Another warm day so I decided to do another Wall Brown count on my usual circuit of The Comp, Greenway, Cradle Hill and High and Over. With 34 counted by the time I reached the end of The Comp I was confident of beating my best count of 44 from 2010 and despite the stiff breeze keeping many hidden in the shelter of the long grasses along Cradle Hill and particularly High and Over I finished the count with a very impressive 66 showing that this year continues to be particularly good for this species in our area. Other good counts including Tony Wilsons' around Edburton are also very encouraging. Also today there appeared to have been a good emergence of Small Tortoiseshell with around 15 fresh individuals on the circuit. (Bob Eade)

With perfect weather today there is no better place to visit Blackcap, which is really quite splendid at this time of year.
The walk uphill via the Bostal produced good numbers of Chalkhills, a couple of Marbled Whites with a Wall Brown perched on bare chalk being a bonus. Down through Ashcombe Bottom with good numbers of Migrant Hawkers, just commencing their flight season and Common Darters plus several pristine Peacocks.
Then on to the nearby hillside for a bite of lunch. A Brimstone appeared alongside the woodland followed by a Brown Argus. My eyes then alighted upon a tiny butterfly, which I thought would doubtless turn out to be a Purple & Gold Moth, but no, it was none other than that magic species the Silver-spotted Skipper. Then another one. So I thought why don't I try and count how many there were on this patch. Which if you think about it, is not terribly bright as the chances of succeeding are somewhere between Zero and Minus 5% as they are very small, hard to see and shoot off at a rate of knots when one approaches.
Then suddenly 2 appeared and just as quickly became a mating pair. So rather than chasing a single butterfly around for the rest of the afternoon, I was able to creep up and take a few photos, whilst their attention was focused on more important matters. (John Luck)

News for Thursday 9 August: A tiny (Small Blue-sized) Holly Blue on raspberry in a Flower's Green garden on Thursday 9th Aug this week.
Also, a small unidentified mystery moth which was in my workshop this afternoon. It rests with delta-shaped wings and a wingspan of approx 15-16mm. It could be very common... but there again I couldn't find it anywhere in the Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland... Any suggestions welcome! (Mike Mullis)

News for Saturday 4 August: Purple Emperor sipping sap taken last Saturday near Pulborough. (James Brooks-Fisher)

Friday 10 August 2012

Perhaps most of us have enjoyed a remarkable Olympics in the field of human endeavour for team GB. However I also feel that after serious inclement weather I think that team Sussex BC has shown its true colours on the 9th of August with a monumental contribution from fellow enthusiasts. We had firm favourites in the photography stakes who never fail to deliver and a few budding Olympians with pictures of open wing female Brimstones. However there were huge contributions of moths from Portslade, how many Wall Browns up Edburton Hill and High and Over, the extraordinary pictures of a female Purple Emperor in someone's back garden that most of us can only dream of. The number of species recorded was superb from all contributors. So perhaps the Sussex BC team deserves a Gold medal. I feel proud to be able to contribute to and be part of Sussex BC. (ANON)

In my mother-in-laws back garden on Marine Drive at Bishopstone, at least 4 Wall Browns this morning, along with Small Tortoiseshell x 2, one each of Green-veined White and Large White, and 32 Gatekeepers. (Andrew Carey)

The buddleia continues to attract unusual species to my Crawley Down garden. Today a pristine Silver-washed Fritillary was followed by a White Admiral, for a first for me. (Jonathan Ruff)

The sun was shining and I had no other urgent plans, so I spent the whole day in the garden! I recorded 16 species of butterfly. The one I really wanted was Chalkhill Blue. With such large numbers so close to where I live it is surprising that one hasn't come down to pay me a visit. It didn't happen but I am not complaining as there was lots to see, as follows: Gatekeeper (12), Meadow Brown (8), Large Skipper (2), Small Skipper (5), Large White (3), Small White (5), Marbled White (1), Brimstone (male and female), Holly Blue (1-2), Common Blue (1 male), Comma (1), Peacock (2), Red Admiral (2), Small Copper (4), Speckled Wood (1), and last but not least Brown Argus (1). Three photos (above), two of Brown Argus and one of a female Brimstone trying to hide (and doing a pretty good job of it). (Martin Kalaher, Storrington)

Nigel Kemp and myself called in Ashdown Forest today for dragonflies. We were also lucky to find a female Oak Eggar and the larvae of the Beautiful Yellow Underwing. (Bob Eade)

Female Oak Eggar, caught in moth trap and now about to take flight. (George Kinnard)

A return to the Gallops on Friday to do some experimental work with the Chalkhill Blues had me sitting amongst them for most of the afternoon and towards the end of the day I too saw my first clear lyceanid aberration, ab. postcaeca. I noticed that it was the same aberration that Neil had seen on the 4th August. I also include a tatty "normal" specimen for comparison. (Dan Danahar)

Thursday 9 August 2012

Purple Emperors are still turning up across the county. On Saturday a male Purple Emperor was reported on animal droppings near South Harting by John Richardson. A female Purple Emperor was seen and photographed near Pulborough on Sunday 5th by James Brooks-Fisher. James reports "She was content to sip sap oozing from a bole on the tree, flicking her wings occasionally when bothered by flies after the same sap". Another report came in today (9th) from Tom Forward who writes "I have never seen a Purple Emperor before, nor have I actively tried to seek one out - though have been meaning to do so for ages. Anyway, gathered outside the toilet block next to the main car park in Tilgate Park at 10am this morning, with a group of 20 excited children for a day of bushcraft, when a slightly tatty looking PE landed on the wall of the toilet block to bask and apparently pick up some salts from the mortar in the brick work. We all got a good look at it for a few minutes (why do I never have the camera with me when I need it!!!), before it did a couple of Red Arrow-esque fly-bys low over the kids heads and then made it's way off over the car park!" Will Toms tatty Emperor be the last Sussex Emperor of 2012? (Michael Blencowe)

And the next two reports rather serve to reinforce Michael's point:

I noticed this large butterfly (above) in the garden today. I think it is a female Purple Emperor, but I have never seen one before, hopefully you can confirm indeed it is.... It nectared on the buddleia for several minutes. Also Holly Blue, Small Copper, Peacock, Comma, Small Skipper, Large and Small White, and numerous Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper, far more than in previous years. (Jonathan Ruff)

I decided to check a spot where I had seen a Purple Emperor some years ago on a minor road between Aldsworth Pond and Brickkiln Ponds SU760090. I had only just got out of the car when a male Purple Emperor landed on a fence post only feet away from where I was standing it remained there for a couple of minutes, giving me some fantastic views. Unfortunately I had no camera with me (Murphy's Law). It then flew onto some sallow for awhile before alighting again and landed on my head briefly and then landed on yet another fence post. (Barry Collins)

I am Vice chair and membership secretary of Herts and Middx Branch of Butterfly Cons. On August 9th at 11am in bright sunshine at a temperature of aprox. 24c we saw uncountable numbers of ChalkHill Blues, and also 6 Wall butterflies. We were high on the downs above and west of Alfriston. (Margaret Noakes)

This morning I met Simon Mockford of the South Downs National Park Authority to assess numbers on another Sussex site where the Chalkhill Blue population has exploded this year. In a couple of seldom visited valleys on the Downs near Amberley I was astounded, for the second time in a week, by the unprecedented abundance of this species. The isolated flowery slopes were covered in Chalkhills, with huge bundles of males relentlessly pursuing the females, or occasionally forming a large posse to chase a Dark Green Fritillary from their patch. By walking the large area to get an idea of the numbers of butterflies per metre square, then later examining satellite images of the site, I came up with an estimate of c.175,000; not as large an emergence as at Friston, but very impressive by any standards. Other species seen here included Brimstone, Peacock, Small Copper, Common Blue, Marbled White and my first Adonis Blue of the second brood. After a painless visit to the dentist I then headed back East to re-visit Friston Gallops. Much has changed here in a week and the Chalkhills have clearly passed their peak, with densities over the northern part of the site being (on average) no more than 1-2 per metre square now. I saw only 2 mating pairs and very few fresh specimens. However, it is still well worth a visit as numbers remain high by normal standards. Amongst the supporting cast I saw very fresh examples of Essex Skipper and Small Heath, my first (2) Silver-spotted Skippers of the year and some shiny Small Coppers. It was nice to meet new member Colleen on the slopes, who had wisely returned after only visiting the site yesterday! (Neil Hulme)

I did my Mill Hill transect with the following results: Adonis Blue 4, Brimstone 4, Chalkhill Blue 144, Common Blue 5, Gatekeeper 3, Holly Blue 1, Meadow Brown 192, Peacock 2, Red Admiral 2, Small Heath 4, Small White 3, Wall 3. Then I headed to Friston Gallops to see the Chalkhill Blue spectacular and was amazed by the numbers shimmering on the down. They seemed to favour the sweet smelling thyme. I also saw Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Small Copper, Brimstones, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. (Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

The girls returned from a walk yesterday evening proudly carrying a caterpillar on a stick. Asking my expert opinion (never a good idea) I announced it was a Poplar Hawk-moth. Having pondered this fact further I checked properly and realised the red blotches were a bit bigger than expected. So actually it turned out to be a Lime Hawk-moth caterpillar. Unfortunately it was carrying a couple of wounds, possibly from a bird attack and was leaking hemolymph so it may not survive. I found some lime leaves this morning so fingers crossed. Yesterday evening we had a quick walk down the Downlink at dusk to look for Glow-worms. TQ2016. Initially enquiring if they needed to be quiet, I said oh yes!. However 5 seconds later and after a further 20 mins of "this is a waste of time" we actually found three Glow-worms, shining brightly at about 9.00 p.m. Surprisingly then then followed a period of silence as these little miracles of nature were investigated. This morning was cool and misty and on the Downslink the Brown Hairstreak males finally became active in the ash trees at about 7.45 and I eventually got some tricky long shots of them basking. I saw around ten which is the most I have ever seen, As The Brown Hairstreak is our largest hairstreak they are quite easy to see once you get your eye in and its worth checking Ash trees close to Sloes, if Brown Hairstreaks are known to be near you. (Richard Roebuck)

A nice long walk around Edburton Hill today produced lots of butterflies including 27 Walls, 6 Dark Green Fritillaries, 4 Chalkhill Blues, Painted Lady, Small Tortoisehsell, Brimstone, 6 Peacocks, a Large Skipper, 20 Small or Essex Skippers, 6 Marbled Whites, 6 Common Blues, Speckled Wood, Small Heath and numerous Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers. Also 2 Chalk Carpets and several Silver Ys. (Tony Wilson)

My father, Roy Symonds reports the following sightings from Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve (SU824098) where the temperature was 23°C with sunny periods. Large White (1), Small White (2), Brimstone (4M 2F), Meadow Brown (50+), Gatekeeper (2), Comma (1), Red Admiral (1), Common Blue (2), Small Skipper (1). (Richard Symonds, Pendeen, Cornwall)

