Butterfly Conservation - Sussex Branch

Our events are a great way to see butterflies, learn about them, and visit some wonderful places and see many different habitats across Sussex.

Events 2009

Friday 13th February 2009
	BC Annual Pub Quiz
	There were tense scenes in the Royal Oak at Barcombe where over 40 members and their friends battled for the Red Admiral Ceramic Milk Churn of Victory - the hallowed prize in the Sussex BC Quiz Night. Eight teams answered six rounds of rather ridiculous questions on topics ranging from chemical warfare to Carry-on movies - all loosely linked to butterflies and moths. Current churn-holders The Camberwell Beauties took an early lead over teams including Eastbourne Birders Supreme, The Brighton Brimstones and Larva Palaver. However, Naomi Forbes team, Molten Larvae commanded the lead until the final round when, from out of nowhere, The Cousin Germans (Steve Wheatley and partner Sarah, Wendy and Keith Alexander and Crispin Holloway) snatched the top prize. There were emotional scenes as Neil Hulme of The Camberwell Beauties reluctantly handed the trophy over to the new winners - who kindly donated the £50 prize money raised back to Butterfly Conservation. Thanks to everyone who attended for making it an enjoyable evening. (Michael Blencowe).
	The Royal Oak, Barcombe
	Organised and hosted by Quizmaster Michael Blencowe. Attended by over 40 BC members and friends.

Saturday 14th March 2009
	Spring Social
	45 Sussex BC members gathered at the Westmeston Village Hall for our Spring Social. Dr Dan Danahar gave an interesting talk about the creation of a butterfly haven at the Dorothy Stringer School in Brighton. Dan's talk highlighted the effort that he and his pupils have put in to making this mini-reserve and also the rewards they are reaping as plant and invertebrate species move-in to colonise the new chalk downland habitat. His presentation also included an informative piece on sheep wrestling. Joe Morley returned as RaffleMaster and won a bottle of extremely strong Sussex perry while Caroline Clarke walked away with the moth trap voucher (valid for a moth trapping session in the location of her choice in 2009). Sussex BC Chairman Neil Hulme presented Michael Blencowe with a framed piece of Grayling artwork and, for his services to the website and the BC report (coming soon), Bob Foreman received a bottle of champagne. Neil and Michael got everybody in the mood for the year ahead with their talks. Neil highlighted 12 top sites in the county with his 'Where to watch butterflies in Sussex' guide and Michael gave a brief look forward to the coming BC events in 2009. It's going to be a busy year! Thanks to everyone who helped out at the Spring Social.
	Westmeston Parish Hall
	Organised by BC Sussex Branch. Attended by 45 BC members.

Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th April 2009
	Exhibition: The Beautiful Butterflies of Sussex
	Many thanks to Polly Mair and Peter Atkinson for helping out at my exhibition 'The Beautiful Butterflies of Sussex' in Arundel today. I was very pleased that Nick Herbert (MP for Arundel and South Downs) paid us a visit, and we spent quite some time discussing the problems that butterflies are facing today. It was nice to see some familiar faces and we raised about £80. Tomorrow is going to be sunny (so the weatherman says!), so why not pop along and combine the trip with a butterfly outing, to one of the many good sites in the close vicinity. It would be nice to at least double the takings - with every penny going towards the conservation of butterflies in the county. After locking up Peter and I moved on to a local site, where we located a fat little Purple Emperor caterpillar. (Neil Hulme)
	Norfolk Centre, Lower Castle Gates, Mill Road, Arundel
	Organised by Neil Hulme

Saturday 18th April 2009
	Identifying and Recording Butterflies, Ivyland Farm
	The first field trip of 2009 took place at Netherfield today. The event was part of the Rother Woods project and aimed at recruiting new butterfly recorders in the east of the county. 10 new recorders were given an introduction to butterfly recording and identification in a rather posh classroom at Ivyland Farm and then we headed out into the surrounding farmland to put our skills into practice. Amongst other species we were able to watch male and female Orange-tips and found their larvae on the heads of Cuckooflowers. The cabbage-filled polytunnels on the farm were searched and we found the common (but not often photographed) Small White - which helped illustrate Lesson #6 'How to identify the Cabbage Whites'. All the attendees were keen on getting out and putting their new skills to use on their local 'patches'. Good luck! and thanks to all who attended. (Michael Blencowe)
	Ivyland Farm, Netherfield. (TQ712184)
	Led by Michael Blencowe

Saturday 25th April 2009
	Identifying and Recording Butterflies, Brede High Woods
	I lead another Butterfly identification event today at Brede High Woods. Fourteen people joined me to learn about the butterflies of the Rother Woods - however the weather was rather cloudy and cold so there were not many butterflies to be seen. This didn't matter as the Blencowe fully-laminated patented butterfly identification system came into play and I was able to re-create a wide range of butterflies in a variety of habitats and give out some handy indentification information. So everyone saw 24 (virtual) butterfly species. Thanks to all the future butterfly recorders who attended. As I pulled out of the car park the sun came out....(Michael Blencowe)
	Brede High Woods nr Battle.
	Led by Michael Blencowe

Saturday 2nd May 2009
	Identifying and Recording Butterflies, Beckley Woods
	I ran the third of my Rother Woods butterfly i.d workshops at Beckley Woods today. 17 people attended to hear me talk about where to look for butterflies - and what to look out for. I was less than impressed with a big grey cloud that sat over the sun for most of the walk - but despite this Large White, Orange-tip, Comma, Speckled Wood, Peacock and Grizzled Skipper were seen but the most abundant lepidoptera were Speckled Yellows. However I was very impressed with the work Steve Wheatley has been doing in the woods - rides have been widened, woodland has been coppiced, glades have been created. It's all looking very impressive - well done to Steve and his team (Michael Blencowe)
	Beckley Woods, OS grid ref:TQ854214.
	Led by Michael Blencowe

Sunday 10th May 2009
	Heyshott Down Walk
	33 people attended the BC walk on the stunningly beautiful Heyshott Escarpment this morning, and despite more 'porky pies' from the weatherman, the overcast conditions did not defeat us. Co-led by Mike Edwards, who is doing a fantastic job for the Murray Downland Trust in managing areas of habitat for the Duke of Burgundy, the group soon encountered our target species. By the end of the circuit we had seen 8, this being the highest count for many years here. Other species were few and far between, but several pristine Dingy Skippers gave ample opportunities for the photographers amongst us. Many thanks to all that attended and made it such an enjoyable walk. (Neil Hulme)
	Heyshott Down (Grid Ref:SU900176)
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 33 people.

