REPORTS (Narrative):
19
November 2004
A
butterfly fluttered under the eaves of Southwick
railway station. It was almost certainly a Red
Admiral and it may turn out to be the
last one of the year.
14
November 2004
A
Red
Admiral Butterfly was attracted to Verbena
bonariensis still showing flower in my
south Lancing garden at TQ 186 044.
A
late butterfly flew strongly over
a garden near Buckingham Park in Shoreham in
the afternoon (TQ 219 063).
It was almost certainly a Red Admiral Butterfly.
The
temperature only reached 8.9 ºC.
Adur
Butterfly List 2004
Adur
Butterflies Flight Times
13
November 2004
With
the sun very low in the clear blue autumnal sky, the temperature only reached
8.0 ºC, the coolest daytime temperature since 11
March 2004. Understandably,
there were no butterflies.
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
11
November 2004
Four
or five Red Admiral Butterflies danced
around Lancing Clump in pairs. The
air temperature reached 11.1 ºC by the time this message was received.
Maximum
air temperatures ° C for
the beginning of November 2004:
| 1st | 13.2 | 4th | 15.8 | 7th | 14.3 |
| 2nd | 13.7 | 5th | 12.3 | 8th | 13.2 |
| 3rd | 14.9 | 6th | 13.2 | 9th | 11.9 |
These temperatures are lower than for the beginning of November 2003, but on 2 November 2003 there were gales and on the 9 November 2003 the highest daytime temperature fell to 10.9° C, although temperatures over 15° C occurred at least five times later in the month.
Shoreham Beach Weather Station Detailed Statistics
5 November
2004
A
Red
Admiral Butterfly was seen in Ullswater
Road Sompting.
Adur Butterflies Flight Times
4 November
2004
Red
Admiral Butterflies were reported in numbers
up to three at a time from south and north Lancing, Old Shoreham (Waterworks
Road) and a north Shoreham garden by three
different observers. A Silver Y Moth
was seen on the footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks Road.
One specimen that settled on the gravel Waterworks Road, perhaps for the
additional warmth, was a dark choclate brown on the upper wings, whilst
the specimen resting on a wooden fence in a garden was black.
3 November
2004
A
Red
Admiral Butterfly fluttered strongly over
my south Lancing garden at TQ 186 044.
1 November
2004
A
single Red Admiral visited
my north Lancing garden.
A Clouded Yellow Butterfly was seen at Upper Beeding.
31
October 2004
Two
Clouded
Yellow Butterflies were seen in Shoreham.
A single Red Admiral was seen this morning in Anwier Avenue, south Lancing.
26
October 2004
A
Red
Admiral spotted in a sunny garden on Old
Salts Farm Road, Lancing.
25
October 2004
I
spotted a blue butterfly fluttering around a sunbathed garden on the Manor
Road, near St James-the-less church in North Lancing. It flew 60
cm from the ground and quickly disappeared. I'd guess it was a Holly
Blue.
At
least two of the Red Admiral Butterflies
have not gone into hibernation yet as they were still fluttering around
the Ivy and one was disturbed from the muddy footpath approach to Mill
Hill from the Waterworks Road.
24
October 2004
Five
Red
Admiral Butterflies seen.
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A damaged
Large
White Butterfly visited the back garden
of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham
(TQ 219 063).
Shoreham:
Towns & Gardens 2004
22
October 2004
A
couple of Red Admirals
appeared in south Lancing, Sussex, one in my garden at TQ
186 044, another a half a mile away. They
looked fresh but first one had section of its wing missing.
18
October 2004
A
Speckled
Wood Butterfly rested on the seat at the
top of McIntyres Field (north-west).
A few Red Admiral Butterflies were seen in my south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).
16
October 2004
A
few Red Admiral Butterflies
were seen at Lancing
Clump.
A Speckled Wood Butterfly was seen on the edge of McIntyres Field (near Lancing Clump).
14
October 2004
A Red Admiral Butterfly immediately advertised its presence in the Butterfly Copse (near the Waterworks Road) followed by a Small White Butterfly and then a Comma. There was another Comma on blackberries on the the footpath approach to Mill Hill.
