Bugboys mission

[bugboy]

August 2023

Sunday 20th. Another long day taking in a few sites started off at Southwick harbour. A search of the BLEP here turned up nowt. But there were a few Common & Holly Blues and Red Admirals active, strangely no Whites though.

I spent about half an hour here before making a move, heading for Southwick Hills where a lot of Gorze grows (possible LTB…). The lane up to the hills proved rather productive with Browns and Whites popping up regularly. A Small Heath with a very messy eating habit and a Gatekeeper ab. lugens were amongst the several butterflies which distracted me.

Gatekeeper ab. lugens

Gatekeeper ab. lugens

Further up some barely recognisable, ghostly Walls flitted around, still lively enough to get into scraps with each other. It was whilst I was taking a few snaps of the least tatty one that I caught sight of something bright orange quietly sat on a bramble leaf at the side of the path. You know it’s a good year when Brown Hairstreaks show up when you’re not looking for them!

Even better, there were two of them as I found out when I disturbed another as I was going in for the first ones closeup. They kept me occupied for the best part of an hour.

At the top of the Hill, I found that the Gorze wasn’t in flower, and hadn’t been for many months, so the likelihood of LTB’s here was rather remote. Time to head west to see what else I could add to the days species list.

[bugboy]

August 2023

Sunday 20th cont. The footpaths leading in the general direction of Mill Hill were rather overgrown and in the sheltered nooks (it was quite breezy today) there were a few more distractions.

I decided to bypass Mill Hill which didn’t seem to be performing particularly well, and headed over the river to Lancing Ring again. The chalk pit seemed mostly empty aside from a few Browns, that is until I spied a bright orange flag sitting atop some Hemp Agrimony. I knew they are found here but I had other butterflies on my kind at the time so for the second time in a day, there was an impromptu delay from a Brown Hairstreak !

This one didn’t stick around as long as the others but there were further distractions and two more species for the days list.

I finally dragged myself from the Hemp Agrimony to find the familiar figure of Lindsay Morris watching over the final days target. He had a few nicks and a bit of wear but he was still in reasonable nick, the LTB wasn’t in bad condition either .

[David M]

Wow! Brown Hairstreaks and Long Tailed Blues on the menu at the same site.

That'd make for an impeccable combo should you get the two in the same frame!

[Wurzel]

Cracking find there Bugboy This season seems to have been pretty good for Brostreaks but to find them with an LTB woah

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Great shots Bugboy, lucky you with the Long Tailed Blue I've yet to find even the the Brostreak, Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks David, not too shabby a day to be fair eh. Just imagine living near there and that being your local patch though!
Thanks Wurzel, it really was raining Brown Hairstreaks this year, so much so they were already playing second fiddle to others for me and we were still in August!
Thanks Goldie. Brown Hairstreaks are spreading in Kent nowadays so you’re bound to come across some in your travels


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August 2023

Tuesday 22nd. Another day in Sussex, this time Perry Hill via Burpham Meadows. It wasn’t the sunniest of days and the morning was a rather gloomy affair. Just a few Green-veined Whites were seen as I walked through the damp meadows, mostly disturbed by me.

Thankfully it did brighten up a bit once I got to Perry Hill and there were plenty of butterflies to bother with my lens. Perry Hill itself is one of those sites which is on the cusp of being an amazing site if only the management could be tweaked so it’s not so heavily grazed by sheep. Whether that can or will happen is anyone guess but the range of species is what you would expect for chalk downland in Sussex. Most of the activity today, and likely in general at this time of year, is centred around clumps of wild Marjoram protected from grazing by bramble. Meadow Brown and Small Heath were both out in significant numbers. I paid a bit of attention to the former, there were quite a few good looking females amongst them.

Also present were a selection of Blues, mostly of the Common and Chalk hill persuasion but one fresh male Adonis was found.

Solitary Adonis

Only a single Silver-spotted Skipper was found, a rather worn female suggesting it was all but over for them here this year.

A few Comma and a Small Copper completed the species list for the slope with some Specklies and Holly Blue flitting around the shady lane leading up to it.

A pretty decent haul for the day so far but I still had the second half to go yet with a pleasant surprise awaiting me.

[bugboy]

August 2023

Tuesday 22nd cont. I’d always planned to stop off at Pulborough Brooks in the afternoon to see if I could find some more Brown Hairstreak but since the sun had come out I got somewhat distracted on the return walk through Burpham Meadows and let time run away from me. The path was bordered with what can only be described as a forest of Hemp Agrimony and a variety of butterflies had joined the earlier GVW to make full use of the banquet.