Sunday 17th May 2009
	NEW MEMBER’S DAY: Springhead Hill and Rackham Gulley
	What a shame, although I would really rather say something less polite! The New Member's Day walk on the Downs at Amberley appeared doomed as the rain lashed down and local roads became flooded. A number of potential attendees rang or Emailed me shortly before, to ask if it would go ahead (for future reference, your leader will always turn up 'just in case'). Apologies if some of you didn't get through, but at one point I was getting enquires via Email, landline and mobile. Incredibly the dark clouds and rain disappeared at precisely 10.30am and six of us went ahead with the planned walk. Although conditions were generally 'marginal', we really didn't do too badly! Those butterflies that we did see sat nicely for the cameras and we ended up with the following tally. Small Blue (3), Brown Argus (1), Common Blue (2), Small Copper (2), Green Hairstreak (1), Dingy Skipper (6), Painted Lady (1), Small Heath (2), Red Admiral (1), Green-veined White (1) and Cinnabar Moth (4). For those that didn't make it today, you will of course be welcome to attend 'New Member's Day' next year, and hopefully we will see you on many of the other outings we have planned for this summer. Thanks to all that braved the elements and made it an enjoyable walk. (Neil Hulme)
	Organised by Neil Hulme and the BC Sussex Branch Committee

Saturday 23rd May 2009
	Wolstonbury Hill Walk
	38 people attended the walk for BC members and the 'Friends of Wolstonbury Hill' today. I would like to start by mentioning the generosity of those who made donations to BC - an impressive £81 will be going towards our conservation 'fighting fund'. Thanks also to Hilary Pulham (FOWH) for the bottle of wine, which won't be going to the Branch! The sunshine soon gave way to haze, but conditions were good enough to see most of our target species. Butterflies included Small Blue (7), Adonis Blue (1), Common Blue (8), Dingy Skipper (10), Painted Lady (2), Large White (2), Speckled Wood (4) and Small Heath (2). The most notable moths were Burnet Companion (8), Mother Shipton (2), Silver-ground Carpet (2) and Cinnabar (1). Our timing for the rare Man Orchid was spot on this year, with most of the spikes being just a shade before 'peak'. This is the second year I've led a walk here (TQ 281138) and I like the area so much that I will certainly be returning. (Neil Hulme)
	Wolstonbury Hill (Grid ref:TQ284129)
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 38 people.

Monday 25th May 2009
	Butterfly Conservation's Big BBQ
	Congratulations to Steve Wheatley for organising a vary enjoyable Butterfly BBQ at Brede High Woods today - and for scheduling the all-day event to fit in between two thunderstorms. Well over 100 people attended on a hot, sunny day and joined walks lead by Steve, Dr Patrick Roper, Neil Hulme and myself. There were stalls, willow weaving, moth trap opening, a fantastic folk band and an environmentally sustainable barbeque with some locally sourced hot dogs and burgers. Steve continues to do a lot of good work promoting BC and butterfly friendly woodland management in the east of Sussex (Michael Blencowe)
	Brede High Wood, near Broad Oak Brede
	Organised by Butterfly Conservation's Rother Woods Project

Saturday 30th May 2009
	Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey Training Day, Woods Mill
	Thirty people attended the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey Training Day held at Woods Mill today, to go through the survey method and pick up some identification tips for when they go out and survey their 1km squares, as allotted by BC and BTO. Helen Crabtree started the day off by talking through the survey method, and was followed by Michael Blencowe who went through all of the Sussex species in his own entertaining, and comprehensive, way. Neil Hulme joined us in the afternoon, and we went out in to the field to test our newly honed skills. Although beautifully sunny, it was quite windy. Despite this, during the afternoon the three different groups came up with this total species list: most excitingly as it was a first for the year at Woods Mill was Large Skipper. We also saw Red Admiral, Small White, Green-veined White, Large White, Common Blue, Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Peacock and, what was the other one? Oh yeah, Painted Lady. Day-flying or disturbed moths included Silver-ground Carpet, Mother Shipton, Straw Dot and Small Magpie, and what we think was a Mocha high up in a hedge. Thanks to the leaders and helpers who helped to make this day a success. Happy surveying everyone! (Pen Green)
	Woods Mill, Henfield, BN5 9SD (Grid Ref:TQ218137)
	Led by Penny Green. Attended by 30 people.