Following trapped in my north Portslade garden: Brussels Lace, Ruby Tiger, Silver Y, Scalloped Oak, Buff Ermine, Garden Tiger, Nut-tree Tussock, Yellow-tail, Brown-tail, Buff Arches, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Common Rustic, Campion, Pale Prominent, Knot Grass, Oak Eggar, Marbled Green, Lackey, Willow Beauty, Pale Mottled Willow, Peppered Moth, Brimstone Moth. Micros included Meal Moth (Pyralis Farinalis), Endotricha Flammealis, Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas Postvittana), Small Magpie. (Darryl Perry)

It has been a curious year to date. Today in my Storrington garden, Peacock, Large White and Brimstone have become a bit more evident. Two Peacock stayed all day, female Brimstone stayed most of the day and two Large Whites put in a brief late appearance. It was interesting to watch the female Brimstone as it nectared on Viburnum, Verbena bonariensis, Wisteria and then Sweet Pea. Brimstone usually pass through my garden very quickly so it was nice to to see this female at close quarters. I think I have now 'lost' Large Skipper but Holly Blues (1-3) are daily and settle just long enough to attempt a photograph. (Martin Kalaher)

Libby and I meet up with Bob Foreman and his wife Jo at the Gallops to see the colony of Chalkhills that Mike, Michael and Neil wrote about so enthusiastically last week. The majority are now past their best but the numbers are still quite high, although I would imagine they will have dropped since the time of the reported "Explosion". What was quite wonderful to see was the abundant opportunity to observe Chalkhill behavior. Bob and I watched a female chasing a particularly immaculate male... "That's not how it should be" said Bob. I also saw males exhibiting clearly homosexual courtship.
However, the most interesting observations were made by the multiple opportunities to see heterosexual courtship and copulation. On one occasion I watched a couple on the flower head of a Sealfheal plant. Here the female was desperately trying to remove herself from the grasp of the male by continuously contracting her abdominal muscles. To avoid this happening the male would occasionally fly off with her, suspended beneath him, until he had to rest again on another flower. At which point she would gird her loins again, take a foot hold and then start to prise herself away. The male would now undertake an alternative strategy, as she pulled he would follow, backwards, from his perspective. And so they would preform this copulatory dance on the top of the flower, never quite resting, just moving around and around the flower head. Eventually she succeeded but I had 15 mins to photograph them, in this sexual tug of war.
Whilst there, we also saw the Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, some lovely fresh Small Coppers, Small Whites (along the boarders) and Jo and Libby spotted and photographed a delightfully fresh pair of Small Blues.
This last observation got me thinking and so on our way home we stopped off at the Hollingbury reserve, Brighton (nr ASDA) and here I saw about 8 Small Blues catching the last rays of the Sun, which at 19.30 was very low in the sky. A perfect time for photography. Here I also saw a Marbled White, which I think is a first for the site. It was a great afternoon, with great company. (Dan Danahar)

Ruby Tiger caught in Moth Trap Today. (George Kinnard)

Was delighted to see a Wall Brown soon after I arrived at the garden I work in just north of Shoreham airport TQ196063. During the day I also saw a male Brimstone, a Green-veined White, some Meadow Browns, two Peacocks and a Red Admiral.
and...
Wednesday 8 August 2012A lovely three hours spent walking round Bullock Hill and the Castle Hill nature reserve north east of Woodingdean. Warm and drizzly and lots of butterflies. The highlight for me was multiples of Wall Browns, three in the same view at one point, two males and a female. Was accompanied by them along the path for quite a distance on both the north and the south parts of the circuit as they dallied from one bare patch of earth to the next. I saw at least 5 individuals and it was possibly more. Also saw lots of Chalkhill Blues, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, unidentified skippers, Marbled Whites, Six-spot Burnet moths and one Small Copper, one Small Blue and one Dark Green Fritillary. There was lots of round headed rampion, especially thick above the track overlooking Standean Bottom from the north. I also found what I thought was an occupied cocoon of an Emperor Moth, but it was in the grass which doesn't fit with what I've looked up in books. (Tessa Pawsey)

Wednesday 8 August 2012

There's little doubt that the awful weather we've suffered this year is still affecting the butterfly calendar. Last weekend I crossed the county line to look at a couple of Hampshire venues where a few Purple Emperors have been recorded this season. Emperors failed to show but at least 15 freshly emerged Brimstones were very busy nectaring along the ride edges, oblivious to members of the opposite sex. The first flush of summer Brimstones is usually seen in the later part of July. Usually keeping to the same timetable is the Peacock, but it was only yesterday (8th August) that I first saw the species in any numbers this summer. 5 or 6 brand new males were gliding between the thistles in a rough meadow below Cissbury Ring, accessed via Findon Valley. Male Purple Emperors are still being seen with some regularity, even in Sussex where numbers have been low this season. In most years I give up looking for Emperors on about the 25th July. The season is still running two weeks late! (Neil Hulme)

Garden in Ditchling BN6 8UD. Nice large garden full of flowers and shrubs  very few butterflies  only 5 Gatekeepers and 4 Large White. (Ray Chatfield)

Buff-tip moth (above) seen in our East Preston Garden. (George Kinnard)

Tuesday 7 August 2012

It was another irritating (Force 5) breeze spoils a day when the sun occasional shines through the clouds. On the small garden at the entrance to PC World on the top road at Hove the lawn/meadow contained Bird's Foot Trefoil and about twenty small male Common Blue Butterflies were fluttering around including my first brown female of the year. There was also a few Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods in the brief few minutes of sunshine. Underneath tree canopy a first of the year Migrant Hawker (dragonfly) looked menacing but the butterflies were fluttering around and chasing each other very quickly. After examining the out of focus record photographs, I discovered that the blue butterflies included at least one Holly Blue. The bright yellow fluttering in Southwick was a fresh Brimstone Moth. Large Whites and a Gatekeeper were recorded in Shoreham. (Andy Horton, Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List)

This Peacock was seen at Arundel near the Black Rabbit. (George Kinnard)

Richard Roebuck e-mailed to point out that there was a fascinating report on the World's largest butterfly, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, and its conservation was on BBC Radio 4 yesterday morning, listen to it here.

Monday 6 August 2012

Another short visit after work to the Chalkhill Blues at Friston Gallops produced a very smart Pyrausta nigrata moth hiding in the undergrowth. The wind was keeping the numbers of blues down but still big numbers there including many fresh specimens. (Bob Eade)

I don't get the impression that too many Common Blues have been seen lately, so I'm glad to report both a male and a female in my flower meadow today. Also Speckled Wood and a Peacock (haven't seen one for a long time). This makes a total of 14 species in the garden in two days. (Martin Kalaher, Storrington)

Any fritillary is a very rare visitor to my Crawley Down garden, so I was surprised to see this Silver-washed Fritillary feeding on a buddleia. (Jonathan Ruff)

I first reported large numbers of Chalkhill Blues at Friston Gallops on 25th July, and having read the more recent reports of the population "explosion" there, I had to go back today and see it for myself. In contrast to my previous visit, weather conditions were breezy and much cooler, but there were still large numbers in flight. There were also a lot more females this time, with many of them being ardently pursued by one or more suitors. On the other hand, some of the males were looking distinctly past their best. Perhaps this year's emergence has now peaked.
For the record, I think it's worth saying that there were large numbers of Chalkhills on this site last year, as I reported on 3rd August 2011. I said then that "there were literally hundreds -- probably thousands", but to be honest, I was probably being conservative in my estimate. From my memory of seeing the number flying all over the gallops site, I would say that they were nearly as abundant and widespread as they are this year. I know this is very unscientific, but I am just going on my subjective impression. (Andy Wilson)

A White-letter Hairstreak found on Wild Carrot, on the meadow opposite YHA East Dean Road Eastbourne. Thought it was getting a bit late and nice to see a ground shot rather than just Brown Images on the tops of trees. Just shows what a crazy year we are having with the weather. (Anna Grist & Peter Coyston)

News for Wednesday 25 July: Purple Emperors at Southwater: Purple Emperors seen on 25th July in Madgeland Wood near the Trout Lane entrance master trees - grid ref. TQ132257. 2 males fought repeatedly in the top half of the canopy and the female (above) came down to lay eggs within a few feet of us. (Julie and Malcolm Redford)

Sunday 5 August 2012

I Finally did my big butterfly count yesterday in a grass field next to the Downs Link. Apart from the more familiar species I was pleased to see my first Painted Lady of the year nectaring on some flowering teasels. It was slightly worn and I had the suspicion that with the recent south westerly winds it had probably arrived via the Adur valley from the coast. I spent much of yesterday wandering around the Downslink and it was also noticeable that there were a lot of newly emerged Holly Blues (6) and numerous Speckled Woods. The pristine Red Admirals I saw were just fabulous. There has suddenly been a lot of interest in Chalkhills at Friston so I headed down to Butchershole again arriving at about 7.15. Indeed the Chalkhills were as abundant as my last visit but many were showing signs of wear and tear although pristine individuals were still plentiful. I also noted that the numbers of Small Coppers had risen considerably so perhaps they also had benefitted from the spring weather. I was also pleased to see two Common Blues increasing my sightings by 100% for this year. It was a wonderful time of the morning with lots of species just warming up. Ironically I was actually a little too late to catch groups of roosting individuals as many Chalkhills were on the wing. After an hour I departed and went to the Downslink at Henfield and at 10.30 I spotted my first Brown Hairstreak of the year high in an Ash tree. I got an excellent view through my binoculars whist it sat on the tip of a an Ash leaf. I presume it was a male as there was a very brief tussle with a second individual. (Richard Roebuck)

A single male Purple Emperor at the Brickkiln Ponds territory (SU756093) near Stansted Forest, sadly with nothing else to fight with. (Neil Hulme)

Spent the day visiting various sites in East Sussex. Highlights were the carpet of Chalkhill Blues at Friston along with 5 Small Blues. I then moved on to Cradle Hill and valley where I found several Wall Browns, another Small Blue and a colony of Brown Argus. I then started to find Silver-spotted Skippers and saw at least a dozen of them at various points along the valley. I then crossed the road and made my way back up to High and Over car park and was pleased to find another Silver-spotted Skipper on the slope as I've not seen them on this side of the road before. Then it was back to Hailsham where I found a Holly Blue in the middle of an estate before finishing off with a walk around the Hellingly tetrad where the highlight was 2 Purple Hairstreaks (both in areas where I've not seen them before). A great day in the sunshine and 23 species seen! (Chris Hooker)

This Common Blue (above) was seen at Angmering Park Estate on the 5th August. (George Kinnard)

Today we went for a lovely walk across The Gallops at Friston Forest to view the thousands of Chalkhill Blues. We also saw a Brimstone, a Brown Argus, a Red Admiral, a handful of Small Skippers, Meadow Brown, Gatekeepers and a few Six-spot Burnet. Very enjoyable! (Nick & Sharon Linazasoro)

Because of the dreadful weather I missed the peak emergence of Chalkhill Blues on Mill Hill this year. (The Chalkhill Blue Butterflies tend to emerge simultaneously over two days at the turn of the month.) On the first suitable (if far from ideal) day a trip to the lower slopes of Mill Hill discovered only 90 in the transect acre on a cloudy cool (>18.0 °C ) day. There were 86 males seen and four females including two mating pairs. There were further male Chalkhill Blues occasionally noted on the middle and upper part of Mill Hill exceeding ten to bring the total over a hundred seen in an hour. Thirteen butterfly species (the most in a single day so far this year) and two macro moths. (Andy Horton)

