Susie

[Susie]

Found my first brown hairstreak egg of the year this morning

[Maximus]

Great stuff Susie, it certainly brings a smile to one's face finding the first of the year

[Susie]

It does that

The habitat is now quite unsuitable. Its overgrown, old and covered with lichen so I was very fortunate.

[Susie]

Blackthorn now starting to bloom, daffodils in flower, if it wasn't blowing a gale and toshing down with rain I'd say it was starting to feel spring like on the birds' wedding day!

[Susie]

Driving along today I saw a glimpse of something in a garden that could have been a brimstone. Too tentative a sighting to count though

[Susie]

Frogspawn in my pond! Two big blobs of it which makes me think they started laying on Sunday night, which after the lovely day on Sunday would make sense

Looking back at my diary the frogspawn arrived around 8 March last year and 4 March the year before so this year it's early.

[Wurzel]

Spring is definitely starting to sprung I'd count the Brimstone too - they're definitely about I 'm sure I saw one on the local news the other day flying just behind the presenters head when he was reporting form a flooded Wincester

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

Thanks wurzel

No butterflies today but a big fat humble bumblebee buzzing around the garden in the sunshine

[Susie]

Took pup to st Leonard's forest this morning for a walk before I went to work. The first butterfly we saw was a red admiral which Billy the butterfly hound disturbed from it's basking. It must have still been pretty sleepy as it took to the air and glided more than flew up and away into a thicket. In the sunshine it was approaching warm but in the shade it was still nippy so I decided to walk back along the edge of the wood where it borders a golf course to maximise my chance of seeing another butterfly at the sunny woodland edge (I didn't actually eexpect to see anything) but I was so surprised to see a yellow butterfly zipping along the hedge line I actually exclaimed "BRIMSTONE!" out loud to the not inconsiderable surprise of the nearby golfers

So two butterflies and both before 11am.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone

[Wurzel]

You're doing great on your challenge Susie but you might want to consider upping the 1 butterfly a month average I'm just jealous as I'm still stuck on two...maybe this weekend.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

It was a beautiful day and a shame I had to spend part of it indoors but at least I saw two brimstones while driving to Kent.

[Maximus]

Tomorrows the day Susie, you have every chance of getting up to five

Mike

[Susie]

Yep! Desperately hoping for small tort and comma tomorrow

It's just a dilemma about where to go! Possibly Buchan cp or cissbury ring, I don't know which is likely to be better.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Even better weather forecast for tomorrow Susie I'm sure you'll be successful.

[Susie]

Thank you

I just hope I don't draw a blank and then end up kicking myself when I look on here and the Sussex bc sightings page and see all the wonderful butterflies I could have seen if only I'd made a better judgement call

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Well that's happened to us all I saw quite a few Commas today and several Small Tortoiseshells on Thursday so I think your chances are very good indeed

[Pauline]

Hi Susie, hope you found you Comma. Very envious of your frogspawn - this is the 1st year my pond hasn't had any. I am thinking it is probably the (39) cats round here which have taken all the frogs

[Susie]

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes

I started out early with the pup for a long walk to all the likely spots around here where I thought I might find small tortoiseshell and comma. I wasn't too concerned if I didn't see anything as I planned to make another butterfly trip in the afternoon. After an hour and a half I still hadn't found anything bar a potential largish butterfly which was put up from basking by Billy but which was too far away to tell what it could be. We'd had a lovely walk despite drawing a blank and I decided to try my luck and rather go directly home take a slightly longer route and walk along the drainage ditch by the edge of the bypass... JACKPOT! Immediately there were five small tortoiseshells and two comma in a very small area.

An hour or so later I popped back with the camera as it seemed my afternoon butterfly trip was increasingly unlikely and there were a dozen or more small tortoiseshell (probably 20+ but I couldn't be absolutely sure as they were sparring and flying very fast in groups of twos and threes), two comma, a peacock and two male brimstone again all in a very small area.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone
4. Small tortoiseshell
5. Comma

[Wurzel]

Looks like you made the right choice on where to go Susie Great amorous Small Torts and the Peacock looks like right battler.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

Thanks wurzel. The symmetrical wedges missing from the peacocks hind wings makes me think someone took a bite when it had it's wings closed.

Took woofer to marlpost woods today. Wild daffodils were everywhere and very beautiful. Two more peacocks seen there.

Driving back I saw plenty of cuckoo flower in bloom. Orange tips will be along any day now if they haven't been seen already.

Also seen this morning was a Shetland pony in the back of a ford focus!