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Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 2:49 pm
by Susie
The weekend was pretty unremarkable apart from a red kite gliding low over the garden. I saw very few butterflies, just a green veined white and a large red damselfly in the garden and a few orange tips out of it.
This afternoon the weather looked good so I went to Heyshott Down. It was overcast and windy the whole time I was there which was disappointing. The view right from the top wasn't bad though. I saw at least two and possibly several more duke of burgundy, several grizzled skippers, dingy skippers, orange tips, a speckled wood, a blue of some sort and either a female blue or a brown argus. The wind meant that as soon as I spotted something and it took to the air it was whisked away quicker than my eyes could follow it. It's a lovely site though with the cowslips out and at least now I know where to look for DOB there next year.
I don't know where to go tomorrow! It's that time of year where there is so much to see. So, Adonis Blues, Wood Whites or Scarce Chasers? It's the best kind of dilemma.
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 3:13 pm
by Susie
Got out for a walk this morning but the sunny conditions at home again disappeared when I got out and about. Still, quite a few butterflies were around, dingy and grizzled skippers, small heath, common blue, a single holly blue, green hairstreak, speckled wood, orange tip, peacock, small white and good numbers of burnets and burnet companions too.
Roman snail shells are scattered around all over the place but this is time I have seen one which is inhabited by the original occupant.
This spider, a type of crab spider I assume, was chomping away on a wood louse when I found it. I thought the only spider which could get through their armour was woodlouse spiders. Obviously that's not the case.
And finally a couple of pics of the garden. The front garden has a mixed hedge down the outer edge which was planted as whips and is gradually thickening up and pushing the flowers out but there is still plenty of buddleia in there.
This is the south west facing corner of the back garden. The soil is heavy clay and is very poor so it is a devil to get a lot of stuff to grow in as the mediterrean plants which love it in the summer die in the cold wet winters. I'm perservering though with a mixture of native and mediterrean plants.
I've been trying to remember the names of all the plants in the pictures, and can't! Too much stuff.
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:51 pm
by ChrisC
I wish i could get away with cutting my grass the way yours is under that tree susie
from other forums i know you have put a lot of work into it. lets hope for sunny days to sit out on that seat and enjoy the fruits of your labour
Chris
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:22 pm
by Susie
I have to battle the neat police to keep that bit of long grass the way it is
Anyone who knows me knows that I never sit in the garden for long, there's always something needs tweaking.
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:47 pm
by Susie
Whoops, I missed this chap off earlier. There were still good numbers of these about today.
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 6:50 pm
by Susie
A walk along the Arun with my better half this morning looking for Scarce Chasers was fruitless this morning, in fact we didnt see any dragons at all; just a dozen or so large red damselflies and twenty or so banded demoiselles. The husband pointed out a 'butterfly' in the grass which proved to be a mother shipton moth, we saw six or seven of these. It proved to be a good day for butterflies; small tortoiseshell, red admiral , two peacocks, plenty of orange tips, green veined white and small white.
When we got home there were mating large red damsels by the pond.
Re: Susie
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:18 pm
by Susie
Eeek! Evil rosemary beetle in the garden this evening.
The good news is that the robins are nesting in the ivy covered tree trunk again, hopefully a bit higher up away from the cat this time.
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 3:25 pm
by Susie
This weekend's been great for butterflies and there were good numbers out at Kingley Vale on Saturday, it was nice to see so many blues but the heat made them nigh on impossible to photograph. Plenty of brimstones around too which I found surprising.
Today was a good day for mating pairs.
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:15 pm
by Susie
I've not seen many butterflies this weekend, I've had hardly a one in the garden. My one walk out yesterday over my local fields bordering the Arun looking for dragonflies produced a few; large white, green veined white, orange tip and quite a few common blues. It is the first time I've seen common blues in that particular field so I was pleased with that.
I was looking for scarce chasers, but only saw one which I put up from the grass and zoomed into the nearest tree so I didn't get a good look. There were no other large dragonflies about and just 30+ banded demoiselles, similar numbers of large red damselflies, a couple of blues (not sure which but common would be my guess) and one white legged.