Saturday 30th May 2009
	Moth Trapping at Leechpool & Owlbeech Woods
	A pretty good moth session last night in Horsham, although we didn't find either Alder Kitten or Rosy Marbled, the five of us did clock up over 100 species including Satin Lutestring, Peach Blossom, at least 5 Lime Hawk-moth and a Poplar Hawk-moth, a Sharp-angled Carpet and lots of May Highflyers. But the absolute star of the night was a pristine female SMALL MARBLED, a very rare immigrant of which there have only been 12 other records for the county. Thanks to Colin, Malcolm, Ros and Jacob for helping to create such a good evening. (Sam Bayley)
	Led by Sam Bayley

Sunday 31st May 2009
	Park Corner Heath Open Day
	Both people and butterflies came out in force for the Park Corner Heath Open Day on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. At 10am the contents of three moth traps were opened in front of crowd of both eager moth-ers and those who have yet to get the moth-habit. The over-ambitious theme of the previous evening was 'The Search for the Striped Hawkmoth'. Sadly this rare moth must have just missed Park Corner Heath on its migration - but no-one was disappointed as the traps contained over 100 moth species - and for those who asked here's the macro list; Puss Moth, Light Brocade, Angle Shades, Elephant Hawkmoth, Clouded Silver, Iron Prominent, Mottled Pug, Eyed Hawknoth, Swallow Prominent, Burnished Brass, Little Emerald, Common Wave, Smoky Wainscot, Satin Lutestring, Pale-shouldered Brocade, Grey Birch, Scalloped Hook-tip, Poplar Grey, Barred Red, Silver-Y, Rosy Marbled, Alder Moth, Buff Ermine, Green Carpet, Alder Kitten, Pebble Prominent, White Ermine, Buff-tip, Plae Oak Beauty, Poplar Hawkmoth, Birch Mocca, White-Pinion Spotted, Speckled Yellow, Maiden's Blush, Knot Grass, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Peppered Moth. Bright-line Brown-eye, Small Square Spot, Small White Wave, Common Swift, Cinnabar, Clouded Border Brindle, Grey Pine Carpet, Tawny Barred Angle, Purple Bar, Orange Footman, Green Silver-lines, Common White Wave. After the moth trap opening I lead walks around out reserve while the temperature continue to rise; and that wasn't the only thing that was hotting up. The female Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary are beginning to emerge and a pair were observed mating. Also on the reserve Green Hairstreak, Grizzled Skipper, Brimstone, Peacock, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Large Skipper. The Painted Lady migration has now slowed down to a trickle. Thanks to everyone who attended and made this a very enjoyable day; especially the moth trappers Keith, Wendy, Steve, Dave & Dave. (Michael Blencowe)
	Park Corner Heath (grid ref:TQ515147).
	Organised by Michael Blencowe.

Friday 5th June 2009
	Sussex Moth Group Event: Chalk Grassland in Brighton
	The SMG mothing event at Dorothy Stringer School Butterfly Haven last night (5 June) got off to an interesting start with a police ‘drive-by’, enquiring what on earth we were doing, but they were soon distracted by a local incident. The butterfly haven was only created 18 months ago in the middle of the school’s playing field, and is designed to support a chalk grassland community; it has even grazed by sheep! We put one trap in the middle of the grassland area, one by a pond which was created around five years ago, and one in a little copse area. Whilst being shown around the butterfly haven by our host and instigator of the butterfly haven, Dan Danahar, we discovered Toadflax Brocade caterpillars on Common Toadflax and a single Mullein caterpillar on Great Mullein. This was a good start, to see moths on the plants they’re named after! Twelve people, three traps and twenty species later…. Despite the drizzle we had good numbers of moths coming to the traps, although not a great number of species. Some of the more interesting moths recorded in the evening included single Elephant Hawkmoth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth and Common Swift, 5 Flame Shoulder, 1 Common Marbled Carpet, 2 Small Magpie, 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 1 Snout, 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart and 5 Small China Mark. We also ran a couple of bat detectors and picked up a single 45khz Pipistrelle feeding around the buildings. (Pen Green)
	Brighton Wildpark and Dorothy Stringer School. (TQ307071)
	Led by Penny Green. Attended by 12 people.

Saturday 6th June 2009
	Dorothy Stringer School Butterfly Haven
	Ten of us returned to Dorothy Stringer School Butterfly Haven and spent the morning recording on the site. Butterflies recorded there during this time included 2 Painted Ladies, 6 Common Blue, 1 Large White, 2 Small White, 1 Speckled Wood and 1 Red Admiral. Then much to Dan Danahar’s delight Jim Steedman discovered a Small Blue amongst the flowers, which we later observed egg-laying. This is fantastic news as elements of the butterfly haven have been designed to be attractive to Small Blue and to have them arriving here naturally in the middle of an urban area only a year after its establishment is a real success story. A second egg-laying female was found by Graeme Lyons later in the day. Day-flying moths seen here were Burnet Companion, Pyrausta aurata and Small China Mark, which was next to the pond. In the afternoon we ventured in to Brighton Wild Park, where we recorded 3 Common Blue, 2 Painted Lady and single Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Brown Argus and Speckled Wood. Day-flying and disturbed moths included 3 Burnet Companion, 1 Crambus perlella, 1 Crambus lathoniellus, 1 Heart and Dart, 2 Mother Shipton, 1 Common Carpet, 1 Straw Dot, 1 Nemophora degeerella, 1 Stenoptilla pterodactyla, 1 Yellow Shell and finally just as we got back to Dan’s house for a nourishing cup of tea, we found a Lozotaenia forsterana in his garden. Thanks to all who attended the moth evening and SxBRC Recording Day, it was great to see you all. (Pen Green)
	Led by Dan Danahar and Penny Green

Saturday 6th June 2009
	Butterfly Day for SDJC volunteers at Castle Hill NNR
	Later in the year, as part of this years South Downs Small Blue Survey, the South Downs Joint Committee volunteers will be helping create the chalk downland habitat vital to this delicate butterfly. So it's only fair that we should take the SDJC up on the Downs to show them this species and learn more about its conservation. Despite the dreary weather a good crowd gathered at Woodingdean and strolled into the valley. Natural England's Louise Parkinson who works on the reserve was at hand to talk about its management and point out some botanical features - the site is marvellous for downland plants. I was worried that we wouldn't see any butterflies but as we reached Castle Hill the sun broke through and we were treated to Painted Lady, Green Hairstreak, Dingy Skipper, Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Small White, Large Skipper and Small Blue. Dave Harris then gave a fascinating account of the species life cycle and requirements and found their tiny eggs buried in the Kidney Vetch. Thanks to all the SDJC volunteers who attended and to the SDJC's Jan Knowlson for supporting this project (Michael Blencowe & Dave Harris)
	Led by Michael Blencowe and Dave Harris

