Explore the diverse flora and fauna on the Downs from season to season through personal observations and photographs

Thursday, 1 May 2025

Many of the dandelions now have full heads of seeds - ‘dandelion clocks’. The strong breeze today has them blowing ...

Friday, 2 May 2025

The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is now blooming across the Downs, the May blossom adding a touch of colour to the ...

Saturday, 3 May 2025

Some very early Small Heath butterflies (Coenonympha pamphilus) are on the wing today, while an English Oak (Quercus robur) tree ...

Tuesday, 6 May 2025

Tuesday, 6 May 2025 A good day for exercise and not much else. With a strong northeaster blowing there were ...

Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Three more new insect sightings today - Small Yellow Underwing moth (Panemeria tenebrata), Four-spotted Oak Bug (Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus) and Wayward ...

Thursday, 8 May 2025

It was a good day for insects today. Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes), Lucerne Bug (Adelphocoris lineolatus), Common Dance Fly (Empis ...

Saturday, 10 May 2025

Both Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) and Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) butterflies are out in good numbers today, as are Common ...

Monday, 12 May 2025

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages), Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), which I finally managed to photograph, and Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) were ...

Tuesday, 13 May 2025 – Warnham Nature Reserve

Something different today. I spent the morning at the Warnham Nature Reserve, near Horsham in West Sussex. I will just ...

Friday, 16 May 2025

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) and Small Blue (Cupido minimus) are the most numerous butterflies in the open areas with a good ...

Saturday, 17 May 2025

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), Small Blue (Cupido minimus) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) butterflies are still around in good numbers. The ...

Monday, 19 May 2025

I have only heard a Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) calling on the Downs twice in the last 10 years, but there ...

Tuesday, 20 May 2025

The Cuckoo was calling in the same area again today, but still no luck locating him. There were another 4 ...

Thursday, 22 May 2025

The Cuckoo has gone silent (or maybe just gone). Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) was out in large numbers today and ...

Friday, 23 May 2025

Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) beetles are out in large numbers and I have my first sighting this spring of Southern ...

Saturday, 24 May 2025

Insects added today are the Marbled White Spot moth (Protodeltote pygarga), a hoverfly, the Sun Fly (Helophilus pendulus), the Patchwork ...

Sunday, 25 May 2025

It has been very windy today with no butterflies and very few other insects on the wing, but I did ...

Monday, 26 May 2025

It was windy again, with a very gusty southwester blowing, so I stuck to the woodland paths and those along ...

Wednesday, 28 May 2025

A second Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), one of the summer migrant birds, was noted this morning. It was very windy ...

Thursday, 29 May 2025

Another of those very windy days that was good for exercise and not much else, though I did manage to ...