Thursday, 25 Sep 2025
Butterfly numbers continue to be counted on one hand with 2 Small Copper, a single male Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), a female Meadow Brown and a Speckled Wood making up today’s tally. A new insect, but not the greatest of photographs, is the White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus). Also photographed was a Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). […]
Sunday, 3 Aug 2025
Only one new insect today, one of those tricky to identify ichneumon wasps, a pimpline ichneumon which I believe might be Apechthis compunctor? After many sightings of nymphs earlier in the summer I have now seen an adult Speckled Bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima). Other photographs included a female Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), a male Kite-tailed […]
Thursday, 14 Aug 2025
Butterfly numbers greatly reduced. Small Copper is now the dominant species. A few Brown Argus (Aricia agestis), Small White (Pieris rapae), Speckled Wood and Gatekeeper still present. New insects added were Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana) and an unexpected passenger on my shorts after walking along the edge of the sheep enclosure, a Castor Bean Tick […]
Wednesday, 27 Aug 2025
Butterfly numbers are dwindling. Just a few Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) to be seen. New insects were Large Tiphia (Tiphia femorata) wasp and a Lauxaniid fly, possibly Meiosimyza rorida. Nature note for the day I think most of us associate holly with Christmas, with wreaths and […]
Thursday, 28 Aug 2025
Only Speckled Wood and Small Copper butterflies to be seen today. Some of the Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) took a liking to some rotting apples beneath a Crab Apple tree. New species added were a leafhopper (Arboridia ribauti) on a Wild Cherry leaf, a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) and a possible Banded Comb-Footed Spider […]
Friday, 11 Jul 2025
As I mentioned on 1st July it is becoming a much more uncommon sight to see a Song Thush, but this morning I had a pair on the path ahead of me near the south-eastern corner. There has been a major eruption of Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon) butterflies. Particularly along the northern edge of the […]
Saturday, 12 Jul 2025
Latest butterfly to appear and in good numbers is the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus britanna), with other new insects in Box-headed Blood Bee (Sphecodes monilicornis) and Truffle Blacklet (Cheilosia soror) hoverfly. Also photographed was a 4th instar nymph of the Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina). A new wildflower, not just for this year, […]
Monday, 14 Jul 2025
What a start to my walk today! Just 3 minutes after setting foot on the Downs I realised that there were a Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) doe and her fawn walking towards me along the path. So I fired off a quick couple of shots and ducked into the trees to my right, trying to […]
Wednesday, 16 Jul 2025
It is still the most prominent butterfly and today I found a Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) carrying a parasitic Trombidium breei mite. In fact it was on the female of a mating pair. A new insect added was the Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis). On 3rd May I posted an image of a Currant Gall caused […]
Friday, 18 Jul 2025
The first Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) seen since 1st May – or maybe I’ve been writing them off as female Common Blues. New insects added to the list are a pair of wasps, a female Greater Pennant Wasp (Gasteruption jaculator) and a Sharp-shouldered Fly Fox (Ectemnius dives) both on the same Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). At […]
Friday, 25 Jul 2025
Two days of heavy showers has seen a lush greenness return to the Downs. Chalkhill Blue (Polyomattus coridon) still predominates, but I have a first ever sighting anywhere of Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus). A rather worn specimen but still a Purple Hairstreak! Other new sightings were a female ichneumon wasp (Ichneumon suspiciosus?), a female Red […]
Monday, 28 Jul 2025
Good numbers of Brown Argus present today, outnumbered by Small Copper, which are in much greater numbers than recent days. Insects added today were Tiger Ichneumon Wasp (Ichneumon xanthorius), a tiny (+/- 5 mm) Orthocentrus ichneumon wasp that landed on my watch strap, European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) and Kite-tailed Robberfly (Machimus atricapillus). Also photographed were […]
Monday, 9 Jun 2025
Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) butterflies are starting to appear, while it was yet another good day for other insects. New sightings were 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Common Marble moth (Celypha lacunana), a leaf-curling sac spider (Clubiona lutescens), Variable Tenthredo (Tenthredo livida) and a Lauxaniid fly (Minettia inusta). On a large stand of as yet non-flowering […]
Thursday, 12 Jun 2025
Not seen since 5th April one of the resident Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) swooped low enough near me that I was able to get a decent photo with just a 135 mm lens. A second wave of Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) butterflies seems to be starting, and there were also large numbers of Speckled Wood (Pararge […]
Monday, 23 Jun 2025
We need rain. There is a distinct straw-coloured tinge to all the greenery now. Marbled White is still the most numerous butterfly, Meadow Brown and Small Heath numbers are increasing and the latest to emerge in good numbers is Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus). Two weeks ago today I posted an image of the spectabilis form of […]
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2025
A few showers of rain yesterday, not that you’d notice. Still Marbled White butterflies everywhere you look and both Small Heath and Ringlet seem to be increasing in numbers. First sighting of the summer this morning of a single Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas). Other insects seen were Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina) 3rd instar nymphs […]
Thursday, 26 Jun 2025
Latest butterflies to put in an appearance are Large White (Pieris brassicae), Green-veined White (Pieris napi) and Comma (Polygonia c-album). Other insects photographed were Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp (Cerceris rybyensis), Common Tachinid fly (Tachina fera), Roesel’s Bush-cricket (Roeseliana roeselii) and Dimorphic Strider sawfly (Macrophya montana). On a leaf of a Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) I came across what I think […]
Friday, 27 Jun 2025
Having seen my one and only Green-veined White (Pieris napi) this summer yesterday, another presented itself for a photo opportunity this morning. New additions to the insect list are Ringed Tubetail (Fagisyrphus cinctus) hoverfly and Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva), a major emergence of these, swarming all over Cow Parsley and Hogweed. Also, on the large […]
Saturday, 3 May 2025
Some very early Small Heath butterflies (Coenonympha pamphilus) are on the wing today, while an English Oak (Quercus robur) tree revealed another type of gall, a Currant Gall caused by the gall wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum. These can occur either on a leaf or the male catkins of the oak tree. On a leaf of the same […]
Friday, 16 May 2025
Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) and Small Blue (Cupido minimus) are the most numerous butterflies in the open areas with a good number of Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) on the woodland paths. The Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) is beginning to blossom and is supporting a host of insects and spiders. Those photographed today were Small Blue butterfly, […]