There was a Red Admiral Butterfly in the grounds of Shoreham Community Centre and a Small White flying near Shoreham Airport Terminal building.
Just one butterfly was seen in a twenty minute sojourn on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. A Small Copper was at the northern end and probably the one seen before. A single Silver Y Moth chose the shelter amongst some Wild Privet.
11
October 2004
A
few Swallows
flying over Mill
Hill, with just one Wall
Brown Butterfly near the Wayfaring
Bush by the path in a fleeting visit to the
lower
slopes. A Red Admiral Butterfly fluttered
off the Ivy on the footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks
Road.
10
October 2004
As
Mill
Hill was buffeted by a Force
6 Strong Breeze from the east, two Wall
Brown Butterflies were seen, one south-west
of Mill Hill Bridge (over the A27) and the other on the path at the
top of the lower slopes. A Comma
Butterfly fluttered briefly over one the
glades that uses to be clear a few years before. A Red
Admiral Butterfly settled for a moment
on the path just north of the reservoir.
9 October
2004
Speckled
Wood Butterfly and a Large
White still just outside by patio door
in my Shermanbury garden
(upper River Adur).
8
October 2004
Only
one butterfly was seen on the upper slopes
of Mill
Hill, and this was a Comma
in a glade south of the upper car park.
7
October 2004
Early
morning and their was a chill in the air with the temperature falling to
10.2 ºC, only rising to 15.5 ºC despite the sun being out in
mid-afternoon. Could this explain the dearth
of butterflies? Just a handful of Meadow
Browns at the northern end of the lower
slopes of Mill
Hill and a Clouded
Yellow Butterfly.
On
the footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks
Road, the sun was out but there was some many bees, bumblebees,
wasps, flies and hoverflies that only one
Red
Admiral Butterfly found a place to settle.
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
Butterflies
in flight on Lancing Ring were a few each
of Speckled Woods on
the bridlepath and in the wood, Red Admirals
everywhere and Small Whites
nearer the houses.
So
the total number of butterflies for the day fell to about twenty actually
seen of just five species.
6
October 2004
The
following butterflies were seen on Lancing Ring
and the surrounding meadows: 1 Red Admiral,
1 Clouded Yellow
(on the western side), several Wall Browns,
4 Small Heaths (this
is both the first record received from both the Lancing
Clump meadows and for the month of October),
many Whites
and many Speckled Woods.
Six
species in a day is notable for October.
Not a lot to report but in my Shermanbury garden (upper River Adur): a Large White on the Ivy and a Speckled Wood on the blackberries.
On
the footpath approach to Mill Hill
from the Waterworks Road, the first butterflies
to be seen as the large droplets of rain threatened a deluge were two Comma
Butterflies, on the Ivy, close enough
for both to fit in the camera frame, followed immediately by a faded, but
not ragged, Painted Lady Butterfly
which settled on the path for over a minute, during which time just a single
Red
Admiral fluttered up from the Ivy, before
I took shelter from the rain shower.
A good
condition Wall Brown
fluttered over the lower slopes of Mill
Hill and then more were discovered with
four at one time, plus a damaged specimen which gave a minimum of five
of these flighty butterflies and maximum of ten, the two counts because
the higher one may have involved the same butterfly being counted twice.
They visited Milkwort
and Stemless Thistle
but as usual with this butterfly they preferred to land on bare earth where
available. Again it was the Devil's Bit Scabious
that attracted a dozen plus Meadow Brown
Butterflies. The worn Adonis
Blue and a ragged female
Common Blue (not
the Brown Argus, too much blue on the upper
wings) were both
present at the northern end of the Shoreham Bank after a five minutes wait
and roam around to see if they would appear.
There
were no butterflies of any species on the middle or upper slopes of Mill
Hill. Altogether about thirty butterflies
of seven species made an appearance in an hour.
4
October 2004
On
the footpath approach to Mill Hill
from the Waterworks Road, I was surprised
by a small butterfly that turned out to be
a Small Copper,
the first from this area, and a first seen in October. A few Red
Admirals were pristine and a Comma
Butterfly was in good condition. These
latter two butterflies were attracted to the Ivy.
