On Tuesday I assisted a local production company in making a documentary which will include some stunning footage of South Downs wildlife, including butterflies. I won’t be giving too much away by saying that the Duke of Burgundy and Pearl-bordered Fritillary have both been issued with Equity Cards.
A morning trip to Heyshott Escarpment produced more Duke of Burgundy than I could shake my stick at. The Pearl-bordered Fritillary is now on the wing here, first spotted by Garry Philpott on Monday. Katrina Watson helped out by tracking down some lovely Green Hairstreaks. Orchids are a little late this year, but we still managed to find a stunning Fly in perfect condition.
On Wednesday I started off at Springhead (Kithurst) Hill meadow. The chalk grassland restoration area in the deep hollows near the car park (South Downs National Park Authority, BC Sussex and WSCC) is looking superb, as are the meadow and banks. This small but ecologically rich site is easily accessible and undoubtedly one of the jewels in the crown of our national park. However, the increasing number of visitors does come at a cost, so it is important to try to minimise our impact when visiting. Please try to keep to the already-worn paths across the meadow, particularly at the western end, where the male Duke of Burgundy butterflies congregate (they are unusually numerous this year). It is best to sit down and enjoy the action, rather than stand in groups in the middle of the lek. For the future health of this colony it is important that the fastest and fittest Dukes see the newly emerged Duchesses first.
I then moved on to monitor Duke of Burgundy numbers on strictly private land, ending up with a tally of 81. Things are looking so much better for this species in Sussex than they did ten years ago. I finished the day by visiting Rewell Wood, specifically to focus on the Grizzled Skipper. This is one of my favourite species and I gain most pleasure from seeing it in woodland/coppice habitat. My evening count of 9 was the best I’ve ever achieved here. Spring may have been late in arriving, but things are shaping up quite nicely for another memorable butterfly year.
. That Painted Lady looks in a similar state to the one me and Wurzel saw at Bentley. Forgot to mention in that post that another one was seen on the same day at the Wiltshire Duke site. Are we in for a good Painted Lady year I wonder 