Sunday 7th June 2009
	Springwatch Festival at Stanmer Park
	BC attended the popular Springwatch event in Stanmer Park, Brighton today and set up our stall in the Downland section of the festival. From 9am onwards we were visted by a constant stream of keen naturalists of all ages. Some marvelled at the selection of moths displayed by the Sussex Moth Group (while we marvelled at the patience of Sam Bayley and Alice Parfitt from the SMG who took time to explain in depth all about the moths to the hundreds of children who came to the moth table). Meanwhile BC committee and volunteers were at hand to answer any questions at our stall; the main topic of conversation with those visiting the tent was of course the recent Painted Lady invasion which has really captured everyone's attention. What captured my attention was two more Scarlet Tiger sightings from Brighton reported by people visiting the stall. Neil Hulme lead two walks into the surrounding Parkland where Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and, inevitably, Painted Lady were seen. After a busy day of venison burgers, sheep shearing and samba drumming we packed up and headed home as the heavens opened. (Michael Blencowe)
	Caroline Clarke organised the event for BC. Neil Hulme, Clare Jeffers, Dan Danahar, Colin Knight, Bob Brown, Crispin Holloway all helped out.

Sunday 13th June 2009
	Butterfly and Moth Event, WoWo Campsite
	For quite sometime Alice Cragg of WoWo campsite has been asking me to come and run a moth/butterfly event so yesterday, when I spotted a waether forecast for a potentially good mothing night, Clare and I rollled up our sleeping bags and headed out for some in-tents mothing action. WoWo is a friendly family campsite very close to Sheffield Park and this morning I opened the moth trap in front of a group of eager campers and children (including one lad who was a little too keen and ended up in the trap itself). Buff-tips, hawkmoths, ermines and prominents kept the crowd entertained. My favourite was the fantastic Great Oak Beauty. Thanks to Alice and WoWo campsite for their hospitality and for making a generous donation to Sussex BC (Michael Blencowe & Clare Jeffers)
	Organised by Michael Blencowe and Clare Jeffers

Saturday 20th June to Saturday 27th June
	Garden Moths Count - 15 Gardens in Rother
	As part of the National Garden Moths Count week, the Rother Woods Project ran 15 garden moth traps over 10 days. Over the week we recorded 189 different moth species, and 18 of the 21 Garden Moths Count target species, and one nationally scarce species (Festoon). The most diverse garden proved to be Sarah Raven’s Cutting Garden where the moths benefit from an amazingly wide diversity of plants are growing side-by-side in a walled (thus sheltered) garden. In total the surveys were enjoyed by over 70 adults and children, ages ranging from six years old to eighty. For our seasoned moth experts who helped with the surveys, as well as the interest of trapping at a new site, the fun of Garden Moths Count was to see the reaction of the hosts discovering the diversity of moths that use their gardens. We are now inundated with requests for return visits next year. Thank you to moth recorders Alan Martin, Caroline Moore, Pat Bonham, Keith Alexander and Phil Sansum for volunteering their time to help with Garden Moths Count.
	Organised by Steve Wheatley. Attended by over 70 adults and children.

Sunday 28th June 2009
	Purple Emperor Search
	The 'Members Only' BC walk to Botany Bay will remain a happy memory for the rest of my life! 8 of the 20 participants had never seen a Purple Emperor before, but they were about to witness the sort of thing that even the most seasoned butterfly-watchers can usually only dream about. At 8.55am I lay down a couple of my (VERY) smelly 'Hau Loc' belachan baits, right by the car park. At 8.58am a pristine male Purple Emperor descended to feast on the rancid shrimps. The group slowly approached the butterfly, until it was surrounded by a ring of very happy snappers. From then on things just got better and better! Between 9am and 12pm (the end of the 'official' walk) the group witnessed a total of 5 scale-perfect male Emperors on the ground. Some of them visited us more than once. Nick Linazasoro walked a little further along the path, seeing an additional 2. Those that stayed for much longer (it was difficult to leave!) saw another, different individual in another part of the wood, making an incredible total of 8 perfect PEs on the deck! Later in the afternoon several of us got up close and personal with a male Purple Hairstreak, giving a rare photo opportunity. The woods were alive with White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Large Skipper and Ringlet. Other butterflies included Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Comma, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Large White. It was very rewarding to see so many huge smiles and I would like to thank all those that have sent me such kind Emails since. I don't think I'm the only one that left with such happy memories of a wonderful day. (Neil Hulme) I can’t resist adding my tuppence worth about the trip to Botany Bay. I haven’t been on many butterfly conservation walks (this is only my third) so everything that happened seemed normal to me! Five Purple Emperors on the deck within a few hours is normal, right? This was followed by numerous Silver-washed Fritillaries, one of them dancing rings around another in what Neil told me was a courtship dance. I saw quite a few White Admirals, several of them on the ground after minerals. I’ve only seen a White Admiral once before in my entire life and that was a distant and fleeting view. I know that Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals don’t rate alongside Purple Emperors for wow factor to many people but it was special for me. So was the Purple Hairstreak that was found later in the day - as much for the camaraderie of the group helping each other to get great photos as for anything else (though I have to say I’ve never seen a Purple Hairstreak before either). What a great trip for new species this was for me. The Slow-worm was also a real treat and I later saw a fox running for cover after it spotted me on the track. I think, all in all, the beauty of the surroundings, the great company of like-minded people, seeing Neil work his bag of tricks on the Purple Emperors and the wonder of butterflies flitting around everywhere is what made this day special. Whenever I meet people now I tell them they should join Butterfly Conservation and come along on its walks, not just because of the butterflies but because of the people that make up its membership – thanks everyone, you make it all such great fun. (Sherie New)
	Botany Bay, near Chiddingfold (Surrey Borders) Grid Ref:SU978348
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 20 people.

