Chiddingfold Wood
This weekends visit [Sat. 7th and Sunday 8th July] was to hopefully find and photograph D.G.F.s, especially a female. The weather as usual was cloudy, but warm. so after parking the car i set off to the hot spot for this species. On the way i bumped into Neil [sussex kipper giving one of his many walks] on arriving at the area for D.G.F. i soon found a freshly emerged male, which stayed around for at least a couple of hours if not longer,and took photos until my heart was content. But it was the only one i would see today. On Sunday i was also lucky in finding another fresh male and managed quite a few photos before he flew off as soon as the sun appeared. A female blessed me with her presence, but was quick to fly off and away before i could even get a record shot. Other butterflies seen, Red and White Admirals, Small and Large Skippers, Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites, Silver-Washed Frits, Purple Hairstreak, [spotted by sussex kipper] Common Blue, Comma and 1st brood Wood Whites were still hanging on. The two 1st brood Wood Whites i saw on Sunday 8th one male, and one female were the last i would see them this year, and the latest i have ever recorded them. The male was chasing the female down the side of the track just above the ground, when the female landed on a small flower the male took his chance, and was just about to start the courtship ritual, when a small brown spider appeared from nowhere, and grabbed the female,
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the male flying off to a nearby flower having a very lucky escape.
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