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Sumptuous images of the PBFs and Dukes, Neil. Those PBF numbers are excellent, and I'd like to think that this species is getting a little more secure by the year.

The Mother Shipton is beautiful. One moth that I can never get a good image of.

I've done OK, Trevor. Locating the mating pairs is all about timing and keeping an eye out for other males trying to muscle-in on the action. Almost every mating pair of PBF I've ever witnessed (and that's quite a few) has been hassled by one or more other males, giving their location away. The act only lasts for 15-20 minutes, so being in the right place at the right time is essential.

Having said that last encounter would probably be the final pairing I'd witness in 2022, I travelled to a 'late' site in north West Sussex on 9 May and watched another! I don't advertise the location of this colony, as the habitat patch is unusually small for PBF and I don't think this population would survive the high level of habitat-trampling seen elsewhere. I managed a decent count of 26 individuals, including some nice egg-laying females. Good to catch up with you; I've no doubt our paths will cross again soon, as the SPBF season gets fully underway.

Thanks, David. Mother Shipton is unusually tricky to photograph, as you say. The Old Hag seldom tolerates a close approach.

BWs, Neil

6-7 May 2022

While travelling to Mill Hill on 6 May, the weather collapsed, so I detoured to have a look at how the habitat is coming along on the Steyning Downland Scheme, thanks to the work of the excellent SDS volunteers. I sat down for a snack and cup of coffee and, purely out of habit, turned over a few Primula leaves within reach. Much to my surprise, the second leaf held three Duke of Burgundy eggs! I found a fourth on another leaf, but a 15-minute search revealed no more. Dukes colonised the SDS area a couple of years back, but no adults have ever been seen in this particular location, which lies c.0.5 km from the known colony. Since then, a friend has found two further eggs, but the adults remain elusive here.

On 7 May I dropped in to monitor Duke of Burgundy numbers at Springhead (Kithurst) Hill. The Small Blue was now flying in modest numbers, but hopefully there'll be plenty more to come. It's tricky trying to manage this small site (just >1 hectare) for so many species, but every winter I scuff-up a few patches of turf with a brushcutter, to try to encourage Kidney Vetch plants; it does seem to work quite well.

11-12 May 2022

I never find as much time as I'd like to spend looking at orchids, with so much going on at this time of year, although some rarities are simply irresistable, including the Monkey Orchid. My timing was spot-on this year (11 May), catching a specimen at its very best.

On 12 May I met up with a few friends, firstly to look at an area I've been coppicing over the last six years. A large number of Broad-bodied Chasers were emerging around a small pond in the wood.

We then travelled onwards to Fairmile Bottom near Arundel, which was colonised by Duke of Burgundy a handful of years back. The population remained very small in the early seasons of residency, but I've been working with West Sussex County Council to get the scrub management and cattle grazing just right. Cowslip, which was once restricted to a single small patch, is now widely distributed across the entire site, through the dunging action of cattle in late-summer/early-autumn.

Duke numbers have crept up over the last couple of years, and I've expected them to increase further, but I was pleasantly surprised when we started to encounter the butterfly in new areas. Despite the borderline weather conditions, we achieved a total of 47 individuals. I suspect this population has a bright future.

Kent or Oxford for the Monkey Neil ?? Cracking looking Orchids !! must catch some myself , (hopefully this weekend) .
Regards Allan.W.

Hi Allan
Incredibly, neither. A 'new' plant and new county record, discovered just last year, but not by me. The location is being kept secret, for all the usual reasons.
BWs, Neil

Hi Neil ,
Actually I had heard a Rumour ..............love to know how it got there ? Regards Allan.W.

13 May 2022

On 13 May I teamed up with Mike Mullis to perform a thorough count of Pearl-bordered Fritillary on the BC Sussex Park Corner Heath and Rowland Wood reserves. By now, the species was past peak numbers, with significantly fewer found on Park Corner Heath than had previously been reported by others. However, in Rowland Wood, which is a cooler, 'later' site, there were still plenty of very fresh females busy laying eggs. One quite narrow ride, which I've never seen anyone else visiting, held five. We came away with a pleasing total of 37, which beats last year's maximum count; this relatively recent reintroduction appears to be doing well.

We also saw our first Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary of the year, with photography proving the presence of two males. Bob Eade had seen the first here, on 11 May, but sensibly sat on the information, to prevent an early deluge of visitors before they'd had a chance to get going. Plenty of other species were seen on our travels and I later tracked down an Adder. The whole site was looking its stunningly beautiful best.

Hi Allan
I know that some orchid experts support the theory that 'exotics' can be transported over long distances, and even have arrived from mainland Europe, via wind-transported seed - that seems incredible to me, but I'm no expert on things orchid.
The location is so remote that it doesn't appear to be a likely location for a transplant, but I'll leave it at that, so as not to provide too many clues.
Good luck with your hunt.
BWs, Neil

14-16 May 2022

On 14 May I performed a butterfly survey in a private part of Rewell Wood, confirming the presence of a long-standing but very small population of Duke of Burgundy. However, the star of the show was the diminutive, unspectacular but much-loved (at least by me!) Drab Looper moth. I associate this rarity with the best time to be out in the British countryside, in habitats which often also support the Duke and Pearl-bordered Fritillary. It flies erratically over extensive beds of Wood Spurge, a plant that flushes for a few years following woodland clearances. My tally of 20 was the best I've ever achieved here, and nationally important. I also found the characteristic larval feeding pattern of the highly localised (mainly the East Anglian brecklands) Spotted White Plume moth; large holes in Burdock leaves.