There were 12 species of butterfly in my Storrington garden today with approximate numbers: Gatekeeper (12), Meadow Brown (9), Holly Blue (3), male Common Blue (1), Small White (2), Large White (1), male Brimstone (1), Small Skipper (2), Large Skipper (1), Small Copper (1), Red Admiral (2) and pride of place Painted Lady (1). Photos enclosed. (Martin Kalaher)

On Sunday morning I walked the half hour or so from my central Brighton home to Bevendean to show a friend the flowers and butterflies in Hog Trough. She was satisfyingly impressed by the beautiful variety of grassland flowers and the Chalkhill Blues were around in good numbers (can't compete with the Friston area!). As we sat and picnicked we were surrounded by their shimmer. There were many more females in evidence than when I went over last sunday. There were also good numbers of Marbled Whites, skippers which I don't know which ones, Meadow Browns, Six-spot Burnets, Gatekeepers and a beautiful new Small Copper. We spent two hours up there and did'nt see anyone else, lovely for us but a shame that more people in the town don't know or maybe care about what is right on their doorstep. (Tessa Pawsey)

Saturday 4 August 2012, Chalkhill Blue Explosion  More

Yesterday (4th August) I returned to Friston Gallops for another helping of this mind-blowing event. This time I retraced Michael Blencowe's and Mike Mullis' footsteps, as I was keen to see for myself how far along the huge site this Chalkhill extravaganza continued. Despite their report I was still amazed at the numbers way back towards the coast, such a distance away from the core area. In previous years, even when the population has been high, there were very few away from the northern part of the grassland. Unsurprisingly, when exceptional numbers appear, the variety in the gene pool comes tumbling out. As the butterflies began to roost I made a quick search for aberrant forms, finding 7 ab. postcaeca (6 male and a stunning female) in about 45 minutes. (Neil Hulme)

Way back in September 2011 I planned today's Grayling Festival walk over the Downs and hoped we'd spot 30 butterfly species. We've managed to acheive this record before at the Grayling Festival in August but I hadn't counted on 2012 being the worst butterfly year on record! 18 people joined me in the county's bumpiest car park and, as we climbed Windover Hill, I wondered whether we'd see 30 butterflies - let alone 30 species! The threatening grey skies meant that butterflies were in short supply but at the top of the hill the hardy Grayling put on a good show to keep the crowd happy. On the way down to the car park we added Dark Green Fritillary, Wall and Silver-spotted Skipper to the list making a total of 15 species. To make up for not delivering 30 species I promised to give the crowd a few hundred thousand butterflies instead and we whizzed 'round the corner to Friston Gallops. By now the sun had emerged and the amazing Chalkhill Blue spectacle was in full swing leaving people speechless - it really is a sight to behold! We also added 5 more species to our tally including Small Blue and Dingy Skipper. Thanks to everyone who came along today (Michael Blencowe)

One Brown Argus near Jupps View area and a single Common Carpet near the Visitors centre also a Sharp-angled Carpet and a single Ringlet. (George Kinnard and Roger Billings)

On the assumption that today everybody would be heading East for the Chalkhill explosion, we decided on a quieter location and visited Newtimber Hill instead. Species seen were: Marbled Whites, Chalkhill Blues, Small Coppers, Small and Large Whites, a Small Heath, a number of fresh Common Blues, still masses of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, a Brown Argus and good numbers (16+) of Silver-spotted Skippers including a mating pair. (Pauline Batchelor)

I had a wonderful few hours slowly and carefully walking around The Gallops at Friston Forest. There were literally thousands of Chalkhill Blues. I really had to be careful where I walked so as not to tread on any of them! Also spotted were Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Small Skipper etc. Very enjoyable!
Also, I had a nice walk around Abbots Wood and saw Green-veined White, Small Skipper, Silver-washed Fritillary etc. (Nick Linazasoro)

Delighted to get a quick sighting of a Wall Brown while on my allotment on Whitehawk Hill in Brighton TQ329046. It was on a lavender flower but flew off as I approached. Each year I get a couple of sitings of lone Wall Browns up there to tantalise and cheer me. (Tessa Pawsey)

Spent Saturday afternoon touring the woods of Streat and Southwater. Eventually, during a sunny spell on the edge of Marlpost Wood in late afternoon, I saw my first ever definite Purple Emperor - wonderful! That's now 42 Sussex species this year; will I manage to find the full set? (Chris Hooker)

Following on from Friday's Chalkhill Blue excitement on the Downs, I had half an hour to kill mid-pm yesterday (Sat) so thought it worth trying for a second Big Butterfly Count on my temporarily neglected Herstmonceux plot as July's snapshot was a little disappointing. On a warm, breezy and sunny afternoon, I strolled around the wild flower banks and buddleia by the parking area, hacked a path into the overgrown front paddock then forced my way into the jungle-like upper plot, scythe in hands! In fifteen minutes or so, I found 8 Red Admirals, 6 Peacocks, plus solitary Small Tortoiseshell (the highlight!), Comma and Painted Lady all feeding on or flying near the buddleia. Also seen were a Small Copper nectaring on ragwort nearby, 10 Gatekeepers, 15 rather faded Meadow Browns and a couple of tatty Ringlets around the meadow and brambles bushes where there were also singles of a faded Small and a lightly fresher Essex Skipper in the long grass. I was fortunate with the whites as both Large and Small White put in an appearance plus 2 Green-veined Whites over yet more brambles. Finally, braving the stinging nettles and invisible thorns over the bracken-strewn path to the upper plot, I put up a male Speckled Wood and saw a fly-by Holly Blue... so 16 species in 15 minutes. Visible moths were limited to two Six-Spot Burnets and a Silver-Y. Also patrolling the plot were 3 Brown Hawkers, 1 Southern Hawker, 2 Migrant Hawkers and 2 Common Darters. Think I really need to spend an hour or two with the brush-cutter... but only to re-instate the paths! (Mike Mullis)

Friday 3 August 2012 - Chalkhill Blue Explosion!

On Thursday morning I witnessed something rivalled only by the great Painted Lady emergence on the Downs near Keymer in 2009. At Friston Gallops I saw the Chalkhill Blue in numbers rarely seen since Victorian times. I counted a number of 1 metre squares and came to an average of 5.2, with the highest count being 33 (not gathered on faeces - just lying in the grass). I stopped counting pairs 'in cop' at 150. Despite cool, overcast and windy conditions, whenever a little warmth forced its way through the cloud the whole ground appeared to move, shimmering in silvery-blue as far ahead as I could see. I used the bamboo cane I carry to put them up during periods when the majority were grounded, in order to save as many as possible from my foot-fall. It made for an incredible sight. I've seen the species in thousands here before, but currently the numbers are far in excess of anything I've ever experienced, with the exception of the Keymer Ladies. I have used satellite imagery to determine the area over which I saw the butterflies in these numbers; an area substantially greater than 30,000 square metres, although they occurred in lesser densities in large areas of longer grass towards the top of the slope and for some distance to the south. In order to play safe, as these quantities will always be difficult to determine accurately, I estimate that there must be between 150,000 and 200,000 Chalkhill Blues on the wing here, in the relatively small area surveyed.
I asked Michael Blencowe and Mike Mullis to make an independent assessment of these huge numbers, and their efforts to monitor the entire site continued throughout today (3rd August). I also returned this morning, this time with my father, primarily to capture the event on video, but we had to retreat after a thorough soaking. While there, it soon became evident from the large number of paired butterflies (up to 4 pairs seen in a single metre square) that the emergence continues at a phenomenal pace, and will probably peak sometime next week (6th August onwards). After assessing a few more 1 metre squares, and taking into consideration the rather conservative figure used for the area on which to base my calculations, I suspect that the true number is well in excess of my original estimate.
Update: Michael and Mike have now completed their much more exhaustive survey of the entire Friston Gallops grassland area, much of which is improving as the result of a change in the cutting regime, following discussions between the Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation. Their total figure of 820,000 does not surprise me, and I suspected that the number just at the northern end of the site might be in the order of half a million, but initially didn't want to venture such a figure without some corroborative evidence.
In such a poor year for most butterflies, why are we seeing such an abundance of Chalkhill Blues? I suspect that the ultimate size of the potentially largest colonies is often limited by the availability of suitable food-plants, with droughting and competition for resources being a common scenario in most summers. This year we are all-too-aware of the conditions that will have led to exceptionally lush growth of the horseshoe vetch, for once capable of supporting a veritable army of Chalkhill Blue caterpillars.
Of related interest, in the last week or so we have had reports of Chalkhill Blue males well off the Downs, at Hailsham Country Park, Horam and Coggins Mill near Mayfield. These three sites plot out on a straight line trending south to north. Friston Gallops lies to the SSW, with the greatest distance from Friston being Coggins Mill at 17.5 miles.
Make no mistake, this is the big butterfly event of the year in Sussex (and further afield). Get out there and enjoy it, but if visiting in dull weather please make every attempt possible to avoid treading on too many! (Neil Hulme)

Friston Gallops: The field to the east of Friston Forest has always put on a good show of Chalkhill Blues in late Summer. In the past 5 years of living here it has been a pleasure to watch thousands of Chalkhill Blues turn the rabbit grazed downland at the north of the Gallops into a shimmering blue. In recent years Butterfly Conservation has worked with the Forestry Commission, Natural England to assist the farmer who manages this area to create other Chakhill Blue friendly habitats throughout the Gallops.
Yesterday Neil Hulme contacted me to say that numbers at the north end of the Gallops were exceptional and today, armed with a tape measure, I walked up to Gallops and joined Neil & Eric Hulme and Mike Mullis to witness this spectacle. There were incredible numbers of Chalkhill Blues up there however, as we reached The Gallops the heavens opened in typical summer 2012 style and we ended up getting a right good soaking. Depsite this we still saw thousands of Chalkhill Blues and it was clear that 2012 was going to be a really special year at this site. After we dried off Mike and I decided to survey the entire site and estimate the numbers of Chalkhill Blue present here. The weather conditions were breezy and overcast and most of the butterflies only flew when they were approached. The site is around 250,000 metres square and we walked up and down it (twice) estimating the number of Chalkhill Blues in a number of compartments. Chalkhill Blues were present in all areas of the site - in most years they are concentrated at the north and south ends. There are now pockets of great Chalkhill Blue habitat across the site where the butterflies averaged around 5 per square metre. However at their usual favoured site (on the slopes above Butchershole Bottom car park) they have reached plague proportions! I have never seen so many butterflies in my life; at one point there was a blizzard of Blue all around me, I had to raise my arm over my face to get through! I estimated 15 per square metre in one corner of this area! When we returned home we did the maths and our rough calculations estimated that there are 827,897 Chalkhill Blues at Friston Gallops - and this I think is an under-estimate! There must be well over a million butterflies spread across this site. Absolutely amazing! We also saw 3 Small Blues, 2 Small Copper and a Red Admiral. (Michael Blencowe)

