Another good day for butterfly numbers, with Chalk Hill Blue probably now outnumbering Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), these three making up well over 90% of the total seen. There were just a few Small White and Common Blue, with just one each of Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady, Brown Argus (Aricia agestis), Speckled Wood, Small Heath and my second ever Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus), for a species total of 11.

Spindle Ermine (Yponomeuta cagnagella) moths are now starting to emerge from the pupae formed by those masses of caterpillars in the communal webs on the Spindle trees back in April and May.

Three different bugs (i.e. Hemiptera ‘true bugs’) were located on different plants, a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus) on Ragwort, a 4^th instar nymph of the Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) on Hemp-agrimony and a Striped Shieldbug (Graphosoma italicum) on Wild Parsnip. This is now the 4^th location on the Downs that I have found the latter, so this scarce bug is undoubtedly now well established here.

The Hymenoptera were well represented today and just like yesterday there were hundreds of Honey Bee and White/Buff-tailed Bumblebee to be seen. A Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) was found on Hemp-agrimony and a Sphecodes sp. blood bee (possibly S. monilicornis or S. ephippius) on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

There appears to have been an eruption of Large Tiphia (Tiphia femorata) wasps and they are favouring one particular wildflower, as there seemed to be at least one on every Wild Carrot. Also found on Wild Carrot and a new addition to my Downs list was the Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae). Another sawfly located was a Curled Rose Sawfly (Allantus cinctus).

I have recorded Willow-umbellifer Aphid and Black Bean Aphid on Wild Parsnip in the past week and today added a third aphid species on this plant. This one is new to my Downs list. I believe it to be Fly Honeysuckle Aphid (Hyadaphis foeniculi), although there is at least one other very similar Hyadaphis species with which it could be confused. One of the identifying features of Hyadaphis is the presence of brownish patches around the base of the siphunculi (the protuberances on either side at the rear of the aphid) that can hopefully be seen in what is not the best focussed of images.

I found a Common Comfrey that is showing the start of an infection by a Golovinomyces sp. powdery mildew, possibly G. asperifoliorum, Borage Powdery Mildew, named for the genus of its known host plants. Powdery mildews form when the fungal spores land on leaves during weather that is hot and dry during the day and cooler and more humid at night. They do not require moisture on the leaves like most other fungi. Current weather conditions are ideal.

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