Two
Red
Admiral Butterflies were also to be
seen on the southern part of Mill Hill, one by the last houses and the
high hedge and another one fluttering over the long grasses and scrub.
Rain
was spitting just after midday, but for a very brief interlude there were
a few rays of sunshine, which brought a few butterflies
in flight, definitely confirmed on the lower slopes
of Mill
Hill were a handful of Meadow
Browns, one dazzling bright Clouded
Yellow that flew incessantly over the
slopes without stopping, a Small Copper
near the Tor Grass, a battered and worn Brown
Argus, even more ragged than before, the
worn and almost unrecognisable Adonis Blue,
one Small White Butterfly and
that was it for the butterflies, although there was the small moth Pyrausta
nigrata. (A Wall
Brown was not confirmed and Small
Heath Butterflies appeared to be absent.)
The Brown Argus
was a first October record as well.
The
count was eight different butterflies for the day.
Adur
Butterflies Flight Times
1
October 2004
The
Buddleia
is
still blossoming well in my south Lancing garden (TQ
186 044) and it continues to attract one,
sometimes two Red Admirals.
The
Hummingbird
Hawk-moth is still coming to feed as it
has been doing for at least the last week.
and Lancing Nature Notes
A
Large
White Butterfly flew languidly slowly
over the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham
Park), (TQ 219 063).
There was a brown butterfly as well which had been seen before, but flew
too quickly to be identified. By default I have got it down as a Meadow
Brown, but it could have been a Small
Tortoiseshell.
No
either brief sign of the sun breaking through the clouds, although
the temperature was 17.6 ºC in a Moderate Breeze; but
still it was only just about warm enough to send the few worn and battered
butterflies and bumblebees into flight. Again,
I had to thank the Devil's Bit Scabious for
any butterflies at all. A dozen Meadow
Browns, some new, some badly worn, at
the northern end of the lower slopes of Mill
Hill, with one new Wall
Brown, and a badly worn and slightly damaged
blue butterfly, which was so damaged that a positive identification was
not possible. It looked like an Adonis
Blue, but not the one seen on 24
September 2004 as the wing damage was
different. I does look almost identical to one spotted on 26
August 2004.
The
Wall
Brown was observed nectaring
on Wild Basil
and the flightly Adonis Blue
on Carline Thistle.
If
it was an Adonis Blue Butterfly,
and this seems likely, this would be the first one I have recorded in October.
Adur
Butterflies Flight Times
30
September 2004
A
Large
White Butterfly flew slowly over the back
garden
of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ
219 063).
On Slonk Hill,
there were so many orb web pages of the Garden Spider, Araneus
diadematus, it would been that any butterflies
would have had a difficult job avoiding them.
c.
29 September 2004
A
Small
Copper Butterfly is seen on Lancing Ring.
27
September 2004
A
few (4+) Red Admiral Butterflies fluttered
over the Brambles on
the footpath approach to Mill Hill
from the Waterworks Road. The path running
parallel with the A27 produced a pristine Wall
Brown Butterfly. One was seen on the path
earlier in the year. It flew rapidly and it did not return. This species
of butterfly is easy to miss.
After
the rain and with the misty clouds rolling over the downs,
it was humid (87 %) but still warm, up to 19.2 ºC, although
it it did not feel warm, it was certainly sticky. Butterflies
were frequently seen but there were not all that many, just the one Small
Heath Butterfly, the first seen, on the
lower
slopes of Mill
Hill, followed by a dozen or so Meadow
Browns, four or five Wall
Browns (northern end, not near the Tor
Grass), one Brown Argus
sparring with a Small Copper,
and two amorous Common Blues,
the bright blue of the male particularly noticeable as they chased each
other rapidly.
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
The ridge on Mill Hill produced just one Small White Butterfly.
26
September 2004
A
Hummingbird
Hawk-moth visited the Buddleia
in my south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).
Two
Holly
Blue Butterflies and a few (4+) Red
Admiral Butterflies fluttered over the
Brambles
on
the footpath approach to Mill Hill
from the Waterworks Road. The same
Comma
Butterfly of two days previously was seen
with its wings open again.