Wednesday 1st July 2009
	Big Biodiversity Butterfly Count, Brighton
	The launch of the Big Biodiversity Butterfly Count in Brighton with Professor David Bellamy was a fabulous success. I would like to say what wonderful support the committee were, helping with the hundreds of children, but I can't because as soon as one of them found a white letter hairstreak at ground level, on mass they couldn't be seen for dust. No seriously, they were amazing. So especial thanks must go to Bob Foreman, Caroline Clark, Penny Green, Clare Jeffers, Neil Hulme, Crispin Holloway and Peter Atkinson. I hope I haven't left anybody out...
	Led by Dr Dan Danahar

Friday 3rd July 2009
	Members Moth Trap and Barbecue at Abbots Wood
	Over 30 people attended the moth trap / barbeque members evening at Abbots Wood last night. For some people it was their first moth trap...and for two people it was their first barbeque! Steve Wheatley kindly supplied the charcoal made from wood coppiced in a Rother Woods woodland. With over 90% of our charcoal imported Butterfly Conservation are asking people to think twice before purchasing charcoal from the local garage or supermarket and seek out charcoal that comes from a sustainable UK woodland source. This will encourage coppicing that will allow our woodlands to be home to butterflies and other wildlife once more. The Rother charcoal was soon glowing and after sausages, pork chops and burgers we were taken to a nearby site by Stuart Sutton where we watched Nightjar as the sun was setting. The moth traps soon started filling and everyone marvelled at the variety of moths attracted. Of note tonight were Beautiful Hook-tip and Lunar-spotted Pinion along with Poplar Hawkmoth, Blood Vein, Seatceous Hebrew Character, Blackneck, Lackey, Kent Black Arches, Black Arches, Dun-bar, Common Footman, Drinker, Common Emerald, Swallow-tailed Moth, V-Pug, Small Fan Foot, Beautiful Carpet, Blotched Emerald, The Flame, Coronet, Orange Footman, Early Thorn, Scarce Silver-lines, Bordered White, Engrailed, Green Pug, Brimstone Moth, July Highflier, Clouded Border, Barred Red, Large Emerald, Double Square-spot, Yellow-tail, Rosy Footman, Flame Shoulder, Burnished Brass, Marbled White-spot, Sandy Carpet, Buff Footman, Dark Arches, Common White Wave, Green Silver-lines, Heart & Dart, Minor Shoulder-knot, Elephant Hawkmoth, Riband Wave, Scalloped Hook-tip, Buff Arches, Fan Foot, Small Fan-footed Wave, Common Lutestring, Dingy Footman, Broken-barred Carpet, Willow Beauty, Satin Lutestring, Lobster Moth, Scarce Footman, Oak Nicteoline, Pale Oak Beauty, Common Swift, Buff Ermine, Iron Prominent, Small Angle Shades, Scorched Wing, Buff-tip and Peppered Moth. Thank you to the trappers; Keith, Wendy, John, Dave & Derek and to Stuart Sutton for leading the walk and allowing us to hold this event at Abbot's Wood. (Michael Blencowe).
	Abbotts Wood near Hailsham. Grid Ref: TQ557072.
	Led by Michael Blencowe. Attended by over 30 people.

Saturday 4th July 2009
	Silver-studded Blues in Ashdown Forest
	We had an excellent walk at Ashdown Forest this morning with Steve Wheatley. Many Silver-studded Blues were seen and they settled in photographer friendly poses. A couple of attractive moths were also seen - Silver Y and a large white Light Emerald. Meadow Browns were prolific. (Colin Knight)
	Kingstanding, Ashdown Forest
	Led by Steve Wheatley. Attended by 15 people.

Sunday 5th July, 10:30am
	Fish, Pigs, Admirals and Dragons
	This walk showcased some of the great work which is being undertaken in the Rother area to improve the woodlands for butterflies. 15 people joined me as we took a circular route from Peasmarsh. On the route we met local pig farmer Tony Roberts who gave us a tour of his land showing how his coppice work - and his pigs - are helping improve the area for butterflies and wildlife. Alongside the pig field we saw our first White Admiral of the day. After lunch at Iden Moat we continued into Malthouse Wood where more woodland management work is opening up the abandoned coppice - and where the light is filtering back into the wood another White Admiral was seen. Also seen on route were Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Small White, Green-veined White, Large White, Comma, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood. Thanks to all who attended (especially the lady who brought along the Tayberries) and to Tony Roberts for showing us the pigs. I'll be seeing Tony's pigs again when I pop into Broad Oak Bangers - Tony's farm shop on Udimore Road in Broad Oak. I'll be helping to support Tony's sustainable woodland management and tasting "the best sausages ever" (Michael Blencowe)
	Peasmarsh, nr Rye
	Led by Michael Blencowe. Attended by 15 people.

