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

Saturday, 1 Aug 2026

Another good day for butterfly numbers, with Chalk Hill Blue probably now outnumbering Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Meadow Brown (Maniola ...

Wednesday, 5 Aug 2026

A largely overcast and quite breezy morning so not too many insects on the wing. Most of the butterflies I ...

Saturday, 8 Aug 2026

I only walked paths along woodland edges today, so my observations of butterfly abundance would be strongly influenced by that ...

Wednesday, 12 Aug 2026

By my reckoning this is Day 50 without rain – well a couple of spits and spots that didn’t last ...

Saturday, 15 Aug 2026

Drought Day 53. It seems like many insects have just given up. Walking along the woodland paths even three days ...

Wednesday, 19 Aug 2026

Hardly drought-breaking rain, but a few light showers overnight end exactly 8 weeks without rain. Apart from a few water ...

Friday, 21 Aug 2026

A pleasant day for walking, with the maximum temperature forecast at the lowest for at least a month, only 20°C, ...

Monday, 24 Aug 2026

Another pleasant day for walking, with a strong easterly breeze countering the continuing high humidity. Insect numbers were yet again ...

Tuesday, 25 Aug 2026

Even fewer butterflies on the wing today but I was stirring them into action from their resting places in the ...

Friday, 28 Aug 2026

Twenty-four hours since the first meaningful rain in 9 weeks and there is definitely a fresher look to the Downs ...

Monday, 31 Aug 2026

After some substantial rain in the past few days there was a refreshing greenness to the Downs again this morning ...