I met up with Michael B. yesterday to see the Chalkhill Blue phenomenom (seen/reported by Neil and Michael on above) and help him count the butterflies on a hillside near the Gallops along the eastern edge of Friston Forest. We soon met up with Neil H. and Mr Hulme senior but at that point the heavens opened and despite sheltering under trees for half an hour, we all had a good soaking with the rain not readily relenting. We'd only covered a small area of grassland above Butchers Hole (where there's an FC car-park - £1.50 for the duration) but with cloud down and rain still falling, we had to tread very carefully as butterflies were marooned on rabbit-cropped turf and understandably reluctant or unable to fly. There were obviously huge numbers of Chalkhill Blue present so it was frustrating for Neil and co. who'd travelled from West Sussex with only a limited time-slot. Michael and I aborted our attempted count to grab a sandwich and dry out back at his house in the hope of better conditions after lunch. Fortunately, the weather improved by 1pm so we returned to the Gallops and set off northwards along the slopes. The chalk grassland is very mixed, the best patches are where the short-cropped turf is full of flowering wild thyme and heavily rabbit-grazed, though still leafy, horseshoe vetch clumps. Elsewhere, the majority of it is typically herb-rich chalk grassland with a few patches of less flowery, longer, rank grass flattened by wind and rain, especially between the horse-jumps. Butterfly densities varied considerably, some of the rank grass patches were virtually devoid of Chalkhill Blues but the more flowery stretches held up to 3-4 butterflies /m2. There were, however, several large areas of heavily-grazed, flowery turf where butterflies were rising up in waist-high clouds of up to 50-100+ at a time as we walked through. Here, numbers were averaging 5+ per m2 on the ground with one or two spots holding double figure counts per m2, especially two areas of 80-100m x 50m of steepish turf at the northern end of these slopes. Overall, we covered an area of chalk grassland about 1.5km in length which is about half way to Jevington along the eastern edge of Friston Forest, after which the open grassland narrows to a grassy area and track along the edge of the wood with fenced-off sheep-grazed pasture on the eastern slopes below the track.
So how many Chalkhill Blue butterflies were there on the day? Estimates are always going to be highly speculative but there are certainly a phenomenal number up there at the moment. Neil H. came up with a conservative count of 200,000+ on his Thursday visit but yesterday's search covered a bigger area and who am I to doubt Michael's frantic use of the calculator back at his patio table, based on our joint-estimates of m2 densities over various paced-out grassland zones across the whole area. His final figure on the day was 800,000+ with well over 200+ mating pairs but the peak total for this colony will be very difficult to accurately calculate and there may be losses after any torrential downpours. So if the sun comes out this week-end, feel free to start counting again .. but do tread carefully! I agree with Neil that the most likely reason for these incredible numbers is the dire wet spring/summer of 2012 so every cloud has at least had a silver - or rather chalkhill blue  lining on the Downs of East Sussex. This year's abnormal rainfall has undoubtedly produced an abundance of leafy Horseshoe Vetch growth so the larval survival rates have been considerably higher than normal when the plants presumably get rapidly stripped of foliage in dryer years. It will be interesting to see if the imminent emergence of Adonis Blues bears this theory out. Other butterflies on the slopes and along the Forest edge included the usual ubiquitous Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper plus occasional Small Heath, Small Copper, Common Blue, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Small White, Red Admiral, Comma and Small Skipper. We also found a black adder basking in the long grass near the track along the woodland edge and a juvenile cuckoo struggling to fly across the slopes in the stiff breeze. It's well worth walking along that track around 5-6pm to see the incredible numbers of Chalkhill Blue roosting in long grass up there - I counted over 50 butterflies in one single m² patch by the track just after 6pm. (Mike Mullis )

Wandered around Hailsham Park today between showers and saw 11 species including several Small and Essex Skippers, 2 Chalkhill Blues, 3 Common Blues, a Holly Blue, 2 Small Coppers and the usual selection of Whites and Browns. (Chris Hooker)

Wednesday 1 August 2012

It's great to see that we are getting reports of Purple Emperors from new sites across Sussex. This elusive butterfly is one of the species that will be hard to accurately map in our Sussex Butterfly Atlas survey so I'd certainly encourage people to try and look up over the next week or so when they are out and about. Unfortunately the 2012 weather conditions are not ideal for Emperor spotting but it's still worth giving it a try if you get the chance. We currently have records for Purple Emperor in 53 2km squares across the county. Peter Farrant's records from Warningore have been added to our database and our map now shows that there is a high chance of finding Purple Emperor just 22 minutes drive away from Brighton Pier! My record last year near Ashcombe Bottom was just 2 miles from the Brighton and Hove border - start planting those sallows in the Butterfly Haven, Dr Danahar! Purple Emperors have been recorded at sites around Plumpton, Westmeston and Streat over the past five years. I believe that woodlands in this whole area will currently hold Purple Emperors if the habitat is suitable. For this reason I am placing the following woodlands on full Purple Alert for the next seven days: Great Home Wood (TQ3718), Markstakes Common (TQ4017), Spithurst Wood (TQ4317), Knowlands Wood (TQ4017) If you live near these woods or able to visit them please grab your binoculars and give it a go. To be honest, looking over historic data, this Purple Alert applies to any woodland in Sussex north of a line from East Brighton to Rye. So, Abbots Wood, Titnore Wood, Woods Mill, Sheffield Park, Five Hundred Acre Wood, Darwell Wood this includes you too. The truth is out there - keep watching the skies. (Michael Blencowe)

Walked around part of Hailsham Park close to my house this afternoon and it's proving to be quite a butterfly site. I recorded 11 species with the biggest surprise being 5 Chalkhill Blues as I've never seen them away from the Downs before. I also found several Small Skippers and a solitary Essex Skipper nearby (which was easily confirmed through my binoculars) as well as the tatty Marbled White that I saw yesterday. Other species included 2 Purple Hairstreaks (I have found 3 colonies here and a possible 4th one), my first Peacock for almost 2 months and several fresh Common Blues. And all of this in an area of about an acre. (Chris Hooker)

On Edburton Hill the rare chalk downland moth the Chalk Carpet is reaching its peak at the moment  I found 7 yesterday, with 3 in a different spot the day before and 2 in my garden nearby. The Chalkhill Blue count reached 39 which is an all-time best for me and other butterflies were 3 Dark Green Fritillaries (including one very fresh one), 2 Wall Browns, 2 Ringlets and the usual browns. In the garden my run of good moths continues with a Waved Black, another Small Scallop, 3 Rosy Footman and best of all a very rare micro  Acleris umbrana (confirmed by Colin Pratt). Finally, Ive been watching a Poplar Hawk-moth munching the goat willow leaves right outside my bathroom window during the day! (Tony Wilson)

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Nearing the end of a series of butterfly surveys in the High Weald yesterday and my first meadow of the day (near Coggins Mill north-east of Mayfield) quickly produced ten species - mostly our typical High Weald butterflies (such as Red Admiral, Comma, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown) - when I suddenly saw what I assumed to be a rather pale, second-brood Common Blue for species number eleven. I thought it looked a bit odd at the time but put this down to the damaged left hindwing. I managed to get a fleeting pic before it rapidly disappeared... and didn't double-check the photo until uploading them all late last night. Must admit it now looks amazingly like a Chalkhill Blue to me - I didn't see or record any other blues in the area yesterday although all the meadows have plenty of Bird's Foot and Large Bird's Foot Trefoil... and I've recorded Common Blue there in reasonable numbers during previous visits. What do you think? If you can confirm it IS Polyommatus coridon, I have a theory that it's probably weather-related. There was a very dark 'curtain' of thundery cloud late on Sunday afternoon stretching eastwards from the South Downs near Polegate to the Heathfield-Battle ridge. This was very visible from the Pevensey Levels where I was cycling although we had no rain or thunder & lightning there at all, yet this localised belt of thundery, wet weather was moving quickly east just to the north of the Herstmonceux area. So it's not impossible that local gusts could have carried this butterfly away from the Downs... unless anyone can suggest otherwise!? (Mike Mullis)

At the expected peak period for the Chalkhill Blue Butterflies I felt obliged to check out Mill Hill althought the conditions were far from ideal with overcast skies and a very irritating breeze (Force 5) and cool (> 18.6°C). On Mill Hill the pattern of roosting butterflies emerged with almost having to step on any butterflies to get them to show. On the lower slopes one acre transect I counted 56 Chalkhill Blues which comprised 54 active males and one mating pair spotted in about 30 minutes. The actual numbers are likely to be higher, at least double and possible many more. There were a further 30 Chalkhill Blues seen in other places including at least 24 on Mill Hill Cutting. Six other species of butterfly were seen in unfavourable conditions including a splendid fresh Wall Brown on Mill Hill. (Andy Horton, Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List)

30 July: Cycled up to the Long Man and found plenty of Grayling despite the clouds and strong wind. Also saw a Dark Green Fritillary, plenty of Chalkhill Blues, 2 fresh Small Coppers and loads of Meadow Browns.
31 July: The drizzle stopped so I decided to do a butterfly count around Hailsham Park. And I was glad that I did, recording my first ever Essex Skipper along with an unexpected Marbled White (my first sighting at this site). I also found a Common Blue, Large White and several Gatekeepers. Even in dull weather butterflying can still be good! (Chris Hooker)

News for Monday 30 July: Yesterday I did my normal transect at the Butterfly Haven and recorded Small (5) and Essex Skipper (14) Small Copper (1) Common Blue (6) Gatekeeper (6) and Meadow Brown (35). Whilst I was there I took a few photographs of the skippers because with the worn and tattered look of some of them, it was becoming more and more difficult to differentiate between the two species. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that where previously there were only Essex skippers on the site, recording them was easy, now I think I'm going to have to take a net to give definitive identification for every insect I encounter.
Either-way, I have included two photos that show the diagnostic feature that I find most easy to use to separate the two species, the antenna. In the Essex Skipper it's quite clear that the underside of the antenna looks like it has been dipped into Indian Ink, whilst in the case of the Small Skipper there appears to be no traces of the black on the underside of the antenna. It's also clear from the photo of the Small Skipper that the antenna bends into a slight hook at the end, a feature I had not been aware of until pointed out to me by one of the participant on the butterfly walk I led at Wildpark, on Saturday 28th July. (editors note: these features are also clearly apparent in the skipper photos from Mike Mullis above)
I raise this here because the reason why we were discussing these two species was because one of the participants, Peter Couston, had captured a crippled Skipper and had placed it into a transparent container for us all to see. One of the other participants said "a ha, an Essex Skipper" and passed it on to me. I was expecting the distinctive black tip but this was not the case. The antenna was very dark grey at the end and instead of having an abrupt stop this colouration gently blended into the rest of the antenna. For the first time I could not decide what species I was looking at and I have never had a problem doing so before.
We didn't actually come to any conclusion and soon after released the specimen. However, having seen two clearly distinctive species the very next day I have found myself wondering what it was we captured? Was this a strange manifestation of the way it emerged from the pupa, as the crippled nature of its wings seem to suggest? Was it as a consequence of unusual temperatures during its maturation inside the pupa or wilder even still, were we looking at a hybrid? Unfortunately I didn't even contemplate taking a photograph. I plan to go back when the weather is a little better to have a better look at this population. (Dan Danahar)