Luckily for me a scarce chaser turned up in the garden yesterday evening and it was back today at lunchtime too. Now I don't even have to walk down to the river to see them
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:19 pm
by ChrisC
very jealous
but does remind me that i need to get down to my local country park with the other halfs camera
Chris
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:37 pm
by Susie
I'm sure your pond produces some pretty good dragonflies too.
Obviously that one wasn't home grown, just visiting from the local river. And I should really get down to my local CP too, that produces some good dragonflies (and butterflies).
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:53 pm
by ChrisC
apart from large reds the only other odonata i have seen come out ,and trust me when i say i look very often
, is this southern Hawker.
but the list for the garden's not bad, though i somehow can't see me getting scarce chaser
Chris
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 10:56 pm
by Susie
Neither can I. Good, isn't it.
My pond produced broadbodied chaser last year too, but I think it is too overgrown for that to happen now.
Quite a few dragonflies turn up here as well as banded demoiselles, common blue and azure damselflies but these are all from the river I think. The only thing my pond produces good numbers of is large red as far as I am aware but i am looking out for exuvia so who know.
Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:03 pm
by Susie
The definitive mixed emotion: watching the robin which is nesting in the garden again collecting orange tip caterpillars from the garlic mustard.
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 7:59 pm
by Susie
Very little going on here at the moment; the odd meadow brown or green veined white through the garden and occasional common blue flying over the garden but that's it.
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:35 pm
by Susie
A trip to Iping today turned up good numbers of silver studded blues. Gorgeous little creatures they are too.
Thanks Kipper
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:50 am
by Jack Harrison
....but like so many species, they are reluctant to open their wings in scorching hot weather such as we are getting at present.
Unbroken sun shine is all very well....
Jack
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:46 pm
by Susie
You are right, Jack. There were a few opening their wings and loads flying around but I can't get the depth of field with my camera for those shots. The light was very strong and harsh too.
At Denbies hillside this morning there were 8 or so male marbled whites about, all male and zooming around in the sunshine despite it being quite early. Plenty of skippers, meadow brown, a handful of tatty blues, a grizzled skipper which looked in remarkably good condition, a ringlet and a painted lady.
At the allotment this afternoon there was a small tortoiseshell.
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 2:57 pm
by Susie
Saturday 26th: On Saturday in the garden there was a hummingbird hawk moth, which I was thrilled to see. There was also a host of rosemary beetles on the lavender which I wasn't.
I joined David Bridges on his transect of some fields in Warnham with half a dozen or so other people on Saturday afternoon. It was scorching hot but there were good numbers of meadow browns and skippers around but not a lot else but it was very enjoyable nonetheless. The site has a huge potential and I shall enjoy seeing how it progresses.
Tuesday 29th: Despite the weather today being variable with sunny spells, the odd rain drop, but mainly overcast I went on the annual pilgrimage to Southwater and wasn't disappointed. I don't believe in omens but as I drove to the woods a Buzzard shot out of the trees and then flew in front of my car at car height for a while before alighting in a tree so I could get a good look at it. I've never seen a wild Buzzard close up and it was quite some experience and this put me on a high before I'd even started butterflying. Good numbers of white admiral and silver washed fritillary were around to greet me and I also had a brief glimpse of his Majesty. There were also plenty of meadow browns, a few ringlets, large and small skippers, marbled white, a comma, and a red admiral. I put up the red admiral when I was chasing a valezina silver washed fritillary across felled branches at great personal danger. Having failed to get a picture of the Purple Emperor I really wanted to get a photo of the abberant frit but didnt succeed at that either
It really did blend in well against the felled wood which camoflaged it perfectly.
The SWF in the second photo has lost the ends of its antenna
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:56 am
by Susie
I only had an hour to spare this morning so I dashed up to Southwater. I had to leave by 10am so wasn't expecting to see anything much but what an hour; the place was fair busting out with butterflies.
I've never seen so many abberant silver washed fritillaries either, pics to follow later of a couple.