A
handful of Small White Butterflies
were seen near gardens in Shoreham.
A
Hummingbird
Hawk-moth briefly visited a garden
in north Shoreham.
24
September 2004
Quite
unexpected but two Holly Blue Butterflies
were flying were fluttering around a large overgrown Privet hedge (about
three metres high) that I was in the process of pruning. These may be the
third brood?
In
the north-west corner of the horse's field on the footpath approach to
Mill
Hill from the Waterworks Road, A Comma
Butterfly and then a Red
Admiral arose from the Brambles.
It
was over five minutes down on the lower slopes of Mill
Hill before I spotted by first butterfly
flying in the distance. It was too far away, but when I arrived amongst
the Tor Grass at the bottom of the slope in the central area, it looked
like the same butterfly appeared again and it was a Wall
Brown. It was unusual for this one to
be the first butterfly of the day, although a suspected third brooder was
observed in the same area last year.
Less than a minute afterwards an splendidly iridescent blue butterfly,
a strong flying Clouded Yellow
and a Small Heath Butterfly
appeared. Such a bright blue, I strongly suspected an Adonis
Blue Butterfly, although the photograph
made look like an exceptionally bright Common
Blue Butterfly. The Devil's
Bit Scabious and surrounding flora then immediately
produced at least three Meadow Browns
and the same Small Copper Butterfly
as seen on my last visit. There were over 15 Meadow
Browns, and a single Brown
Argus Butterfly was definitely and clearly
spotted as well as two or three or more female Common
Blues*. A Large
White Butterfly fluttered past. Later
a Small White Butterfly
was also seen. In the field to the north-west of Mill
Hill Nature Reserve a Red Admiral
fluttered amongst the Brambles.
(*
identity not confirmed).
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 |
|
|
|
(too large for a Brown Argus.) |
Of the thirteen (or fourteen) species of butterfly seen on Mill Hill, ten (or eleven) were exclusive to the lower slopes, two were on the footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks Road, and one species, a half a dozen Speckled Wood Butterflies were in the copse at the top. No butterflies of any species were recorded in the long grasses on the upper slopes.
23
September 2004
Even
the Small Whites
are diminishing in numbers, one over Southwick Green and another by St.
Julian's Church, Kingston Buci and one in Upper Shoreham Road, Shoreham
(near the Driveway).
22
September 2004
Just
a solitary butterfly fluttered in the Strong
Breeze from the long grass to the east of the Chalk Pit in Lancing
Ring Nature Reserve. It was probably a Meadow
Brown.
21
September 2004
I
managed a short visit to Malthouse
Meadow, Sompting, in the warm sun. The western edge of the meadow is
sheltered from the breeze. I was able to spot Small
White, Comma,
Red
Admiral,
Speckled
Wood and a Small
Copper Butterfly in the space of about
fifty metres.
A
pristine Red Admiral Butterfly,
one Large White,
one Small White
and a Meadow Brown
fluttered above the Waterworks Road. A few
more Red Admiral Butterflies flew
over the ivy with one Comma Butterfly
further up the path to Mill Hill.
In the breeze under an overcast sky, few butterflies were expected and there may have been under twenty on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. The first to appear were a handful of Meadow Browns, a few Small Whites, at least one Large White until I reached the Devil's Bit Scabious at the northern end when one good condition female Common Blue with her wings closed nectaring on a the blue flowers, two more Meadow Browns and a Small Copper Butterfly were seen simultaneously. Less than a minute later there was a good condition male Common Blue Butterfly and more Meadow Browns and maybe another female Common Blue, although it could have been the one seen before. Small Heaths were not seen. They are usually obvious and I kept an eye out for them. They had either finished for the year or were hiding in the breeze or roosting? All the butterflies on the day were very flightly.
18
September 2004
More
than two good condition Red Admiral Butterflies
are seen flying strongly around the Buddleia
in the Somerfield supermarket entrance, Shoreham town,
where they have not been seen before this year, but have been regular visitors
in previous years. I speculate they were immigrants from France, or could
they have been newly emerged local stock? A few Small
White Butterflies were seen as well.