Saturday 11th July 2009
	Exhibiton on Red House Common
	The open day on Red House Common attracted a steady crowd despite the inclement weather. The moth trap was run the previous night in a paddock adjacent to Red House Common (TQ390215) and was opened up and identified at the event – thanks to all those who helped out. This attracted a lot of interest and we managed to put a name to most of the moths to give a total of 55 species. The Elephant and Poplar Hawkmoths took centre stage but there were plenty of colourful species to convince the public that moths are certainly not dull and brown.
	Chailey Common
	Arranged by Chailey Commons Society

Sunday 12th July 2009
	Start of ‘Purple Emperor Week’
	A massive 41 people attended the BC outing to Southwater Woods today. The Purple Emperor once more proved to be a major crowd-pleaser, providing many people with their first sighting of this spectacular butterfly. He again arrived 'on cue', appearing above the assembly point at precisely 11am. By the time the 'official' walk had ended we had seen a minimum of 8 different Emperors, with many in spectacular aerial combat. However, it was one of those magical days when many did not want to go home! At 5.30pm a still sizeable group were treated to the amusing spectacle of a mass 'punch-up' between the Purple Emperors and the Purple Hairstreaks, high above the canopy. First one species would start, keeping the argument amongst themselves, then the other would charge in and cause mayhem. By this time we had seen a minimum total of 14 (probably 15) Emperors and were lucky enough to have witnessed the spectacular, tumbling, male-rejection behaviour of a female. I still wasn't finished and stopped off to watch the evening flight of another 2 Purple Emperors, along a meadow margin towards Dragons Green. Other species seen on the day included Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Large White and Green-veined White. However, the highlight of the day for me was spending some time with Reg Trench and his lovely wife Sophie. I sincerely hope that I am still full of the same enthusiasm that Reg shows at the remarkable age of 89 (and the mind, body and soul to indulge this passion we have). A mile or two over rough ground and stiles - no problem! Reg started watching butterflies in 1930, so he would have already been a young man by the time we experienced the greatest ever invasion of rare migrants in 1945, when Britain was blessed with good numbers of Queen of Spain Fritillary, Long-tailed Blue and Bath White! Thank you to all that came along and made it another great day in our 2009 calendar of events. (Neil Hulme)
	Southwater Woods (Grid Ref:TQ141259)
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 41 people.

Wednesday 15th July 2009
	Purple Emperor Woodland Walk
	I led a total of 33 people (mainly RSPB members) on a walk through Southwater Woods. I would like to thank them for their generosity in adding another £22 to our 'fighting fund'. Despite really unsuitable weather (only about 5 minutes of sunshine in 2.5 hours!) we still managed to see some nice butterflies, including 2 Purple Emperors. Other species included Silver-washed Fritillary , White Admiral (including ab. obliterae), Purple Hairstreak, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Holly Blue, Green-veined White and Large White. 16 species under 100% cloud cover (and spots of rain) isn't bad going! I will be doing a re-run for this group next year, as we just didn't get an opportunity to see this wonderful site at it's best.
	Southwater Woods (Grid Ref:TQ141259)
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 33 people

Friday 17th July 2009
	Park Corner Heath Moth Trap
	After a day of wind and rain I was about to call off the evening's planned moth trapping session at Park Corner Heath but as a few brave moth-ers had turned up I fired up the generator and hoped for the best. There were a nice range of moths coming to the light including some of my favourites Ghost Moth, Scallop Shell and Purple Thorn but the highlight of the night was a little (and I do mean little) moth that was dwarfed by most of the micros in the trap - a Marsh Oblique-barred. Thanks to Keith Alexander and Martin Lovell (visiting from Cambridgeshire) for help with the i.d. With a forewing length of just 6-7mm it is one of the smallest 'macro' moths and I was surprised I even saw it in the trap. I'm sure it's national rarity status must be something to do with people not noticing it. (Michael Blencowe)
	Park Corner Heath (grid ref:TQ515147).
	Led by Michael Blencowe

Friday 24th July 2009
	Butterflies and Moths of Friston
	Amazingly forty five people (who obviously had not checked the weather forecast) met me at Butchershole car park this morning for a walk around The Gallops area of Friston. With one eye on the sky we headed through the forest noting Speckled Wood, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown and Green-veined White along the way. I was delighted when Bob Eade spotted a Small Blue - I have never seen this butterfly at this site before. However, as we continued onwards the heavens opened and a torrential downpour sent us sheltering under trees, umbrellas and whatever we could find. I thought I saw lightning at one point - but it was Linda Bridges flash going off as she captured the scene of what must be the wettest walk of the year. We made it to my house and all squeezed into the garage. Clare Jeffers brought out teas and coffees to keep our spirits up but by now the rain looked like it was here to stay and I was getting ready to 'Abandon walk'. Carole and David Jode announced that they were going to return to the car park and Carole said 'I'm sure the sun will come out the minute we leave'. The minute they left the sun came out. I quickly grabbed the previous night's moth trap and opened it up for the audience with species such as Garden Tiger (there were 10 of them!) Privet Hawkmoth, Four-spotted Footman and Least Yellow Underwing impressing the crowd. The children picked a hawkmoth each to hold while one lady overcame her fear of moths by holding the biggest Privet Hawkmoth in the trap. Then, under blue skies, we headed back onto The Gallops where we recorded Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Large White, Marbled White, Small Heath, Small Copper, Painted Lady, Comma and even more Small Blues. However I had saved the best until last. The fantastic Chalkhill Blue colony did not disappoint with the clouds of butterflies dancing over the chalk turf. Neil Hulme estimated that there must be over 5000 individuals in the area. Everyone returned to the car park happy - their recent soaking no doubt erased from their minds by this wonderful butterfly spectacle. Thanks to everyone who attended (especially those who brought their own mugs!) and to Bob Eade, Neil Hulme, Keith Alexander, Linda Bridges and Clare Jeffers for helping out (Michael Blencowe)
	The Gallops at Butchershole Bottom (Grid ref: TV555994)
	Led by Michael Blencowe. Attended by 45 people

Saturday 25th July, 10:30am
	Graffham Down - The start of ‘Save Our Butterflies Week’
	22 people joined me for the 'Save Our Butterflies Week' walk on the stunningly beautiful Graffham Down Reserve, including GD Trust members Biddy and Paul Dimmer, Dianne Hardcastle and Margaret Hibbard. I would like to thank them for continuing to lead the walk, after I had to descend 'on time' to re-unite some attendees with their pre-arranged 'pick-ups'. The majority, quite understandably, were not ready to leave this fabulous stretch of downland in warm sunshine! The butterflies were out in force, including a late-flying male Purple Emperor, which sadly is probably the last one I will see until next year. Other species included Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Green-veined White, Purple Hairstreak, Small Copper, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Silver-washed Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. Others may later have been added to this impressive list of 20 species. Many thanks to all that attended and made it such an enjoyable event. (Neil Hulme)
	Graffham Down (Grid Ref:SU927168)
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 22 people.