By the time I got to Pulborough it was gone 4 and most likely too late to find any Hairstreaks. However, zooming around the golden sea of Fleabane was my first sighting of a Clouded Yellow of the year, and since it was quite late in the day, he was in the mood for regular pit stops.

Also here was a very fresh Small Copper amongst a small variety of others feeding up before the sun disappeared.

A worthwhile detour even if I was too late for the main target.

[trevor]

Good that you managed to catch up with the rather scarce Clouded Yellow this year.
I only managed two this season, unlike last year when we were spoilt for choice.

Great stuff!

[Wurzel]

Brilliant collection of images Bugboy Love the Brimstone shot in particular and those Cloudys are cracking of course Bought my ticket for next weekend and I've been doing some exercise to warm up my pint arm

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Trevor, I think this years contingent of Cloudies came across via Brittany and hit the south west coast. From there its not far as the Cloudie flies to south Wales, hence David M’s bonanza.
Thanks Wurzel, see you next week . Might even be worth bringing the camera if the sun comes out, a fair to middling chance of a Red Admiral sighting I’d say!


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August 2023

Wednesday 23rd. More Sussex escapades, this time Malling Down overlooking Lewes where I’ve not been for a few years. I’d always found it good for Silver-spotted Skippers so they were the main target. They actually turned out to be rather thin on the ground and the portion of the site I explored, the old chalk pits on the north side, did seem to be rather overgrown, the grass sword much taller and thicker than I remembered it being and certainly not optimum condition for a thriving population of SSS. In the end I managed to spot around fifteen or twenty a far cry from the three figure counts I would expect a few years ago.

I amongst the normal ones I did find a couple of abs, both with variations of the underside spots.

A selection of other species typical of the habitat, although as with the Skippers, I was left somewhat underwhelmed with the numbers present.

[millerd]

It sounds like the Silver-spots didn't do very well anywhere this year, Paul. Even double figures is pretty good going.

Malling Down is somewhere I've driven past (and under!) many times and not visited - shame on me, particularly as it has always fascinated me as being the site of the UK's worst fatal avalanche... Apparently a nearby pub, the Snowdrop Inn, commemorates this event.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

"Might even be worth bringing the camera if the sun comes out" I'm going to rely on my phone camera if an Admiral turns up - I wouldn't trust myself by the end of the Social

Hopefully the Silver-spots will bounce back next year as they were a bit thin on the ground round my way too - although they may have started earlier than in previous years? Lovely looking aberrents

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a fabulously well-marked Silver Spotted Skipper, Paul. I don't think I've ever seen one like that on the Continent.

[bugboy]

Possibly a wise move Wurzel. The weather does look ok next weekend at the moment, mostly cloudy but some sun and low double figures
Thanks David, a new one in the flesh for me too !


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August 2023

Wednesday 23rd cont. By midday I felt I wasn’t going to see much more than what I’d already found in the Chalk pits of Malling Down so I went exploring in and around Lewes. First along the river north out of Lewes. Numerous Small Whites were present along the first stretch.

A little further on there was some flood defence work going on, building up the banks of the river. The work had left the sides largely scoured clear of vegetation and not worth hanging around, much like the Cloudie that shot past!

A little more wandering lead me to Offham marshes where a sea of Agrimony and Marjoram had attracted a variety of butterflies. Well the Marjoram had, the Agrimony was now in seed and I spent a half my time picking them off my legs. The butterflies themselves (mostly Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Brown Argus) were very active and mostly near impossible to get close to but I did capture a particularly fine looking Meadow Brown.

I then returned to Lewes and had a wander around the cemetery. I’ve been here once before late in the season when portions had been left to grow wild and proved quite productive. Today I found that a much larger portion had been offered back to nature and Whites, Browns, Common Blues and Brown Argus were around in good numbers.

One Brown Argus was a very persistent little bugger!

The final stop was also in Lewes, the Railway Land nature reserve. There wasn’t much to find in the wooded parts but in a meadow area close to the river there was thick growths of Legumes, mostly Melilotus and Trifolium sp. amongst which I could see flying several Blues. The initial excitement was a little premature, I failed to turn any of the Common Blues into something more exotic, although one did turn into a Chalk Hill, presumably having wandered down from the overlooking hills. There was also a few Small Copper here.

[bugboy]

August 2023

Thursday 24th. I fancied returning to Perry Hill again today. I’d been on Google maps and made note of a few places nearby that warranted exploring as well. It was a sunnier morning and there was a bit more life fluttering around the Hemp Agrimony in Burpham Meadows this time. I didn’t hang around too long though a fresh Red Admiral insisted I pause a bit.

