar and the micro-moth Agapeta hamana.
Adur Skippers
Eleven butterfly species (the most in a single day so far this year)

A Green Hairstreak Butterfly visited a Horseshoe Vetch flower on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, as well as taking an excellent photograph of the micro-moth Pancalia leuwenhoekella.

Hairstreak Report by Su Reed

12 May 2012
In the weak sunshine (12.4 °C), a small collection of butterflies showed on the outskirts of Old Shoreham, including a few Small Whites and a few Large Whites, aGreen-veined White, only my second Holly Blue of the year, a pristine Peacock and a Speckled Wood. My first Odonata of the year, a Large Red Damselfly showed amongst the Stinging Nettles in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road.
Six butterfly species

11 May 2012
Too cool (13.9 °C) for butterflies and too breezy (Force 4 from the north) to photograph flowers close-up, the rain of the past few days had nevertheless stopped in a white fluffy Cumulus blue and white sky. Nevertheless a Small White fluttered over the cyclepath just south of the Cement Works, a Peacock Butterfly fluttered over Anchor Bottom, the first male Orange-tip of the day fluttered around the back of the gardens of the houses in Dacre Gardens (Upper Beeding), and a tattered Small Tortoiseshellwas spotted over the Wild Carrot and Stinging Nettles between the South Downs Way Bridge and Botolphs. Near the end of the afternoon, the weak sun shined and a few more butterflies made an appearance notably a Large White at Botolphs and another one the junction to Applesham Farm on the Coombes Road, and  two male Orange-tips and a Speckled Wood over the east verge of the Coombes Road by Ladywells.
Six species

I headed to Mill Hill to do my butterfly transect. The Adonis Blue made his appearance for the first time this year. I also saw a Green Hairstreak, Peacocks, Small Whites and Small Coppers mating, Dingy Skippers all over the bottom of the hill, a male Brimstone and Small Heaths. A flight of four Peacocks few past me as I ate my sandwich, I assume these were three males pursuing a female. The Dingy Skippers were busy chasing any butterfly that flew near their territory, including Peacocksmany times their size.

Mill Hill Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

7 May 2012
A quick late afternoon dash to Mill Hill provided the first butterflies of any kind this Bank Holiday! In an hour or so we saw about 20 Dingy Skippers, 5-10 Grizzled Skippers, 1 Peacock, 3 Green Hairstreaks and two lovely fresh Wall Brown Butterflies (first of the year). Small Copper and Small Heath also seen (but not by us).

Report by Chris and Tom Corrigan on Sussex Butterfly Reports

Adur Butterflies: First Dates

30 April 2012
A bright turquoise-blue sky showed in the north and east on a breezy unpromising day, but the sun and some of butterflies came out in the afternoon. I checked out the lower slopes of Mill Hill where my first of 14 Dingy Skippers flitted between the thousands of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, flowers. The small day-flying pyralidmoth Pyrausta nigrata flitted occasionally between the Horseshoe Vetch. I also spotted by first Small Heath Butterfly of 2012. At the top of the Mill Hill around theAlexanders on the east side of the road just north of the hedge by the house, a male Orange-tip Butterfly fluttered around without pausing. At the top of Chanctonbury Drive, I noted a Speckled Wood and a Small White. A Large White fluttered in and out of a hedge next to Erringham Road.
Six species
Adur Skippers

I did my weekly transect at Mill Hill as it was a blue sky day. There were several Green Hairstreaks at the north end of the lower slopes, plus many Dingy Skippers and some Grizzled Skippers.

Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

April 2012

30 April 2012
A bright turquoise-blue sky showed in the north and east on a breezy unpromising day, but the sun and some of butterflies came out in the afternoon. I checked out the lower slopes of Mill Hill where my first of 14 Dingy Skippers flitted between the thousands of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, flowers. The small day-flying pyralidmoth Pyrausta nigrata flitted occasionally between the Horseshoe Vetch. I also spotted by first Small Heath Butterfly of 2012. At the top of the Mill Hill around the Alexanders on the east side of the road just north of the hedge by the house, a male Orange-tip Butterfly fluttered around without pausing. At the top of Chanctonbury Drive, I noted a Speckled Wood and a Small White. A Large White fluttered in and out of a hedge next to Erringham Road.
Six species
Adur Skippers

I did my weekly transect at Mill Hill as it was a blue sky day. There were several Green Hairstreaks at the north end of the lower slopes, plus many Dingy Skippers and some Grizzled Skippers.

Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

27 April 2012
A turquoise-blue sky appeared as the clouds blew away in the afternoon and the sun and butterflies came out on an unpromising day. On the outskirts of Shoreham I recorded four Orange-tips (the first one at Buckingham Cutting south, and the others over the Waterworks Road, including one female), at least six Speckled Woods, at least three Brimstone Butterflies, at least six Peacock Butterflies, two Small Whites, one Green-veined White (Pixie Path, north), my first Large White of the year(Waterworks Road) and my first Holly Blue of the year (top of Chanctonbury Drive)..
Eight species of butterfly (the most in a single day so far) were spotted without visiting the downs.
(I did not visit Mill Hill because my camera battery ran out, and I was not happy with the focusing and macro of my new Canon SX40 and now wished I had purchased another camera.)
Adur Butterflies: First Dates

23 April 2012
I left to do my weekly transect at Mill Hill as it was a sunny day (it started raining for all of the afternoon around midday). There was a wind at the start and I was surprised to find a Grizzled Skipper at the top of the hill. Beside the path near the bottom of the hill I found a black Adder. At the bottom there was another Grizzled Skipper, aGreen-veined White, a Peacock, a Small Heath, Speckled Wood and many Dingy Skippers, fighting and nectaring. Just below the car park I found a Small Copper, my first of the year. I tried my new camera, a Panasonic Lumix FZ45 with close-up lens, on the Dingy Skippers and am very satisfied with the results. I am getting depth of field, clarity of detail and colour vibrancy that I cannot achieve with my other cameras.

Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

Adur Butterflies: First Dates

16 April 2012
On a Cumulus day too cool for butterflies, a visit to Mill Hill was only entertained because the forecast for later in the week was worse. Occasionally, a skipper (butterfly)rose from the lower slopes and fluttered rapidly to a new resting place. The only one positively identified was a fresh Grizzled Skipper at the southern end of the lower slopes.

10 April 2012
On a sunny day with a cold wind, Grizzled Skippers and Small Heath Butterflies were seen on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

6 April 2012
Dingy Skippers, a Small Heath and a Green Hairstreak Butterfly were all seen for the first time this year on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, with Grizzled Skippers, aSpeckled Wood, a Green-veined White and a Peacock Butterfly.

Report & Photographs by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

Adur Butterflies: First Dates on an Excel Worksheet

3 April 2012
An unprecedented 26 Grizzled Skippers were seen on Mill Hill and only one of them was a female. A handful of Peacocks and single Comma and Small White were the only other butterflies seen.

Report by Neil Hulme on Sussex Butterfly Reports

Adur Skippers

2 April 2012
There was a chill breeze and no butterflies were seen in the afternoon, not on the Waterworks Road where the two Bee-flies visiting the patch of Ground Ivy were too energetic to photograph or even to identify to species species they would not settle. They were paler than normal, one was a pale orange when viewed from the side.

1 April 2012
I visited Mill Hill again to conduct a butterfly transect. These start on 1 April and are conducted weekly, preferably on a sunny day when the butterflies are out. I walk a set route and record the butterflies I see 2.5 metres each side of my track. Temperature, percentage sunshine and wind speed are also recorded. I will repeat this during the next 25 weeks. Unfortunately due to the cold wind I only recorded three butterflies - a Speckled Wood, a Peacock and a Grizzled Skipper.

Report by Colin Knight on Sussex Postcards

Grizzled Skipper on Mill Hill

29 March 2012
Encouraged by the reports of others, I visited Mill Hill and quickly spotted my first Grizzled Skipper of the year flying around on the northern part of the lower slopes. It
might not have been so easy to spot to newcomers as there were scores of smaller day-flying pyralid moths. Other butterflies on the approaches were one male
Orange-tip and two Brimstones on the Waterworks Road with three Peacocks, a Comma on the Stinging Nettles on the western part of the Pixie Path; and at the top of
Chanctonbury Drive, two Speckled Woods sparred over the Cherry Plum Blossom. There were at least a couple more of restless Brimstones and a few more Peacocks on
the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the middle of the day sunshine.

Orange-tip in March

28 March 2012

Orange Tip Butterfly on Sweet Violet





A Small White Butterfly flew over Frampton Lane in Old Shoreham. On cue, a male Orange Tip Butterfly flew along the Waterworks Road and made a few visits to the
Sweet VIolets. Except, although half expected it was early, the first time I have seen this attractive butterflyin March. A few minutes later as I waited for the Orange Tip to
briefly settle from its endless wandering up and now the lane, I spotted my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year, with its wings closed (an then opening briefly), on a patch
of Ground Ivy. A Peacock Butterfly landed on the same Ground Ivy and the Small Tortoiseshell flew off.Then along came the most magnificent large Brimstone Butterfly I
had ever seen cruised by without stopping. A worn Comma Butterfly fluttered by and then landed on the road. My first Green-veined White Butterfly of the year courted
the Orange-tip and I could see it was twice the size of its erroneous partner. This was another first for March. There was no sign of any Garlic Mustard (larval food plant of
the Orange-tip). Common Bee-Flies, Bombylius major, were frequently seen.

Comma Butterfly

Adur Nature Notes

This links into the main web site
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2012.html

Peacock Butterfly

12 March 2012
Under a blue sky and weak sunshine (14.6 °C) the Sweet Violets were flowering on Mill Hill, where I saw two Peacock Butterflies (my first two butterflies of the year), one flying across the road at the top of the hill and another one fluttering over the lower slopes.

Scope of the Blog: Adur Insects and Spiders

Adur Valley Wildlife
Butterflies, Larger Moths and other Arthropods 2012
Dragonflies & other Flying Insects of Note

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2012.html

Adur Butterflies up to 2011

This blog has been created because I have run out of image space on my web pages.

Earlier reports can be found at

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2011.html