Recent news: I'm not sure if this is a known Purple Emperor territory. I went to look at Warningore Wood, East Sussex on Monday 23rd July, walked up bridleway over summit heading north to end of wood. No sightings, so turned back to summit to have lunch. at 3.22pm saw Purple Emperor male flying over bridleway heading SW. towards hornbeam coppice. at 3.27pm saw settled in territory, a bit later two up. I couldn't believe it, they chased birds, each other, a high flying Meadow Brown and a Red Admiral, I couldn't tell if there were more than two though, but very active, left site at 4.45pm PE still in territory. Returned on tue 24th even more activity, from 2.52pm to 6.21pm. chasing birds again, each other, a Comma, and Red Admiral, by 4.30pm activity had dropped off, but after a while picked up again with two males battling or one circling around territory. On Sat. 28th had another look, between 2.20 and 2,41pm two males again doing their thing, cooler today, wind got up activity stopped. 3.43pm male chasing bird, bird didn't know which way to turn. I left territory at 4.30pm. the site wasn't known to me so was a surprise to find it, a dream come true. (Peter Farrant)

Monday 30 July 2012

Sidlesham: 4 Peacocks, 4 Red Admiral, 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Small Copper, Gatekeepers 20+, Small Skippers 20+, 10 Meadow Browns, 2 Ringlet, Six-spot Burnet. (George Kinnard and Roger Billings)

News from the weekend: On Saturday an early trip to Kithurst Hill gave me a Peacock and an Essex Skipper and Meadow Browns plus the meadow shimmered with the light blue of Chalkhill Blues: http://bit.ly/NQCgId
On Sunday my weekly transect count at Mill hill was Chalkhill Blue 14, Meadow Brown 48, Red Admiral 2, Small Heath 4, Wall Brown 2, Small Skipper 1. The Walls were spotted by Mark and Ian Cadey at the southern end: http://bit.ly/N6IMbD. (Colin Knight)

News for Friday 27 July: It was cool and humid (18.2°C, compared to the last two warm days) and a visit to Mill Hill saw fresh Chalkhill Blues emerging. In the the transect acre 91 of the pale blue males appeared in 20 minutes on the verdant lower slopes. As it got warmer (20.1°C) more appeared in flight estimated at 150 in the acre and I spotted my first brown female of the year. (Andy Horton, Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List)

Colin Knight's images from last week (below)

Sunday 29 July 2012

On Saturday 28th we walked our Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey square at Truleigh Hill, on the Downs behind Shoreham, and saw a good number of Marbled White, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper, along with a few Small Heath, Large White, Ringlet and Chalkhill Blue. The area was alive with Six-spot Burnets and we also recorded the Forester moth, Yellow Shell and Cinnabar.
Today, Sunday 29th, we ventured over near Milland to set up a new Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey square, with storm clouds ominously hanging around us! The conditions werent great and the first 9 of the 10 sections produced mainly Meadow Brown and Large Skippers, and then just as we got to the last section the sun came out. There was a nice hedge and woodland habitat where we were pleased to see Silver-washed Fritillary and White Admiral, and a few White-legged Damselflies too.
As we were over in that direction we printed off one of the suitcase squares, SU8026. By now the storm clouds were dangerously close and distant thunder chivvied us along, wed come this far across the county and nothing was going to get in the way of some butterfly recording. Well I say that, we managed to walk for about 20 minutes before sheets of lightening and big blobs of rain had us running back to the car. But we did manage to record Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, and Gatekeeper for this Atlas square, and we will visit again in August to see what else we can find in finer weather. (Dave and Pen Green)

News for Saturday 28 July: The Butterflies of Wildpark, LNR, Brighton - Nine of us spent time on Saturday at Wildpark to look at the butterflies there. It was overcast some of the time but quite warm all the same. Most of the participants knew as much about butterflies as I did, if not more and it was great the way we worked as a team pointing different species out to each other. The species we saw included: Small Skipper, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.
In addition David Larkin (Brighton & Hove Countryside ranger) reported observing Dark-green Fritillaries at WildPark (26th July) and Beacon Hill (29th June). (Dan Danahar)

News for Friday 27 July: Well, it was our tenth wedding anniversary on Friday, so rather than go out for a nice meal or relax and watch a film, we decided to go moth trapping at a site in mid-Sussex that unfortunately meant lugging all our kit 500m from the car! Who says romance is dead.
After an awful year for mothing so far the conditions finally seemed good with lots of cloud cover and a humid and warm evening with little wind. We set up 3 125W MV traps it was a pretty good night for numbers in general with about 75 species in total. We had good numbers of some moths including 15 Drinkers, 8 Coronet, 17 Black Arches along with a couple of Waved Black, a Double Kidney, Ringed China-mark, 2 Kent Black Arches, Evergestis pallidata and Lunar-spotted Pinion.
Best of all though was a reasonably large and well marked micro moth which had us stumped. It looked like a moth called Alabonia geoffrella, but with striking yellow and brown markings. Fortunately we found an image match pretty soon online when we got home and it turned out to be Harpella forficella which has now been confirmed by Tony Davis and Colin Pratt (thanks guys). This species was new to the UK last year and this appears to be the second UK record so possibly one worth keeping an eye out for if you are trapping in Sussex this year. (Dave and Pen Green)

News for Sunday 22 July:Grid ref SU808219... Nyewood: App 11am 22nd July 2012, splendid male Purple Emperor flew through open door of our conservatory and spent about 30 minutes (presumably seeking minerals) on ancient, dusty linen chair cover and on edges of an old detached Spanish tile. Purple/mauve wings flashing in sunlight and suddenly it disappeared. A wonderful viewing for us who have never seen one in the flesh before and who have lived here for 18 years. There are a number of large oaks around us and some of the Goat Willows in the surrounding woods and hedges seemed to enjoy the recent wet weather. I have been a 'casual' recorder for this square in Sussex in recent years but have lapsed since record sheets have ceased to arrive and have presumed that all should be done on-line. (Shirley Wright, life-member)

Last week's photos (and a report from Richard Roebuck):

Tugley Woods, Ashdown Forest and Butchershole - 23- 25 July. (Andy Wilson)

Stanstead Park, 20 July. (Pat and Peter Gardner)

South of Lavant and North of Chichester, 20 July. (Josse Davis)

Southwater Woods, Alice Holt, Abbots Wood and Kithurst Hill, 20 July. (Colin Knight)

West Dean, 21 July. (Andrew House)

Wolstonbury Hill, Mill Hill, Hollingbury and Henfield, 21 July. (Richard Roebuck)

22 July: The weather forecast finally arrived accurately. So off to Wiston and my favourite spot. On the way I had bumped in to a loan female Silver-washed Fritillary who was well off the beaten track. She was sun bathing in small pools of sunlight at the edge of a wood, there were tall oaks and an under storey of small trees and Elm suckers. As I was early I thought I would watch her for a bit. I soon realised she was there for a specific purpose as she flew off to the nearest tree trunk egg laying in fissures in the bark. She would lay 1, 2 or 3 eggs and then return to sunbathe for about 5 mins and then off again. She chose Oak trunks young and old, Maple and even Yew suckers but avoided dead wood. I even saw her attempt to lay in Moss at the base of a tree and at one point even on a blade of grass. She did return to the same trees several times, so maybe one day I can return with a magnifying glass to see if I can spot an egg. Anyway back to the main point of my visit. I camped out at last year's master trees and despite the correct timing, ideal weather and waiting for ages all I saw were two White Admirals messing about high up. After about 2 hrs. I gave up and went for a walk around a small plantation pondering why things weren't working out. I briefly stopped by a birch tree to take a picture of a nice hutchinsoni Comma. As I stepped back a huge butterfly took to the wing to my left off some bracken, I mean enormous. It circled me once about 8 feet away and then went off like a rocket across the top of a plantation. My God I suddenly realised it was a female Purple Emperor it was clearly brown and the pattern of the wings was pretty clear, there was no purple flash or anything. Wow, I couldn't believe how big it was. I was absolutely amazed. Err what to do now? time sort of stopped temporarily (shock I think). I checked about, but the were no Sallows, no big oaks, perhaps she was just sort of sunbathing. I carried on walking up the hedge line to the corner of the plantation looked up and low and behold immediately behind a very tall turkey Oak I could see a male Purple Emperor on the wing. Great. I sort of camped out here for several hours and was rewarded with seeing two males briefly. I say briefly because what actually happened was there was a hot pursuit where one appeared to chase the other straight out about 50m and then one returned the same route back to the top of the oaks. The second one did not return and the victor patrolled every so often in the baking sunshine at fairly high speed. Later on as the sun moved I eventually saw him through binoculars sitting at the end of an Oak Branch, but he was very high up. A great day but more importantly iris has survived the storms of last summer. Lastly at 7.30 this evening saw two Small Tortoiseshells on a newly mown hay field at Henfield. Marvellous day. (Richard Roebuck)

Storrington, 23 July. (Martin Kalaher)

Wepham, 23 July. (Josse Davis)

'Robin', Pulborough 24 July. (Chris Page)

Kithurst Hill, Iping Common and Southwater Woods (Leigh Prevost)

Hollingbury 26 July. (Peter Whitcomb)

Saturday 28 July 2012

Following the recent report, I popped down to Butchershole at Friston Forest this morning. I have heard of such things before, but nothing could have prepared me for my first experience of quite an extraordinary sight. Literally thousands of Chalkhill Blues many in very good condition . A quite extraordinary sight of butterflies sat all over the ground warming up in the overcast conditions. When there were small gusts of wind the air was full of clouds of butterflies just like leaves whipped up by a breeze. I and several other people were absolutely amazed at the profusion of Chalkhills. I counted near on 40 males on one piece of dog pooh. A male Small Copper just didn't know what to do with himself with so many potential targets. I also saw one tatty Dark Green Fritillary, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Comma, Red Admiral and two newly emerged second generation Small Blues. A good number of Six-spot Burnets and a few Silver Ys. A wonderful experience. (Richard Roebuck)

Sightings for Tuesday 24th July
Libby and I drove to Southwater woods on the afternoon of Tuesday 24th July, inorder to see some woodland specialists. However, after half an hour, we had only seen five species: the 1) Large white, 2) Small white, 3) Meadow brown, 4) Speckled wood and 5) Red admiral. Hardly an exciting list and none were in high abundance. Such a contrast to our visit to Wilmington Hill the day before.

However, we finally made it to the Trout lane entrance and here we found Leigh Prevost, with his neck craned back and a frown across his face to help reduce the glare of the sun. He looked serious in his attempt to spot an Emperor. We soon found ourselves looking up to and after some time we saw a 6) Purple Emperor glide around the perimeter of the Oak's canopy. Leigh had been there for a while and he was fairly confident that he had seen two individuals. We had no vain hope of seeing the butterflies any closer than this but we were all rewarded when the Emperor effortlessly flew amongst a series of different canopies and finally landed where we could all see him. Telephoto lenses at maximum extensions, all three of us snapped away with gusto. So now I have my first photo of a Purple Emperor, that I have taken with my own camera! Whilst watching the Emperor, we also saw some 7) Purple hairstreaks flitting around the same tree.