Predictably it was much the same cast on Perry Hill as it was two days previously. Curiously, this was the third day in a row when I’ve seen butterflies feeding from Round-headed Rampion after years of seeing it being completely ignored.

Amongst the numerous Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Chalk Hills was another Adonis and replacing the solitary knackered female SSS from last time was a knackered male.

After an hour or so I set off to explore pastures new, doing a meandering loop heading north, east and south. Ending up on what I think was parts of the Angmering estate. A very large and noisy flock of Martins (I think Sand and House were both present) did distract me for some time. Many of the butterflies I saw seemed to be in-between broods or simply tailing off as they were only seen here and there and most looked somewhat past their sell by date. Despite this, one individual was rather noteworthy, a Silver-spotted Skipper on what turned out to be a new site for the species .

Martins gathering before migrating south

Setacious Hebrew Character

I’ll definitely be exploring this slope next year, it did look suitable for several spring species too.

[Wurzel]

That first Meadow Brown from two posts back is a gorgeous specimen - those creamy tones in amid the grey on the barring Did persistence pay off for the Brown Argus?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That Adonis Blue really shines out, Paul. Lovely image.

I like that Hebrew Character too. Are they usually active in daylight?

Never seen red mites on a golden skipper. It's usually Marbled Whites that get lumbered with them.

[bugboy]

Yes, she was a fine figure of a Meadow Brown wasn’t she Wurzel , and no, persistence didn’t pay off!
Thanks David. No I think those moths, like most of the 'typical' Noctuids, are primarily nocturnal. I disturbed it and placed it on the leaf for it’s photoshoot before moving to somewhere safer. Strange that you say that about the mites, I see them on Skippers quite often, although generally on older ones so perhaps the mites Lifecycle only partially marries up with the Skippers .


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September 2023

Saturday 2nd. I went for an afternoon exploring along the South Downs Way today between Eastbourne and Beachy Head. The start wasn’t teaming with butterflies, any activity being centred around patches of Ragwort and Marjoram that was still in flower.

Most posed perfectly but the one butterfly I made a concerted effort to get, a fresh female Adonis, had other plans!

I’d hoped to find some Walls along my old hunting ground, a stretch of the Way I’d nicknamed Wall Brown Alley but it had become very overgrown, almost impassable in places, so even if they were out they wouldn’t be here anymore.

Beyond here I’d never really explored but there’s plenty of grassy habitat along the Beachy Head Road and Small Heath in particular became very numerous, in amongst them were a couple of interesting abs with extra ocelli.

There was also one amongst the Meadow Brown contingent.

Blues and Coppers continued to pop up throughout the afternoon in what was a very enjoyable distraction from the mundane chores I was successfully avoiding back home .

Adonis and Chalk Hill

[Neil Freeman]

...I like that Hebrew Character too. Are they usually active in daylight?

Sorry to be pedantic but it is a Setaceous Hebrew Character, a different species to the spring flying Hebrew Character.
They are both night flyers but any moth can be disturbed from their resting place during the day.

I have yet to see red mites on any species around my patch, they seem to be more prevalant on southern sites with Gloucestershire (Prestbury Hill and Daneway Banks) being the furthest north I have seen them so far.

Cheers,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Thanks Neil. I’ll give David the benefit of doubt and presume he was shorthanding the name of SHC which I had labelled. Good to have its ID confirmed though, I don’t always get my moths right !
Interesting to hear about the lack of those mites further north, I’d never noticed that on my northern excursions. I wonder if they’ll start spreading north with climate change?


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September 2023

Sunday 3rd. Today was a two site day with a very long interconnecting walk. Staring off at Newhaven I took a stroll through the River Ouse Estuary Reserve where the morning sun had woken up numerous Small White, Common Blue and Small Copper.

Amongst the latter was a rather special butterfly, my very first ab radiata. All other butterflies were instantly forgotten when this one appeared.

After he left, other butterflies returned to my focus with a couple of Green-veined White and a Holly Blue providing some extra variety.

From here it’s not far (and therefore obviously makes perfect sense) to walk up to the regular LTB breeding site at Buckle Bypass. Here however there wasn’t much going on. I very brief sighting of what was probably a LTB vanishing at speed up the slope and a fresh female Wall doing a similar activity in slow motion was all I saw, the terrain here makes it impossible to give chase to anything moving faster than a snail!

To complete my tour of Newhaven I wandered through Tidemills where I found several butterflies sampling BLEP nectar,

and then across the estuary at the fort where I found some more Small Copper (quickly becoming the most numerous butterfly of the day) and a Comma.

Now for a long walk, I'd planned to follow the coastal path to Brighton!