17
September 2004
The
Garden
Orb Spiders are spinning their deadly
webs in gardens and wasteland around Shoreham. In the back garden
of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ
219 063), the
spider
captured
the Small White Butterfly which
was wrapped up and moved up the web into shelter to be eaten in a few minutes,
estimated to be between five and ten minutes.
16
September 2004
It
took until just after midday before I saw my first Small
Copper Butterfly of the year on a clump
of Devil's Bit Scabious
with at least three Meadow
Brown
Butterflies, one Small
Heath, and two Common
Blue
Butterflies all at the same time, at the
northern end of the lower slopes of Mill
Hill. Butterflies
numbered less than a hundred in 25 minutes on the lower slopes including
a total of 35+ Meadow Browns,
15+
Small Heaths,
10+
Common Blues,
1+
Small
White, 1 Large White,
1 Small Copper
and one
Wall Brown
(near the Wayfaring Bush
by the path). One particularly worn blue butterfly, so worn it could not
be identified, although probably a Common
Blue, seemed to follow me wherever I went.
At southern end of the Waterworks Road a Speckled Wood Butterfly fluttered by. On the footpath approach to Mill Hill from the Waterworks Road amongst the Brambles and Elderberry near the north-east corner of the horse's field, three Comma Butterflies and five Red Admirals were seen within less than a minute.
15
September 2004
After
the gales and late in the afternoon, it was unlikely that I would spot
more than a handful of butterflies
on the lower slopes
of Mill
Hill in the fading light. The butterflies
could still be around but they had already chosen to roost and two Small
Heath Butterflies were actually discovered
roosting on two Devil's Bit Scabious
flowers, so torpid that they did not fly off even when tickled. This
was despite an air temperature of 17.8ºC at 5:00 pm.
Later I disturbed a two Meadow Brown Butterflies
which took flight and a Small Heath
and a Large White Butterfly
were seen fluttering, the latter rather languidly. A dozen or so Small
White Butterflies were seen as I cycled
past the residential gardens in Shoreham town.
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 |
Comma,
Painted Lady and Large
Whites about this morning in my
south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).
Verbena
bonariensis is popular as ever as a plant
attractive to flying insects.
12
September 2004
The
first time I ever saw two Comma Butterflies
together appeared on the Buddleia
this morning in
my south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).
At first I thought there were no butterflies around on the south side A27 road embankment immediately north of Buckingham Park, under an overcast sky, except for the omnipresent Small Whites which seemed to be everywhere in gardens and wasteland and footpaths, but then in the area of the Brambles, three Comma Butterflies, one Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood Butterfly appeared in quick succession.
9 September
2004
A
Large
White Butterfly and a Silver
Y Moth were seen in Ray
Hamblett's south Lancing garden (TQ
186 044).
Small
Whites were common (100+) in the urban
areas on a sunny day in a Moderate easterly
Breeze with an air temperature that reached 25.1 ºC with
one faded Painted Lady Butterfly
on Lancing beach.
The
Butterfly Copse (near the Waterworks Road)
produced at last four Speckled Wood Butterflies,
a few (2+) bright Red Admirals,
a Holly Blue and
a Small White
all within five minutes.
Adur
Butterfly Location and Numbers Records 2004 (under construction)
8 September
2004
The
Butterfly Copse (near the Waterworks Road)
produced a Speckled Wood Butterfly,
very bright Red Admiral,
a Holly Blue,
a Small White
and Comma
all within five minutes disturbed by a dog walker. Small
Whites were everywhere in Shoreham town
with numbers exceeding one hundred, but no Large
Whites were identified.
The
Coastal
Link cyclepath north of Old Shoreham hosted a few Red
Admiral Butterflies, scores of Small
White Butterflies, one Painted
Lady; just the three species of butterfly.
South-east of the Toll Bridge there
were more of the same, a Red Admiral
defended its territory near the railway buffer, and losing out temporarily
to an immigrant Painted Lady.
A new addition to the day list was just one Common
Blue Butterfly.