After a short discussion with Leigh we bid him adieu and made our way towards the Southwater meadows. On route we saw a number of high speed and erratic 8) Silver-washed Fritillary males, a single 9) White Admiral 10) Small copper and 11) Gatekeepers. In the meadow we sat to have our customary picnic, whilst being surrounded by masses of butterflies, mostly Meadow browns but also 12) Marbled whites 13) Ringlets and 14) Small skippers. It was so hot that a solitary and poor excuse for a cloud, slowly vaporised and disappeared before our very eyes. Butterfly numbers were clearly down today but perhaps this was because it was simply too hot..."
(Dan Danahar)

Sussex Walkabout
With the promise of some sun at last I decided to take a day's holiday and tour some of Sussex's Butterfly hotspots. The only decision I had to make was East or West. I plumped for West.

My first stop was Kithurst Hill. What a fantastic place at this time of the year, the meadow was alive with Butterflies! Freshly emerged Chalkhill Blues were everywhere, too many to try and count, ditto Meadow Browns. There were also many Marbled Whites, numerous Small Skippers which I tried to turn into Essex Skippers to no avail, a handful of Large Whites, one Small Blue (second brood), a few Gatekeepers, and one Small Copper. Best of all, and unexpected, were two Dark-green Fritillaries patrolling the lower slope by the hedgerow.

After Kithurst, it was on to Iping Common, I didn't get the chance to see the Silver-studded Blues earlier on in the year but hoped I may catch a few lingerers. In total I counted at least fourteen albeit, fairly worn specimens. Apart from the Blues it was fairly quite, a few Skippers, Meadow Browns and a Speckled Wood.

Next stop, and last of the day, was Southwater Wood in the hope of catching a glimpse of "His Majesty". I parked up at Trout Lane and headed to the Master Oak. Within a few minutes (at 2PM on the dot) a Purple Emperor flitted across the glade, soon after a pair (?) followed along the same path. I didn't have long to wait for another sighting, just five minutes or so. However, they were all flitting, tantilising glimpses. Eventually after a thirty minute wait or so, I saw one land in the Ash and managed to get a record shot. Whilst looking skyward I noticed at least two Purple Hairstreaks in the canopy of the Master Oak, one spiralled downwards but I couldn't keep track of it. Damn! After a brief stroll around the woods I returned to the Master Oak. Where again "His Majesty" made a few fleeting appearances over the next thirty minutes or so. I counted at least three individuals possibly five but hard to say. I also met Dan and his wife who were as chuffed as I was to final catch sight and photograph this elusive Butterfly. I should note also that I also saw one Red Admiral three-to-four Silver-washed Fritillaries, numerous Meadow Browns, Large Whites, Skippers, and one Comma. Notably no White Admirals though.

All in all a good day out butterflying, finally. Total tally for the day sixteen.
Some Pictures here.
(Leigh Prevost)

Small Coppers:
The second brood of Small Coppers is now beginning to emerge on several sites in Sussex. While the sun shines make hay and get out to enjoy this lovely butterfly. Good locations include Cissbury Ring and Kingley Vale.
More at UK Butterflies (Scroll down to foot of page: [Sussex Kipper » Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:21 am])
(Neil Hulme)

Cissbury Ring
Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed a stroll around Cissbury Ring. There was plenty of butterfly activity and I saw the following: 15 Dark Green Fritillary, 12 Marbled White, Large Skippers and Small Skippers, a Small Tortoiseshell, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, 20 Chalkhill Blue and Meadow Brown. My impression is that this year there a far fewer Dark Green Fritillaries than the previous two years. Six-spot Burnet moths were mating and Cinnabar moth caterpillars were munching ragwort.
(Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

East Sussex Sighting
A white letter hairstreak in the garden at Torfield Cottage, Old London Rd Hastings. (three weeks later than last year).
(Sharon Bigg)

Wood Whites
Three second brood male Wood White in a West Sussex woodland this morning.
(Mark Colvin)

More news from Monday 23 July
Libby (my wife) and I decided to spend the afternoon having a picnic in Deep Dene, East Sussex. Libby packs a fantastic gourmet picnic, with a variety of freshly prepared home made foods and wine to boot! The weather was glorious and the walk to the site exhilarating, with the perfuse carpets of wildflowers a marvel to be seen. The butterflies were equally abundant and perhaps the award to the most abundant species went to the Chalk-hill blues which were fresh and reaching "clouds" proportions. Libby said, "I've never seen so many butterflies in England before" as seven or eight Chalk-hills danced in front of her for her entertainment. It is very difficult to estimate just how many butterflies there were over such a large landscape but they were certainly in their hundreds.

Whilst we were there we also saw Small coppers, Meadow browns, Small heaths, Small skippers, Large whites and plentiful numbers of Dark-green Fritillaries. Any estimates of numbers are really meaningless but it was fabulous to be immersed in butterfly heaven for a few hours. We watched the Chalk-hills cluster on sheep dung for mineral salts and later, as the sun went down, group together on the flower heads of Torr grass. We saw the Dark-green Fritillarieschase one another throughout the afternoon, on perilous missions of mercy, only to be disrupted by Chalk-hill blues who were clearly irritated by them entering their territories. Perhaps the most surprising thing to be seen was a pair of Dingy skippers, that Libby pointed out, whilst they undertook their courtship flight, seen during a month that the text books tell us is normally free from the adults of this species. Perhaps we can expect to see many more in their second brood?

Whilst in the vicinity of Wilmington Hill I also looked for the Grayling but only found a single male, skipping with its graceful, swallow like flight pattern, from one chalk scraping to the next. Although it would sit still, camouflaged against the chalky substrate, allowing me to take multiple photographs, none of the resulting images was of particular value because the insect would only reveal that proportion of its wing surface that helped it blend seamlessly into the white background.

One final observation was made as we walked back through Ewe dene, here the Dark-green Fritillaries were at their best, the majority of which were in tip top condition and I was delighted to see a copulating couple in flight. The sunshine reflected from the silver spots on the underwing of the suspended male. I captured a photo of a far-off individual flying above the long grass and against the deep blue sky. Here I realised we were in the kingdom of the the Dark-green Fritillaries.
(Dan Danahar)

Monday 23 July

Butterfly Walk Swanborough Hill; Saturday 21st July (Sussex BC Event Report)
Thirteen hardy souls gathered to enjoy what weathermen promised would be the first true day of Summer this year. Starting with cups of tea in sunshine the omens were good. Threading their way through seas of mud at the foot of the slope the gentle ascent to the summit began. A fresh emergence of Hedge Brown [Gatekeeper] became evident, and Small Heath and a mating pair of Small Coppers became centres of attraction. A solitary Forester moth held centre stage for a brief period before turning a corner revealed an egg laying Red Admiral, whose eggs were soon located. Marbled Whites were enjoying a rare glimpse of heat and it was only going to be a matter of time before the record for species seen here was smashed.

Er, no! Reaching the top with commanding views over Lewes Castle and the surrounds numerous family parties of swifts were beating a hasty retreat back to the Congo and the light dimmed to the familiar black and thundery. Undaunted a quick ( but thankfully not lightning! ) lunch and it was off again with accompanying gentle spots of rain. Sadly no more species were seen, leaving the butterfly total for the day at a miserly eleven. Luckily local artist Mary Smythe had once again lined up a veritable feast of cream scones and yet more cups of tea in her wonderful cottage garden for the weary travellers to enjoy. As if by miracle the skies cleared allowing a relaxing end to the day. Thank you, Mary, it was most appreciated by all.

Footnote: Rewalking the same route on Sunday 22nd and twenty-three species were observed, including the first Clouded Yellow of the year and two Chalk Carpets - blooming typical!
(David Harris)

Colin's Travels
On Saturday I visited Kithurst Hill (Springhead) at 7:30am and once again it produced surprises - a Dark Green Fritillary, a fresh Small Tortoiseshell and a second brood Small Blue. The Chalkhill Blues covered the bank and the upper meadow. I returned early on Sunday and again enjoyed the prolific Chalkhill Blues shimmering among the flowers and grasses. In addition there was a Green-veined White, Large Skippers, Marbled whites, mating Meadow Browns, a Red Admiral and very tatty Small Copper.

I then completed my weekly transect at Mill Hill and was struck by the low numbers of Chalkhill Blues compared to Kithurst. Transect count: Chalkhill Blue: male 24, female 2; Gatekeeper 2, Large White 4, Marbled White 1, Meadow Brown 15, Peacock 2, Red Admiral 2, Small Heath 4, Small White 1. There were Cinnabar moth larvae on ragwort. Finally I went to Southwater Woods and saw a Purple Emperor and Purple Hairstreak at the top of the Trout Lane master oak. A Holly Blue drifted across. There were plenty of White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary.
(Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

A Wandering Chalkhill
I saw a Chalkhill Blue many miles North of the Downs today (23 July), off the Cuckoo Trail just South of Horam - TQ 584165. It is a site where Marbled Whites are regularly seen, and there were plenty there today. But I have never seen a Chalkhill Blue there before.
(John Kerby)

Sunday 22 July

Horseshoe Plantation & The Butterfly Haven
A delightfully sunny day, good temperatures and clear blue sky, so in the afternoon I travelled to Horseshoe plantation (Beachy Head) to take some photos of the Dark Green Fritillary. The wind was not nearly as bad as my previous visit and this made photography a lot easier. Although the majority of 1) Dark Green Fritillaries were damaged to varying degrees, there were also a remarkable number of individuals that looked in surprisingly good condition. I would estimate that I saw between 40 to 50 individuals. There were also many fresh 2) Chalk Hill Blues along with, 3) Common Blue, 4) Brown Argus, 5) Small Cooper, 6) Large Skipper, 7) Small Skipper, 8) Small Heath, 9) Gate Keeper, 10) Marbled White, 11) Meadow Brown, 12) Speckled Wood, 13) Red Admiral, a single 14) Painted Lady but perhaps the last sighting was the best 15) a male Silver-spotted Skipper.

A late visit to the Butterfly Haven revealed Meadow Brown, 16) Essex Skipper and Gate Keepers. Sixteen species in a day without really trying... Now thats more like it.
(Dan Danahar: Big Nature)

Windover Hill (Greyling Video Clip)
Visited Windover Hill on Sunday afternoon and saw three pristine Grayling that by chance I managed to film. [Clip here:].
There were also many Chalkhill Blues, and some Marbled Whites, Dark Green Fritillaries, Small Heath, Small Copper, Gatekeepers, Small Whites, Red Admiral and of course Meadow Browns.
Moths included Chalk Carpet, Forester, Silver-Y, Six Spot Burnet, Pyrausta cingulata, and Mecyna flavalis.
(Mark Cadey.)

