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Interesting background info on the Edible Snail, James. The one I saw at Denbies is the only one I've ever seen in the UK.
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The run of good weather was set to continue, so on Saturday 29th May I set off on the trek by public transport down to Hutchinsons Bank near Croydon. Failing to check for traditional Bank Holiday Weekend engineering work, I ended up on an enforced detour via Wimbledon, but still reached my destination soon after eleven.
I knew Bugboy would already be there, and (as requested) he had kindly reserved me a nice fresh Glanville Fritillary to start things rolling. Their emergence was only just underway (I see larger numbers have been seen on subsequent days) and overall we saw perhaps three or four individuals during the day. The one we had seen initially also turned up later on patrolling the bottom path: I have noticed this pattern of behaviour before as they disperse during the day. Hutchinsons Bank is far from being just about Glanvilles, with many other species seen during the visit including the other site speciality the Small Blue. Ones and twos were to be found in almost every nook, but there was a concentration in one particularly favoured spot near the "scrape", which is where all these shots were taken. Dingy Skippers were also to be found all over the site, and many were fresh; one feature of the species here seemed to be their darker than usual chocolate colouration. A few other species... ...plus a notable number of Brimstones still on the wing - sometimes all at once! Before we left for the day, the Glanvilles provided more entertainment. With their stunning colour when fresh, they almost glow against the green.
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Dave