Silver studded blue in West Sussex

[Susie]

Can someone recommend a reliable site for silver studded blue in West Sussex please? The closer to Horsham the better.

Thanks

Susie

[millerd]

Susie,

It's not in West Sussex, but it's not that far off: Thursley Common in Surrey. The area around SU905400 was alive with them this time last year. Hope that helps!

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

Today, Friday (on my way home) Silver Studded Blues at Fairmile Common (Heath) near Cobham (the one without the first H) where I found the colony to be superb. Park at: TQ117617 and enter heath on opposite side of road and you will find the SSBs, especially to right of track. You don't need to go more than 100 metres.

Jack

[millerd]

Tat's interesting to know, Jack - that's not far from me. I have also found them at Chobham Common (with the "h"!) just to confuse everyone further...

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

It wasn't my find. Gibster first mentioned Fairmile on 12 June under June sightings. Thanks for the tip off.

Yes, I too have seen them at C*H*obham Common.

Jack

[millerd]

Thanks indeed - easy to pop out to have a look with a following wind on the M25...

Dave

[Vince Massimo]

Susie,

If you want to stay in West Sussex, the best place is easily Iping Common. It is 25 miles from Horsham (same distance as going to Cobham). I have never been there myself, but understand that it is a mega-site (see Sussex report dated 27th June 2009). Neil should have more information.

Cheers,

Vince

[Jack Harrison]

Yes, Iping is good but a very large site with pockets of reasonable density of SSBs but with many areas blank. I certainly found Fairmile quite the easiest place I have come across for seeing/photographing SSBs.

Jack

[Susie]

Thanks, everyone, your replies are greatly appreciated. I wondered if I had upset you all when there wasn't a response for a while.

Iping was the place I had in mind to visit, and I will definitely visit there at some point in the future, but if they are at Cobham then I think I will firstly try that site particularly with a detailed idea of where to look.

I went to Thursley last year and managed not to see anything but I will give that a go again too at some point.


Thanks again for your help

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Susie,
Just back from a butterfly safari (Norfolk, Cambs, Shropshire), so only just seen this thread. Although SSB can be found elsewhere in West Sussex, you can't go wrong at Iping and Stedham Commons. By mid week Iping will be crawling with them. As Jack points out, they are localised over the area, but some patches hold very high numbers and it would be very hard to miss them! Good luck.
Neil

[Susie]

Cheers, Neil, your knowledge is much appreciated as ever.

I will try to fit Iping in this week too. Fingers crossed.

[Vince Massimo]

I popped in to Fairmile Common, Cobham late this afternoon. Just a slight problem finding the car park, which is down the road marked "ACS Cobham International School" off the A307. Jack was right, it is a cracking site, with the numbers of Silver Studded Blue building nicely. Most of the sightings were on the left side of the track today. The warm but cloudy conditions meant that they were to be found roosting on the taller clumps of heather and started basking when the sun began to break through. I am only 4 junctions away on the M25, so may well be going back this week.

Male Silver Studded Blue

Cheers,
Vince

[NickB]

Cracking SSB
I hope to find some tomorrow. Aiming for Westleton in Suffolk....I have the Suffolk BC report on SSB sites....
N

[Piers]

That's really interesting Nick,

I can never seem to be able to ascertain which sites are natural colonies and which are introductions or reintroductions..! Are you able to give me any pointers...?

Cheers Nick.

Felix.

[lee3764]

That's really interesting Nick,

I can never seem to be able to ascertain which sites are natural colonies and which are introductions or reintroductions..! Are you able to give me any pointers...?

Cheers Nick.

Felix.

Felix,

The S.S.Blue colonies on the dunes at Perranporth in North Cornwall are natural & huge too! This summer, if you can find the lower parts of the dunes that are sheltered and moist and still got nectar in this dry spell, can produce several thousand of these little blue butterflies during the 2nd half of June!!! They must be the biggest colonies in Britain & the butterflies can fly up around you like whilst walking around like confetti as they are so numerous!
You'll have to go & see them sometime!
Cheers,
Lee (Cornwall).

[NickB]

That's really interesting Nick,
I can never seem to be able to ascertain which sites are natural colonies and which are introductions or reintroductions..! Are you able to give me any pointers...?
Cheers Nick.
Felix.

Hi Felix
SSB Report may shed some light on that..
http://www.suffolkbutterflies.org.uk/co ... survey2009
....re-introductions do take place on the Sandlings.....tho' seeing how. without regular management - burning or grazing - sites can get easily overgrown, the butterfly is likely to have ranged over a shifting network of re-generating heathers anyway as the Sandlings were utilised as grazing and rough pasture and regularly burnt to create young, more palatable, growth over the centuries. It is of little use for much else, thankfully (except building and golf courses, unfortunately and the Forestry Commission)...So "re-introduction" in some areas is perhaps an exaggeration in the strict sense (?), re-population may be closer...
N

[Piers]

Thanks very much Nick,

Very interesting reading, full of information.

Cheers.

Felix.

[Piers]

The S.S.Blue colonies on the dunes at Perranporth in North Cornwall are natural & huge too! You'll have to go & see them sometime!

Hi Lee, I go down to Perranporth most years (although not this year yet...) to look at the SSb's there. The colony certainly contains the largest female SSB's that I have ever seen, some with huge deeply arced orange lunules on the upperside of the wings, and a good percentage of 'blue females' as well. They're certainly utterly different from my local colonies in the New Forest and on the Dorset Heaths.

Another interesting colony that I am rather fond of is the little one at Wheal Maid inside the boundary fence and down in the pit on the arsenic contaminated land ( ). Very interesting, and living entirely upon calluna.

Breney is another interesting SSB site for me but the population appears to be in decline. Any news on possible future management of the 'heather moorland' here for the SSB Lee?

Felix.

[Susie]

I went to Iping yesterday and didn't find anything. Fortunately Kipper told me where to go (in the nicest possible terms) and I went back today to find the place crawling with SSBs, it was fabulous.

Now I know why I pay my BC subscription!

[Piers]

Any pics sooz...?