Mill Hill
Fifty male Chalkhill Blues were seen as the sun came out just after midday, forty-five on the acre transect on the lower slopes of Mill Hill and another five on the Mill Hill Cutting. This is a week before the peak emergence is due.
(Andy Horton)

Barnes Wood
Today I visited Vinehall Forest near my home town of Battle in East Sussex. I saw a whole host of male Silver-washed Fritillaries flying along the rides, along with Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Ringlets. There were many Large White and Small White butterflies about too. I also saw a Large Skipper, a Small Skipper and a Small Copper. Just when I thought I was all done for the day, I saw a beautiful, pristine Red Admiral in the car park.
(Jim Barrett: Rother Guardians)

West Dean
At Venus Wood, West Dean on 21st July up to eight Silver-Washed Fritillaries on show, and dozens of Ringlets about, plus a Comma and a few Meadow Browns.
(Andrew House)

Saturday 21 July 2012

Purple Emperors
Yesterday I visited Southwater Woods and was fortunate to see a Purple Hairstreak on the oak canopy where we had seen four the week before. There were also Gatekeepers, Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Large Whites and a Roe Deer. I ended up at the master oak by Trout Lane at 3pm where I found Neil Hulme craning his neck. After a few minutes he exclaimed "there's one". He saw it high on the edge of the canopy a few times before claimed a sighting. He declared it to be a pristine male Purple Emperor. It was soon joined by another male and fisticuffs ensued. Then the resident male was joined by another individual, but there was no aerial battle. They snuggled up high up behind the leaves, and we could just see the wing shimmering that indicated courtship on the part of the male. However, she was having none of it and flew off after a few minutes "A previously mated female" declared Neil. After a while another male appeared and the aerial battle spiralled above the canopy of the ash where all the action was taking place. I left at 4pm, very satisfied with an outing that had produced three Sussex Emperors. (Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

Mill Hill
No sun equals no butterflies, but a visit to a verdant Mill Hill under a cloudy sky and I managed to disturb two male Chalkhill Blues for my first time this year. After the blues two Meadow Brown Butterflies appeared, possibly because I almost trod on them. At least twenty Cinnabar Moth caterpillars were seen on just two budding Ragworts plants near the top of the steps at the southern end of Mill Hill. Earlier, on the approaches ot the Mill Hill via the now cleared Pixie Path route, I noted two Speckled Woods and two Meadow Browns near the Mill Hill Cutting and a Gatekeeper nearer the top. The white butterflies seen in the outskirts of Shoreham were thought to be Large Whites and Green-veined Whites.
(Andy Horton Adur Valley Wildlife Butterfly-list2012)

Purple Patch
On Thursday 19th July a single Purple Emperor, almost certainly a male, flew round at head height close to the house at Valewood at Barns Green. It did not settle but I was able to get a clear ID. A few days earlier on the 13th a single Purple Hairstreak was photographed on bracken in an adjacent paddock and on the 17th a single Essex Skipper was noted in the Arboretum at Barns Green.
(Bill Bacon)

Friday 20 July 2012

Kithurst and Alice Holt
Yesterday I visited Kithurst Hill (Springhead) at 7am and found plenty of Chalkhill Blues and I struck lucky with a mating pair on the bank. There were also Marbled whites, Meadow Browns and a huge Large White. I then headed to Alice Holt for the first time to find Silver-washed Fritillaries. Walking round the wood produced just Meadow Browns and a Speckled Wood. Nearby Abbots Wood was more fruitful when I found a flowery glade with many thistles. Marbled Whites, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Large Skippeers and Small Skippers all greeted me. A flash of orange led me to a male Silver-washed Fritillary nectaring on thistles. Two Commas fought occasionally. Then an aerial display by a mating pair of Silver-washed Fritillaries entertained me for a few minutes. After flying round the glade several times at about four meters high they landed in a tree and then kept flying and settling in the canopy. Later a female Silver-washed Fritillary nectared on the thistles. (Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

A Place to Visit (for lazy men!)
I meant to post a message here last year but never got around to it. It is regarding a super little place to visit. I don't actually know its name but here are the coordinates and OS grid ref: (50.862064 -0.787326) or [SU853077] if that makes sense. Drop it into Google Maps anyway and it does the rest. It is just South of Lavant and North of Chichester. I love the spot as it is a lazy man's butterfly walk. Park the car on the road north of the common and then it's a couple of steps and you are there amongst dozens of Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Skippers and lots of hatching Burnet Moths. Masses of flowers to stroll through and you can take the dog too.
(Josse Davis)

The BC National Website has more information on Day-flying moths. A-Z of Day-flying Moths

A picture of Syncopacma larseniella on the Sussex Moth Group Website.

For Information Only
[Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain & Ireland Phil Sterling and Mark Parsons, illustrated by Richard Lewington ISBN: ISBN 978-0-9564902-1-6 (paperback) Format: Format 215 x 136mm Extent: 416 pages Illustrations: Illustrated with more than 1500 artworks and photographs Publisher: British Wildlife Publishing]

Thursday 19 July 2012

Saw my first Painted Lady today and my first since 2010! To boot it even stopped briefly in my front garden which pretty much has only one plant in flower at the moment. The majority of the time was spent on the neighbour's Buddleia so had to photograph from distance. (Leigh Prevost)

I always feel that I see Rowland Wood at its best on those still, humid and lightly overcast days when Ringlets and White Admirals are inclined to laze with wings open on bracken fronds and dragonflies fly low along the rides. On such days in July I like nothing better than to wander through the wood looking for Purple Hairstreaks roosting low down in the lower branches of oak trees or basking on low vegetation. Luck was with me today and I found this female low down on brambles. She was not in any hurry to head to the canopy and I spent an hour in her company before continuing my meanderings. A short while later I watched a Brown Hawker carrying a butterfly in its jaws and settle about 20 feet up in an oak tree to devour its catch...a White Admiral. A wonderful few hours all to myself in this magical place. (Nigel Kemp)

My wife and I took a trip to Frog Firle/Cradle Hill today and we would like to congratulate whoever is managing the flower meadow, I have never seen so many varieties and colours of wild flowers, it is really amazing. We did sight some butterflies as well, even though the conditions were cool and windy. 4 Marbled White, 6 Large White, 8 Gatekeepers, 15+ Meadow Brown, 2 Ringlet, 4 Speckled Wood, 2 Skippers (Lg/Sm not sure flew off too quick) 1 Small Heath and 2 Chalkhill Blues. (Arthur Greenslade)

News for Tuesday 17 July: Four White-letter Hairstreak flying around the Preston Twins - ancient English elm in Preston Park, Brighton (TQ303 063, close to the Preston Manor walled garden entrance). Good to see that at least some specimens have survived the recent wet and windy weather. I'm hoping that as this species emerged late we will continue to record them well into August when the sun might just come out... (Caroline Clarke)

Wednesday 18 July 2012

A great video by Pete Varkala on the Peacock butterfly here.

This afternoon the skies were leaden grey and it was raining hard, so I headed to Springhead Hill near Storrington to find some butterflies. These conditions would have made me think twice about venturing out in the days when I was a very keen angler, but this year it's a case of making the best of it... or suffering from Cabin Fever. It wasn't difficult to find some beautiful, fresh Chalkhill Blues. There has clearly been a substantial emergence here, although it wasn't the sort of day to attempt a population count. After getting a thorough soaking I returned home much happier and with my sanity intact (I think). (Neil Hulme)

News for Tuesday 17 July: Our first Chalkhill Blue of the year seen in our East Dean garden (TV562984) around 1pm on Tuesday.
As some of the Eastbourne Downland around us has been sprayed in the last few weeks, with what looked like weed killer, then ploughed up, and with the awful weather, we are not expecting much of a garden count this year. (Cassie & David Jode)

News for Sunday 15 July: First Gatekeeper of the year for me at Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre on Sunday. (Andrew House)

Tuesday 17 July 2012

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth briefly visited the garden this morning at 8.45 a.m, the first one I have seen this year. (Richard Roebuck)

At last the rain has stopped and the sunshine has returned, at least for today. Escaping the computer for a short while I took a walk along a nearby farm track to a fishing lake. The hedgerows and vegetation around the edges of the lake breathed a sigh of relief after the heavy downpours, and the warm sunshine coaxed out the butterflies. I saw Red Admiral, Comma, Large White, Meadow Browns and an unidentified Skipper that 'skipped' away before I could see which species it was. A Scarce Silver-lines moth tumbled out of an oak tree landing on the path by my feet. I gently returned it to the bracken to avoid it getting squashed by an approaching dustbin lorry. The best sighting of the day however was a small dark butterfly I saw flittering around an oak branch that dips down over the hedge. Eventually, after losing sight of it a couple of time I found it settled and was excited to see it was a Purple Hairstreak, the first I have seen here in Midhurst. (Sophie May Lewis)

Today we went to Marlpost as the weather was better and were delighted to see a Purple Emperor on the Ash tree and a Silver-washed Fritillary f. valezina. We only saw the valezina for a few moments but were pleased to get a photograph as shown above. There were few butterflies but we saw several White Admirals. (David & Molly Dancy)

A small colony of Essex Skippers along The Cuckmere valley as well as 2 White-letter Hairstreaks in the Elm canopy. (Bob Eade)

This morning blue skies sent me to Hollingbury Park, Brighton and I found a White-letter Hairstreak nectaring on thistle. I also saw a worn Red Admiral, Meadow Browns and a Green-veined White. I then visited Mill Hill and on the lower slopes I saw 11 Chalkhill Blues plus a magnificent Peacock, Meadow Browns, a Small Heath, Gatekeepers, Green-veined and Large Whites. (Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

Small Skipper (above), taken on 17 July on a buddleia bush in my (five acre) garden at Gay Street near Pulborough. (Chris Page)

Big Sussex Butterfly Count: Friday 13 July 2012

You can read Patrick Barkham's excellent article in The Guardian here.
A superb video of the start of the event by Dan Bridges can be seen here.

I have heard a great deal of talk about stair-rods during this summer, particularly when describing what type of rain it is that we may be experiencing. On the evening of Thursday 12th of July 2012, it was the stair-rods of rain that were threatening to penetrate the glass roof of my conservatory, that was very much on our minds, as Patrick Barkham, Martin Warren and I considered the potential climatic conditions for the next day. One thing was certain, we all agreed that no matter what the weather brought, the Big Sussex Butterfly Count would still go ahead. By the time we went to bed we thought that we were prepared for all eventualities. However, we really hadn't considered a day mostly full of sun and blue sky.

When we arrived at the Liz Williams butterfly haven on the grounds of Dorothy Stringer School at 7.30hrs, the skyline was already looking fabulous and the buzz of enthusiasm amongst the two teams was contagious. I was in Team Purple Emperor, along with TV naturalist Nick Baker (Captain), CEO of BC Martin Warren, Guardian journalist and author of the Butterfly Isles Patrick Barkham, BC's Neil Hulme and Colin Knight, Dorothy Stringer's Head Teacher Richard Bradford and our Land Rover driver & butterfly enthusiast Jan Knowlson, whose services along with the vehicle itself, was donated for the day by the South Downs National Park Authority. CEO of the SDNPA Trevor Beattie followed us in his car, as did the Guardian Photographer. For an account of Team Silver-spotted Skipper, see Bob Foreman's report (below).

At 8.00 we were off and it was in a traffic jam on the London road that Hulme jumped from the Land Rover to positively identify our first species, an Essex Skipper (1).

We then travelled to Southwater Wood and picked up Ringlets (2) Large Skippers (3) Meadow Browns (4) Comma (5) Red Admiral (6) Silver-washed Fritillary (7) Green-veined White (8) all along one woodland ride whilst looking out for Purple Emperors. At this point Baker was having a conversation with BBC Sussex radio, whilst Tony Whitbread (SWT) Captain of the Team Silver-spotted Skipper (TSSS) was also participating in the same conversation from Malling down, East Sussex. Baker shouted "Ringlets, Large Skipper, Meadow Browns..." the radio correspondent must have wondered what this all meant.