Sunday 26th July 2009
	Grayling Festival (West) – Up on the Top of Sussex
	Is it me or was there once a time when July and August were hot? For the past three years the butterfly species that have a 'late' flight season have had to suffer the worst of the years weather. Today's Grayling survey at Weavers Down was again held under grey skies and unsurprisingly nothing much was flying. However, Grayling do not fly at the best of times and you usually have to resort to disturbing them from the ground to observe them. Today's team spread out and covered the heathland but no Grayling were seen - which gives me concerns for the species at the site. After two poor flight seasons in 2007 and 2008 numbers must have been hit badly. Our most impressive find was a gorgeous Oak Eggar who was less then impressed with being handled and squirted me! We returned to Chapel Common for a picnic. Baked goods of note included Sherie's quiche and Clare's Nutty cherry fingers - and thanks to Ken for bringing the wine!. In the afternoon the group drove out to Black Down where the habitat looks great for Grayling and - thanks to the work of The National Trust - there's plenty of it. However by now a light drizzle had set in. Let's hope the weather improves at some point in the next few weeks otherwise the county's already vulnerable population of Grayling could be in real trouble. Thanks to all who attended and helped the survey today. (Michael Blencowe)
	Weavers Down and Black Down (Grid ref: SU814282)
	Led by Michael Blencowe.

Saturday 8th August 2009
	Grayling Festival (East) – Long Men and White Horses
	After leading my last few walks in poor weather I was due some sun - and you couldn't complain about today's weather. Windover Hill was bathed in sunshine and - amazingly - there was no wind!. The Grayling Festival (East) walk started with a lecture in Graylingology and, armed with the knowledge of how to find Grayling we started the long ascent - long because we had to stop every few steps to add a new species to our list! Green-veined White, Large White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Small White, Chalkhill Blue, Painted Lady, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Clouded Yellow and Small Blue were all added within a few metres of the car park. We also located another of the day's target species - the rare Chalk Carpet. It wasn't long before we saw (or didn't see - we almost stood on it!) our first Grayling - which sat there pretending to be invisible and we gathered 'round and got 'up close and personal' with this unusual butterfly. At the top of the hill the attractive micro-moth Mecyna flavalis was seen in such high numbers it is hard to believe that this moth is so scarce elsewhere in the county. The valley itself looked beautiful in the sun and it was a real novelty not to be battling against the wind. By the valley bottom we had added Small Copper, Silver-spotted Skipper, Brimstone, Marbled White, Dark Green Fritillary and Small Heath to our growing list. In the section of the valley we covered we recorded over 20 Grayling. James Stewart - who had flown in from Hong Kong this morning - soon 'got his eye in' and added to our total whilst others spread out and reported from their 'patch'. From the valley floor we split and said goodbye to some of the team as we climbed the steep valley side (adding Speckled Wood, Small Skipper and Essex Skipper) and hiked to Friston. At Lullington Heath NNR we scoured the area for Grayling - they have been reported from here this year - but none were found. However what happened next made up for it - a Six-belted Clearwing landed in front of me! I have never found a clearwing before and was starting to believe these mythical moths did not exist outside the field guides. I couldn't contain my excitement! We headed into the forest and Silver-washed Fritillary, Holly Blue, Ringlet, Red Admiral and Comma were recorded - as was another rare moth - the White-banded Carpet. After a meeting with an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar - who withdrew it's 'trunk' and puffed-up his 'eyes' on cue - we were out onto The Gallops where the incredible sight of many thousands of Chalkhill Blues still continues to impress. As we neared the end of the journey Andy Galligan - visiting from north London - redeemed an earlier Grayling/Meadow Brown mix-up by finding our first Adonis Blue. "You'll know it when you see it" I had told him earlier. In the last few metres of the walk Andrew Reynolds made another exciting discovery. Unfortunately it wasn't to be our 30th species of the day but something I was personally much more interested in - Asilus crabroniformis - the Hornet Robberfly. I last saw one of these incredible insects on Dartmoor when I was about 8 years old and have been looking for another ever since! We finished the 6 hour walk with a well deserved cold beer after a fantastic day 'out in the field'. 29 species were recorded - is this a record for a BC walk?! Thanks to all who attended. (Michael Blencowe)
	Windover Hill
	Led by Michael Blencowe.

Sunday 9th August 2009
	Walk on Steyning Rifle Range
	46 people attended the BC walk on the Rifle Range - part of the Steyning Downland Scheme Area. Most were keen to see the Brown Hairstreak, one of our two target species and Britain's most elusive butterfly. Guardian journalist Patrick Barkham joined us, in the hope of seeing the last of the 59 species he needed to complete a 'full house' in the course of his 2009 UK tour. After just over an hour, and with the pressure to deliver building, I was delighted to hear Roger Martin shout that he had a Brown Hairstreak in front of him. There was no panic and no need for crowd-control, as a long string of people patiently queued to see this pristine female through a telescope - a quite unusual scene! For much of the time she sat 'flat open', showing off the beautiful, fiery orange patches on her forewings. As is often the case, quite a number of people stayed on after the official end to the walk, adding a few more species to the already impressive tally we had accumulated. The list included Wall Brown, Clouded Yellow, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Holly Blue, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Small Heath. While waiting for the Hairstreaks to show we were treated to the sight of a Hobby and Sparrowhawk thermalling above us. Thanks to all that came along and made it such an enjoyable event. (Neil Hulme)
	Steyning Rifle Range (Steyning Downland Scheme, Wiston Estate) Grid Ref:TQ173113
	Led by Neil Hulme. Attended by 46 people

