Nick Turner's Nature Blog

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Mill Hill - 8th May

On the way back from Storrington I dropped in at Mill Hill where the Adonis Blues were out in good numbers. For two hours all I saw were male butterflies but then a female arrived and immediately she mated with a male. A male Common Blue spent most of its time doing battle with an equally territorial Small Heath. The Horseshoe Vetch here is stunning in colour and profusion.

male Adonis Blue

mating Adonis Blues

male Common Blue

Horseshoe Vetch at Mill Hill

Kithurst Meadow - 8th May

I managed to get across to Kithurst Meadow near Storrington nice and early, just after 8.00 a.m., when the air temperature was cool and some hazy sunshine. The male Duke of Burgundies were very easy to find and photograph, preferring to sit on leaves and bushes as the day began to warm up. Most were in very good condition. There were several Dingy Skippers and I also saw a Common Blue and Grizzled Skipper. I managed to find a single Twayblade on one of the paths.

Duke of Burgundy

Twayblade

Friday, May 8, 2020

Park Corner Heath - 7th May

I was very much looking forward to this trip having followed online the conservation work that has been carried out here during the winter. This Sussex Butterfly Conservation Reserve is home to some threatened county species and at this time of the year the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries are on the wing, zipping around in the warm sunshine and only really slowing down after 5pm to nectar on the Bugle flowers. I found two separate groups of butterflies, totallling at least 10 butterflies. Some appeared already quite worn and damaged, maybe an occupational hazard from all that high speed flying and gliding. I also found 1 Small Copper, 1 Small Heath and 1 Grizzled Skipper and several Brimstones which seem to do very well here.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Grizzled Skipper

Small Copper

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Horseshoe Plantation - 6th May

My favourite little spot Horseshoe Plantation is looking a bit rough at the moment owing to the fact that part of it has been cordoned off to allow a few wild ponies to graze, part of the natural management of Beachy Head. However, although it is a bit down trodden it doesn't seem to have put off the butterflies. The Green Hairstreak colony on the east side of Belle Tout Wood seems healthy with at least six butterflies in a fairly small area. A single Grizzled Skipper, Small Heath and Common Blue with several Dingy Skippers. Also a Bee Fly and a few small Early Purple Orchids.

Looking west to Seaford Head

Green Hairstreak

Bee Fly

Early Purple Orchid

Beachy Head - 4th & 6th May

Beachy Head is at its best in spring, with the first of the downland flowers starting to come into bloom and early butterflies on the wing. Whitbread Hollow has two sheltered spots that are great places to search for both Dingy and Grizzled Skipper as well as Small Heath and Small Copper. On this occasion I also found four Wall Browns which tend to sit on the paths sunning themselves. There is also a spectacular showing of thousands of Early Purple Orchids by the 'Z Bends'.

Dingy Skipper

Grizzled Skipper

male Wall Brown

female Wall Brown

female Small Copper

Early Purple Orchid

Dingy Skipper

Monday, May 4, 2020

Castle Hill NNR - 3rd May

Castle Hill NNR near Woodingdean is renowned as one of the best places in East Sussex to see Early Spider Orchids. This year in the usual area they seemed more plentiful than in 2019 - it was quite easy to find 50 or more spikes without intensive searching. Due to their diminutive size initially difficult to locate, most of the plants here being no more than 10 cm tall.

Early Spider Orchid

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Bexhill Cemetery - 2nd May

At the beginning of May Bexhill Cemetery has a carpet of flowering Green-winged Orchids, with several hundred spikes growing in amongst the graves. The variation in colour is quite striking, some much paler pink than others.

Green-winged Orchid