We then marched to a meadow adjacent to the woodland to find Marbled Whites (9) Gatekeeper (10) White Admiral (11) and Purple Hairstreak (12). This truly was butterfly utopia, with clouds of butterflies rising from this flower rich meadow. None of the team could have imagined that we would have been seeing so many butterflies during such a season. A quick walk to the other side of the wood added the Small Skipper (13) to our list.

The next stop was Botany bay, which Bob Foreman assures me is within the old Watsonian vice county of Sussex (do I? - I reckon you bagged half your species in Surrey!). Here we hoped to use our trump species, the Purple Emperor and Wood White but neither was seen. Instead we found Speckled Wood (14) Common Blue (15) Dark Green Fritillary (16) and Warren found a Dingy Skipper caterpillar (17) whilst looking for an egg of the Wood White. We knew this would be contentious if it was the deciding species but added it to our tally anyway.

By this time we were feeling really quite complacent. We had acquired 17 species and the day was still young. By the time we visited Iping Common to bag the Silver-studded Blue (18) Hulme was considering light refreshments or taking in an afternoon matinee. We knew that TSSS had a local BBC TV interview at Rowland wood and we thought that this would slow them down even more. So it came as a real kick in the pants when they tweeted that they had 19 species. Suddenly our casual stroll through the heath land turned into a race back to the Land Rover.

Hulme, our guide, now directed the Emperors towards Mill Hill in the hope of picking up a Chalkhill Blue, but our search for this species was in vein but we did see the Small Heath (19) and the Small White (20). However, another tweet led to the discovery that the TSSS also had twenty species. It was neck and neck. A stop off at Hollingbury for the Small Blue bore no fruit and so we dropped off Knight and Warren at Wildpark to look for Large Whites, whilst the rest of us ran like headless chickens over Bevandean Downs in search of the illusive Chalkhill Blue. Barkham then pulled out the first of his two rabbits from his proverbial. It was a pristine condition male Chalkhill hunkering down in the rank sward, trying to avoid the impact of the wind on that exposed landscape. We now had 45 mins before the end of the competition. Picking up Warren and Knight on route, we all then motored towards Hollingbury Park to meet TSSS for a sighting of the White-lettered Hairstreak. However, when we arrived they were no where to be seen. I had stressed that they needed to be there at 16.00hrs. We had dignitaries to meet at this site in the form of Brighton & Hove's CEO John Barradell, Leader of the council Jason KitKat and Chair of the Environment Committee Pete West. Whilst I waited for these Brighton & Hove officials Barkham pulled out his second rabbit.

The story goes that as the team strained their eyes to look for the silhouettes of hairstreaks high on the canopy outline Hulme said "if only we had one on these thistles at waist height" to which Barkham responded "you mean like this one here"? The team came back to the Land Rover to meet me with cheers because they had found the White-letter Hairstreak (22) so quickly. At this point the TSSS arrived and we discovered they were stuck on 21 species, so we talked to them for as long as we could to distract them. At this point, the sun, which had been our companion for much of the day, dipped behind the clouds and so we left the other team to search for the White-letter, whilst we returned to the Liz Williams Butterfly haven for a final reconnoiter before the competition ended at 16.30. Here we picked up our last species a most beautiful Peacock (23).

TSSS soon arrived back having had no luck with the White-letter and we discussed our results, it was tight but the final results were 23 to 21 giving a total of 26 species. Everybody had had a great day and Hulme said it was the best day of his butterfly year (which doesn't say a lot given the weather conditions for most of the year).

At the Dorothy Stringer Summer Fayre, Baker was crowned Butterfly King on behalf of the Team Purple Emperor and we all finished the day with a bottle of Sussex Ale - thank you (sleepy) Warren. Along with the BBC radio interview, BBC TV interview, Guardian article and short film on You Tube (Big Sussex Butterfly Count - which has had 305 viewings at the time of writing) this was clearly a real PR success, but when you take into account the 49,555 Twitter accounts that we reached, it feels like we really have pulled off something special. I would like to thank all those who helped to make this event work, all the team members and the people behind the scenes who helped with things like publicity and websites at SWT, SDNPA, B&HCC, BC, DSHS, to name but a few organisations. I am of the firm belief that partnership is at the heart of all successful nature conservation, of which this was a good example.

Already, people are asking me what about next year? I have the proposed Brighton & Hove and Lewes Downs Biosphere Reserve in mind or perhaps a challenge between Sussex and another branch, Surrey or Hampshire for instance... watch this space. (Dan Danahar)

Not exactly a typical July day weather-wise, cool, breezy and only intermittent spells of sunshine, however in comparison to what we have had to become used to it counted as a glorious summer's day. The simple fact that it wasn't raining at 07:30 was cause for optimism as the two teams: The Purple Emperors and The Silver-spotted Skippers mustered at Brighton's Dorothy Stringer High School for The Big Sussex Butterfly Count.

As a member of Team Silver-spotted Skipper - Tony Whitbread (Illustrious leader), Paul Gorringe (Pilot), Nigel Symington, Crispin Holloway, Matthew Thomas, Pete Varkala and Myself - I couldn't help but notice an air of, what seem to me like disturbingly well founded over-confidence in the demeanour of the members of the opposition - okay, our team certainly knows a thing or two about butterflies but we were undoubtedly pitting ourselves against some serious heavyweights (I like to think that it was they that were the "eccentrics" that Patrick Barkaham was referring to in his article in The Guardian).

Soon after setting off on our adventure news started filtering through of an early advantage being gained by the opposition, it was only about 08:15 and they had already bagged Essex Skipper! Minutes later we were scampering up Malling Down and had levelled the score with a Red Admiral swiftly followed by Meadow Brown, Marbled White and Small Heath, by 08:30 we had gone 4 - 1 up! Tony now had to find a decent phone signal in order to be interviewed by BBC Radio Sussex, no mean task in this part of the world. We didn't linger and headed immediately for Rowland Wood where we had another appointment with The BBC (TV this time), but more importantly with our two target species for the wood: White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary, both of which proved to be plentiful, we also ticked off Ringlet, Large Skipper and Comma, but, despite our best efforts, we couldn't find a Purple Hairstreak before we headed back to the Land Rover and Ashdown Forest.

The sole reason for heading to Ashdown Forest was to see Silver-studded Blues and it if hadn't have been for The RSPB's Steve Wheatley, we probably wouldn't have! Thanks to him we were given access to Sussex Police's training ground at Kingstanding, an area of heathland which is normally completely off limits to the public but is wonderfully well managed for Sussex Police by Steve. We were guided to the heart of the compound and it wasn't long before the first shout went out "got one!". Species #10 in the bag, we headed south to The Downs.

Birling Gap was our intended destination but as we drove between Belle Tout lighthouse and Horseshoe Plantation another shout went out "stop - Dark Green Fritillary!!", the Landy juddered to an abrupt halt, Paul pulled onto the verge and out we all leapt. What had at first glance appeared to be a relatively run-of-the-mill roadside verge turned out to be a wonderfully varied expanse of chalk grassland, teaming with flowers and better still, hundreds of Dark Green Fritillaries, copious Small and Essex Skipper and a lone female Common Blue. There was a keen wind blowing and we decided that a rummage round the sheltered Horseshoe Plantation might be fruitful - and it was... Chalkhill Blue, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood (we forgot to look for one of these when we had the opportunity at Rowland Wood - doh!) and an absolutely massive Painted Lady, nectaring on the brambles an the woodland edge. A quick scout around an area of blackthorn scrub near where we had parked was enough to reveal a Small Copper and a Large White!!! (the exclamation marks indicate the shout with which it was greeted). Birling Gap was a bit of a disappointment - too windy, all we found here was a solitary female Large Skipper, which we initially thought might be our namesake but closer examination proved otherwise and an Oak Eggar caterpillar. We now had 20 species in the hat and, better still, we discovered that Team Purple Emperor only had 18! This boost drove us on in search of species that we felt we should have seen already, no Small or Green-veined White, no Peacock, no Small Tortoiseshell... High and Over provided us with one of these - Small White (oh, and for those of us that hadn't visited this site before, a fabulous view!) but that was it except for a rather nice little plume moth Merrifieldia leucodactyla*. Time was now pressing - we were due to rendezvous with our rivals at Hollingbury at 16:00. There was just time to check out an area of exposed chalk behind the Police Station at Holligbury which at the right time of year is teaming with Small Blues but it was not to be, we were stuck on 21 and by now so were Team Purple Emperor, our only hope now was for a lucky White-letter Hairstreak at Hollingbury. When we arrived we were greeted by an exultant (some might say gloating) Team Purple Emperor, "How many species have you got?" they said gleefully, "twenty one" we replied "TWENTY TWO!" came the response... "Patrick found a White-letter on a thistle flower - it was the only one we saw - don't rate your chances..." off we went, the sun had gone by now and, frankly, we didn't rate or chances either, we were right, we couldn't find one anywhere and by now we had to be back at Dorothy Stringer. More bad news when we got back here too, they had found a Peacock and we were trounced!

None of us really cared, we had had a fantastic day and it really was the taking part that had mattered (what a privilege). Between us we counted twenty six species and with a little more luck and some better weather this might well have been more. The absence of some of our more common species (most notably Small Tortoiseshell) is particularly worrying but others such as White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary at Rowland Wood and the Dark Green Fritillaries on The Downs appear to be thriving, despite the atrocious summer we are having - so it's not all doom and gloom.

Finally I would just like to thank Dan Danahar for organising and coordinating this event, without him, I'm sure it would never have happened and certainly wouldn't have been the resounding success that it proved to be. I should also make a special mention of Paul's fine driving and Brighton & Hove City Council's generosity in their lone of a fully fuelled Land Rover (and Paul to drive it) for the day - thank you. (Bob Foreman)

* I feel I should point out that Colin Pratt, County Recorder, described this particular observation as "the best Sussex Plume Of the year so far" and according to his book "A Complete History of The Butterflies and Moths of Sussex" it is the first Sussex record of the species since 2000 - therefore, I hereby claim two bonus points and an honourable draw... well, it's worth a try...

I was privileged to participate in Friday's Big Sussex Butterfly Count. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day with great butterfly people. It was difficult to envisage not winning when we had such luminaries in Team Purple Emperor as Martin Warren, Nick Baker, Patrick Barkham and Neil Hulme who made wonderful discoveries during the day. The most memorable for me were Martin's Dingy Skipper larva and Elephant Hawk-moth. Thanks to Dan Danahar for a well organised operation to launch the annual BC Butterfly Count. My account of the day is on my blog. (Colin Knight www.seapic.com)

Sunday 15 July 2012

And so the so called summer continues!! In a short heatwave of 17 degrees yesterday I had another fruitless search along the Cuckmere valley for White-letter Hairstreaks. Only 4 in the canopy seen so far this year. However at Littlington a Comma with the comma marking nearly an "O" of sorts. Also seen were several Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, a couple of Small Copper and Gatekeepers and a Volucella zonaria.
Meanwhile my Orange-tip pupa is now looking very smart with vein markings showing as well as other patterns. (Bob Eade)