Butterfly monitoring, or simply just watching them, continues to involve either a patient wait for showers to pass, or rapidly moving location in a dash to ambush some sunny spells. With easy access to highpoints on the South Downs, from where the incoming weather can be viewed, it has been possible to squeeze at least some success in between the squalls. Until the Jet Stream shifts northwards, I fear that it will be more of the same for the foreseeable future.
On 17 May I joined a West Sussex County Council ranger and a very helpful local farmer to look at the results of last year's grazing on the Fairmile Bottom LNR near Arundel. This was also the opportunity to show them the Duke of Burgundy, which colonised from Rewell Wood a few years back and is now beginning to establish a substantial colony. We spotted 13 individuals; a good tally so early in its delayed flight season.
I then moved to Rewell Wood, for one of my last visits this year during the Pearl-bordered Fritillary flight season. Although I still managed a three-figure count (over the entire complex), it became clear that we are now in the early part of the tail-end. One or two males are still emerging, but the vast majority of both sexes are now showing signs of wear and tear. It appears, as feared, that my most pessimistic assessment of their season was correct; due to the very cold and dry spring, numbers are greatly down from last year's glut.
On 18 May I visited a northern (private) area of Rewell Wood, where a newly established colony of Duke of Burgundy appears set to stay; seven individuals were seen, including a couple of females. It was also clear that Grizzled Skippers, which I love seeing in a woodland setting, are still emerging.
19 May offered the sort of warm sunny weather we took for granted over the last couple of springs. There was such an abundance of butterflies in the Springhead Hill meadow that I found it difficult to move on for another survey. Duke of Burgundy was by far the most common species present, and widely distributed over the entire site. I did my best not to worry about the ever-increasing number of paths being worn into the turf, but failed. A systematic search of the low scrub soon revealed a mating pair.
Having bumped into a friend, Louise, at Springhead, I offered to show her the Washington chalk pit site. This proved to be a good decision, as she soon spotted a mating pair of Dingy Skippers. There were plenty of other species on offer here, but it wasn't long before dark clouds and rain heralded a return to the spring weather of 2021.