Friday 14th August 2009
	Ashdown Forest Moth Survey
	A cool night in Ashdown Forest meant that moths were slow coming to the traps. We also tried sugaring some posts. This attracted Angle Shades and Copper Underwing. Despite the clear skies and cool night air we eventually recorded just over 70 species including a new species record for the site Small Chocolate-tip. Thank you to everyone who came along.
	Led by Steve Wheatley. Attended by 8 people

Sunday 16th August 2009
	Grayling Festival – Down in the Dean
	I would like to start by thanking Michael Blencowe & Clare Jeffers for organising the great event and for their enthusiasm for everything butterflies! This was my first Grayling Festival and I was very excited as I have only been butterfly spotting for a very short time and have never knowingly seen a Grayling. The event seems to be expanding as we had members from Surrey and Kent Butterfly Conservation in attendance too. After Michael's introductory talk about the Grayling, we climbed up the hill and eventually arrived at Deep Dene. Having seen en-route numerous butterflies such as a Clouded Yellow, several Small White, Large White, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue, Painted Ladies, Gatekeeper, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and hundreds of Michael's favourites (sic) Meadow Brown and Small Heath. Once at Deep Dene we had to get our eyes adjusted in order to focus on the very well camouflaged Grayling. Once we were all in the mindset - RESULT....Grayling. I think we found around 7, but as they kept on hiding and re-appearing (some with tell-tale red mites on them), that figure could be a couple either side of 7. Not only can I tick off Grayling on my imaginary list, I can also add Silver-spotted Skippers as we saw a few of those too. All-in-all a good morning's work. It gave me inspiration to visit Frog Firle for the afternoon....(Nick Linazasoro)
	Windover Hill
	Led by Michael Blencowe and Clare Jeffers. Attended by 17 people

Friday 18 September 2009
	National Moth Night - Part 1
	This years National Moth Nights we were targeting migrant moths so over the two evenings I set up traps at coastal locations hoping for some exciting arrivals. However the weather over the past few weeks has been exactly what we didn't want with strong winds from the north not being encouraging for moth migration. The first evening (Friday 18th) looked promising - mild, calm and cloudy and we set up the traps on farmland in the middle of Pevensey Marshes. And the first moth in the trap was......a Painted Lady ! Those damn things get everywhere! Despite a nice range of autumn moths coming to the light the only hint of migration was in the form of a lone Plutella xylostella - the Diamond-back Moth (wingspan 15mm). Still, it was an enjoyable evening out on the marsh - many thanks to all those who attended and to John Luther for allowing us to trap on his land.
	Arranged by Steve Teale, Michael Blencowe, Steve Wheatley.

Saturday 19 September 2009
	National Moth Night - Part 2
	Tidemills has never previously been surveyed using light traps, so there were lots of first records for the site – an area that I’m planning to work regularly in 2010. I was pleased to record my first Channel Islands Pug, along with Yellow Belle and Pinion-streaked Snout. The species list in full last night: Diamond-back Moth (1), Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (1), Rush Veneer (1), Channel Islands Pug (1), Lesser Treble-bar (2), Willow Beauty (5), Light Emerald (1), Yellow Belle (1), Vapourer (1), Shuttle-shaped Dart (1), Large Yellow Underwing (27), Lesser Yellow Underwing (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (11), Square-spot Rustic (24), Common Wainscot (1), L-album Wainscot (6), Beaded Chestnut (1), Lunar Underwing (7), Angle Shades (1), Flounced Rustic (7), Rosy Rustic (1), Frosted Orange (3), Large Wainscot(1), Pale Mottled Willow (1), Burnished Brass (3), Silver Y (2), Snout (1), and Pinion-streaked Snout (2). Thanks again to everyone who attended another successful event last night - it was great to see you all! (Steven Teale)
	Organised by Steve Teale

Saturday 3 October 2009
	Sussex Branch of Butterfly Conservation - AGM
	Between 75 and 80 people attended the Sussex Branch AGM at Chailey Parish Hall, this being our largest ever turnout. With speakers of the very highest quality on show, this was perhaps unsurprising. Following the formal AGM proceedings, guest speaker Matthew Oates gave a brilliant and thought-provoking talk entitled 'Why Butterflying is Dangerously Addictive… a look at the psychology and spirituality of butterflying'. It is probably rare that we actually consider precisely why we do it and why it gives us so much pleasure. I then presented Matthew with a framed photograph of a Purple Emperor, the species most close to his heart. Following a break for refreshments, mingling and the raffle (we raised a fantastic total of £207 - thank you for your generosity), it was time for Michael Blencowe's talk, 'Of Ladies and Loopers'. Those who have heard Michael previously would have been anticipating this for some time - and he didn't disappoint. Another hilarious and hugely entertaining journey through the Sussex Branch calendar. I wouldn't be surprised if he adds pyrotechnics and dancers at some point! (Forget it Michael - you're our Health and Safety Rep.). We finished off with a selection of member's slides - thank you to those that contributed. I would also like to thank all of those that helped organise the event (too numerous to list individually) and ensured that all ran smoothly on the day. With such a great team of people to work with, I needn't worry about Chairing these events in the future, this being my first one. Lastly, thank you all for coming along, as ultimately it's our members that 'make the day'. (Neil Hulme)
	Chailey Parish Hall
	Organised by BC Sussex Branch Committee. Attended by 75-80 people.

click here to see some of the events of 2008