Kithurst Meadow & Rewell Wood - 10th May

A day trip into West Sussex with the hope of finding two new butterflies. In the morning I drove to Storrington and from there up the steep hill to Kithurst Meadow which is also accessible from the South Downs Way (as we discovered the previous year on our South Downs Way walk during August). Kithurst Meadow is accessed through a gate and although small is size it is rich in flowers and butterflies. Fairly quickly we found some Duke of Burgundy butterflies including a pair mating. There were also some very nice fresh Common Blues and Dingy Skippers.

male Duke of Burgundy

female Duke of Burgundy

mating Duke of Burgundies

male Common Blue

In the afternoon I carried on further south west to Rewell Wood in the hope of finding Pearl-Bordered Fritillary. Rewell Wood is a large site with many intersecting rides and so it can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack but after about an hour I found some other fellow butterfly enthusiasts and soon tracked down the target. As expected the Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries were zipping around in the afternoon warmth but as the day progressed they slowed down enough to allow their photographs to be taken.

female Pearl-Bordered Fritillary

female Pearl-Bordered Fritillary