On 16 May I visited Anchor Bottom, where a large number of cattle were present, including an impressive bull. This site is a bit of a 'one-trick pony', as the very high grazing pressure only really suits the large population of Adonis Blue here, and the small but beautifully marked Green-winged Orchid. For the first time ever, I managed to combine the two!

17 May 2022

On 17 May I spent a very enjoyable day on the BC Sussex Park Corner Heath and Rowland Wood reserves. During the earlier part of the morning I could differentiate only 4 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (3 male, 1 female), but things started to hot-up as newly emerged individuals came on the wing. By early afternoon I was confident that I'd seen 7 different males and 4 different females. One female, which I suspect had just been mated, flew deep into scrub and probably stayed there all day while her eggs ripened. Two others were laying eggs at an impressive rate, typically just dropping them in the vicinity of violets. Best of all, a visitor from London spotted the fourth attached to a male (nice work, Brian!).

A thorough search of both reserves revealed the presence of 18 Pearl-bordered Fritillary, with the majority being in Rowland Wood. An impressive supporting cast included Green Hairstreak, Wall, Grizzled and Dingy Skippers.

Great to hear about the Dukes at Fairmile Bottom, Neil, as well as the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries at Park Corner Heath and Rowland Wood.

That last female is immaculate; a perfect specimen.

18 May 2022

18 May was the first of two Duke of Burgundy monitoring days for me, starting with Springhead (Kithurst) Hill. The first two butterflies I saw were both Dukes, attached to each other! I soon located an ab. leucodes amongst the numerous individuals present and managed a nice open-wing underside shot of a female. The small but very beautiful Wild Service Tree on site was just coming into flower.

However, my visits to this site are increasingly tinged with sadness, as the habitat is now becoming seriously degraded by heavy and careless footfall. The number of unneccessary paths, now forming an ever more dense honeycomb across particularly the western end of the meadow, can even be seen on remote imagery. The Cowslips over these areas are now no more than minute, flat rosettes of leaves, meaning that the number of Duke egg-laying plants is decreasing rapidly. The more paths that form, the more some people seem to think that it's OK to just stomp anywhere. I've already had to have logs put down in the pits closer to the car park, as mountain bikers were riding all over the Cowslips and creating deeply incised tracks. I'll have to look into further protective measures with the landowner and South Downs National Park Authority this winter.

On a happier note, my counts on a strictly private site on the escarpment were very high, bringing the day's tally to 85 Dukes. Here, I found the largest individual I've ever encountered - a huge female perhaps 20% larger than the norm. Best of all, I finally managed to get a clear, uncluttered shot of a Duchess in the act of egg-laying. This illustrates the reason why I believe females have retained all six 'walking legs', rather than losing them to the tiny vestigial structures seen in the males. The forelegs appear to allow the female better purchase on the Cowslip leaf as she swings her body round to oviposit below the blade, and some distance away from the margin; I believe this is an adaptation to reduce the incidental grazing of eggs by molluscs.

Correction: Thanks to my brother, Mark, for pointing out that the Wild Service Tree pictured is in fact a Guelder Rose.

19 May 2022

My second day of monitoring butterfly numbers on the downs near Storrington (19 May), over four habitat patches, provided my first 20-species outing of the year. The most common butterfly was Duke of Burgundy (106), a situation that would have been deemed unthinkable in the noughties. Other species exceeding double-figures included Small Heath (86), Common Blue (71), Dingy Skipper (54), Brown Argus (52), Green Hairstreak (16), Brimstone (12) and Grizzled Skipper (11); the latter is having a poor season. One of three mating pairs of Duke of Burgundy provided the opportunity for a Padfield style shot.

20 May 2022

With pretty grim weather here in West Sussex (although the rain is much needed), I spent the day catching up on paperwork. The sun finally appeared in the afternoon, but rather too late for any fieldwork. However, I was entertained by two very cute Fox cubs playing in the back garden.

Enjoying your rapid ' catch up ' posts, lovely Duke shots.
I could get used to Fox cubs in the garden, sometimes see adults on my drive.

Trevor.

Hi Neil,

You have surpassed yourself with the latest batch of photos. It's also good to see that a many of your key species are doing well this year

Vince

Just love that Fox cub. I get regular adults but have never been so lucky. Consider yourself privileged

Fantastic ovipositing duchess, Neil!

And that fox cub is just gorgeous!

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks, David (earlier comment), Trevor, Vince, Pauline and Pete.
I thought the cute cub might meet with your approval, Pauline, as I know how much you love your foxes! I always enjoy seeing them in urban environments although, sadly, many of the adults can be a bit mangy. It's ironic that these days it's more surprising to encounter them in open countryside. I particularly enjoying seeing them at Knepp, where they're in beautiful condition and can sometimes be seen in hot pursuit of rabbits.
Thanks, Pete, I'm mighty pleased with that egging shot!
BWs, Neil