Anchor
Bottom, (Dacre Gardens entrance) looked different with shorter grass,
but there were fresh cow pats and after a ten minute climb, nothing of
interest was seen and only two butterflies, one Small
Heath by the gate and a Meadow
Brown further up the hill amongst the
small Hawthorn
bushes dotted all over the slope.
Eight
butterflies on the day without a visit to Mill
Hill.
A Comma Butterfly was seen in my south Lancing garden (TQ 186 044).
7 September
2004
The
lower
slopes of Mill
Hill on a breezy sunny day hosted 8 male
Chalkhill
Blue Butterflies, at least 5 male Adonis
Blues, a dozen or more Common
Blues of both sexes, one or two Clouded
Yellow Butterflies, 20+ Small
Heaths, 15+ Meadow
Browns, a handful of Small
Whites and a Speckled
Wood or two amongst the Brambles
at the top of the slope near the Wayfaring
Tree (near where the stile used to be). A
lone Red Admiral
fluttered over the footpath from the Waterworks
Road (skirting the horse's field) to Mill Hill.
6 September
2004
A
fresh Large White Butterfly
settled on a Buddleia
near the Eastern Avenue railway crossing gates, Shoreham. I expect we will
see a lot of these butterflies from now on, with the numerous Small
Whites around.
5
September 2004
Late
in the afternoon from five o'clock because it was too
hot (26.7 ºC
at 3:30 pm) and humid (74%) before then, it
is rarely a good time because the blue butterflies would have already gone
to roost. And so it proved on the lower slopes
of Mill
Hill with just six confirmed Adonis
Blue Butterflies,
of
which five of them were females, about ten Common
Blues with more smaller than normal females
than males, two Brown Argus,
and just the one intact Chalkhill Blue,
which was a male with a lot of brown on the wings. Five Clouded
Yellow Butterflies fluttered by, one a
particularly vivid yellow, 25+ Meadow Browns,
25+ Small Heaths some
in an amorous mood, and a handful of Small
Whites.
A
Large
White Butterfly was seen in the back garden
of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ
219 063).
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
4 September
2004
On
a sunny day, a short visit to Lancing Ring
via the Mill Road entrance and through the butterfly meadow was not enhanced
with a wealth of butterfly sightings but dotted with incidents. A Common
Blue here and a Meadow
Brown there. I saw ten blues at most including
one Small Copper and
four Meadow Browns
with
just a single Red Admiral.
The
visit occurred at 4:00 pm.
A longer visit may have been more productive but this brief late summer
visit was short on highlights.
More Adonis Blue Butterflies could have emerged on the lower slopes of Mill Hill as I counted 31 and I think there were more as the females were hard to see. Two Clouded Yellow Butterflies were seen fluttering strongly over the short herbland on the steepest slopes. In contrast the Chalkhill Blues were over with only eight definitely seen. The only surprise was a very late Peacock Butterfly flying east to west south of the reservoir on Mill Hill and over the lower slopes with 30+ Small Heaths, 25+ Common Blues, at least two Brown Argus, with the concentration almost entirely on the lower slopes, except for a dozen or so Speckled Woods in the Hawthorn scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. Small White Butterflies were everywhere including Mill Hill, but no Large Whites were identified.
One
of the first butterflies of the day was a
Comma
Butterfly on Ivy in the Butterfly Copse
(near the Waterworks Road) accompanied by
two Red Admirals.
Before these, a Red Admiral
was seen in its usual place on the cyclepath
south-east of Old Shoreham Toll Bridge.
Adur Butterflies Flight Times
3
September 2004
An
immigrant Clouded Yellow Butterfly
fluttering over Widewater Lagoon, south
Lancing, was a surprise.
On
the Coastal Link cyclepath north of Old Shoreham,
a bright yellow Brimstone Butterfly, (first
local record for September), fluttered around
the Buddleia.
Small
Whites were the commonest butterflies
around, with a few Speckled Woods
in the shaded bits, a few Red Admirals
over a widespread area, and at least eight Painted
Ladies were prominent on the cyclepath
south-east of the Toll Bridge. No
blue butterflies of any species were actually chanced upon, but they were
probably present if searched for. A Large
White Butterfly was seen in Ray
Hamblett's south Lancing garden (TQ
186 044) with best view and highlight of the
day of a Hummingbird
Hawk-moth visiting the purple Buddleia
in the same back garden. The furry caterpillar
from the same garden looks like that of the Muslin Moth, Diaphora
mendica, (not confirmed). It is reported to eat various low
lying herbs including dandelions, chickweeds, docks and plantains.
What
is that Caterpillar?
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My
cycle ride was on the Coastal Link cycle ride to Botolphs and back via
the Coombes road.
John
Knight (West Sussex CC Ranger) spotted a brown-blue butterfly in the
long grasses just south of the Cement Works. I think from the description
that this is one of the colourful female Common
Blues
that I have seen around recently on Mill
Hill, but so far failed to obtain a recent photograph.
Adur
Butterflies Flight Times
Lancing
Nature Notes
An
air temperature at 24.1 ºC at 1:10
pm seems to indicate an Indian
summer, with blackberriers working holiday time in the pleasant sunshine
with scarcely a breeze.
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
There
is such a dearth of butterflies in my south
Lancing garden (TQ 186 044) recently
that I have had almost nothing of interest to write about. With high temperatures
returning after a long wet spell and very little wind, sightings are improving.
A
Red
Admiral has located the Buddleia
in the back garden and regularly nectars from it. Such is the territorial
instinct of the creature that it attempts to drive off any other animal
including a Painted Lady Butterfly
that came close.
A
Comma
very briefly alighted on a Yellow Coneflower, my attempt to photograph
it probably scared it off. Small White
Butterflies have been plentiful, and seen
almost every day when not raining, even then appearing soon after a shower
passed. Large Whites
are less prevalent but have been seen.
A
Hummingbird
Hawk Moth (mentioned
above) on the dark purple Buddleia
provided the first sighting of the year.
2
September 2004
Lower
slopes of Mill Hill
With
many of the Adonis Blue Butterflies
(first September records) worn at the edges, it was not easy to immediately
differentiate them from the Common Blues
that were also on the wing. There were more than 30 of each on the lower
slopes with at least a dozen possibly 20 worn Chalkhill
Blues.
Small
Heaths were frequently seen almost constantly
just in ones, numbering about 30+. Almost all female Meadow
Browns were erratic, not so many, but
all the butterflies clustered around the
Carline
Thistle plants and there were five Meadow
Browns and two Adonis
Blues on one plant with two Adonis
Blues
mating adjacent to it. The total of Meadow Browns on the lower slopes alone
exceeded 25. There was at least one Brown
Argus and one Small
White Butterfly.
 |
 |
 |
| This
is one of the smaller female Common Blues (definitely).
It is 20% smaller than normal. A few Bird's Foot Trefoil are in flower. |
on Devil's Bit Scabious |
Carline Thistle was very attractive to the butterflies. There were five Meadow Browns and one female and one male blue butterfly on this plant all at one time. |
One small brown butterfly with brown and golden wings (probably worn) and orange spots was probably an old female Common Blue. Altogether there were at least 150 butterflies of six species in 15 minutes.
There were a handful of Speckled Wood Butterflies in the wooded areas and probably more as I did not stop.
The upper slopes of Mill Hill seem to have less butterflies, notably frequent Common Blues, Meadow Browns and Small Heaths, in the long grasses near the copse, one pristine male Adonis Blue in the Triangle area, one pristine female Adonis near the Rabbit warren just off the edge of the ridge, and at least one worn Chalkhill Blue south of the reservoir.
Small White Butterflies were seen in the urban areas with one or two on the downs.
1 September
2004
Only
the usual common butterflies of the upper
slopes of Mill Hill were present,
including at least one Brown Argus,
in the ten minute stopover. This was the first Brown
Argus recorded in September in the Adur area
on these web pages.
Also,
the first Holly Blue for
September was seen in the twitten between
Ropetackle and Victoria Road, Shoreham. Alas, the possible Green-veined
White near Shoreham Community Centre was not
confirmed. No Adonis Blues
were spotted on the upper slopes, so these could not be a first September
sighting either.
BC.jpg)
BC.jpg)
